Page 33 of Oracle's Reign
“This note is interesting,” Pianti conceded, “but it won’t force Envaho from the throne. What does the journal say?”
Licking her lips, Yslie opened the book to the page marked by the ribbon. It was near the very end of the journal. “This part was written after the wars ended and Daitano became emperor. He’s talking about Jaesa, the first Emperor’s Oracle.”
She began to read:
If it weren’t for her, I’d be just another warlord who fought until the end of his days, prolonging suffering, not protecting anyone. She should be empress, and I her general. Politics, however, did not allow for that outcome. Not that I wouldn’t have fought to give her the power she deserves if that was what she wanted, but being my advisor suits her better. Still, my line owes the oracles, and her in particular, for our new position of power. I am reassured to know that my heirs will always have an oracle at their side. Should that oracle ever decry their monarch, that is the sign that the emperor is nothing more than a usurper, for it takes more than blood to be my heir.
“He knew.” Peroen met Yslie’s eyes. “Father knew what you’d find. That’s why he didn’t want an oracle in the archives.”
“If he’d known, he’d have burned the book, just like the note suggests,” Pianti argued.
“He was probably acting on a vague prophecy,” Sophenie said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if an Emperor’s Oracle generations ago had warned that allowing an oracle into the archives could spell the end of the empire. He might have known it was dangerous to let us in, but not why.”
“What Envaho knows doesn’t matter.” Qilar stared at the book as if he were afraid it would disappear. “If we take the note and journal to the Assembly, they don’t need to find a way to claim power over the succession. The first emperor, the start of the dynasty, condemned Envaho before he was even born.”
Pianti drummed her fingers against the table. “Peroen needs to marry Yslie first. Then he can present what she found to the Assembly.”
He blinked. “What?”
“There’s a chance the Assembly will try to abolish the monarchy completely, but that could lead to instability. More likely, they will force Envaho’s abdication. Which means you need to be married to an oracle of her own free will—not only because it was part of the agreement to establish the Assembly, but because it shows that you do have the oracles’ support. Auraelie forsook Envaho, calling into question his right to rule, but Yslie marrying you will establish your own suitability to take the throne.”
It made sense. It was a smart plan.
Peroen wanted to marry Yslie.
Yet Pianti’s practical decree filled him with dread. He stood up. Now he was the one who couldn’t sit still. Yslie, on the other hand, had frozen. The journal dangled loosely from her fingers. Peroen caught it before it could fall and placed it on the table in front of Qilar. “Why don’t you three look at the rest of the journal while Yslie and I talk.”
“Peroen—”
He cut Pianti off. “We need to talk alone. Give us a little time. Please.”
“Supper isn’t for almost two hours.” Qilar nodded at Peroen. “We’ll see you then.”
???
Yslie led Peroenupstairs. She had spent her first nights in Kalitalo at Pianti’s house, and the bedroom she had used felt more private than any of the rooms downstairs. And this conversation needed privacy. She didn’t know what was going through Peroen’s mind, but her own was awash with uncertainty.
What if they married and the Assembly didn’t approve? What if... no. Yslie refused to lose herself in hypothetical problems.
“I want to marry you,” Peroen blurted the instant they closed the bedroom door behind themselves. “I hope you don’t doubt that. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
His nerves settled hers. She pulled him over to the large blanket covered bed, and they sank down onto the cushion. “I understand.” She did. This wasn’t about what they wanted—that was the terrifying part.
“I would have married you weeks ago,” Peroen continued.
She rolled her eyes. “We only met weeks ago.”
“And I knew I wanted to marry you,” he insisted. “But you are still getting used to the city. Me. Life among the court and playing politics with the Assembly. I don’t want to rush you into anything.”
“I love the city. I adore you. And we are adapting to the rest together. Everything is moving fast, I agree, but I don’t feel rushed, Peroen. I’m more worried that you feel trapped.”
His brow furrowed. “Trapped by what?”
She laughed mirthlessly. “What about your life isn’t a cage? You were told who you’d marry, even if you ostensibly were allowed a choice among a few candidates. Now Pianti is telling you not only to oust your father but to take the throne decades before you might have expected to. You are suddenly required to socialize with Assembly members and pledge yourself to a woman you met less than a month ago.”
“Maybe my life has been a cage, but you already freed me, Yslie. It doesn’t matter that I only had four oracles to pick from, since you were one of them. Dethroning my father is practically a dream come true, and I want to learn how to work with the Assembly and finally do something that matters with my life.”
“Peroen?” Yslie pressed her lips together. She wouldn’t start grinning like a fool. Not yet. “Is the only reason you hesitated when Pianti said we should get married immediately because you were afraid I’d feel forced to agree?”
