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Byleth was exhausted. It took over a week for all of the guests to arrive. Her days of leisure were long gone. Instead, her activities included greeting other nobles and assisting the queen in planning. Still, she was grateful for something to do and Tiana would continue the stories of her adventures from when she first arrived. Byleth also managed to hear a couple of Khalid in his younger years.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to spend much time with him since the beginning of preparations. Only during dinner- in which their conversations could hardly be considered private- and on the practice grounds was she able to see him longer than a moment. While her original assignment had been an hour for five days a week, in reality it was closer to three days and only if they were lucky. From what she understood, and Khalid could not openly admit to struggling with the ceasefire talks, the main roadblock were finances. The alliance wanted the Almyrans to pay for damages to Fódlan's Locket and the surrounding area as well as assistance in providing relief for the families who’d lost men in the wars. Meanwhile Almyra was refusing on the grounds that they would be paying for the majority of the wedding- a wedding that might not even happen Count Gloucester seemed to enjoy pointing out. In comparison to a war that had happened and lives that were lost. And so around and around the talks went.
With no advice to give, she opted to help him work out his frustrations before he threw something at someone important. It wasn’t always swordplay they practiced. Sometimes it was hand to hand combat or bows and arrows. And other times they simply spent the hour stretching and relaxing in the sun. Afterwards, she was pleased to see that Khalid always seemed more at ease with going back to work. They hadn’t spoken about their time in the equipment room and Byleth wasn’t sure if she should be grateful that neither of them brought it up. On the one hand, things seemed okay between them which was a relief. On the other, it made her wonder if Khalid had meant something more with what he said or if he was only attempting to appear closer to her as Sothis suggested Byleth attempt to do.
There wasn’t much time to ponder those emotions. The Almyran ladies attached to the other princes were aggressive in their efforts to make connections. According to Cyril, Lady Leila made regular visits to the quarters of their foreign visitors. It seemed the fact that Shahid had not been sent to other lands didn’t sit well with the woman. Daria, Mirza’s chief wife, was already looking to set up marriage for her children in Rhedina- although a union had not been a requirement in the treaty between the two countries. The woman also hailed from a prominent Almyran family and she did her best to keep Byleth from building any sort of relationships with the ladies tied to her social circle. While the mother of the twins, Yasmin, was from a lesser noble house, she was beautiful and well known for having been fought over by two princes from the previous generation. A fact that seemed to be a sore spot for Queen Tiana, Byleth discovered accidentally when she asked about it one night.
According to her, Yasmin had been courted by the 3rd prince, Ashraf, and the 12th prince, Solayman. Her original intended had been Solayman; a younger prince with a woman from a lesser noble family- a fitting match for most. But Ashraf had been taken with Yasmin’s beauty and wanted her to be his own. Their internal fighting had been vicious and it ended only when Xerxes defeated both of his brothers in the bid for the throne. To prevent it from continuing, Xerxes took Yasmin himself to silence the other princes. Or so the stories went.
Byleth believed the lady had been playing both princes like dolls in the palm of her hand. The twins acquired their manipulative tactics from somewhere and the woman’s eyes seemed filled with the same darkness under her delicate makeup. Yasmin’s family strongly believed that their woman should have, in turn, become Xerxes’ chief wife since she’d been promised the position of queen by both Ashraf and Solayman. Clearly the family had not won, but it didn’t stop the woman from butting heads with Tiana. Indeed, she hadn’t been back at the palace more than a day before she was flirting shamelessly with the king. Of course, she was a consort and mother of the king’s sons and thus had the right to stand beside Xerxes, but the boldness of it all left Tiana irritable. Byleth heard whispers from the servants that the ‘demon queen Tiana’ had made a frightening return.
In a chance meeting in the library, Byleth discovered that Behrouz’s commonborn mother, Esther, was a sickly woman. She’d been considered more of a ‘charity case’ than a consort. She and the king were childhood friends and she’d refused his assistance because it was ‘not his duty to provide for her in such a way’. The young man explained it was part of the reason why he never gave the throne much thought. A prince with no foundation didn’t stand a chance. Doctors hadn’t believed Esther would live so long, but the king’s continued medical support provided her with the best care Almyra could offer. And it was because of those doctors that Behrouz became a scholar himself.
