Eiser pov
I stood behind the massive, gleaming marble desk, the soft, rich light of the lamp catching the subtle highlights in my tailored black coat. In my hands, I held the document—the Serenity Pact. Beside me, the hotel manager, his face a mask of polite concern, began to speak.
"Since the conclusion only presents the final terms, you'll probably require an explanation. I don't entirely know the background of that contract myself, but–"
I cut him off smoothly, my eyes still scanning the elegant script of the agreement.
"There is no need. Having read through the contract, I understand the full context."
He paused, a faint expression of surprise crossing his face. "Pardon...?"
I lowered the document slightly, looking at him, though my mind was still processing the full weight of what I had just read. I began to explain, starting at the root of the matter, the secret history the Serenity Hotel had guarded.
"The Serenity Hotel started keeping these weapons right after the war," I stated, the gravity of the words filling the opulent office.
I turned back to the paper, the words revealing the political chaos that necessitated this extreme secrecy.
"The key point is that, due to domestic and international political instability and uncontrollable internal factions in the immediate aftermath of the war, it became necessary to falsify records of weapons and supply stockpiles in order to protect the Royal Family and the Kingdom... and the surplus materials had to be hidden in untraceable civilian locations."
The search for such a location was a monumental task, but the Serenity Hotel was the perfect solution. It was:
Located in the heart of the capital, not far from the Royal Palace, with enough space and security to handle the sheer volume of weapons.
A place constantly bustling with people, yet unlikely to be suspected as a hiding place for war supplies.
"Moreover," I continued, "to the Crown, the House of Serenity was a loyal and trustworthy family... with Iansa, who had a deep, longstanding bond with the Queen and Grand Admiral Carl Hatherson, the man responsible for Meuracevia's victory in the Budden War."
This unique blend of security, location, and loyalty made their hotel the safest, most perfect place to store those excess weapons.
"In exchange," I concluded, the final pages detailing the Serenity family's immense reward, "The House of Serenity was granted exclusive rights to the state-run Ariona redevelopment project, land in select regions, and authorization to establish the financial network of Hanlaut Bank, a bank in close partnership with the House of Serenity, to name a few."
I looked up from the contract, the deal's full scale evident in my mind. A secret arsenal and a vast fortune, all bound by a single, unholy pact.
---
I ran a thumb over the wax seal of the ancient-looking document. The sheer scope of the reward granted to the House of Serenity was breathtaking, a testament to the magnitude of the risk they had undertaken.
"It appears the reward was meticulously calculated in proportion to the high level of risk," I observed.
The hotel manager nodded quickly, relief at my understanding evident. "Yes. Th-that's exactly right. If I recall correctly, the Ariona Project involved an especially lengthy, tense debate with Her Majesty, as it was the Kingdom's largest redevelopment initiative at the time. In the end, the House of Serenity secured the rights to the project, which ultimately played a significant role in the hotel's growth."
"Yes, and what's most important here is..." I paused, my gaze dropping to the final, embossed section of the document, the part that elevated this deal from a mere political contract to a sacred bond.
"This is a Holy Agreement... as evidenced by the signatures of the Former Queen, Lady Iansa, and the Pope."
I looked up at the manager, who was now holding his hands clasped behind his back, his posture radiating seriousness.
"A Holy Agreement," I continued, reciting the terms on the scroll, "the most closely guarded secret of the Kingdom and a document whose very existence is not disclosed. It is a document signed during major oaths or accords between the Meuracevia Kingdom and a noble house... in which the Pope, acting as a neutral third party, affirms the legitimacy and authenticity of the agreement."
The manager confirmed my interpretation. "I've heard of it, but this is the first time I'm actually seeing one in real life. That's right. It's no ordinary contract."
His voice grew heavier, tinged with genuine fear. "That's why I was even more hesitant to speak of it. Should this information be leaked, it would lead to the collapse of not only the agreement but the entire hotel."
He swallowed hard, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, looking utterly defeated by the secret he had to keep. "I didn't know whether Lady Serena was under some form of coercion at the manor, so even if I were to covertly share this with her, I couldn't disregard the possibility that it might inadvertently reach you."
I understood his hesitation perfectly. He had tried to protect the hotel and the young woman who now held its fate. The secret was a poison, powerful enough to destroy them all.
Now that I understood the full weight of the "Holy Agreement" and the House of Serenity's connection to the Crown, the manager looked distressed, his head drooping momentarily.
