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Red Griffin Castle.

The candlelight flickered in the study.

In front of the heavy oak desk, a stunningly beautiful woman exuded an air of maturity as she reclined on the chair, flipping through the parchment letters scattered on the desk with one hand.

Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, the deep brown strands shimmering softly under the candlelight.

The dark red dress outlined her graceful figure, the curve of her chest rising slightly with each breath.

Her features were not extraordinarily beautiful, yet she possessed a soul-stirring charisma.

This woman was none other than Susan, Avril's stepmother.

At this moment, Susan's brow furrowed slightly, anger simmering in her beautiful eyes as she stared at the captain of the spies kneeling on the ground.

"Tell me, what does 'disappeared' mean?"

Susan's voice was deep, tinged with impatience.

The captain of the spies kept his head lowered, sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Madam, we traced them to the tavern in Shilu Town in the Hawk Territory, then they vanished."

The spy captain's voice trembled, as if afraid that his words would unleash a thunderous wrath.

"Vanished?"

The letter in Susan's hand made a slight tearing sound, her tone suddenly heightened with sarcasm,

"A whole team, just disappeared without a trace?"

The spy captain swallowed hard, his head hanging even lower,

"There was a fire at that tavern, madam, all traces turned to ash."

"By all accounts, that was the last place the team appeared, all investigative leads pointed there."

"But we couldn't find any intact bodies in the town's mass burial site, unable to determine whether they went somewhere else or were carried away by wild dogs..."

A normal fire rarely burns bodies to ashes, at most it chars them black.

As someone who frequently deals with corpses, the captain of the spies knew this well.

"And then you concluded they just vanished?"

Susan threw the crumpled paper at the spy captain's face,

"Wouldn't you continue investigating? Wouldn't you interrogate that tavern's owner and bartender?!"

"We did, we did, madam."

The spy captain's Adam's apple moved as he hurriedly explained,

"But the tavern owner and bartender all died in the fire."

"Even the drunks who frequented there couldn't escape."

Seeing Susan's expression grow colder, the spy captain quickly added, "We also captured the tavern owner's nephew, thoroughly interrogated him with no further leads, perhaps it really was an accident..."

"Accident?"

Susan's tone carried a hint of mockery, "They were all elite, and yet not one escaped an ordinary fire?"

"Perhaps they all had been drinking..."

The spy captain's voice was very low, and he couldn't help but glance at Susan's expression after speaking.

This time Susan didn't speak, but fell into deep thought.

If they really had been drinking, it might indeed be possible they failed to react.

But without finding bodies, Susan felt something was amiss.

Perhaps they were assassinated?

"How come Baron Ace of the Hawk Clan said he received no information, didn't know about such a team, and let us investigate ourselves."

"What a useless man, with no sense of responsibility."

Susan slammed her palm onto the table, loudly questioning, "Does he not want to cooperate with us anymore?"

The spy captain answered cautiously in a low voice,

"Baron Ace said... he already has a lover, and seizing another's love is not an elegant act for a noble."

Susan's gaze suddenly turned icy, pacing back and forth before the desk,

"That wasn't what he said before!"

"He must have found out something and been scared witless!"

"Like a cowardly mouse, he is never a match for Baron Black Pine Ridge, even if he wanted to cooperate, he wouldn't deserve it!"

Susan's voice was filled with hysterical fury, "No wonder his father failed, all the men of the Hawk Clan are worthless!"

"Send someone to connect with the lords of the Northern Wasteland, I remember none of them are married."

Susan now appeared as a woman abandoned by men, eager to find the next suitor to prove, "If you don't want me, plenty of people will."

"Yes, noble madam."

The spy captain hurriedly agreed, subtly exhaling a long breath.

This matter was mostly resolved, sparing him from suffering.

Feeling slightly relaxed, the spy captain managed to squeeze out a flattering smile, attempting to please.

"Madam, Baron Black Pine Ridge is insignificant."

The spy captain leaned forward, lowering his voice, "Once the old Count passed away, the title should naturally go to Kelanke, actually Avril doesn't need to worry at all."

She was silent for a moment, the candlelight flickering in her eyes, reflecting a somewhat vicious glint.

"What do you know?"

It seemed Susan recalled something hateful, her left hand clenched tightly, nails digging deep into her palm.

She turned to stare at the spy captain,

"The old goat hasn't made a will yet, and he's deliberately hidden the family seal!"

"Without that seal, Kelanke cannot directly become the lawful heir!"

The spy captain's smile froze on his face, his throat seemed blocked, leaving him speechless for a long while.

According to the unwritten rules among nobles, titles are indeed inherited by the first son.

However, according to the Empire's law, without a specific will, the eldest daughter can inherit the title.

Susan slowly sat back in the chair, a fierce light flashing in her eyes.

"I had agreed with that old goat before, the title must belong to Kelanke."

Her voice was so low it seemed as if she was talking to herself,

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have sent that bitch off to such a distant place, I would have dealt with her at the castle, even if it meant being accused."

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