Countess Amelia Redgrave was not a woman who trusted secondhand reports.

  She had built her reputation on exposing corruption, dismantling incompetent rulers, and unraveling political deception.

  So when conflicting rumors about Lord Lucian Veilwood of Duskwatch reached her, she didn’t know whether to be amused or deeply concerned.

  Some reports painted him as a fool who had stumbled into success.

  Others described a cunning strategist manipulating events from the shadows.

  And one particularly dramatic informant claimed that the Mercenary King himself had bowed before him.

  Amelia scoffed, setting that last report aside. "No noble is that influential."

  Still, there were too many inconsistencies.

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  A young noble with no experience, ruling over a ruined wasteland, had somehow done the impossible.

  First, he abolished taxes—and the economy thrived.

  Then, he removed bureaucratic oversight—and crime plummeted.

  Now, he had secured an elite mercenary force at half price?

  She tapped her fingers against her desk, staring at the documents before her.

  "A noble who abolishes taxes yet prospers? A militia formed without formal command? And now, even the Mercenary King himself aligns with him?"

  She exhaled slowly.

  "This Lord Veilwood is either a fool… or a mastermind."

  Summoning her most trusted spy, she handed him a sealed letter.

  "Go to Duskwatch. Observe him closely. I need to know whether we have a rising power… or a hidden threat to the empire itself."

  The spy bowed deeply. "It will be done, my lady."

  As he left, Amelia sipped her tea, already considering the next steps.

  If Lucian Veilwood was truly a harmless fool, she would expose his incompetence and let the empire dismiss him.

  But if he was something more?

  Then she would have to ensure he never became a threat.