"Sigh. Why on earth did things turn out this way? But there must be a way out of this."
"I thought holding my tongue for now and waiting for a safer moment to tell her would be the best course of action, at the risk of earning her ire at a later date," he continued, referring to Lady Serena. "I didn't know whether Lady Serena was under some form of coercion at the manor, so even if I were to covertly share this with her, I couldn't disregard the possibility that it might inadvertently reach you."
He gestured weakly towards the desk where the three documents lay—the three copies of the Holy Agreement.
"The Holy See has a copy of this agreement as well... so if we clarify this misunderstanding by showing this agreement to prove that this was a legitimate contract–"
I cut him off, the realization of our impossible situation hardening my voice.
"That may be more difficult than you think. As you saw with your own eyes, the Royal Defense Corps was here."
He blinked, confusion creeping into his tired eyes. "Pardon?"
My gaze intensified, focusing on the dark motive behind the Prime Minister's actions. "There is no way the Prime Minister doesn't know about this agreement. What makes this situation so dire is that he arrested Serena under suspicion of treason despite knowing the full truth."
The manager's eyes widened. "Oh... Th-then... that means..."
I took a sharp stride forward, the gravity of the revelation settling into my posture.
"It means he's set on finding fault with the agreement at any cost."
The manager looked truly panicked, the sweat visible on his brow. "B-but is that even possible? This is a three-way agreement between the Crown, the House of Serenity, and the Holy See... He may be the Prime Minister, but not even he has the authority to go against the Holy See. What on earth are they thinking?"
I shook my head, my jaw tight. The Prime Minister's boldness was frightening.
"I don't know, either. But they wouldn't have gone this far without a plan in place. They must have something up their sleeve."
I clenched my hands, the soft leather of my gloves resisting the pressure. This wasn't just a political attack; it was a move calculated to dismantle the Serenity family and strip the Crown of its secret safeguard. The Prime Minister's plan had to be more audacious than we could imagine.
---
I took a step toward the manager. "I'm sure you're aware that merely conspiring to commit treason carries a heavy sentence. And given the approach taken by the Prime Minister, it won't be easy to clear this up."
The manager looked horrified, his face etched with regret. He turned to me, wringing his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm the reason things got so out of hand. My fears were that this secret agreement would be publicized or the weapons would be misused. I never imagined someone would take issue with the agreement itself. Then it's... it's my fault all this–"
I cut him off firmly, my gaze steady. "You're not at fault for this crisis, Manager." I let the tension in my hand express my anger, my fingers clenching into a fist. "This is the work of the accursed House of Grayan... who never abides by common sense."
My initial plan, my entire future, had just been turned on its head.
"After the divorce, I intended to stop the House of Grayan from using me as a pretext to infiltrate the House of Serenity." I looked toward the window, reflecting on the unintended consequence of my own actions. "But given what's unfolding, this divorce will do more harm than good."
I realized the critical nature of my legal status. "For now, I can still intervene by virtue of being Serena's husband... but that won't be the case once we're divorced."
A wave of frustration washed over me. The timing was disastrous, yet the promise I made was binding. "I have no choice but to go through with this divorce, to adhere to the terms of my contract with Iansa if nothing else, so I can't back out of it."
I took a resolute step, my feet carrying me across the lavish floor. "And since Serena is physically confined, there are limits on what she can do to explain the situation..."
The crisis demanded immediate action, and my marriage—or lack thereof—was now the single biggest leverage point. I had to secure Serena's safety and the hotel's future before the Grayans' twisted plot fully unfurled.
I needed to formulate a counter-plan immediately. I turned and left the opulent office, the scent of the Serenity Hotel's secrets clinging to my coat. "So the only time I have to deal with this is now, before the divorce is finalized."
With firm steps, I moved through the hotel and out into the city, driven by the urgency of Serena's arrest and the looming threat of the House of Grayan. My destination was the dark, stone-walled place of her confinement.
STEP. STEP.
I stood outside the iron bars of her prison cell, the dim light from a flickering lamp illuminating the rough brickwork. The heavy gate let out a mournful CREAK as it opened.
Serena sat alone on a wooden bench against the wall, her fine white dress stark against the drab surroundings. She was physically confined, but her gaze, when it met mine, was sharp and unbroken. It was a look of cold accusation.
I walked toward her, my footsteps echoing unnaturally loud in the silence.
She spoke first, her voice low and laced with bitterness. "What a cruel twist of fate, Frederick. To think you'd leave me in handcuffs, only to reappear and put the handcuffs on me."
