"Then we respond with overwhelming force and hope we’re faster." Elara turned back to him. "Inform the other beast knights. Everyone needs to understand: the amateur attempts were practice. What’s coming next is the real fight."
"Yes, Your Highness."
He left to implent the new protocols. Elara sat back down and continued planning.
The Third Princess and First Consort had made a mistake. They’d assud the Fourth Princess would be an easy target—isolated, weak, unprotected.
But Elara had spent months building exactly what she needed: money, loyal guards, independent intelligence, and operations that would continue generating revenue even if she died.
She wasn’t weak anymore.
And she was going to make killing her so expensive, so complicated, so politically problematic that her enemies would recalculate the cost-benefit analysis and decide to leave her alone.
Or she’d die trying.
Either way, she’d know the answer soon.
The chair wobbled. She slamd her hand down on the seat, forcing it stable, and kept working.
Outside, professional killers were probably watching her window right now, noting what ti she woke up, which room she used, how many guards were visible.
Let them watch.
Every piece of data they collected was about to beco obsolete.
---
Lisa stood in Elara’s office at midnight, holding a coded ssage she’d just written.
"Read it back," Elara said without looking up from her own work.
Lisa cleared her throat. "Revenue down eighteen percent week-over-week. Her Highness appears concerned. Overheard discussion with chief administrator about reducing staff costs. Food court considering nu cuts to preserve margins. Morale among household declining due to financial pressure."
"Good. Specific numbers, verifiable decline, logical consequences." Elara glanced up. "But add sothing personal. They’ll want emotional context, not just data."
Lisa hesitated. "Like what?"
"You tell . You’ve been spying on for months. What would they believe about my emotional state right now?"
"That you’re..." Lisa thought carefully. "...frustrated? Maybe angry that the Emperor still hasn’t sent the palace funds? Feeling abandoned?"
"Too strong. I don’t show anger openly." Elara returned to her papers. "Try: ’Her Highness seems more withdrawn than usual. Spends long hours alone in her office. Refused dinner again tonight. Staff worried about her health but she dismisses concerns.’"
Lisa wrote it down. "That’s... actually true though. You did refuse dinner."
"Which makes it believable. Always mix truth with lies." Elara signed a docunt and set it aside. "The best disinformation is ninety percent accurate."
"And the ten percent that’s false?"
"Is the part that matters." Elara pulled out a ledger and slid it across the desk. "These are the real revenue numbers. morize them so you know what not to report."
Lisa scanned the page. Her eyes widened. "Your Highness, these are... much higher than what I’m reporting."
"Yes."
"They think you’re struggling financially, but you’re actually—"
"Quite profitable." Elara took the ledger back. "Which ans when they plan their next move, they’ll calculate based on you being desperate and vulnerable. That miscalculation is an advantage."
Lisa nodded slowly, understanding. "You’re setting a trap."
"I’m creating conditions that encourage mistakes." Elara stood and walked to the window. "Your handlers think they have an inside source. They trust your information. That trust is a weapon if used correctly."
"What do you want to report next week?"
Elara was quiet for a mont, looking out at the dark city. Then she turned back.
"Report that I’m planning to visit the eastern docks on the eighteenth. Personal inspection of shipping operations. Small security detail because I don’t want to draw attention. Morning, around dawn, before the docks get crowded."
Lisa wrote this down, then paused. "Your Highness... are you actually going to the docks?"
"No."
"Then—" Understanding dawned on Lisa’s face. "You’re creating an ambush opportunity."
"I’m testing their response ti and capabilities. If they move assassins into position at the docks, we’ll know they’re still acting on your intelligence. We’ll know how many people they can deploy on short notice. And we’ll capture them when they realize their target isn’t coming."
"And if they don’t take the bait?"
"Then we learn they’re more cautious than expected. Either way, we gain information." Elara returned to her desk. "You send that ssage in five days. I want them to have a week to plan but not enough ti to verify through secondary sources."
"Yes, Your Highness." Lisa folded the ssage carefully. "Should I... should I actually use the dead drop, or—"
"Use the dead drop. Maintain normal pattern. They’re watching to make sure you’re not compromised." Elara sat down. "In fact, starting tomorrow, I want you to occasionally look nervous when you think no one’s watching. Like you’re worried about getting caught."
"That won’t make them suspicious?"
"It’ll make you look like a reluctant spy who’s afraid but still compliant. Exactly what they expect." Elara pulled out another docunt. "Also, the Shadow Guild is monitoring your dead drop. They’ll see who retrieves your ssages and follow them. Don’t acknowledge the surveillance. Act as if you don’t know you’re being watched from multiple directions."
Lisa’s hand trembled slightly. "Your Highness, I’m... this is a lot of layers. What if I make a mistake?"
"Then you die, probably." Elara’s tone was matter-of-fact. "Along with your family. Which is why you won’t make mistakes."
The bluntness should have been cruel, but Lisa just nodded. She’d already betrayed Elara once under duress. There was no room for gentle handling now—just clear stakes and clear expectations.
"I won’t fail," Lisa said quietly.
"Good. Now tell about the ssage system. How often do they expect reports?"
"Twice weekly. Tuesdays and Fridays."
"Content requirents?"
"Minimum two paragraphs. They want both operational intelligence and personal observations. Numbers when possible. Direct quotes if I overhear anything significant."
"Response ti when you flag sothing urgent?"
"Usually within two days. Once, when I reported you were eting with the rchant guild, soone ca to investigate within eight hours."
Elara made notes. "So they have people in Port Crestfall who can move quickly. Good to know."
She looked up at Lisa. "From now on, everything you report goes through first. You write nothing, send nothing, without my approval. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And Lisa—"
"Yes?"
"Your family extraction is proceeding. The Shadow Guild has located them. They’re alive and under surveillance. Two more weeks, maybe less, and we’ll have them out."
Lisa’s eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Your Highness. I—"
"Don’t thank . This is a business transaction. Your continued cooperation in exchange for their safety." Elara’s voice remained clinical. "But understand: if the extraction fails, you still work for . The deal doesn’t change. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Completely clear."
"Good. Dismissed."
Lisa bowed and left, clutching her coded ssage.
Alone, Elara reviewed her notes. Lisa was now an active double agent. The false information was being carefully crafted to appear genuine while leading enemies toward prepared ambush points. The Shadow Guild was tracking the handlers. The family extraction was in motion.
Multiple operations running simultaneously. High complexity. Many failure points.
But if it worked, she’d turn her greatest vulnerability—the intelligence leak—into her greatest advantage.
Know what your enemies know. Control what they believe. Make them act on false assumptions.
Basic intelligence work.
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