Page 48 of The Sovereign: Part One
“Just me?”he asked, genuinely surprised.“No one else?”
“It’s not that I’m a recluse, it’s just that Bellam lives on the other side of the city, and we see each other quite a bit during and after work throughout the week.Lourdes lives in the Empyrean Crest district.When either of them visits, it’s usually brief, just a quick stop before heading elsewhere or a quiet evening in.No one else would need to know how everything works.You’ll be living here, so I assumed you’d need to know.”
“No, of course.I just thought that maybe before your Veritas year, you might’ve—”
“No,” I said, my voice firm.“Never.I bought this place for us.Bringing anyone else here would’ve felt like a violation of that.”
“Never.Joss was never here?”
I fidgeted.“Yes and no.He came here on occasion so we could ride together on the Skith, if it made sense logistically.He lived in a quadris in the Civic Quarter near the West Wall.That’s where most of the Vale-born live.He’s moved since then.He never liked having to share walls with three neighbors.I’m not sure where he moved to but… I’m getting off the subject.Calyx notified me of his arrival, and I stepped outside to meet him.So… no.No one.It was important to me that this place remained, let’s say untouched by anyone but my accordant.I’m sure it sounds silly to most, it certainly did to Bellam, but to me, our home is inviolable.It belongs to you as much as it does me.”
He smiled, his eyes flashing dozens of emotions.“It’s not silly at all.”He walked over to me, brushing my hair back as I lifted my chin to meet his gaze.“I didn’t think I could be any more impatient for our Oathbond.”He leaned down, planting a slow peck on my lips.
I closed my eyes, then took a step back.“I don’t know if we should do that more often or less, so this breathless, dizzy, faintly euphoric feeling doesn’t still happen when you’re tethered to my biorhythms.That would be unbelievably embarrassing.”
His brows pulled together.“Why?”
“It’s… hard to explain.”
“For me to know you feel the same?”
“Do you?Feel the same?”
“Isara,” he chided, as if I should’ve known.
I felt a bit lightheaded, as if I’d been dropped back into Tier Two, giggling, flushed, and hopelessly flustered over the presence of a cute boy.
I cleared my throat, determined to continue showing him the rest of the room.“So, er, there’s a… there’s a recessed panel next to each sink for personal care essentials.”
I demonstrated both with a soft tap, and Maxim watched as they slowly receded back into the countertop.Once they disappeared, I turned around to motion toward the other wall.“The lavatory,” I said, gesturing for it to open.
It was concealed behind a soundproof panel, blending into the wall in such a way that most would never know it was there until activated.Like the rest of the acquell, it maintained itself, air filtration kept everything fresh, and surfaces were treated with self-sanitizing technology.Even the flooring adjusted to body temperature, ensuring it was never too cold beneath my feet.
Maxim took it all in with interest, but when we stepped into my dressing alcove, his gaze sharpened.
The space was nearly half the size of my somna, lined with auto-retracting panels, their frosted glass turning transparent with a simple command.A large ottoman rested in the center, its surface subtly adjusting to provide the perfect level of support.“Calyx, display wardrobe,” I said, watching as each section revealed my respectable collection of immaculately organized clothes, categorized not just by color and type but by function, climate suitability, and personal preference.I gestured with my hand, summoning a different section forward, this one empty.“This one belongs to you.”
Maxim studied the space for a moment, then looked at me with a quiet conviction.He reached out, brushing his fingers along the panel, not to test its function but as if absorbing what it signified: belonging, permanence, a place that was his.“Thank you,” he said, almost a whisper.
“It was no trouble.Of course I’d make room.”
“It’s not just about making room,” he said.“It’s what it means.This empty rack is for my clothes, in a home that’s mine… not for function, not as an extension of duty, but because I exist independently from the system, I exist here, with you.”He let his hand rest against the panel a moment longer, then turned back to me, a tenderness in his voice, “It means more to me than you probably realize.”
I blinked.Supplicants didn’t buy homes, they occupied them.Their existence had always been defined by proximity to the Sovereign they served.But Maxim, he wasn’t just accepting his place here.He was claiming the space, instead of just adjusting to it.
After what had happened in the café, it was possible that response was unique to Maxim.But maybe it wasn’t.Maybe all Supplicants hoped for what he was feeling now, their programming just didn’t allow them to voice it.My chest tightened as something inside me altered, an understanding taking root where before there had only been acceptance.
“I’m sorry,” he chuckled.“It seems like every time I walk into a new room, I’m hit with another existential revelation.”
“No, it’sfascinating.I’m having so many epiphanies myself, especially because in my field… everything you’re saying is just…” I exhaled sharply.
“Thank you for saying that.But please, continue.”
“Okay, well…” I cleared my throat.“The… the system tracks every article of clothing and accessory we own,” I explained as a retrieval arm emerged, selecting an ensemble before smoothly retracting.“It keeps an inventory, flags anything that needs repair or replacement, and Calyx can prepare attire based on schedule and weather conditions, as well.”
“Noted.”Maxim’s gaze followed the movement of the wardrobe’s internal mechanics.
“And if you can’t decide, Calyx can make suggestions based on previous selections.”
