The capital of House Valcroix did not resemble the frozen frontier.
Its towers stood tall and elegant beneath enchanted lights while noble banners fluttered proudly above white stone walls untouched by war or winter hardship. Warm mana lanterns illuminated the streets every evening, and servants moved constantly through marble corridors carrying wine, docunts, and political secrets between nobles who smiled too much and trusted too little.
Beautiful.
Controlled.
Rotting quietly beneath the surface.
Inside one of the upper audience chambers overlooking the city, Cassian Valcroix sat beside the fireplace with a crystal glass resting loosely between his fingers while several reports remained scattered across the table before him.
Unread.
Mostly because the contents irritated him.
A noble servant stood nearby nervously.
"My Lord... the northern trade reports arrived this morning."
Cassian did not answer imdiately.
The fire crackled softly beside him while snow drifted outside the tower windows far beyond the capital walls.
Finally—
"Read them."
The servant swallowed slightly before opening the docunt carefully.
"Trade activity surrounding the northern frontier has increased over the last month."
Cassian’s expression remained calm.
"Continue."
"rchant caravans report unusual industrial smoke near the abandoned western mountain territories."
A pause.
"Several caravans also ntioned hearing explosions."
Cassian’s fingers stopped moving against the crystal glass.
The servant hesitated briefly.
"And..."
"Speak."
"...rumors of a golden dragon."
Silence.
The servant imdiately lowered his head further.
The fire continued burning softly.
Cassian slowly leaned backward in his chair afterward before letting out a quiet breath through his nose.
Then—
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Not pleasantly.
Just enough to make the servant visibly uncomfortable.
"A dragon."
Cassian swirled the wine inside his glass slowly.
"The northern peasants truly beco creative during winter."
The servant nodded quickly.
"Y-Yes, my Lord."
Still—
Cassian’s eyes narrowed slightly toward the trade reports afterward.
Explosions.
Industrial smoke.
In the north.
Near Lucien’s exile territory.
Annoying.
Because none of that aligned with reality.
Lucien should have died months ago.
Even surviving the assassination attempt had already been irritating enough.
But this?
No.
Sothing was wrong.
Cassian stood slowly before walking toward the massive window overlooking the illuminated capital beneath the night sky.
His reflection stared back faintly against the glass.
Tall.
Well-dressed.
Perfectly composed.
The ideal noble heir.
Everything Lucien was not supposed to threaten anymore.
And yet—
The irritation remained.
Because Lucien continued surviving.
That alone felt offensive.
A knock echoed from the chamber entrance.
Cassian turned calmly.
"Enter."
The doors opened monts later revealing a middle-aged man dressed in dark royal investigator robes embroidered with silver insignia across the collar.
Sharp eyes.
Controlled posture.
Dangerous intelligence.
Royal Investigator Seraphin Vale.
Cassian’s expression shifted slightly into polite nobility imdiately.
"Investigator Vale."
The man stepped forward calmly.
"Lord Cassian."
No bow.
Royal investigators answered directly to the crown.
Even high nobles treated them carefully.
Seraphin glanced toward the docunts scattered across the table briefly before returning his gaze toward Cassian.
"I apologize for the late visit."
Cassian smiled faintly.
"I assu this concerns my brother."
Straightforward.
Better that way.
The investigator remained silent for several seconds afterward.
Then—
"Yes."
Of course.
Cassian moved back toward the fireplace while gesturing politely toward the seating area.
"Please."
Seraphin sat calmly across from him.
The investigator’s face revealed very little emotionally, though his eyes constantly observed everything within the room carefully.
Cassian noticed.
People like this were troubleso.
Too intelligent.
Too patient.
Seraphin finally spoke again.
"The royal family remains interested in the poisoning incident surrounding Lucien Valcroix."
Cassian maintained perfect calm.
"As does House Valcroix."
"Mm."
The investigator folded his hands together slowly.
"Unfortunately, several details remain unresolved."
Cassian sipped wine casually.
"For example?"
"The poison itself."
Another pause.
"It was sophisticated."
Cassian said nothing.
Seraphin continued calmly.
