Chapter 253: I hope you come soon, Damon.

Morning light streamed through the high stained-glass windows of the royal office, scattering shades of red, gold, and blue across the polished stone floor. The colors shifted slowly as the sun moved across the sky, projecting irregular patterns onto the large, dark wooden desk where Morgana sat. Stacks of documents were arranged around her with almost obsessive precision, each set secured by seals or tapes indicating different sectors of the kingdom’s administration. Despite the sheer volume of papers, there was no disorder. Everything there reflected exactly the kind of mind that analyzed them.

Morgana held an open report before her, one hand supporting her chin thoughtfully in the other. Her eyes scanned line by line with silent attention, absorbing every detail written by the agents who had compiled the information. Her expression wasn’t exactly irritated, but there was a visible weight in her gaze, something between weariness and strategic calculation.

Standing a few steps ahead of the desk was a young knight clad in polished steel armor that subtly reflected the colors of the stained glass. Her posture was impeccable, her shoulders aligned, her chin raised just the right amount to indicate discipline without seeming arrogant. Her blonde hair was tied in a long braid that fell down her back, and her clear eyes remained focused on Morgana with complete attention.

Silence lasted a few seconds before Morgana finally spoke.

“I need you to keep an eye on my stepmother.”

The sentence was spoken without lifting her gaze from the report.

The knight replied immediately, without hesitation.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Her voice was firm, clear, carrying the confidence of someone who knew exactly the weight of each word she spoke. Morgana then slowly lifted her eyes from the document and observed the young woman before her more attentively.

“Ingrivid Kisther.”

The knight inclined her head slightly upon hearing her name.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Morgana placed the report on the table and crossed her arms slowly as she assessed the young woman before her. Ingrivid wasn’t just another member of the royal guard. Her name had appeared repeatedly in the military academy’s reports over the past few years. Always at the top of the rankings, always excelling in combat, strategy, and leadership exercises.

Her training had been completed only a few weeks prior, but comments were already circulating within Arven’s army about the new knight’s exceptional potential. Some senior officers even said, half with pride and half with concern, that Ingrivid was probably the best knight to have graduated from the academy in decades.

Morgana lightly drummed her fingers on the table.

“Newly graduated with highest honors.”

Ingrivid maintained her composure.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“First place in tactical strategy.”

“Yes.”

“First place in armed combat.”

“Yes.”

Morgana raised an eyebrow slightly.

“First place in unarmed combat as well.”

Ingrivid hesitated for a split second before answering.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

A small smile appeared at the corner of Morgana’s lips.

“So apparently you are exactly the type of person I need for this task.”

Ingrivid didn’t ask what the task was exactly. He simply nodded seriously.

“I will do as you ask.”

Morgana picked up the report from the table again, opening it once more to the page she had been analyzing before. Her eyes scanned several paragraphs as she continued speaking.

“My stepmother, Valentina Visher Arven, has developed some… curious habits in recent weeks.”

Her tone was calm, but there was something sharp in her words.

Ingrivid remained silent, waiting for Morgana to continue.

The princess slid a finger along a specific line in the report.

“According to the agents we sent to monitor certain financial movements of the court, Valentina has been leaving the castle with unusual frequency.”

She turned the page slowly.

“It wouldn’t be particularly strange if they were diplomatic visits or ordinary social gatherings.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“But they aren’t.”

Ingrivid finally spoke.

“Where is she going?”

Morgana let out a small sigh and leaned back in her chair.

“The city’s underworld.”

The answer made the silence in the office a little heavier.

Ingrivid frowned slightly, though her posture remained perfectly disciplined.

“The underworld?”

Morgana nodded slowly.

“Not just the ordinary underworld.”

She turned the report toward the knight, pointing to a scribbled map that marked different regions of Arven’s capital.

“The worst possible places.”

Ingrivid approached the desk close enough to observe the map.

Several points were marked in dark ink. Specific neighborhoods of the lower city, areas known for illegal activities, smuggling, criminal guilds, and other businesses that rarely appeared in official documents.

Ingrivid’s gaze swept over the names listed there.

“Broken Lantern District.”

She moved her eyes.

“Grey Market.”

Another point.

“Chain Street.”

She looked at Morgana again.

“These are some of the most dangerous places in the capital.”

Morgana rested her elbow on the table.

“Yes.”

Ingrivid kept her gaze steady.

“And the queen is going there?”

Morgana made a small correction.

“My stepmother.”

The difference did not go unnoticed.

Ingrivid tilted her head slightly.

“I understand.”

Morgana continued flipping through the report.

“She’s not just visiting these places.”

She stopped at another page.

“She’s meeting with specific people.”

