"Excellent ... I think we have discovered some sort of hideout here."
Jericho traced the wall in front of him with his demon hand, feeling a magical seal within the stone.
A few days ago, he had received word that the assassin Talon might have more information about certain underground activities than what he had previously been aware of, including those of the elusive Black Rose. Since he knew about the young man's past on the streets and it was possible that there could've been something he had seen, Jericho had summoned Talon into his office for questioning.
Without much ... encouragement needed, the assassin had told him that he knew about the catacombs underneath the city and had often used them as a hiding place. While lingering down there, he had seen suspicious people doing business. Upon request, he had also agreed to lead him to some places of note.
While Jericho had been expecting to find some clues, Talon exceeded his expectations by showing him the wall in question.
"Good. Can I leave then?" the younger man asked.
"Yes, you may. Thank you again for this information ... and feel free to contact me anytime if you find another hideout or remember something else."
Without another comment, Talon disappeared into the shadows to do as he was told. He probably wasn't too keen on searching dangerous places together with a man he didn't trust.
It took a few more minutes of examining the wall until Jericho found a small rose symbol engraved into the stone. He didn't know what was needed to unseal the door - and whatever it was, he likely didn't have it - but maybe he could make use of ... other means.
Since he hadn't been born with any significant magical talent, he wasn't really familiar with most spells and the common practices of witchcraft. Emilia LeBlanc, mysterious leader of the Black Rose and powerful witch, liked to tease him about his lack of natural aptitude and questioned his ability to wield the magic he had acquired by subduing his demon. Other mages probably shared that opinion, but she was the only one either brave or stupid enough to say it to his face. Jericho never even bothered to argue against it, however. He knew what his powers and abilities were ...
Raum was stirring inside him already, as it could feel the presence of delicious secrets close by, and he touched the rose symbol with his demon hand. An excited whisper in his ear, it was now awake. He focused on its presence to direct its attention to the seal and commanded the demon to break it. Raum complied without any mental struggle; it was hoping to be fed.
After waiting for a few seconds to make sure no one was nearby, Jericho entered a dark chamber hidden behind the wall. He summoned a demonic eye big enough to illuminate the room with its magical glow and let it float under the ceiling like a lamp. Time to investigate this hideout.
The first thing that caught his eye was ... surprising to say the least. He could only stare in disbelief at the wall across the room ... he had expected to find all kinds of strange artefacts in a Black Rose hideout, but ...
... not a portrait of himself.
Jericho stepped closer to the portrait to examine it. If he remembered correctly, this one had been commissioned many years ago to be displayed in the family gallery. The portrait had to have been stolen, though truth to be told, he hadn't noticed it missing until discovering it here right now. As far as he knew, none of the portraits had been reported missing.
What a strange thing for the Black Rose to steal from him. Why would any of its members want a portrait of their current main enemy in one of their hideouts? And if someone had deemed it necessary to display his image so openly, why weren't there at least some knives embedded into or a few insults scribbled on it? Or any other creative ways to express the organization's opinions on him? But no, it seemed to be in perfect condition.
Beneath the portrait, he found a small table with some items laid out on it. In a rather orderly fashion too, he noted. The centerpiece of this peculiar collection was a vase with a bouquet of roses inside.
No other type of flower would even be considered, I suppose, he thought.
He took one of the roses in his hand, twirling it between two fingers. It was, as far as he could determine, relatively fresh, so someone had to have been here recently. What surprised him was that its petals weren't black like he had instinctively assumed ... It was hard to determine the exact color in the dim light, but he was certain that it was a red rose or at least a similar shade.
Why red? Interesting ...
After putting the rose back in the vase, Jericho proceeded to examine the other items. Next to the vase was a cutout of a newspaper article. He recognized it quickly, this article - which included another picture of him - had been published soon after his coup, hailing him as the new Grand General of Noxus. Someone had taken additional notes, he could see something written underneath the picture ...
