Duke Sebastian Soros, Minister of Internal Affairs, had his office on the top floor of the Imperial Administrative Center. It was less an office than a highly efficient intelligence hub and command post. The decor was austere and stark, dominated by dark gray and black. The enormous windows overlooked much of the Imperial Capital, but were fitted with heavy metal shutters that could be lowered at any moment.
The walls were smooth and sound-absorbing, bare of any paintings. Only several enormous crystal screens displayed live magical surveillance footage of key areas in the Imperial Capital, blurred to obscure details. The air smelled of disinfectant, old paper, and the faint magical residue of something like ozone.
Duke Sebastian Soros sat behind a black metal desk with severe, clean lines. He was around sixty, thin, and dressed impeccably in a dark ministerial uniform. His short hair was graying, his features stern, and his cheekbones high. His deep-set eyes were nearly pure black; when he looked at someone, it seemed as though they could absorb all the light, making him unnerving to behold. He was not handling paperwork just then. Instead, his eyes were closed, and his fingertips pressed lightly against his temples, as if listening to a silent report. No one stood before him, but the inconspicuous obsidian stud in his ear gave off an exceedingly faint magical pulse.
A moment later, he opened his eyes. His black pupils held no emotion as he spoke calmly to the empty air. "Keep monitoring the Metternich family's cargo ships at the southeastern port. Report anything unusual directly to Alexander."
"Yes." A distant, ethereal voice came from nowhere in particular, then fell silent.
Just then, the office door slid soundlessly open. It was not hinged. His eldest son, Alexander Soros, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, entered. Alexander looked as though he had been cut from the same mold as his father, only twenty years younger. His gaze was sharper, and his movements carried the swift, dangerous air of a leopard. He, too, held a gold-embossed invitation from the Windsor family.
"Father," Alexander said in a low, crisp voice, without a word of unnecessary courtesy. "An invitation from the Windsor family. Eliza Windsor's Coming-of-Age Ceremony." He set it on his father's immaculate desk.
Duke Sebastian's gaze passed over the invitation, but he did not reach for it. He simply watched his son with eyes like a black pool, waiting for his analysis. In the Soros family, every piece of outside information had to be assessed coolly.
Alexander had clearly given the matter careful thought. He began his analysis in an even tone. "The apparent purpose is to announce that the Windsor-Hohenzollern marriage alliance has entered its practical phase and to demonstrate the strength of the two families' partnership. One deeper purpose may be to observe how the various factions in the Imperial Capital react, especially the princes and families such as ours and the Grey family. Another may be that the Windsor family, particularly the Eldest Princess, wants to use the occasion to test whether they can draw us—or at least the forces that have remained neutral—closer to their side."
His analysis went straight to the heart of the matter, devoid of emotion.
"Our position?" Duke Sebastian asked succinctly.
"We must attend and show an appropriate degree of 'regard,'" Alexander replied. "Officially, it is part of the Minister of Internal Affairs' duties to attend important social events. It helps maintain a facade of harmony and makes it easier for our people to operate behind the scenes. Personally, His Highness the Second Prince—whose consort is my sister Isabella—needs the most direct intelligence. This banquet will bring together the Empire's most powerful figures, making it an ideal setting for observing their movements and catching subtle signals. We can assess the Hohenzollern family's true attitude, observe the Windsor family's methods, watch the Grey family, which supports the First Prince, and even keep an eye on whether those fence-sitters in the Metternich family try anything."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "And it's a rare chance to observe our 'target,' Leon Hohenzollern, at close range. His public conduct and his interactions with Eliza will give us valuable clues about the Hohenzollern family's internal situation and the actual strength of this engagement."
Duke Sebastian gave a slight nod, approving his eldest son's analysis. The Soros family's strength lay in information and surveillance. Any large gathering was a rich source of intelligence.
"Have Casbert reinforce security across the Imperial Capital on the day of the banquet, especially around Windsor Manor," Duke Sebastian instructed. His second son, Casbert, was the Imperial Capital Governor. "On paper, it will be to ensure everyone's safety. In practice, control must remain in our hands. Place plenty of 'eyes' and 'ears' inside."
"Understood. I'll handle it personally." Alexander nodded. This was standard practice for the Soros family.
Just then, the office door slid open again, and Eleanor Soros swept in like a gust of wind. She seemed to have just finished her classes at the academy and was still wearing her flame-red mage robe. A trace of impatience showed on her face. Seeing her father and brother, along with the invitation on the desk, she pursed her lips.
