CH487 As the Wind Blows In Pangea... II

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Elsewhere, within the Ashen Castle…

A half-drow woman dressed in a military-style uniform strode through the fortress gates.

Strangely, as she passed the guards, none of them moved.

None of them stirred.

It was as if they didn't recognise her presence… or even her existence.

She walked with familiarity through the winding corridors and spiral staircases of Ashen Castle until she reached the door to Earl Drake Fury's office.

She entered without knocking.

Seated behind the main desk was the man who had made half the Virellian Empire lose sleep and hair in equal measure—trying to predict his next move.

And yet, here he was, quietly working through a stack of documents.

"You know I can have your head for entering my office like this, right?" Earl Drake said, never lifting his gaze from the page.

The woman wasn't intimidated. She smiled as she glanced around the office.

"Now, now, Drake. I'm pretty sure I knocked before entering your castle. Look—your men didn't say a word as I walked in."

Drake calmly penned down a few final lines on the document, then handed it to the butler and dismissed him.

As the butler left, he gave the woman a solemn look—almost as if trying to carve her face into his memory for later.

"You really need to work on the décor of your office," the woman remarked lightly. "It was much different when Amelia was alive."

"Do you have a reason to come here, Telena?" Earl Drake asked, leaning back in his seat, fingers interlaced as his gaze finally settled on her. "There must be a reason you slipped in besides testing my patience."

"Like I said, I didn't slip in. You allowed me to enter." Telena smiled wider. "Do you really think little old me could sneak into the castle of the infamous Mad Earl?"

She wasn't entirely wrong.

She had moved through Ashen Castle without drawing the guards' attention, yes… but only because she carried no hostility.

The moment she leaked even the slightest intent to harm anything within these walls, the castle would have responded.

Immediately.

Earl Drake didn't humour her.

He simply stared at her in silence.

Telena sighed when she realised he had no intention of playing along.

"I see you've grown stiffer over the years," she said with mild disappointment.

She walked to the desk and sat down as though she owned the place.

"Someone asked me to deliver this to you discreetly if anything happened," she continued, sliding a rolled parchment across the table. "And it has."

Her smile faded slightly.

"With how closely you're being watched these days, I had no choice but to step out myself."

Drake raised an eyebrow, eyeing the parchment with open suspicion.

"Are you still in the service of the Velratha Matriarchy?" he asked.

"I told you the last time we met—I already left their service." Telena replied smoothly. "I'm working for a new employer now. This document is from them."

"You?" Drake's scepticism deepened. "With your patriotism towards EVE, you expect me to believe you'd serve anyone else?"

Telena's smile thinned.

"Let's just say I've grown more disillusioned with age. After leaving the service, I found a new calling." She leaned back slightly. "I'm simply following it."

Drake's gaze sharpened.

"Is that why a Grand Mage on the cusp of Legend is meandering around as a mere Great Mage?" he probed.

Telena didn't flinch.

"Let's just say my employer doesn't need my strength," she answered calmly. "They need my experience. My knowhow."

Then she tilted her head, her tone turning faintly amused.

"There's no need for this dance, Drake. Open the document, and you'll understand."

A pause.

"Unless…" she added lightly, "…you're afraid I'm here to harm you?"

Drake gave a short, humourless chuckle at the absurd suggestion.

He reached out and unrolled the parchment.

The moment his eyes skimmed the opening lines, something shifted.

A flicker of shock.

"…Is this real?" he asked quietly.

"It is." Telena nodded once. "He anticipated something like this would happen—well, not exactly like this—but he expected he'd be attacked and incapacitated by some means."

Her gaze stayed locked onto Drake's.

"So he left behind contingencies. This is the one that fits your current situation."

Then she looked at him directly, voice steady.

"I'm sure you understand now why I work for him."

"Yes." Drake nodded. "And it's just like you."

His eyes lowered to the parchment again.

"Loyal to a fault."

He read in silence for a long while, expression tightening in places, smoothing in others. When he was done, he rolled the parchment back up and set it aside with nothing more than a small nod.

Telena watched him closely.

His reaction was exactly what she expected.

"You don't seem surprised," she said.

