"Whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find it," Cassian said, his gaze lingering on Julian’s pale face. "But Father says if he comes back, the guards have orders to kill on sight. No more questions."

"A wise precaution," Alaric remarked, though his tone was unreadable. He reached across the table, his hand briefly covering Julian’s cold fingers. "Julian, you’ve hardly eaten a bite. If you’re going to teach three energetic students today, you’ll need more than just tea."

Julian forced himself to take a bite of the bread, though it felt like chewing sand. He could feel the weight of Alaric’s gaze, but he could also feel the weight of Cassian’s curiosity more.

The boy was too smart; he was looking at them like he was a detective.

"I’m fine, Lucien," Julian said softly, accidentally using the Duke’s name instinctively in front of the children.

Liora’s eyes sparkled at the slip of the tongue, and even Cassian’s brow smoothed over for a moment.

"Since the mystery of the black-haired thief is still unsolved," Julian said, straightening his back and finding his ’Master’ voice again, before they could ask him why he was calling the Duke by his name. "I suggest we focus on the mysteries we can solve. After breakfast, we will be looking at the trade alliances of the Southern coast."

Lucius nodded vigorously, a small, shy smile finally breaking through his quiet observation, and the prince and princess pushed back their chairs as well, ready to head to the library right away.

Julian recalled what they had done there and cleared his throat. He wasn’t sure he would be able to focus if he saw that table, the one Alaric had laid him on and spread his legs. The sound of his moans echoing was already returning, and he covered his mouth.

Best to stay away from the library for now.

"We’ll have the lessons in the study this time," he said, and they nodded, seeing no problem with it.

As the group stood to head to the study, Julian felt a sharp wave of dizziness wash over him. The floor seemed to tilt for a fraction of a second, and he had to catch the edge of the table to keep his balance. Alaric was at his side instantly, a firm hand steadying his elbow.

"Julian," the Duke murmured, his voice laced with that same undercurrent of dread from the night before.

"I’m fine," Julian whispered back, though it was clear from his complexion that he wasn’t fine. He barely smiled at the Duke, trying to assure him. "Let’s just get through the morning. I’ll rest once the class is over."

But would he? He now dreaded the thought of falling asleep. And he didn’t want the Duke to watch him when he wakes up later with that madness.

"Lucien," he whispered to the Duke’s hearing alone. "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need a very powerful sedative. Can you get it for me? The strongest, if you have to." If it were the Duke, he would be able to get it for him in a matter of hours, if not minutes.

If Julian couldn’t fall asleep properly with wine, normal sedatives, and even getting knocked out without waking up to feel like his heart is getting squeezed by another, or that a grim reaper was holding a sheath to his neck, he would try a more dangerous approach.

Alaric looked at him, worry filling his gaze, but he did not ask Julian what he needed a powerful sedative for. He probably already instinctively knew that it was due to the way he couldn’t sleep.

"I’ll get it for you," he said, gripping Julian a little harder. "Just, don’t push yourself too hard."

"I’ll try."

As Julian left for the class, Sir Kaelen walked in through the door, his gaze briefly sweeping over the pale tutor before he bowed his head before the Duke.

"Kaelen, I’ll need you to run an errand right now," Alaric said, his hand pressed to his face. "You have to get it as fast as you can."

"Yes, your Grace. What is my mission?"

"Search the entire capital if you have to, I need a very powerful sedative, one with minimum side effects and that won’t be harmful to the human body." He said, and Kaelen went quiet for a second.

"Your Grace," he called, but did not try to ask why. He couldn’t. Not when the Duke looked like he was getting ready to rip someone’s head apart. He bowed, accepting the mission. "Yes, Your Grace. I will get on with it right away."

Alaric sighed and then spotted the golden envelope with an annoying seal Kaelen had brought in.

"What’s that?" He asked, and Kaelen recalled his original reason for coming here.

"A letter came from the imperial palace, your grace." He said, and Alaric clicked his tongue.

"I can see clearly that it’s from the Palace, but what’s it about?" He asked, wondering if this was another of the Emperor’s schemes to try to interfere in their life.

"It is an invitation to the Masquerade ball coming up in a week," Sir Kaelen explained.

Alaric’s fingers tightened on the edge of the table as he stared at the golden seal. A masquerade ball. The timing was too calculated to be a mere social whim. In the wake of an ’intruder’ roaming around the palace like it was his own personal playground, and the Emperor’s growing obsession with Julian, an event where everyone wore masks was the perfect stage for a trap.

"A masquerade," Alaric repeated, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. "He wants us in a room where we can’t see the faces of those standing behind us. How typical."

"Shall I prepare a refusal, Your Grace?" Kaelen asked, his hand already moving toward his sword hilt out of habit. "The tutor is in no condition to attend a gala, let alone one at the Palace."

"No," Alaric said. He would like to refuse upfront, but he couldn’t. "If we refuse right now, he’ll only find a more forceful way to drag Julian there. So, instead of that, tell the messenger that the invitation is received," he told Kaelen, his voice cold.

With this, it would seem like they accepted the invitation, but he planned to go alone and leave Julian out of it.

"No one shall breathe a word of this to Julian. He is to stay here, oblivious of the Emperor’s scheme once again. I won’t have him entangled in a ballroom full of vipers."

Kaelen nodded, "Understood, Your Grace." And then he disappeared to respond to the messenger waiting outside and to find the sedative he had been tasked with.