“I’m no miracle worker,” Byleth said, “but I’ve learned a fair bit of white magic.” She discovered that Almyrans were not magically inclined. While it wasn’t considered taboo, magic was considered to be a coward’s way out of a fight. “Perhaps I could take a look at her one of these days?” Behrouz smiled.
“I’d appreciate that, Princess.” Pushing up his glasses, he bid her farewell before collecting his books and hurrying away.
The feast being held that night would be in welcome of a surprising addition; a tribe from Sreng sent an embassy to greet the king of Almyra. The northern wasteland was also a warrior culture, although it had no unified ruler. Perhaps this tribe is looking to change that with support from Almyra . In preparation for another fight to break out over dinner- it tended to get rough after the men started their drinking contests-, Byleth wore light gear under her robes. As she finished, there was a knock on her door. Opening it, her jaw dropped. Overcoming her initial disappointment that it was not Khalid, she quickly curtsied.
“You- your Majesty.” Xerxes smiled.
“I apologize for getting your hopes up,” Byleth felt her face grow warm. “But, with everyone gathered, I figured we’d give them a good show.” He offered her his arm. “What do you say?” His brown eyes twinkled with mischief and Byleth smiled as she accepted.
“As you like, Your Majesty.”
As expected, Byleth received the glares of the other Almyran ladies as she entered with the king. But none of it mattered because Khalid had dressed up for the opening feast. Clothed in a deep blue patterned with gold, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. There was a soft chuckle by her side and she glanced up at the king.
“I know it’s hard, but do try to resist stealing my son away until after the feast, yes?” Wiggling his eyebrows at her, Byleth pulled her gaze away from Khalid. The king noticed, however, that his son made no such attempts to stop staring at her. Exchanging knowing smiles with Tiana, Xerxes took his queen in his arms. “Brothers, sisters,” facing the crowd, he greeted them. “Thank you for joining us this fine evening and for the ones to come. I hope they are fruitful for all” The man was not one to waste words. With a clap of his hands, servants brought trays of food out to the tables as the minstrels took up their playing once more.
Khalid’s hand was warm around hers as he sat beside her. As new exotic dishes were brought, he pointed to each and described what they were. Even though he wasn’t speaking any louder than usual, she could hear him clearly. Every so often, he would lean closer to reach a dish and portion some on her plate. With each bite she took, his eyes watched her anxiously to see what she thought. It was very cute. Holding out her fork, she offered him some.
“Wha-” His eyes widened at the morsel and she waved it in front of him.
“Well, you seem to like these dishes the most. And I haven’t seen you eat nearly as much as I have.” With a red face, he accepted the bite. Afterwards, they took turns feeding each other. Normally Byleth would feel embarrassed, but really she was just happy to be with Khalid again. In previous nights, they’d had other dinner partners and most of their time was spent conversing with others. But tonight, their table was the royal family. Neither Khalid nor she had to cozy up to them .
Once the initial feast was over, the king and queen led their guests outside. With the stars as their witness, they began to dance as the musicians changed their tune. Servants lit torches and soon the others joined them. Khalid smiled as he turned to Byleth and bowed, holding a hand out to her. Once she placed her palm in his, he gave her a twirl before pulling her close and swaying to the gentle rhythm. As a boy, he learned about Fódlan’s social season. He’d seen paintings of some of their ballrooms and, if he were being honest, he preferred the Almyran after feast activities more. There was something special about dancing under the open sky that couldn’t be matched, no matter how fancy the architecture or how shiny the decorations were.
“So, which part of all this is your doing, Teach?” Byleth raised an eyebrow. Even though it looked as if she were making fun of him, Khalid really did enjoy every facial expression she made. It didn’t happen often, but when it did it made him smile. Even if it was disapproval. “Should I guess then? I think you invited the minstrels.” He noticed most of them were foreigners. And they had a wide variety of songs from ballads to epics. They seemed just the sort of folks a former mercenary would be acquainted with. Travelers tended to meet one another in surprising places, after all. And if Jeralt’s Mercenaries were as famed as Khalid had been led to believe, he was certain there were plenty of songs written about their deeds.
“I also believe you had a hand in a few of those dishes. Cyril told me you took Omar hunting the other day.” At that, Byleth seemed surprised. Not only because Khalid was on a first name basis with her footman, but also because Cyril seemed to have informed the prince of her actions.
Well, it was a slight twist on events. Cyril had not actively told Khalid anything. In actuality, he found Omar missing when he went for his daily wyvern visit. As busy as he was, the prince still found time in his schedule to stop by the stables to see his trusted mount. When he could, he’d give him a good brushing. For a quick hello, it was simply a treat and a few gentle words.
