"Yes, erm, I have news from Valman. He says that he is approaching the final stages of completing his project. He reckons that it will take him about three more years to finish." Said the young man.
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a leather case which he passed to Mask.
"He says that this is the most recent version, and that he will now start to work on isolation of the dark element." Said the young man.
Mask looked into the case, nodded their head, then passed it to Isabella, whose smile grew wider as she looked at the contents.
"Did he say anything about any further requirements he may have?" asked Isabella.
"Yes, your highness," said the young man.
"He mentioned that his progress could be sped up by at least a year if he can get a hold of the successful subject. He said you would know what that meant." Said the young man.
Queen Isabella nodded at this request, drumming her fingers against her teacup in thought.
"What do you think Mask?" she asked.
"It will be difficult." Said Mask.
"The subject is no longer under our jurisdiction, and recent events will make it almost impossible to secure them by force. We would have to bait them out and it will take some time." Mask continued.
Queen Isabella nodded at his response, pausing to think the matter through some more, then she sighed.
"I don't believe that the risk is worth it." Said Isabella, shaking her head.
"Err, your highness, Valman said to also say that what is left of the successful subject once he is done can be useful to the prince. He says he has found a way to transfer some of the positive effects." said the young man.
This caused Isabella's eyes to light up and she spent a few more seconds thinking.
"I see. In that case, I think that there is a way, but it will take a year or two to work things out." She said.
"Wagner, look into re-establishing connections with our man on their side. We will need his help for what I have in mind to work out." Said Isabella.
"Yes, your highness, I will prepare a report for the next meeting." Said Wagner.
"Good." Said Isabella, turning to Kerron.
"Kerron, I need you to investigate the history of those orphanages and their personnel. We will need to gather some key people." Said Isabella.
"Of course, your majesty." Said Kerron.
"Good." Said Isabella, bringing her attention back towards the young man.
"Did Valman have any other requests? I am happy to look into additional ways of speeding things up." asked Isabella.
The young man nodded his head slowly, but he had an awkward look on his face as he spoke.
"Valman said that having access to more subjects will help, but he said that the, ah, nobility in the region is hindering things, and that it will be hard to upscale his operation further whilst they are there."
A slight blush crept up the boy's cheeks as he spoke, something that Kerron found odd.
"Kerron here has confirmed that key officials within Sternbridge have been replaced. That should go a long way to smoothing things over, no?" asked Isabella.
The young man paused a little before he replied, and he spoke hesitantly.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Valman said that the Banyard family specifically is interfering. Whilst throwing their weight around and trying to further cement themselves they are getting in his way." The young man said, scratching his head.
Queen Isabella's jaw clenched at this, but she kept her calm.
"Define getting in the way." She Said.
"Well, Duke Banyard has insisted that reports from the various head officials in the Duchy be sent to him, along with copies of any documents they sign and any operations they put in place." Said the young man.
"He especially puts scrutiny on movements of guards, and because it's mostly guards and inquisitors that interfere with Valman, the Duke ends up getting involved." Finished the young man.
The more he spoke, the more uncomfortable he looked.
"I see, so instead of accepting my advice and sitting quietly in Sternbridge like I asked him to do, Duke Banyard wishes to impose himself more on the duchy." She sighed and touched a hand to her head.
"Perhaps I was rash in removing the Sternbridge family, as impetuous as they were, they at least knew when to sit still and not interfere." She grumbled under her breath.
The more she spoke the redder the man's face grew.
"Just what is your father trying to achieve by making so much noise?" asked Isabella.
'I see', thought Kerron. So, this child was a member of the Banyard family.
Kerron wondered if Isabella had dragged him onto her side after replacing the Sternbridges with the Banyards, or if she had specifically selected the Banyards because she already had him in place.
"Father and elder brother wish to show the existing vassals that they are the new power in the region." Said the young man, his head downcast.
Isabella tapped her hands on her teacup for a few more minutes then turned to Mask.
"Is it worth replacing Maron Banyard?" she asked.
Mask pondered for a few seconds before replying.
"Removing Maron will cause too much of a fallout. Eliminating his son and causing some turmoil in the region would divert Maron's attention, which will be more effective." Said Mask.
At these words, the young man's eyes lit up in hope. It seemed to Kerron that part of why he had fallen in with the Queen was in hopes of leap-frogging his elder brother and becoming the heir to the family.
Queen Isabella looked at the young man, then turned to Mask.
"What do you think, is he suitable to have as the heir?" she asked.
The young man shot Mask a pleading look.
"He is quite bright. He considers situations carefully and has a good feel for what people are thinking. He also has a good eye for detail and is the type to scrutinize information and not take it at face value." Said Mask.
The young man's nervousness turned into a smile as he heard Mask's appraisal.
"Because of his quick wits, his father even allows him to sit in on important family matters. He has been able to give good information to help Valman stay active because of this. He is quite indispensable to the Duke. I do believe that I have heard reports of Duke Banyard lamenting that his wastrel son just happened to be born before the useful one." Continued Mask
Queen Isabella nodded at this information, beckoning the young man to approach her.
He walked over and knelt before her, a smile on his face.
She reached out a dainty hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"You have done well child. Your sacrifice is duly noted. It is a shame that you are too bright to be an effective puppet." She said.
MMMPH!
The young man tried to scream, but he couldn't open his mouth. His eyes widened and he began to tremble in obvious pain.
Tears of blood pooled at the corners of his eyes, falling down his cheeks as his body's trembling intensified into fully fledged convulsions.
From his eyes, nose, ears and out of his mouth, sharp, thin green tendrils burst forth.
These tendrils grew thicker and longer, developing into fully fledged vines as more and more tendrils burst through his skin, sending blood and bits of flesh flying into the air around him.
There was a suction force, and all the blood and flesh were pulled back towards the young man's mangled body as more and more vines wriggled out of his corpse.
The shell of his body collapsed into the vines, the items on his body and his clothing dissolved into a black liquid that was sucked into the vines.
Finally, even the pooled blood was sucked dry until all that was left were a handful of blood red vines.
These vines shuffled towards the edges of the room, slithering forth like snakes, before they found root in the soil of the garden that bordered the room.
Once they took root, the blood red color pooled towards the tips of the vines and the vines shrunk in size, with the main body turning a luscious green.
The pooled red color formed buds that bloomed into crimson red flowers.
Finally, the red color then receded towards the pistils, and all that was left of the young man was a handful of Crimson Ivory flowers.
Queen Isabella turned to Mask.
"If he is truly treasured by his Maron, then this should divert Maron's attention. Pin the disappearance on one of the more powerful counts in the Sternbridge duchy, preferably one that was loyal to the former Sternbridge family." Said Isabella.
Mask simply nodded at her instructions.
Isabella opened the leather case that the young man had delivered, and she smiled.
Inside the case was a small, round ball that pulsed with concentrated mana. Had Damon been present, he would have recognized that this looked like a more stable version of the mana ball that been used to assault him when he was a baby.
"That ends today's agendas, I expect to hear positive reports when we reconvene next month." She said.