A cup of poison for Earhart. (5)

With a direct order from the boss, the Night Pack quickly got to work. The main target was the Eye of Rostam, but he also said that something of equal value was fine so they had to categorise the various rings that would fit that category. They also had to locate them, discern whether or not buying them legally was an option, and how to utilise them cleanly in public should they need to acquire them through more dubious means.

The underworld was getting noisy, and if the various parties weren't careful then it could easily spill over into the more normal every-day world. As for the boss that set all of that in motion, he had already left the headquarters and was returning to the Vritara estate.

Naturally, he wasn't donning the mask as he made his way through the streets. The investiture had luckily not taken place yet so his face wasn't well-known enough for someone to recognise him on the street, getting stopped while moving around would just be annoying. His bandaged hands could attract some attention, but they were easy enough to keep hidden because he chose a shirt with extra large sleeves.

As he moved, he observed the citizens going about their lives. The Imperial family hadn't officially announce the investiture yet, but there was a slight tinge of excitement in the air already. One person heard a rumour from another, and like wildfire it spread. They were quietly buzzing, speculating about what the Imperial family would reveal, who they would reward. A festival was coming, you could taste it in the air.

Well, with what he was planning the festival may have another celebration tacked onto it. It would depend on what the other party decided.

He didn't wander around as he usually would when he entered the city, today wasn't one of his scheduled days off so just the fact that he left was already highly unusual. As such, he returned straight to the estate by following the usual path. But as he reached the side entrance of the mansion, the sun starting to reach the edge of the horizon, there was already someone there waiting for him.

"Good evening, I have been awaiting your arrival. The Esteemed Duke requests your presence, so please follow me."

A butler was standing by the entrance, tilting his chin as a simple greeting. It wasn't Barret Hodgkin, but perhaps that was only to be expected, the duke wouldn't have his personal aide wait around for another servant.

But the duke… Gabriel had naturally expected that he would end up meeting the duke sooner or later, meeting him at the investiture was practically inevitable. But meeting him before then was… Unexpected. Especially since the duke was calling for him.

The duke in the show, assuming it really was a show to begin with, didn't actually do much, be it for or against Alice. He simply watched, be it when she was being mistreated or when she killed his children to further her own position. Only when she started to burn the duchy did he try to act. He was only actually named once, every other time he was just referred to as Duke Vritara. Because that was what he was, he was an existence that was Duke Vritara before he was anything else. The duchy personified, a concept made man, that was the general consensus when it came to Duke Vritara.

"I see. I apologise for making you and the Esteemed Duke wait for me. Please, lead the way."

Naturally, Gabriel responded to the grey-haired butler with a polite and respectful smile. He was currently Alice's servant, and the Duke was the head of the household, acting poorly here would reflect poorly on Alice. The future was one thing, but the current Duke… Gabriel knew that he wasn't someone they could treat carelessly.

The butler gave a short nod and then turned around, guiding Gabriel through the mansion. The butler was walking in front so Gabriel took the chance to send out Nergal, a tiny sliver of his own shadow warping before disappearing. Alice had also met with the duke earlier today so it wouldn't be a bad idea to inform her that he was called in by the duke, it'd give her a handful of extra minutes of planning should it be needed.

The butler led Gabriel through the hallways, which were rather quiet due to the lack of servants, it seemed as if the duke had dismissed most of them for the day. In the end, they reached the doors to his office. Gabriel had been here before, at least outside the office, but that was while he was skulking about in the secret passageways carved into the walls of the mansion. This would be his first time stepping past the doors.

"Esteemed Duke, I have brought the servant as you requested."

The butler carefully knocked on the thick wooden doors. Each of the doors was engraved with a dragon, the two carvings meeting in the middle, their clasped claws splitting whenever they were opened. Based on rumours, this door had been carved using wood that came from a tree that Vritra herself had planted.

"He may enter."

The voice that came from beyond the doors was quiet but heavy, the pronunciation slow and deliberate. It was familiar. Not the voice itself, but the sensation it brought with it, the weight on his shoulders. When Gabriel met the General in his past life… The voice he used when he gave out orders that cost hundreds if not thousands of lives was just like that.

