"Tell them I will be attending church."
Abi's laughter rang through the study.
For once, I did not tell him to be quiet.
There were moments in life when laughter became acceptable. Not because the situation was amusing in a harmless sense, but because it had crossed into a level of absurdity where silence would be impolite to fate itself.
I, Skandar Aleksandr Konstantin, Grand Duke of Sonomi, aspiring ultimate villain lord, purchaser of the deadliest poison in the empire, future dark hand behind the throne, and unwilling collector of family members, was about to attend church.
Voluntarily.
Well, not voluntarily in the spiritual sense.
I was going there to investigate child trafficking, suspicious temple transfers, an illegal assessment system, and a symbol that matched the sealed relic beneath the imperial palace.
But still.
Church?
My ancestors were probably laughing. Or applauding. With Konstantins, it could be either.
