Chapter 6
It was pure coincidence that the young princes had come to stay in the poor and unremarkable Quillucsia territory.
“Ezekiel!”
Five years ago. It was the season when summer briar roses bloomed in wild profusion throughout the capital. The latest fashion among the nobility was to adorn the window grilles of their mansions with the white briar that bloomed first, a harbinger of summer. The imperial palace was no exception.
He remembered the day Etienne had called to him, seated amidst a lush thicket of roses. Had Ezekiel known that single summons would alter the course of his destiny, he would never have answered. But he was only eighteen then, a prince still touched by the naivete of youth.
Imperial brothers only a year apart rarely got along, but the princes of Murenas were an exception. This was largely because Ezekiel had been destined for a god since birth. He was a brilliant and handsome young man, but his position posed no threat to the throne, and Etienne was genuinely fond of his younger brother. So, when Etienne called to him with a bright smile, Ezekiel went and sat beside him.
Etienne pouted. “What took you so long?”
He had been sending servants to Ezekiel all morning, hoping for a training session together. Unfortunately, Ezekiel had already risen at dawn to complete his drills and had prayers scheduled at the time Etienne requested. On any other day, he might have postponed his prayers for breakfast with his brother. But as fate would have it, the high priest of Sitarux, the god of light and creation, was visiting the imperial palace.
In Murenas, one came of age at nineteen. A noble would inherit his family’s estate; a commoner would marry and take over the family business. The Emperor of Murenas had long ago promised to send his third son, Ezekiel, to serve a god upon his nineteenth birthday. That birthday was the coming winter. Because the Emperor had not specified which god, the high priests of all seven deities were vying for the honor of claiming the prince.
Naturally, Ezekiel could not carelessly cancel his appointments with them. Etienne’s request had been pushed aside. And now, it seemed, his brother was sulking.
“Sitarux, is it? I’m afraid my already-holy brother will become far too saintly for his own good.”
“You think so?” Ezekiel replied with a faint smile.
Etienne shrugged. “Do not go to that temple. They say the Holy Knights of Sitarux are so strict they will not even use the privy in front of others.”
Sitarux, the god of light, justice, and creation, was an exceptionally rigid and conservative deity—fitting, perhaps, for the first god, the creator of the world. His priests and holy knights adhered to an equally austere doctrine.
“I am just worried my already-uptight brother will turn into a complete block of wood if he goes there,” Etienne grumbled playfully.
Unlike the cheerful and mischievous Etienne, Ezekiel was quiet and serious by nature. Of course, when he was with his brother, a wit and humor typical of boys their age would surface, but those moments were fleeting. He was diligent and taciturn, hardly what one would expect of an imperial prince born to wealth and power. Etienne often joked, “Sometimes, I cannot tell which one of us is the crown prince.”
“This is the last summer, is it not?” Etienne asked.
“It is a bit of a stretch to call it the last. There is still autumn.”
“But the decision must be made before my investiture, must it not?”
Etienne’s nineteenth birthday had been the previous autumn, the intended date for his investiture as crown prince. Tragically, the Empress Dowager passed away just before the ceremony. The empire mourned the deeply respected woman, and Etienne’s investiture was postponed until the coming fall.
“That would be more convenient, yes. But Father told me to take my time.” Ezekiel smiled.
”To be honest, if Prince Ezekiel had not been promised to a god, Prince Etienne would have been in real danger.”
He had heard the whispers. But Ezekiel paid them no mind. There was no reason to alter a destiny already set in stone. In fact, he welcomed the idea of becoming a servant of a god. He found solace in quiet reading and solitary training. The grand, complex work of diplomacy and ruling an empire seemed far better suited to his cheerful, good-natured brother. Whether Etienne was aware of this, however, was anyone’s guess.
“So, which temple has caught your eye?” Etienne pressed.
“Well, for now… Sitarux, perhaps…”
“Are you serious?”
“Haha. Irud, the god of earth and cycles, is also a fine choice.”
Etienne grimaced, but Ezekiel simply smiled. He preferred the conservative, stricter temples; he found comfort in following established rules. His brother, however, was clearly displeased.
“For heaven’s sake, just choose Elixir! Think of it! The god of wine, love, and temptation!”
“I heard you have developed a taste for spirits lately. It seems the rumors are true. For the future of Murenas, I shall remove the Temple of Elixir from my list of candidates.”
“Well, now. It seems there is a spy in my palace. From whom did you acquire such timely information?”
Ezekiel shrugged. It was hardly a secret that Etienne, having come of age, was currently enamored with sparkling wine. Still, he answered playfully, “Lady Arbois is said to be collecting sparkling wines made from green grapes. How could I not know?”
Etienne’s face crumpled into a deep frown. Lady Felicia Arbois—his fiancée. The woman he was expected to make his crown princess. She was a stunning beauty with dazzling blonde hair, but Etienne could not stand her. He found her personality fussy and demanding. To Ezekiel, she simply behaved as one would expect of the eldest daughter of a duke. He had to admit that she and Etienne were a terrible match.
“What do I care if that woman collects wine made from green grapes or apples?” Etienne scoffed.
“Do not say that. You are being too harsh. She collects fine wine in the hopes of sharing it with her fiancé.”
“Then you marry her.”
“My, my.” Ezekiel smiled, taking a sip of his tea. “If only I could, I would gladly do so for you.”
“Ugh, Ezekiel! You are doing this on purpose!” Annoyed, Etienne lunged forward and tickled his brother’s side.
For the sake of the anxious servants who looked as if they anticipated the teacup to shatter, Ezekiel quickly surrendered. Etienne huffed for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“So, what was it you wanted? If it were about morning training, we can do that tomorrow.” The fact that Etienne had specifically summoned him for afternoon tea suggested another purpose.
Popping a biscuit into his mouth, Etienne snapped his fingers. “Ah, right. I wanted to ask you to come on summer vacation with me.”
“Summer vacation?” Ezekiel’s eyes widened. Though not yet formally invested, Etienne had been assisting with imperial affairs for some time. To give the young prince a respite, the Emperor granted him a long vacation each summer. It seemed he wanted to bring Ezekiel along this year.
“But… we are not permitted to travel together.”
As a rule, the imperial children never traveled in the same party. If Etienne were to be assassinated, the other was needed to secure the line of succession. His vacation should have had nothing to do with Ezekiel.
But Etienne just shrugged. “I told Father I wanted to spend time with you before you are sent to the temple. He gave his permission.”
“Really?” This was a surprise. As Ezekiel’s eyes widened, Etienne wrinkled his nose playfully.
“You think I would lie?” Then, his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “The truth is… Father told me to spend the vacation with Lady Arbois.”
Ahh, I see. Understanding dawned, and a smile spread across Ezekiel’s face. So, Etienne had dragged his unsuspecting brother along to avoid spending the holiday alone with his despised fiancée. Well, it was no great hardship. Ezekiel did not dislike Lady Arbois, and he welcomed the idea of a final vacation with his brother.
“Very well, then.”
He should never have agreed.
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