Volkhard sighed at Prince Leopold’s question and wondered where to begin. In the end, he decided to go with the bitter truth again.
“Not good, Your Highness.” He admitted. “Ever since Grand Duke Kaltbrand revealed the existence of Wulfe Kaltbrand, and named the boy as his heir, things haven’t looked good for us.”
The organization Volkhard belonged to, the Fallen Leaves, served Prince Dirk, Prince Leopold’s father. They were his eyes, ears, and blades in the dark. Their mission here in the Barrens was simple: have House Kaltbrand support Prince Leopold’s bid for the imperial throne.
The succession of House Reichwald differed from the other noble families in the empire. Each generation, the scions of House Reichwald competed with one another, all of them vying for the throne. The winner became the heir and the next ruler of the empire. The losers either died, left the empire in exile, or married into another noble family.
However, this generation was a little different. In the previous generation, Princess Agnes lost the fight early on and married into House Guld, becoming the next Duchess Guld. This left Prince Hilmar and Prince Dirk as the two remaining competitors for the throne. Both sides were even in power and influence, so it looked like a long and bloody fight was inevitable. That was, until Prince Dirk made a proposal to his brother.
He would give up the fight for the throne and let his brother become emperor. In exchange, Prince Dirk would remain in the empire as a member of the imperial family. Not only that, but Prince Dirk’s children would also have the right to inherit the throne. Prince Hilmar accepted, thus leading to the current situation.
Prince Leopold, as the emperor’s nephew and not the emperor’s child, was at a disadvantage compared to his cousins. To overcome this, he needed House Kaltbrand’s support. They were second only to the House Reichwald in terms of power and influence. With their backing, Prince Leopold would have a fighting chance at winning the throne.
Unfortunately, Grand Duke Kaltbrand remained neutral when it came to the imperial succession. He didn’t care who inherited the throne, as long as they honored the Pact between House Reichwald and House Kaltbrand. In the end, Prince Dirk decided that if he couldn’t get the Grand Duke’s support for his son, he would gain his heir’s support.
Prince Dirk sent the Fallen Leaves into the Barrens to ensure this happened. They worked for years to make their preferred candidate the heir to House Kaltbrand, even eliminating the more eligible candidates. It wasn’t easy, since they also had to avoid the attention of the Blue Shadows, House Kaltbrand’s eyes and ears.
Just when it looked like the Fallen Leaves would succeed in their mission, everything came tumbling down when Grand Duke Kaltbrand revealed the existence of his previously unknown illegitimate son. After their initial panic, the Fallen Leaves decided to get rid of this particular obstacle and eliminate Wulfe Kaltbrand. If they couldn’t kill him, they would stir up unrest and perhaps even incite a rebellion, all for the sake of Prince Leopold.
However, none of that was necessary anymore. Now that Volkhard had seen Wulfe Kaltbrand’s face, he knew the best way to get rid of him. Doing so would also discredit Grand Duke Kaltbrand, making it easier for their chosen candidate to become the heir to House Kaltbrand.
“We need to get rid of this Wulfe Kaltbrand.” Prince Leopold said. “I need House Kaltbrand’s support as soon as possible. As it is, I’m barely clinging on, and that’s only because my cousins are too busy fighting each other. If they decide to join hands to eliminate me, I won’t have any choice other than to die or give up the throne.”
Volkhard knew Prince Leopold would rather die than give up. His family had sacrificed too much to get him where he was today, and he didn’t want all their efforts to go to waste.
“In that regard, I have some good news for you, Your Highness.” Volkhard said. “I know how to get rid of Wulfe Kaltbrand. It won’t even be all that difficult. Once he’s out of the way, we can proceed with the mission without issue.”
Prince Leopold narrowed his eyes at Volkhard.
“Explain.” he said.
“Wulfe Kaltbrand is actually Wulfram Guld.”
Prince Leopold’s eyes widened by a fraction of an inch.
“Are you sure?” he demanded in a harsh tone, “Because if you’re lying to me…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t need to.
“I’m sure.” Volkhard said. “I saw him myself.” He chuckled. “His appearance caught me off guard, I will admit. I never expected to see him here in the Barrens.”
Volkhard had seen Wulfram Guld several times, when he accompanied Prince Dirk when the latter visited his sister, Duchess Guld. At first he hadn’t thought much of the boy. To Volkhard, Wulfram just seemed like a commoner who became a noble through sheer luck. However, rather than leech off of House Guld’s goodwill, Wulfram worked hard to improve himself and prove his worth.
In a few short years, he went from an Aura Novice to an Aura Expert. Now, he had become the youngest Aura Master in history, earning Volkhard’s respect and admiration. However, despite this, he was still an obstacle that needed to be removed.
