The Reborn Sovereign of Ruin, Bound by His Star

By the third room, Arik had accepted that Felix’s palace was going to become Liam’s laboratory.

He did not intend to tell Liam yet.

There was no reason to ruin the entertainment.

They moved deeper into the private wing beneath slowly awakening formations, the old palace responding to authorized access with considerably less drama than Liam had expected. No concealed doors opened. No ether reached for him. Nothing reacted to his golden eyes beyond the normal recognition systems adjusting permissions around the future sovereign’s mate.

It was, infuriatingly, just a building.

Liam stopped beneath a carved archway and looked back toward Mezos.

"Anything?"

Mezos checked the spectrum monitor.

"Nothing."

"Nothing unusual?"

"Nothing."

Liam frowned.

Severin walked past him.

"You sound disappointed."

"I am."

Arik smiled.

Liam caught it immediately.

"This place attacked me through a console."

"It did."

"It altered internal dimensions."

"Yes."

"It contained systems Felix spent decades hiding."

"Correct."

"And now it is behaving like a house."

"A palace," Arik corrected.

Liam looked around at the pale stone walls, old gold detailing, and enormous decorative panels covering what should have been useful infrastructure.

"Ugh."

Arik continued walking before Liam could see how entertained he was becoming.

He already knew what would happen to the estate.

Felix had been stripped of every title generations ago. The residence remained imperial property under permanent seizure. No surviving household had a legitimate claim to it.

Liam wanted it.

That settled most of the matter.

Arik would have Cassian process the transfer into Liam’s household holdings, preferably after the remaining structures had been inspected and anything dangerous dismantled.

But Liam had spent the last several days looking at him as though this were a negotiation.

Arik intended to enjoy that for at least another hour.

They entered what had once been Felix’s dressing chamber.

Liam stopped.

So did Mezos.

Severin looked around once.

Then looked at Liam.

The room was enormous.

Glass-fronted cabinets covered two walls from floor to ceiling. Long wardrobes stood behind carved folding screens. Display platforms remained beneath protective formations, several still holding formal robes sealed against dust and decay.

Jewelry cases occupied an entire alcove.

Liam stared.

Arik leaned one shoulder against the doorway.

"This appears important."

Liam turned slowly.

"Why?"

"Felix liked clothing."

"I can see that."

Mezos approached one of the sealed cabinets.

Several ceremonial coats remained inside, richly embroidered and layered with metals that had once indicated rank within Goliath’s court.

"He had more clothing than Kamal."

Severin’s mouth twitched.

Arik looked mildly offended on Kamal’s behalf.

"That is difficult."

Liam walked toward the jewelry alcove.

Rows of protective cases awakened as he approached, illuminating necklaces, cuffs, rings, hair ornaments, and ceremonial chains.

He stared at them for several seconds.

"This is absurd."

Arik came to stand beside him.

"You are currently avoiding Rubis because he wants you to choose wedding clothing."

"That is unrelated."

"You have fourteen options."

"This man apparently had fourteen options for breakfast."

Mezos laughed.

Liam opened one archived inventory projection.

It expanded over the nearest case.

His expression worsened.

"Thirty-seven ceremonial neckpieces."

Severin glanced at the display.

"Felix attended court frequently."

"Did his neck require thirty-seven variations?"

"No," Arik said. "But apparently his ego did."

Liam looked at him.

Arik lifted one shoulder.

"Goliath did not manage his wardrobe."

"That sounds like negligence."

"I governed an empire."

"And this happened under your administration."

Mezos had to turn away.

Severin did not bother pretending anymore.

Liam closed the inventory.

"This is what he spent money on?"

"Among other things."

"Where is the laboratory?"

Mezos pointed down the corridor.

"Two rooms."

Liam brightened immediately.

Arik almost felt bad for Liam’s upcoming disappointment.

The laboratory was smaller than Liam’s current temporary workspace.

That alone caused visible offense.

