I grimaced. “It wasn’t my idea. Well, except for the taking over as Serene Envoy part.”

“But I arrived in Ardence to discover you didn’t need my help.” A strange note colored my mother’s voice: pride. “You’d already uncovered the traitors, cleared your name, achieved peace, and installed a new duke.”

Unironic praise, from my mother. I waited for the ground to open beneath my feet, for surely this was the end of days. “I really had very little to do with the new duke. And Zaira and Marcello helped with all the rest.”

She arched a brow. “Never contradict someone giving you credit, Amalia. A modest demurral is fine, but don’t argue points with them.”

I laughed. “Very well. Yes, I am the hero of Ardence. And Raverra, too. No doubt there shall be a parade in my honor.”

“That might perhaps be too much.” Her eyes sparkled even in the dim corridor. “But you did well. I used to worry what kind of heir you would prove to be, when you closed yourself in your room with your books and ignored everything happening around you. I’m not worried anymore.”

“Thank you, Mamma.” The words thickened in my throat. “But … I’m not certain I can be your heir.”

“Oh?” A dangerous edge entered her voice. “Why not?”

“I only have a few bottles of elixir left.” The truth I’d told no one else blurted out of me. “I don’t know what you plan to do with Uncle Ignazio, but he claimed he destroyed all copies of the formula. Even if you somehow forced him to make more elixir, it’s hard to imagine he could be trusted not to slip poison into it, or something worse.”

“Is that all?” La Contessa threw back her head and laughed.

“I’m serious. He said the formula only existed in his mind.”

“Oh, child.” She smiled fondly at me. “Do you really think I would allow my daughter’s life to depend entirely on one man? What if he’d fallen into a canal and drowned? I had an alchemist among the Falcons analyze and reconstruct the elixir from a sample bottle years ago. I kept it secret to avoid offending Ignazio. You’ll be fine.”

I slumped against the wall in relief. “Thank the Graces.”

“As for Ignazio, he is a difficult matter.” Her face hardened. “At the very least, he’ll spend the rest of his days in prison. Whether he must pay with his life is a matter I—and the rest of the Council—have yet to decide.”

“Mamma …” Despite everything, my eyes stung. “I would feel terrible if he died because of me. Even though he would have let me die for his plans. He’s still family.”