By the time nightfall settled over Richinaria, the city had gone from chaotic to eerily quiet. From the royal bedroom's wide windows, I could see repair constructs and Divines still working tirelessly across the palace.
I sat on the edge of the massive bed with elbows on my knees. I kept staring at nothing in particular. The room was too big when it was empty. The sheets were still perfectly arranged on his side. Adelasta left hours ago to inspect the damages to clear her head after what happened.
I leaned back onto my hands and exhaled slowly. Out of habit, I reached into the Sapphire Bond that connected me to my other fragments.
Unlike most beings, I wasn't entirely singular. There were versions of me spread across different locations, each accompanying a different Pentarch aspect of Veneri. We were separate in body and experience but at the same time, we were still parts of one greater whole.
Normally, we didn't share memories in real time. Veneri's five Pentarchs had agreed not to share theirs unless they fused together, and we adopted the same principle. Even though they were all technically him, they functioned independently. Their personalities were shaped by the Divinities they embodied. The Sapphire Bond didn't allow memory sharing and only Justice Veneri and my fragments had access to Memory Implantation and Extraction.
If we constantly merged our experiences, we'd stop being individuals and start becoming… detached. Still, I could sense them. And right now, one of my fragments was having a much better night than I was.
I focused on the thread connected to Love Veneri and felt warmth, softness, and a very familiar kind of intimate atmosphere. Through her perspective—both visually and emotionally—I could tell they were in one of those modern Earth cities.
She was… enjoying herself. A lot.
I groaned and dropped backward onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Lucky her. She gets the romantic Veneri who actually smiles and touches her, and I'm stuck here getting scolded by the strict one. The emotional contrast is honestly insulting.
While she was tangled in sheets somewhere, giggling and making soft noises that I absolutely did not want to analyze too closely, I was lying here in a palace feeling guilty about letting a spy into the Dynasty.
I rolled onto my side and buried my face into a pillow.
"This sucks."
After a few minutes of wallowing, I pushed myself up again. Sitting around wasn't helping and the silence was starting to feel suffocating. My thoughts kept replaying his words from earlier. I slipped off the bed and left the room, stepping into the dimly lit hallways of the palace.
At night, the palace corridors were usually peaceful. Tonight, it was quieter than usual. Most people were still out assisting with repairs or tending to the injured. My footsteps echoed faintly as I walked toward the study.
I hesitated for a second outside the door, then raised my hand and knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door and stepped in.
The room was lit by floating holographic displays that hovered above his desk and along the walls. Layers of panels showed damage reports, casualty lists and economic projections. It looked like he pulled the entire administrative network into one room. He didn't look at me when I entered.
"Why are you here?"
I closed the door behind me and clasped my hands in front of me.
"I… wanted to apologize properly this time."
He didn't respond. The silence was broken only by the faint hum of the holographic interfaces and the soft tapping of his fingers as he scrolled through data.
"I know I already said sorry earlier but I really did mess up. I should have checked more thoroughly when I sensed that native. I just… assumed everything was fine."
I shifted slightly, unsure what else to say.
"Are you… going to inform the other Veneris about what happened?"
That got a response.
"No."
"You're not?"
He finally glanced at me, though his expression remained neutral.
"I am still myself. It's not as though the other Pentarchs are going to come to me and demand updates. I could tell them to punish the other fragments of you for what you did but I will only do that once we fuse back together."
My stomach twisted.
"So… for now, I'm the unlucky fragment getting punished."
"Yes."
The bluntness of that single word stung more than I expected. I swallowed and stepped a little closer to the desk.
"Is there… anything I can do to help fix things?"
He didn't even hesitate.
"No. Actions have consequences. Right now, the only way to punish you is to not ask for your help."
For a second, I genuinely didn't know how to react. Helping him was kind of my thing. No matter which Pentarch he was in, I was always the one he leaned on for assistance, for second opinions and emotional grounding. Being told I wasn't allowed to help felt like someone had just cut off a part of my identity.
"Oh. Right. That… makes sense."
It didn't. But logically, I understood what he was trying to do.
I turned slightly, preparing to leave. There wasn't really a reason to stay if he didn't want my help.
"Phaenora," he called just as I reached the door.
I paused, my hand hovering over the handle.
"Sometimes, you need to understand that not everything is romantic and fun. This is a Dynasty. Real people live here and real people died today. Remember that. I will not be coming to bed tonight. You can sleep alone."
"Okay."
I left the room and closed the door behind me. The hallway outside felt colder than before.
I'd only taken a few steps when I noticed Adelasta leaning against the wall a short distance away. She sighed when she saw me.
"How is he?"
I rubbed the back of my neck and let out a small, humorless laugh.
"Still disappointed."
"So, not in a good mood."
"Yeah. It's probably not a good idea to go in right now."
"Do you want to spend some time together?"
"Huh?"
"We could have a drink."
"You know we can't get drunk, right? Our physiology literally metabolizes toxins before they can do anything."
A faint, almost mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. That's rare for someone as cold and composed as her.
"I have a way."
"You do?"
"Come with me."
I hesitated for half a second and followed after her. Honestly, after the day we'd just had, I was willing to try almost anything that would take my mind off the sound of Veneri saying he was disappointed in me.