Cornelia sat on the throne meant for Faerghus's king, examining the royal family's Relic as her mages moved all around her. It really was well-made; even without a wielder, it almost pulsed. She wanted to pull out the Crest Stone and see if it would still beat, but she assumed Thales would want it in one piece.

The man himself walked into the throne room, as per an agreement to visit after she gained control of Fhirdiad; he appeared as Lord Arundel, but it was just to keep up the act. Cornelia offered a small nod as greeting, holding out Areadbhar to Thales.

"You able to kill them, then?" Thales asked, taking the lance and looking over it himself.

"Not quite, unfortunately," Cornelia replied, frowning a bit. "No one from the church—not even those the brats that went with them—was here. I know that woman, at least, was in one of the neighboring territories; I sent a few people to look, but didn't have much luck. I assume my goodbye to Rodrigue's soldiers made them warn the church away."

"And the young king?"

Cornelia smiled, cold but so pleased. "He put up an excellent fight. Gave some speech about Patricia and the truth, then fought alongside the rest of them; killed a few people rather gruesomely. My mages cornered and captured him, though. The boy's waiting in the dungeon until I know what to do with him. Considering how he fought, I was thinking of making him a beast—setting him loose in the Empire, somewhere near Garreg Mach or Enbarr so that girl comes across him. It would make for a good show if she's the one to kill him, don't you think?"

"Don't make any drastic choices," Thales said simply. "We don't need to waste resources on someone who may go against her without any prompting."

"He won't fight alongside us willingly," Cornelia pointed out. "He's been mumbling about justice and death and my role in it since the battle ended. Even if you promised him closure or power, he wouldn't accept."

"He doesn't need to help directly. He'll fight anyone, given enough time. He just needs to be informed that they are all enemies. For now, simply…build on the existing mold. Did you capture anyone else?"

"His retainer from Duscur is down there, alongside a few stubborn soldiers; the rest were tearfullybegged to flee, or otherwise abandoned the cause."

"Feel free to do what you wish with them. Let the boy watch."

She could imagine it fairly well; killing those who protected the young king right in front of him, claiming that it was his stepsister's wish. He only held on now by sheer force of will—she wondered how much would be left of him by the time the rest were gone.

Thales resumed observing the Relic; Cornelia shifted her position on the throne, and after another moment spoke.

"Are you still giving that girl mages?"

"However many are willing to help her, yes. Although unsurprisingly, the new Marquis Vestra is killing them upon or close to arrival. The mages who left Enbarr to support you haven't been able to return, so we seem to have lost a bit of an advantage."

Cornelia sighed. "Is there a reason we haven't killed her? Why we're still pretending we're all friends, when both sides know they have arrows pointed at them and blades ready to be thrust into their backs? She's…stronger than her family, for better or worse. You can't convince her that she still needs our power."

"Perhaps not," Thales mused. "Yet she's been playing along rather nicely, and I'm hesitant to kill someone with so much potential. There are still ways to break her resolve; I just need more time to consider and carry through all of the options."

"How much 'time' is enough?" Cornelia asked. Her expertise lied with the king's side of the family, but the situation with his stepsister just led her to be a bit impatient. She didn't quite care if that annoyance came through in her voice or not. "You tried to have someone kill her in the Holy Tomb, and they failed—two months short of one year has passed since then, and there's nothing left to show."

"The circumstances in the Holy Tomb were less than ideal; the problem then was the beast's vessel being able to use her power. For now, dealing with that pest is more important than correcting a disrespectful girl."

She let out another sigh. "I suppose I do understand. The abomination comes first, then the girl that chose to follow it."

"Excellent—and with the report and conversation out of the way, I'll leave you be. Try not to immediately lose Fhirdiad, will you?"

"All right. I'll let you know if anything exciting happens."

Thales nodded and left, taking Areadbhar with him. Cornelia lingered on the throne for another few moments before standing up.

She might as well see how these captives compare to some of her previous ones.