A heavy sigh escaped the slim lips of the commander, as he leaned back in his wooden chair and began to massage his forehead with one hand. The day was lasting long enough already. He was tired but had way too many things to do.

The emperor demanded a troupe report. Morvran did not really wanted to show him. He had lost a good hand full of men to the red riders and was still missing a few others. Hopefully they had not deserted otherwise he had to organise trials and eventually executions. That would have spoiled the already bad mood of the emperor even more.

No, that was a problem that Morvran wanted to safe for the very last minute.

Another thing he had to do was a meeting with some important people. Diplomacy mixed with a little bit of trade. Nothing too big of a deal but he did not feel like doing it today.

There was another thing he had to do. Or better, was supposed to do.

Frowning, he grabbed the letter that had been laying on his desk for more than a month now. He had not touched it a single time except for when he had received it. The wax seal was still unbroken and the paper was as good as new. Only a little dust had settled on the frontside due to the lack of movement and use.

"Well...", he mumbled and broke the seal.

Actually, he would have had to read it. He already knew what it said. He knew from the moment that the boy that had delivered it to him had said that it was from a family friend. Morvran knew exactly wich friend it was. And he knew exactly what this friend wanted him to do.

The topic had haunted him for many years now, even before he had been in the high position that he was in now.

However, the demand had always been the same. And he had tried to avoid answering it as good as he could.
But now he was a man. An adult. He couldn't excuse himself anymore with being childish or too immature.

With an unsatisfied expression on his face, he unfolded the letter. To his surprise, it was only one sheet of paper. Usually, the letter form the family friend were far, far longer.

Silent, he read.

"My dearest general Voorhis, as you may know have I always been a loyal supporter of you and your honourable family. Your father had promised me to connect our royal houses through marriage but refused to let your sister be my eldest sons bride. So the honour was passed to you. My daughter, Olia, has reached a suitable age now and is ready to be your bride as soon as requested. She is well informed about your status, has seen a portrait of yours and agreed by her own choice to take you as her rightful husband. Your father gave us his blessing already, but informed me about the certain changes that have been happening at the emperors court. I've heard that his daughter returned. Or at least the rumours say so. I am, indeed, no man of stupidity and know very well what this will mean. And I also know that your current position and trust towards the emperor, Emhyr var Emreis, brings certain privileges. To make a long story short, a lot of people would agree with you as the husband of Cirilla. I myself am one of those many supporters. However, I will not let go of the promise that your father has given me many years before your birth. Therefore I propose two possible solutions. One, you are stepping away from the emperor as his potential son-in-law and marry my daughter. I know that she is no future empress but she is no bad catch. You will be comfortable and your name shall remain just as important as it is now. Option two would be, in case you shall decide to marry the emperors daughter, that you promise me your firstborn. If a boy or a girl does not matter. The child shall then marry one of my future grandchildren, the future children of my daughter. I shall give you a few months time to think about your decision. But be warned. I do not take no for an answer.", the letter ended with a signature and an engraved seal.

A lion and a crown.

"Gods.", Morvran sighed and put the letter down.

What was he supposed to do?

Making a decision seemed easy, an empress was always better than a noble daughter. But he didn't even know if the rumours had any kind of truth in them. He did not know himself if the emperor approved of him as the husband of his only daughter. Possibly, he even would let her pick her own husband. If that would be the case, he was sure that marrying her would be a lot harder to achieve.

Cirilla was an energetic young woman. She had her own mind and wanted to make her own decisions.

He had never met her but from what the Witcher had told, she was a lot. And Morvran wasn't sure if he wanted a lot, no matter if in a good or a bad way.

He already had enough things to do, enough duties to fulfil and enough problems.

Gods, he needed sleep. Just one hour. Maybe two. He would go to bed, take a nap and be back in no time. Maybe he would have been able to take a bath beforehand. He could already smell the physical work he had finished in that day. Or maybe the last two days. Or three.

He had stopped counting the hours for his long he had been awake long ago.

With a deep sigh, he got up and called for a servant to bring him hot water and a bit of soap. He really wanted that bath.