The imperial decree arrived just after sunrise.
A procession of royal messengers rode through the capital in crimson uniforms embroidered with the golden phoenix of the Empire, stopping before every noble residence regardless of rank or reputation. From the wealthiest dukes to the smallest barons, each family received the same sealed invitation bearing the Emperor's personal seal.
Within an hour, the entire capital had only one topic of conversation.
The annual Royal Hunting Festival was returning.
For generations, the festival had been far more than a hunt. It was the one occasion each year when every powerful family gathered outside the palace walls. Alliances were strengthened over campfires, engagements were announced beneath decorated pavilions, ministers quietly negotiated appointments, and ambitious young nobles competed for the Emperor's attention. The hunt itself rarely decided anything.
Everything surrounding it did.
When the messenger reached House Solis, even the servants exchanged surprised glances.
The Solis family had spent weeks enduring one humiliation after another. Merchants had withdrawn contracts without explanation, influential acquaintances had grown strangely distant, and invitations to private banquets had quietly stopped arriving. Although Lord Solis continued insisting everything remained under control, everyone inside the estate could feel the invisible walls closing around them.
Yet an imperial summons could never be ignored. Lord Solis broke the wax seal himself.
His eyes moved slowly across the parchment before he read the contents aloud.
"By His Imperial Majesty's command, every noble household shall attend this year's Royal Hunting Festival..."
His voice paused for only a heartbeat.
"...with all immediate family members present."
Silence settled over the study.
Lyra frowned first. "All immediate family?" Lord Solis folded the decree.
"Those are the Emperor's words."
Across the room, Lyra accepted the parchment from her father and read it herself, as though expecting some hidden exception to appear between the lines. There wasn't one.
Her gaze shifted almost instinctively toward the doorway. "Kira will have to attend."
No one answered. There was nothing to argue. The Emperor's invitation was not a request. It was an order. Kira learned of the festival later that afternoon. One of the maids entered her courtyard carrying several bolts of silk chosen for new dresses, followed by a tailor measuring fabrics beneath his arm. The elderly woman smiled politely.
"Miss Kira, the master has instructed every member of the family to prepare suitable clothing. The Royal Hunting Festival begins in twelve days."
Kira closed the book resting on her lap. "So soon?"
"The imperial decree arrived this morning." The tailor stepped forward respectfully.
"If Miss would permit me to take her measurements..." Kira stood without protest.
As the tailor measured sleeves and adjusted lengths, she listened quietly while the maids excitedly discussed the festival.
They spoke about noble ladies showing off their riding skills, princes competing in archery contests, lavish evening banquets beneath illuminated tents, and the countless opportunities for young women to attract favorable marriages.
To them, it was the grandest event of the year. To Kira... It was something else entirely. The largest gathering of powerful people in the Empire. The perfect place for hidden agendas. The perfect place for accidents.
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That evening, after darkness settled over the capital, another meeting convened beneath the florist's shop. The Seven Gardeners were already waiting when Kira entered the circular chamber. Trade was reviewing reports from the western provinces while Information organized fresh intelligence gathered over the past week. The Chairman looked up first, immediately noticing the folded imperial decree resting in Kira's hand.
"The festival." She nodded.
"The invitations have arrived."
"The entire capital is preparing." The florist chuckled softly.
"Half the Empire believes hunting festivals are about deer."
"And the other half?"
"They know better." Several quiet smiles appeared around the table.
Every person present understood that more political bargains were struck during the annual hunt than inside the Imperial Court itself. Kira laid the decree on the stone table.
"The Solis family will attend."
"They must." Information answered before anyone else.
"The Emperor requires every noble household." Kira's fingers rested lightly against the parchment. Her thoughts drifted somewhere beyond House Solis. There was only one question she truly cared about.
She lifted her eyes.
"Will Gideon Sterling attend?" The chamber grew noticeably quieter.
Trade exchanged a glance with the Chairman before Information reached for another report.
"He wasn't expected to." Kira waited.
Information unfolded the parchment.
"But Sterling Manor confirmed its attendance this morning." The answer came without hesitation.
"Yes."
"He will attend." No one spoke for several moments.
The Chairman watched Kira carefully. "You've been interested in the Starfrost Crystal reports since Rowan visited."
"I have."
"Do you believe the Grand Duke is connected?"
"I believe," Kira replied calmly, "that too many unrelated events are beginning to point toward the same man."
She didn't elaborate further. She didn't need to. Everyone around the table understood the implication. The mysterious purchases of Starfrost Crystals. The hidden buyer. Gideon's illness. The annual hunting festival. Threads that had once seemed scattered across the Empire were slowly drawing toward the same place. The Chairman leaned back thoughtfully.
"The festival will place every major player in one location."
"It will, House Solis, Prince Julian, The Imperial Family, The great noble houses And Grand Duke Sterling."
Kira looked down at the map covering the table.
Tiny markers represented noble territories across the Empire, she no longer saw separate pieces moving independently. She saw intersections. Paths crossing. Games colliding. The florist broke the silence.
"Should Wildflower prepare anything special?"
Kira considered the question only briefly.
"No."
Several Gardeners looked surprised.
"No arrangements? No diversions? No hidden operations?"
She slowly shook her head.
"We've already placed enough pieces."
A faint smile touched her lips. "Now we'll watch where everyone chooses to move."
The capital became livelier with each passing day.
Blacksmiths repaired hunting spears through the night.
Tailors worked until exhaustion, stitching ceremonial riding clothes for noble families desperate to make favorable impressions. Merchants filled their storefronts with expensive cloaks, jeweled brooches, polished boots, and imported perfumes, knowing the festival season brought more wealth than any other time of year.
Carriages crowded the streets. Servants hurried between estates carrying invitations, gifts, and carefully worded messages. Everywhere Kira looked, people smiled. They anticipated celebration, Competition, and entertainment.
None of them realized that beneath the laughter and preparation, invisible games were already unfolding.
Some had begun months ago. Others... Had been waiting years.
Standing beside her bedroom window that evening, Kira watched another imperial carriage disappear into the distance before quietly closing the curtains.
Her revenge had begun inside the walls of House Solis. At the Royal Hunting Festival...It would step onto the Empire's stage all those who stood and watched as she died, All of them will pay for that blood.
And somewhere beyond the capital, the man known as the Frozen Duke was preparing for the same journey, unaware that fate was no longer content to let their paths run parallel.
Soon, they would finally cross.
Not as allies. Not as enemies.
But as two people carrying burdens neither yet understood, walking toward the same battlefield from opposite directions.