[center][h3][color=DC143C]Castillago Keep, Brionne, Ignis[/color][/h3]
[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8f/09/18/8f0918d58c6a0ee35afb4f963fa4164f.jpg[/img]

[i]Aristo/Goldeagle Collab[/i][/center]

	The first rays of the morning sun peppered Edgar through the colored glass window, painting him a hazy gold. Muffled snoring trickled from under his pillow, which was plastered over his face. For all his discipline, he was just the opposite of a morning person. In his youth, it took the might of the royal servant staff to rouse him from his slumber. Eight years of marriage helped matters only slightly.

	Softly beside the bed, the lithe yet unmistakable figure of a curved woman snuck silently in a thin nightgown. Her fingers grasped a pewter platter tightly, and despite her bouncing steps over to her husband’s side, the small cup of golden liquid in the center was kept from spilling.

	Slowly she placed the serving tray upon the nightstand close to Edgar. Kneeling beside his head she lifted the pillow with one hand, and used the other to flick the tip of his nose.

	“Pssssst!” a playful voice mirthed past a pink vulpine grin.

	Lazily, the heir of House Duvard batted an eye, and the smiling face of his wife, Sophsi Valarien, greeted his vision. He smiled back, but all that came from his lips was an unintelligible groan. 

	“Aw, nasty,” Sophsi squinted catlike eyes of emerald and waved the air from her face, causing her golden hair to flail, “your morning breath is deplorable.”

	Quickly she cupped the drink from the platter in her hands and brought it to her husband, “here, drink this.”

	Edgar reached a hand to help bring the brim to his lips. When he sipped the contents, his face wrinkled, and he recoiled from his wife’s hands. Forcing himself to swallow, he pulled himself up from the bed, the liquid having suddenly cured him of his fatigue.

	“And this is supposed to be any better?” he winced. “Kammeth save me, if this becomes any more of a habit.” The Duvard wriggled himself free of his bedsheets, patting himself on his cheeks to keep awake.

	“Vinegar is better than tea,” Sophsi smiled, “People don’t think to poison the vinegar, and with the [i]entire[/i] Imperial Family assassinated last night, save me, we can’t afford to lose the Emperor Consort.”

	Hopping into bed next to her husband, she threw her slim arms around his shoulders, her face suddenly growing dark and sad “it isn’t easy suddenly becoming Empress due to the crippling deaths of all your loved ones.”	

	“That’s morbid, even for you,” Edgar replied. “If the Imperial family starts dying off, then I’ll make double-sure [i]not[/i] to drink the vinegar.” 
A small pout formed on Sophsi’s face, “eight years, and you can’t even trust my vinegar-loving instinct?”	

	“Sorry, you can blame my palette. As wondrous as you claim it is, straight apple vinegar is a… taste I haven’t yet acquired.” 

	“Eh, no different than our night life then,” Sophsi smiled sarcastically and shrugged, “I finished some of your duties while you slept: ordered the horse boys around, yelled for no reason, listened to criminals plead innocent… the usual stuff you busy yourself with. Oh! and I got the local bakery to make us some delicious croissants, they were delicious times two.” 

	Edgar smiled and planted a quick peck on his wife’s cheek and asked, “Were your underlings cooperative?”

	“Always,” Sophsi looked over Edgar proudly, “I know what I’m doing just fine. I was -- arguably still am -- the best in the rigorous courts of the capital even as a teenager.”

	“And your taste in croissants is impeccable,” Edgar laughed. “How long have you been awake? I pray I haven’t missed anything important.”

	“Aside from the assassinations I so morbidly depicted, you’re fine. I couldn’t sleep well last night again, so I had busied myself with your work,” Sophsi rested her chin on Edgar’s shoulder, a hint of exhaustion escaping her joyous cat like eyes for a moment.

	Edgar tiled his head to lean his brow against Sophsi’s. “All I ask is you leave something for me! As I’ve told you before, I don’t want you to wear yourself out with duties that ought to be mine.”

	“It doesn’t wear me out in the slightest. I was my father’s best accountant, administrator, advisor, everything really! This is…”

	Sophsi’s insomnia suddenly caught up with her, and her eyelids drooped slightly as her breath slowed and body hunched against her husband. For a few moments she laid there silently sleeping, then suddenly her eyes perked up and she lifted her chin, “this is easy, Edgar!”

	“Clearly,” he snickered, running his fingers through her hair. “Just promise me you’ll take good care of yourself.” 

