The Court of the Camelia was up in arms for the three days prior to the meeting with the Bandri. Everyone had an opinion and wanted it heard. Thank the gods Chenzhou had more patience than Eirian. He was doing a decent job of letting everyone have their say, but hadn't yet announced any formal decision.
Eirian suspected she already knew what he was going to do, but she hadn't said anything. The Court was getting more comfortable with Eirian. Lady Yang and Lord Yin had been instrumental in getting a few holdouts to relax and engage with her.
But it never left the back of her mind that someone at court was the most likely suspect behind the miasma. It was such a large pool of suspects that Eirian wasn't really sure where to start.
She was somewhat familiar with the Zhao, Yang, and Yin families now. The three oldest families next to the Ye.
She hadn't had much of a chance to talk to the Colfaxes, Marian's husband's family, but at least they smiled at her when they saw her. Marian and her husband had never had children of their own, but his brother had three. The oldest of which commanded one of the offensive lines of the Crimson Army.
The Colfaxes were low on the list of suspects because they were newer to the estate, but also because of their ties to the capital. Between their own blood ties to the nobility, Marian's relation to the Vermeers meant they didn't need magic to grow their influence.
If they'd really wanted to take over the Camelia, they had enough resources and support to ensure that Chenzhou never made it to adulthood.
There were two major families and three minor that topped Eirian's list.
The Windsors and the Helians were a couple hundred years younger than the Ye family and had come from the capital originally. Both had taken the place of families that had died out, one of whom Eirian was getting the sense the Ye's had had more than a small hand in.
The minor families had originated in the Camelia. Although two of them, the Valients and the Crusoes, were breakaways from major families in the court, and the last was organically grown, one of only two that had risen through the ranks until they'd become minor nobility.
The Wen's dramatic rise had stalled at the minor level, as none of the major families showed any sign of weakening or dying out. According to Chenzhou and Yuze, they were one of the most openly ambitious families in the estate, constantly reaching for more responsibility and space.
Chenzhou had managed to hold them at bay through their lackluster showing during the last war, but they'd managed strategic marriages right before Eirian's arrival. One Wen daughter had married a respected Yin cousin, another one of Lady Yang's beloved sons.
They were at the top of Eirian's list, and she'd been watching them in the council meetings. So far, they were nothing but respectful, though a bit pushy. Eirian hadn't found an excuse to approach them directly yet, but she was considering asking Lady Yang to arrange an introduction.
It would have to wait until after the meeting with the Bandri, though.
***
Eric had been dodging invitations all week long, and it was starting to grate on what little was left of his nerves. The official high society season had started, and suddenly people who couldn't be bothered to remember his name three years before were desperate to have him at their homes and parties every night.
He couldn't even go to the shops without being accosted in the street, and his Imperial Guard was starting to get twitchy. So far, they'd managed not to maim any of the tittering socialites and desperate mothers, but it was only a matter of time before someone moved too quickly and someone else's instincts kicked in.
He was looking forward to a quiet night in, catching up on correspondence and some of the research Eirian had sent.
Will was supposed to be back from a meeting in the Isles of Smoke, and he always had interesting stories when he went down there.
He let the butler take his coat and hat and asked him to send dinner to his study instead of bothering to set the entire dining room just for Eric.
Uncle Francis hadn't returned from his trip to the Camelia yet, but Eirian's letter had already arrived informing Eric of the decision concerning her heir.
Like, Eric himself didn't have a say in it. He'd been trying to figure out how to deal with Francis now and had yet to figure out an acceptable solution.
There were plenty of unacceptable ones, according to Will, who'd shot down all of his ideas so far.
Despite Eirian and Eric's anger at the situation, Eric found he agreed with Chenzhou's suggestion to the five-year acceptance of the babe as Eirian's heir. Five years was long enough for Chenzhou to father a child or for the two of them to adopt.
The time would lull Francis into a sense of security that would give them time to plan, and Eric had already decided to speak to his mother on the matter. The Queen had distanced herself from dealing with the Soliel family issues at his father's request, and out of respect for her friendship with Eirian's mother, but she ruled the high society of the capital with an iron fist wrapped in velvet. As Queen of Sorrow, she also had a significant say in any marriage or case of inheritance in the high court.
If anyone could figure out a way to outmaneuver Francis, it was her.
He'd just sat down, wincing as his feet throbbed after a day of walking inspections and meetings, when Will burst in.
"Get up, you have to go."
Startled to his feet, Eric clipped his thigh on the desk and winced. "What?" It came out sharper than he intended as pain shot through his leg. "Did something happen on the Isles?"
Will shook his head, throwing Eric's coat at him. "I ran into the King's messenger on my way here. The king's taken to his bed in illness. You need to go now."
~ tbc