"He's handsome"
... this had to be the last statement he had expected to read in secret notes of his political enemies. Maybe it was a joke, someone just having a little bit of fun with his image. Why else would a Black Rose member be interested in such superficial aspects of his person?
There were other papers too - more newspaper articles, all exclusively relating to him. Jericho contented himself with flipping through them, finding some passages highlighted - all of them containing information about him, his political agenda or his actions.
Next he discovered what looked to be some calligraphic writing. It was a poem, but not just a random one ... it was familiar ... and it happened to be one of his favorite poems, strangely enough. In his opinion, this didn't seem like a valuable piece of information about him, yet here it was.
Beneath the poem, he found a final piece of paper ... with a drawing depicting him. It showed his face and upper body and was quite accurate, as far as he could tell after closer examination. What set it apart from the other pictures of him, however, was that the artist chose - or was told by whoever commissioned this work - to depict him with a smile on his lips. Before he could even wonder what this was all about, he spotted a few hearts drawn in the corner. It gave the drawing as a whole an almost cute and innocent look, like a little girl's doodles in a school book.
But since it was found in a hideout of his enemies, he couldn't imagine any innocent motives behind it. He was a bit confused, yet determined to uncover the meaning of this.
After carefully rearranging the papers and putting them back, Jericho went on to inspect the other items; all of them turned out to relate to him in some way as well. There was a ring with the new emblem of House Swain (he changed it to a raven after the death of his parents), a vial containing a tuft of silvery hair (most likely his), a badge he had earned after joining army (he definitely wanted it back, but wasn't sure if he should alert the Black Rose to their hideout being discovered by taking it), an old invitation to a birthday party of his ... (of course his parents had invited Black Rose members ... maybe even LeBlanc herself?) and finally a dagger. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as the exact one he had used to kill his parents many years ago. The image of his hands holding the dagger after he had done it, both the blade and his skin covered in blood, was still clear in his mind.
It wasn't the memory that made him shiver. He had never felt guilty for killing his parents ... freedom from their expectations and constant demands as well as getting rid of traitors felt too right to regret the deed. No, he found it concerning that someone had collected all these items from his past, it seemed somewhat ... obsessive.
It wasn't even like they could be used as evidence against him, not even the dagger, as it was no secret that he had killed his parents for being traitors to the empire. Some people had even expressed their admiration for the unquestionable loyalty and dedication to Noxus he had shown by doing this. While many others certainly found it disturbing and were horrified by how cruel he had been to his own family, they weren't exactly able to ... express this sentiment or openly hold it against him. By doing so, they would only present themselves as possibly supporting traitorous activities. All Jericho would have to do in response was to accuse them of supporting the Black Rose and they would be silenced.
He took a deep breath and massaged his temples. The only thing one could possibly want with these items was to collect as much personal information about him as possible. As for the drawing with the hearts on it ... either the Black Rose had different work methods and ethics than what he was used to from the empire's secret services ... or Emilia was making fun of him in private too. Whenever she called him handsome or tried to seduce him, he felt like she was ridiculing him, just because she couldn't possibly think he was stupid enough to believe a word she said.
It would actually be more convenient for him to discover another plot against him, then he could simply track down, deal with the traitors and be done with it.
Jericho sighed. No matter how he felt about it, he still had to get to the bottom of this, so he proceeded to search the rest of the room. The furniture was rather inconspicuous: There was a couch with soft cushions and a large blanket draped over it. On a small table beside it, there was a decorative candle holder, a teapot with floral patterns and a cup.
He wasn't even surprised to discover that it was one of his favorite teacups which had recently gone missing under suspicious circumstances. Until now, he had assumed someone had broken it and swept the accident under the rug to avoid being reprimanded; unfortunately, it would seem as though he had been mistaken. If the cup ever reappeared in his household, he would make sure not to drink anything out of it ever again, since ... there was no way it would be returned without a lethal dose of poison, right?
Upon closer inspection of the couch, he found a small book half-hidden between the cushions. It had a plain purple cover and there was no title or other description on it. As soon as he touched it, he could feel his skin tingling ... from what was probably some sort of protective enchantment. Sure enough, it couldn't be opened.
