The next day, several things happened at once—life liked to run you over on occasion with everything all at once.
The first was when Eirian woke to a sparrow with a red breast outside her window.
Eric's preferred messenger was carrying a letter that practically combusted in her hands. He was beyond furious that she'd been married off while he was gone and wanted her to return to the capital immediately.
Despite the fact that she couldn't, she didn't particularly want to. She had a project here now: figuring out this miasma and possibly a much more promising future than she ever would have had in Aontacht.
Eric would calm down if he knew she was okay, so she would make sure to message him today.
But not too early. Let him scare her father and stepmother a bit. They deserved it. Even if Eirian ended up being happy here, that had never been their intention.
The whole thing had actually put her in a good mood as she readied herself for the day and picked up a groggy Finn and a fussing Marian for breakfast. They'd made it all the way through breakfast, where she'd learned, much to her delight, that Finn could eat almost as much as her.
Marian had just sighed and sent a message to warn the kitchen about the increased portions.
Chenzhou hadn't shown up until they were finished eating, and the dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced than usual. Eirian was starting to wonder what he actually looked like because the level of exhaustion was more concealing than any amount of makeup.
He refused Marian's attempts to get him to sit down and eat, too, and watching her fuss, Eirian realized that she was probably the closest thing to a mother he'd ever had.
That would certainly explain the hawk eye she kept on Eirian at all times. Eirian had never experienced that kind of care. Her mother had died in childbirth, and the nannies that had followed were all short-lived, victims of her father's whims, and by the time she'd been old enough to state her own mind on who she wanted around, she hadn't really needed anyone anymore.
Despite the stranglehold the miasma had on this place, there was love there. It was suffocating, buried under the poison and the pain, but there was something there.
Still holding on after all this time.
It was admirable. They didn't even know what was happening to them, but they were fighting it, nonetheless.
They were just admirable.
Chenzhou had extended his arm when they'd stepped into the hallway. She was in such a good mood that she slipped her arm into his as they walked to the first meeting of the day.
He seemed determined to introduce her to every person possible today. Reacting to some unknown countdown he hadn't shared yet. It was becoming more obvious as she spent more time with him; she was confident enough that she'd figure it out eventually, soon even, but would it be soon enough?
It wasn't just the darker circles under his eyes or the slump to his shoulders or the miasma that was crawling out of him. There was an air of abandonment about him, not death, not sadness.
Abandonment.
Like he'd already been left behind by everyone he loved.
Maybe he had. Despite confiding his purpose for choosing her, Chenzhou had provided little information about himself. Eirian hadn't been interested when this whole thing had started, too distracted by her own woes, but Chenzhou's must have been significant to send him down this path.
But now her interest was starting to turn.
What kind of man bought a wife and then gave her everything?
What kind of fool spent two million on a single person and then had no interest in staying with them?
What kind of leader trusted his people to a stranger?
Chenzhou was either a fool, addled by the miasma, or he was genius, barely hanging on.
Eirian decided to wait him out, but he was quiet as they made their way through the maze of halls.
Marian had taken Finn to get a new wardrobe for himself and to put in Eirian's first order. She seemed pleased by Eirian's choice to have him as her assistant, though Finn himself had been too hungover to really understand.
And Chenzhou didn't seem to care at all. He hadn't said anything about Finn joining them last night, and she wasn't sure he even noticed the boy this morning.
He started to lean on her towards the end of their walk, his shoulder pressing into hers as he listed slightly.
She waited for him to right himself, but he never did. His footsteps remained steady, if a bit slower than Eirian was used to, and his eyes stayed locked on a point in front of them that she couldn't see.
He didn't speak until they came to a stop in front of a set of ornate doors whose carvings were etched in gold.
"This-" He coughed, his entire body shaking. Eirian took more of his weight, surprised by its force. "This meeting is weekly. All of the Generals will update you on the status of their contingents. Any outstanding issues, supplies, funding, numbers, and everything else get hashed out here. Everyone gets a chance to speak, but it's important not to let it run over lunch. There are meetings this afternoon, and letting today's schedule run over will affect the rest of the week."
Eirian nodded along, struck by his determination to get it all out. There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead as he finally finished and managed to straighten.
He turned to her, and now there was a flash of sadness in his eyes. "Are you ready?"
"Of course," Eirian said.
And that's when it all went to hell.
The first was Eric's sparrow this morning.
The second was when they stepped into the meeting and found not just the Generals but the heads of Camelia's most powerful families—nearly twenty people in all.
The Court of the Camelia.
The third was when the head of the hospital, tall, dark, and grumpy, burst in because the Head Healer had realized who he'd snubbed the day before.
The fourth was a flock of red-breasted sparrows barreling through the open window and sending the room into chaos.
Eirian couldn't help but grin.
~ tbc