Imagine his surprise to discover Cyril mucking out an empty wyvern stall. The footman sheepishly explained that Byleth had taken Omar for a trip to hunt desert game. When Khalid expressed surprise that Omar had allowed a stranger to take him out- sure, the wyvern had met Byleth during the bandit expedition, but even so-, Cyril mumbled that Byleth visited the wyvern frequently, bringing snacks and head scratches with her. Which would explain Omar’s roundness that Khalid had noticed after a while. The little sneak had been getting extra treats for who knew how long.
“He’s very well trained.” Seemingly remembering her hand in it all, Byleth blushed and glanced away. Certain that his intended had not befriended Omar for nefarious purposes, Khalid was rather touched that she went to such lengths to please his mount. And she looked beautiful whenever she blushed. He felt his heart flutter, something it’d been doing with increasing frequency lately.
“Want to know something else I think?” Leaning forward, he murmured in her ear. In his arms, she shifted and returned her gaze to him with a question in her eyes. A smile touched his lips then. “I think you picked out my outfit tonight.” Originally, Khalid had matched his clothes to his parents’ color scheme of red and black. Instead, on his bed when he arrived from yet another pointless meeting, was his current ensemble. While confused at first, his mother insisted he wear it. Byleth’s gaze lowered and she didn’t respond at first. Khalid wondered if she would at all until she spoke.
“I didn’t.. really. I- I asked Queen Tiana what.. what you were wearing tonight. She seemed very happy and told me that a woman always dresses herself first and the man matches- it’s simpler that way. So she dragged me into the closet and had me try on a bunch of outfits. It almost made me regret asking.” Byleth’s nose scrunched cutely at the memory and Khalid resisted the urge to smile. “She didn’t like any of them and so then she took me to her quarters and gave me something of hers.” Even if it was a secondhand piece, she looked stunning in it. He told her as much and she leaned closer, as if to bury her face in his chest. He smiled then and bent down to whisper in her ear. As he did so, a sharp pain stabbed him in the chest.
“Ugh-” Inhaling sharply, his knees gave out.
“Khalid?” Startled, Byleth tightened her arms around him to support his weight. “Khalid!” Struggling to stay awake, the last image floating before him was Byleth’s blue eyes dark with worry.
As the prince collapsed in her arms, Byleth’s panic increased. Her body instantly responded to the situation and a soft glow emanated from her hands as her magic rushed to steady him. Under her palm, his heart was irregular. Finding her voice, she cried for help only to notice that other guests were falling to their knees around her. She was vaguely aware of the king shouting for doctors and Tiana’s presence appeared by her side.
“Khalid! Son, speak to me. What happened?” Green eyes bore into Byleth and she flinched slightly. Of course, she knew the queen was not accusing her of doing anything. But it still felt like it.
“I- I don’t know. He just collapsed. And he’s not the only one, Majesty.” Byleth nodded to the other guests. Tiana’s face hardened and Byleth knew the woman was warring in duty and motherhood. “I’ll bring him to the medical wing.” After a nod of permission from his mother, Byleth hauled Khalid up and made her way back inside. Behind her, she heard the king rally knights to close the gates and round up all of the servants. In the meantime, Tiana overtook seeing to the health of the guests.
In total, 20 guests had fallen ill including Khalid and the twin princes. Victims ranged from ambassadors to native Almyran lords and ladies. The doctors strongly believed the cause to be poison of some sort. It explained why the princes seemed to be doing much better than the rest; they regularly trained their bodies to resist such substances. One who was not had been brought in thrashing and screaming in pain. They had to tie her to the bed so Byleth could administer emergency care. The doctors asked if she could cure it, but she shook her head.
“Only if I know its source,” she informed them. “Without it, at best I can ease the symptoms.” Byleth could only repair what she knew. Providing pain relief was just a temporary fix. And who knew what else the poison could be doing to the victims’ body that she didn’t know about simply because they were unable to tell her. No, she needed to know the poison and what it did to the body specifically. And even then, an antidote specially prepared would work much better than any magic. The alliance had sent their mage-doctor to provide assistance and he reiterated what Byleth had already said; magic could only do such much. It was limited by the user’s knowledge.
The two had only just managed to calm the worst of it when the twins’ mother burst into the medical wing.