How curious ...
Jericho smirked to himself, before summoning Raum again to assist him. Seconds later, he felt the tingling sensation stop and was able to open the book. In his opinion, it was a bit reckless of the owner to leave it out in the open like this, even if it was enchanted and the room as a whole sealed away and hidden underground.
Speaking of the owner ... he inspected the first pages to determine who it belonged to. They were mostly blank, except for a handwritten name in the top right corner of the first page ...
"Emilia"
... Emilia LeBlanc?
He froze for a moment, furrowing his brow. Emilia was the only person he could link this name to, however, he wasn't sure if it was her real name. She had also called herself Evaine in the past ... and these two names were just the ones he knew, she probably had countless identities. Emilia was the name she had given him upon introducing herself as the leader of the Black Rose ... perhaps her "truest self", if she even possessed such a thing. He had been calling her by this name ever since, just because it was the only one he had; Evaine had been, as far as he was concerned, confirmed as a fake identity, so the name was meaningless to him. During one of their many conversations, she had even insisted that Emilia was her real name and she was sharing this as a token of goodwill, but he hadn't believed her.
If she insisted on referring to herself as such ... then this book could be hers. And if it was ... did this room belong to her as well? It seemed very likely at this point. And if this was her room ... had she stolen all these items?
Jericho tapped his chin in thought, trying not to be too worried by the thought of his nemesis herself obsessively researching his private life. Emilia LeBlanc ... with her teleportation, illusions and mirror images, she could easily sneak or break into his mansion unnoticed and steal these objects. A common thief would have surely been noticed and caught by the Trifarian legion guarding him and his estate on Darius' orders. Emilia, on the other hand, would easily be able to trick, evade and escape the soldiers - and he couldn't blame them for it. Her abilities were beyond anything they were reasonably equipped to handle. Not even Jericho himself had ever come close to catching her.
As he investigated the book's content, it became obvious rather quickly that it was some sort of journal. Under normal circumstances, it would be a significant violation of privacy to read someone's journal, but the obvious disregard for his own privacy on the part of Emilia (most likely) and her agents made him feel justified. Not that traitors to the empire deserved such clemency in any case, at least in his opinion.
Raum was whispering impatiently within him, urging him to proceed.
Patience, demon, I'm getting to it.
Jericho started flicking through the journal. There was no way he had enough time to read everything in detail. What he wanted to know primarily was why this room and the weird collection of items and pictures of him existed the way it did and what the Black Rose hoped to accomplish with it, so he opted to scan the pages for mentions of his name. It didn't take long until he found what he was looking for.
"I didn't think dear Jericho would recover from his loss in Ionia, yet here he is ... seizing the position of Grand General for himself. I must admit, I haven't seen this coming ... though I suppose it was foolish to assume he would just accept defeat."
Indeed ... you'll have to kill me if you want to be rid of me, he thought with dark amusement.
"He declared his intentions to destroy my lovely organization, which really isn't surprising. I think he somehow found out about me surviving the purge and gaining influence over Darkwill ... I don't know how, but he seems to know more than he should."
If only you knew how much I know ...
He was certain now that "Emilia", the apparent author of this journal, was LeBlanc herself; the way she described the events and how she referred to the Black Rose as "her" organization supported this conclusion.
"Jericho is a frustrating man. I've tried coming to an agreement with him, but he refuses to be persuaded. He has even rejected all the favors I offered him ... I'm almost offended that he's resisting my charme with such persistence."
Indeed ... after he had seized the position of Grand General, Emilia hadn't wasted any time trying to get on Jericho's good side, he remembered it well. She had sought him out to introduce herself and "talk", though "talking" had soon turned out to be a euphemism for her attempts to win him over by showering him with flattery and compliments, appealing to his ego and offering sexual favors. Unfortunately for her, he had seen through all of it and rejected her.
