Page 23 of Gilded Crown

Aurelius held up a finger. “He’s never done anything remotely likethis. Also, in Father’s mind, nothing bad would have happened to me at David's. This is something Zylem would think of because he wouldn’t give a shit if I was brutally killed. Even if I lived, it would thrill him to terrify me.”

“But how? I’ve never heard of any drug giving people gold eyes.”

“They must have found where Eurig’s hiding the Crown. Maybe...” Aurelius gripped his hair for a second as he paced and appeared ready to go mad himself. “I haven’t tried to do anything with the hand because using the items is risky, but it’s possible they have different abilities because Mammon was split into them, and he had many powers. Elira had trouble against him.”

“You mentioned that.” Jari could still see the carnage in the hallway. “You changed for a second when you wore the crown. You asked me what I wanted, and I said nothing. You said, ‘we all want, Jari.’”

“I didn’t turn into a homicidal maniac!”

“You were different even though your eye went back to normal. When I got you up, you even kissed me.” Disgust flashed on Aurelius’s face. “Don’t look at me like that. You initiated it and stuck your tongue in my mouth.”

“What’s your point?”

“You were different, so I think you might be right. Maybe you just didn't realize that you could do something extra. What’s a crown for?”

Aurelius pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eye. “A crown is a symbol of ruling, and that means control.”

“Mammon didn’t seem able to control people in the story, but that was just a tale,” said Jari. “Maybe he could, or special circumstances are needed. Or the powers are twisted in someway because he was bound in items, and he’s not actually alive in the typical sense.”

“Control and power is a form of greed,” said Aurelius. “People lust for it, so that could be the crown’s power. That hand would be…I don’t know. If the crown can be used to control people and drive them mad in a different way, Zylem’s the type who would love to have people as his dolls to do whatever he commands, so maybe he figured that out first.”

“But the other servant-he didn’t come after you.”

“Maybe that was an experiment, or he did it for laughs. Zylem doesn’t need to use any of the four items to be a fucking prick. On his own, he delights in making others miserable, and it doesn't matter if it’s disgusting or wrong. I think you know that quite well. This has opened up new horizons, and he also somehow found the fucking crown before me. I’ve looked all over for it. Eurig’s lockbox, the office one, the treasury, the attic, storage rooms, the cellar…” Aurelius made a frustrated noise. “Father might have let something slip to Zylem by accident, and he figured it out. He’s smart when it suits him. I’ve tried to get Father to tell me where the crown is or some form of hint, but he won’t. In a way, I think he distrusts me more because I’m next in line.”

Jari squinted as he thought.

“I’ll have to tell Father to write to that courtier’s parents and make sure he doesn’t forget,” said Aurelius. “If he forgets, I’ll do it my damn self. After-”

“Wait a minute. Eurig’s paranoid now.”

Aurelius paced with his back straight and still managed to look Princely in his sleep clothes. “Yes. What of it?”

“A person can be greedy for attention and love showing off their power. Some think it’s a way to keep others in their place. Appeal to his vanity and say he should have a grand portrait done with him wearing the crown. He’ll have to take it out, andmaybe one of us can follow him after a sitting to see where he’s got it tucked away.”

Aurelius stopped dead. “That’s…not stupid.”

***

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Eurig smacked his hand on the desk, and his face lit up. To him, it was like the whole Palace wasn’t talking about the incident this morning since he hadn’t said a word to Aurelius when he came into the office. A servant was probably still scrubbing blood from the carpet right at that moment, and Jari kept seeing the mangled faces.

Aurelius might have been too. He tacked on a brilliant smile, although Jari could detect the tension in his body. “There’s a wonderful artist in Morning Glory who goes by Mr. Hugo, and I’m impressed by how lifelike his portraits are. He’d be the perfect one to paint you. In fact, we could set it up for tomorrow morning. Why wait? Even if he has other commissions, they can wait until he’s finished yours.”

Eurig smiled as he leaned back in his chair. It didn’t look like he’d been doing much work so far that morning, and Jari was pretty sure the doodle on the parchment in front of him was a squirrel. “Hmm. I’ll have to pick what color to wear.”

“Something with red accents since that’s our color. You have a nice white coat with red and gold thread lining the edges. With the crown, it would all go perfectly.”

“Brilliant. Send someone to tell him to get up here tomorrow morning by nine. It’ll be a good reminder to my sons who’s in charge as well.”

“No one but you, Father.”

“I’ll put that painting right in the Hall so everyone remembers who knows best. Especially you. You might be the Crown Prince, but I’m theKing.”

“Of course, Father.”

Eurig looked at Jari like he’d just realized he was there. “Why did you bring your whore in here?”

Jari clamped his mouth shut as Aurelius grew more rigid. “He’s not my whore. He’s the guard you hired for me.”

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