Prince Leopold studied Volkhard for several seconds, before he took a deep breath and regained his composure.
“So, Aunt Agnes’ stray is Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s son,” he said, “Or pretending to be at least. There is no way he’s really a Kaltbrand.” He chuckled. “The Grand Duke must have been desperate if he decided to name an imposter as his heir. He must have jumped through several hoops to make this happen.”
“Yes.” Volkhard said. “To get rid of him, all we need to do is reveal his true identity. That should be easy enough.”
Prince Leopold nodded, looking thoughtful.
“We could have our people demand another lineage test,” he said, “One conducted by a priest or priestess from the Church of Light and Darkness. In fact, I have the perfect person in mind.”
There were two ways to test one’s lineage. The most common way was to use a lineage testing magic tool. The other was to use divine power, which required a High Priest or High Priestess. They were the only ones with enough divine power to perform the test. Well, there were also the members of the imperial family, but Volkhard thought that was a bad idea. If Grand Duke Kaltbrand ever realized that it was Prince Dirk who had interfered with House Kaltbrand’s succession… Volkhard shuddered at the thought.
“The more people who witness this lineage test, the better,” Volkhard said. “Right now, Grand Duke Kaltbrand is hosting a banquet to introduce his ‘son’ the House Kaltbrand’s vassals. It’s the perfect chance to reveal Wulfram’s true identity.”
Prince Leopold frowned.
“When does this banquet end?”
“In four days.”
Prince Leopold’s frown deepened.
“That isn’t a lot of time.” He said. “We might be able to bring the person I have in mind from Haven, but they would have to travel non-stop the entire time.” He paused. “If we had an extra day or two, then maybe…”
He trailed off.
“We could have our people delay the banquet by a few days.” Volkhard suggested. “It’ll look suspicious, but they have enough influence to make it happen.”
“Do it.” Prince Leopold commanded. “I’ll return to Haven to make the necessary arrangements.” He grimaced. “It looks like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.”
“I could have one of my subordinates do it for you, Your Highness.”
Prince Leopold shook his head.
“No,” he said, “I need to return to Haven anyway to inform Father about the situation here.”
Prince Leopold stood up and walked towards the door. However, just before he opened it, he stopped and turned back towards Volkhard. “Before I forget, don’t touch Wulfram. Continue with your other schemes, but leave him alone. It would break Aunt Agnes’ heart if he died.”
Volkhard resisted the urge to snort.
“It’s okay to admit that you care for him, Your Highness.” He said. “I know you two were close before he ran away from House Guld.”
Prince Leopold narrowed his eyes at Volkhard.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said.
With that, he turned left. Volkhard sighed. The imperial family was a twisted mess, and anyone with ties to them got entangled in that mess. Even an adopted cousin, like Wulfram, wasn’t exempt from this.
Volkhard shook his head. He had a lot of work to do, and little time in which to do it. He had a long and sleepless night ahead of him.
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It took a while to deal with the aftermath of House Meyers’ destruction. After my bodyguards and I rescued Thomas, we reunited with the rest of our team. They fared better than us. The majority of the black-cloaked figures had attacked Baron Meyers and his knights, leaving a few to deal with the servants. The Coldsteel Knights I sent to rescue said servants dispatched the black-cloaked figures with ease.
After our forces regrouped, we gathered the survivors of House Meyers and corralled them into a more defensible location. Just because the black-cloaked figures had fled didn’t mean that the danger had passed. What if they came back with reinforcements? It was better to be safe than sorry.
The survivors protested our actions, but there was little they could do against us. A dozen Coldsteel Knights was more than enough to deal with any number of regular humans. My biggest concern was Thomas’ safety. What if there were more traitors within House Meyers? What if they tried to silence him? To prevent this, I kept Thomas near me at all times. The youth kept stealing glances at me, no doubt wondering how “Wolfie” ended up commanding a team of Coldsteel Knights.
Once we secured everyone, we waited for our own reinforcements. We didn’t have to wait long. As Grand Duke Kaltbrand promised, Knight Commander Bardin arrived with a large force of Coldsteel Knights. They secured Meyers Castle and helped us with the survivors of House Meyers. A team of Blue Shadows also arrived to search the castle for clues and information.
In the midst of all this, Knight Commander Bardin ordered me and my team to return to Kaltbrand Castle.
“You’ll only get in the way if you stay here.” She said to me.
Despite her harsh words, her tone made it clear that she spoke out of concern for me. Rather than fight her on it, I decided to leave Meyers Castle to her and the Blue Shadows. It had been a long day, and I still had the rest of the week-long banquet to look forward to.