I'm sure these antics worked well with people like Darkwill and all those who can't help themselves when they see a beautiful woman ... but now that you mention being offended, Emilia, I think I might be offended as well. Because you knew me before I became Grand General and still thought I'd behave like an animal as soon as you showed up in this tasteless outfit of yours.
The following pages detailed Emilia's increasing frustration at his continued dismissal of her "diplomatic efforts". But there were also some other passages catching his eye ...
"As much as him bitching and being difficult annoys me, it's sometimes ... kind of cute."
"He acts like he's too good for what I have to offer him. Maybe he found out that Evaine was actually me and is mad at me for having this little affair with him. But if he knows this, he really can't pretend that he wouldn't sleep with me - because he already did. And he can't claim that he didn't enjoy it. I've tried apologizing to him, but he wasn't having any of it."
Why should your apology mean anything to me? You know full well what you did.
Jericho shook his head in irritation. Unfortunately, this had to come up sooner or later.
Years ago, Emilia and he had been in ... what could be described as a romantic relationship. Not quite a couple, but an ... ongoing affair. He had been rather young and naive at the time and she had taken advantage of this, inventing the fake identity of "Evaine" to get close to him. In hindsight, he suspected that she had manipulated him during their time together, planning to have him expose her organization and feeding him information to achieve this. Their relationship had ended due to him joining the army, just as planned. He had also hoped to keep "Evaine" safe by severing this connection, in case the Black Rose wanted revenge ... oh, how foolish he had been.
Finding out that the only woman he had ever emotionally connected with was just another fake identity of his nemesis ... it had hurt, even if he would never admit it.
I'm any case, I'll never tell you even one word about my supposed "feelings".
The passage continued, "The thing is, unlike many of his predecessors or other important political figures, Jericho isn't ugly or too old for my taste ..."
You're one to talk, Emilia. Aren't you about two thousand years old at this point?
"I actually look forward to having another affair with him. After all, he thoroughly impressed me with his little coup. What other surprises might he have in store for me? I'm curious ... and it's always so fun when you combine politics and pleasure. Unfortunately, he's still stubborn. And I must admit ... if he's playing hard to get to make me beg for it ... it's working out for him. I don't know why, I don't know what's going on with me, but he only makes me want him more."
Apparently, it hasn't occurred to her yet that a man can have different priorities. Due to the behavior of my peers, however, I can hardly blame her for this assumption.
Jericho tried to quickly go over the following pages, but couldn't help noticing that he had slowly become the number one topic of Emilia's musings. And he wasn't prepared for the amount of detail, emotion and what seemed to be actual honesty with herself that he found within this journal.
"He gave a speech to the new Trifarian legion today and I went to hear it. I've never managed to actually pay attention during military speeches, because all that these generals usually offer are mere platitudes. I found myself enjoying Jericho's voice though. I don't know why, but I like hearing him talk. It makes me wish he'd talk to me more ... tell me his secrets ... compliment me ..."
"I went to hear his other speeches as well and watched him up close. I wonder if I'm the only one noticing how soft his lips look and wanting to steal a kiss or two. As silly as it is, I can't imagine I'm the only one ... right?"
"I keep thinking about him. Sometimes I can't help myself, even if I don't want to."
Her thoughts about him were definitely becoming less ... business-oriented, he noticed, amazed at what he was reading.
"Another attempt on his life failed. I should probably be disappointed, but ... I feel like I still want him around ... at least a while longer."
"Last night, I snuck into his mansion to attempt to assassinate him myself. I ended up just watching him sleep instead ... I would've liked to lie down next to him and just listen to him breathing, but he would've noticed me and kicked me out."
"Maybe I'm kind of in love with him ...?"
Jericho lifted his head for a moment to look at the bouquet of red roses under his portrait again. The symbolism was obvious in hindsight, he couldn't believe he hadn't realized it immediately. The same was true for the other hints he had passed over.
Maybe he was just permanently in denial about any romantic gestures directed towards him, since he was busy uncovering conspiracies and warding off attacks against his person ... he might admit as much to himself.
