Chapter 150: The Final Act

A week before Raven’s arrival in Nakhal:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Horace walked up the stairs of a high-class restaurant. It practically glowed from the amount of jewels that were spread everywhere. He couldn’t help but find it slightly distasteful, feeling it was tacky. But he kept those thoughts to himself as he saw his target.

Marquees Piast sat alone, reading a paper and drinking water. No one dared to approach him despite being alone. Horace saw his back and smiled in satisfaction. He had been less busy as of late. Oskar had slowly kept a distance away from him, whilst he also suffered a few more visits from unwelcome guests in the night, forcing him to move to multiple different safe houses. He could feel his time in the Commonwealth was coming to an end, but he knew that he had succeeded in what he needed to do.

He found information on the Commonwealth’s involvement in supporting the rebellion as well as creating the seeds of revolution. It was a grand success. He was sure his father would find some faults, but he could only sigh at that. His father was a perfectionist and the most skilled man he had ever met. Despite that, this was only his test to prove he was capable of working abroad. And when he returned, he would have finally succeeded.

"Marquees," Horace said politely, and Piast put down his paper and gave a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"Jozef. Shall we cut straight to business? I don’t wish to be out for long." Horace gave a nod and smiled. He liked working with the man before him. He was smart enough to understand the beauty of staying unseen by larger forces, but also blunt when it came to work.’Maybe in the future, he could join us.’It was a passing thought but one Horace didn’t completely rid himself of.

"Yes. Tell me, have you been able to take Konrad’s attention away?" Horace said, interlocking his finger and moving closer. He spoke in a quiet tone, knowing that if their conversation was overheard, it would be disastrous.

"Yes." The Marquees took a sip of his water. "The weapon shipments heading to the Empire have met small hiccups that have continued to grow, and our little sheep has got his hands on some money. He has begun to break many of the King’s laws with it." He spoke with pity when talking about Count Chimel. The man was a fool, but one who was great enough to take the fall.

Horace smiled with respect for the man before him. He was the perfect business partner. Both of them knew they could abandon the other quickly, and it was why he loved the relationship so much, as he would have the perfect opportunity to leave. It made him want him more in the destined future of the Commonwealth.

"How is Chimel? I have not been able to be near him for a while." Piast knew that he must have been preparing to deal with the Dabrowski heir but it was something that had to remain unspoken.

"He has the Crown Prince’s full attention. It seems he wishes to prove that he can hold his father’s place whilst he is away."

"I heard the pirates have been halted considerably when The King took his place on the field. Hopefully, he can remove the pirates altogether." Horace said calmly. Piast smiled and nodded in agreement. He was the unofficial head of the noble faction, but he was still loyal to Snowid and the Commonwealth. He simply wanted his privileges returned, something that annoyed Horace.

"Our King truly shines on the battlefield, " he said with pride, but quickly his face dropped. "But those pirates aren’t simple. They are a plague that comes and goes." He spoke with pity, thinking of the damage the coastal lands had suffered. "Enough of this talk. Tell me. How confident are you?"

"Very. I have a good understanding of the heir’s movements and routine. He is a very routine-driven man which makes things easier." Piast smiled at his words. "With Konrad focused on other things and the Crown Prince busy with Chimel, I only have to deal with the Dabrowski family’s resources, but seeing as nothing has changed from the number of guards to his routes, I assume they haven’t caught on."

"The marriage with the Princess must have created a sense of security for them." Piast gave his comment and Horace nodded.

"Indeed. That is why I will have my men strike within the week. If Konrad is busy for the week, then it will be fine."

"Shall we have the sheep take the fall?" Piast asked with squinted eyes. Horace stopped to think. He needed an operation to have no links to the Empire and whilst he had a fake identity, he was sure Konrad would eventually catch on if no fall guy was put in place.

"Not yet. He already has knowledge of it, so just leave it that way. When Konrad investigates he will look to his faction first. He has already rallied everyone we need so he can be removed at any time." Horace gave a deep exhale as he thought. Chimel was a valuable piece that could speed up the Empire’s plans. But Horace also knew that he was equally unimportant. He was led around by people like the man in front of him and had no true power. "Let him live for now. He will be useful. Meanwhile, you should begin to create some distance in the meantime."

