Armand and Eris entered the feast hall with arms locked together. The guards looked a bit frustrated, and so did the other people in the room. Both nobles sat side-by-side at the head of the table.

"I apologize for the delay," Armand said. "But there was a matter of great import that needed our attention."

"And that would be?" Nadine raised an eyebrow.

"A matter of secrecy. So, I am afraid that I cannot reveal it. For that, you have my sincerest apologies," the Concord boy stated.

"Do not worry. We understand that sometimes, you nobles make yourselves busy," Francois replied.

Eris' mouth smiled at everyone around the table. Her eyes did not smile.

"Let's continue the feast," she suggested. "I know the journey here was long, and we're all hungry."

With that, the group returned to eating. The guards were closer to the guests than when Armand and Eris were last there, something the two noted. And everyone ate in silence.

By the time the feast was over, it was night. Armand stood up first. He gave his fiancée a nod.

"My dearest Eris, would you mind escorting our guests to their rooms?" Armand asked.

The Hapsburg girl stood up and curtsied.

"It would be my honor, Armand," she answered.

With that, the two of them separated. Eris led the people she arrived with out of the room. And Armand was going to return to his quarters. However, one of the guards spoke up.

"My Lord, may I speak with you for a moment?" he questioned.

Armand stopped in his tracks before turning towards the man. He wanted to start on the letters as soon as possible. But if this was an important issue, it would need to be addressed.

"Of course. What do you need?" the noble wondered.

"The moment you were gone, the guests started trying to explore the manor. We did not let them into the rooms you ordered us to keep them out of."

Armand nodded.

"That is good. I expected there to be at least a few spies among them," he said, not giving away the full details.

"It's more than that, My Lord. They questioned our loyalty to you," the guard replied.

Armand shrugged.

"You are a mercenary. Your loyalty is to the highest bidder. I knew that when I hired you," he stated.

"Of course, My Lord. But they questioned it on other terms," the guard explained. "Like, they asked us how well we were treated and did not believe us when we told them we were treated well. They wondered just why we were loyal to a noble at all."

Armand felt like bashing his head against a wall.

"It's no wonder the revolutionaries accomplished nothing the last time around if their agents are this incompetent. Mercenaries don't care about social class. The only thing they care about is wealth."

A sense of bitter irony flashed through the Concord boy's head.

"Most people think this makes mercenaries disloyal. But the truth is that you will find few people as loyal as mercenaries, so long as you are paying them more than your opposition would. Someone who follows you out of their ideals could easily betray you for those ideals. But as long as you are the highest bidder, a mercenary will remain loyal. Eris is right about that if nothing else."

"And what did you tell them?" Armand asked.

The guard shrugged.

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"That we're mercenaries and nobles have the most money. If they wanted our services, they should try to outbid you. They didn't like that," he answered.

"And you are telling me this now, why?"

The guard grinned.

"Because I know they can't outbid you," he said.

Armand nodded.

"A fair point. Just follow my orders and keep the guests out of the rooms I told you to, save for Eris. She can go wherever she wants. Make sure no harm comes to the guests unless they actively attack you," the Concord boy instructed.

The guard nodded.

"Are you sure you want them to stay here, not just kick them out?" he pondered.

"Yes, I am sure. I don't pay you to ask questions," Armand replied.

The mercenary scratched the back of his own head.

"I take it this is some noble scheme?"

"Think whatever you want of it. It is my will," Armand said.

Nodding, the guard spoke.

"Alright. We'll keep them out of those rooms, My Lord," he stated.

"Good," Armand responded. "If there is nothing else important, I must go to my quarters now. I have business to attend to."

With that, Armand left the great hall. He walked through the manor before arriving back at his room. There, the boy sat at a table and started writing. The notes he made were about Brutus. They painted a picture of a futile search for the Medici boy.

Armand made sure to make a lot of these letters. The Concord noble worked long and late into the night, past the time when he was sure everyone else was asleep, before he was finished.

Then, with that done, Armand pondered on which rooms the rebels might have entered by then.

"My guards most likely kept them out. I'd expect them to be able to do that for a few nights. But I can't take chances. Eris would have taken them to the guest rooms in the West Wing. So, I should put these letters in some forbidden rooms in the East Wing. But what if they give up before they go there or never make it there? I'll put some letters in the middle areas too."

With that, Armand moved out. He made sure to be stealthy so none of the rebels would see him. However, the Concord did not encounter any of them in the halls either. Still, Armand was cautious. After all, the boy didn't know what tools of espionage they might have brought with them. And he was not the sort to underestimate people.

Earlier and in the East Wing of the manor, Eris was escorting the guests. She had a polite expression on her face. Internally, the girl already had a scheme planned based on the information Armand gave her.

Nadine walked over and leaned close to the noblewoman. She whispered in her ear.

"Lady Eris, do you have any idea where your fiancée might keep his... sensitive information?"

"If there are any rooms he does not want you to go into, try those," Eris suggested.

"That's obvious," Nadine sighed. "But some secrets might be more embarrassing than something we can use against him. Perhaps you could give us something more specific?"

Inside, Eris was cackling like a mad witch.

"You subhumans don't know Armand like I do. I was his enemy for over a decade before he turned back time. I know how he thinks better than any of you possibly could," she thought. "When Armand finishes his letters, he probably won't put them in the rooms in the East Wing. Instead, he'll put them in the middle section and West Wing. Otherwise, they might have already searched the East Wing rooms and miss them."

Eris suppressed a sigh.

"Even if my beloved cares more about commoners than he should, he at least wouldn't underestimate anyone, even when I would. And knowing Armand, he'll have the letters written and placed by tomorrow," she pondered before speaking. "Anything that we could use against Armand would be in the West Wing. But wait before going there. It's late, and you need to rest if you want any chances of success. And you will need to plan your actions with utmost care."

Nadine scoffed.

"We can handle whatever he throws at us. The noble closest to my home city let his guards get drunk and abuse the peasants. Armand's men will probably be too busy beating up some random commoner to stop us."

Eris felt her eyes twitch. A hint of rage flowed through her. The girl pushed it down like a gorilla slamming a sledgehammer into a log. After that, Eris forced a smile.

"Please do not think that Armand is like that noble. He would not let his men just beat commoners for no reason," she spoke before thinking. "Even if he should. Letting your personal guard beat the subhumans for no reason helps keep them in line."

The noblewoman continued.

"And if one of his mercenaries got drunk on duty, they would swiftly find themselves seeking new employment. As generous as I am, even I would not allow that."

"Although if I found one of my mercenaries drunk, I would do far more than kick them out."

Nadine seemed skeptical. Still, she shrugged.

"If you're really worried about it, I guess I can rest tonight. I am pretty tired," the commoner admitted.

"Good. Now, remember to be careful. Getting caught by Armand's men could ruin all our plans," Eris said. "And remember that you are in the middle of a noble's manse. Consider yourself in the middle of enemy territory."

The rest of the walk was done in silence. Eris brought the rebels to separate rooms. Then, the girl retired to the largest guest room. She and Armand were not married yet, so to prevent scandalous rumors, the noblewoman made sure to sleep in a separate bed from him.

Still, Eris did not sleep just yet. She kept her gaze wise and eyes sharp. The plan was set. All that was left was to see how the pieces fell into place. And the girl certainly hoped things would go their way.

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