It is a luxurious mansion in the central area of Green City. A middle-aged man is sitting in the center of the main hall of the mansion. If one observes carefully, a small similarity to the throne of the royal palace can be seen.
This middle-aged man awakens fear and fascination in equal measure. His presence is imposing, with a tall stature and an athletic build that denotes strength and power.
His penetrating and cold gaze pierces his opponents, revealing a calculating and ruthless cruelty. His eyes, of an intense steel-gray color, seem capable of reading the darkest thoughts of those who dare to challenge him.
A sardonic smile is occasionally drawn on his lips, revealing his perverse enjoyment at playing with the lives and emotions of others. His angular features and firm jaw inspire a sensation of implacable and ruthless authority.
"I hope you bring good news," the middle-aged man spoke to someone who was kneeling in the middle of the hall.
When he spoke, his deep and grave voice hid a seductive and dangerous cadence. Each word was charged with a veiled threat, full of twisted turns and dark metaphors.
"Yes, my lord, I have found out the things you asked of me," the kneeling man spoke, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.
"Hahaha, come on, give me your good news."
The strong laughter resonated in the hall, causing a small echo.
"Lord Duke, according to our investigations we can be certain that it is the Solomon Viscounty. According to witnesses, the lord viscount is the inventor of these things."
"Hehe, it seems the little viscount has his tricks. If we leave him alone, he will have his day of recovery. It is already time to completely finish off the former Duchy of Solomon. Roy, I have a job for you."
The middle-aged man had a dangerous smile, causing chills in the man who was kneeling.
"I am at your orders, Lord Duke. Please, order whatever it may be and I will do it with pleasure," Roy, who was kneeling, suddenly became energetic, promising to fulfill any task.
Then Roy saw Lord Duke stand up. From the interior shelf of the hall he took out a parchment and handed it to him:
"I want you to go to the territory of the Count of Blair and deliver this parchment to him. After he reads it, you must be present at the moment he burns it. I had prepared it in case of some emergency. I did not think I would have used it so soon. How troublesome the former Duchy of Solomon is."
Roy received the parchment with extreme care. He stood up and promised with enthusiasm:
"You can rest easy, Lord Duke. I assure you that I will complete this mission to perfection. Await my good news."
"Good for you. You know that I am not tolerant of failures." The cold words of the middle-aged man frightened Roy, who was preparing to leave the hall.
**Change of scene**
The Count of Blair was annoyed at that moment. As a border territory of the County of Solomon, he could clearly see the speed at which it was developing.
What was most annoying was that he could do nothing. He could only observe it rise to the sky, remaining with his hands tied by the rules of the Kingdom of Antares.
Invasion of other territories without a convincing reason was prohibited. And even having it, his enemies would easily take advantage of his failure and he could end up on the gallows.
In his opinion, as a common count, it was easy to invade the Solomon Viscounty. He had been salivating for some time over all the new products that had come out of that place, especially the locomotive.
To achieve his objective, the Count of Blair realized that he could not eat that entire cake alone. So he decided to seek allies.
The problem was that the allies he needed should not be much stronger than him nor much weaker.
At that moment he was in his study, analyzing the pros and cons of each possible future ally. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"My lord, an emissary from Green City is coming. He carries the royal seal in his hand and requests an audience." The one who called was the new maid. Normally a new maid would not be able to serve the lord directly, but the Count of Blair became infatuated with her as soon as he saw her and decided to make her his personal maid.
"Let him in at once." The Count of Blair did not dare to make an emissary from Green City wait, especially when he held the seal of the royal family.
A moment later, in the audience hall of the Blair family mansion, the count sat waiting for the emissary to arrive.
After a moment a man in his thirties entered, a little disheveled, but the count did not dare to despise him even for a moment.
"Greetings, Count of Blair. My name is Roy. I am on a mission entrusted by Duke Jack Devonico. This is for you, Lord Count. The moment you read it, you will understand."
Roy formally greeted the Count of Blair and handed him the parchment that had been entrusted to him.
The count took the parchment and began to read it with the utmost care. After a long while, he placed it on the desk and began to laugh out loud, causing the confusion of Roy and Lisa, the new maid who attended him.
"Roy, my friend, you have just brought me the best news I could have had in my life. Come, I will invite you to celebrate with me."
The count put his hand on Roy's shoulder and was preparing to go to the banquet hall to celebrate the news. Then Roy stopped him and looked seriously at the count.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Thank you, my friend. Then I will proceed so that you may be a witness."
The count took the parchment and threw it into the fireplace that was burning. Then he left the hall laughing out loud, ready to celebrate.
A few seconds after the two left the hall, someone burst into the fireplace and took the parchment that was barely beginning to burn.
If the count saw her, he would know that it was Lisa, the new maid he had just hired in the mansion.
**Change of scene**
André was sitting at his desk, thinking which territory he would annex to his own.
Then a side door in his study opened. André was not nervous, for he knew what it was about.
From there someone came out who handed him a note, spoke something into his ear, and then left.
André read the content of the note and then laughed. Things could not turn out better. As a popular saying went in his previous life: "He was sleepy and someone sent him a pillow."
"Then let's make the game bigger, hahaha." André laughed out loud, where no one could hear him.
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