Zariel was not among the oldest and the strongest Archdukes, but that alone would have seemed Antilia a lot to take in, had it not been followed by even more groundbreaking tidings. Antilia absorbed her father’s words, dissecting every new piece of information she was receiving (she would also mull over them later, rethinking and seeking for some hidden clues she might miss at the moment). A shiver, fearful but excited, ran along her spine, from the neck and to the tail’s tip. She stroked the fiddle’s neck lovingly, thinking, her eyes glowing quietly.
There were times to bide your time, to wait and to prepare, and there were times to act and to risk – Antilia was sensitive to this delicate balance. And now she could tell that big events were brewing quickly. At times when status quo is shaken, unreachable things might become reachable, impossible – possible. Just how big the impact is going to be? Oh, Raphael, you lowly half-breed, you bloody rascal – what pleasure it would have been for Antilia to tear her claws into his smug face – you magnificent bastard! You are going to challenge Asmodeus for the dominion over Hells and Mephistopheles even says that you might be able to pull it off! It made sense in retrospective: if Raphael’s ambitions capped at Archdukedom, he would have chosen a better layer than Avernus.
– My opinion is… It has been such a long time since anyone challenged Asmodeus directly. – So long that Antilia actually has not lived long enough to witness it. But how significant the challenge was? Unfortunately, she did not have enough information to estimate it. Being a half-breed herself, Antilia was not particularly interested in the mortal world – she was almost demonstratively disinterested in it, in fact. The focus of her attention laid on the internal dealings of Nine Hells. She could tell that power of Avernus, even if Raphael manages to seize it, was not enough to fight Asmodeus. What she could not tell was how much of additional advantage the crown of Karsus was brining into the game. Would it better serve the goal of Mephistopheles taking over the Hells – who would dare to contemplate any other goals when sitting in front of him? – vanquishing Raphael or assisting him? – And Raphael is vain but not stupid. He is a half-breed armed with a mortal’s invention: he is in need of allies to give himself weight, even if not for anything else.
Antilia’s mind was working frantically, calculating multiple possibilities at the same time. The crown was stolen from Mephistopheles, Raphael was his son – there was a certain way to interpret it that Antilia herself would have taken had she not known the situation most closely from the inside. If Asmodeus were to offer any reward of note for destroying Raphael, that might mean that he deemed him dangerous enough. If crown made Raphael this strong and he was ready to put a target on his back, would it not be beneficial to use him and see if it makes a dent or even drains a significant amount of Asmodeus’s power? Could he be weakened? And after all, just how strong the crown was and how to deal with it (and for what reason Mephistopheles had not used it himself?)
– I have an appeal, Lord. – Antilia folded her hands and waited for permission to speak before continuing. – If you would allow it, I would familiarize myself with your notes on the Crown of Karsus. And on the queen Gith and her bloodline.