Legatus Argus dropped his "but" and fell silent.

  He, Pythia and Evadne remained seated, but I couldn't help myself and stood up. My bottom sore, but surprisingly the knees protested loudly with wet crack.

  *Like some old fart, but I'm just twenty-something.*

  Evadne twitched but I stopped her with a hand raised in "no need" gesture.

  I walked behind her, my hand rested on her chair's back for support, brushing her shining hair. Soft and ticklish.

  While pacing back and forth, I used chair's polished backs as anchor, steadying my movements. There were six on my edge of the table, six on another, and two on each shorter end.

  *I'm puzzled. I thought he wants me to take part in this so-called Ascension.*

  The slow, rhythmic tap... tap... tap of Legatus finger on the desk's surface measured my stride. He seemed like a picture of patience. Pythia let out a silent, weary sigh, rolling her eyes.

  *Now that I agreed, he has demands?*

  Nobody said a word, just their eyes tracked me.

  *Well, I said yes only to the first phase, maybe that's the reason?*

  I looked at his bearish posture. He seemed in his early fifties or late forties, but those muscles. They screamed strength. And he just sat and waited, like he knew prey would come to him and he doesn't have to bother.

  *He's really waiting until what I'll say! Just spill it out, what do you want, Legatus?!*

  "Yes, Legatus?" I finally said. After prolonged silence words felt louder than they were.

  "Audience with the King," he blurted out, betraying he barely held them in all this time.

  Pythia's mouth opened, her back stiffening under the white robe.

  Argus raised his hand gently, a surprisingly delicate gesture for the mountain of a man. "Allow me to finish, Highest Priestess."

  She let him, her lips pressing into a thin, white line. I didn't interrupt either, just paced slowly on the opposite end of the table.

  "Only the Temple can produce the vials of Ascension and Crucible." He leaned in a bit, bowing to Pythia. "But only the Royal Family can provide all the resources necessary for production," he continued, his gaze shifted to me.

  "And they want his support in return. He just has to state he's a loyal subject during an audience with the King and nobles."

  I stopped abruptly behind Evadne. She turned on the chair to me, breaking her 'High Priestess' pose into something less formal.

  *No way, I'm not going to play their silly politics.*

  My voice rose. "I'm nobody's subject!" Even deaf could hear irritation. "I'm not even from this world! I didn't choose this King, in my world,..."

  Evadne's hand clamped down on my arm, her fingers digging in like a warning. I glanced at her. She was gently shaking her head, with alarmed eyes.

  "I feel your anger, Leonard," Althea said sympathetically. "They don't understand it, do they?"

  Pythia glanced at my wrist, but as Legatus wanted to counter, she jumped in, seizing the opening my outburst provided. Her red jewelry had intensive, deep color under bright light of the office.

  "See, Legatus?" She pointed her hand flatly at me. "Imagine he says that during an audience. He has no idea of the weight his words carry." Her hand rested on his shoulder, and she leaned in to him. "We can't rush this, Argus."

  Althea whispered, her voice tinged with a sadness as Pythia spoke. "She pounced on your pain, Leonard. She's using your past as a lever in her own game, to them it's just a tool."

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  "Althea, you're not helping." I whispered through clenched teeth.

  *But in one way she was right - Pythia played her hand well. My anger just gave her ammunition. I should learn.*

  Pythia's silver eyes narrowed dangerously. She distanced herself from Argus and shifted to me, frowning.

  Her eyes locked not on me, but my wrist. Her face smoothed over, and she said: "Althea, remain quiet until we finish, you're distracting me."

  *She silenced her again, I wonder...*

  "Althea?" I asked, barely a whisper.

  "Yes, Leonard?" She replied instantly.

  *Good.*

  "Nothing, please don't interrupt, we'll talk later," I said, nodding to Pythia, who observed me carefully.

  *If playing their game is what it takes... How did Argus control the room earlier?*

  The bear at the desk growled with frustration, running a hand through his short-cropped, dark hair. "Then we give him basic etiquette lessons, and after the audience we can start the training."

  "I'm nobody's subject," I repeated placing my butt back on the chair, this time on Evadne's left side.

  Argus inhaled sharply, but this time I raised my hand slightly, mimicking Argus from earlier. "But I'm not against the Royal Family either. I just want them to respect my freedom."

  "It's not that simple." Argus's irritation was clear.

