POV: Lyra
They sat at a huge dining platform that the service androids had to retrieve from storage when the three families moved in. Ellia and Ben were happy to see me again. Ellia introduced me to her assistants and their families. Brigetta Reese and her match, Barton Reese, were newly-bonded and had a six-month-old youngling named Beatrice. Oscar Wildrow was unmatched for now, and lived with his sister, Olivia Wildrow.
They all sat at the same table and ate the same synthesized nutrients as the Duke and Duchess. Russell insisted he sat with me. After knowing about Orion's jealousy, I made sure I stroked Orion's arm affectionately after I'd given Russell any form of attention. Orion's Lyrokan consciousness beamed in pride whenever I touched him in front of so many people, his pathways glowing contentedly.
When I asked the families whether they'd received any threats, everyone was relieved that they all uttered a resounding 'no'. Then again, the three colleagues did leave their communicators in their residences after deleting almost all the information inside so they couldn't be tracked. So technically, there wasn't a way to threaten them.
Oscar then asked between nutrient intake, "Apologies, my Empress. But may I ask what happened?" He gestured to my 5-inch scar on my arm.
I glanced at my scar and said simply, "Oh, it was from a Rogue attack on one of our allied stations five or six cycles ago. Many specialists have something like this."
"You're a warrior?" Oscar asked in astonishment.
"I am," I answered humbly with a polite smile.
Christian then added, "Oscar, if you want to know about our Empress, you can't ask her personally. Her humility doesn't permit her to give you the full information. She's the Commander of Blue Crescent, one of the strongest stations in existence. And she is the fiercest of her kind, like a Commander of Commanders. In combat this morning, she beat the best Lyrokan warrior and our General in the same match all on her own. Less than ten minutes later, she beat our Emperor here within eight minutes."
There were shocked gasps from all the adults in the room as their sights turned to fix on me. I was already covering my face with my hands, embarrassed, my skin shifting to deep pink. Orion didn't help when he gently peeled my hands off my flustered face. He was proud to show off his beautiful match who had just kicked his ass in the morning.
Ellia was the first to snap out of her shock. "My Empress, is that true?"
I was still flustered when I said, "Well, I'm only better in combat with Lyrokans in our current forms. My combat capabilities are still no match for a Lyrokan's enhanced physiology."
"Yet." Orion smirked encouragingly as he kissed my temple, his pathways pulsing purple.
Oscar then told Olivia, "I must say, I feel very safe knowing that the throne is not only held by the strongest Lyrokan but also the strongest Kaelari."
I explained, "Oh no, Oscar. I'm not the strongest Kaelari. Those are other Commanders with more experience. Being small, I'm just... quicker than most. That's how I beat my opponents."
Annie's voice rang around the table next. "Lyra, does your humility reservoir ever run dry?" Orion and Christian both chuckled at Annie's blunt remark.
"I'm not being humble, Annie. It's the truth," I said.
Annie rolled her eyes. "Lyra, strength is not merely a physical attribute. Your strength in enduring whatever life throws at you and still managing to stand and help those in need is much more valuable than having hard muscles and knowing how to throw a punch." There were murmurs of agreement around the table.
Orion looked at me in pure tenderness as he uttered, "She's right, you know." He pressed a kiss on my cheek before saying, "Sweetheart, you are the strongest Kaelari." I smiled shyly when his alluring eyes bore into mine, his pathways glowing that deep purple that meant complete devotion.
Brigetta spoke next. "My Emperor, it's so nice to know that you've finally found your match after all these cycles. The Empress brought a breath of fresh air to our office the other day. We spoke about what happened for hours!"
A thought came to my mind, and I sat upright suddenly. "I need to ask. Were any of you interrogated by your superior after we left?"
They told me about Helena Tanner coming back to the office later in the evening. She questioned the three of them and the receptionists. Orion's features hardened, his pathways darkening, when they said they had to kneel before Tanner just to make it look real because when they were blackmailed, they were made to kneel as well. In this Empire, no one had the power to command a person to kneel besides the Emperor and Empress. Who did this woman think she was?!
"We couldn't be more grateful for all of you to take us in, Your Majesties and Your Graces," Brigetta said after she finished explaining.
My hand subconsciously went to stroke Russell's soft hair as the little boy consumed his nutrients. But my mind was somewhere else. I didn't want to say anything at the dining table to scare the families we'd vowed to protect. So I simply continued eating the food on my plate.
'Baby, what's wrong?' Orion asked in concern through our psychic bond. His features carried worry as he looked at me.
I sent back, 'I'm worried that we may be dealing with someone we don't know yet, someone who isn't on Ellia's list of five names. Someone on the outside.'
'What makes you say that?'
'Tanner was trying everything to make sure her cover wasn't blown. But now that the very three employees she blackmailed are here, with no threats, it just seems rather suspicious.'
'Babe, I'm not following.'
'Tanner strikes me as someone very resourceful. With the amount of credits she'd siphoned over the cycles, I doubt it would be hard to find a good enough tracker to pick up their bio-signatures and trace them here to Christian's residence. The fact that there have been no threats at all worries me. She could've easily sent a threat by standard transmission but there hasn't been anything so far. It's like Tanner is subordinate to someone, and that person hasn't given the order to make a move.'
'Maybe this person is Cummings, Whitlaw...'
'No, I don't think it's them. Those two would have sent an anonymous threat to me personally for revealing more than they wanted if they were in charge. It wouldn't be Marie Martin either. She sat there without siphoning anything during Emperor Lucas's reign for cycles. Someone after that must've persuaded her to do what she's doing. And Patrick Dupont... if I'm completely honest with you, darling, Dupont looks more like a swayable puppet than a Deputy Finance Minister.'
Orion sighed and took my hand into his, placing it on his lap before he sent through our bond, 'They're all going to wish they were dead. If there is someone else, we'll choke it out of them.'
My thumb started stroking his as I sent back, 'We might have to do this very carefully, Orion. And we have to be open with the fact that Ellia and the others don't know who else exists in this fund-mishandling. If there is someone else giving the orders, he... or she has to be found and arrested before these families can be safe. And we can't touch the five people we know until we know who the last person is. If we alert even one of the five, the last one would disappear before we're able to dig anything up.'
Orion kissed my hand, his expression still serious as he sent through our bond, 'We'll do this properly and carefully to keep them safe. And we'll do it together, okay?'
'Okay.' I nodded meekly and forced a smile as I finished up my food.
"Aunt Lyra, are you okay?" Russell's worried voice rang around the dining room and all eyes fell on me.
I dropped my worried face immediately, replacing it with a cheerful and assuring expression. "Of course, Russell. You're so sweet to ask."
"I care about Aunt Lyra," he said matter-of-factly, and I pressed a kiss on his cheek. The other adults in the room enjoyed the sweet exchange as Christian studied his jealous cousin in amusement, his own pathways flickering with humor.
These innocent younglings shouldn't have to live in fear. We'll find whoever's behind this corruption and make the galaxy safe for them.