The journey back to Kaltbrand Castle took much longer, since we were no longer in a rush. We even rode horses back to Warrior’s Rest, to preserve our flagging strength. By the time we made it back to Kaltbrand Castle, it was almost dawn.
When we arrived, I learned that Grand Duke Kaltbrand had Ellen confined to her rooms. This surprised me. I expected him to imprison her. She was a traitor, after all, and an Aura Expert. Why was he being so lenient with her? Was it because of me? At least he assigned a Coldsteel Knight to keep an eye on her.
Regardless, my bodyguards and I brought Thomas to Ellen’s room and witnessed a tearful reunion between the siblings. I didn’t know how long they had been separated, but given the context, I assumed it had been at least a few years. My other two bodyguards eyed Ellen with conflicted expressions on their faces. While I hadn’t told either of them about Ellen’s betrayal, it was clear that something had gone wrong. Viktor in particular seemed crestfallen.
I left Thomas with his sister and searched for the butler, Viscount Holtz, to find a place for the youth. I also assigned a Coldsteel Knight to keep an eye on Thomas. While I didn’t think he worked for the same organization as Ellen, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
After that, I headed back to my rooms to check in on Rosalind. While I was gone, a priest who served the Goddess of Light had examined her and healed her with his divine power. To my relief, I learned that she would make a full recovery, though it would take her a day or two to get back on her feet.
Only then did I change out of my clothes and allow myself to fall asleep. The moment my head touched my pillow, I fell unconscious. As an Aura Master, I needed less sleep than most people. However, it had been a long night, one where I fought another Aura Master. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. By the time I woke up, it was almost noon.
At first I felt a little bad about missing the meeting with House Kaltbrand’s vassals. However, I learned from one of the servants that several of the vassals suffered from a mysterious illness, one that left them bedridden for the time being. Rather than hold the meeting with a third of the vassals missing, Grand Duke Kaltbrand decided to postpone it for now. He also decided to postpone the banquet as well.
I found it odd that so many of the vassals fell ill at the same time, but apparently these particular ones liked to frequent the same brothel in Frostheart. According to the rumors, that was where the vassals contracted the illness they now suffered from.
I welcomed this news, since it meant that I wouldn’t have to deal with any nobles today. Of course, I still had the Blue Shadows keep an eye on the northern nobles, just in case. However, I decided to avoid socializing for the time being.
It worried me a little that Lord Ulric continued to remain silent. After the way I humiliated him on the first night of the banquet, I expected him to retaliate somehow. The fact that he was laying low worried me. Someone like him would get his revenge, or try to at least. It was only a matter of time.
I decided to visit Ellen. Now that we had rescued Thomas, it was time for her to fulfill her end of the bargain. However, before I left, I visited Rosalind. She occupied one of the smaller rooms attached to mine, the ones set aside for servants. I found her lying in bed, still asleep, with Maria sitting beside her. The latter held her sister’s hand.
“How is she?” I asked.
Maria looked at me. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her uniform was rumpled. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, when I first checked in on Rosalind, but I didn’t think Maria slept at all last night.
“The same as this morning.” Maria said, sounding exhausted. She gave me a wan smile. “Thank you, Wulfe. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have lost my sister.”
I shook my head.
“Don’t thank me,” I said, “His Grace is the one who saved Rosalind, not me.” I grimaced. “If anything, I’m one of the people at fault for your sister’s current condition. I shouldn’t have let her tail Bertrand on her own.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Wulfe,” Maria said. “We are Blue Shadows. It is our duty to risk our lives for the sake of House Kaltbrand. My sister and I take pride in that. Don’t take that away from her.” She looked back at Rosalind. “And you are the reason why His Grace healed Rosalind. I don’t know much about the coldfire, but I know it is a divine power meant to destroy, not heal. The only reason why His Grace made the effort was because Rosalind is one of your maids.”
I shook my head.
“You’re mistaken,” I said. “His Grace didn’t do it for me. I’m no one special. You know that more than most. I’m just a mercenary working a job.”
Maria looked back at me.
“I’m not so sure about that,” she said. “Given the way His Grace treats you, sometimes I think…”
I frowned as she stopped talking.
“Sometimes you think what?” I asked.
Maria shook her head, before looking back at her sister.
“Nothing,” she said, “It was just an idle thought.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, but didn’t press the issue.
“Get some sleep, Maria.” I said. “I know that Rosalind wouldn’t want you to fall ill because you neglected your body’s needs.”
“I will in a bit.” She said.
I studied Maria for a few more moments, before I left. It was time for Ellen and I to have a chat.