  Future headache gave me a teaser, dull pressure behind my forehead.

  *Uh, we're negotiating and arguing for how long already? I'm fed up with this...*

  "Then a private audience with the Royal Family," Argus said, and was about to continue, but I interrupted him impatiently.

  "No audience. Public, private, imaginary, or other. I didn't engage in politics in my world, and I don't want to in this. Pythia is right."

  I braced for an explosion. Instead, he stood up again, shoving his chair back with a violent screech of wood on stone. It tottered, and he caught it at the last moment, his knuckles white on the chair back.

  He stood there for a long second, breathing heavily, his back still rigid.

  *You can be angry all you want, Argus.*

  Pythia watched this, her face a mask I knew well. But as Argus turned his back to her, she let a barely visible smirk dance on her lips. It vanished in an instant when he deliberately straightened his uniform. He took a slow, measured breath, and turned back. A new resolve in his eyes.

  *Ah damn it, let's get this over with!*

  He placed both hands on the desk, leaning over the table, a predator re-evaluating his prey.

  "Saint Leonard. Then just an informal meeting with Princess Ariadne. A simple tea party, where you can talk without implications."

  "Simple tea party?" I asked sensing deceit. Pythia's eyebrows drew closer, her expression turning from victorious to wary.

  I turned away to hide my face from them. Behind me was a table where everyone sat, and in front empty space. Carpet on the floor until the wall - this one covered with wooden boards from top to bottom.

  *Tea party, tea party... sounds like some boring meeting nobles in books had. Harmless, at first glance.*

  The wall was 'decorated' with animal skulls. I got closer to take a better look.

  Something like a deer. A bear. And some monstrosity that has jaws that made me look away in unease, despite being long dead.

  *But what if there are more strangers I have to talk to? And worse, they have their own idea what to do with me? Maybe it would be better to narrow this just to the princess?*

  Keeping my back to them, I asked hiding my intent behind flat voice, "Just her and me?"

  "Yes!" Argus exclaimed happily—"No!" Pythia's followed sharply.

  I turned to them surprised.

  She focused on Argus, her own anger now matching his satisfaction. "You're not a Legatus now, you're a courtier! You know exactly what you're doing."

  *Wait, what does she mean? This is a nice compromise.*

  She shifted her gaze to me and continued like teaching two plus two. "A public audience is safe, Leonard. It's transparent. I know you don't want to submit, and I respect that, but that would leave no room for misinterpretation."

  She paused.

  *Misinterpretation? Like, dating?*

  "Now imagine you go for a private meeting with the unmarried Princess... the one miraculously saved from the attack."

  She pointed her words, now harsher, toward Argus. "Especially this Princess, Argus – the sole heir, whose betrothal is already a matter of intense political maneuvering."

  Then back to me, less angry, more troubled, "The royal court, the temple, everyone will speculate. What's your relationship? Are you her friend... or perhaps a lover?"

  I swallowed audibly.

  *Well, when she puts it like that... but it doesn't matter. Distraction.*

  The "bear" was gone, replaced by a smiling strategist whose decorated chest plate seemed to gleam under the office light.

  "I recommend the public audience, Leonard," Pythia concluded. "We will think how to navigate it."

  "Thank you Highest Priestess, I understand," I said quietly. I looked past Pythia's concerned face to Argus. And his triumphant, satisfied smile.

  *Three options.*

  I walked back to the table, I had to make quite a few steps to reach. That gave me time to think.

  *Trapped in a net of glaring noble eyes watching my every movement, like when Pandora summoned me.*

  *A cage full of royal lions, wanting to take ownership of me.*

  *Or just one princess who hopefully will just try to win my support over a cup of tea.*

  "The tea party is fine," I said. "I don't care about the rumors, just please, make it truly private. If they want me to be ever on their side, then I expect they'll show sincerity, no games, no walking through hallways full of nobles or something."

  Argus narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered my terms. Smile of amusement, or perhaps smirk of calculation, crossed his face before he gave a single, sharp nod.

  *Why do I feel like he got more than he hoped for?*

  "I'll relay that to the Royal Family immediately, they'll be ready tomorrow." Argus said, and my tired eyes landed on Evadne. Somehow, she seemed very unhappy.

  Pythia said bitterly, "Come Saint Leonard, let's prepare you for tomorrow."

  *Finally it's settled. Some preparation, tea, then I start training. What can go wrong?*