"What about yourself?" Piast asked suspiciously. It took a while, but Piast knew that Horace lied about his identity. Horace also knew this. Eventually, Piast would find out. He had the resources to.

"I will go into hiding. Let Jozef take the fall. His family as you should know can be replaced." Piast gave a nod in agreement and with the final air cleared between them he stood up. Whilst Piast was interested in Horace’s real identity, he had been unable to figure it out. He was suspicious of him being from the Empire, but he could have easily been from a number of other places as well, nothing escaped his suspicions. In the end, Piast simply decided it was unimportant as long as he achieved his goal.

He also knew it was a chance to install one of his people in place of the real Lipski family. "You have a week. I assume our business is done now." Horace gave a nod and the Marquees returned it, turning his back, knowing he would never see the man again. He though about placing spies on him, but gave up, knowing all of Aleksander’s people died when they went near him. It was a waste of his resources.

Horace sat alone for a while wondering what to do. His people had slowly begun to leave the Capital and now it was his turn.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izaak Dabrowski. The man looked out the window of his carriage with bright eyes as he passed by the familiar forest once more. It was the one time he would leave in an unmarked carriage as the news of what he had done got out, which would cause a huge scandal. A small number of his most loyal guards escorted him, and he finally arrived at a small village.

Getting out, he was wearing clothes that didn’t fit his status, but also showed he had wealth. "Wait here." The two guards stood outside his door as he walked into the familiar scent of herbs and meat. His smile brightened as he walked through the small house. In the kitchen, he saw a young lady with blonde hair cooking.

"My love." He reached around her shoulders, giving a powerful hug, getting a smile from the woman in return.

"You always say you must stop coming, and every week you return." She said playfully, and he could only smile at her words.

"I’m sorry." He apologised sincerely, getting a squeeze of the hand.

"I know it’s not your fault." She knew who Izaak was and what his responsibilities entailed, but she still felt bitter about it. Despite this, she brushed it off, seeing he was still dedicated to her. "Jakub is asleep right now." She said with a soft smile, and he gave a nod. Planting a kiss on her cheek he left her to finish cooking and walked through the house.

Inside a small bed a young boy, no older than three slept peacefully. His appearance was similar to Izaak’s, and it was obvious to anyone that it was his bastard child. Every time he looked at his son, his eyes filled with pity, unable to give him the life he wanted. He hated his father for forcing a marriage on him, but knew that it was something that he had to do. He only hoped his future wife could be understanding.

Reaching out, he gave a soft stroke to his son’s hair. With a calm smile, he looked at him, but suddenly, the goosebumps ran over his body. Before he could react, a blade was placed to his throat. He turned his eyes and saw the masked figure looking at him with a cold detachment.

"Don’t call out. Don’t do anything." The man’s voice was flat, speaking in his ear. "I waited a while for your arrival." Izaak felt his body go cold, and he could only grit his teeth and nod. He wasn’t shy about the way of the world he lived in.

"Just don’t hurt my son or wife. What do you want? Money?" The blade came closer to his neck, and he felt a drop of blood rush down his skin. Feeling the shake of the man’s head behind him, he closed his eyes.

"It’s nothing personal." As the words left his mouth, Izaak swung around, but the blade cut across quicker than he could attack. He fell to the floor, clutching his neck as he watched the masked man loom over his son. He reached out, trying to stop him, but his vision blurred as his eyes closed.’Klara.’The words couldn’t escape his mouth as he looked at the door.

The assassin looked at the boy in the bed with cold eyes. A kid wasn’t meant to be here, and he knew who it was after stalking the house for so long.’He would rather it live.’The man had worked for the Underwell family for years now and was a trusted enforcer for them. Trying to think like Horace, he sheathed the blade and quietly climbed out the window, leaving the dead body of Izaak alone with his son.’A bastard will create a rift.’