Daniel sat on the sofa in his living room. Ignoring any decorum, he slouched back, letting his head hang over the sofa. Here, in his personal quarters, he allowed himself to relax, completely removing the façade of a well-mannered Duke.

He was not in the mood for manners and grace.

Not after what he had just seen.

He had ordered such things to be done before, but he had never witnessed them himself, let alone as they were being done.

It was not as if he was ignorant of the what he ordered to be done or their effects, but seeing it done with his own eyes had affected him. But even he had never ordered what Lord Ashborn had done.

He had not just killed Lord Halligon. He had tortured him. Lord Ashborn had mutilated him while he was still lived.

Seeing the insides of man, broken open, still pulsing with life…

Daniel felt his chest clench as he broke out in a cold sweat.

Lord Ashborn was a monster in human skin, and Daniel had invited him. Not just that, but Lord Ashborn had already claimed to serve Evelyn’s family.

That would not be such a bad thing, if Daniel had not ordered the elimination of her family.

Now, Lord Ashborn had reunited with Evelyn. He was a threat. Now just to Daniel, but to everything Daniel held dear.

But at the same time, Daniel could not bring himself to get rid of Lord Ashborn, if he even could.

If Daniel sent him back to the Independent Alliance, then it might as well mean that Daniel, and in extension the Lissurian Kingdom, was rejecting the Alliance.

That was not something lightly done. While their Alliance was new, their cities small, their citizens were powerful. They had survived generations on their own against the terrible Hordes of Monsters, and done so without aid. Galmore especially was home to true powerhouses.

Lord Ashborn was here as an exchange, meaning that Daniel had also sent one of the Lissurian Nobles over to the Alliance. He had arrived much sooner than Lord Ashborn, and as such, he had already visited both Onigas and Galmore.

The messages he had sent back rung with both admiration and fear. The Kingdom of Lissura was a powerful Nation with numerous powerful Experts, yet the same people that the Kingdom treated with reverence were treated as mere soldiers, powerful ones, yet still just soldiers.

The visiting Noble delegate from Lissura had also inquired about Lord Ashborn.

The people of the Alliance were just a step away from worshipping him. There were various rumors and stories about Lord Ashborn, each telling a different tale, but most held true to the same idea.

Lord Ashborn was a protective man who was merciful to the innocent, and cruel to the guilty.

What Daniel had seen that night… Daniel knew it to be true. And Daniel was guilty.

Daniel only hoped that Lord Ashborn would not realize this. If he did, Daniel was certain that he could eliminate the Lord, but not without significant damage both to his position and to his own forces. That was not even taking into account the Alliance.

If their beloved Hero was killed by Lissura, Daniel had no doubt that they would declare war. Still, Daniel was certain that he would emerge victorious. But the Kingdom had other enemies to worry about. If the kingdom became weakened by a war, whether they won or not, the other Nations would pounce on them.

Of course, the Inner Castle would not allow the Kingdom to fall. Yet the thought of the Inner Castle being involved in any conflict caused Daniel to shiver.

Daniel was torn out of his thoughts by his wife entering the room. Her freshly combed hair and nightgown evidence of her preparations for sleep.

“Daniel? Are you alright? You don’t look so well.” Sofia asked with concern, walking over to her husband on bare feet.

She carefully placed a loving hand on Daniel’s forehead.

Daniel mustered up a weak smile as he grabbed his wife’s hand, “I’m not sick my dear.”

“You’re pale. Are you alright?”

Sofia sat down beside Daniel.

“I will be.” Daniel said, hoping she would drop the matter. She of course did not, which he saw in her face.

Sighing, he went on, “I just saw something today that surprised me.”

She cuddled up to his side and he placed his arm around her habitually.

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“Talk to me.” Sofia softly said.

Daniel had quickly learned that such words were not a request. So he began to speak. More openly than he would dare to do so to any other. His wife was the only one who he would tell everything about everything. In turn, she merely listened. She did not need to do anything else, she knew that her husband sometimes merely needed someone to listen.

Daniel had originally only married her to solidify his position as the Duke. He had never thought he could love another after the passing of his first wife. But Sofia’s constant care and love had eventually won him over. Now, just as he had with his first wife, he could not imagine a world without her in it. He still struggled to understand living without his first wife, but Sofia helped.

Sofia had never sought to replace her either. They had been good friends when she lived. Sofia only wished to support Daniel, and he loved her for it.

Before Daniel realized, he had already talked for hours. Sofia only interrupted when she did not understand something.

When Daniel finished speaking, the room remained quiet for many moments. The couple merely sat there on the sofa, enjoying each other’s company, thinking their own thoughts.

Eventually, Sofia spoke in a quiet voice, as if afraid to harm the peace around them.

“Should we restrict Lord Ashborn?”

Daniel sighed, “We can’t. It would only serve to heighten his suspicion. As it remains, to my knowledge, he sees us as the protector and supporter of Evelyn, to whom he had sworn to protect. In that way, he is thankful and has a good opinion of us.

And despite everything about Evelyn, her family, and Lord Ashborn, we need allies against Sir Castiel.

