Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

After Elise and I returned to Kaltbrand Castle, we parted ways so I could get ready for the second night of the banquet. Before she left, Elise hesitated and seemed like she wanted to tell me something, but decided against it. Her behavior aroused my curiosity, but I decided to let it be for now. Elise would say what she had to say in her own time.

As I readied myself for the banquet, the twins gave me a brief summary of what the northern nobles had been up to in my absence. Nothing major happened with the nobles, beyond the usual gossiping and negotiating. This surprised me. After what happened last night, I expected Lord Ulric to cause a commotion. However, he remained silent, which I found suspicious. Perhaps he was biding his time.

Other than that, the only thing of note was how Lady Adelheid and Lord Wilhelm managed to sway a few more nobles to our side by revealing House Gerhard’s new relationship with House Guld. They never outright stated it, relying on implications and innuendos, but that was more than enough to convince some. These nobles wanted to curry favor with House Gerhard while they had the chance.

Unlike the first night, Grand Duke Kaltbrand, Knight Commander Bardin, Count Wirner, and I didn’t eat at the head table by ourselves. The heads of House Gerhard, House Arbeit, and House Steuben joined us, along with their families. To say that it was a tense affair would be an understatement. Count Arbeit, Lord Ulric’s father, made no attempt to hide his hostility towards me. In fact, he outright berated me for my behavior towards his son, though I silenced him with ease.

The real problem was Countess Steuben, Lord Klemens’ mother. I never liked the word games that nobles indulged in, the verbal sparring they used in order to trick and undermine their opponents. Barbed comments, backhanded compliments, and hidden insults. I could hold my own, but Countess Steuben put me to shame.

If words were weapons, she was the equivalent of an Aura Master. Unlike her son, not once did I get the upper hand with her. She always managed to redirect or deflect my attacks, while landing several hits of her own. She accomplished all this with a polite smile on her face. If Countess Steuben ever entered Haven’s high society, she would no doubt become a force to contend with.

However, despite their high status within the Barrens, at the end of the day, House Steuben were little more than rural nobles. They had neither the influence nor the means to relocate to Haven. If Lord Klemens ever became the grand duke, that might change, though that would never happen. I would make sure of it.

Needless to say, the second night of the banquet was an exhausting affair. At least I hadn’t been alone. Not only did I have Grand Duke Kaltbrand, Knight Commander Bardin, and Count Wirner on my side, but I also had Viscount Gerhard’s support. That made everything much more bearable.

Even so, by the time I made it back to my rooms, I barely made the effort to change out of my formal clothes before I crawled into bed and fell asleep. The third day of the banquet was much like the second. I attended the meeting alongside Grand Duke Kaltbrand. While many of House Kaltbrand’s vassals remained wary, some of them no longer remained hostile towards me. That was a far cry from accepting me, but it was a step in the right direction.

After the meeting, I visited the second of the three orphanages that I had sponsored. Elise joined me. It took less time to reach the orphanage, which meant I could spend more time with the orphans themselves. As expected, most of them were wary around me, but after I revealed that I had been an orphan as well, they opened up to me a little. Elise kept an eye out for trouble. However, from time to time, I noticed her watching me with a strange expression on her face, the same one from before.

Maybe she thought it was unbecoming for someone of my status to mingle with mere orphans. That was how most nobles thought. However, I didn’t think that was the case. My intuition told me that there was something else going on with her. I considered questioning her about it, but refrained. Forcing the issue would just cause her to become tight-lipped. Either she would tell me in her own time, or she wouldn’t.

I got my opportunity sooner than expected after we returned to Kaltbrand Castle. Just as we were about to part ways, so I could get ready for the third night of the banquet, Elise called out to me.

“Lord Wulfe,” Elise said, a conflicted expression on her face, “Would you help someone in need, even if it didn’t benefit you?”

I blinked at her, surprised by the sudden question.

“That would depend on the circumstances.” I said, frowning. “In general, if it is within my power, then yes.”

Elise nodded, as if she expected this answer.

“What if that person was your enemy?” She asked.

I studied her for several seconds, before narrowing my eyes.

“Why do you ask?” I asked in a cold voice.

Elise took her time before responding.

“I think it would be a good idea for you to visit the western garden tonight, my lord.” She said. “About two hours after the banquet starts. I think you’ll see something that will interest you.” She paused. “If you have some way to hide your presence, I suggest you use it.”

I released some of my pressure.

“Dame Elise,” I said, “Explain yourself.”

“I can’t.” She said, shaking her head. “I wish I could, but I can’t. Just, please trust me, my lord. You’ll know what I mean if you do.”

I considered having the Blue Shadows take Elise into custody and interrogate her because of her suspicious behavior. However, I held back because of the fear and resignation in her eyes. Whatever was going on, it had taken a lot for her to reach out to me like this. I suspected that I might regret it if I didn’t do as she asked.

“Very well,” I said, “Two hours after the banquet starts?”

Elise nodded.

“Yes, my lord.”

