The imperial gardens offered rare privacy for Empress Alexia and her daughter. As night fell, paper lanterns illuminated winding paths between meticulously shaped hedges and flowering trees that perfumed the air. Guards maintained a discreet distance, just far enough to be out of earshot while still providing protection.
"You can't seriously be considering withholding the key," Liona said, her voice kept deliberately low despite their isolation. She paused beside a night-blooming jasmine, its white flowers luminous in the lantern light.
Alexia walked beside her daughter, her expression troubled.
Alexia's fingers found the small key she wore on a chain beneath her robes. "The vault contains the legacy of Caius Van Ambrose. His scrolls and his swords. Sunfire and Luna."
Liona asked. "It's his birthright. Keeping it from him will only antagonize him further."
