Two Days Before the Tribunal - Capital City, Noble Quarter
Draven watched from across the street. Second-floor window of a safehouse. Observing the entrance to House Redwyn’s city manor.
Three n had entered in the last hour. All wearing cloaks. All trying to be discreet.
Failing.
Baron Sterling. Lord Graves’s deputy. And Marcus himself.
Secret eting. Two days before the tribunal. In the ho of one of Marcus’s supposed allies.
Interesting.
[Surveillance active. Recording all movents.]
[This is either a final strategy session or a conspiracy eting.]
"What do you see?" Duke Valerius asked from behind him.
"Marcus. Sterling. A military officer. All eting with House Redwyn."
"Hmm." Valerius moved to the window. "House Redwyn has been suspiciously quiet during all this. I wondered where their loyalty lay."
"Seems we’re about to find out."
They waited. Watching. Forty minutes later, the three n exited. Separately. Trying to avoid being seen together.
Amateur hour.
"I want to know what they discussed," Draven said.
"I can arrange that. House Redwyn has servants. Servants talk." Valerius smiled. "For the right price."
"Do it."
Six Hours Later - Valerius Estate
The servant was young. Nervous. But determined.
"They were planning," she said. Her na was Clara. Maid at House Redwyn’s manor. "Planning what to do when the tribunal happens."
"What kind of planning?" Valerius asked gently.
"Lord Redwyn said they needed to ’control the narrative.’ That even if evidence is presented, they could claim it was fabricated. Plant doubt."
"Who was ’they’?" Draven asked.
"Lord Redwyn, Baron Sterling, and Lord Marcus. The military man just listened. Didn’t say much."
"What else?"
Clara hesitated. "They... they talked about how they helped. Lord Redwyn and Baron Sterling. They helped Lord Marcus get the poison."
Draven went very still. "Elaborate."
"Lord Redwyn has connections to the black market. He arranged the introduction to the alchemist. Made sure Marcus could buy the poison without being traced directly."
"And Sterling?"
"Baron Sterling provided... I don’t know the word. Political cover? He made sure no one asked questions about Duke Aldric’s illness. Convinced the court physicians to bla natural causes."
"So they’re accessories," Valerius said. "Co-conspirators in the patricide."
"There’s more," Clara said. "They talked about framing soone else. If the trial goes badly. They have evidence prepared. Fake evidence. To bla Lord Draven for the murder instead."
There it is. The contingency Marcus had been holding.
"What kind of evidence?" Draven asked.
"Letters. Forged letters. Supposedly from Lord Draven to the alchemist. Ordering poison. They have them ready to present if needed."
"How do you know they’re forged?"
"Because I saw Lord Redwyn’s personal scribe working on them. Last week. He was practicing Lord Draven’s handwriting. Over and over. Until it looked real."
Draven exchanged glances with Valerius.
"Can you testify to this?" Valerius asked Clara.
"Will I be protected? Lord Redwyn is powerful. If he finds out I talked—"
"You’ll be under Crown protection. Sa as the other witnesses. New identity if needed. Full financial support." Valerius’s voice was firm. "You have my word."
Clara took a breath. "Then yes. I’ll testify."
"Good girl." Valerius stood. "We’ll move you to a safehouse tonight. You’ll stay there until the tribunal. Draven, can you—"
"Already on it." Draven pulled out a communication crystal. Signaled his security team.
Within minutes, guards arrived. Clara was escorted out. Protected.
Leaving Draven and Valerius alone.
"This changes things," Valerius said.
"Yes. In our favor." Draven’s mind was racing. "We’re not just exposing Marcus. We’re exposing an entire conspiracy. House Redwyn. Baron Sterling. Anyone else involved."
"The Crown will want blood. Multiple patricide conspirators ans public executions. All of them."
"Good." Draven had no sympathy. "They chose to help murder a Duke. They face the consequences."
"We need more evidence. Clara’s testimony is valuable, but we need physical proof. The forged letters. Docuntation of Redwyn’s black market connections."
"Leave that to ."
That Night - House Redwyn’s City Manor
Draven broke in at 2 AM. Sa stealth techniques from Marcus’s study. Perception manipulation. Silent movent. Bypassed the guards like they didn’t exist.
Lord Redwyn’s private study was on the third floor. Locked. Warded.
Amateur wards. Child’s play for soone with Twilight mana.
He disabled them. Picked the lock. Entered.
The study was opulent. Expensive everything. The kind of wealth built on corruption and backroom deals.
Draven searched systematically. Desk drawers. Hidden compartnts. False panels.
Found the first cache behind a bookshelf. Letters. Correspondence with the black market alchemist. Arranging Marcus’s introduction. Negotiating prices. Ensuring discretion.
All in Redwyn’s handwriting. All dated. All damning.
Second cache: under the floorboards near the fireplace. The forged letters. Three of them. "From Draven" to the alchemist. Ordering poison. Planning murder.
