“What is the mission, Father? I will carry it out successfully.” Renata said.“Renata, I heard Sofina somehow became a partner of the Eden Group,” Armin said, voice steady but loaded with implication. “Do you know anything about it?”“Of course,” Renata replied casually, still eating. “We talk all the time. She’s my best friend.”“Good.” Armin set his fork down and leaned in, his eyes sharpening like a blade. “I’m giving you a mission. And listen carefully—this isn’t small. Our entire duchy may depend on you.”Renata stopped eating.Armin continued. “The Eden Group… it carries a power strong enough to make every duke uneasy. Yet not a single duke—nor even the king—has ever admitted the group belongs to them.”“I believe someone is behind the Eden Group’s rise,” Armin said, voice steady but heavy. “No company grows that fast in just two years without a giant pushing from the shadows. A duke at the very least. Maybe even the king himself.”His eyes locked onto Renata, sharp and unblinki

“Renata, do you know this?” Gerhard said, chin lifted with that familiar smugness. “I’m the fastest officer in Winchester history. From cadet to captain in just two years. No one’s ever done it before.”He didn’t stop there.“I still remember the newspapers. My name everywhere. They even called me the Prince of Winchester. Millions of women sent me love letters. I’m practically a legend here.”Renata nodded out of politeness.“This man is unbelievably shameless,” Alex muttered, feeling secondhand embarrassment crawl up his spine.Gerhard couldn’t read a room if someone handed him the instructions. Why brag about being a captain in front of Renata—the daughter of a duke, the daughter of a general?A captain’s rank is nothing to her family. But sure, let him strut around like captaincy is the peak of human greatness.Gerhard kept talking, proudly clinging to his captain rank like it was the center of everyone universe.Moments later, the flying limousine slid to a stop at the front ent

Gerhard felt a cold, sharp dread slice through him. He was a Captain and a Baron's son, born to privilege, but here, under the heavy shadow of Viscount Leopold, he was nothing.A target.If the Viscount decided to strike, Gerhard's pride, his bones, and his carefully constructed world would shatter.He could only endure the beating, retreat to his room, and weep the slow, agonizing tears of utter defeat."Sir, is the woman truly your sister?"Leopold's eyes, cold and merciless, bored into him. "I just met her an hour ago. But I say she's my sister, and that's exactly what she is. What in God's name is it to you, you little insect!"A sharp, open-handed crack echoed through the private room. Leopold's slap sent Gerhard's head whipping sideways.Now, everyone present knew the chilling truth: Viscount Leopold hadn't come for an argument; he was hunting trouble, and Gerhard was his prey.Yet, the question hung heavy in the air: Why? Why was a Viscount, a man of such power, tearing into Ge

Estoria, a few days ago.Sophia Lancaster — or Sophia Montclair— sat at a lavish dinner table across from a handsome man. His suit was spotless, his watch glittered under the warm lights, and every move he made screamed one thing:He was trying too hard to impress her with money.Sophia felt nothing. Not even a spark.When she used to struggle for money, men like him seemed fascinating — polished, wealthy, a target.But now that she had power, status, and more money than she ever imagined, she realized how hollow it all was. Everything felt staged. Everything felt fake.Only one thing ever felt real.Alex’s smile.There was honesty in it. Warmth. A softness that reached his eyes. Even when he had nothing, he still gave her everything he could.Care. Kindness. A love so sincere it frightened her.‘The towers chant my name, yet none hear the ache beneath it.The crowds applaud, yet my heart remains a solitary moon.Only he once understood my soul…and now he drifts beyond my reach.’And

Alex’s head throbbed the moment the final report came in.His own governors had already drafted a full war plan against Prussia — timelines, strategies, objectives. They wanted the entire operation launched within a year.Then Samuel and Keaton appeared on the holo-channel, their faces tight with urgency.“Your Majesty,” Samuel said. “As you can see, the governors are planning a war with Prussia. The vote is at one hundred percent approval.”Alex stared at the three men, frustration burning behind his eyes.“Can you stop them? We don’t need another war.”Keaton shook his head slowly. “I might be able to stop my daughter. Maybe. But the rest? No. They’re moving on their own mandate.”Samuel added, “I can vote against it, but that’s only ten percent against ninety. The war will still go through.”Logan leaned forward, arms crossed. “You know where I stand. As a governor, I want this war. I want to return to my hometown — and this is the only way.”Alex sighed. He was the king, yes — but