Two cloaked figures stood under the shadow of a stone archway from one of the further outer walls of the castle from the most populated areas. Their hushed voices could be barely heard over the light spring wind as it carried petals that reflected the moonlight in their final descent from the branches of the fruit trees.
"Miss, your father has informed me of his decision to push forward our plans."
The smaller of the two silhouettes, barely reaching the other's shoulder, took a step back in surprise, prompting a golden lock of hair to fall and peek from under the cloak's hood.
"Is it because the Duke is coming back soon?"
"Yes, Miss. Once everything is finally settled with the Young Lord, we must begin to move. Otherwise, we might lose our momentum."
"Are you sure that Ronna woman will attack this week?"
"Yes, my Lady. She has to do it before the Duke arrives after all, and her condition worsens by the day. She doesn't have much time left."
The tender face beneath the robe twisted in discomfort. The messenger couldn't help but feel that his young Miss might not be prepared for what was to come. Her heart was too soft for the sacrifices that had to be made. Noticing the slip of her expression, the girl smoothed her features back to an impassive face.
"Please remember, Miss, that we are doing all this for the sake of the barony. Don't let these years of work fall because of your indecisiveness."
Steeling her gaze, she connected it to his.
"I won't. Tell the Baron that I will carry out the tasks he has given me."
"Yes, my Lady. I shall relay your message."
After a quick bow, the taller figure left the archway, silently disappearing amidst the overgrown shrubbery.
Alone, Alea sighed and looked up at the sky, wishing for a second to be one of the drifting clouds that framed the moon.
Nights passed and morning came, shining through the bedroom window on Elron's face.
"Young Lord, please wake up. We need to prepare for the public assembly."
He opened his eyes to see his attendant's face, who had already picked out his clothes for the day. After getting dressed and eating a light breakfast, Elron walked down the hallways of the castle towards his personal office. He had to retrieve some relevant documents from his locked drawer.
After pushing the door and stepping inside, he stopped in his tracks immediately. For a second, he almost swore he saw a shadow move in the corner behind his bookshelf.
"Is there anything wrong, Young Lord?"
The attendant followed the line of his master's gaze, but found nothing there.
"No, I'm just feeling tired from inconsistent sleep, I think."
It was a logical conclusion to reach since the last three nights had been quite restless for him. Today he was taking one of the biggest decisions in his life, and his levels of stress had practically skyrocketed these last few weeks, but he knew it was necessary for a smoother future as the head of the duchy.
Before he could reach the desk, the clamor of armor resounded from the hallway.
"Hurry! The Young Lord is in danger! I saw her enter his office!"
Half a dozen guards burst through the doors, followed by a panting little girl who was too busy pulling her hair away from her eyes to notice his presence.
The wild charge halted a couple of meters past the entrance in surprise. There, they found a confused Elron with a couple of his tutors at his side instead of the savage in wait for the kill they had been expecting. One of the guards stepped forward, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the room.
"Young Lord, please step outside, it is dangerous here."
"Dangerous?"
"Yes, Young Lord. The Ronna woman has fled her quarters and ran here."
Elron quickly caught on to what the man was trying to say.
"An assassination attempt."
The teacher by his side gasped in fright. They couldn't afford to lose everything they had worked so hard for.
"Young Master, we must leave immediately! If what they say is true, your life might be in danger!"
The future Duke raised his hand to silence the man.
"Calm down, the Ronna is not here. If she were, I would not be alive since she would have ambushed us the second we stepped into the office. Besides, there is no place in this room big enough to hide an adult. Even if she for some reason chose not to attack us she still couldn't have vanished into thin air."
He turned to the guard.
"Are you entirely sure you saw her come this way?"
"Yes, Young Lord, we-"
"Did you see her come into this room?"
The guard hesitated. The entrance to Elron's office came right after a left turn in the hallway, so they had actually lost sight of the Ronna at the corner.
"Well... Not exactly."
"Then, how were you so sure she was in here instead of in some other room further down?"
Panic flashed through the man's eyes at the implication in Elron's words. If they didn't see her come in, but still charged through with such confidence, it meant they knew her final destination from the beginning.
Another group of armor-clad men came after hearing the commotion with confused faces.
"Young Lord, we heard yelling and came immediately. Is everything alright?"
Elron gestured for them to stand by as he kept his eyes on the guard.
Desperate to hide his knowledge of the attack, the guard looked at the girl at the back who turned pale as a sheet when she met his eyes. The men in armor all followed after him, swiftly shifting the blame.
"She told us she was coming to the office."
