Chapter 31. Before: Maris

On the night of their clandestine wedding, Maris watches crows gather as a storm approaches and citizens flood the Illyrium in fear after the tribunal. Inside, Ophelius’s silence feels ominous. Without explanation, Ophelius grips Maris’s wrist and sends a painful surge through her, then declares she has closed Maris’s womb to protect the work ahead.

Maris, unsettled, suspects Ophelius’s hand in past provocations and asks about the incendiary leaflet. Ophelius replies, “Sometimes you must burn a field to save it,” implying orchestration. Luca arrives in ceremonial uniform with Magistrate Saturian’s son as witness, and his presence steadies Maris as they move to the altar.

When asked to choose a family name, Luca decisively declares “Casperia,” a choice they had not discussed. The temple smith melts and reforges Luca’s medallion, severing him from Matius and formally grafting him into Casperia. The act ends the Matius line and carries grave political consequences, unseen by the Forum and not to the benefit of Magistrate Casperia.

Amid smoke and chant, Ophelius invokes, “Flesh to flesh, bone to bone, blood to blood,” binding their vows. She records the union—Maris and Luca Casperia—in the sacred tome. The secret marriage becomes a deliberate, radical defiance that reshapes both their fates and signals the gathering storm ahead.