The Silver Eagle Duchy, the Tinder City, the ducal residence.
As one of the three vassal states of the Valla Empire, Horan Faust, the Silver Eagle Duke, had always followed the rules and followed the Emperor's orders, living in fear.
He understood that governing the Silver Eagle Duchy was his limit and had no more wild ambitions, just as he understood the Valla Imperial Family's fear of him.
Especially after the Valla Empire started a war against the Grand Duchy of Rominos and was at a disadvantage, the Emperor seemed to hate the dukes in the Empire even more. If not for the fact that the three dukes were descendants of the founding fathers of the Empire and could not be casually punished, the Emperor would have reduced them to normal nobles.
It was fortunate that the various sects in the Valla Empire were keeping each other in check, and the Emperor could only manage. Waging war against the Grand Duchy of Rominos was already his limit, and there was no way he could spare any forces to attack Horan.
But that did not mean that Horan could rest easy.
As a matter of fact, there were more dangers and troubles than Horan had imagined. The letter he received today had left him sad for the entire morning, and he could not adjust his mood even now.
"Father, is there anything you need?"
A clear knock on the door, and a handsome youth slowly entered the room, bowing at the old duke with a gesture of noble elegance.
He was the eldest son of Duke Horan Faust, Pombert Faust.
He had a head of thick, curly blonde hair, a chiseled face, and skin fairer than most noble girls. His eyes were a deep blue as the ocean, and his well-defined yet powerful muscles showed that he was not one of those powerless nobles. The rapier by his waist was no decoration either, and it could be said that he had perfectly inherited the fine genes of the old duke.
At the same time, he was the Silver Eagle Duke's favorite son.
Although he did not have a title at the moment, he was the only son of Horan who stayed in the duke's residence and was not given a title. It was almost certain that he would inherit his father's title in the future and become the new Silver Eagle Duke.
"Yes. It's a tragedy from Anurad." The old duke said slowly, staring at his most outstanding son. "Your brother was killed by bandits."
"What?!"
Cecil was shocked. He frowned as if he couldn't accept it, but he didn't cry. Instead, he looked weary and sorrowful. "Two months ago, I was still talking and laughing with him here. I didn't expect him to …"
The old duke seemed satisfied with his reaction and nodded slightly.
Although he had given away his other sons, which was equivalent to chasing them out, it did not mean that the old duke did not care about his sons.
He just wanted to protect his child in his own way, but he didn't expect that something would happen to Edmund.
Even if Horan's heart had been hardened by his life as a noble that was filled with open and covert attacks, losing a son at such an old age was still an unbearable pain that kept him in agony for an entire morning. Even so, he could not show it in front of his retainers.
Perhaps it was because he couldn't hold it in that he called his eldest son over to share the burden.
His eldest son's reaction was in line with his expectations as always. Although he was sad for his brother, he wasn't too hurt. After all, the old duke had seen everything, and the two brothers weren't that close. He would be disappointed if his eldest son was in so much pain.
"Father, I'll take care of Angora's matter. You should rest at home. You're the backbone of the Duchy after all."
"What Angora?" The old duke frowned slightly.
"Not Third Brother …" Cecil paused, feeling that he had made a mistake.
"Angora is alive and well. He even sent me a letter two days ago. I heard that the kid is doing well in that run-down town," the old duke said in a low voice. "Edmund was the one who was killed by the bandits!"
"I was mistaken." Cecil quickly lowered his head and apologized.
"Forget it." The old duke sighed. "You may leave."
Hearing this, Pompey bowed and left the study.
When he returned to his room, he eagerly took out a mirror hidden under the floorboard.
He cut his finger and dripped his blood on the mirror. The smooth surface of the mirror absorbed the blood like a sponge.
A moment later, a man wearing a black hood appeared on the other side of the mirror.
"What is it, my lord?" The man asked in a hoarse voice that didn't sound human.
"Is this how the Society of the Secret Eye does things?! Why is Angora fine, but Edmund is dead? "
Cecil's handsome face was gloomy as he questioned in a cold voice.
"Edmund's death was an accident, but we believe that you aren't interested in this matter, so let's get straight to the point. An unknown faction appeared in Anurad, the Valley of the Tragic Dead. They took Gray Fjord and killed the pawn we planted there … It's a pity that the pawn never figured out who the enemy was or what was behind them. " The black hood continued slowly. "As for the ambush against your brother, although there were no survivors, we believe that it was done by that faction as well. Their goal might be the same as yours, and it is for that item of the Faust family …"
"'Gift of the Gods', huh." Cecil's gaze was cold. "That's mine, and I won't give it to anyone."
"That's right. It's so mysterious that even the Society of the Secret Eye couldn't detect its existence before you told us. And the person most likely to be related to it is your brother, Angora Faust, whose birth mother is unknown. " As if explaining something, the man slowly revealed his information. "Don't worry. Since we've taken your money, the Society of the Secret Eye will naturally fulfill the request. When the other branches have the time, we'll naturally help you get rid of your annoying brother."
"Hmph." Cecil snorted coldly and stood up, slowly strolling to the door and flinging it open.
Outside the door was a panic-stricken little maid.
"What did you hear?" He asked coldly.
"What? Young Master, you … "
Before the maid could finish, a sword pierced through her skull, and she died instantly!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
