Brandon was sitting with Freya in the room with her leaning on him while he gently stroked her hair.
"You suspect there is a traitor in the castle?"
Nodding his head, Brandon replied "The assassins quickly received the information that I am at the lakeside."
"So someone in the castle must have seen us leaving or knows that we are going to leave the castle."
Freya's frown deepened "Hmm... true. But it's quite common. Even our empire has spies in other kingdoms and empires."
"So it would be hard to find the spy if it's a soldier or a maid in the castle... but if it's a minister or a noble, we can try."
She let out a slow breath "My brother's court has grown complacent over the years. There are always nobles whispering, servants gossiping, and ambitious fools looking for favors from foreign powers. But to betray the Goddess's Shadow directly… that takes real nerve."
