"What exactly does he want to say?"
Kashchey rose from his desk and settled onto the sofa opposite Emperor.
"What else? He just wants to know what you're really planning."
Emperor stood, moving with practiced familiarity to Kashchey's cabinet and pulling out a fine bottle of wine.
"Oh-ho, Gallic luxury stock. You, of all people—the man who doesn't even appreciate wine—always have such treasures lying around."
"I don't dislike it because I can't appreciate it," Kashchey replied evenly. "I simply have no taste for it."
"Dry as ever, reading from a script. Come now, old friend, don't waste a vintage like this!"
Emperor poured himself a glass without waiting for permission.
Kashchey had anticipated this. He always stocked good wine for Emperor, though for himself he set aside only ordinary drinks. He truly disliked alcohol.
But between friends, there was no need for excessive formality. The Black Snake always understood his companions' preferences well.
Emperor raised the glass, savoring the taste with evident relish.
"Your former heir—Wei Yenwu's niece—has been stirring up quite a storm lately. What's the name of it again… ah, yes, the 'Reunion Movement'?"
He shook his head.
He placed little faith in the movement's lofty slogans of liberation for all the Infected. The only reason the group had grown so large was because the Ursus government hesitated to strike them down too harshly.
After all, no one could say for sure whether the Eternal Duke of Ursus might, out of old sentiment, spare the life of its leader.
"Wei Yenwu suspects that Talulah's actions are all orchestrated by you," Emperor said at last, setting down his glass. He straightened, mimicking Wei Yenwu's grave authority.
Coming from the body of a penguin, the performance was more comical than dignified.
"'Kashchey, do not imagine that you can meddle in Yan through Talulah. You cannot afford the cost.'"
Talulah was the daughter of Wei Yenwu's sister—but that alone was not what made her dangerous.
More importantly, she carried both the blood of the Victorian royal line and of Yan's imperial family.
Years ago, Ursus nobles secretly held dominion over Lungmen.
Together, Wei Yenwu and Edward, the legitimate heir of Victoria in exile, fought side by side to uproot Ursus' influence there.
During that time, Edward and Wei Yenwu's sister fell deeply in love, and soon she was with child—Talulah.
But Edward was a fugitive, hunted by many forces. When Ursus' defeated nobles plotted their return, Wei Yenwu's jealous younger brother uncovered the affair.
In the end, Wei Yenwu was forced to kill Edward with his own hand, then compel his sister into a political remarriage.
Later, those same nobles staged a comeback—and even abducted the infant Talulah.
But this led to a problem: who among them had both the right and the strength to raise a child who embodied the claims of both Victoria and Yan?
The Ursus nobles quickly realized the girl was a blazing hot coal in their hands. None of them had the power to withstand pressure from both Victoria and Yan.
And if the Emperor of Ursus himself faltered under that pressure, then whichever noble was holding Talulah would almost certainly be cast aside as a scapegoat, sacrificed to appease both great powers.
Yet at the same time, there was no chance Ursus would ever return Talulah.
For the Empire could never allow Yan to possess a claimant to the Victorian throne.
If they had failed to seize her in the first place, that would have been one thing. But to capture her and then obediently hand her back?
There was no need to imagine what would happen—the Emperor would have had every last one of them "disposed of."
And so, they sought out the ideal candidate.
Someone the Empire of Ursus would never abandon.
Someone unquestionably capable of taming a young draco.
Someone powerful enough to withstand pressure from every direction.
That someone was, of course, Kashchey.
As for the fact that Kashchey himself had never been involved in any of this?
What did that matter to nobles desperate to throw off this burning coal and claim credit before the Emperor?
---
Kashchey shook his head.
He knew full well that few would ever believe the Reunion Movement had truly arisen without his blessing.
But that hardly mattered.
Talulah's creation was not without its uses.
Through this movement, he could sweep away certain pests within the Empire of Ursus—those insects who posed a threat to him.
"Of course, I'm only delivering the message," Emperor said breezily. "Honestly, I couldn't care less what you decide to do."
He polished off the entire bottle with casual ease.
"After all, when it comes to games between great nations, I'd rather not get dragged in."
Curiously, he reached for Kashchey's glass, sampling his drink.
"…Just how much sugar did you put in this?"
"Use your imagination," Kashchey replied calmly.
From that point on, neither of them spoke another word about Talulah.
Instead, Kashchey offered his critique of Emperor's new album—perhaps a little too noisy, he suggested.
Emperor, in turn, mocked Kashchey's duchy—perhaps a little too dull.
"Trust me, old friend," he drawled, "your land could use a little more 'explosion.' Right now it feels like stagnant water. Sure, it's livelier than the last time I visited, but you can't exactly hold a festival every day… ah, well. You'll never change."
---
Far away, in the frozen tundra of Ursus, the Reunion Movement had relocated to a new camp.
"Talulah, are you... aware of the... festival for Duke Kashchey... about to be... held?"
By the warmth of a campfire, Patriot asked the girl who sat across from him, staring into the flames.
Patriot's oripathy had worsened again.
For some reason, the Infected Patrol had recently grown far more aggressive, forcing them to abandon their old base and move.
According to prisoners taken by the Reunion Movement, it was all because a certain Count Boris had suddenly given the order for a crackdown.
The Patrol had no choice but to obey. Orders from above were absolute—and Boris had insisted that Talulah's past as Kashchey's heir was no reason for mercy.
"Lord Kashchey is a man who separates public duty from private ties," the Patrol reasoned. "He is incorruptible. He would not concern himself with us."
The sun, after all, plays no favorites.
Because the sun has no heart.
---
"…Yes. I know."
Talulah had no desire to answer Patriot's question, but she could not deny it.
Of course she knew. The entire Empire of Ursus was in an uproar over the upcoming festival.
Even in the remotest villages, people would bring it up now and then.
For Kashchey was far too famous within Ursus for anyone not to know.
In fact, Ursus school textbooks contained entire sections dedicated to summarizing the life of Duke Kashchey.
In children's fables, he often appeared in the guise of a kindly old grandfather.
And for history students at Ursus universities, Duke Kashchey was a recurring and weighty topic on their exams.
Buldrokkas'tee noticed the gloomy look on Talulah's face.
He understood it well—Yelena wore much the same expression whenever she was upset with him.
Gently, he patted Talulah on the shoulder and spoke with quiet earnestness:
"Family matters… between you and him… as an outsider, it is not… my place to judge. But perhaps… you should try to learn more about your foster father. From his position, you may discover… there are many things… that cannot be helped."
"…I know. It's just that every time I try to understand him, I realize that I know nothing of who he really is."
"…He is, after all… an immortal. To feel that way… is only natural."
"…"
I just cannot see clearly… what is truly him.