I didn't flinch. I reached for her hand, my fingers brushing against the rough cloth of her sleeve. I had to make her understand that I knew what was happening and that my presence now was not to condemn her, but to save her.
"But I think I know enough to figure out what you weren't able to finish telling me back then," I told her, my tone serious. "I found the answer I couldn't hear from you."
I squeezed her hand gently, trying to convey the full weight of the Holy Agreement and the political war that had just erupted around her. The Grayans were attacking the foundation of her house, and now, I was her only shield.
My grip on Serena's hand tightened, a silent assurance that superseded her suspicion. "I found the answer I couldn't hear from you," I repeated, letting the words sink in.
She pulled her hand away, her lavender eyes sharp, challenging me even under duress. "I was only brought here because of a misunderstanding. The accusation that I conspired to commit treason is utterly baseless. That's the feeling I got from the phone call with Uncle Logan." She paused, her voice laced with distrust. "But what about you? What are you doing here?"
Her mind, sharp even in confinement, began connecting the dots. "I don't quite know how those weapons came to be there, but I can see that it was used as a pretext to frame me. Seeing as how they sent the Royal Defense Corps after me, the Prime Minister must have ordered my arrest. Is this the House of Grayan's doing?"
I hesitated for a brief moment, absorbing her assessment. It was clear she was already close to the truth.
"Yes," I confirmed, my voice dropping low. "The Grayan family will soon make their move. They won't hesitate to resort to all sorts of underhanded means."
I stepped back slightly, allowing her to see the conviction in my posture. "The Prime Minister, who holds the real power in the Royal Court, is completely on the Grayans' side. If they get involved in this matter, it will snowball, meaning you'll be in even greater danger."
Her eyes shifted to my uniform, a new wave of realization washing over her face. "This whole situation aside, judging by your manner of dress and demeanor... The only conclusion I can reach is that you're acting under Victor's orders. Am I right? Is this all Victor's doing?"
Desperation crept into her voice. "You wouldn't do all this without a reason. If you're only following his orders because Victor is threatening to harm me... Don't."
I knew I needed to lay the full truth bare, to dismantle her suspicions and forge an alliance.
"Serena, I am not here on Victor's orders," I stated firmly. "I am here because of what you were unknowingly protecting. The fact that it was Diah de Laurent who sent you to me so that you could find this mysterious object my family purportedly hiding..."
I lowered my voice, every word weighted with the gravity of the secret. "Yes... I suppose what she was unwittingly looking for was the cache of weapons in the basement of the hotel. That's why you couldn't find anything in the manor."
I leaned in closer, my gaze locking with hers. "I know about the Serenity Pact. The Holy Agreement that ties your family to the Crown and the weapons stash. And I know that the Prime Minister arrested you on treason charges despite knowing the full truth. He is set on finding fault with that agreement at any cost."
This was the critical juncture. She had to trust me now, or everything would be lost.
I watched as surprise faded from Serena's eyes, replaced by a calculating intelligence. My revelation of the Holy Agreement had stunned her, but her mind was already racing to catch up.
She shook her head, confusion still clouding her brow. "But... if the Prime Minister is attacking the agreement, then that means the Holy See is in a difficult position, right?"
"Precisely," I confirmed. "The Holy See cannot afford to simply ignore this. If they speak up to defend the Serenity Pact, it will expose the fact that the King fabricated war records and is secretly maintaining a private arsenal."
I explained the political fallout, the immense pressure the Prime Minister was leveraging. "If they reveal this truth, the Crown will lose all credibility and trust within the Kingdom. This is the Grayans' ultimate play—they are threatening to expose the deepest secret of the monarchy to force the collapse of the Serenity family."
Serena's composure finally began to crack. She covered her face with one hand, despair etched into her features. "Then... what should I do? We were going to get divorced anyway, so if you had stayed out of this, you would have avoided this trouble completely."
I felt a sharp pang of regret, both for the situation and for the contract that had brought us to this terrible place.
"I can't stay out of it," I stated, the finality of my words echoing the truth of our unavoidable connection. "I am still your husband, and I will use that status to get you out of here, but I must follow through with the divorce as I promised Iansa."
I took a breath, clarifying the two simultaneous battles we faced.
"We have two priorities. First, we need to minimize the damage here. I am still capable of influencing this matter by virtue of being your husband... but that won't be the case once we're divorced."