"Well… he's always had a good head on his shoulders," Drake replied. "Better than mine, at least. I'm not surprised he came up with something like this."

He tapped the parchment lightly, then let out a quiet chuckle.

"What does surprise me is that he managed to gather the means to employ someone like you—right under my nose." His smile sharpened. "Isn't that fascinating?"

"I was surprised too," Telena admitted. "When I found out he was my employer… Amelia would've been proud."

"That she would." A genuine smile finally found its way onto Drake's usually stoic face.

Telena leaned forward slightly.

"So?" she asked.

Drake's smile faded back into calm indifference.

"Well, since he doesn't want me interfering with his hunt, I'll do as he asked…" He paused, then said evenly, "and set the stage for him."

Telena's eyes narrowed.

"But this isn't about him. It's about making sure you don't fall into their trap—and especially not get on the wrong side of the Imperial Sun."

Her tone cooled.

"That Emperor of yours really did send you a writ not to retaliate, didn't he?"

"Careful, Telena." Drake's gaze hardened. "I may not hold the best impression of the Imperial Sun, but I am still an Earl of the Empire."

His voice dropped, carrying a quiet threat.

"I will not tolerate an insult to my Emperor… especially not from an outsider."

He stared at her for a moment.

"I'll overlook it once—on account of our past relationship… and our current ties." Drake finished.

Telena returned his stare with equal measure, then shook her head.

"Don't evade my question, Drake," she pressed.

Drake rose from his seat and walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back. He stared out over the City of Ashes, watching the distant rooftops and drifting smoke as if the answer was written somewhere out there.

"You may have been a spymaster," he said without turning, "but you don't truly understand the politics of aristocracy."

Then he turned back slowly, his crimson pupils flashing as they met her own.

"And you don't understand what goes through the minds of those of my bloodline."

A faint, almost gentle smile touched his lips.

"There's more to the Imperial Sun's writ than simply a threat of treason forbidding me from striking the Ducal Houses."

He point to the parchment on the table lightly.

"And there's more to this document than outlining how I should strike them."

Drake's voice grew softer—yet more dangerous.

"The intent behind the two seems contradictory…" he said. "…but in truth, they align."

His smile twisted into something predatory.

"The Emperor… and that son of mine," Drake said softly, "are telling me to hand off the Machholts, the Reicharts, and the Wastelanders."

His eyes narrowed.

"They are prey that belongs to someone else."

He let the words hang for a moment, then continued, voice calm but sharp.

"The Imperial Sun's writ strips the justification from me… and hands it to the one who wants it—needs it."

Drake's gaze flicked to the parchment on the desk.

"And this plan you've brought me is nothing more than a way for me to maintain my honour and infamy… without crossing the bottom line of those two men."

His expression shifted again, as if the thought genuinely amused him.

"Isn't it fascinating?" Drake suddenly became more animated.

Then he laughed—openly.

"I am a wolf." His voice carried pride. "And I believed I gave birth to a wolf cub…"

His smile widened.

"But it seems I've been raising a lion."

Telena frowned, trying to untangle the meaning behind Drake's words—and the greater game being played.

Drake waved a hand dismissively.

"You can leave. I'll follow the plan." His tone sharpened. "But make sure you take advantage of it as much as you can. There's no point setting the stage for him if his subordinates can't capitalise."

Telena's eyes flashed.

But she didn't argue.

She only nodded, then rose to her feet.

Just as she reached the door, Drake spoke again.

"Tell me, Telena… after all these years, why do they still have your loyalty?"

Telena paused.

She turned back slowly and replied, "They lost my loyalty after that incident all those years ago."

Her voice was flat—cold even.

"This isn't about loyalty. It's about duty and responsibility."

She held Drake's gaze.

"The Matriarchs threw away my loyalty." A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Now it's been found by someone else."

Her eyes gleamed with something difficult to name.

"Someone with the cunning of a wolf, the bearing of a dragon, and the heart of a lion…" She tilted her head slightly. "An interesting person..."

With that, Telena walked out.

She left the Ashen Castle as quietly as she came.

Drake returned to his desk, staring down at the document once more.

"The Fang, Ungentlemanly warfare and plausible deniability…" he murmured.

He chuckled.

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