“My boys!” She sobbed and collapsed on the floor beside Arash’s bed. “Please, you can’t leave your mother.”
“Ma’am,” the alliance doctor spoke gently but firmly. After all, this woman was not consort to his leader. “Please, you can’t be in here. We don’t know how this poison spreads yet. You risk yourself by entering.” Her head lifted and her brown eyes blazed with anger.
“How dare you speak to me that way! I am a princess consort to King Xerxes. If I wish to be by my children’s side, I will.” Byleth exchanged looks with the doctor as Yasmin’s head fell back on her son’s arm. Kris held his arms up in a ‘what now?’ kind of manner and Byleth sighed.
“Your Highness, if you fall ill that is yet another patient we must see to. That takes attention away from your sons. Do you truly wish for that to happen?”
“And why are you two here then?” At that, Byleth raised an eyebrow. Did the woman not want Byleth and Kris to be present? “As far as I’m aware, this could just be a ploy by you- you Fódlan swine!” At her remark, Byleth’s temper flared.
“In favor of putting the patient’s lives first, I will not challenge you to a duel over your careless words, Madam,” she replied coldly. “But I am now demanding that you leave. At once. Or will I have to get His Majesty involved?” Yasmin’s gaze flickered between Byleth, Kris, and the Almyran doctors. When it appeared the natives would not be standing up for her, she rose and stalked out of the room with her head high. Watching her go through narrowed eyes, she subtly signaled to Cyril to follow the woman.
“Thank you,” the chief doctor for the royal family of Almyra let out a breath of relief once the princess was gone. “We do not have the rank to turn her away. Please, rest friends. If there’s any changes in the patients we will get you right away.” Her companions nodded in agreement. While they were likely expected to rest in the rooms reserved for those on call- which Kris did- Byleth knelt beside Khalid. Heaving a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his bed.
A current of fear running through her kept her from sleeping. Various outcomes swam around in her head, few of them good. Whoever had the gall to poison a feast hosted by the king of Almyra was definitely out of their mind. And only a few would have the opportunity to do so. Suspects popped up one by one, but she didn’t know enough. Doubtless the scholars would be working overtime tonight. Perhaps if Byleth became restless enough- or if she could no longer bear to see Khalid on the bed in so much pain-, she might join them in the library.
Kris and Byleth remained near the patients, administering magical aid whenever they seemed to worsen. The princes were harder to gauge because of their high tolerance and, instead, the healers opted to do one session every hour or so. Other mages provided extra energy, but stayed close to their people in case someone else fell ill at a later time. Sleep evaded Byleth. Not because the patients needed them, but because she was afraid something would happen. The only winks she managed were when she curled up beside Khalid. His heart rate was still irregular, but at least it was still going. The thought was a poor comfort. It wasn't until five days later that the scholars found something.
It was Behrouz who announced he believed to know what the poison was. The servants narrowed the source of it that night to a plate of pastries that had been passed around the tables. While they had yet to find which person contaminated the dish, it was taken and tested for more trace amounts of the substance. The ones found were given to the scholars for research.
Behrouz concluded that, while the poison caused discomfort, the true pain was closer to an illusion. Instead, it attacked the brain and tricked it into believing the body was hurting. The hurt prevented the victims from eating, sleeping, or drinking well. If a person reacted violently, they risked wounds and bruising from flailing into something. It also convinced doctors to look at muscle reactors rather than poisons that targeted the mind. Known as kufloxyn, it was first recorded in the country of Morfis.
The prince gave the report staring stiffly ahead. Byleth knew what people’s immediate suspicions would be and no doubt he did as well. Even so, there was no hesitation when he rushed into the medical wing and told them not only what kufloxyn was, but also that he knew how to make its antidote.
After the patients recovered, Behrouz and the ambassadors from Morfis were politely restricted to their quarters while investigations continued. The victims remained in the medical wing a while longer in case they relapsed. The palace hummed with a quiet tension and Byleth wondered what the king would do. Cyril informed her that the situation was being kept quiet, but rumors were circulating about why important visitors and even a prince were being detained. Xerxes truly didn’t have any wiggle room.
Once allowed inside, Yasmin had refused to leave her children’s side. She’d been present when Behrouz announced his discovery. And the look in her eyes was murderous. Before she could scream and shout and delay the antidote’s making, Byleth instructed Behrouz to show them what to do. Doubtless the princess and others would want to see justice. Simply claiming he trusted his son would not do for Xerxes. Unfortunately, the longer the investigation took, the longer the assassin had to cover their tracks.
