The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

The firelight cast flickering shadows across the rumpled sheets, painting their bare skin in hues of gold and amber. Ravenna shifted, her fingers idly tracing the curve of Aurora's hip beneath the silk coverlet. The warmth of their bodies pressed together was a stark contrast to the cool night air drifting through the open balcony doors.

"Have you calmed down a bit now?" Ravenna murmured, her lips brushing the shell of Aurora's ear as the redhead nestled closer.

Aurora made a soft, contented noise, turning in Ravenna's arms to face her. She pressed a lazy kiss to the corner of Ravenna's mouth before smiling. "I think so." Her fingers toyed with a strand of Ravenna's dark hair. "This reminds me of your days in the palace."

Ravenna chuckled, her hand drifting down to splay possessively across the small of Aurora's back. "Well, you always found your way into my bed when you were upset. Ever since—"

"—our little Festival of Lust in that garden," Aurora finished, her voice rich with amusement. She leaned in to kiss Ravenna again, slow and deep, before pulling back with a sigh.

Ravenna's grip tightened slightly. "Now, I would love to keep you here, Aurora," she said, her voice dropping into something more serious. "But I need to know what I'm dealing with."

Aurora nodded, her playful expression sobering. She shifted onto her back, staring up at the canopy above them as she gathered her thoughts. The silence stretched, filled only by the distant sound of waves crashing against the cliffs below the palace.

"Ethan found evidence of the Cult of Absolution's resurgence," she said at last, her voice low. "Apparently, Father had been investigating them before he disappeared." She bit her lip, fingers tightening briefly in the sheets. "He told me Father uncovered a connection between the Cult and the Conley Empire. That's why he and Mother were traveling to the Free City of Otto—to follow the trail. But..." Her breath hitched. "They vanished before they could arrive."

Ravenna went very still beside her. The implications crashed over her like a tidal wave—the Cult's involvement, the Conley Empire's shadowy hand, the Flask family's sudden disappearance. Her mind raced, piecing together the fragments of information she already had.

Aurora's hand slid up Ravenna's arm, her touch feather-light as she sought her gaze. "Ravy?"

"Are you certain?" Ravenna demanded, her voice sharper than intended. She sat up abruptly, the sheets pooling around her waist. "This isn't just speculation? Ethan had proof?"

Aurora pushed herself up on one elbow, her fiery hair tumbling over her shoulder. "He wouldn't have risked going to Otto if he didn't," she said quietly. "And now he's dead."

The firelight guttered as a cold draft swept through the chamber, making the shadows dance across Aurora's face as she propped herself up. Her crimson hair spilled like liquid fire over the silk pillows, the strands catching the dim glow of dying embers.

"Is that why you didn't seek asylum with your other allies?" Ravenna's voice was deceptively calm as she sat up beside her, the sheets pooling around her waist. "Henry at least would have sheltered Ken, if not you."

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Aurora's fingers traced idle patterns on the rumpled sheets. "You think I'd come crawling to the exiled princess just because of some ancient boogeyman cult?" Her laugh was brittle, devoid of its usual warmth. "No, Ravy. This goes deeper."

She turned suddenly, grasping Ravenna's wrist lightly. "The Hercule Crime Syndicate has infiltrated half of Ancorna's court, even our own Flask estate's vassals." Her hand gripped Ravenna harder. "And Ethan...he found a letter in Father's private locker. A correspondence between the Syndicate and the Cult of Absolution."

Ravenna went very still. The implications settled over her like a shroud. "Your father had proof," she breathed. "Proof they were working together to find-"

"The Witch of the West," Aurora finished, her voice dropping to a whisper. The ancient title hung between them like a curse.

Aurora's hand drifted to Ravenna's inner thigh, where the Apostle's mark lay hidden beneath the sheets. Her touch was feather-light over the sacred sigil. "Ethan was terrified when he left for Otto. Made me swear to flee somewhere safe." Her fingers trembled. "Days later, they found him dead."

Ravenna pulled her into a crushing embrace, feeling Aurora's rapid heartbeat against her own chest. For all their shared history, she'd never felt her friend shake like this.

"I would have gone to Henry," Aurora murmured into Ravenna's shoulder. "Despite everything. But how could I, when I don't even know who the enemy truly is? When they could be wearing any face?"

Breaking the embrace, Ravenna moved with feline grace toward the bedside table. The polished mahogany surface gleamed as she opened the drawer, retrieving a folded parchment sealed with crimson wax.

Aurora's brows lifted. "Kenric's sigil?" She tilted her head, a smirk playing at her lips. "Don't tell me you've taken him back to your bed."

Ravenna snorted, cracking the seal. "Hardly. I wrote to him weeks ago about Otto's trade disputes—purely political." Her eyes scanned the contents, her grip tightening. "Though it seems his gossip is more useful than I anticipated."

"He was handsome," Aurora mused, her chin resting on Ravenna's bare shoulder.

"And a turncoat snake," Ravenna countered without heat, unfolding the letter completely. The parchment crackled as she smoothed it across her knees. "But one with excellent sources in the Free Cities."

She turned the letter toward Aurora, her voice dropping to a murmur. "Your brother wasn't the only noble to die mysteriously in Otto recently." She continued "And the situation in the free cities grows worse. Bolita has seized control of the Otto-Bolita Strait, cutting off Otto's access to vital trade routes. The entire region is waiting for a spark to erupt."

Her fingers drifted absently to Aurora's breast, the skin beneath her touch was warm, the faint pulse of Aurora's heartbeat a steady rhythm against her fingertips.

"Kenric's sources suggest the Conley Empire is constructing a secret armory with Bolita's cooperation," Ravenna continued, her voice low. "If true, this aligns perfectly with my own intelligence: the Hercule Syndicate has been funneling weapons, slaves and gold to Conley for a while."

Aurora's breath hitched. "They mean to annex the Free Cities?" The words left her lips in a disbelieving exhale, her fingers tightening around the edge of the sheet. "But Otto has stood independent for centuries! The treaties—"

"—are worth less than the parchment they're written on if Conley secures Bolita's allegiance,"Ravenna interrupted. She leaned back against the carved headboard, her mind already racing through strategies, contingencies. "We'll convene with my Knight-Captain and advisors at dawn. Your retinue as well, if they can be trusted."

Aurora opened her mouth to protest, but Ravenna silenced her with a look.

"Rest," she said, softer now. "You've crossed half the empire with a child in tow, and whatever comes next, you'll need your wits about you." She folded the letter with deliberate care, tucking it into the drawer of the bedside table. "The Free Cities may be burning, but tonight, at least, you're safe."