Ragne nods.
Emeric draws two crowns in theFalbirghouse, then a plain circle inReigenbach. “Here’s the catch. A noble can typically only belong toonehouse: either their ancestral houseorthe house they marry into.”
“Do they have to leave their family house if they marry?” Umayya asks, tapping her chin.
Emeric shakes his head. “No, but their spouse marries into their house instead and cannot rise in rank. For example, Dame von Falbirg was Lady von Konstanz before she marriedPrinz-Wahlvon Falbirg. Her rank is still the same, but she joined House Falbirg.”
Umayya frowns. “Isn’t marrying into House Reigenbach a step down in rank for Hil—Gisele?”
“Correct. Though they’re more powerful than House Falbirg in practical terms, House Reigenbach gave up their royal designation and became a margrave dynasty following the First Imperial Conclave in Blessed Era four—” Emeric catches himself mid-lecture and sheepishly rolls his wrist. “That’s all backstory. In short, yes.” Then he draws an arrow from one crown intoReigenbach, then puts another plain circle at its terminus. “Marrying into House Reigenbach means Princess Gisele will no longer be eligible for theKronwählereither.”
“AndMarkgrafvon Reigenbach can’t marryupinto theKronwählerby joining House Falbirg, because he will still be a margrave,” Umayya says, to Emeric’s nod.
Ragne squints at the charts. “Sovabin is very small, and the margrave is a greedy man. What does he want with the Gisele, then?”
I sling my arm around Ragne’s shoulders, grinning proudly at Emeric. “Look at us. Look at how far we’ve come.”
“I’m not sure I want to rejoice in our bad influence,” he says dryly. “But yes, that’s the big question. Klemens had a theory that most crimes derive from five motives: greed, love, hate, revenge, or fear. I think we can rule out love and fear, at least.”
I snort. “He commissioned a portrait of himself standing on his father’s corpse. Something tells me hate and revenge are involved.”
Emeric nods. “And, as Miss Ragne noted, greed. For the margrave of the largest march in the empire, his behavior suggests he’s wildly insecure, so he needs to eliminate any threats. The obvious answer is that Gisele can give him a child who is eligible for the imperial throne. Since House Falbirg will lose their only heir, there’s a provision that their title can pass to Gisele’s firstborn. But I don’t think that’s it, because he’s trying to kill her even before the wedding.”
Umayya leans against Ragne’s chair, mouth pursing. “What is this adrogation business? Where does that come in?”
“That’s where I’m hitting a wall.” Emeric gestures to a list titledWHY (smudge) BAKER WANTS (smudge) FLOUR. “Adrogation is the process of adopting an heir when a noble house doesn’t have one. It could be a threat for von Reigenbach, if the von Falbirgs use it to name an adrogated ward as an heir rather than wait for Gisele’s firstborn.”
I blink. Something about that rings a bell, but I can’t think of what. “Right,” I say slowly. “What if he wants the von Falbirgs to makehimtheir heir?”
Emeric shakes his head. “He’d have to give control of Bóern to House Falbirg in the interim. An adrogated heir technically becomes a secondary owner of the house’s properties, titles, and debts, but an idiosyncrasy of adrogation is that it goes both ways, since most adrogated heirs are adults with their own assets. House Falbirg would become a secondary owner of Bóern as well, giving them authority by seniority.”
Greed, hate, revenge. No, Adalbrecht would never endanger his sovereignty.
“What if the margrave makes the Gisele adopt an heir?” Ragne asks. She’s gone from crouching on the chair to sitting cross-legged and backward, arms folded over the chairback.
“That seems like a strong possibility,” Umayya says, studying a branch of the diagram that charts it out as she plays with the end of her dark braid. “But would that not be terribly messy? The rest of the empire would notice if he killed her and put their ward on the imperial throne.”
“Wait. Stop. Wait.” I tug on my own twin braids. I know what stuck out, but why? “Ward. I’ve seen that before.Wherehave I seen that before?”
“It’s the legal shorthand for an adrogated heir, when the heir is a minor.” Emeric stares at me, one hand frozen halfway to adjusting his spectacles. “What is it?”
I can feel it, the tumblers sliding into place, the tension rake twisting in my grasp, the lockalmostturning. “The von Falbirgs asked about the adrogation forms at breakfast, becausetheyneed to sign them for Adalbrecht . . . because—because—”
It clicks. The vault swings open.
I know why the margrave wants Gisele dead.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
TheTwo-Step
I grab Emeric’s arm. “Do you have the volume on marital law?”
“Here.” He fishes out a leather-bound tome from the heap on the table.
“There should be a standard marriage decree for nobles, right?” I crowd beside him as he flips the pages until we spot it, then skim the clauses until I find what I’m looking for. My finger jabs onto the page. “There.This is why Adalbrecht wanted everyone to see us sign the marriage decree. Gisele won’t be seventeen until late April, so she’s still a minor in the eyes of the law. And—”
“‘Until the minor reaches the age of seventeen and is enrolled as a full citizen of the Blessed Empire of Almandy and representative of their ancestral house, they will be considered anadrogated wardof their spouse, and entitled to full and reciprocal right of intestacy,’” Emeric reads, then drops the book back onto the table like he’s been struck by lightning. “Which means that Gisele is his legal heir, but also—”