A gentle touch on her hand broke Byleth out of her thoughts. Khalid had been moved to his quarters and she stayed with him while his mother assisted his father. Now, green eyes gazed up at her. A little unfocused, but a smile tugged at his lips when he saw her.
“Byleth..”
“Khalid!” Unable to contain her relief, she threw her arms around him and clung to him. “You’re okay..” The knot in her chest unraveled. The victims’ vitals had been deceptively normal after being fed the antidote. Considering the drug affected the mind, it shouldn’t have been all that surprising. But even so. The mind affected the body and the doctors wondered if, had it been allowed to continue, the victims’ condition would be different. “You’re really okay.” It was one thing for someone to give a patient the all clear, Byleth herself included, but it was another for there to be open eyes and spoken words. She wasn’t sure what her voice sounded like in his ear.
The depth of her own emotions the past few days were alien to Byleth. Worry, fear, perhaps a little guilt plagued her. She was a mage. She should’ve done a full scan of all the food presented before trying anything. But, by the time dessert was served, she’d been caught up in the lively atmosphere of the grand feast. And caught up in sharing food with the prince. She’d gotten careless. Never again .
“Wasn’t too bad.” He murmured, wrapping his arms around her. His hands ran through her hair and his lips brushed her forehead. “I mostly just feel achy all over. It’s funny; my memory is filled with agonizing pain and yet.. now.. I just feel as if I had a long workout.” Byleth thought of the victims who weren’t accustomed to poison and could only imagine the pain they must’ve endured.
“You and I have very different ideas of ‘funny’,” she mumbled. She felt him smile.
“Perhaps. How are you?” Pulling away, his eyes studied her face. “You look as bad as I do.”
“I’m fine.. now.” Inhaling, Byleth could still smell the reminiscence of the antidote on Khalid. Already, his heart was steady. “Your body probably aches from being held tense for so long. You’ll need to take it easy for the next couple of days while you recover the nutrients you lost when you couldn’t take any the normal way.”
“Yea. I can faintly recall having something shoved down my throat.” Khalid’s eyes squint as he tries to remember. Byleth nodded grimly. Right after a session, when the patients seemed to be at their most relaxed, medics had managed to slide mush down their throats. Massaging helped the ‘food’ go down and the patients seemed to be able to sleep for a bit before the poison returned to work. Once a day. It’d been a messy task and felt as if they were intruding on the patient. Perhaps the doctors lucked out in that the patients stayed still the rest of it, otherwise loss of energy would’ve required more.
“Well, you’ll still be on a mostly softer, bland diet while you recover,” Byleth shook her head. “But at least now you’ll be able to feed yourself.”
“Any news on who did it?” Switching topics, Khalid began to sit up and Byleth placed her arm around him to help steady him.
“Unfortunately not.” She caught him up on what’d happened thus far and his face darkened.
“So, the twins strike again.” Byleth blinked at him.
“You think Arash and Hassan had a hand in all of this?”
“I know they do.” Khalid muttered. “They like to play the victim. Proving it’s them is an entirely different story, though. Who else was poisoned?” Before she could ask, there was a knock on the door and it opened a moment later. Khalid sighed as his mother swept into the room. “Mother, knocking is pointless if you’re just going to enter without waiting for an answer.” Seeing her son up and resigned, Tiana’s face seemed to relax for a moment. But Byleth knew the worry lines that’d lived there would remain for a while longer.
“I was merely giving you a second’s notice. Miss Goneril, I’d like a moment with my son if you wouldn’t mind. My husband will be hosting a meeting about what our next steps are in an hour. Please, dress and meet us there.” Byleth slid off the bed and curtsied.
“Of course.” When she glanced behind her, Khalid offered her a tired smile before she left the room.
King Xerxes frowned as he stared down at his son. Prince Behrouz stood before the throne. Having just given his testimony, the room was silent as it took in the information. According to Behrouz, he discovered kufloxyn in an encounter with a caravan on his way from Morfis to Lival. The poison was derived from a plant known as floxy. When ingested, the plant would have similar hallucinating effects of pain, but would pass in its own time. So long as a person was placed in a secure location to ride out the spasms, they’d live. The caravan kept a supply of it in case of emergencies.
