Yulia has the wrong idea. She thinks I’m delivering this report early because of some scheme but it really is just to avoid problems in the morning. Maybe it’s also to spare Alana another uncomfortable conversation. She refused her father but it certainly wasn’t easy. Thinking about it, she never outright told him no. Even a roundabout rejection was almost too much for her to handle. So, if I happen to exchange a few words with the good duke while delivering a message that spares her a little pain, then all’s well that ends well.

Though I may not be a schemer, I do have an unfortunate tendency to land myself in the schemes of others. It can’t be helped. Given my circumstances and the people I surround myself with, it’s inevitable that I get into trouble. Focusing on my advanced hearing as I navigate the manor is a necessity, as I only vaguely remember the location of the duke’s study. I don’t intend to spy on the members of the house but it’s not something I can stop. The nervous mutterings of the servants as they discuss Khan being dragged into the house while restrained reaches my ears whether I want them to or not.

The same for the conversation between Roza and Bulliard. I don’t know where they are exactly. Their voices travel, as they’re not making any effort to be quiet. Once I hear them, I stop and lean against the closest wall, shutting my eyes as I focus on my hearing.

Alana’s mother sounds tired. Tired and angry. “I suppose I should be flattered with you and Erenhart’s opinion of me. Instead, it’s irritating. He expects me to work miracles. Demands it. But even a woman who works miracles isn’t good enough to be a James. It’s insulting.”

“Is supporting Victory not reward enough?” the old servant grumbles.

“I know of only one creature that will adore its master no matter how it is treated. That would be a dog. No matter how long I’ve spent on my knees for him, I am not that man’s bitch. He refused a relationship of goodwill so now our relationship is one of transaction.”

“I counseled him against that.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment? If I cared for men’s flattery, I would have stuck with my old line of work. Anyone with eyes could see I was a better choice than Ariza. That woman should be his personal maid, not a duchess of Victory. It’s embarrassing.”

“There are some that said the same about you.”

She scoffs. It sounds exactly like my future saint when she isn’t impressed. “None who would say the same today.”

“Will you do it or not?”

“Of course I will do it. I’m a northerner, aren’t I? We take the beatings and keep marching.” She sighs, heavily. There’s a lifetime of exhaustion in it. “Though there’s little point. All my efforts, meaningless. Alana doesn’t want to succeed her father. A James that has turned her back on Victory. Of all the ways I saw my life going wrong, this was never one. Ancestors.”

“Roza.”

“Yes, yes. I will clean up this family’s mess, again. Completely suppressing the story is impossible. Khan is too well-known and too many people saw him detained to not spread rumors.”

“Perhaps your daughter shouldn’t have been so careless.”

“Perhaps he shouldn’t have betrayed his family, the kingdom, and all of humanity. Did your mother never teach you that if you get into a match of pointing fingers, you’ll lose an eye?”

“My mother died.”

“So did mine. In far less honorable circumstances, I imagine.” Saints preserve them, these people are depressing. “Knowing how inflexible that man is, I assume he is allowing me creative freedom?”

“If I could make a suggestion—”

“You cannot. As I said, suppression is no good. That leaves exaggeration and misdirection. Hm. We cannot tell the people we suspect these estrazi are connected to the Lords. That doesn’t leave many ways to explain a coordinated force with enough intelligence to plan an ambush. In fact, there is only one worth exploring. Invasion.”

“Invasion?”

“Don’t look so surprised. It is easy to forget, but we aren’t the only race that inhabits this world. The elf should have reminded you of that. The good people of Victory are hardy but ignorant. It wouldn’t be difficult to find some obscure record of another race that fits their description.”

“And how would they have invaded us without us knowing?”

“They sailed. The north does have a shore, even if we can’t reach it.”

“They sailed…over the ice.” The servant’s voice is thick with disbelief.

“Perhaps they have ships made of fire,” she growls. “Maybe they skated across the ocean. Or flew. It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we establish they are just another enemy to fight.”

“No one needs to tell our soldiers they are enemies. I don’t understand the need for deception. Why not say these estrazi are simply another intelligent monster, which they appear to be?”

“Because if we call them monsters, they are Victory’s problem. If we call them invaders, they are the kingdom’s problem.”

“We don’t need them.”

