Chapter 3

It had been a spirited morning in court. Once the room cleared, several colleagues crowded around Samuel, grinning and offering their congratulations.

His recent report on urban relief had caught the King's eye, and the young monarch was clearly a fan, showering him with rewards.

Even the officials who usually mocked him behind his back were forcing smiles.

Their words were a cloying mix of forced flattery and thinly veiled sarcasm.

Samuel played along, but he didn't care. He was mostly trying to dodge Jake Lewis.

Jake was one of those aggressively friendly colleagues who wouldn't take no for an…