half an hour later...
In a tavern hall somewhere in the outer ring of the capital. The place was alive with noise, laughter, drunken chatter, and the clinking of mugs echoed against the walls.
The wooden tavern structure was darkened by years of smoke and spilled ale. The air was thick with the scent of cheap alcohol and roasted meat, creating an environment both lively and suffocating.
A cloaked figure stood in front of the main counter. His presence blended oddly into the chaos around him.
"This is the payment for the booze," the man said before passing a single bronze coin to the man across the counter. The tavern owner looked intently at the coin for a few seconds before picking it up.
The cloaked man left the tavern after paying without looking back. blending into the crowd.
Meanwhile, the tavern owner engaged with new customers for a few minutes before another man came up beside him and started helping him.
"I want you to take up your shift early today," the tavern owner said, looking at the man silently. The newly arrived figure looked at him a bit longer and then nodded before taking on the counter.
No further words were exchanged, yet an understanding passed silently between them.
The tavern owner opened the shelf below the counter and took out the bronze coin handed to him earlier; he had kept it separately among the silver coins.
From the back door of the tavern, the man entered the busy streets of the capital. The streets were still alive despite the early morning.
Unknown to him, faint energy was shuffling between the shadows of people around him, specifically following him. It moved imperceptibly, merging seamlessly with the darkness cast by flickering torches and moving bodies.
A few minutes passed, and the man kept on roaming around, taking detours and turning around narrow alleyways. His path seemed random, as if he was testing whether he was being followed.
The shadow still kept following him without losing the trail. It slipped across walls, stretched along cobblestones, and vanished into corners only to reappear again behind him.
Finally, looking back a few times, the man ensured nobody followed him. His eyes scanned carefully, lingering on every movement behind him.
After he was satisfied, he turned and walked straight to the inner circle of the city.
The shadow kept following him, jumping between objects and people. until the man started entering the core area of the city, where only the most secure merchants and highly esteemed noble families lived.
The environment changed drastically into cleaner streets, guarded entrances, and an oppressive silence that replaced the chaos of the outer ring.
The shadow followed him into the core area without hesitation. A few minutes later, the man stood in front of the Winter Duke’s mansion. The towering structure loomed over him.
The man was stopped by the guards standing at the entrance, but then suddenly he whispered something in the guards’ ears, and he was allowed entry without problem. The guards exchanged brief glances before stepping aside, their expressions tightening ever so slightly.
The looks of this commoner man contrasted with the noble, elegant surroundings, yet nobody stopped him; he straight walked up to barracks where the soldiers trained, and without waiting, he walked around them towards the stable where steeds of the Winter family were being taken care of.
Inside the stable, he met the keeper of that place and handed him the coin with a smile. "This is my first installment of the debt I took last month," he said before leaving the man with the copper coin.
The smell of hay and animals filled the air; the man cleaning the horses stood up, walked out of the stables, and entered the main palace from the front door. The shadow didn’t lose any trail and kept following the stablekeeper.
The man walked inside and directly met the main butler. "My lord," he bowed and presented the copper coin.
His posture was humble, but his movements carried a strange rhythm.
"My lord, yesterday I was handed out my income, but the officer gave out a defective copper in the sack of coins; it hasn’t been minted with the imperial seal. Now he won’t return this; please help me deal with this precarious situation, my lord."
His tone was carefully crafted, with just enough desperation to be believable.
The butler nodded and took the coin before taking out another copper coin and handing it to the stable keeper. "Thank you, my lord, may you..." The man was about to praise him, but the butler dismissed him instantly.
The man left promptly, while the Butler walked into Duke Winter’s study silently and shut the door behind him. With a silent gesture, he presented the coin to the duke.
Duke Winter had a tall, muscular figure, his white hair folded back into a ponytail, and a blue-white noble attire fitted tightly to his frame. His presence alone commanded respect, his sharp eyes reflecting years of experience.
The duke took the coin and broke it with a bit of strength; the coin broke like an eggshell from the center, revealing a small note.
Inside the note, Duke Winter read the contents carefully, and his brows rose. His expression shifted from calm composure to alert focus in an instant.
He looked at his butler and instructed, "Let’s go to the imperial palace; we need to inform him immediately," he said with a hurried expression. Urgency replaced the previously controlled atmosphere.
It was unknown to him that the shadow of a decorative vase at the corner of the room moved faintly.
After the two men left the room, the shadow rustled and left through a window of the room. It slipped out like a wisp of smoke, vanishing into the daylight.
In Aurelius’s study...
Almost an hour had passed, and everyone had been sitting quietly, waiting for someone. The silence had grown heavy, each passing second stretching longer than the last.
"Aren’t we wasting our time here waiting if we really have to attack in 3 hours?" Aurelius asked. His patience was wearing thin; his fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his seat.
Blue Raven moved his head to look at him. "Patience is the most essential tool of a leader," he said, making Aurelius irritated. Who was he to teach him? Aurelius was a bit annoyed but didn’t say much.
Soon, a whisp of shadow flickered in front of them, only to form conjecture and take the shape of Number 1. The transformation was smooth yet eerie, the shadow condensing into a solid form.
Number 1 kneeled in front of Aurelius. His head lowered in respect, though his presence carried urgency.
"Speak Number 1, did you find anything suspicious about him?"
Number 1 gave a slight pause before speaking. "Yes, my lord, I did find something suspicious," he said, making everyone’s ears perk up, especially Aurelius, who found it hard to believe. His butler was way older than him and had served his father faithfully, and it had been the same with him.
"Are you sure??" Aurelius asked again. His voice carried disbelief.
Number 1 sighed in his mind; he knew this was going to be more difficult to explain than he had earlier anticipated.