"I've found my nemesis and the lover I always desired - handsome, intelligent, a gentleman - unfortunately for me though, they are the same person. But he'll be mine in time. I can be patient, wait for centuries if necessary ..."
"I don't like it when other women try to flirt with him. At least he's equally cold towards them, he seems to mistrust almost everyone."
"There are persistent rumors that he's into men. I also heard that his soldiers used to hit on him every once in a while during his years in the army ... but he has turned down every single advance. And I already know for a fact that he's attracted to women ... at least he was attracted to me. I don't like that some men want what is mine, but I try not to be angry. After all, he doesn't want them ... and who can blame them for having a little crush on someone like him?"
"He's a gentle lover, even if he likes to pretend to be cold and distant. I remember how sweet he used to be and how a part of me wanted to stay with him all those years ago."
"I want him and I told him so. He pushed me away, as he always does. I even begged him to take me, but he was convinced that I was trying to trick him and told me to leave him alone."
Jericho remembered the evening in question very well. The intensity of their encounter had caught him off guard when Emilia had teleported directly in front of him and thrown her arms around his neck, a pleading look within her eyes ... those wonderful golden eyes. He had been unable to look away. However, as she had begged him to take her, he had declined ... allowing such intimacy between them was a risk he hadn't wanted to take.
If he was completely honest with himself ... maybe he had said no partly because he hadn't known what else to say. But he had done the right thing, so it shouldn't matter.
"He doesn't believe me when I try to confess my feelings and I can't even blame him.
The Black Rose wants him dead as soon as possible, especially the nobles among us ... he's their main enemy ever since he started taking away some of their power and influence. I can't help but admire his dedication ... he's fighting his own people and their power structures that have been in place for centuries.
I mean, he's the last living member of House Swain, one of the ancient houses, a truly prestigious heritage ... and he doesn't care about it. Not to mention he's the one who got the other family members killed ... no, killed them himself. It was a treat to see House Swain fall at the hands of its own heir.
Even now that he knows I orchestrated the purge back then, he feels no remorse ... I believe him when he says so. He has conquered his demons - quite literally, I might add - and is stronger for it. I respect it."
Emilia had claimed on a few notable occasions that she had feelings for him while trying to seduce him, but whenever that happened, Jericho brushed her off immediately. He assumed it was just part of what she had done to every other Grand General - lying, deceiving, trying to influence him, maybe another assassination attempt as soon as he made himself vulnerable. Never had he considered that she might hold genuine affection for him, might be trying to tell him about her real feelings, not before finding this journal.
He hadn't been exactly accommodating to her, but she didn't even seem angry about everything he had done to her, in retaliation for previous offenses or otherwise.
Would she go so far as to write pages upon pages of journal entries detailing her feelings, set up a secret hiding spot for said journal and other items and lead him to discover it, trying to make him believe she was in love with him? It seemed rather unlikely, even for the Deceiver. She'd have to come up with a very elaborate plan and do a lot of work for a comparatively small reward. Him believing she was in love with him wouldn't change much, he certainly didn't plan on changing his attitude and behavior just to accommodate someone else's feelings. She knew him well enough.
Another interesting tidbit was the way Emilia wrote about his parents' deaths; this piece of information more or less completed the puzzle of what had happened back then:
Emilia had indeed planned the purge of her own people after Darkwill had started persecuting the organization, probably either to keep a low profile for a while or to get rid of certain members or both. She had picked out Jericho as her target and, as much as he hated to admit it, succeeded in manipulating him. Years later, she had tried to get him killed in Ionia - he had uncovered that conspiracy soon after, thanks to Raum. Jericho's death would've meant the end for his bloodline; not that he cared, after all it had been his decision to remain unmarried and childless.
He turned the page and knew what was coming just after reading the first few words. Well, there was no reason why she wouldn't discuss one of the most notable incidents between the two of them.
"I visited him in his mansion yesterday night and for a while it seemed like he'd finally given in. He held me and kissed me and I was so happy, thinking he'd let me show him what he's been missing ...
