Cassius POV
The pre-dawn hours were my favorite time for planning. The castle lay quiet around me as I sat at the desk in my diplomatic quarters, transcribing Princess Sophia's revelations into coded messages for my handlers in the North. Her pillow talk had been more valuable than three months of traditional espionage.
Southern fortresses were reinforced due to coastal kingdom activity, I wrote in the ancient cipher. Eastern border vulnerabilities confirmed. Trade route dependencies mapped.
Each piece of intelligence Sophia had gasped out in her passion was another nail in this kingdom's coffin. She'd handed me everything, troop movements, supply lines, defensive weaknesses, even the location of the royal treasury's emergency reserves.
I should have felt triumphant. This mission was proceeding better than I'd dared hope but no I don't think so, I feel like I'm missing something really important and intriguing.
