Peter Merchant Company. That was the group responsible for hiring mercenaries to attack any convoy not sailing under their flag. They were backed by the Cleveland Group, which in turn was a subsidiary of the James Cameron Group. Ravina raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.
“So, it's a shell corporation?” she mused aloud, her tone laced with skepticism.
Walter nodded. “Quite so, my lady, though it’s not a very well-concealed one.”
“Indeed…” Ravina murmured, her fingers tapping lightly on the papers in front of her. “Baron Jaysenmore… It seems he owns quite a lot of companies.” it seemed a Baron living outside the central area of the kingdom owned a little over two thousand companies. “No doubt he's little more than a scapegoat. The real question is—who’s backing him?”
Walter stepped forward, adjusting the papers on the desk and leafing through them methodically. After a moment, he pulled out one document in particular. “It would be Duke Red,” he said, pushing the paper toward her.
Ravina glanced down, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the document. It was a small snippet detailing Duke Red's involvement with Baron Jaysenmore. The Red Dukedom had risen to prominence following the fall of the Alomentia Dukedom. Their troops had been crucial in halting the Alomentian threat during the civil war. Because of their swift and decisive actions, the Red family had been granted half of Alomentia’s territory and elevated to a ducal title.
Ravina had a suspicious mind, especially after what had happened to her—not once, but twice. So, when she read the soft report, a nagging feeling crept into her thoughts. There was more to this story than the ink on the paper revealed. Alomentia had been one of the founding families of the kingdom, earning their title through generations of support to both the nation and the royal family. Most queens had even come from that line.
Why, then, would they suddenly revolt? No… something didn’t add up. The royal family, which had regained much of Alomentia’s land, and the Reds, who had acquired far too much for it to be mere coincidence, seemed to benefit too conveniently from the situation. Ravina’s thoughts churned. This wasn’t a simple case of being in the right place at the right time.
There was one glaring question: how had the House of Red—formerly a mere baron’s family with no land of their own—amassed enough troops to bring down a dukedom as powerful as Alomentia? It defied logic.
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Her fingers traced the edge of the report as she leaned back, her brows furrowing. Red... The name left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was clear that the House of Red was filled with cunning opportunists—snakes, even.
The more she thought about it, the clearer the picture became. The destruction they had wrought through proxy, manipulating events from behind the scenes, made sense. The church and Ravenshield may not have even been their true targets. Duke Red and his allies likely aimed to disrupt everything—ensuring no one else could gain power or stability while they consolidated their own.
“The Reds have a daughter around my age, do they not?” Ravina asked, her tone contemplative.
“I believe so, my lady,” Walter replied. “She should be in her first year, if I remember correctly.”
“Oh, good. I believe it would be appropriate to send her an invitation to visit,” Ravina said, a subtle plan forming in her mind.
“I shall fetch a fine-graded paper for you, my lady,” Walter responded, already turning to leave.
“Make it two, if you please, and ensure I know everything about her before the meeting. I should also like to send her home with a gift for her father. Speaking of which, how are the troops you hired doing?”
“I believe Mr. Caloclees has taken up that task. He’s one of our gardening staff on retainer, so there should be little trace to us if he’s caught. After all, he hasn’t actually done any work for us in seven years,” Walter noted.
“I see. Well, I’d like a report sooner rather than later,” Ravina answered.
“As you wish, my lady,” Walter bowed and left the room to fetch the paper.
Ravina leaned back in her chair, her fingers absentmindedly drumming on the desk. “I’m sure I could find countless instances where snakes have infested this nation,” she murmured to herself. “After all, history is recorded by the victor.” Her eyes flicked down to the papers spread before her. “So, in the end, it doesn’t matter what truly happened.”
Ravina tapped a finger thoughtfully on her leg. “Of course... victors aren’t the only ones who write things down…” she mused aloud. If she could find something to prove her suspicion—that the Red family was the treacherous snake she believed them to be—then she could very well ruin both the Royal family and the Reds. Though, the Reds would suffer far greater consequences.
Still, even if she held onto the information it would be enough to ensure that the Royal backing the slaver wouldn't be able to help even if she publicly castrated that man.
She smiled at the idea, quite looking forward to it.