I should've known something was up. Whenever I tried this before, he wasn't having any of it. It hurts to admit, but in that moment ... I let my guard down. He did everything on purpose, used my desires against me ...
And then he killed me ... one version of me, but still. It ... hurt and I'm not talking about the knife in my back.
He kept holding me while I died.
I think he somehow convinced himself that he had to do it for the good of Noxus or whatever, because ... well, I'm responsible for his defeat in Ionia. But he hasn't been particularly bitter or vengeful so far ... he's always calm, almost as if he's accepted everything. I can even imagine him coming to the conclusion that it worked out well for him in the end.
Admittedly, killing me like that was a good try ... but not good enough. I showed up in his office the next morning to let him know that he won't win so easily. He tried to behave normally, yet I know he was surprised ... impressed ... a little angry ... maybe also a bit afraid?"
Jericho sighed deeply. It would seem as though Emilia read his emotions fairly well; not only his reaction to her reappearance, but also why he had attempted to kill her.
What she didn't know, however, was how hard the decision had been for him that fateful night. That he had, for a few blissful seconds, felt happy as well while they had kissed ... part of him not wanting to end it ... especially not in such a violent way.
But he had done it regardless, forcing himself to kill her. Another thing he hadn't anticipated was how much it would hurt him too. He remembered the look on her face, genuine shock and betrayal evident in her golden eyes as the light had faded from them. Seeing her like this, he hadn't been able to drop her, gloat or do anything in general, so he had held her in silence. Part of him had wanted to say sorry, but he hadn't managed to speak.
And when she had died in his arms, her body slowly getting cold, guilt had suddenly overwhelmed him. Never before had he felt guilty for killing; the people he killed needed to die, they were traitors and enemies of the empire or they attacked him first, he always had a good reason. The same was true for Emilia, yet ... maybe he had felt guilty because of the way he had taken advantage of her being emotionally vulnerable.
There had been another feeling as well, the feeling of having lost something important. What this important thing even was he either couldn't or wouldn't name. Just attempting to decipher what it was that his subconscious was trying to tell him had caused an intense feeling of shame, shame for craving something he shouldn't, for having failed in some way.
He didn't understand what he felt then and in the aftermath and found himself both unwilling and unable to figure it out. All he knew was that he had felt horrible.
How long he had remained by her side, still holding her body, he couldn't remember. It could've been mere minutes or several hours until it had disintegrated in his arms, leaving nothing except a small puff of purple smoke swiftly dissipating.
This should have confirmed that she hadn't actually died and used mirror images to keep her true self safe, but he had failed to fully draw the conclusion in his shocked and confused state. In his defense, he still didn't understand the full extent of her magical abilities and likely wouldn't for years to come, even when he was his usual calm, rational self.
The most shameful aspect of this whole situation was probably the fact that a small, naive part of him had been relieved to see her again when she had showed up the next morning. He shouldn't have felt that way. For was it not him who had announced that he would finally destroy the Black Rose - provided they continued to plot and refused to serve Noxus instead of their own interests? And was it not him who had been wronged in many ways by Emilia herself? At least she hadn't seen his relief and knew nothing of the whirlwind of mixed feelings he had experienced.
Jericho was determined that he wouldn't be corrupted like his predecessors. Neither would he agree to being in a romantic relationship. Not with her, not with anyone else. He had buried those dreams long ago and the decision was final. Even if he sometimes felt lonely, even if a small sting of longing for something he couldn't quite name would remain.
He tried to suppress the thought as soon as it came up and focus on something else, so he proceeded to search the last few pages for any additional clues. Maybe he could find more explanations for what was going on ... or another plot against him. It was certainly appropriate to check.
"Some of our members have been questioning why Jericho is still alive, despite me being away to spy on him quite often."
She does? ... no surprise there.
"They weren't supposed to notice. Not even I can come up with excuses forever. But there are other things I'd rather do to him than poison his drinks ..."
Emilia, please ...
