Something wasn’t adding up. Marix knew that the alleged sullying of their family line couldn’t possibly be the real reason Arlon was objecting to his marriage with Eilownia.

He was determined to find out the truth, no matter what it took. As soon as he had arrived home from his meeting with Arlon and their father, he’d asked Jinya to bake Arlon’s favorite dessert – Prickly Pear Pie.

It was a difficult recipe due to the needles on the pears needing to be removed completely. Very few people were skilled enough to make it properly and luckily Jinya was one of them.

As he walked down the hall towards Arlon’s office, the scent of the pie wafted in the air, causing his own mouth to water. Was there anything Jinya wasn’t capable of? It was the best smelling Prickly Pear Pie he’d ever experienced.

Surely, Arlon would be weak in the knees for it.

Marix knocked twice on the large, heavy, hardwood door and waited until he heard Arlon’s voice say, "Come in."

The scent of the pie floated in, invading Arlon’s nostrils, as soon as Marix opened the door, causing him to look up.

His Adams Apple bobbed in his throat as he gulped hard.

"Well, well, well. If it isn’t my little brother. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? It’s not often you grace my office with your presence." Arlon put his pen down and steepled his fingers underneath his chin as Marix placed the pie in front him.

"I come bearing a gift, brother. I see you’ve redecorated since the last time I was here. How long has it been? Five.....six years?"

The entirety of the interior was practically gold. Marix felt like he was in some sort of secret gold miner’s hidden lair.

Arlon smiled and glanced down at the pie. "Seven. Are you kissing up to try and gain my approval?"

Marix shrugged and shot him a playful smirk, "What’s so wrong with that?"

"Well, you of all people should know I’m not so easily bribed." Arlon shook his head with a light chuckle as he picked his pen back up.

"You should’ve sent that," He pointed towards the pie with his pen, "to the kitchen instead of bringing it directly to my office. Now you’ve filled the air with that scent it’ll be too hard to concentrate on my work."

"The relief funds, I hope? Besides, you can’t blame me for trying. I’m hoping my gift," Marix slid the pie closer to Arlon who glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow, "will at least get me the real answer of why you’re opposing my marriage."

Arlon tossed his pen back down on his desk and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed

"Marix, what are you talking about ’real answer’? I gave you my answer when we were discussing with father. Don’t tell me that blow to your head caused actual damage?"

"I heard what answer you gave when we discussed, but I don’t believe it’s the REAL one," Marix narrowed his eyebrows and leaned in, "After all, there’s no way you’d disrespect Grandfather with that language? Especially not after all that talk about family lineage. Right?"

Arlon scoffed and rolled his eyes, "You’re joking. How could you ever think I would disrespect Grandfather? The two situations are hardly related!"

"And how so? What was it you called Eilownia’s mother? Some maid who couldn’t keep her legs shut? So someone lowly can’t be with someone of higher standing? What would Grandfather say to you."

Arlon scoffed louder, "You don’t know what you’re talking about. Grandfather was a farmer, a legitimate child at that, who caught Grandmother’s eye. They were in love. None of us know anything about Miss Evans and who she is as a person."

Marix went to speak but Arlon held his finger up to stop him.

"Ah-ah! Let me finish. All we know is that she is the illegitimate daughter of Lord Evans. Do you even know who her mother was? You don’t know a thing about her and neither does father or myself."

"That is true. I don’t. But, neither does Eilownia and that shouldn’t stop our marriage. Who her mother was or wasn’t doesn’t matter at all because I love her. No-"

Arlon went to speak but Marix stopped him, "I let you finish, now you let me."

Marix took a deep breath before continuing, "No, I don’t know her mother or her full lineage but I do know her resilience. I know the way she has the ability to smile even during the hardest times. I know that she loves our child so much before it’s even born, that she’ll be a wonderful mother."

Arlon tapped his fingers against his desk as Marix spoke, "And an even better wife for a General. You’re not on the front lines. You don’t know what it’s like out there, so busy sitting on your safe, fancy throne. A woman who can still be a light in the midst of darkness, that is someone who can properly stand by my side."

Arlon stood up and walked around the desk, turning his back to Marix as he began to look up at the books lining his shelves.

"How can you know she’ll be a good mother if she doesn’t even know her own? Has she even ever had a mother figure at all?"

"No, she didn’t. Respectfully, that seems like an excuse to say no. What does that have to do with anything? You and I didn’t have a mother, or a mother figure, so are we incapable of recognizing who may be a good mother to our future children?"

Arlon swiveled on his heel to face Marix, a blaze burning in his eyes, "How dare you. We did have a mother figure."

Marix laughed, "Mother passed when I was six. You consider being handed off from maid to maid as having a mother figure?"

"Ten and six are old enough to remember her."

Marix shrugged, "Maybe for you."

Arlon took a deep breath and exhaled sharply through his nostrils as his hands balled into fists. He then closed his eyes for a moment and took another as he released his trembling grip.

"Agree to disagree. It’s more than those things anyways. Lord Evans hasn’t even been invited to the palace for official marital talks either. This is a crucial step in the decision. You know Lord Evans will never accept our offer anyways. His influence with the King of Sola..."

Arlon rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I’m sure even King Solus wouldn’t be able to change his mind. It’s going to cause too much of a headache. It’s for the best interest of everyone if Miss Evans just...disappears. How about we send her off somewhere she can have the child in peace and live happily? You can provide for them both, visit sometimes even. Isn’t that a good compromise?"

Marix’s jaw tightened as he clenched his fists. He hadn’t told them yet that Lord Evans was dead, let alone that he had killed him.

With Lord Evans out of the way, it would certainly make his marriage to Eilownia much easier, but at the same time, it was going to cause massive damage to the war efforts.

He could just hear Arlon now, ’You did what? You already had Eilownia safely secured, there was no reason to go to Lord Evans, let alone slay him! What were you thinking?!’

Marix let out a huff of air. ’No. I have to tell him. They’ll find out anyways. There’s no hiding it.’

He took a deep breath and averted his gaze, taking a moment to think of how he should present this news, when something caught his eye.

On Arlon’s desk, just barely out of sight next to a little box of drawers, were a pile of shimmery coins. With the gold coloring in the rest of the office and their location, they were easy to miss.

His eyebrows twitched as he focused more on them. They were not of Sola or Viraaz.

"What are those?" He asked, nodding towards them.

Arlon turned his head to see what Marix was talking about as Marix reached over and grabbed one.

Marix’s eyes widened. It was a brand new Norain coin, with a green jade leaf embedded on it.

"They are a beautiful currency, brother. Nothing you need to concern yourself with. It’s not like we can spend them here anyways."

Arlon plucked the coin out of Marix’s hand and added it to one of the small drawers on his desk before scooping up the rest and adding them inside too.

"Just focus on preparing the army in case of battle and forget about the Evans girl. We’ll send her away somewhere safe, set her up with money. She’ll live a good life. Visit every so often if you please. That’s the best option I can offer you, even if father agrees, Lord Evans won’t."

Arlon then locked the drawers with a key.

"Thank you for the dessert, brother."