The day following Quinus and his companions' return from their long journey, the Divalo Manor, situated on the western fringes of Tairal, bustled with activity as servants moved in and out of the grand mansion, carrying boxes, bags, and furniture.
The grand entrance of the mansion was disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious figure cloaked in black. As he stepped inside, he theatrically removed his hood, unveiling himself as none other than Duke Revelia, the esteemed uncle of the Crown Prince of the Fiafyr Kingdom. His silver locks were elegantly tied into a ponytail, and his weary visage bore the weight of his experiences. Yet, behind his tired eyes, a fierce blaze of fury burned brightly.
As he entered the room, he was met by Belial, the butler, who greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Has the trip been fruitful, my lord?" inquired Belial.
"Not here... Let's talk in my study," Duke Revelia murmured, then swiftly departed from the entrance.
"Absolutely, sir," replied Belial as the Duke disappeared into the hallway and ascended the stairs.
After the Duke departed, Belial quietly trailed behind him, making his way to the study. Once inside, the two men closed the heavy oak doors and secured them with a firm lock.
"So, how did it go?" Belial asked, and the Duke sat down in his chair.
"We had a small setback. Krenn thinks he can play me for a fool, but once the Kingdom of Marn is no longer useful for me, I'll send someone to kill him and his King," Duke Revelia answered.
"Who would have thought that the Advisor to the King is actually a snake? Well, color me shocked," Belial said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Yes... The people of Marn are cowards and liars. And I can use that to my advantage. They lack long-term vision, and their short-sidedness will be their downfall.
"As we speak, the soldiers are packing up the weapons and gold and will leave by tonight. Once that's done, I shall have their armies take control of the north, and once I purge the kingdom of all of Duval's supporters, I'll surrender Fiafyr to King Arnaud Dupont of Marn," Duke Revelia told his loyal servant.
"It's risky, and I hope you can kill him like you say," Belial said, and the Duke sighed.
"I have a plan in place to kill him. He won't expect anything because he's too confident. And that's what will be his undoing," Duke Revelia said, and he took a sip of his wine.
"You've been planning this for some time, then. Let's just hope that your nephew doesn't get in the way. He somehow has fate on his—"
*CRASH* Goes the glass of wine that the Duke just broke.
"Quinus has become a problem. But I will deal with him once and for all..." Duke Revelia promised.
"So... Krenn was able to come through and sold you an AphroAroma Wick?" Belial inquired, catching the Duke's attention as he glanced up.
"Yes, and we were successful. I was able to secure the aphrodisiac from Krenn, and hopefully, my lovely wife can convince that worthless princess of the Divine Three to use it on my nephew. Hopefully, when Quinus sleeps with another woman behind that dark elf's back, she will finally leave him. Or better yet, she kills him. I hear that dark elf females are highly protective of their mates," the Duke said.
"Yes, I have heard that they can be extremely possessive. But maybe it would be even better if we could somehow get one of those wood elves to sleep with him. Dark Elves hate their cousins by nature. I am sure she would kill both of the Wood Elves if push came to shove," Belial pointed out.
"Yes... It would be better if he ravages the wood elves instead of Hilda. It would be a problem if she got pregnant. We'll have to find a way to get rid of the child if that happens... I'm not handing over my Kingdom to the religious zealots and their paladins. The Divine Three can stay in their damn church and hunt down the demi-humans for all I care. I won't allow their Church to gain any more influence within my kingdom," the Duke said, and Belial smirked.
"Well, we still have plenty of time before the wedding takes place. There's plenty of time for our plans to be set in motion," Belial told him, and the Duke nodded.
"Yes... But we can't afford to have anything go wrong... Speaking of which... Have we heard anything from Alac? Was he able to kill that Manaless halfwit?" the Duke asked, and Belial grimaced ever so slightly.
"I just got a message from him yesterday... It seems like the dark elf's golems are more advanced than we first thought. He thought he had them distracted with the bandits he took control of. And he said that they almost pulled it off, but in the end, they failed, and he lost the entire group of bandits. All 150 of them without delivering one casualty to the Prince's party," Belial told him.
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Alaric clenched his fists, "So, that means that they're more dangerous than I thought... Or Alac is a coward that needs to be punished..."
"W-Well... There is some silver linings, my lord," Belial said, and Duke Alaric raised his eyebrow.
"Like what?" he snapped back at his butler.
"Firstly, Alac and his men weren't tracked, so the prince doesn't know about our involvement. Secondly, he was able to secure the brigands' hideout in the Eldermyst forest. It seems they had a large stock of supplies and gold from all the merchants and nobles they robbed," Belial explained.
"How much is in the treasury?" Duke Revelia asked.
"Around 2,000 Gold coins, 20,000 Silver coins, 30,000 Iron coins, and goods worth around 500 Gold," Belial answered, and the Duke's face lit up.
