The news arrived in whispers.

  Natalie first heard it from Martha, who had overheard two pace physicians speaking in hushed tones while collecting linens from the royal wing. The Emperor had colpsed during a private meeting with his advisors. No public announcement had been made, but servants' whispers traveled faster than royal procmations.

  "They've sealed off the Emperor's chambers," Martha murmured as she adjusted Natalie's colr. "Only the royal physician, his assistants, and the Empress are permitted entry."

  Natalie's fingers stilled on the book she had been preparing for Julian's morning studies. "Does Prince Julian know?"

  Martha shook her head. "The princes haven't been summoned yet. I believe they're waiting to assess His Majesty's condition before causing arm."

  But by midday, the pace atmosphere had transformed. Guards doubled at key positions, advisors hurried through corridors with grave expressions, and servants exchanged worried gnces as they performed their duties with mechanical precision.

  When Natalie entered Julian's study that afternoon, she found him standing by the window, his back unnaturally straight, staring out at the pace gardens where courtiers gathered in small clusters, undoubtedly discussing the rumors.

  "You've heard, then," Natalie said quietly, closing the door behind her.

  Julian didn't turn. "Augustus sent a page. Not even his own attendant—a page." His voice was hollow. "The Emperor is gravely ill. Some sort of seizure followed by fever. The physicians don't know if he'll recover."

  Natalie approached cautiously. At sixteen, Julian had grown taller than her, his frame still slender but beginning to broaden at the shoulders. Four years in the pace had transformed him from the frightened child hiding in the library to a young man whose quiet intelligence had earned him a measure of respect, if not affection, from those who had once dismissed him.

  "Have you been permitted to see him?" Natalie asked.

  Julian shook his head. "Only Augustus has been allowed entry. As Crown Prince, he cims the right to be there should... should Father need to give final instructions." His fingers clenched against the windowsill. "I'm his son too."

  Natalie pced a gentle hand on his arm. "What can I do?"

  Julian finally turned to face her, and the raw vulnerability in his eyes made Natalie's heart ache. This was the face he showed to no one else—not his tutors, not the court, not even Lady Emmeline, who had become one of their most trusted allies.

  "I need to know what's happening," Julian said. "Not the sanitized reports Augustus will provide, but the truth. I need to know if my father is dying, and I need to know what Augustus is pnning."

  Natalie nodded. "The servants' passages. I can speak with Martha and some of the others who attend the royal wing."

  "Be careful," Julian warned. "If Augustus truly believes Father is dying, he'll be watching for any perceived threats to his authority."

  "I'm always careful," Natalie replied with a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. They both knew that Augustus had never fully abandoned his suspicions about Natalie, despite the years that had passed since her arrival.

  That evening, as pace activities slowed and courtiers retired to their chambers to digest the day's rumors, Natalie slipped through the servants' passages that connected the various wings of the pace. She had learned them well over the years, first as a means of avoiding detection should her disguise ever begin to fail, and ter as channels for gathering information that might protect Julian.

  In the cramped corridor behind the royal chambers, she encountered Rebecca, now a senior maid responsible for the Empress's quarters.

  "Terrible business," Rebecca whispered, her eyes darting nervously. "His Majesty hasn't regained full consciousness. The fever's taken hold something fierce."

  "Have they identified the cause?" Natalie asked.

  Rebecca shook her head. "The physicians mentioned apoplexy—a stroke, they're calling it. But..." She hesitated.

  "But what?" Natalie pressed.

  "The Emperor's food taster fell ill this morning as well," Rebecca said, her voice barely audible. "Different symptoms, they say, but the timing..." She shook her head again. "I shouldn't speak of such things."

  Natalie felt a chill run through her. "Who knows about the food taster?"

  "Few. The Captain of the Guard ordered it kept quiet until they determine if there's any connection."

  "Is Captain Darius conducting the investigation?"

  "No," Rebecca replied. "The Empress insisted on Captain Laurent from the Imperial Guard rather than the Pace Guard. She doesn't trust..." She trailed off, but Natalie understood. Captain Darius's loyalty to Augustus was well known.

  As Natalie continued gathering information, a clearer picture emerged. The Emperor had been ill for weeks but had concealed his condition. The colpse had come during a meeting where Augustus had been pressing for greater authority over the Eastern Provinces—Augustus's interests had expanded beyond the Northern Territories he now effectively ruled.

  By the time Natalie returned to Julian's chambers near midnight, the prince was still awake, sitting in the half-dark with a single candle illuminating the strategic game board they had often used to discuss pace politics.

  "Augustus has called for the Lord Chancellor and the Imperial Council to meet at dawn," Natalie reported, carefully closing the door. "He's positioning stone pieces on the board, ciming he must act in your father's stead."

  Julian studied the game board before him, the carved pieces casting long shadows in the candlelight. "He's been preparing for this," he said quietly. "I've seen the signs but didn't want to believe it."

  "What will you do?" Natalie asked.

  Julian picked up a star piece—the piece that in their private games had come to represent himself. "I need to see my father. Not just for me, but because if there's any question about succession or Augustus's authority, being kept from Father's bedside will be used against me."

  "The Empress has refused all visitors except Augustus."

  "Then I'll need to appeal to her directly." Julian pced the star piece in a new position on the board. "And I'll need allies who can vouch for my concern being filial rather than political."

  Natalie nodded. "Lady Emmeline."

  "And Lord Chancellor Voss," Julian added. "Augustus may have the military through Captain Darius, but the Chancellor respects w and precedent."

  As they plotted into the night, Natalie couldn't help but notice how Julian had matured. The boy who had once hidden from confrontation now analyzed the political ndscape with clear-eyed precision. Yet beneath that growth, she sensed his genuine grief and worry—not just for himself, but for his father and the stability of the realm.

  What troubled her most, however, was Rebecca's mention of the food taster. If someone had attempted to poison the Emperor, the pace was even more dangerous than they had feared. And if Augustus was behind it—a thought Natalie didn't want to entertain but couldn't dismiss—then Julian might be next.