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When I went to Ellen’s rooms, I found out from one of the servants that Claus had taken her to the castle dungeons in order to interrogate her. It seemed as if he didn’t agree with Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s choice to merely keep Ellen confined to her rooms. I felt conflicted about this.
On the one hand, Ellen was a traitor and deserved to be treated as such. Regardless of the circumstances, her actions harmed House Kaltbrand. On the other hand, she was someone from my past. Not only that, but she served as my bodyguard for a brief time. I didn’t want her to be mistreated.
I thanked the servant and headed towards the dungeons. It was a cold and dreary place, built from dark gray stone. The cells were enchanted to prevent the use of mana, making them the perfect place to hold Aura users and magicians. A few mana crystal lamps scattered throughout the dungeon barely provided enough light to see by. Almost all of the cells were empty now, but pain and misery had seeped into the walls. As I walked through, I could almost hear the pleading and crying of the dungeon’s previous occupants as they awaited judgment. I found Claus interrogating Ellen in one of the cells.
To my relief, Ellen seemed fine. Claus hadn’t tortured her. However, the spymaster for House Kaltbrand seemed upset. When I asked him why, it turned out that the organization that Ellen belonged to, called Fallen Leaves, had a greater presence in the Barrens than expected.
Their leader, a man named Volkhard, was an enigmatic figure who seemed to know everything that went on in the Barrens. They had agents in every major city within the region, posing as merchants and the like. Fallen Leaves also had spies within all of the important noble households. Most of those spies were servants, meaning their influence and the information they could gather was limited. However, a few occupied positions of high status within their respective households, such as Ellen.
I didn’t know what upset Claus more, how much influence Fallen Leaves had within the Barrens or the fact that the Blue Shadows had remained unaware of them for so long. As the spymaster of House Kaltbrand and the leader of the Blue Shadows, this must have stung his pride.
According to Ellen, Fallen Leaves’ goal was simple: they wanted their chosen candidate to become the heir of House Kaltbrand. Ellen didn’t know who this chosen candidate was, but she mentioned that Bertrand had wanted to weaken House Kaltbrand’s position by causing a conflict between House Kaltbrand and House Arbeit. If they couldn’t kill me, the (fake) heir, they would find a way to oust me. This involved starting a war between House Kaltbrand and House Arbeit it seemed.
How they planned to accomplish this was simple. Ellen would assassinate or kill Lord Ulric somehow, and make it seem as if I had ordered it. Given House Arbeit’s attitude towards me, there was no way they wouldn’t retaliate. However, Ellen’s defection ruined that. Maybe they would still go through with it, but their chances of success were much lower.
With all this in mind, it was unlikely that Lord Ulric was Fallen Leaves’ chosen candidate. After all, a dead man couldn’t become the heir to House Kaltbrand. Since Fallen Leaves also tried to kill Lady Adelheid, and pin the blame on House Arbeit, I doubted she was their chosen candidate either. That left Lord Klemens Steuben. Whether House Steuben was a willing collaborator or a mere puppet remained to be seen.
The question was, why? Why invest all this time, effort, and resources in order to have Lord Klemens become the heir to House Kaltbrand? Who benefited the most from that, other than House Steuben?
Ellen mentioned that Fallen Leaves had the support of someone powerful from outside the Barrens, though she didn’t know who. However, given the resources Fallen Leaves had at its disposal, we could narrow it down to a few potential suspects. They either served one of the other ducal houses within the Reichwald Empire, or a member of the imperial family.
I suspected it was the latter, and Claus agreed with me. The imperial family were the ones with the strongest motive. Each generation, the scions of House Reichwald competed with their peers in order to become the heir to the throne and the future ruler of the empire. House Kaltbrand’s support could prove pivotal. However, Grand Duke Kaltbrand remained neutral in the fight for the throne and showed no interest in supporting any of the candidates.
It seemed that a member of the imperial family had decided to take matters into their own hands. If they couldn’t have the Grand Duke’s support, they would have his heirs’. Which member of the imperial family? One of the emperor’s children? The emperor’s nephew, Prince Leopold? Honestly, it could have been any one of them.
I hoped it wasn’t Prince Leopold. He and his father, Prince Dirk, were the only members of the imperial family, other than the emperor, who had acknowledged me as a member of House Guld. Prince Dirk treated me like his nephew, and I saw Prince Leopold as a worthy rival. However, if they were the ones behind Fallen Leaves, that made them my enemies; at least, until my contract with House Kaltbrand expired.
After finding out as much as he could from Ellen about Fallen Leaves, including the identities of several of their agents and spies, Claus left to go report to the Grand Duke. However, I remained behind to have a private conversation with Ellen. Now that we had gotten what we needed from her, I wanted to have a private conversation with her.