In a more concentrated form, the substance wouldn’t leave as easily. And a victim, incapable of taking in food or water, would likely die of dehydration or starvation before they knocked into something dangerous. The ambassadors of Morfis knew the plant, of course. But they denied knowledge of its alternate form. Xerxes didn’t believe any of them did it anyways, but proving it was the challenge. It was Yasmin who broke the silence.
“Pfft. You expect us to believe that ridiculous story? That you just happen to know what the plant was and what it did?” The woman was on her feet and pointing accusingly at Behrouz. The king held back a sigh and, once more, cursed the fates that forced his hand to take her as a consort to begin with.
“What reason would I have for poisoning the feast?” Behrouz scowled. Xerxes winced internally. An ill choice of words in his opinion. Yasmin smiled coldly.
“Of course you had a reason. This was the perfect chance for you to become a ‘hero’. Swooping in when no other doctor could come up with a cure. It didn’t matter who fell ill, it just mattered that it was a lot of people,” she explained haughtily. Around the room, a couple foreigners were leaning towards each other to whisper. “Other countries would have you to thank for saving their people,” it was a fair point. Many guests were high ranking nobles of their home country at least. “in one fell swoop you’d have powerful people in your debt. It was just by chance that my sons were poisoned as well, which I’m sure you knew had the chance of happening.” Xerxes didn’t fail to notice that the woman neglected to mention Prince Khalid had also been a victim.
“I wouldn’t have needed to go to so much trouble to make connections with foreign nations,” Behrouz shook his head determinedly. “I am a scholar . What need would I have for putting people in my debt?”
“Well, I imagine you’d do it because your worthless mother could hardly bring you anything noteworthy,” Yasmin’s lovely face turned ugly as she sneered. “And being a scholar doesn’t exactly rake in the dough.” Xerxes saw Behrouz stiffen and he silently urged his son not to give in to her taunts.
“His Highness doesn’t seem like the sort of person to resort to such measures,” a quiet, but calm voice interrupted. The speaker was Miss Goneril. Xerxes raised an eyebrow as Byleth rose in her seat to meet Yasmin’s dark look.
“And what do you know of an Almyran prince, girl?” She spat.
“I believe I know quite a bit. And I’ve only been here a short while. Seeing as you’ve known Prince Behrouz far longer, you ought to know better as well. Besides, throwing accusations at everyone solves nothing.” Judging by the defiant jerk of her head, Xerxes suspected Yasmin had done the same to the other woman.
“You have no right to speak,” Yasmin snapped. “My sons were poisoned!” Xerxes’ gaze flickered towards Arash and Hassan. Hassan’s eyes were cold, but then again they always were. The only time Xerxes saw any emotion on the younger twin’s face was when he was fighting. Meanwhile, Arash was looking at Behrouz with sympathy. Yet, the king noticed, the older twin said nothing in defense of his brother. No one else spoke out for Behrouz, not even the ambassadors of Morfis. When Byleth opened her mouth to respond, Yasmin waved a dismissive hand. “Oh yes, I know your intended was also a victim. But you cannot possibly tell me that you love him as much as I love my children.” At the mention of love, Byleth’s mouth hardened. At her silence, Yasmin smiled victoriously and turned to the throne. “My Lord,” her tone changed to one of soft affection. “I beg of you. For the sake of our sons and the sake of the peace you hope to broker at this time, send this.. killer away.” Tiana’s grip on her chair tightened beside him. The king met his son’s gaze and Behrouz nodded slightly. Rising, he made his choice.
“I will not label my son a traitor without sufficient evidence.” He allowed his voice to boom and echo throughout the throne room. Giving each and every party present a long look, he made sure they knew what he meant. Word would spread to the public after this, he knew. But at least Behrouz would remain in a questionable light which would hopefully make it easier for the prince to save face. “However, out of respect for the victims,” he refused to look at his consort and instead looked at the ones who’d been poisoned. Some were worse off than others. The pain left them fatigued and made it hard for them to get around. “I will request my son return to his home for the time being.”
“I will do as you ask, Father,” Behrouz said as he bowed. As he turned, he gave Byleth a solemn nod before leaving.
“Dismissed.” At the king’s command, everyone filed out of the throne room. Once clear, Xerxes slumped back in his seat and Tiana rubbed his arm soothingly.
“We’ll figure this out, love.” She murmured. “All we need is a little more time.” Xerxes could only hope that was true. He’d had such high hopes for this gathering.