Dana looked nervous as he walked through the halls of his manor. He had been annoyed at suddenly being awoken, but hearing an Underwell arrive, he realised that his plan had worked. Walking into the guest room, he saw Esmond sitting like a stone, unmoving.

"Good Eveneing, Count Underwell." Dana made sure to speak respectfully towards Esmond as he took his own seat before him. Seeing the old man, he only got more nervous, wondering if he had been caught for his plan against Edward or not.

"Dana Varaz. Count in the Safrid Sultanate and Count of the Empire. Your family earned its title after assisting in the war with Ahmed the Great Liberators. After our conquest, you quickly swore fealty to keep your title. Your main source of income is food, but you have a few blacksmiths. Is anything wrong with what I said?"

Esmond listed everything off coldly, making Dana feel his lip twitch. "You’re right." The room went silent as Emerson stared at him. "Um, Count. What is the purpose of your visit? It is late, and I have a busy day tomorrow."

Esmond stared at him, not speaking, and Dana couldn’t help but get more nervous. Watching him, Esmond noticed the subtle changes. His breathing had gotten slightly heavier, and his hands shook, even though he hid them.

Leaning forward, he stared deep into his eyes. "Why have you been causing a fuss in Nakhla?" Esmond watched and noticed another change. The nervous displays eased a little. It confused Esmond. ’He’s hiding something.’ After decades of experience, he had gotten used to the subtle clues in a person’s mannerisms.

"Ah, so you’re here about that. I simply did what I felt was right as a noble. The people courts have angered many of the nobility, and most are scared that it’s a plot to limit the power we have. I meant no disrespect towards the Emperor, but I and many others feel like it is a bad idea. The commoners don’t know what’s good for them; they shouldn’t get this type of power."

Esmond looked at Dana as he relaxed, even going as far as to pour a glass of water from the jug on the table. ’It’s a cover. There’s something else.’ "I understand," Esmond said with a flat tone that unnerved Dana. It was like he tried to be friendly, but he had been so numbed he couldn’t. "You have a new nephew who works in the Palace, don’t you?"

Dana choked on the water he was drinking. "Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to know that." Dana saw Esmond’s unflinching reaction and couldn’t understand his thoughts. Putting the glass down, he crossed his arms over his chest, and his leg bounced slightly. Esmond smiled internally seeing this. "Yes, I do. Has he done something?"

The small shaking in his voice, added to his change in body language, told Esmond everything he needed. ’It’s good I warned Issac.’ Esmond shook his head and got up. "Forgive me, I just wanted to understand why you had been doing what has happened in Nakhala. I can overlook it, but no more interfering with the Empire’s war. Or I will return, and it won’t be so friendly."

Dana got up and breathed a sigh of relief. "I never intended to mess with the war effort, Count. But I understand." Esmond took a final look at him before leaving the room. Alone, Dana collapsed into his chair and looked at his shaking hand. He thought he had been caught.

’It’s only a matter of time. Fucking Kam, hurry up.’ Dana cursed his nephew, not knowing he had already been arrested, and returned to his room. A large case full of goods had already been prepared, ready to flee once Kam returned with Edward.

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Esmond sat in the small room he had rented and waited patiently. He tried to think about Dana’s end goal. It definitely wasn’t anything in Nakhala. He was sure of it after meeting the man. Thinking of the palace, he wondered what he had done in it. Was his goal Isaac or one of the children?

Esmond rubbed the ring with his family crest and squinted. It was rare he didn’t have information, and when it happened, it made him feel sick. Like he was missing something. ’he has strange funds coming in, but I can’t trace the source.’ It was the main thing that confused him.

It was very possible that Dana had a connection to the criminal world. Many of the nobles did. Looking at his lands, he had some crops that could be used for drug production, but they were too well hidden for anything related to the criminal world.

’He’s taking money. Form who thought.’ Hundreds of names popped into Esmond’s head. Going through them, he organised the names in his mind and quickly made a list of names, organisations and Kingdoms. Going through that once again, he trimmed the list again.