Ingrivid crossed her arms behind her back.

“Criminals?”

Morgana shrugged.

“Some of them.”

She pointed to a name crossed out in the report.

“A smuggler named Dorian Halvek.”

Another name.

“An information intermediary known as Sable.”

Yet another.

“And apparently also a smaller group of figures we haven’t yet been able to identify.”

Ingrivid absorbed this in silence for a few seconds.

“This could represent a political risk.”

Morgana let out a small, humorless laugh.

“It could.”

She looked up again.

“Or it could represent something much worse.”

Silence filled the office again.

Ingrivid finally asked what had been implied from the beginning.

“Do you believe she is plotting against the throne?”

Morgana was silent for a few seconds.

Then she answered with cold honesty.

“I don’t know.”

She closed the report slowly.

“And that’s exactly why you’re here.”

Ingrivid nodded.

“You want me to follow you.”

“Yes.”

Morgana rose from her chair and walked slowly to the window, gazing at the city sprawling beyond the castle walls.

Arven’s capital was enormous, a complex mix of noble towers, bustling commercial districts, and, far below, districts that rarely appeared on official maps.

“I want you to find out exactly what she’s doing.”

Ingrivid spoke without hesitation.

“I can do it.”

Morgana tilted her head slightly.

“I know you can.”

She looked back at the city.

“But there’s an important detail.”

Ingrivid waited.

Morgana then spoke in a much more serious tone.

“Valentina Visher Arven is no ordinary woman.”

Ingrivid arched a slight eyebrow.

“In what sense?”

Morgana remained looking out as she answered.

“In the sense that my stepmother does absolutely nothing without a reason.”

She crossed her arms.

“And if she’s meeting with criminals in the underworld… then there’s a reason.”

Her gaze hardened slightly.

“And I want to know what it is.”

Ingrivid gave a short bow.

“I’ll find out.”

Morgana finally turned completely to face her.

“I know.”

She paused briefly before adding.

“And Ingrivid.”

The knight looked up.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Morgana held her gaze for a longer moment.

“Be careful.”

Ingrivid replied with the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to risks.

“I always am.”

Ingrivid remained motionless for a brief moment after Morgana finished speaking, as if registering every detail of the order she had received. The young knight then bowed in a more formal reverence, her closed hand resting on the metallic breastplate of her armor, a gesture that reflected not only respect for the princess but also full acceptance of the mission she had just received. Her eyes maintained the same disciplined firmness as before, but now there was a more attentive glint, the kind of focus that arises when a real challenge finally presents itself.

“I will return with answers, Your Highness.”

The sentence was simple, direct, spoken with the quiet conviction of someone who saw no reason to doubt her own abilities.

Morgana merely nodded slightly, already turning her attention to the papers scattered on the table as if the conversation had been just another small interruption within an endless routine of responsibilities.

Ingrivid then turned.

The movement of the armor produced a slight metallic sound as she walked towards the office door. Her steps were firm, controlled, each stride reflecting the rigorous training that had shaped her posture and discipline over years within the military academy.

When she reached the door, she opened it carefully to avoid any unnecessary noise. Before stepping out completely, however, she paused one last time, turning her face slightly towards Morgana.

The princess was already bent over the reports again.

It was almost as if she had dissolved once more into the sea of ​​documents that dominated the office.

Ingrivid observed this for a silent moment.

Then she left.

The door closed softly behind her.

The discreet click of the latch echoed through the room, marking the exact moment when Morgana was finally alone.

The silence that settled in the office was very different from what it had been while the knight was still present. Before, there had been formality, professional tension, the kind of atmosphere that always accompanied delicate political decisions.

Now, only the weight of Morgana’s own responsibilities remained.

She stood by the window for a few seconds, gazing at the city sprawling beyond the castle walls.

Arven was slowly waking up in the morning light.

Merchants were beginning to open their stalls on the main streets, carriages crisscrossed wide avenues carrying nobles or court officials, and in the distance, the constant movement of the commercial districts came alive as the day progressed.

But Morgana wasn’t really observing any of that.

Her gaze was distant.

Much more distant.

She took a deep breath before finally turning and returning to the table. The papers were still exactly where they had been left, the reports on Valentina positioned in the center as a persistent reminder that there were problems that couldn’t be ignored.

Morgana rested both hands on the dark wood of the table.

For a moment she just stood there, motionless.

Then she slowly raised her face.

Her eyes drifted to the high ceiling of the office, where carved wooden beams crisscrossed the stained-glass windows.

She let out a long sigh.

It wasn’t exactly one of frustration.

But it wasn’t one of relief either.

It was simply… exhaustion.

“I hope you come soon, Damon.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep