In a massive, ornately decorated tent near the rear of the Vond camp. Laughter and music filled the air as women in elegant attire danced and frolicked around avishly dressed man reclining on an extravagant chair. His golden goblet, filled to the brim with wine, glimmered under the soft glow ofnterns.


    "I am such a genius!" the man bellowed, hisughter echoing through the tent. He took a long sip of wine before boasting, "Killing two birds with one stone with just this move, it''s almost too easy!"


    A group of older men, dressed in fine robes, sat at the sides, observing the scene with indulgent grins. They too held goblets of wine, casually sipping as they watched the dancers and listened to their king''s boasts.


    "Yes, my lord," one of the men said, raising his cup in deference. "This war will soon reach its conclusion, and victory shall be yours."


    "Surely the king is the wisest in all thends," another chimed in, his voice dripping with ttery. "None canpare to your brilliance."


    This ttery sent another wave ofughter through the tent as the king basked in their praise, utterly engrossed in his moment of triumph.


    "I should be getting good news soon," the king mused, twirling his goblet of wine in his hand.


    The tent''s lively atmosphere was abruptly interrupted as a soldier entered, bowing deeply. "Apologies for the interruption, my king."


    The older men seated nearby instantly bristled, their expressions turning dark.


    "What is the meaning of this?" one snapped, his voice sharp with irritation.


    "Can''t you see that the king is busy?" another growled, ring daggers at the soldier.


    "It seems like you truly don''t value your life," a third added coldly, his fingers drumming on the armrest of his chair.


    The soldier dropped to one knee, his head bowed low. "Apologies, my lords. But I bring urgent news."


    The king, unfazed by the outburst, waved a dismissive hand, his mood still cheerful. "Leave him be," he said with a chuckle, his gaze falling on the soldier. "Go on, then. What''s this urgent news?"


    The soldier lifted his head cautiously. "My king, Arizol and his men have yet to return. We suspect… they''ve been captured."


    The king''s jovial expression vanished, reced by a scowl. He mmed his goblet onto the table, spilling wine as the tent fell silent. "Captured?" he repeated, his tone dangerously low. "How ipetent can one man be? I trusted Arizol with a simple task!"


    The women stopped dancing, retreating quietly to the edges of the tent. The older men exchanged uneasy nces but wisely stayed silent.


    The king rose to his feet, pacing back and forth as his annoyance grew. His ornate robes swayed with every step, the jewels encrusted in his crown glinting in the flickeringntern light. "I should''ve known better than to rely on a fool like him," he muttered, his fists clenching at his sides.


    Turning abruptly to the soldier, the king''s voice boomed, "This changes everything. If they''ve been captured, they''ll talk. And if they talk, it won''t be long before our ns are exposed."


    He strode to the center of the tent, addressing everyone present. "Enough waiting! Assemble the troops immediately. We strike at dawn. If they want to meddle in our affairs, we''ll crush them before they have the chance!"


    "Yes, my king!" the soldier replied, rushing out to ry the orders.


    The king returned to his seat, his lips curling into a sinister grin. "Get ready to attack," he muttered, lifting his goblet once more. "It''s time to remind them who rules thesends."


    *****


    "So, who''s your inside man?" Asher asked, cutting straight to the point, his tone sharp. "And what''s this war really about?"


    Themander''s face twitched briefly, but his lips moved involuntarily, his words spilling out like a broken dam. "John," he said tly, his voice devoid of inflection, almost mechanical. "First, we sent the princess to abyrinth while we staged a coup. But before we could proceed, we got word that the king was already dead and that the princess was safe... so we had to improvise."


    The lifeless delivery, paired with themander''s nk stare, made it clear he was no longer in control of his own words. It was as if his will had been stripped away, his responses driven solely by the potion''s effects.


    Asher frowned slightly, his mind racing. ''


    So, basically, this is our fault,''


    he thought, recalling that Jett had assassinated the king.


    "So, you nned on forcing the queen to step down?" Asher pressed, leaning in closer.


    Themander''s monotone reply came quickly. "The people unanimously made her queen, so we had to change our ns. We had John provoke Laxen into war with us, creating a valid pretext for an invasion."


    Asher nodded slowly, piecing it together. "And with John feeding you information, you''d be able to kidnap the Queen and, let me guess, force her into a marriage with your king, right?"


    "Yes," themander answered, his eyes briefly flickering with something akin to surprise, as though he hadn''t expected Asher to know. "But how do you know that?"


    Asher smirked. ''


    I was only guessing, but it seems like I was right on the money.''


    The genuine astonishment in themander''s expression confirmed it.


    "Let''s just say I''ve got a knack for understanding how vermin operate," Asher quipped, straightening up, his grin sharper than ever. "Now, tell me more about John. How long has he been ying both sides?"


    Themander''s gaze remained distant, his voice monotonous as he began to borate, "Vond always desired thends of Laxen. For years, they''ve envied its resources and position, but they couldn''t act on it because of the multi-empire alliance that protected Laxen from external aggression."


    Asher''s brow furrowed slightly. ''


    So it''s greed as usual. Typical.''


    "Then John came to us," themander continued, his tone still soulless. "He used the alliance to his advantage, promising us the entire kingdom of Laxen in exchange for better treatment and a massive reward. It was an offer we couldn''t ignore."


    "And you bought into it just like that?" Asher scoffed, folding his arms. "Sounds like a cheap deal to me."


    Themander''s lips twitched, almost into a grimace. "It was moreplicated than that. We devised a n with him, but things didn''t go as intended. John thought we were responsible for the failures, but we yed along, adapting. We convinced him to force Laxen into war with us, and he seeded."


    "Of course he did," Asher muttered, his toneced with sarcasm. "And the new n was to force the queen into marriage with your king? That way, you could merge kingdoms without triggering the alliance''s intervention?"


    "Yes," themander confirmed, his vacant expression unwavering. "That was the only way to avoid retaliation. If the alliance saw the kingdoms united through marriage rather than conquest, they wouldn''t turn against us."


    Asher let out a shortugh, but it was devoid of humor. "And you think that would work? That''s the most idiotic backup n I''ve ever heard."


    "It''s possible," themander insisted, though his words carried no personal conviction, only the residual effects of the potionpelling him to speak.


    Asher''s gaze narrowed. "You''re awfully confident for someone who''s chained up and spilling secrets. What else are you hiding? What about John, have you met him before?"


    "I''ve never met him," themander admitted, his voice softening. "I only know his name. But there is one thing…"


    Asher leaned in, intrigued. "Spit it out."


    "The skies won''t miss you when you''re gone," themander said cryptically, his voice hollow yet deliberate.


    Asher tilted his head, scrutinizing the man. "That''s how he''d identify himself? What does that even mean?"


    "I don''t know," themander replied tly. "That''s all I was told. And now, thanks to you and your group, we have to rethink everything. Nothing is going ording to n anymore."


    "Oh, I get it now, it''s not for you its for him to use so you can identify him." Asher gave an approving nod. "Smart move. That way, you don''t have any means of jeopardizing his cover and he could approach you without raising any suspicion. I must say, your king is kinda smart."


    Themander''s brow furrowed. "My king?"


    "Yeah, he''s the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes, right?" Asher chimed in with a sly smirk.


    Themander''s eyes widened slightly, betraying his shock. "You knew?"


    "It''s painfully obvious," Asher replied, his tone bordering on smug. "An impatient man waiting for his bride wouldn''t sit idly by. He came in person to oversee his troops, but of course, he''s not brave enough to stand on the frontlines. And let''s not forget that massive tent at the far back of the camp. A dead giveaway."


    Themander stared at Asher, astonished by his deductions, his silence betraying his admiration and unease.


    Asher''s expression turned more serious, his gaze sharp. "One more question. Where''s the queen hiding?"


    *


    *


    *


    It''s alling together now. ?(????)?