“Uh, sorry for barging in, I assumed you were… alone. I can come back later?” Noah said, trying not to stare at the guests.
The one sitting in Teresa’s chair trained his light blue eyes on Noah, the intensity of them overwhelming just like the authority he exuded without even trying. His skin was pale in that ethereal way Reign’s had been, but his hair was a lush onyx black instead of mahogany, giving him an angelic aura that raised Noah’s hackles. The second man, whom Noah spared only a glance, shared some characteristics with the first one, but he was blond and came across as somehow less regal.
“There is no need, Mr. Araya. We were just leaving,” the princely one said in a smooth tenor, inclining his head at his companion. Gracefully, he stood up and circled the carved desk, shaking Teresa’s hand without taking his eyes off Noah. “Thank you for your time, Teresa. You have surpassed my expectations. I look forward to our next meeting.”
Noah’s skin crawled with goosebumps. He felt exposed, his fight-or-flight instinct flaring as the man keptlooking at him while Teresa said her thanks. He couldn’t pinpoint what was causing his reaction, but there was something in those strikingly blue eyes, something that threatened to uncover the dark secrets of his soul that he needed to keep hidden for as long as he remained a prisoner of the Holy Empire.
Just as Noah felt panic about to break out, the man finally shifted his gaze to Teresa, bidding her a good day. The moment he and his companion left, Noah could breathe normally again.
“Noah, dear,” Teresa said unfazed, reclaiming her chair. A smile teased at her lips, and she tried to hide it, though ultimately failed. The result was a slightly skewed half-grin that told Noah she was very pleased with something. “What brings you here?”
If he asked who these men were, would she tell him? They had exuded importance, especially the one that had spoken, so they were probably Church officials in some capacity, which meant they had been here on Church business Noah didn’t think he was privy to just yet.
“I’ve got the report ready and need your signature so I can file and archive it,” he said.
“Ah, right.” She extended her hand, beaming at him. “Give it over.”
She hummed as she scribbled her signature, her failure to contain her mood in contrast to how she normally behaved. It got Noah curious.
“Did you get a promotion as well?” he asked, lowering himself on the chair in front of her desk.
She graced him with her uncanny giggle. “No, dear. Unless the Cardinal is looking to step down, I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon.”
Oh, right. Noah sometimes forgot just how important she was, her position only second to the Church’s leader himself.
“Did something good happen then?” he pushed, suffering a weird need to know what had her in such good spirits.
She lifted her gaze from the papers and gave Noah a once-over, interest sparkling in her eyes. “You could say so.”
Noah frowned at her non-answer. “You are being awfully vague,” he accused, his curiosity turning into a foreboding feeling that rippled outward from his suddenly queasy stomach and made the tips of his fingers feel like they were being prickled by tiny electrical sparks.
Nibbling on the end of the pen, she regarded him for a few moments. “I think I want to keep it a surprise until it has been made official.”
Noah narrowed his eyes. What was this about? What surprise? Taking into consideration the two men Noah had just encountered, it had something to do with the Church, so… The preliminary negotiations with the Asian Federation? Had those gone better than everyone had hoped? Surely, Noah would’ve heard about it if that was the case.
“Now I want to know even more,” he tried, allowing a whiny note to his voice.
“Ah.” She flashed him a devilish smile that he was sure he was going to have nightmares about. “Patience, dear.”
He contemplated pushing, but deemed it was best to give up on questioning her unless he was willing to get burned.
“And all done.” She passed him the report. “Great work as usual, dear. Also, I believe that other than sendingme that latest correspondence between the two federations once you have it, I won’t need anything from you until after we meet with the Cardinal. Take it easy until then, okay?”
Noah nodded, not about to argue with that. If she was giving him leeway to slack, he was going to make the most of it. “Who else will be at the conference?” he asked, convinced she already knew even if the official agenda and guest list weren’t out yet.
“Hmm, let’s see…” Propping her elbows on the desk and her chin in her hands, she stared at him while pretending to think about it. “The Cardinal, you, me, and the Church’s ministers. A few members from Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and a treaty authority will be there too… Oh, and of course, the Mayor of Florence.”
Quite the line-up, but then, that was usually the case with such high-profile events. “And”—he swallowed around a lump in his throat—“on the side of the Federation?”
“A treaty authority of their own, the Ministers of Trade and Foreign Affairs, as well as their Prime Minister. I think each of them is bringing three or four members of their office,” she replied, her voice dripping satisfaction.
This… didn’t bode well for the Asian Federation. If the Prime Minister was attending along with a treaty representative, then it was safe to assume things were moving way faster than Noah’s initial forecast. He’d tried, he really had, to stop this from happening, but things just hadn’t worked out and it was all out of his hands now. He was an observer, a person on the sidelines whose only option was to realign his own ambitions and focus his efforts on escaping to the American Federation.
“It sounds like things are going well for us,” he commented, attempting to make himself sound at least a fraction as pleased as her.
It appeared to work.
“They are indeed. In fact, better than we anticipated.”