Perfect forgeries. Even Draven had to admire the craftsmanship. The handwriting was nearly identical to his own.
Nearly. But not quite. Close examination revealed subtle differences. The way certain letters connected. The pressure points. A handwriting expert would spot it imdiately.
He took them. All of them. Left everything else exactly as it was.
Third cache: in a locked drawer in the bedroom. Financial records. Paynts to the alchemist. Paynts to corrupt court physicians. Paynts to Baron Sterling.
Everything docunted. Because Redwyn was paranoid and kept receipts for blackmail purposes.
Idiot.
Draven photographed everything with mory crystals. Took the originals of the most damning evidence. Left.
Three hours total. In and out. Zero detection.
The Next Morning - Ergency eting with Duke Valerius
"You broke into a lord’s manor and stole evidence," Valerius said flatly.
"Yes."
"That’s illegal."
"So is conspiracy to commit patricide."
"Fair point." Valerius examined the docunts spread across his desk. "This is... comprehensive. Redwyn docunted everything. Every paynt. Every conversation. Every step of the conspiracy."
"He kept it for leverage. In case Marcus turned on him."
"Smart but stupid. Now we have it." Valerius looked up. "This changes the trial completely. We’re not just prosecuting one patricide. We’re exposing a conspiracy involving multiple noble houses."
"How many can we confirm?"
"House Redwyn definitely. Baron Sterling definitely. The corrupt court physicians—minor players, but complicit." Valerius tapped the financial records. "And there’s a paynt here to soone in the Royal Guard. Captain Vance. Paid to ’ensure no investigations.’"
"So we have four co-conspirators. Plus Marcus makes five."
"At least five. There might be more." Valerius stood. Began pacing. "The Crown will demand public executions. All of them. This is the biggest patricide conspiracy in a century."
"Good. Let them all burn."
"Draven." Valerius stopped. "You understand what this ans? We’re about to decapitate two noble houses. Redwyn and Sterling. Their entire families will be destroyed. Children. Wives. Everyone."
"They should have thought of that before committing treason."
"You feel nothing? No hesitation?"
"I can’t feel hesitation. I gave that away." Draven t his gaze. "They’re guilty. They’ll face justice. That’s all that matters."
Valerius studied him. "The Abyss Core really did change you."
"Yes. And it made better suited for this. For what needs to be done." Draven gathered the evidence. "Tomorrow is the tribunal. Are we ready?"
"More than ready. We have five conspirators. Twenty witnesses total if we include everyone. Physical evidence from three separate sources. Financial records. Forged docunts we can expose. A complete chain of guilt from planning to execution to cover-up." Valerius smiled. Cold. "Marcus and his co-conspirators are finished."
"How will we present it?"
"Chronologically. Start with Duke Aldric’s death. Present the autopsy. Then the poison source—the alchemist testifies. Then Marcus’s possession—his own vials and journal. Then the servants’ testimony about suspicious behavior. Then Clara’s testimony about the conspiracy eting. Then your evidence from Redwyn’s manor showing the conspiracy’s scope. Finally, we reveal the forged letters they planned to use against you. Show the jury they were trying to fra you for their own cris."
"How long will it take?"
"Full day. Maybe two. The Crown will want to hear everything. Every detail. Every witness."
"And the verdict?"
"Guilty. All of them. The evidence is overwhelming. The Crown has already signaled they want convictions. This is political now. The King can’t afford to let patricide go unpunished."
Draven nodded. "Then tomorrow we end this."
"Tomorrow we end this," Valerius agreed.
That Evening - Draven’s Quarters
All seven of his won were there. Seraphina, Elise, Astrid, Lyra, Elara, Mara, and Celeste. Crowded into his room. All looking at him.
"Tomorrow is the tribunal," he said simply.
"We know," Seraphina said. "My father told . Said it’s going to be the trial of the century."
"He’s not wrong." Draven looked at each of them. "Marcus will be exposed. But so will House Redwyn, Baron Sterling, and others. This is bigger than one patricide. It’s a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels of nobility."
"Will you be safe?" Elise asked. Her voice tight with worry.
"Yes. The forged evidence they planned to use against has been neutralized. We have proof it was fabricated. They can’t touch ."
"And after?" Celeste asked. "After they’re all executed?"
"After, I beco Duke. Officially. And all of you stay with . In whatever capacity you choose."
"As your harem," Lyra said quietly.
"As my partners. My companions. My loves." Draven smiled. "The word doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re all here. And you all stay."
"What about the scandal?" Mara asked. "Seven won. People will talk."
"Let them talk. I’m about to be Duke. I can do what I want."
"Within reason," Astrid added. "Don’t want the Church coming after you for debauchery."
"I’ll be discreet. Mostly." He looked at Elise. "So relationships will be more public than others. But all of you are important. All of you matter."
They sat in comfortable silence. Seven won and one man. United by love and conspiracy.
"Tomorrow," Elara said. "Tomorrow it all changes."
"Tomorrow it all changes," Draven agreed.
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