Another heavy sigh. “Whatever his faults, Erenhart is no fool. Our people grow more numerous but you’re deceiving yourself if you think we’re growing stronger. You’re not a child being told stories by the few living knights in your family who make the war sound glorious. We’re losing. We’ve always been losing and that’s because we’ve always done the same thing. Something has to change.

“Erenhart tried but his half-hearted measures aren’t going to work. Giving the orders more freedom has diluted the fanatic ideas of some of the older families. Involving the hunters has increased our yield, lowered our casualties, and improved our relations with the rest of the kingdom. That wasn’t enough to win a decisive battle past the Peaks. It won’t be nearly enough to win a war if the Lords become aggressive. So yes, Bulliard. Northern pride be damned, I want the royal army marching with the Moons.”

“…fine. What do you need for this latest performance?”

“An ancient book with a few drawings of the estrazi. A couple corpses. Along with the usual cooperation spreading a few rumors. Erenhart should prepare himself to give a speech to the fort in about a week. Preferably with the cooperation of Khan.”

“The duke should not be seen by the side of a traitor!”

“Have you two learned nothing over the years? You have to control every angle of the story. Khan cannot be seen as a traitor. That is not detrimental. That is catastrophic. The James cannot be doubted, especially now. We get him in his full gear with a few Moons and Stars behind him. Then we drag Khan out and he acts like a man whose mind has been tampered with. We need him insane. Utterly insane. Walking on his fists, frothing at the mouth, howling like an animal insane. Turn him into a victim. Make them sympathetic rather than suspicious.”

“Mm…it makes sense but I doubt Khan will be able to put on a convincing performance.”

“Serve him the right drink and he’ll perform.”

“…supposing the duke will agree to drugging his son, there are plenty who will be able to recognize the use of drugs.”

“He will agree. All that man has done in the name of duty, I will find a way to hurt him if this is where he draws the line.”

“You dare threaten—"

“Oh, stop. You know I don’t mean it just like I know you’re a bit too old to get so worked up. You do have a point. This story is going to be prodded by the best in Victory. Someone could notice. Hm. My daughter’s infatuation. Her creatures. They can use the mental affinity?”

“Are you suggesting having those creatures mess around in his mind?”

“Yes. It isn’t like it hasn’t been done before. The wine has already been spilled. There is no point in getting upset that someone walked in it too. If he can’t perform, shatter his mind for real. If he is his father’s son, he’ll be happy to serve his family one last time.”

“…you are a cold woman.”

“I tried warming hearts and beds. Ice has gotten me much farther. You have the bones of what I want to do. Fetch approval from your master so I can get to work. Alana’s army should be nice and drunk by now. The perfect time to spread stories. Every minute counts.”

I straighten up as a door around the corner from me opens, footsteps heading in my direction. I turn my back and walk slowly, doing my best to appear like I’m lost and clueless. Not hard, given that I am lost.

“Lady Tome.”

I look over my shoulder, breathing deeply as I work to compose my features. “Good timing. I was looking for the duke. Have something for him.” I raise the report and wave it.

“That was…fast.” The servant’s thick, gray brows furrow.

“Yes, well. This is important information.”

“…then allow me to escort you.”

I fall in step behind him as he moves past me, hoping he isn’t another that can read me like an open book. I certainly heard plenty that could show on my face. Now I understand why Roza has a seat at the duke’s table and why she can take such an impertinent tone.

She’s his gossip monger. The one who handles his family’s image. Weaponizing it to further the family’s goals or using it as a shield against verbal or social attacks.

The person who handles a family’s image is incredibly powerful, no matter if they are a high-ranking member of the family or a long-time servant. Specifically, because such a person knows their family’s secrets. All of them. They have to know every weakness to properly defend them. They hold the power to destroy their factions. They are essential to a family’s future so they cannot be executed easily. To keep them loyal, they are afforded all kinds of privileges. Money, women, power.

If Roza is the gossip monger for the James family, the only nobles in the north, then she is no simple woman. As expected of Alana’s mother, I suppose. And damn impressive. Going from a prostitute to a woman of incredible influence is no small feat. Saints, I can almost understand her anger. That is a lot of work. A plan that took decades. Alana was a part of that plan. If her mother is the woman I think she is, she is perfectly positioned to not only ensure Alana succeeds her father but guarantee a smooth rule…and Alana just threw it all out of a very high window to a very hard ground.

Ah, well. Her fulfillment isn’t my concern.