[Author's note: This subchapter is rated M: Mature Content (16+). Mention of violent scenes. The most important event is: Drace and Gabranth are talking in a small corner; Drace shows indulgence at Vicky's existence, serves Gabranth a cake she baked, then cries at remembering seeing Vayne killing his two brothers, as mentioned in Final Fantasy XII.

~ Gabrace 2/4]

That… That, now? That, after confirming she wasn't her true self that day and feeling awful? That, among all possible topics?

'I am, my Lady.'

'Please do not look at me this way. We Magisters do not bother inquiring about our dömavänner's private lives – we have enough on our hands, believe me.'

Please say it to that grey-eyed colleague of yours.

'Is she kind to you?' she added with a much softer voice.

'She is, my Lady.'

'How often are you able to see her, Gabranth?'

'Never.'

She raised surprised eyebrows.

'Why is that?'

Nice, Gabranth. What was I supposed to answer? That she was much younger but also much stronger, and commanded me to stay far because her brother was a terrorist?

'I… I am shy', I replied, 'and have no experience in all this. I prefer to take my time. And she is also busy studying the full 10 years at the Akademy.'

'Oh, an Akademy candidate then! Which one?'

'Law.'

Judge Drace's smile, together with the raised eyebrows, gave an image of warmth and fear at the same time.

'Law, really! When did she begin?'

'Last year.'

As soon as my reply was over, I realized I was giving Vicky's age away.

'16! Such a kid.'

I expected her to turn angry, disappointed, disgusted, or betrayed, but her smile simply shortened and she commented:

'I see now. It is better this way. I asked because I have biological ties to the Law Akademy, as you saw during your examination. But I barely have contact with them now, and am not aware of new students, unless their performance is constantly exceptional. What about your young lady?'

'She is… not exactly the smart kind at studies. But I am making sure there is progress', I smiled.

'I worry not. She is in the best hands she could hope for when it comes to law.'

She smiled in turn and got up to retrieve something from the ice magicite-powered food storage. She put it on the table.

'The cake!'

'Yes, the same as last time. I made it myself.'

I thanked her and ate a slice, then two, then everything.

'Your baking skills are excellent, Your Honor', I said after finishing the last bite with a mouthful of water.

She blinked and looked away.

'Oh… Re… Really? That… oh, no, that was not much…'

'I also cook sometimes', I said. 'I got used to it when my mother couldn't do anything. Now she is much better, thanks to you, but I keep doing it regularly.'

'I am glad. Do cook something for your young lady, when you are able to meet her. She will find it astounding and get even closer to you.'

'I… I'll keep that in mind.'

'I am truly glad. Your loving heart will keep you away from the hatred that consumed us. Had I the same chance forty years ago, and had the others as well… maybe many things could have been avoided. But then who would have taken the charge we've been tackling all this time…?'

As I finished cleaning and storing the dishes, I asked:

'Does Your Honor know why Lord Vayne did not have swords in the weapon room? He signed every collection with a short poem, but none of them belonged to him.'

From that point onwards, she was not recognizable anymore. What I thought was a question out of mere curiosity instantly triggered a state I could not have expected. Judge Drace recoiled, gasped, and opened her eyes until the lids disappeared behind her two angry globes. She so much wanted to escape that her back crawled against the walls, pushing the pressure of her whole body until the whole room trembled.

'W… What's going on?'

I got no answer. Drace kept shaking, babbling, and a line of sweat emerged from her forehead.

'Can you hear me?'

I chose to get up and go directly by her side. I gently took her arm, and she turned an amazed face to me, as if she was seeing Judge Gabranth for the first time.

'I… I can. It was… that day. Cancer 27th of 694. It was Triini. Yes, it was supposed to be a regular Triini with the Judge Council and all…'

I understood she had been aware all along when she added:

'Lord Vayne dislikes swords.'

Something I shared with him, then.

'He… He… he always said he'd fight with his fists if he had to. But his pathetic mother, Zargabaath and I thought it was a child's whim. Nevertheless, now that he's a full-grown adult, we can only witness his stubbornness – well only Zargabaath and I, because Sentia had the wonderful idea to leave us to fend for ourselves that exact day.'

Wasn't Empress Sentia assassinated? Or victim of some air crash?

'Well, that day…' she continued. 'Yes, that day, he used swords. On Cancer 27th of 694, Lord Vayne killed his brothers. I saw him with my own eyes.'

I immediately released her arm and looked for her eyes. Her fleeting eyes. What… Now what was this again?

'Lord Vayne always detested his brothers, especially Lord Eder-Cilt who was His Excellency's favorite son and the one he appointed as his successor. Even Sentia could not change Lord Gramis's mind, and that is saying a lot when you witnessed His Excellency's demonstrations of love to his dear empress. Eder was untouchable, unmovable – and rightly so. He had inherited both the Murenas' rare beauty and the Solidors'… solid presence. Vayne simply could not stand that, apart from his mother, people did not deem him worthy of worship, and valued Eder and Phon instead.'

'Pardon me, my Lady… But wasn't Lord Vayne around 15 when this happened?'

