"So what's next?" Ida asked as they strolled down the hall.

"Seems you never got to take over my position but why do I feel like you are happy about it?" She asked as she watched Ivo's face light up.

"Nothing really, don't you have a castle to defend?" Ivo asked her as he broke free from her grip.

"Wait when are you leaving for blightrock?" She asked.

"Oh today" Ivo replied as he turned to leave.

But I'm not heading to blightrock he whispered under his breath.

Ida felt like Ivo was taking it too well, he was calm and collected, like everything was still going according to his plan. She knew how much of a schemer he was, all of this could just be a part of a bigger plan that she had no idea about.

Once again, she appreciated the fact that she was on his side, she didn't want that scary brain of his against her. She knew the most scary person in the castle, the most scary person that fought for the throne, was the bastard that they looked down on.

She turned to see Ivo flirting with some servant girls, he grabbed their hands and swirled one of them around before the other. They seemed genuinely happy like they worked for him.

Wait….that was how he got every information he wanted, the entire castle staff worked for him. He had eyes everywhere.

"Ida" a voice called her as she turned to see Edric standing in front of her also looking at Ivo who was playing with the servants. "What do you think of him?" Edric asked her.

Ida turned to him as her smile disappeared. "Stupid" she replied.

"Ida, come on don't give me that, you have been the one closest to him, what do you think of him?"

"I just told you Edric, stupid."

"You support him, don't you?"

Ida didn't reply as she simply tried to walk pass, Edric grabbed her arm to pull her back, she placed her hand over his shoulder pulling him down, but he turned around, slamming her against the iron walls.

She turned to look at Ivo but he was gone along with the two servants, "see he abandoned the at the slightest chance he got, do you still want to support a coward?"

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"Isn't it better than supporting a brother that sleeps with his brother's betrothed?" Ida asked, she felt Edric's grip loosen around her arm and she immediately pulled away, dropping low as she swiped him off his feet.

He fell back first as she sat over him ready to launch an alley of punches when someone held her hand.

"Oh Ida dear, I don't think this is the best time for violence" Elvira said.

"So what's the next step?" Ethan asked Ivo who loaded a bag filled with essentials, money, clothes mostly.

"Well for starters you are going to make sure that Melisa is up and kicking before winter sets in, and then you will give her this" he instructed as he handled him a letter.

"What's inside the letter" Ethan asked as he was already opening it, Ivo didn't stop him as he stared at the foreign writing filled with long and short strokes. It was shorthand and only Ivo and Melisa were the two people in the world who could read it currently.

"Are you going to tell me what it means?" Ethan asked but ivo simply patted his shoulder, "well not yet. I have other things to do, but I can draw you a rough sheet; you are pretty smart so you will figure it out."

Ethan hated the extra work, but as he held the letter in his hand, excitement grew within him. He wanted to learn new things and Ivo was literally a walking library that he wanted to study.

"So when will you be back? Are we going to expect any letters? Who is going with you Ida? Because I can't"

"I won't even take you with me because you will slow me down" Ivo said as the knock on the door drew his attention.

"Ouch that was unnecessary, but I will get the door" Ethan responded as he walked towards the open and stared down the keyhole as Ivo had instructed.

"Hey Ivo it is a kid" Ethan called out.

"What are you waiting for? Let him in" Ivo instructed.

Ethan unbolted the door and slid it open as the lanky kid walked into the room, he carried a bag too large for his size. He smelled like melted iron and rust. And he was darker like he spent his days in the workshop.

Ethan realized that the kid was also sizing him up, probably determining of what use was he to Ivo before Ivo walked up to the kid with a smile.

"Hey Georg" Ivo called out, the kid who had the meanest look on his face suddenly lighten up with a large smile, he hugged Ivo despite how dirty he looked and Ivo hugged him even tighter.

"Sorry I haven't come to visit, I have been really busy" Ivo told him as he rubbed his hair.

"I asked the kitchen to bring in food, ham, and wheat portage just your favorite"Ivo added. The kid nodded and passed the bag to Ivo before running to the set table.

"Who is the kid? What's in the bag?" Ethan asked as he walked away from the door, still realizing that the kid gave him deadly glances from time to time.

It was difficult to imagine a kid with a mouthful of food staring at you like he wanted to gut you in your sleep. But here Ethan could.

"Oh that's Georg" Ivo said casually as he laid the bag on the ground carefully.

"Don't you think I will be needing more information than that?" Ethan asked.

"No not really, he is a stone carver, and he will be taking you and Melisa to the black box once I leave here."

"What's a black box? Where are you going to?" Ethan asked but Ivo stood up and patted his shoulder "just focus on making it out of the castle undetected."

He bent to pull out a large black cross bow, it was made from oak wood with metal string and a reload shuffle under it. It could fire twenty rounds or more and can be reloaded by just switching the shuffle box under it.

Ethan swallowed hard.