Naeva-To Fight a Monster

Chapter 16

"You couldn't find anything?" Luisa hissed. "After checking the quarters of every lieutenant, you couldn't find a single piece of evidence?"

Adrean sighed. "Yeah." He was just as annoyed as she was, if not more. He had managed to get in and out of every lieutenant's quarters and personal study without being seen, checked every place he could find, and placed everything back perfectly. Nothing was amiss about any of them.

They sat in Adrean's secret alcove, looking over his notes. Even Luisa couldn't deny that he'd covered all his bases in this investigation.

"Not even a foreign crumb," muttered Luisa.

"General, ma'am," Adrean began, suddenly remembering that he was in her direct chain of command now, "why did I need to investigate in secret? Couldn't you look through every room without any questions asked?"

Luisa gritted her teeth. "As much as I'd like to do that, I can't risk my direct influence cluing in whoever was involved in this plot. They would know I'm onto them, and they could..." Her expression turned pained. "They could kill Mother in her sickbed, or Father on his throne, all while I'm chasing the wrong person."

The wrong person... Adrean scowled. "I actually had a thought. I have a good enough eye for this that I wouldn't have even missed a fingerprint, even with the lack of available time."

"And your point?" Luisa asked.

"The point is, no one is that good at hiding their tracks," Adrean pressed. "Your lieutenants are all innocent."

Luisa reached into a pocket and handed Adrean a note. He took it and read aloud: "Your chance comes next week. I know how long you have waited for this moment, but we must be careful. I can't risk my cover. I spent too long working my way up to being a lieutenant for this to fail.

You must start with the prince. Next Friday, you will have a straight shot from your usual entrance to his room. I have augmented the guards' routes such that if you are quick, you will not be hindered.

The prince is watchful. Make sure he does not see you."

Adrean stared at the note for a moment longer before asking, "How long have you had this?"

"Since you killed that assassin earlier this year. This note was on him. I guess fewer people noticed your training than I'd previously thought; he got more of a fight than he'd expected."

"Yeah." Adrean took a deep breath. He had thought that the assassin had reached him through sheer luck and had decided to kill him in a rash decision. The fact that almost every aspect of that plot was completely thought out made him way more uncomfortable.

Luisa checked her watch and shifted slightly towards the hidden tile that led back into the corridor. "Your dinner break is starting. You need to get back before too many people question your absence."

Adrean nodded and made his way out of the wall. He cracked the panel open, and once he was sure no one was nearby, pushed it out. He was careful to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Later, sis," he whispered to Luisa after she climbed out. He replaced the wall tile and ran to the dining hall.

Adrean arrived late, walking in just as the head cook announced that dessert was ready. Fortunately, there was still enough left for Adrean to have a proper meal.

Now that he knew the lieutenants weren't likely to say anything suspicious, Adrean didn't bother sitting near them. He just chose a random seat and started eating.

"Good evening, Adrean."

The prince looked up to see four men sitting across from him. In the middle was First Lieutenant Elias Clemens, the only lieutenant that neither Luisa nor Adrean considered a suspect. On his left sat Ambrose Maro, and on his right sat Weldon Ritter and Curt Walters.