Eryx's gaze sharpened slightly. Though the faint smile remained on his face—polite, indifferent—there was a flicker of surprise in his heart.
He had assumed this meeting would be little more than a formality following Livia's appointment. A few hollow words, some ceremonial posture—nothing more. What he hadn't expected was that she would open by slicing directly into the Second Legion's jurisdiction—and do so with such swiftness and precision, without a trace of hesitation.
Assigning the Second Legion to oversee the eastern and northern sectors of the city's expansion, while handing the southern and western regions to Allen's Seventh Legion—
This was a power play.
And Eryx knew it.
She hadn't tried to consult him. Not even a token gesture of asking for his opinion. She had simply announced it. More importantly, there hadn't been the slightest hint of tentativeness in her tone, as though she was already certain he wouldn't object.
This woman… has more nerve than I thought.
He remained silent for two seconds, then offered a courteous nod, accompanied by a gentlemanly smile.
"Sounds entirely reasonable. Since the plan has already passed through General Marcellus's hands, I have no objections."
He didn't resist. In fact, he appeared perfectly agreeable. Because to Eryx, this redeployment posed no real threat—instead, it opened a window of opportunity.
If Livia was so intent on taking control of the southern and western zones, it meant that, in her eyes, those areas were of greatest importance.
Which meant the real location of the Grail was most likely in the south or west.
Heh… she's actually helped me narrow it down.
A cold smirk curled in his mind. He would have his men monitor her every move. If she made any discovery—or initiated any action—he would intercept it immediately. As for the east and north… this was the perfect excuse to ease up a little, and quietly divert forces toward where she thought the real value lay.
What he hadn't anticipated… was that his reasoning played directly into Livia's hands.
—
On the other side of the room, Livia observed Eryx's calm acceptance of the arrangement. A faint glint flashed in her eyes.
She knew exactly what he was thinking.
She could almost picture him now, coolly calculating—dissecting what he assumed were her ambitions, parsing her "eagerness to seize control," and believing he'd gained a strategic edge.
She had counted on him saying yes. In fact, from the very beginning, she had bet on him being too clever.
This was the fruit of last night's long conversation with Elias and Marcellus. They couldn't remove Eryx outright—not yet. Instead, they would use his own strengths against him: his calm arrogance and his meticulous pride.
So she handed him the zones most likely to conceal the Grail—east and north.
And she let him believe the real prize lay in the south and west.
He would shift his forces, focus his surveillance on her, try to infer clues from her every step—perhaps even scale down patrols in his own territory to avoid alerting her.
Which was exactly what she wanted.
While his eyes were fixed on an empty shell, her people would move through his sector—silently, invisibly.
A misdirection. A miscalculation. A trap, perfectly laid.
Livia drew in a slow breath, then let a smile curve her lips—one of feigned surprise.
"General Eryx, always putting the greater good first. That spirit of cooperation is something we can all learn from."
She swept her gaze across the table and gave a polite nod. "If there are no further questions, that concludes tonight's meeting. Detailed deployment memos will be delivered to your offices by the clerical department shortly."
Chairs scraped back from the long table as people stood, many still visibly reeling. Adrian moved quickly to her side, confirming a few logistical details in a hushed tone. She nodded in response, though her eyes strayed—just briefly—to the figure standing motionless by the window.
He thought he was controlling the tempo.
But from the very beginning… it had never been his rhythm to control.
After exchanging a few final words with Adrian, she turned to leave. She didn't look back, only offered a slight nod in Eryx's direction—a gesture of respect. He returned it with a crisp, flawless military salute.
Then, Livia pulled on her coat and stepped alone into the night.
—
She didn't return to the castle.
Instead, she had the car drive to the hospital.
Not to report on the meeting. Not to seek Marcellus's opinion.
She just… wanted to step once more into the quiet of that hospital room.
She didn't know how much longer she'd have such moments—such spaces.
She simply wanted to hold onto something. The warmth from the night before.
Even if only for a fleeting second… it would be enough.