Chapter 62 - Rumors and Reflections

As the conversation shifted from the Guild, with them deciding to deal with it tomorrow, Seraphina turned to Samuel to hear about what he had been doing throughout the day.

"What did you learn at the docks?"

"There's tension among the dockworkers."

Samuel started, twirling a dagger idly in his fingers with a musing smile.

"Some of them are in deep with the undercity— helping smuggle in suspicious cargo under the guise of legitimate trade. The Boss has a pretty tight grip on that operation."

Edwin's expression darkened at the words, but it seemed like he expected something to be like that.

"Not surprising. The docks are the lifeline of this city. If the undercity controls even a fraction of that trade, it gives them significant power."

Samuel nodded, and Seraphina agreed with it silently in her mind.

She already had an idea of the docks being under their control, or at least that they had some people on their payroll— after all they had to have some way of getting their things in and out of the city easily.

"One rumor stood out, though. There's talk about an artifact— the same one we overheard before. Supposedly, it's something rare and magical. Might even be valuable enough to start a bidding war."

Seraphina's interest was immediately piqued, her violet eyes narrowing thoughtfully— she wanted magic.

"An artifact... did anyone say where it might be?"

Samuel shook his head. He knew what she wanted, but he didn't disagree with her— if they could get their hands on such an item, it would be game-changing.

Magic was something worth betraying others for; that's simply how powerful and rare it was.

"No specifics. Just whispers that it came in through the docks and vanished into the undercity."

Seraphina leaned back, frustration flickering across her face. She couldn't deny the allure of the artifact, but she knew chasing after it would be nearly impossible, especially with their limited resources and the dangers posed by the undercity.

"Anything else?"

Edwin prompted, steering the conversation back on track.

"Plenty."

Samuel replied with a smile, he was like an old maiden who had tons of gossip to share, he was invested.

"There's a lot of talk about missing people. Mostly young folk. Some say it's gang-related— initiations, kidnappings, or just people being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Seraphina frowned at the information, they hadn't heard anything about this before, it was even talked about in the streets or posters about missing people.

"The city's starting to sound worse by the day."

"It gets better. The biggest talk around town is about the princess. People can't decide if she's missing, ran away, or... well, some think she's dead and it's all being covered up."

Edwin's brow furrowed, news about the Royal Family was always major talk. A missing princess would make for good gossip, everyone should know about it by now— it would be surprising if the royal family didn't make an announcement.

"And the Emperor?"

"Nothing from him. No statements, no reassurances. That's got people doubting him. A lot of folks think he's losing his grip and should step down to let the crown prince take over."

Seraphina's mind flickered back to the conversation they'd had in the forest about the princess— she remembered they had talked about the rumors of her magical potential and wondered if it was related to that.

The possibility of her running away seemed plausible, given her own experience with the pressures of nobility. Still, it wasn't her concern right now, and she quickly dismissed the thought.

"What about..."

Seraphina hesitated, carefully choosing her words.

"My father? Did you hear anything about the Duke?"

Samuel's grin faltered, and he glanced at Edwin, who gave a subtle nod for him to continue.

"Not much. A few whispers about the Duke's daughter being a runaway, but it's not really caught on. Most people don't even know you exist."

Seraphina let out a soft breath of relief but tensed as Samuel continued.

"The bigger rumors are about your father himself. Some say he's pulling back troops to put the Emperor in a bind, trying to force him to step down. Others think he's planning to betray the Empire outright."

"That's absurd!"

Seraphina snapped, her voice sharp enough to make Edwin and Samuel pause.

"My father would never betray the Empire, at least I don't think so."

Seraphina knew that her father wouldn't blindly turn against the Empire, they had worked hard to gain their position and power within the Empire— why would he just throw all that away?

Samuel raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I heard. It's just gossip— probably lies."

Edwin, who had been silent for most of the discussion, spoke up.

"It doesn't matter if it's true or not. What matters is that people believe it. If the common folk start doubting the Duke's loyalty, it could create unrest. And if the Emperor starts believing those rumors..."

His words trailed off, but the implication was clear.

Seraphina's fists clenched in her lap, her mind racing. Her father's loyalty to the Empire wasn't simple— she knew that, but if these rumors were spreading, they could create a dangerous perception, one that might even reach the Emperor's ears.

"Do you think the Emperor would act on such rumors?"

"It depends. If he sees your father as a threat or as someone undermining his authority... he might."

Seraphina stared at the floor, her thoughts swirling, she didn't believe her father would ever betray the Empire, but the weight of perception and politics was undeniable.

Politics was a game she had barely begun to understand, and it was already overwhelming— she also knew that it was largely her fault he even called back troops, so she was worried that she may cause him trouble.

"But the Duke is powerful, even the Emperor wouldn't act rashly."

Edwin added to ease her mind, clearly seeing the doubts in her eyes.

She forced herself to shift focus, changing the conversation back to the artifact because she was still curious about it.

"And the artifact? What are the chances we could get it?"

Samuel chuckled dryly.

"Slim to none. That thing's already disappeared into the undercity, probably locked away by the Boss or sold off to someone powerful."

"Then it's not worth pursuing. We have bigger priorities."

Edwin added, and Seraphina nodded reluctantly.

The artifact was tempting, but chasing after it would only put them in unnecessary danger. For now, it would remain a distant possibility— something to consider if the opportunity ever presented itself.

As the night deepened, the trio continued discussing the rumors, trying to learn if anything amongst them could be useful, and what they needed to be wary of. The good news was that not a lot of people knew about Seraphina and were looking for her— that gave her the chance to blend in longer.

Eventually, the conversation waned, and one by one, they prepared for bed. As she lay down, Seraphina's mind lingered on the rumors— about her father, the princess, and the artifact.

Tomorrow, they would visit the Adventurer's Guild, sign up for new identities, and go about a new life.