“I’ll be there.” I increased my pressure. “However, if I find out that you have betrayed me or House Kaltbrand, I will kill you myself. Understood?”

Elise gave me a grim smile.

“I’m prepared to pay that price, my lord,” she said.

I studied her for several more seconds, before I dismissed her with a gesture. When she was out of sight, I headed towards my rooms to convene with the twins. If Elise was luring me into some kind of trap, I needed to prepare for it. After all, I said that I would go to the western gardens at the appointed time. However, I never said that I would go alone.

Several hours later, I found myself in the western gardens. Despite its rather bleak and foreboding appearance, Kaltbrand Castle boasted a number of gardens, each one with its own courtyard within the castle. There were four gardens in total, one for each cardinal direction. When I first arrived, the gardens had been bare and barren. However, now that spring was well underway, they were bursting with life.

The western garden was the least popular of the four, since it only had plants and flowers that were native to the Barrens. Meanwhile, the other gardens had plants and flowers that had been transplanted from other regions of the Reichwald Empire with great difficulty. However, this also meant that the western garden was the perfect place for a private nighttime rendezvous.

After I separated from Elise, I met with the twins and explained the situation to them. They found Elise’s behavior suspicious as well. Rosalind wanted to take her into custody right away. However, I ordered them to hold off. There was a chance that there was nothing serious and we were all just being paranoid. In that case, Elise was innocent of any crime. However, even if she wasn’t, I wanted to catch her in the act rather than rely on suspicion and conjecture.

Elise was a Coldsteel Knight. If the Blue Shadows took her into custody and interrogated her without evidence, even if she was guilty, that would only sour relations with the Coldsteel Knights and cause resentment. In the end, Rosalind accepted my reasoning, though she wasn’t happy about it.

The three of us came up with a plan, before I readied myself and headed towards the banquet. The third night was much like the second, tense and tiring. However, when the appointed time drew near, Maria delivered a fake message to me and I excused myself, claiming that I had urgent business to attend to. This drew protests from everyone, and snide remarks from House Steuben, but I ignored them. Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander Bardin each gave me a questioning look, but didn’t stop me.

After Maria and I left the banquet hall, we met with Rosalind at the meeting spot we had arranged beforehand. When we arrived, she gave us both a shadowstep, the magic tool that allowed the Blue Shadows to move around unseen. It was a plain bracelet made from coldsteel. Despite its simple design, I noticed the subtle hints of magic emanating from it.

The three of us donned our shadowsteps, before making our way to the western garden. Using a shadowstep was an interesting experience. The magic tool hid me from sight, and even concealed my mana signature. Moving around unseen was an exhilarating experience. Every time we passed by someone without them knowing, I felt a small thrill.

However, before we put them on, the twins warned me about the flaws of using a shadowstep. The biggest was that while a shadowstep hid a person from sight, and even concealed their mana signature, it had no effect on the other senses. This meant that it was possible to hear, smell, taste, and touch someone using a shadowstep.

Another flaw was that shadowsteps required a large amount of mana to use, even for a short period of time. As an Aura Master, I had a massive reserve of mana but even I wouldn’t be able to use one for more than a few hours. Those without mana had it worse. They needed to spend a ridiculous amount of mana crystals to use a shadowstep. This made utilizing shadowsteps an expensive endeavor, even in the Barrens, where mana crystals were more abundant.

These two flaws were the reason why shadowsteps didn’t see more use, for which I was grateful. The last thing I wanted was for them to be more widespread. However, now that I knew about their flaws, I could keep an ear out for someone using a shadowstep near me.

The twins and I made our way to the western garden, arriving just before the appointed time. We would have arrived sooner if it weren’t for me. Unlike the twins, I wasn’t as used to moving around without making any noise, so it took some getting used to. My heart leapt into my throat every time I misjudged a step or bumped into something.

There was no one at the western garden when we arrived, so the three of us found a good vantage point and waited. To avoid losing each other, or bumping into one another, the twins insisted on holding hands. Well, Maria insisted. Rosalind just rolled her eyes, but didn’t contradict her sister. Despite my misgivings about this idea, I went along with it. I didn’t want to lose track of either sister.

A part of me noted that it would be easy to misunderstand the situation from an outsider's perspective. A young man holding hands with two women in a garden at night? If people found out about it, they would assume that I was having a tryst with my maids.

As we waited for the appointed time to arrive, I took a look around the western garden. Unlike the other gardens in Kaltbrand Castle, or the ones in Guld Manor, the western garden wasn’t neat or manicured. Instead, it seemed like a piece of wilderness that someone had cultivated within the castle. The plants within the western garden could be found anywhere within the Barrens.

Despite that, there was a certain beauty and charm to the western garden. The moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the garden, giving it an air of mystery. It was cold out. Even in mid spring, nights in the Barren were cool. It almost felt like I was in a moonlit forest, located in the wilds. It even smelled like a forest, cool and earthy.