The butler naturally stepped aside with a deep bow, not even catching a glimpse of the duke before he left. Gabriel remained alone, correcting his posture and expression before he pushed open the doors, having to use his elbows, and entered the office.

The ducal office, the room from which most of the matters regarding the duchy were decided was… plain. The walls were lined with bookshelves, only a few sparse spots with a bit of room between them. Each shelf was labelled and organised neatly, filled with reports that came from every part of the duchy. The shelf furthest from the door even had a section marked 'E.C Y2037.'

Earhart Calendar, Year 2037. They were currently in E.C Y3932 so it was a report that was almost two thousand years old. If his guess was correct then the only reason they didn't have any older reports it would be because they hadn't been able to handle the weathering of time.

"You may take a seat."

The duke sat behind the only piece of furniture that wasn't a bookshelf, a desk that was easily two or three times larger than a normal one. Papers were neatly stacked and lined up across the entire desk, a single wooden chair with a blue pillow placed in front of it.

A chandelier hung above the desk, serving as the sole source of light in the room. Usually there would be a large window replacing one of the walls in a room like this, but the only wall not covered by bookshelves was instead covered by a large map of the entire Vritara duchy. Gabriel did not allow his gaze to wander, the duke was right there.

"Servant Gabriel greets the Esteemed Duke Vritara, I apologise if I have offended you by making you wait. I was not expecting anything to happen so I ventured into town because it had been a while."

He bowed politely and respectfully, but as was to be expected, his hands made it a somewhat awkward endeavour. The duke did not seem to mind it, gesturing towards the empty chair with a simple wave as he put aside the paper he had been looking at.

"You may take a seat. It would strain our necks were we to crane it for the duration of our talk."

The duke still spoke slowly, calmly. It was as if he was waiting for each word to properly sink in before he moved on to the next one, adding that much more weight to each one. Naturally, Gabriel did not give the duke a chance to repeat himself a third time and sat down.

"Please, Esteemed Duke, how may I be of assistance?"

He spoke quietly and respectfully, properly acting as a servant. The duke was looking straight at him now that he had put aside the papers, deep green eyes that perfectly hid any trace of emotion observing him.

"I have not called you for a request, I simply wished to glimpse the one who chose our duchy. It is only proper that I take a proper gander before the investiture starts."

Gabriel felt that something was off the moment the duke started to speak. It wasn't the tone or anything like that, it wasn't the weight of his words, it was what he said. The one who chose our duchy. Why would he say that when Alice was the one who picked him up from the orphanage?

"It is Gabriel, correct? The child was quite insistent on it."

He didn't use a name, but Gabriel could guess that he was talking about Alice. After all, who else in this estate would dare be insistent with the duke about something like a name?

"I am honoured that you know my name, Esteemed Duke."

Once again he repeated his earlier bow. Well, at least to the best of his ability, he was currently sitting after all. The duke simply looked at him quietly as he did his gesture, hopping to a topic that Gabriel hadn't been expecting.

"Pray tell, Gabriel, what do you presume is required to successfully run any large estate, a duchy being one example?"

The duke's expression didn't change as he questioned, Gabriel also maintained his expression, swiftly and politely side-stepping the question.

"I'm afraid such matters are much beyond the scope of a mere servant like myself."

He couldn't quite tell what the duke was thinking, his bearing and expression didn't betray a single one of his thoughts. Thus, Gabriel followed the usual modus operandi. Calmly observe while remaining as quiet as possible to give away as little information as possible. The duke didn't seem to mind his side-stepping, but that may just be because his expression didn't show any of his emotions.

"One requires an excellent leader and a devious villain. You must have a leader that can bring people together and guide them forward, and you require a heinous villain that can strike fear in all who would place their eyes upon what the leader is trying to protect. Wherever people gather, one will find both light and dark. You cannot deny one or the other if you wish to lead, you need to bring them to balance."

It was a very standard approach, the carrot and the stick, just a bit more separated. You couldn't straight out rule with fear, that was how you got revolutions. No, it had to be subtle, hidden so deeply that few would ever even notice it. But it had to be there. The duke slowly rose from his seat, his footsteps echoing through the room as he walked up to the map behind him.