"Oh, an invitation from the Windsor family? For Eliza Windsor's 'big day'?" Eleanor's voice was full of undisguised mockery and schadenfreude. "I'd love to see the look on our esteemed 'Silver Miracle's' face tomorrow night when she's standing beside that good-for-nothing Leon!" Malice glimmered in her emerald eyes. She had clearly not gotten over Leon's disgraceful behavior at the academy gates or his defeat in his duel with Eliza.
Alexander frowned, displeased by his sister's unrestrained emotions, but did not reprimand her in front of their father.
Duke Sebastian raised his black-pool eyes and looked calmly at his daughter. "Eleanor, your emotions can cloud your judgment."
His voice was not loud, but Eleanor immediately reined in some of her bluster. The disdain in her eyes remained. "Father, I just think it's ridiculous. Eliza Windsor usually acts so aloof, but in the end, she still has to marry the biggest joke in the Imperial Capital. Isn't that an insult to those of us who work hard to improve our abilities?"
"Marriage is a union of interests, unrelated to personal skill," Duke Sebastian said without a flicker of emotion. "Eliza Windsor's value lies in her talent and the political weight brought by the Windsor-Hohenzollern alliance. Leon Hohenzollern's personal character is a secondary factor on the grand scale. In fact..." He paused, a profound glint passing through his dark eyes. "...under certain circumstances, it can even be turned into a weakness to exploit."
Eleanor seemed only half to understand, but she cared more about something else. "Do I have to go, too? I don't want to watch Eliza steal the spotlight!" Her tone was petulant and willful, a side she only occasionally let show at home.
"You must go," Duke Sebastian said, leaving no room for argument. "This is more than a banquet. It is also a social occasion for you. You need to observe, learn, and let more people see the strength of the Soros family's next generation. Your talent and status are important assets to the family, and they must be displayed on suitable occasions."
He turned to Alexander. "Prepare an appropriate dress and jewelry for Eleanor. They should complement her talent and status, but not be too extravagant. Remind her how to behave at the banquet."
"Yes, Father," Alexander replied.
Eleanor was reluctant, but she did not dare defy their father. She could only mutter, "Fine." Inwardly, however, she was already planning to outshine Eliza at the banquet tomorrow, even if only in appearance and presence.
"What about Raymond?" Duke Sebastian suddenly asked.
"Him?" Alexander's mouth twitched. "He's probably training extra hard at the Knight Academy, thinking about how to beat some target in his next assessment. I'll have someone deliver his invitation. As a member of the family, he must attend, too. It'll be a good chance for him to see what real aristocratic society is like instead of thinking about nothing but fighting all day."
Duke Sebastian said nothing more and waved a hand. Alexander and Eleanor understood and bowed as they left the office.
Silence settled over the office once more. Duke Sebastian sat alone behind the enormous black desk, his gaze returning to the gold-embossed invitation. Unlike Duke Grey, he did not weigh questions of legal legitimacy, nor did he calculate gains and losses like Duke Windsor. In his world, everything was information, and everything was a bargaining chip.
He extended a pale, slender finger and lightly touched Eliza Windsor's name on the invitation, as if confirming a data point.
"Eliza Windsor... Leon Hohenzollern..." he murmured. His dark eyes held not a ripple, only pure, icy calculation. "A mage of extraordinary talent, and a dissolute young man with a notorious reputation... What kind of 'spark' will this union create? And what kind of disturbance will it bring to the Imperial Capital's deep waters?"
He needed to see for himself and make his own assessment. The Soros family was like a spider lurking in the shadows, quietly waiting for prey to stir its web. The banquet at Windsor Manor tomorrow would undoubtedly be a feast of information. He picked up the internal communications crystal and issued an order in a voice devoid of feeling.
"Activate Operation 'Nightingale.' Raise the surveillance level to Grade B. I want to know every detail of what happens inside Windsor Manor tomorrow night."
The order was given. He closed his eyes again, seeming to merge with the shadows around him. For the Soros family, a feast in the light was merely the busiest hour of work in the darkness. Everyone's performance and conversations, even the faintest changes in their expressions, would be taken apart, analyzed, and turned into precisely measured weights on the scales of his power. Eliza's Coming-of-Age Ceremony was destined to take place under the gaze of countless unseen eyes.
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