"Sometimes I wonder if I or any other member of my Rose can even kill him at this point. Maybe this is just the excuse of a lovesick lady who, in her darkest moments, admitted to herself that she doesn't want her beloved nemesis dead anymore ... but he's indeed hard to kill with the demon empowering him, that much is clear to all of us. It's what I keep telling myself ever since my attempts at his life became so halfhearted that he occasionally mocks me for not even trying."
"Beloved nemesis" ...
Jericho closed the journal after finishing the final passages and allowed himself a moment to take in a few deep breaths and rub his eyes. Its contents had not only been surprising, but also ... insightful. Emilia certainly hadn't been into him as much when they first met years ago, he was sure about that. No, her apparent obsession was definitely a recent development.
Maybe she really enjoys the ... nemesis situation. Enemies to lovers ...
At least she seemed to admire and respect him, so that was something. The feeling was mutual too, ever since he had learned the hard way who this woman was and what she was capable of.
He needed to conduct a few more experiments, test her feelings, analyze her reactions and try to get more information from her. If he was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that she was indeed in love with him, he should use it to his advantage. One voice inside him questioned whether this was going too far, but he silenced it immediately. Emilia had used him as well.
Did he want revenge? Not really. He had more important goals than this, it was too petty for him to dedicate time to such an endeavor. He might end up hurting her in the pursuit of his goals, but he shouldn't care if he did. Sacrifices had to be made.
Jericho returned the journal to where he had found it. Chances were Emilia would be able to detect that someone had accessed it, maybe even recognize the demonic magic and link it back to him. But what could she do about it at this point, except trying to get back at him somehow? He might not even feel inclined to deny reading the journal if she confronted him about it.
The whispering at the edge of his consciousness had died down, he noticed, and Raum was silent. Perhaps it had fed enough off of the secrets he had discovered and returned to slumber within him for the time being.
While preparing to leave, he glanced over the items and the pictures one last time. Emilia had delved into his past and personal life way more than he had anticipated. It neither seemed like normal political intrigue nor standard courtship. He didn't know what to make of it yet. In any case, he had never expected to have normal - or particularly healthy - relationships in his life; those were difficult to come by when one was born into nobility, with money, influence and political standing getting in the way.
Jericho did his best to reseal the room after exiting it and managed to leave the catacombs without anyone noticing. It was getting late, so he decided to go home instead of back to the High Command. He felt a little drained, likely as a result of Raum treating itself to his secrets alongside Emilia's, and needed some time to think without being disturbed anyway.
As he walked through the streets of Noxus Prime, he thought about Emilia again. What was her endgame, now that she apparently didn't want him dead anymore? Did she seriously consider being in a relationship with him? Could they make it work if they actually wanted to? Not that he had any concrete plans to try or would be particularly inclined to agree to such a proposition from her, but just in theory ...
I don't think it's possible for us to be together at this point. Even if the Black Rose was out of the equation, I wouldn't be able to trust her ...
Was it love, this obsessive attraction to him that she seemed to have? And what did he feel for her in return?
He respected her intelligence, admired her abilities. He was aware of how dangerous she was and wary of her plotting and her mirror images. On the other hand, he hadn't failed to notice that she was beautiful, almost ethereal with her pale porcelain skin and her golden eyes, he enjoyed the lengthy conversations they had engaged in many years ago and had fun verbally sparring with her in the present. She was one of the few competent opponents at Xa'h, his favorite game, and he was happy to indulge her when she asked to play ...
What would he name his feelings? He found himself unable to describe their relationship with one definite, singular term or with one label.
He arrived back home, barely registering anything while deep in thought. After entering the house and heading for his private study, he discovered a bouquet of roses on his desk ... not black, not red, but purple this time.
Emilia's favorite color, he thought and carefully picked them up.
It was a little surprising that these roses were completely normal flowers, not equipped with poison or explosives or any other creative measures to threaten his life ... but he felt like he understood what they were supposed to mean instead.
Jericho decided to keep them.