"The one sitting at the head of the Vritara is the light, they are the leader that the citizens can comfortably follow. But they require a villain that can serve as their shadow, they must have a darkness that is willing to consign to oblivion every pair of greedy eyes that may stray their way."

He tapped the name that was emblazoned at the top of the map, VRITARA. The light of the chandelier hit the name and illuminated it, but every time the duke tapped it he would produce a bit of shadow beneath it, shrouding the map as he kept talking.

"Francis is a poor option, he has yet to manage a balance between the two required fractions. Marion has not yet managed to completely fill her darkness, but she is smart enough to make up for her lack of quality with quantity. Given time I am confident that she will manage it wonderfully. The child is a new contender, but whether or not she can find a balance will rely on her upcoming actions."

Gabriel's eyes had narrowed slightly. The duke was speaking about things he rarely ever brought up. After all, why would a duke be so foolish as to willingly speak of the weaknesses that his possible inheritors had?

"I'm afraid that I don't quite follow, Esteemed Duke."

Gabriel deflected it again, but he had already gotten a good grasp of what the duke was likely trying to imply. But it made little sense, the duke didn't know enough to form any sort of expectations towards them. He tried to trace what he knew to figure out what the duke might have learned, but the duke paid him no mind and simply kept talking.

"In the upcoming investiture, the child will be promoted to the rank of Earl. Both the Imperial Family and the Soring family will extend their hands in marriage to tie us together. You will receive the title of viscount, albeit with a special privilege. The Imperial family has also prepared a Marquess family that will extend the hand of their daughter in marriage. Should nothing extraordinary happen, both marriages will go through as planned. You will be moved out of the territory and guaranteed the future position of Marquess, and the Vritara family will be tied closer to either the Sorin Family or the Imperial Family. It will be an ending that is beneficial to all parties."

In the end, he brought up the topic of the upcoming ceremony, which naturally wasn't meant to be public information yet. He had turned around again, locking eyes with Gabriel. His gaze was so still that it was eerie. The only thing visible in those pupils was Gabriel's own reflection, his own furrowed brows and slightly narrowed eyes.

"…Can I assume that you aren't simply saying this to inform me in advance?"

He didn't even notice that he had dropped a fair bit of the politeness he used earlier, his tone almost brusque. The way the duke spoke about the marriage was annoying, it irked him. But he also knew that the duke wasn't just saying all this to bring it up. He had a purpose.

"A leader cannot simply look for a beneficial ending, they must look for the best ending. It is that simple."

He returned to his seat with slow steps, reaching for one of the papers he had put away when Gabriel first entered. Still calm, still casual, but the thing he said…

"So you believe there to be an ending more advantageous than simply getting closer to the Imperial family."

Depending on how you took the duke's sentence, especially what it implied, it was a sentence that could be called treasonous. The Earhart family had ruled this empire for almost four thousand years now, what could be more beneficial than getting closer to them?

"As the leader, it is my duty to at the very least look for one such ending."

The duke didn't deny it, slowly organizing the stack of papers he had picked out and placing the individual sheets in front of him. He stopped looking at Gabriel, waving his hand to dismiss him.

"I have conveyed what I desired, you may take your leave again."

From an outsiders perspective, he hadn't really said much to Gabriel. He simply spoke about the upcoming ceremony he would take part in and some of his own ideology. But Gabriel had gotten a decent grasp of what he was trying to imply. But he still didn't understand why. Just the affinities weren't enough to make the duke think along those lines.

"It was a great honour to meet the Esteemed Duke."

Still, even if he didn't currently understand what spurred the duke's train of thought, he at least knew somewhat what the duke was thinking. The more he knew the easier it would be to plan moves in the future. But as he was about to open the door, the duke called out to him again.

"Oh yes, Gabriel?"

