Chapter 4
Nigel had spent a lifetime as a soldier, honest and principled. He always looked down on the court's political games.
But now, to protect the Nelson family and keep my secret safe, he had no other choice.
"So this is it. The Nelson family is now completely tied to Crown Prince," he said, his voice heavy with resignation.
He let out a long sigh, looking as if he'd aged ten years in an instant.
"Dad, at this point, there's no way out now," I said.
I looked at his graying temples, feeling a pang of guilt.
This was all my fault. I'd dragged him and the entire Nelson family into this situation.
"Go ahead, don't worry about a thing," my father said, giving my hand a reassuring pat.
His eyes grew resolute once more.
He said, "The Nelson family's soldiers aren't pushovers.
"If Tom wants to mess with us, he'd better think twice. He might just break his teeth on us!"
That familiar, commanding aura of a duke returned to my father.
It made me feel a little more at ease.
For the next two days, I locked myself away in my study.
I pored over that confidential file, scrutinizing every detail.
All the evidence against Ferdinand pointed to one place, the grain transport docks on the city's west side.
The government grain warehouses were all under Ferdinand 's control.
He took advantage of his position to secretly replace the official grain with inferior batches mixed with sand.
Then he sold the premium grain at a hefty price to merchants in the south.
He raked in huge profits from this operation.
Most of that money ended up in the Prime Minister's estate's coffers.
It became the fuel for Tom to build his power base and keep his private army well-fed.
This was a sprawling web of corruption.
Ferdinand was just one link in the chain.
My job now was to track down their ledgers and uncover the hidden warehouses where they kept the grain.
It was going to be tough.
I had the Nelson family's elite guards at my disposal.
But they were built for charging into battle, not digging up evidence.
If we rushed in, we'd just tip them off.
I needed an opportunity that would give me a legitimate reason to search the grain transport docks.
I only had one day left.
I stayed up all night, staring at the map of Meirabonds, racking my brain for a solution.
Just as dawn was breaking, my eyes landed on a small river next to the grain transport docks.
This river connected to the city moat.
A bold plan began to take shape in my mind.
I called in my right-hand man, my most trusted confidant, Ernest.
We'd survived hell together on Firen. Our bond was forged in blood.
"General, what are your orders?" Ernest asked.
He didn't talk much, but when it came to getting things done, nobody was better.
I pointed at the map and explained my plan to him in every last detail.
His eyes lit up as he listened.
He said, "General, this plan is brilliant.
"But it's also extremely dangerous.
"If we fail, there's no coming back from this."
I looked at him.
"Ernest, are you afraid?" I asked.
He stood tall, his voice ringing out. "I swear to follow you to the death, General!"
I nodded firmly. "Good.
"Get ready.
"Tonight, we'll have a little meeting with the Minister of Revenue."
Night fell once again.
Meirabonds was eerily quiet.
Only the sound of the night watchman's wooden clapper echoed through the empty streets.
It was midnight.
Suddenly, flames erupted near the grain transport docks on the west side of the city.
Then, a thunderous explosion came.
The blast tore through an abandoned warehouse beside the docks.
The force of the explosion sparked a chain reaction, igniting the cargo piled nearby.
The fire spread like wildfire.
In an instant, the entire dock turned into a sea of fire.
Amid the chaos, people started shouting, "Fire. Somebody help.
"The government warehouses are on fire too!"
Meirabonds Guards, who had been waiting nearby, rushed in immediately.
Wearing black night gear, I stood on a nearby rooftop, watching it all unfold with icy eyes.
I set the fire up.
The whole point was to create chaos.
The commander of Meirabonds Guards was an old subordinate of my father's, and he was already in my pocket.
Claiming to be fighting the fire and protecting the government warehouses, he'd lock down the entire dock.
Nobody could get in or out.
I was going to use this chaos to slip into Ferdinand's manor.
With all his attention locked on the blaze at the docks, his defenses would be stretched thin.
This was the perfect moment. His estate would be wide open.
What I needed was definitely stashed in his study.
I gestured to Ernest behind me.
"Action," I ordered.
Two shadows slipped into the darkness, vanishing like phantoms.
Ferdinand's estate was eerily quiet.
Most of the servants and guards had been sent to the docks for firefighting.
Ernest and I slipped inside with hardly any effort.
Ferdinand's study was hidden deep in the back of the estate.
There were just two guards at the door, barely keeping their eyes open.