Without any prompting from me, Lord Ashborn listened to Sir Castiel’s introduction and immediately decided he did not like him.”

“Do we know why Lord Ashborn does not have a good opinion of Sir Castiel?”

Daniel shook his head slightly before he rested it atop Sofia’s, “No. Though I suspect that Lord Ashborn does not have a good opinion of the Gods, whom Sir Castiel claims to serve.”

“That might be an issue. Most would call that heretical. It could serve as an avenue of attack.”

“Yeah, I know. But there is just something about it.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know. It just felt as if Lord Ashborn was speaking from experience.”

“But the Gods have not spoken to any mortal for decades.”

“As far as we know. Which when it comes to the Gods, is very little. For all we know, the Gods have merely stopped speaking to their followers and decided to create hidden faiths. Or maybe they have decided we mortals aren’t worth their attention. Or that they are somehow unable to speak to us. Or maybe even that they are just too busy to concern themselves with our struggles.”

“Do we even know what Lord Ashborn wants? Or even what Class he is? I suspect he is an Expert if he was able to kill Lord Halligon like that so easily.”

“No, before he revealed his connection to Evelyn, we knew practically nothing about him. As many prominent individuals do, he wears an Enchanted item that conceals his Mana. I could not even detect what his subordinate’s Classes were.”

“They were also wearing Concealment Enchantments?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I thought we were alone in that room with Lord Halligon, then suddenly they were there and Lord Halligon’s guards were dead. It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to do anything. By the time I realized what was happening, the guards were dead and Lord Ashborn was dissecting Lord Halligon.”

“As horrible as his death was, I am not sad about it.”

“Neither am I. He was a horrible man, but he did hold sway. He was a Noble of Lissura and a Foreign Noble killed him. Ordinarily, that would be a cause for war.”

“Ordinarily?”

“While I was still in shock, Lord Ashborn suggested a way to make it seem as if he had only acted with my permission, as if I had already issued Lord Halligon’s arrest, then when he resisted, Lord Ashborn killed him. If I follow Lord Ashborn’s suggestion, then it would appear to all be legal.

It would still cause problems in the court, but nothing that could be acted upon.”

“Will you do it?”

“Yes. I already have. I am just not sure if I will regret it. We need allies against Sir Castiel, he already holds too much influence. But Lord Ashborn killed a Noble of Lissura. He did not even seem to hesitate about it. He sent that girl over to me, but by the time I heard about it, he was already on his way. In fact, I think the only reason Lord Ashborn did not kill Lord Halligon immediately was so that I would be there.”

“He waited?”

Daniel merely nodded.

They grew quiet once more, each one consumed by their own thoughts.

“You know, as horrible as it sounds, I am glad Lord Ashborn is here.”

“Why is that?” Daniel was curious to know his wife’s reasoning.

“You and I know just how dangerous the Court is, just how quickly it can turn on you. As far as we know, Lord Ashborn is dedicated to Evelyn, correct?”

“Yeah, the moment Evelyn entered the room, I could tell that Lord Ashborn’s full attention was on her, and not in a creepy or manipulative way, but like he was relieved to see her.”

“Well, with Sir Castiel here, with how the city is becoming, the Court has become even more unpredictable. You have my full support and trust that you will manage it properly, but it is good to know that if everything turns to hell and chaos, that Evelyn will have someone like Lord Ashborn who will prioritize her.

And even if it is not official yet, it is obvious that Evelyn and Luke are close. They would not leave each other. So in a way, both Evelyn and Luke have acquired a powerful protector.”

“Yeah, but will that remain if Lord Ashborn discovers that it was me who ordered the deaths of the people he had sworn to protect? If that happens, Luke could become Lord Ashborn’s first target.”

Sofia sighed, “I know…What do you intend to do about him?”

“I don’t know. Right now, I don’t think I can do anything. The man is powerful, not just with his position and followers, but personally. I knew Lord Halligon as children.

We hunted together quite often. I never liked him, but I always respected just how strong and durable he was. I once saw Lord Halligon be bathed in the fires of a Dragon’s breath and come out of it standing tall. That same Dragon later batted him into a cliff face with its tail. Such a devastating attack, but again, Lord Halligon stood up and continued to fight.

The man might have been drunk at the time, but Lord Ashborn still effortlessly ripped him apart with his bare hands.

Without a doubt, Lord Ashborn is a serious threat just by himself. And we have no idea what his capabilities are, or that of his subordinates, or even how many they number.

We know practically nothing about Lord Ashborn. What we do know, is that if he learns my involvement with Evelyn’s family, he will consider me an enemy.”

“We don’t know that. He would likely not appreciate it, but maybe you could manipulate the situation to make it more advantageous for him to side with us even if he learns of it.”

“I don’t know. Its late. I’m tired. I’ll think more about it in the morning.”

“I guess that means we should get up then.” Sofia sighed.

“Yeah, in a little bit.”

“In a little bit.” Sofia agreed.

Many hours later, the morning sun found the couple still asleep on the sofa.