Chapter 17: Gabriel (4)

Edward, unbothered by the threat, simply poured a glass of wine and set it in front of Damian. "And here I thought you were fond of my ears." He answered with a dry tone.

"Well, I like them so much that I should put them on display." Damian grinned at the old man while cutting another piece of meat. 

Edward rolled his eyes but didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, he studied his emperor intently, his gaze flicking over the tousled black hair, the same hair he had taken the time to tame just hours before, and then to the slight tension in Damian's shoulders. He was planning something, and he was already feeling sorry for the unfortunate soul who caught his eye. 

"I will make sure to remember your fondness of them. But how come you gave him another chance?" Edward was genuine curious; the master he served rarely gave another chance to the ones that sublimated him so brazenly.

 Astana Blake was Paul Blake's son and one of his most trusted generals, but he would understand Damian's decisions because he, too, does not tolerate such behavior. Perhaps the punishment Paul would inflict on Astana would far exceed Damian's expectations. 

"We have too much work to search for another candidate and if he does the work well, then it's for the best. To be completely honest, I gave him something I did not want to do. He can begin by taking care of Paisian's diplomats. I am sure the princess will also come. Edmund would not waste such an opportunity." He eyed the vegetables from his plate. He hated the roasted carrots and wasn't hungry enough to force them on his throat. They were simply to sweet for him. 

Damian let his cutlery fall onto the plate with a soft metallic click, pushing the dish aside. There was no point in forcing himself to eat more. "We need to speed up the coming-of-age ball." He said after taking a long sip of his wine. The flavor was tangy with a hint of oranges. Something more suited to the butler's taste than his own. 

Edward raised an eyebrow before speaking, "How so? We didn't have a date set in stone, but you reduced the time to half. I doubt Max would agree or take it nicely." He paused briefly before continuing. "I am not sure if I should be this calm." 

Damian swirled the wine in his glass, watching the deep red liquid catch the light. "Edmund is moving faster than I thought; Hadeon is making moves behind my back with the Abalone family and George with von Jaunez. Even if I controlled one of them, there would be a bloodbath with the others."

Edward finished stacking the dishes and wheeled the tray to the door, leaving it outside for a passing servant. "Max is loyal to you and can control George if you ask for it." 

Damian leaned back in his chair, tilting his head. "He is limited. Sure, he has influence in his uncle's decisions, but let's be honest, the only reason he remained neutral in the fight by now was his hope that Max would ascend the throne, not me." 

Edward didn't argue. It was an uncomfortable truth. Lots of nobles wanted Maximilian as their Emperor, and Damian had no problem letting him be. However, only his eyes turned gold after the two brothers completed the ceremonial rite. Max wasn't deemed fit to be the Emperor by whatever force was governing over the land. 

Damian watched his butler doing his job, and after he finished, he offered him a seat with a gesture of his hand and poured a glass of wine for him. He extended the glass to Edward without a word. The butler hesitated but then, to Damian's surprise, accepted without his usual grumbling.

"What is your plan then? We still have the other families as allies, so there's no need for you to hurry." Edward swirled the red wine in his glass and sniffed it before drinking. "You have a good grasp of the country, and you have an advantage over Edmund in Donin Republica."

Damian tapped his fingers against the glass while speaking. "Well, the only thing I have to do is combine our plans for them by now with another variable. Something that would keep them busy." Damian uncuffed his sleeves and rubbed his wrists; they were sore after all the signing and stamping. He flexed his fingers before leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table. He missed the days when he was sore from training, not administration. 

"Well, you are correct, but do you believe Christian will marry Princess Anya? He is your brother, but also a son of the Lyon family. Would we force von Jaunez or George to choose another ally?" Edward asked, leaning forward to Damian. 

"No, none of this will happen if we give them the privilege of choice." Damian crossed his legs while drinking another sip of wine. He preferred hard liquor to wine, but there was still work waiting for him. 

"Then?"

"Then we force them." Damian smirked with an expression that told his butler that he was up to no good. "I was married at nineteen, so he getting a finance at twenty can't be that bad. They will have enough time to know each other and maybe fall in love." 

Edward exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "And here I thought you were going to do something reckless."

Damian grinned. "Not yet."

Edward sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "I know that look. There is more to your plan, isn't it?"

"Yes, there will be the part where I will ruin the nobles plans. I have found my soulmate.

"But you didn't." Edward's wary expression depended on the growth of Damian's smile. 

"And I probably, statistically speaking, never find her or him. But that's something that they don't need to know. And maybe... "Damian hesitated, something he rarely did. "The soul mate is Gabriel von Jaunez."