	“The worst that could happen is maybe I get a papercut filling out import papers,” Sophsi snorted, crinkling her nose as she giggled.

	“And then I’d feel guilty,” Edgar replied. He squinted at the rays of light piercing the window. “Say, what time is it? I have the sneaking suspicion we’re to be expected somewhere soon.”
	“It’s about time for you to get up, I can do everything for you but vote for our next fearless leader,” Sophsi shook her head and whispered in Edgar’s ear, “even if all the real work still will probably fall on people like us, more specifically me rather than you, sleepy head.” 

	“It would be your own fault,” Edgar retorted, “since you seem to like doing my work for me so much. Speaking of the election… what do you think of the candidates? They’re your family, after all.”

	“That’s easy,” Sophsi crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, looking dignified as she spoke, “I have the innate advantage of not only being schooled in the art of numbers, words, and court my entire life, but also the advantage of knowing all the brats since we were kids. Jakinius was always pretty sporty, and to be honest I didn’t see much of him after he left to be a squire. He is pretty soldier boy though, if you get what I mean. Allianna and I used to fight a lot as kids… I mean her daddy got her everything, EVERYTHING. I had to earn all my things, and she was always flaunting her advantages and heritage, meanwhile I had to always work doubly hard just to make a dent. I was still better in the court though.”

	A smug look went over Sophsi’s face, “and Ralltene, or Rally as I’ve heard his family call him, is very adventurous and money savy. He is like a foreign banker version of my Uncle Taramyth. Over all, no matter who people pick, our great empire is still going to be the mess it always is, and always has been. They are glory hungry, and they know everything, of course they know everything, right? That one person becoming a head will fix everything, not like the rest of us do all the work or anything.”

	Sophsi huffed, “I like you though, you’re good.” she patted Edgar’s head, still clearly annoyed.

	Edgar shrugged, running a hand up and down Sophsi’s arm. “You aren’t wrong; the Empire is too big and its institutions are too established for one person to change. But that just means we have to do all we can to keep Ethica strong. In any case; I meant out of all your cousins, which one is easiest to imagine on the throne?”

	“Uhhh,” Sophsi racked her brain, “honestly, so many of them are just clear cut tropes of each other and emperor’s past, it could be anyone. I mean, Jakinius probably has huge north support, but Ralltene definitely has the richer votes. Allianna might bully her way into the vote, but that might be hard considering the marriage ties of Rally. Probably Ralltene, or Jakinius definitely, Although with the loss of my Uncle Carles a few years ago, Yarlo, and a good amount of men, the North military has been a touchy subject in the Imperial courts, but I doubt that’ll get in the way of Jakinius gaining a mob of support. In any case, the Empire will sway to where the weight of the nobles swings, no matter what. If the vote goes sour, it isn’t a new phenomenon for nobles to take it into their own hands to change the person sitting on the gilded throne. Kammeth knows the danger of sitting on that throne while unpopular.”

	“Whatever happens, I just pray the best for Anastázie. I can’t imagine the burden of being Jakinius’s wife; especially so, if he’s elected. At the same time, I’m sure she’d bring great fortune to House Duvard at his side.”

	“You bring great fortune to those underneath you, and to those above you,” Sophsi poked Edgar’s cheek, “honor is in ruling the people right, not so much where you sit, especially since YOU’RE STILL IN BED!”

	Suddenly Sophsi pushed Edgar cleanly off the bed with a loud chuckle as his bum hit the floor.

	Edgar let out a yelp as he hit the floor, clearly caught off-guard. “You’d think after so long, I’d learn to see you coming,” he groaned. He shuffled to his feet, a hand creeping to the pillow nearest his side of the bed. “I hope you’re prepared for the consequences!” he roared, grabbing hold of the pillow and swinging it at Sophsi in a fluid motion.  

	Sophsi’s head poofed into a wild mess of golden hair as the pillow hit her face, leaving her stunned, her mouth agape, “hitting a lady!” She teased.

	“If you’re going to launch an attack, be sure to expect retaliation,” he sneered, letting himself fall gently atop her chest.

	A soft snore came from Sophsi as her body sank into the bed, her lips parted as a sleeping breath broke free, her hair around her head like a halo as sleep finally caught up to her. 

	Edgar sighed, lifting himself up from the sleepy Valarien. That was his cue to get dressed and see what was left of the work Sophsi had taken upon herself to complete.