’Nogrovod, The Commonwealth, The Slathans. The Safrid Nobility, The Empress, Horace.’ Esmodn didn’t spare his son or the Empress as he thought about it. If it was Isra or Horace, then he had no reason to interfere as long as it was for the benefit of the Empire. He quickly crossed them off. There was no use in suspecting them when he couldn’t get close to them,

Thinking about the remaining targets, only two made sense. The nobility and the Commonwealth. With a thin smile, Esmond got up and walked over to a bookshelf, taking out a large book. Inside was a list of transactions he had managed to find of the suspicious fund she had found from Dana. Going through it once and then twice, he tried to find anything he missed that would point to his target.

He was still waiting for a word from Issac. Once he did, everything would be answered, but if he could find them before then, all would be fine.

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Sasha watched as her fleet finally began its sail across the tears of Gaia. Watching the shrinking city behind he, she couldn’t help but feel happy to finally be back on the sea despite knowing it was to wage war. Her hand gently stocked the wheel of her ship as she humed a small tune and turned back to face the ocean.

The fleet was small, only comprised of five ships, but each one was packed with hundreds of soldiers all ready to give their life for the mission. Once far enough, the fleet all dropped their sails, and the flag of the Empire blew in the wind.

It was a moment where everyone felt proud seeing the black flag with a golden lion on it. Her mind wandered, imagining the future promised by Alfred. A day when she would lead a fleet of hundreds of ships spread across the known and unknown oceans of the world, proclaiming the dominance and prestige of her home. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was the freedom she craved. The freedom to discover the unknown. Her eyes hardened, looking ahead. First, she had to do her duty and fight. But once it was over and the Empire won, she would be free to pursue the vision Alfred told her about.

She didn’t know why or where he got the confidence, but she still remembered how she was told the future belonged on the seas, not the continent, and only then would the Empire go from being a strong power into something untouchable.

Even now, when she remembered asking how he was so sure and imagining that mysterious smile Alfred gave her without saying a word, she was excited. It was as if he already knew the answer. It made her feel important, and it made her family feel important. The Godwins, always criticised as the weakest of the major families in the Empire, had a chance to become better—better than Flanders, Raven, and even the Underwells.

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Walking through the Cathedral of Brookhaven, sister Alice had a happy smile on her face as she silently prayed to the Gods. The clergy around her all looked at her with either utmost respect or wary eyes. They all knew how she had gotten to power and what she had done to force her religious vision on the Empire. Some respected the sacrifice she made, whilst others felt she was no different from others, considering herself to be the only good in the world.

Opening the door into her office, she saw a stack of letters on her desk. Taking a seat, she quickly went through them, throwing those she considered unimportant to the side. Most were like that, but she stopped at one from the group of priests and sisters she sent towards the Commonwealth.

’We have arrived in the Commonwealth, Sister. The people are happy, but we have run into a roadblock with the Church, who try to block our attempts to enlighten the masses. We require your wisdom.’

Alice frowned. Alfred’s plan to have the clergy of the Pantheon spread the new faith whilst they conquered was dangerous but ultimately would make their rule easier in the long run. She knew that there were a couple ways to deal with it but felt bad for doing it. She helped the purge against the corrupt clergy of the Church, but it didn’t mean she wished to take the lives of those innocent.

Sitting in silence for a while, she walked out of her office towards a new room that was being built to connect to the cathedral. Inside, groups of the finest stonemasoons worked to create statues of the Gods. The were far from complete, but in her eyes, she could already see their finished forms.

"Please give me your wisdom when I don’t have it." Kneeling in the room, everyone looked at Alice strangely before getting back to work. Alice stared at the Gods she had imagined, her eyes full of worship. They didn’t move, but to her, she could hear hundreds of thoughts filling her mind, all echoing her to things she already thought. Her eyes glowed brighter with each passing second as if she received a divine revelation, and standing up, she bowed towards them with a happy smile.

"Of course. It’s so simple." Smiling to herself, she walked back to her office and grabbed a pen and paper, quickly writing a reply.