'He was. He was, Gabranth. But believe me, there's no age for futile hatred and jealousy. Therefore… When he heard his mother's passing… He put his plan to execution, knowing it was his only chance to catch Eder off guard. Had he begun with Phonmat, his chances of survival would have been null. Lord Vayne perfectly knew what he was doing. There's no age to be a criminal. He killed them both with Eder's Ophidian Sword. Eder was… abruptly beheaded… and…'

She was quietly sobbing.

'… Phon was stabbed. At that moment, he had enough awareness to unleash whatever could knock his half-brother down, but he decided not to start a fight, believing until the end that Vayne was too pure-minded to slay him too. I was in that little room, in the twenty-first floor of the Palace. The three of us were having a courteous exchange. Vayne burst in and killed them. He took them from me, Gabranth! He took my sun and moon down from my clear sky, and I was left with naught but their blood and my tears!'

She completely collapsed to the ground, releasing that strength she had while sitting in the form of a long, obnoxious, terrifying weep.

So now Lord Vayne was a criminal? A fratricide? Despite what she alleged, it made little sense. That insecure boy I had seen at the library? Sounded too big to be true.

'I should have done something. But Vayne was still a Solidor. However… even without armor, and without swords, I should have neutralized him and torn that blade away. But the scene paralyzed me as much as it did Eder, and I could only witness the two heirs being lost forever, as well as Lord Vayne. She never gave a reason, but the Viera assured the boy was cursed.'

'You… You couldn't do much', I said. 'Harming a member of House Solidor, no matter who, is a serious offense for Judge Magisters.'

'It is… It is a shame that these two brilliant bodies and minds are gone, and that he stayed.'

'We also have Lord Larsa.'

She raised her calmed face at me, as if I had said something she never realized before.

'Correct. We must make sure he doesn't take his life as well.'

'Aye. But tell me, my Lady: how did Lord Vayne justify his action to His Excellency? The reason most likely has nothing to do with Lord Larsa.'

'The reason was that he wanted all the spotlight. And for that, he had the audacity to pretend to His Excellency himself that his two brothers were behind Sentia's death. That is the reason Lord Gramis spares him his wrath to this day, no matter how devastating the damage is for the Empire and for his family.'

Was Archadia's emperor that gullible? If the reason given by Lord Vayne was fake, then he, with all his councillors, should have known better.

'I believe there is an ongoing investigation about the Empress's death circumstances', I said.

'Correct. Well, there is one conducted by Judge Zargabaath, and another one by Judge Zecht. Since the matter is confidential defense, they must operate alone, and it is taking years. I am glad Zecht agreed to dig into this… he will finally learn something else than wasting resources in useless strifes. And, well, Zargabaath is not neutral in this case, and I wouldn't entirely have trusted the results.'

Why would Lord Zargabaath not be neutral for that investigation concerning the Empress? Wasn't a judge supposed to be neutrality in person? And weren't Judge Magisters precisely the most reliable of the country in this regard?

'Tell me… Gabranth… Don't you think it that, regardless of law, killing your own brother makes you the vilest person?'

Drace's question made me thoughtful. Many situations came to my mind.

I wouldn't have blamed Vicky if, once she unlocked her Mighty heir power's full potential, she killed Maximiliano. She seemed to know what he had done, to condemn it; and, according to the Mighty outlandish power and influence system, only she could do it.

As for my case… at that point, after spitting on what remained of our family for so long, I wouldn't have blamed myself if I killed Basch. Not a tiny bit.

'I believe Lord Vayne had a tangible reason to kill them. You don't commit murder at age 15 without one, jealous or not, cursed or not. And believe me, my Lady… I know how you feel towards him…'

'No, you don't', she coldly interrupted.

I looked at her in confusion.

'Sorry', she said. 'It is a heavy matter – same one as if I had to explain what I felt for his mother. Nevertheless, given his profile today, he would make a much worse leader than Eder or Phon. They outmatched him in all areas. Losing Eder in particular, who was the perfect heir, was a demise for House Solidor; and Phon's energy is missing in the Palace everyday. Both of them lived in Ephedrine's floor, two levels upper. Now it's a ghost floor. I feel empty.'

'You have every reason to feel this way, my Lady.'

'Do you believe so?'

'I firmly do.'

And, as she made a faint smile, I finished my remark:

'I do not value Lord Vayne much more than you do. And I know this is hard to comprehend when you have witnessed the crime with your own eyes. But until the investigations' results, I deem it uncertain to call him the vilest.'

We were tightly packed between her couch and the wall. I was beginning to sweat as well. I was trying hard to minimize it, but the news did not reassure me. She took out her arm and I understood she wanted space. I got up and walked to my own couch but she vocally complained. Unsure of the right distance, I sat back next to her without touching her, but close enough to catch her in case another emotion took her down.

She sighed:

'You have every reason to think this way. But I also have every reason to attest to what I said.'

'How so?'

I had let out my softest voice, and got the harshest response in return.

'Because I killed my own brother as well.'

No. That had to be a nightmare.

'Who am I, Gabranth, to judge others, as Judge Magister as I am, when I committed 27 years ago the very crime I blame others for?'

And her head slowly slid to the ground.

'I cannot consider the situation otherwise', she said, with tears rolling down her cheeks anew.

My brain froze. I didn't have any reaction on what I had just heard. The information refused, refused firmly and vehemently to enter my mind.