"So, that was all he had to say?" 

Silas Delving sighed. "Correct."

His Father leaned on his chair. Though wrinkled by age, his lips sported victorious mirth. "As expected."

That word did not put the admiral at ease, not one bit, but he tried to erase all trace of uneasiness and straighten up his seating. None one minute Silas forgot that he was sitting in front of Jonas Delving, an absolutely austere man he was, with a rigidly ambitious outlook.

"The raid on the Black Serpent Headquarters has been a considerable setback, but we still have another card to play." Jonas Delving arose from his chair and lighted up a cigar. Though there was a hint of resignation in this tone, he was speaking with pride. "We almost had everything ruined due to your brother's incompetency. But with you here, Fredricus would not dare to push his luck."

Paused, the head of the Delving clan inhaled a puff, savoring it before exhaling expertly as if age did not deter him. A haze of burned tobacco curled above his desk before wafting toward the window. Jonas Delving might not be living in his prime anymore, but his bearing gives off an aura of a grizzled man that would not turn down a challenge. 

"You know, had everything gone smoothly, I wouldn't have involved you to begin with." he continued, pointing to his eldest son with his lighted cigar. For the first time since he entered this room, Silas looked up. He knew where this was going. 

"You don't have to repeat it." 

"And you are supposed to be leading [b]our[/b] fleet. Watching over our maritime border, to be ready to follow the order from the [I] next new crown[/i]. Meche is weak, how many days do you think it would take to take over their coastal bases? A week? Two? There should be a war declared today if only that pathetic Fredricus did not hire those pesky investigators, and your brother's failure to contain their movement." 

Silas did not say anything, although his expression clearly said he did not want to hear that. It was bad enough that his brother was dragged into this treachery. Now being put under the cart, he was stripped of all credibility and was now serving as nothing more than a designated punchbag for the aristocracy to blame. True his hubristic nature contributes to his failure, and in Delving Household you have to pay for your mistake with your head held high or be exiled. He simply wished that his father would acknowledge that Aaron's downfall was in his quest as a dutiful son and give the credit where it was due. 

Silence again. At that time the door suddenly opened, and a woman nonchalantly sauntered in, bringing a cup of coffee and refreshment in a silver tray. Like both men in that room, her hair was golden, but slightly pale compared to the rest of the Delvings. She wore a black dress, with white trim and a frilly white apron donned in a way that highlights her curvaceous figure while still maintaining acceptable propriety. A black-rimmed glasses and a white ruffled headpiece complemented her appearance with elaborate yet humble elegance. 

The woman let off a youthful smile as she placed the tray on the table in front of Silas. "Good to see you, big brother!"

"It's Admiral. Know your place and read the situation." the old man scoffed and looked at both the servant and the servings she brought in restrained disdain. "Also, I don't remember summoning any servant." 

"Apologies, [i]Master[/i]." she bowed deeply "I was thinking it is customary in our household to serve refreshments to our guests, especially to the esteemed Admiral Delving."  

"The duty of a servant is to serve, not think."  

The woman smiled earnestly, but the scorning continues. 

"And next time, let the head maid handle it. I see that you are bringing that... A man like him has a class. Take that back with you, out of my sight!" 

"Father, it's all right." Silas intervened. After sipping on the steaming coffee, he looked at the woman and returned the smile "Good to see you again. Kirsten." 

The woman looked ecstatic she almost bend the tray she was holding, however, before they could continue their reunion, Jonas Delving stared at his son disapprovingly, then at that servant he barked. "What are you waiting for? You are doing me a disservice, Leave now!" 
 
The woman bowed and left quickly. Whether she was smiling or sobbing when walking toward the door, nobody could have ever guessed. Silas shook his head and looked at his father in the eye "She was just trying to be nice. You don't have to do that." 

"Doing what?" 

"Father, all I ask is for you to look at my siblings the way you looked at me. Aaron did his best, you don't have to exile him, and Kirsten--" 

"She is even a bigger failure." Jonas Delving blew the smoke out of his nostril and glanced at his son as if he had forgotten his origin. "What do want me to do? That half-sister of yours failed in her study, she lied to me, kicked out of the academy dishonorably. I have been so awfully generous to not let her rot in an orphan, and this is how she repays me? By canceling off a marriage and fooling around wasting my time and money? Insolent child! If she wants to spend the rest of her days here, she must pull her own weight." 

"I was honestly glad the engagement was canceled. Nobody wants to be sold off to a new family like a prized pet." 

When Jonas looked at him sternly, Silas realized that he had crossed the line. 

"I didn't mean--" 

"Careful. We all have our own duties. Our worth as human beings is measured by how well we perform our duties, that is the Delving's way. And I raised you and your siblings including that blasted wench with the same ideals. Enough about this trivial matter, I have something more important for you to take care of."

Jonas gestured for his son to be at ease, before continuing. "Yesterday Fredricus announced in front of the aristocracy that his son will be returned to the palace in three days. I know our current king is not a man who would give a promise, down to the exact date and place, if he doesn't have the confidence to fulfill it. Considering the circumstances [i]we created[/i], this is an alarming move." 

"So you are suspecting the freelancers Fredricus hired got a wind on the location?" 

"This will be easier to dismiss if it was based on suspicion alone. I tasked my regulars to check out the premises but they reported to me that the south bridge has been destroyed. There was no update from Pesti either." 

"Did Von Kruber do that?" 

Delving patriarch dipped the rest of the cigar into porcelain astray and turned to the window. "Could be, fearing the King's agents would come knocking on his newly renovated keep. If it wasn't him, except for Antigone, and a squad with hundred pounds of black powder, I don't think there was someone we know capable of dealing out this reckless amount of destruction." 

Apparently, there was, but it turned out Aaron decided to be conservative in his report. And his father, despite being a shrewd man he was, had no inkling about the capabilities of the agent Fredricus hired. Or underestimating them. Quickly the admiral could point out another flaw in this entire plan, and it made his stomach churn. His father gambled big but did not play his card right, When would this madness ever end?    

But to voice out his contention was another story. In this very chamber, the eldest son of the Delving brothers had always been his father's yes-man.

"Then we need to secure the keep." he baited. Part of it was merely to entertain his father's dangerous endeavor, and nothing more. 

"The usual? I don't think we should do that." Said Jonas, attempting to pick up a new cigar but then putting it back again. "The keep is well protected by anti-scrying devices, we had decoys. Fredricus' hands are tied by his own anti-war policy, so why should we do anything bold by sending off our armed men?" 

"What if the site has really been compromised? As we feared?" 

Jonas snorted as if the very question annoyed him. "Asevor the Wizard is protecting the fort. Also, we have dozens of mercenaries standing by at Pesti. If someone attempted to scratch its wall I would have heard about it. All Fredricus had left is his freelancers, and the last time I heard they were still stuck in Hdur because they don't have any leads." 

It took him a bit of a will to have his chiseled chin nodding to that explanation.  

"So what is your order?" 

"I need you to be my liaison. Remind Von Kruber that I expected the money we donated to be spent on something more useful for the cause, and I will be honored if he would attend the meeting on the 18th. Also, tell him to not do anything idiotic like destroying bridges. Our associates did a decent job framing this issue as an act of sabotage by foreign actors, but we all knew Fredricus isn't easy to fool. It's best to not attract unnecessary attention. That would be all." 

"What about Fredricus' agents?" 

"What would [i]you[/i] do about them?" 

_