SERVANTS OF THE CROWN

crown three; the true king

【A/n：remember to play song~】

She didn't belong there, Lysandra had realized one day in Izana's study. There had been an attack in one of the regions that day, she remembers as she sits draped in one of her chairs, hand upon each other and nestled beneath her head.

She had stood back in the war council held there — because whether or not she could be the first female head, whether or not she was the aide, Lysandra is a woman.

Taisuke and Izana were arguing with some councilmembers about sending in reinforcement. They should protect the civilians first and foremost, Izana had said. Taisuke agreed. But they refused to relent and Izana, when all means were exhausted had glanced at her — for her to step in as she always had. But suddenly, for the first time in her life, Lysandra had found herself unable to open her mouth.

She has always been a prideful person. She spoke what was on her mind and if people didn't agree, she convinced them to, demanded that they did. But Lysandra didn't agree with Izana that day. A few lives were a small price to pay for losing their rapport with the nearby duchies the royal family had been allied with for centuries. Should they lose that support, the mining industry would collapse, the cost would be higher. In her split-second of hesitation, Rotavel had stepped forward and replaced her.

Rotavel had been more suited for that light, Lysandra thinks. Bronze hair and golden-skinned matched with a charming smile and for lack of a better word— tact.

Lysandra knows she would never fit in as he did. She would sooner break than bend to the whims of others.

But Izana— The way he had held her, the way he watched her, the way he spoke to her—

And the trust he had given her.

Yet, Izana is alive. And that in itself is enough for her, the sacrifices worth it, as Lysandra or as Liyostoni, alive or dead.

"Liyostoni-sama?" A quiet voice asks, hesitant.

A girl with beautiful kale-coloured hair steps into her view, her lips curved into a pleasant smile. "The preparations are complete. Everyone's waiting."

"Thank you, Niva." Lysandra rises and follows Niva out the door.

In front of her room, four people stand in a row that Niva moves to join. Lysandra looks at them.

Wise Jaune who has served as her butler for six years who had been one of the first to trust her with his people. Cheerful Amelie who creates the most beautiful dresses and never fails in cheering her up. Quiet but friendly Matthias who maintains the garden, the only one Lysandra trusts with that pear tree, the single white amidst the peach blossoms, Izana's tree. Enthusiastic Hayden who trips over nothing short of his feet and thin air but sings the most beautiful songs and never hesitates to help. Niva, who is young and bright and so, so much like the girl Lysandra once was.

I wonder who you are doing this for, Lysandra.

Gaia or Clarines?

You'll have to choose.

This isn't fair, she thinks bitterly for the first time in years.

♛♛♛

The true king is the one that whispers into the king's ears.

The one that the king obeys.

♛♛♛

It's clear that even from beyond the 'grave', she still influences the workings of Clarines. The unprompted, month-long mourning; the sudden panic of the ever resolute Estriach Clan; the distraught crown prince; the nation's finest pair of warriors raging with righteous anger and vowing revenge. Now, the court follows a system she created. Izana still looks to her, and the Estriach still uses her information network.

That fire, Ciairos remembers. The shock, the sadness, the anger. Izana coping with his grief by locking himself inside his study. Taisuke Aoshima, the second aide, destroying training grounds in his grief. Elias Estriach, suddenly forced to face the world without the steady shoulder of his sister to fall back on, forced to mourn and comfort his distraught parents and calm his vicious clan at the same time.

Ciairos had planned it with Lysandra. He procured the skeleton, the fire, the money and the transportation.

Dear Lysandra, Ciairos thinks wryly, the things I do for you.

The only person they told was Aleksandr Rotavel. Ciairos doesn't know if it's because he would've figured everything out sooner or later or if it was because out of the four, Rotavel was the only she hadn't been close to, wouldn't have hurt or if it was because Rotavel was the only one intelligent enough to take Lysandra's place. But because Ciairos loves Lysandra and Lysandra loves that country, that prince and that family—

Ciairos will help the only person who had shown him kindness when the world had been cruel.

They don't deserve her, Ciairos thinks, watching the Clarines envoys with cold eyes as they enter the Echomai Summer Palace.

Lysandra left for Vyrancios last week and would most likely be in Daylenta this week. The Holy Cities, Gaia's version of the Lyrias District. Lysandra left to gain closure and Ciairos wonders if it's worth it. To sacrifice so much for a single person alone— for people who will never know, never understand, never appreciate.

Lysandra had asked Ciairos not to interfere. Suddenly, he feels what Taisuke and Elias must've felt. That righteous anger. That cold rage.

But this is different. Elias and Taisuke had been powerless when she left, when Eradikegal first began to show interest.

Ciairos isn't.

The rush of adrenaline streams through his veins and makes him step forward, into the light and out of the shadows. He takes step after step towards that glowing icon Clarines shows to the world.

Step.

Step.

Haruka is the first that hears his footsteps, his face pales and his lips turn down in a scowl. Haruka reaches forward for his arm, hissing under his breath: "Corane, what are you—"

He swats him away easily, making Haruka stumble back a few steps as a wave of angry flush sinks into his face. His eyes narrow, Ciairos pays him no mind.

Haruto sees him next. Her eyebrow arches delicately as she continues sipping her tea. She seems to be faintly interested, if not amused, judging by the curve of her eyes.

Step, step.

Step, step.

His next steps take him right to the head of the table. Taisuke and Elias recognize him immediately, alight with shock. Rotavel observes him quietly from the corner of the table.

They hadn't seen him since the night Lysandra died. Ciairos never loved Clarines or its people. Lysandra had been his only reason for staying.

"Ciairos von Estriach Corane," a crisp, cool voice says. "Why are you here?" Izana Wisteria is the epitome of a golden king, the planes of his handsome face smooth and calm, but the undeniable sheen in his eyes knows and ask of him the reason he's here with them, the reason he is in a forgotten nation—

The only reason.

Ciairos wants to punch him in the face.

"Why do you think?"

♛♛♛

hoo~
another chap don~
how is it?

ciairos will be a minor side protag (or just plot device lol) but he's definitely going to be impooooorrrttant ;)

Sophie xx