"Layered mana suppression toxins administered gradually over ti."
The investigator’s gaze remained steady.
"Not sothing ordinary servants could prepare."
Interesting.
The royal investigation had progressed further than expected.
Cassian hid his thoughts carefully.
"Then perhaps the culprit possessed outside support."
"Perhaps."
The investigator leaned slightly backward afterward.
"Yet strangely, the assassination attempt during Lucien’s exile transfer also appears connected."
Cassian looked toward him calmly.
"Bandits exist in the frontier."
"Professional mana suppressors are not bandits."
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
The fire crackled quietly between them.
Seraphin’s eyes never moved away from Cassian’s face.
Watching.
asuring.
Cassian understood the ga imdiately.
The investigator suspected internal involvent already.
Perhaps even suspected him directly.
But suspicion ant nothing without proof.
And Cassian had survived noble politics long enough to understand one simple truth:
Power protected itself.
He smiled faintly afterward.
"You speak carefully, Investigator."
Seraphin returned the expression slightly.
"I prefer accuracy."
Another pause.
"Especially when noble succession becos involved."
There it was.
Not accusation.
Pressure.
Subtle pressure.
Cassian remained completely composed externally while his thoughts moved rapidly beneath the surface.
The royal family was intervening personally because Lucien’s poisoning threatened noble stability itself.
If a ducal heir could be quietly destroyed internally—
Then every royal succession beca vulnerable.
The crown could not ignore that.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Seraphin suddenly shifted topics.
"There is another matter."
Cassian looked toward him.
"The north."
Interesting.
The investigator continued calmly.
"rchant reports ntion unusual activity near Lucien’s territory."
Cassian allowed slight amusent into his expression.
"Ah yes. The dragon."
To his surprise—
Seraphin did not smile.
Instead the investigator slowly placed another docunt onto the table between them.
"Three rchant groups reported identical descriptions."
Cassian’s fingers paused slightly against his glass.
Golden scales.
Massive wings.
Mountain-sized mana pressure.
The details continued.
And disturbingly—
The reports aligned too well.
Cassian’s expression finally changed slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
Seraphin noticed imdiately.
"Interesting reaction."
Cassian recovered calmly.
"Surely you do not believe frontier rumors."
"No."
The investigator’s eyes sharpened slightly.
"I believe consistent patterns."
Another silence followed afterward.
Cassian’s irritation deepened slowly.
Because whether the dragon existed or not—
Sothing was happening in the north.
Smoke.
Explosions.
rchant movent.
Now dragon rumors.
Lucien was doing sothing.
The realization settled heavily in his mind.
And he hated it.
anwhile far away in the frozen northern frontier—
The fires of Elarion continued burning beneath the mountains while steel, gunpowder, and industry slowly transford the exile territory into sothing entirely new.
Sothing dangerous.
Sothing growing.
Seraphin finally stood afterward.
"I will likely travel north soon."
Cassian’s gaze sharpened imdiately.
"Personally?"
"Yes."
The investigator adjusted his gloves calmly.
"Too many strange reports are originating from one territory."
That—
That was bad.
Because unlike assassins or manipulated servants, royal investigators operated independently.
If Seraphin reached the north and discovered industrial developnt—
Complications would multiply rapidly.
Cassian hid his concern carefully behind noble composure.
"I hope you enjoy the weather."
Seraphin almost smiled.
"I rarely enjoy anything, Lord Cassian."
Then the investigator turned and walked toward the chamber doors.
Before leaving—
He paused briefly.
"One final thing."
Cassian remained silent.
Seraphin glanced sideways slightly.
"If Lucien Valcroix truly survived everything thrown at him..."
A faint pause followed.
"...then perhaps he was never as weak as everyone believed."
The doors closed softly afterward.
Leaving Cassian alone beside the fire.
Silent.
Thinking.
Outside the capital towers, snow continued falling peacefully across the noble city while far to the north, black industrial smoke rose endlessly into the winter skies beyond the mountains.
And for the first ti in many months—
Cassian felt sothing unfamiliar.
Unease.
End of Chapter 35
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