Velcorna Alodan had been convinced that reality would force her foolish daughter to see reason, especially after their most recent meeting at that fiasco of a party held in honor of the Valen King. However, public opinion did not change or tear her apart as she had anticipated. Worse, two gut wrenching pieces of news hit one after another. First, a man who looked exactly like the late Duke had appeared claiming to be Ruena’s grandfather. Second, Ruena had announced her engagement party.

  The second bit of news had been expected. Velcorna knew that Soral brat had Ruena wrapped around his greedy little fingers. It was the first news that shook Velcorna to the core. Grandfather? The previous duke had passed on before Ruena was even born. He had died in battle, holding back the endless war trapped within the lawless Warlord Territories. Even worse was the idea that he was her husband Byron, back from the grave.

  Impossible. He couldn’t be alive. Velcorna had checked countless times over the years just to be sure. She had seen his corpse the day he died, cold and lifeless. Unless the man truly was a ghost, there was no way for him to have cheated death. Did that mean he really was just a scammer? Veclorna wanted to charge into the Alodan estate to reprimand him immediately, but whenever she moved to leave she was paralyzed by fear.

  She couldn’t help but wonder, what if? What if that madman Soral had found a way to alter fate? It was easy to imagine that someone who was already famous for bending time could easily prevent someone’s death before it happened. Or maybe the Valen King had used some form of dark soul magic to summon Byron’s ghost. Then there was that wretched Black Wolf. With him involved, anything was possible.

  “I have no choice but to attend the engagement,” Velcorna realized. She didn’t want to go anywhere near Soral after hearing about his obnoxious habit of hearing thoughts. She could already feel him digging into her deepest darkest secrets. There were things she could never let Ruena find out.

  She also could not afford to risk the threat this Alodan lookalike posed. Velcorna decided she needed to be prepared to eliminate the threat by any means necessary. She would utilize the cold judgements of society first, and if that didn't work, assassin's would do. Finding out information came first. Whether it be defamation or assassination, knowledge about her enemy was key. When it came to this kind of information, there was only one place to go.

  Velcorna called over one of her own informants. "Where does the Anonymous Watcher set up shop these days?"

  "Last I heard he has been hanging around Voila's bakery, Dreamcakes," the informant replied.

  Last they heard. Normally location was stated as a fact, especially when it came to the Anonymous Watcher. "Has he been moving more frequently?"

  "Not by choice. The bakery has been continually driving him out."

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  "Doesn't Dreamcakes belong to that brat my daughter is dating? Why would he drive the Anonymous Watcher away?" Velcorna demanded, "Isn't he afraid of the repercussions."

  "Soral Voila does not fear the Black Wolf," the informant reported, "If anything, he is known for going out of his way to antagonize him with little to no punishment."

  "At least there is that," Velcorna muttered to herself. If Ruena were going to marry a man who cowered before the Black Wolf she would have stopped it even if it meant killing him. For now, allowing Soral to take that seat would be for the best. "Invite the Anonymous Watcher to my manor. If he is having a hard time setting up his shop, I can offer him a place to stay."

  Velcorna knew that the Anonymous Watcher was perfectly capable of finding a place to stay as well as a new place to do business on his own. What she was hoping for was that he would be curious and eager to delve into the rumors going around about Alodan. The more interested he was, the more reasonable the price for the information he gave.

  It didn't even take a day for the Anonymous Watcher to take the bait. He waltzed right up to her manor with his trademark cloak and mask concealing his features. If the situation had not been so dire, Velcorna would not have resorted to inviting such a shady man into her home, especially considering he was famously an apprentice of the Black Wolf.

  "It is an honor to be invited to your lovely manor," he greeted, "May I inquire as to what the prestigious Velcorna Alodan asks in return for this gesture?"

  “Right down to business?” Velcorna asked, “That’s fine with me. I am sure you already know about the situation with Alodan right now. I won’t ask you to butt into my daughter’s affairs. I already know your master won’t allow that. All I need is information on that fraud calling himself Bastion Alodan.”

  The masked man considered for a moment. “You must know that the information I can obtain from a fake name is far more limited,” he warned, “Are you still willing to pay the price.”

  “I would not have invited you here in the first place if I was not prepared,” Velcorna promised. Certainly his prices were always extensive, even outrageous, but his information was flawless and accurate.

  The Anonymous Watcher pulled out a scroll. Velcorna had seen him use his powers before, but he had always been secretive about how it worked. Why was the scroll necessary? Some information came in a variety of fonts and prose as if written by a variety of people, but the summary was always in a perfect script. Before handing the scroll over, he would always check the contents first and decide the payment.

  “Is there something wrong?” Velcorna asked when the masked man did not lower the scroll for quite some time. Just what was written on it that could stun the master trader of information himself?

  “Not exactly wrong, just unexpected,” he mused, “I am sorry, I cannot sell this information to you. Bastion Alodan is someone far beyond your reach. Whatever plans you have, I suggest you forget them. I will take a day’s hospitality as payment for this limited information.”

  Judging by his reaction and the length of the scroll, Bastion Alodan was his real name. Impossible. Velcorna had met every living relative of the Alodan family before she had married Byron, and not one of them had carried such a strong resemblance to her husband. Once again, she was left with only one option. She would have to meet him herself and stop him from ruining everything she had carefully planned.