The room had been constructed inside what had originally been a private study. Felix had replaced sections of the walls with reinforced conduits and installed several ether-processing arrays across the floor, but the equipment was crude compared with the sophistication Liam had expected after weeks of reconstructing the man’s work.

Storage cabinets contained fragments of modified formations.

Several tables held dismantled ether regulators.

Old notebooks remained sealed behind security glass.

Liam crossed the room slowly.

His disappointment became increasingly obvious.

"This is it?"

Mezos checked the adjacent chamber.

"There is another workspace through there."

Liam went immediately.

It was worse.

Half the room contained racks of ceremonial materials Felix had apparently used for integrating ether structures into clothing and jewelry.

Liam stood in the center of it.

Arik folded his arms.

Severin leaned against one of the old worktables.

Mezos looked delighted.

Liam finally turned.

"He was an evil amateur."

Silence.

Then Mezos laughed.

Arik’s mouth curved.

Liam pointed toward the equipment.

"I expected actual research."

"He did research," Severin said.

"He modified jewelry."

"He also poisoned sovereigns."

"That is not a scientific discipline."

Mezos rested both hands on the edge of the table.

"It involved chemistry."

Liam looked personally betrayed.

"No."

Arik finally laughed.

Liam turned on him.

"You knew."

"I suspected."

"You knew his interests were mostly vanity projects."

"Felix enjoyed appearing intelligent."

"That is worse."

Liam opened one of the surviving notebooks.

Several pages projected into the air.

He scanned them.

Then his face flattened.

"This entire section is about making ether respond to gemstone matrices because he wanted ceremonial jewelry to react to his presence."

Severin nodded.

"That sounds like Felix."

"Why?"

"He liked attention."

Liam looked back at the projection.

"I cannot believe I inherited genetics from this man."

Mezos smiled.

"You also inherited Enki and Enia."

"That is currently carrying the family reputation."

Arik watched Liam move from one station to another, inspecting every piece of equipment with increasingly harsh judgment.

He had already started reorganizing the rooms in his head.

Arik could see it.

The jewelry workspace would become materials analysis.

The adjoining laboratory could be expanded through the wall.

The private archive nearby would become secure data storage.

The underground infrastructure would support far more demanding research once Mezos confirmed the independent systems could be separated safely.

Liam stopped beside the largest formation table.

"This should be replaced."

Arik kept his face neutral.

"You are assuming the palace is yours."

Liam looked at him.

"It should be."

"Should it?"

"Yes."

Arik considered him with unnecessary seriousness.

Behind Liam, Mezos immediately understood.

His expression became dangerous.

Severin noticed too.

Neither helped.

Liam narrowed his golden eyes.

"You are enjoying this."

"I am considering the request."

"You already decided."

Arik said nothing.

Liam stared at him.

Then at Mezos.

Mezos suddenly became extremely interested in a broken regulator.

Severin looked toward the ceiling.

Liam turned back to Arik.

"You are giving me the palace."

"I said no such thing."

"You have the face."

"What face?"

"The one you use when you have already agreed but want to be difficult first."

Arik stepped closer.

Liam crossed his arms.

"You are terrible."

"Historically, you liked me."

"That was Enki."

"Currently?"

Liam looked around the disappointing laboratory.

Then back at Arik.

"Currently, I will reconsider depending on whether you give me the building."

Mezos made a choking sound.

Arik caught Liam around the waist and pulled him closer.

"Blackmail."

"Negotiation."

"You still need to choose wedding clothes."

Liam’s expression changed immediately.

"That is unrelated."

"Then so is the palace."

Liam stared at him.

Arik kissed his forehead.

He could probably keep this going until dinner.

Possibly tomorrow.

Behind them, Severin quietly said to Mezos, "He is absolutely giving him the palace."

Liam heard him.

Arik closed his eyes.

Mezos laughed.

Liam smiled slowly.

"Good."

Arik turned toward Severin.

"I may reconsider your continued employment."

"No, you won’t."

Liam looked around the laboratory again.

His disappointment with Felix remained.

His plans for the building did not.

"First," he said, already walking toward the next room, "everything ugly goes."

Arik followed.