The duke hadn't raised his head from the papers, he spoke almost as if it was an afterthought, a topic that had just slipped his mind and may as well be brought up since he just remembered it. But what he said…

"It is best that you are more careful in the future. They may seem rather normal at a glance, especially to an untrained eye that relies on magic to find them, but most hidden passageways contain a feature that tracks those that use them. Most cannot access this feature, but those in charge of the passageways naturally have their ways to examine these records."

Gabriel's eyes almost narrowed, but he caught himself in time. The passageways hidden in the walls, he had used them diligently in the past. That was especially the case when it came to how he dealt with Leonardo, he had used the passageways to steal the information that lead to his downfall.

He was naturally aware of the fact that the duke knew about the passageways, but there had never been any mention of the passageways being able to track those who used them. But with that piece of information it became a bit clearer why the duke had spoken about the things he did, and why he left Gabriel with a calm reminder before he returned to his work.

"The dark must take care that it does not get swallowed due to a moment of carelessness."

———

Gabriel made his way through the halls and returned to the eastern wing. Rather than look for Alice in her room, he headed straight for his own. Nergal was currently with Alice, and since he could sense Nergal he naturally knew where Alice was.

"You met the duke."

She spoke up the moment he opened the door and entered the room. She was sitting on his bed, tugging on some of Nergal's tendrils as he rested in her lap.

"Correct, he informed me about the upcoming investiture."

Naturally, Gabriel didn't hide it. The two worked as one, proper plans for the future could only be laid if they were both on the same page, especially when it came to the information they had.

"So you've already been informed about the titles to be given out. Did he also talk about the marriage offers?"

Alice wore a tranquil expression, but Gabriel knew her well enough. The way she tugged on Nergal's tendrils, the slight tapping of her big toe, the subtle wrinkling of her nose. She was anxious.

"The Sorin Family and the Imperial Family for you, a Marquess family for me. An ending beneficial for all sides he said."

She nodded her head after he responded. Yeah, if you looked at it logically it was a beneficial ending. In fact, it would be exceptional for her position, it would be an immense amount of progress. Alice naturally knew that, which was why she was thinking carefully about how to word herself. But Gabriel spoke up before she could gather her thoughts.,

"Alice."

He didn't immediately speak further, he only uttered her name to draw her attention. It was somewhat rare for him. He was a direct person, she knew that better than anyone else. But now he chose to draw her attention first, waiting for her to look at him before he continued speaking.

"What are your thoughts on the marriage offers they will give you?"

Was that even a question? He may not know, but there was only one answer she could give to a question as dumb as that one.

"Unacceptable."

Yeah, there was no way she could accept those offers, be it the ones given to her or the ones given to him. They could offer her the hand of the emperor himself and she would still refuse. The answer slipped out a bit too fast, too unconsciously, so by the time she remembered that she should say a bit more, Gabriel had already spoken up again.

"Yes, I thought much the same."

Her thoughts stopped for a moment. Really? He'd thought the same? This was an immense opportunity. Thinking about it logically, they had worked for an opportunity like this for years already. It would solidify her position more than anything else they had done so far. But he thought much the same? When she thought that, she caught a glimpse of his expression. She had been looking at him, but she hadn't even noticed it because of her own thoughts.

He looked… A bit relieved? Did he even realise his own expression? It was to the point that she would even be willing to say that he wore a soft smile. Looking at the light in his eyes, she was confident that he didn't realise the expression he currently wore. Or maybe he did? He had slowly changed ever since their meeting with the claw after all.

Gabriel looked at Alice, he could see her thoughts racing behind her crimson irises. When she said that it was unacceptable, he felt like he wanted to let out a breath. Relief, yes, this was called relief. Thinking back, he'd actually felt this before as well, back when they met Caine as they reached the northern duchy. It had been when he saw that Alice hadn't reacted to Caine's presence in the same way as she had in the show. It was an odd sensation, but a comforting one. It reminded him of the shades of red that Alice introduced into his world.

Her thoughts were racing, but he still had to speak up. Since she too found it unacceptable then it made his plans a bit more likely, more viable. But they would still have to discuss it and plan it together, only like that would they work properly. So he spoke up again, and this time he saw all the thoughts racing behind Alice's pupils simply cease.

"Alice, I intend to propose to you during the investiture."