"So... We now have a little staging area within Baron Johnathan Dule's domain... Good... This could work out nicely for me... Can you show me where this hideout is on a—"
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
"Sir! Sir! Are you in there!?" A voice cried out.
Alaric looked annoyed as Belial sighed and walked over to the door.
"You're disturbing his lordship's time," Belial snapped at the servant on the other side of the door.
"Forgive me, sir. But we received a letter from the Prime Minister," the servant said from the other side of the door.
Belial cast a quick glance toward his lord, who arched an eyebrow in response.
"Very well. I'll give it to him," Belial said, and the servant placed the sealed message through a slot in the door.
"Thank you, sir," the servant said, and he scurried away.
Belial gazed at the sealed letter, its parchment adorned with the official seal of the Prime Minister. What caught his attention was the deep purple wax used to seal the letter, a departure from the usual red wax. This unconventional choice hinted at an imminent emergency session of the Major Nobles.
Belial let out a heavy sigh as he made his way over to his lord. With a sense of solemnity, he extended his hand, offering the letter to his master.
"Oh? Looks like there'll be an emergency meeting. What are you afraid of now, Duval," Alaric mumbled to himself while he broke the seal and read the letter.
Belial feigned disinterest as he carefully concealed his curiosity about the contents of the letter. Maintaining his guise as a servant was paramount despite his eagerness to know more.
Duke Alaric's expression brightened, and a wide smirk spread across his face, lighting up his features.
"Is everything okay, my lord?" Belial asked, and the Duke's eyes shot up.
"Normally, I would be infuriated when Duval tries to interfere with my plans, but the Goddess of Fate has decided to smile upon me this time, Belial. Duval wants to ban the dark elf from entering the capital. We can use this to create a rift between the Nobles and the Royal family. I can't wait to see the look on my nephew's face once I tell him that he is the laughingstock of the whole Kingdom," the Duke said, and a sinister smile crept upon his lips.
Belial coughed into his hand, "But the King left for Lomar yesterday night... He's not in the capital..."
The Duke's eyes darkened, "So... My brother has learned how to be more tactical? But it doesn't matter. The meeting has to commence within four days. What can he do by delaying the inevitable in a week's time? Nothing, that's what."
"But what if they bring her to the Church of Balance, and Iyomelka's idol lights up for this dark elf? It will be like what happened when Rianna knelt before the altar," Belial reminded the Duke.
"Belial... Did you even hear yourself? Rianna was a once-in-a-century thing, and the idol barely lit up. No one from the Royal family or the Nobles has been able to get any reaction from the goddess besides Rianna. And you think the goddess will make her presence known to a dark elf? Hell! Even that zealot, Mother Astra, couldn't get the idol to react, and she's the damn High Priestess of the Goddess's religion!" Duke Alaric reminded his servant.
Belial's face went blank, and he shook his head, "Yes... You're right, my lord. I don't know why I suggested that... I was being foolish."
"Don't worry. We can use the situation to our advantage. I'm sure that my brother will advise the Prime Minister to let this dark elf meet up with the priestesses, and I'm sure Duval will comply with the King's wish. But it's just a fool's errand, and they'll realize that in due time. But enough of this. Have our soldiers leave as soon as possible. I need to complete the payment within the month if I'm to secure favor with the Kingdom of Marn. That fool, Duval, will never see it coming. I'm the only one who's thinking ahead," the Duke said, and he chuckled.
"Yes, sir," Belial said.
"Good, now leave me. I need to devise a plan for how to rid King Dupont after he served his purpose," Duke Alaric ordered, and Belial bowed.
The butler pivoted on his heel, reached for the doorknob, and smoothly stepped out of the room, ensuring that the door was shut firmly behind him. Meanwhile, Alaric let out a light, amused laugh as he gazed down at the letter in his hand.
"It's about time you became useful to me, Duval... But I can't wait to see your face once I strip everything from you. I'll take your money, lands, and people. I'll leave you with nothing but the clothes on your back and a small amount of food. Once he witnesses the immense power that my kingdom has gained in his absence, he will surely kneel before me and plead for forgiveness. I'm sure he will take his own life when he sees his beloved daughter in a collar and leash, serving as a pleasure slave," Duke Alaric said, and a twisted smirk appeared on his lips.
The Duke stood up from his chair, walked across the room to the window, and peered out at the vast expanse of land stretching into the distance. On the far-off horizon, the magnificent Maldura Royal Palace stood tall, evoking a feeling of grandeur and power within the Duke. The palace would be his in due time; all he needed to do was play his cards right.
"It's all finally falling into place... I will avenge the death of my son... I'll make sure that your death will be a slow and painful one, nephew," Duke Alaric hissed to himself while watching his butler giving orders to his soldiers outside of the manor.