After hearing that the boys had finally settled, Noble motioned for her husband to take a seat. While drying the dishes was a nice gesture, she could continue the work with her telekinesis while they spoke.
And he was going to need to sit down for this…
Seeing the colors in his wife's eyes, Fort swallowed.
"It's bad, isn't it?"
'Bad doesn't begin to describe it…' It was strange to think that a category three gate opening in the middle of one of the most populated parts of the waking world wasn't even the most notable thing that happened that day.
"Lady Nephis was attacked today." Noble pushed the words out with great effort. Saying them felt like acknowledging they had actually happened, and it all wasn't just a terrible dream. She sighed and continued.
"After the gate was dealt with, Lady Nephis was heading to her PTV when the vehicle exploded."
"Exploded? But…"
Noble could follow her husband's thinking. She nodded.
"The explosion was just a distraction. The real attack was the enchanted arrows. One hit Nephis in the chest, but she was wearing enchanted armor under her clothes. The rest rained down from the sky from kilometers away like a horrifying hail. They were neutralized, and no one died, but a few were injured."
"That's a small miracle." Fort imagined how unfortunate it would be to have survived a gate opening only to be taken out shortly afterwards.
Noble shook her head.
"I'm not sure it was a miracle at all. It was a very targeted attack. Both the execution and lack of casualties point to the conclusion that Lady Nephis was the only target. Before I left, people were already blaming Dar for it."
"Dar of the Maharana Clan? He would never be so reckless." Fort furrowed his brow.
"You and I know that, and probably most of the Song Domain does as well, but that won't make any difference to those who are too upset to think rationally." Noble arched her brow.
"Which will include all of the Sword Domain and everyone who looks up to Lady Nephis as a hero." Fort rubbed his forehead.
"The chance recording of the event really sells it, too." The woman's meaning was not lost on her husband.
He chuckled humorlessly.
"That sounds about right. How very theatrical." He sighed. "The stage is set, then. War is all but officially here. I really hoped we had more time, but…"
"It gets worse." Noble was not about to let the moment pass before she unburdened herself.
Fort frowned.
"I'm afraid to ask how that's possible."
"I will tell you, but I'm giving this information to my husband, not to Ambassador Fort." Noble felt the man's emotions spike. She only ever said that when things were very serious.
"I understand. You can tell me anything, and it will stay here." Fort steeled himself for whatever she might say.
After a sweep of the area to make sure no one else could hear, Noble continued. "Saint Kai and the government found no clues about the culprit. The attacker was gone long before we knew about the incoming arrows. They got away completely undetected. That means that no one outside of the conspirators knows who shot those fateful arrows. No one, that is, but me."
"I… What did you… How can this…" If Fort thought that nothing Noble could say would shock him, he was sorely mistaken. His mind temporarily short-circuited as he failed to formulate a coherent sentence. Finally, he found three words. "Are you certain?"
Noble nodded slowly. "I don't know what to do about it. I need your advice."
"Let's take this slowly." Fort took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes for a moment as he tapped his fingers on the table. "First things first…This person is someone you care about, isn't it? I can see how conflicted you are by the colors in your eyes."
Noble pressed her lips together. She might have been able to tell when others were lying, but her eyes betrayed her just as much to those who knew her well.
"I do care about them, yes. But that shouldn't matter, should it? I need to do the right thing to clear Dar's name, don't I?"
Noble wrung her hands together under the table. She was already emotionally exhausted, and the idea of being faced with two bad choices made her feel like crying.
"Sh, we can address that question in a moment. You must care about this person quite a bit to have kept their name and even gender from me just now. You don't want Ambassador Fort to bear that burden when husband Fort has concluded this conversation, do you?"
The man had read her mind. No matter how much she trusted the wonderful man she had married, Noble did not want to saddle Fort with that knowledge unless he wanted it. Her silence was all he needed.
"Alright, if you need advice, let's go about this a different way." Fort collected his thoughts. "This person, do you think they acted on their own without any input from either Clan Song or Valor?"
Noble didn't have to contemplate for even a second. "The Clans were certainly involved."
Helie would never have acted on her own. Noble was sure that she had either been coerced or convinced to commit the act. Helie was both kind and loyal, and Noble was certain that she would only have loosed those arrows under a direct order or duress.
'Poor Helie.'
Beyond her faith in her cohort member and her friend, Noble had other reasons to believe Helie had not acted alone. Morgan had been anticipating both the PTV bomb and the arrows from the sky. If the Princess of War was involved, the King was as well. Anvil would never let something so pivotal occur without his input.
'Great adoptive father right there…' Noble felt even more animosity towards the King of Swords.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Fort continued his inquiry.
"Will clarifying who committed the attack change the outcome of the situation?"
"It will keep an innocent man from being blamed…" Noble paused.
Frowning, Fort held up his hand.
"I'm not sure that it will, but that wasn't the situation I meant. Will it stop war from being declared?"
"Oh…" The floating Saint furrowed her brow.
This time, she didn't have an answer immediately. Her mind considered all the possibilities.
Right now, if Dar continued to be blamed, Valor would demand justice, and Song would demand proof. Unless some was fabricated, Valor would be unable to comply, and war would be the only outcome of the stalemate.
In contrast, if the real culprit was blamed, then Song would demand an apology for the accusations against Dar. Those apologies would never be given, and war would still be declared.
"No," she said at last. "Nothing will change regarding the war."
"Indeed, it won't. Both sides are hungry for conflict. No matter whose at fault, no words you might say can alter the course that the Sovereigns have put humanity on." Fort furrowed his brow.
Noble inhaled sharply.
"So you are telling me to do nothing?"
"Not exactly." Her husband looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "I'm saying there's nothing you can do."