"Yes, in the heat of the moment I heard her say the Ronna had come this way."
"Wasn't she the one who called us after she saw the woman escape her room?"
Alea's eyes watered as she soon understood what was happening. She had become the sacrificial lamb after her father's scheme had failed.
Once the Baron, Marquis Reuben's supporter, heard of the old man's plan to put his son at the head of the duchy, he thought maybe he could take advantage of this opportunity. His status would never be high enough to have one of his male successors marry into the Laurendt family, but women didn't have that problem.
It was quite normal for ladies of a lower status to marry into high profile houses, be it because they were beautiful, talented or held quite a large dowry. So he made use of his most disposable pawn, the daughter he had sent to the Duke as a gift, and intended to stop the assassination to create a connection between the girl and the future lord, even hiring some of the castle's guards for this purpose.
Alea fell to her knees, lowering her face in shame. She knew exactly what had gone wrong.
'She knew from the beginning, didn't she?'
Neera was the only person who could have completely overthrown the plan.
Knowing that Neera was actively seeking the Ronna, Alea had gone to her room yesterday with a bag full of pastries for them to share. The biscuits had been laced with a slow but strong sedative to take her out of the picture at such a crucial time, but the young girl had clearly not been fooled. She must have acted as if she had actually eaten them. A bitter smile marred Alea's face.
'I guess the roles have been reversed. I am now the expendable pawn.'
Tears fell from her eyes, soaking the fabric on her lap.
'No, that is not right. I always have been an expendable pawn just like her, she just noticed it in time to escape. In the end, her fate, had it been left in my hands, would have been the same or worse than the one ahead of me.'
Alea met Elron's gaze with determined eyes. She knew that no matter what excuse she presented, she wouldn't escape unpunished, so she steeled her resolve and parted her lips. If she was to fall, she would not fall alone. Maybe, if she played her cards well enough, she could turn the situation in her favor.
'I don't owe them anything.'
"My father, Baron Fierster, is the one who told me she would be coming here today."
Sharp irises pierced the shocked faces of the guards around her.
"These men have also been hired by the barony, please don't let them go as they please."
"This b*tch!"
"She's lying, Young Lord!"
"Yes! She's just trying to shift the blame!"
"Silence!"
Elron's voice boomed through the room. His gaze was cold as it fell on the girl's trembling shoulders.
"Why did you rush here if you knew I was going to be assassinated?"
Alea outstretched her previously closed hand. On her quivering palm a bottle of medicine shone to the light of the morning.
"I was instructed to attempt to save you in order to create a good impression on your father. The Baron intended to ask him to make me your wife in case you survived as a reward for helping you."
The frown deepened on the young man's face.
"And if I died?"
The girl lowered her head again. Unable to meet his eyes.
"He hoped to get me engaged to the Duke's bastard child who would take your position."
Elron was speechless for a couple of seconds. Although he was aware of the countless schemes that surrounded him, this was the first time he had come face to face with the cold reality of being the lord's successor. He was seen as a tool for other people's greed, just like the young lady that laid on the floor in front of him. Enraged, he clenched his fists.
"Imprison them all! Don't let anyone escape! They shall await for their trial until my father comes back."
The struggle of the bribed guards was short-lived as they were easily overpowered. Amidst the chaos, Alea rose her voice through tears.
"Young Lord! I have valuable information! If you spare my life I can tell you about everyone who is against you! Please, listen to me! I know how the Ronna managed to escape! And I know about Neera! Young Lo-"
The guard who held her covered her mouth with a gloved hand, dragging her away despite her desperate kicking and muffled screaming. The young successor's eyes were wide, swiftly shifting around the room to see if anyone had listened to her words. Luckily, Alea's pleas were weak against the turmoil inside the office, being drowned out by the voices of the rest of the captive people. No one seemed to have realized his weakness.
"Everyone besides the girl must leave."
"Young Lord, it's dangerous, what do you-"
"One guard will stay. I will be safe. Now leave!"
The attendants hurried out of the room, followed by the still crying traitors. Elron approached Alea with a severe face.
"Listen to me, girl, as I will only say this once. If you disobey my orders, you will be executed. Do you understand?"
Alea nodded frantically.
"I don't have time for this right now. I need to be at the assembly in a couple of minutes. The guard will take his hand from your mouth, and you will only answer what I ask of you. Is that clear?"
Alea nodded again.
"How did the Ronna, who was supposedly here, escape this room?"
When the suffocating presence of the gloved hand left her lips, she quickly answered.
"The passages, Young Lord."
"Passages?"