Chapter 10: The Lord-Warden’s Legacy

Lady Elara intended to keep Valerius at her side. Lord Kael understood her meaning, and his look of surprise faded, replaced by one of relief. "Sister, you should keep Valerius here," he said.

Their father's last wish had been for them to listen to Valerius. This meant Valerius was the person they could trust most in the world. It was only right for his sister to keep him. He felt a sense of security at the thought.

Valerius's surprise was fleeting. His expression returned to its usual placid calm. He didn't ask her why she had changed her mind, nor did he argue that he should remain with Kael. He answered simply, "I can."

Elara’s expression did not soften. "The time is short," she said, her voice low. "You must make your arrangements foolproof."

Was she worried? Was this the empty, directionless anxiety of a child who had lost her father? Valerius considered his response. "My Lady," he said calmly, "it is not my men who command the Swordfall Marches, but the Lord-Warden. As long as young Lord Kael is there, the Lord-Warden will be with him."

Elara understood his meaning. Her father's authority had not died with him. His power was not a fragile thing that would crumble. Valerius was right; a man who could build an empire like his father's would have more than one loyal man to call upon. In the other timeline, Valerius had died, yet her brother Kael had grown up safe and powerful, his military and political strength never diminishing. But her goal was not just to keep Kael safe; it was to ensure that certain people in the Marches would not be safe. Namely, House Blackwood.

Lord Yun, the Blackwood envoy, was now within the Thorne manor. She could kill him here, in the heart of their enemy's home, just as the Blackwoods had killed them in the future. Elara’s heart pounded, and she clutched her hands into fists under her sleeves.

"What is Lord Yun doing now?" she asked.

The abrupt change in subject did not faze Valerius. "The rest of the escort from Tarim has arrived today," he said. "Lord Yun has met with them and conducted his own inquiries. He is currently dining with Lord Corvin." Valerius paused. "They are eating alone."

Elara had returned to Riverbend Hold on a fast horse, followed by Lord Cassian's party. The larger escort from Tarim had arrived only today. Though Elara had told the family that she had simply become homesick, Lord Yun would still investigate her story.

"There are no other Thorne family members with them," Valerius added, his voice still flat.

Elara lifted her gaze to meet his. She knew Valerius did not trust the Thornes. The men of the Swordfall Marches had never trusted the Thornes of Riverbend Hold, even after Valerius's death. For years, there had been a bitter struggle between them. She remembered her younger brother's letters from that time. He had constantly complained that the Thorne family elders had obstructed his commands, used their "filial duty" to pressure him, and interfered with his business dealings, driving out several of his most capable managers.

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After four years of fighting, the Thornes had been completely driven out of the Marches, and Kael had all but severed his ties to the main branch of the family. He had finally become Lord-Warden in his father’s stead, and the Thorne clan, now reliant on him for status, could not break their connection entirely.

This animosity was not simply due to Valerius's influence. It came from her father. Lord Anson had not entrusted his children to his own blood relatives; he had entrusted them to a retainer. He could have waited for his brothers, but he had chosen not to. He had never been stingy with the money he sent home, but he had never allowed his brothers to interfere in his affairs, which had created an unbridgeable distance between them. Lord Anson had always done things differently, which had been the reason for his extraordinary success.

Elara now understood that her father had been right not to trust them. After his death, the Thorne family had tried to devour Kael. They had been stopped only by Valerius and his men. She knew that both her family and the Thornes had sought allies to crush their mutual enemy, and the enemy they both chose was the same: House Blackwood. In her past life, both the Thornes and her own faction had nothing but praise for Lord Kaelan and his kin.

With that blind trust, House Blackwood had grown, swallowing everything they owned, piece by piece, before...

"Sister?"

Kael gently tugged on her sleeve, pulling her from her thoughts. Elara saw the worry on his face and reached out to stroke his hair. Then she looked at Valerius again. "There is one more thing you must do at once, besides sending Kael back."

Valerius waited for her command, his expression calm and steady, as if there was nothing she could ask that he would not accomplish.

"We will secure the title of Lord-Warden for my brother," she said.

A Lord-Warden was not a hereditary title. It was a political appointment, granted by the King. After Lord Anson's death, the King had given the family a pension and an honorary title, but the position of Lord-Warden was a post of immense power. It was unprecedented to ask for a title to be passed down to a child.

For the first time, Valerius's calm façade shattered. He stared at Elara, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Perhaps he had been wrong about his mistress's rational mind.

"I will personally write a petition to the Crown," Elara continued, as if what she was saying was not completely outlandish. "You will get it before the King in the shortest amount of time possible."

Valerius’s lips parted, but he remained silent for a long moment before finally responding, "Yes, My Lady."

Elara studied his face. She knew he would obey her, but she needed his wholehearted conviction.

"This is not impossible, Valerius," she said. "A great war is coming."

Valerius's face went grim. "My Lady, the barbarian tribes have been put down. There is no need to worry." The rebellion had been sudden and bloody, causing the death of Lord Anson, and the two children had been terrified of what was to come.

Elara shook her head. "The end of the barbarian rebellion is not the end, Valerius. It is the beginning. The real war will not be in the Southwest. It will be in the Southeast." She looked at him, her eyes dark. "Valerius," she said, her voice a low whisper. "The Realm will fall into a great civil war."