The Shield of Gentem

Chapter 18 : The Trouble Ahead

With a report in hand, Lev frowned. Things had been well set up, he had to admit. Nevertheless, nothing could stop the investigators sent in. Unlike the traitor who had pushed Flavia through the portal, he had complete confidence in the men sent into the field.

Unfortunately, the tracks had been too well covered to confuse the enemy. There was not enough evidence for a judgment. Should he just execute them? No... He remembered Cara too well to do that.

The Hammer of Gentem had told him so clearly, a few days earlier. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Lev. I didn't have any other alternatives, back then. But... you, you can still do things differently. "

Behind her sweet smile, Cara had been through so much... Her advice was not to be taken lightly. However, he knew that if the situation happened again here and now, she would do the same thing again. Even if it would turn her into a monster in her son's eyes.

Did Tamir know about the Purge? No, he doubted it. It had happened before he was born...

What was he going to do? The easiest way would clearly be to kill them. But would he regret it later? What would his wife think? If she had managed Vera's affairs during all these years, she had still been protected from this kind of situation by her sister.

Sensing Eleazar's call through his collar, Lev shed his frock coat, before snapping his fingers to have his armor come to rest on him. Intermittent fighting was a problem. It always delayed him a little more on his decisions, which he could not make in a hurry.

As he reached the courtyard of the gate, he was surprised that his men asked him where the Duchess was. Usually she was there for his departure. It was crazy how quickly one took to pleasant things. He smiled wryly as he thought of his wife, working in her sister's duchy.

His expression did not improve when, just before leaving, Gaston joined him to deliver a precious and unexpected green letter.

*

A few moments earlier, Flavia had managed to get hold of her sister. Plunged in the reading of an important missive, Vera was frowning. Her hair tied in a high ponytail, she wore a dark blue frock coat over white pants. Her eyes were slanted and she often looked stern, but she hid her kindness well.

She often told him that being a female soldier often meant being tougher than others.

Was Cara like that, too? She who smiled all the time...

-Vera?

His sister looked up. She was not fazed by the coldness he read in them, for it was quickly replaced by a warmth she knew well.

-Flavia. It's good to see you, she said, putting the letter down.

-You are hard to find, laughs the bride. It feels strange not seeing you every day, Vera.

-Yes... The house is empty without your cheerfulness.

These words touched Flavia. Settling down with her eldest daughter, she told her that she had planned to hire a secretary to help her with the affairs of the Duchy of Gladia. Vera admitted that she hadn't thought about it, but it was a good idea. She had noticed that her butler's hair was getting whiter and whiter since Flavia's unexpected departure.

- So, tell me... Everything is going well with Lev? That big jerk is unbearable, but he's transformed once he's by your side.

She couldn't help but smile.