Chapter 254: A New Plan

Throwing the clothes he wore onto the ground, Horace took out his usual suit and carefully prepared himself. Cleaning his hands, he scraped the dirt out of his nails and groaned when he couldn’t get it all. "Sir, we are ready for you." One of the operatives walked in, informing him, but ignoring the man, Horace carefully got every speck of dirt out.

The awkward silence lasted for five minutes until Horace was finally satisfied. He turned and followed him. Inside the adjacent room, his five men sat in silence. Taking his place at the desk, Horace poured himself a drink and downed the contents.

"Tell me, how is the Gardner?"

"He has begun to show early symptoms of illness. He should pass within the week. Plans have already been made to send his daughter back to the Empire." Horace nodded to the news and took a deep breath.

"Getting close to the boy will be hard. We missed the perfect window. We need a distraction." The five all fell into thought, with one opening and closing his mouth. Horace saw it, raising his eyebrow.

"How big of a distraction do we need?"

"Something to weaken security. Anything will do."

"We could try to ask His Majesty to mobilise the troops on the border to fake an att..." Horace slammed his fist on the table and looked at the man with cold eyes.

"You wish to have his Majesty move for us. He is to be kept as far removed from this mission as possible. You should understand this." The operative lowered his head quietly, apologising.

"In that case, why don’t we try and redirect attention towards the other son?" Another spoke up and looked at Horace, his eyes warmer at the suggestion. "Hire a couple of mercenaries or something and have them attack when he leaves the manor."

"Possible." Horace tapped the table and thought about the matter, his smile growing with each second. "No, it could be perfect." Horace quickly rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper, quickly writing something. "Have this delivered to Piast. Tell him I will let him see his wife again if he does this."

One of the operatives stood up and took the paper, quickly leaving. "One of you watch Lech’s movements. Find out his routine. In the meantime, try finding someone who can do the job. Not too skilled; I want the Dabrowski guards to kill them all."

"Do you wish for criminals or professionals?"

"Professionals. Criminals can’t be trusted." The operative nodded and got up, leaving the room. "That woman Klara, the boy’s mother. Try and find out if she has any other family. If you can’t, it’s fine." Getting up, Horace left the room, leaving the three to plan who would do what.

Walking to the kitchen, Horace grabbed a small plate of food. Looking at its bland colours, he grabbed some fruit and added it to the tray. Squinting, he remembered something and returned to the room where his operatives were muttering. "Do any of you have ointment for wounds." The three checked their pockets, but one got up and walked to a separate room as if remembering something. Coming back, he handed Horace a small vial.

Pocketing it, he left and went to the bookshelf, opening it to the underground passage. The guard stood outside the door and opened it for him, with Lena moving back slightly. Horace flashed a kind smile, and seeing it, Lena calmed down. Placing the tray on her bed, he sat on the chair. "I’m glad you like the dress." Lena looked at him suspiciously but nodded. "There is a chance you can see your husband again."

"Are you serious?" Lena’s mood changed instantly, and she forgot about the food. Leaning forward, she stared with expecting eyes.

"I never lie, Lena. It depends on your husband, however." Getting up, he walked over to the bed’s edge and knelt before her. "I don’t want to do this to you, Lena; I take no pleasure in it. But I have to make sure your husband doesn’t betray me."

"I’ll make sure he doesn’t. If you let me go." Horace chuckled at her words. Lena knew what she said was empty.

"There is a reason I chose to use you." Reaching out, Horace grabbed her hand. Feeling its warmth, she hesitated for a second before pulling back. "You’re a strong woman, someone who can endure this. You have children. They could have easily been picked. But as I said, I’m not cruel. I only chose someone strong enough to help me and her family."

"You would use my children," Lena said in horror, but Horace shook his head.

"Of course not," Horace said gently. It wasn’t a real lie. He had no use for using her children with Lena in his control. Looking at her neck, he frowned. Seeing it, Lena froze up. "I’m so sorry about how you have been treated." Reaching into his pocket, Horace pulled out the vial.

"Can I?" Gliding her fingers over the small scar, she gave a small nod. Horace reached around, gently spreading the ointment. It was cold, but Lena didn’t care. Pulling his hand back, she felt strange, but her attention was quickly redirected. "I added some fruit for you. I don’t want you getting ill."

Lena looked down at the tray and grabbed an apple. Biting in it, a small smile formed. The sweet and sourness was amazing compared to the tasteless food she had been eating. it surprised her how something so simple could make her happy. In the past, she wouldn’t have thought a bite of an apple could do so.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Horace looked at her happily, catching her by surprise. Looking at the ceiling, she smiled.

"Can I have a book?" His silence made her nervous, but after a minute, he nodded.

"Of course. You have been good this whole time." He got up and brushed his knees. "What genre?"

"I don’t mind." Lena looked down at her food and carefully ate it, lacking the usual manners expected from a noblewoman. Horace nodded and tried to think back to his time in Piast manor. Looking at Lena, he had a rough understanding of the woman and left. Closing the door behind him, Lena looked at the fruit and smiled, eating another piece.

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Walking into a small tavern in the nearby city, one of the operatives looked around at the guest before heading to the bar. "An ale, please." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small bag of coins and opened the top, showing the silver inside. "And information on where I can find some professionals."

The barkeeper looked at the sliver and smiled, taking the bag and walking off. Opening a barrel, he dunked a mug in it before coming back. "What type do you need?"

"The type who will do anything for a price." The barkeeper smiled and rubbed his finger. Sighing, the operative pulled out another bag and handed it over.

"Two streets down. House next to the bench. You’ll know when you see it." The operative nodded and grabbed the mug, placing it on a random table filled with people before leaving, the men cheering in the background from the free drink.

Walking down the road, the operative found the house quickly. Walking over, he slammed his fist on the metal door and waited a few seconds. The door unlocked, and a large man stood looking down at him.

"I have a job. Big payday." The operative didn’t say much but flushed the bag of gold on his waist. Seeing it, they nodded and let him in, closing the door behind them. It was quiet, but being led into the room at the end, the operative smiled, knowing he found the right place. Each person was quiet, silently readying their gear or causally doing something.

"Through there, " the big man pointed to a door at the end of the room. Walking past everyone, they looked at him with dead eyes before returning to their work.

In the room, a lone man sat. "You have a job." He didn’t look up at the operative, but it didn’t bother him. Grabbing one pouch of gold, he threw it on the table before throwing a second, and this time, the gold spilt out on the table.

"I need you to kill a man for me." The operative didn’t beat around the bush. Looking at the gold, the man finally looked up at him and smiled.

"Who?"

"Lech Dabrowski. We already have people analysing his routine to find an opening for you." The man squinted, looking at the operative, but his eyes darted to the gold.

"Why not do it yourself?" He wasn’t stupid to accept the job instantly. He could see the operative was trained.

Smiling, he huffed. "If we could, we would have done so already. We lack manpower, and my boss is unable to source anymore. All we can do is get you the information you need for the attack."

The man clicked his tongue and looked at the gold. It was a hefty sum, but killing the heir to a major family was risky. "Double it." He didn’t hesitate to throw out his request. Despite what he expected, the operative smiled and nodded.

"This was only half the fee anyway. I’ll be back when I have news for you." The operative didn’t stick around longer than needed and quickly left. Looking at his back, the man reached out and grabbed a couple of the gold coins.

It confused him but also scared him seeing them. Some came from the Commonwealth, which was expected, but some also came from the Empire. Only the most powerful nobles could throw around wealth like this, and even fewer with coins from multiple nations.