Movement caught my eye, and I saw a man enter the western garden. From the way they stiffened, the twins noticed him as well. Despite the darkness, the moon shone with enough light that I could make out the man’s features thanks to my sharpened senses. From the uniform he wore, I saw that he was a servant. I guessed he was one of the servants hired just for the banquet, though I didn’t know for sure since I wasn’t familiar with the face of every servant in the castle. Later on, I would have to ask the twins if they recognized him.

The man headed towards the darkest corner of the western garden, looking around as he did so. I softened my breathing, just in case. After the man reached his destination, he crossed his arms and waited. Moments later, Elise appeared in the garden. She wore her usual uniform and marched right towards the man’s location.

“You’re late.” The man said in a quiet voice. He narrowed his eyes at Elise.

The two of them were a fair distance away from the twins and I. However, with my sharpened senses, I had no trouble picking up their conversation.

“Apologies,” Elise said, also speaking in a quiet voice, “It took longer to get away from the others.”

The man made a sharp gesture.

“Save your excuses for later.” He said. “Report. Where did Wulfe Kaltbrand go after the meeting with the vassals today?”

Elise clenched her jaw, but answered anyway.

“The same as yesterday,” she said, “He stayed in his rooms all afternoon, resting before the banquet.”

Elise was a spy. I suspected that there was something going on with her, based on what she said earlier, but witnessing the truth for myself still shocked me. While she and I weren’t close, the two of us had spent a fair amount of time with each other. We trained together, fought together, and bled together. That meant something, at least to me.

I trusted Elise. Finding out that she had been a spy all along hit me like a punch in the gut. I started to clench my hands, but stopped when I remembered that I held the twins’ hands. Otherwise, I might have broken their bones.

“Tsk.” The man said, clicking his tongue with displeasure. He shook his head. “Ambushing him outside of the castle is looking less and less likely. We should have taken the risk when he saved Lady Adelheid.” He glanced at Elise. “Are you sure poison isn’t an option?”

“I’m sure.” Elise said with a nod. “When he eats alone, the only ones allowed to touch his food are those twin maids of his. Anyone else who tries is severely punished.”

I squeezed the twins’ hands when I heard this. They squeezed my hands in return. Poison was one of the easier ways to kill an Aura Master. Even then, it was difficult since Aura Masters were stronger and tougher than most humans. The twins had shielded me from a potential weakness by looking out for me.

“This isn’t good,” the man said, pinching his chin, “We’ll either need to lure him outside of the castle somehow, or we’ll have to resort to our backup plan.”

Elise sucked in a breath.

“Is that really necessary?”

The man smirked at her.

“Why?” he asked. “Afraid to lose everything you worked so hard for?”

Elise looked away from him and didn’t answer.

“Don’t forget, Dame Elise,” the man sneered, “The only reason you are where you are today is because of our master’s generosity.”

“I know that!” Elise snapped, turning her head to glare at the man. “I am more than prepared to sacrifice my life if necessary, but only if necessary.”

The man snorted.

“Good.” He said. “As long as you remember that.” He paused for a moment. “We’ll wait one more day. Maybe that fool, Lord Ulric, will get loose and save us the trouble.” He gestured towards Elise. “In the meantime, continue to keep an eye on Wulfe Kaltbrand and inform us of his whereabouts.”

Elise nodded.

“Do you have any news for me?” She asked, after some hesitation. “About Thomas, that is.”

The man shook his head.

“You haven’t earned it yet.” He said. “I’ll tell you after you bring me something I can use.”

“That wasn’t part of our arrangement.” Elise growled, clenching her fists.

“Careful,” the man said in a low and dangerous voice, “Everything that you are, and everything that you have, you owe to our master. He can just as easily take it away.” He tilted his head. “We wouldn’t want Thomas to suffer the consequences of your poor choices now, would we?”

Elise glared at him for several seconds, before she took a deep breath and unclenched her fists.

“Good,” the man said, “You haven’t forgotten your place after all.”

“Are we done here?” Elise asked, ignoring his statement.

The man jerked his head towards the castle.

“You can leave first.” He said. “It’s best if we aren’t seen together.”

With that, Elise turned and stormed off. Maria gave my hand a brief squeeze, before she let go. I assumed she planned on following Elise. The man waited a few more minutes, before he left the western garden as well. Like her sister, Rosalind squeezed my hand before she left. I waited a few more minutes before leaving the western garden myself.

I wanted nothing more than to retreat to my rooms so I could sort through my thoughts. However, I needed to return to the banquet. Leaving in the first place was already suspicious. If I didn’t return, people would talk about it. If I returned now, I could at least mitigate the damage.

Dinner was still underway when I returned to the banquet hall, after I removed the shadowstep of course. I took my seat next to Grand Duke Kaltbrand, earning a few looks from everyone else. Despite the turmoil in my heart and mind, I maintained a calm facade.

“I assume your urgent business has been dealt with?” The Grand Duke asked, glancing at me.

I gave him a brief smile.

“Of course.” I said, lying through my teeth.