I paused, looking her directly in the eye. "I'll do everything in my power to clear up this mess before the divorce is finalized, and most importantly, I will protect you."
I revealed the most urgent plan, the true first move against the Grayans' attack on the Holy Agreement. "Second, we need to go on the offensive. The agreement has been compromised, but there is one detail that might save us."
I leaned down to ensure no one but her could hear. "I need you to tell me the true name of the person who hid the weapons here."
The weapons were hidden by someone with "a deep, longstanding bond with the Queen," according to the contract. The Grayans were attacking the validity of the contract itself, but if the original handler could be proven to be involved in something nefarious, it might give the Prime Minister the angle he needed. Knowing the original custodian might reveal the loophole the Grayans were exploiting.
"That person's identity is the key to figuring out how the Grayans intend to nullify the Holy Agreement. Tell me, Serena. Who was the real head of the Serenity family during the war who handled this pact?"
Serena pov
The bars of the cell door were a cold, unforgiving grid against the dim light, yet my focus was solely on the man kneeling before me. His uniform, so official, so tragically misplaced, made my heart ache.
"Lady Serena."
His voice was a low rumble, filled with a grim determination that I hated. I searched his face, desperate to find the simple, loyal man I knew before this nightmare began, before Victor had twisted everything.
"Am I right? Is this all Victor's doing?" I pressed, my voice barely a whisper, afraid the walls themselves were listening. "You wouldn't do all this without a reason."
I waited, but the silence stretched, broken only by a single, agonizing '...'. He looked away, his jaw tight.
"If you're only following his orders because Victor is threatening to harm me… don't." The plea tore from me. "Please! This isn't helping me, Frederick."
I leaned forward, trying to catch his eye, my own filled with a desperate clarity. "They don't know who you are. Would they have let you don that uniform if they did? If you're a regular civilian, that's one thing…"
The darkness felt suffocating as I spoke the words I knew to be true, the consequences of his masquerade. "But if they don't know who you really are, the moment they do, and if they already do, once this is all over and done with… Once you've outlived your usefulness to them, they'll kill you."
The last word hung in the air, heavy and absolute. I watched his shoulders slump slightly as he tried to absorb the truth.
"…you'll die."
"Please! You don't need to be involved in this mess too," I begged, my composure finally breaking. "You still have a chance to make your escape. Please go, Frederick. I'm begging you."
I had to shake him out of his loyalty, his madness. "ANSWER ME! Why are you risking your life to do this?!"
He didn't speak. He only moved, sinking lower, the movement of his body mirroring the despair in his soul. He gave a sharp, sudden motion—he had to be hiding, or perhaps gathering himself for whatever he intended next.
Crouch.
The sound of his uniform shifting was deafening in the silence. I stared at his bowed head, realizing he had no intention of leaving, no intention of saving himself. His silence was his answer: a tragic, self-sacrificing vow.
The chill of the prison cell seeped into my bones, but it was Frederick's obstinate silence that truly froze me. I had begged him, pleaded for him to save himself, to abandon this insane loyalty.
"Please. You don't need to be involved in this mess too." My voice cracked with desperation. "You still have a chance to make the escape. Please go, Frederick. I'm begging you."
I had to make him understand the grim reality. They wouldn't hesitate. "Once you've outlived your usefulness to them, they'll kill you." The words were stark, a death sentence hanging in the air between us.
"…you'll die." I repeated, hoping the starkness would penetrate his resolve.
He still didn't respond, his head bowed, the uniform a symbol of the danger he was embracing. My frustration mingled with a deep, bone-weary fear.
"ANSWER ME!" I demanded, my voice rising. "PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL GO!"
My gaze swept over him, tracing the lines of his stiff uniform, a sharp contrast to the familiar, gentle man beneath. "Why are you risking your life to do this?!"
He merely shifted, a low crouch that seemed to indicate a surrender not to my pleas, but to his own unwavering, perilous path. Crouch. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage.
Then, his head lifted, and his eyes met mine. There was a deep sadness there, but also a dangerous resolve.
"Lady Serena." His voice was calm, steady, cutting through my emotional turmoil. It was the voice of a man who had made his decision, a decision I was powerless to change.
I stared at him, my own eyes wide with a mixture of terror and a dawning understanding. He wasn't going to leave. He wasn't going to save himself. His loyalty was an unshakeable, self-destructive force.
He leaned slightly closer, his gaze intense, piercing through my fear. "Listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."