Page 64 of Ties of Deception

She shrugged. “Maybe. You could try. It would be one way to take responsibility. But you could also make things worse. Be careful.”

When I returnedto my rooms, Ethen was already there, pacing. He gave me a half-smile in greeting when I entered, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry I left earlier. I… People were watching us. I hated to leave you like that, but it seemed like the best thing to do. Are you all right?”

I started to nod, then shook my head. “Who would poison an important man at such a small banquet?”

He scowled. “Your chances of winning the empress’s approval after this are slim, I’m afraid—even if the culprit is identified as somebody who has nothing to do with you. We need to turn this around to your advantage, somehow. My men identified the servant who made the ambassador’s drink in the kitchens, and she confessed to adding a liquid to his drink.”

I stopped in surprise—that was easier than I’d expected. “She has? And who did she say gave her the liquid?”

He shook his head, drumming his fingers on his arm. “She didn’t. But I asked her to give me the bottle. It’s still half full.” He fished around in his pocket and brought out a small glass vial of brown-purple liquid. “It’s definitely nightstar. The fact that it’s here in Atos is worrying.”

I hugged myself, remembering Constance’s words that Ethen himself would be a suspect. “Who do you think did it?”

He poured himself some wine, putting the vial on the table between us. “Charity. But I don’t have definitive proof. The kitchen girl used to be one of her servants years ago before she moved to the kitchens. The servant may still be loyal to her. Also, I noticed that Charity returned to the palace in a good mood. The flowers around her glowed when I watched a servant tell her about the ambassador. Since she almost certainly was the one who drugged you with moon blossom, I suspect she’s stepping up her game.”

I balled my hands into fists. How could she? Would she really go so far just to sabotage me? “We should tell the empress.”

He shook his head. “We don’t have enough evidence to confirm this, unless we invented some and framed Charity, but that would be a higher risk than either of us wants. All we can do is present the servant, who will say she was working alone. At least that would take the attention away from you and could be your contribution to the investigation.”

I ground my teeth, frustrated that Charity might get away with something like this. If she could happily poison an ambassador, where would she stop? “But Charity doesn’t know that the maid wouldn’t say who supplied the poison, does she? As far as Charity knows, the maid could have pointed the finger straight at her. Maybe we can still use this to our advantage. Maybe we can get a confession.” I held out my hand for the vial, and Ethen only hesitated briefly before picking it up and handing it to me.

The corners of his mouth lowered as he stroked his chin with forefinger and thumb. “We would need to be careful.”

I swallowed, knowing we had more to discuss. “Constance just told me something.”

Ethen raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to me. “What is it?” He frowned suddenly. “Purity, you look a little pale. Do you want to sit down? Let me get you a drink.”

I sighed. “Water, please.”

I sat and took a moment to gather my thoughts as he puttered about my room. I accepted the glass he handed me. He’d even thrown a lemon slice in it.

He sat down beside me and rested a hand on my knee. “What did she say?”

I took a sip, already feeling better with him beside me. “A few things. One, she said you would be a suspect due to the nightstar being from the Unseen Lands.” He merely shrugged, unsurprised. “And then, she said thatsomebodytested Serene to see if she was Fated to you, just before she was found dead.”

He froze. Rage tightened his jaw and the ligaments in his neck. “Who?”

I sighed in frustration. “She didn’t say. She told me as a warning so I wouldn’t speak to you again.”

His eyes widened in alarm. “Do you think she suspects that we’re Fated? If so, we need to leave now.”

I shook my head. “We can’t leave. Not yet. Otherwise, they’ll keep stealing souls and treating them however they wish. An Aidis won't be allowed back here for another century at least. Not to mention Charity will get away with murdering a man and nobody apart from us will ever know.”

He closed his eyes. “But if they’re testing Graces…you do realize what this means? They’re after the Fated one. They are probably threatening Grace’s lives or hurting them in some way to see if I will rescue them. They know that I would drop my act in that instance.”

I moved a hand to his forearm and dug my fingers into the soft velvety material. “Ethen, they don’t know it’s me. There is no sign that it's me. Constance was just warning me never to speak to you in case I ended up like Serene. She…she seems to genuinely care. She said I could ask her for help if I get in trouble.”

Ethen remained tense. “I don’t trust her. The stakes have gotten too high. We can find another way to stop the souls from being taken. The most important thing is to get you home safely.”

I withdrew my hand and tensed, ready to confront him with what I’d learned. “But why are they after the Fated Grace? Why would they care, or wish you to take another Grace in her stead? Constance said it was because she has the most powerful Blessings. You never told me that.”

A puzzled look flickered across his eyes. “I’m sorry if you felt like I was hiding that from you. She’s right—the Fated are Blessed by Ismara herself, which means they will have more power than the other Graces who are mere imitations, but it will be years before you grow into your powers…if you’re like the ones who came before.” He grimaced. “You’d think the empire could have sated its greed with all the Graces it already has. Why would they particularly want a Fated, the only one I…” A tremble ran up his arm, his fingers twitching as if for a weapon.

I looked away before his emotions distracted me from my own. A sliver of uncertainty remained. “Is that one of the purposes of marrying a Fated over a normal Grace? To give the Unseen Lands more Blessings.”

He shook his head and fixed me with an intense gaze that made me feel the weight of every one of his words. “I want you because I love you, Purity. In your last life, and the time I had to wait without you, and now this life even though it could last an eternity. I loveyou. The reason I didn’t come here decades ago to choose any Grace before I met you as a mortal wasn’t because a Fated would be more powerful. No, I wanted to fall in love with the right person. And I waited a century before I met you.”

I swallowed. Why had I ever doubted that he would have an alternative motive? I looked down, my cheeks growing warm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”

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