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Dark Moon Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 389. Testimony
🕑 Added 2025-04-11 18:47:31 +0000 UTCThird Arc (Fallen Heart) - 389. Testimony
Angel’s fingers tapped the edge of the paper.
He glanced at Cley. “Did the spy say anything contradictory to this during the interrogation?” He had already heard everything, but he wanted to confirm what Darius had told them.
Cley shook his head. “According to Lord Darius’ report, no. His spoken testimony matched this almost word for word.”
Angel looked back at the page. His jaw tightened, not out of anger—out of consideration.
Rell leaned forward slightly. “He told Darius this was meant only for Prince Jake. That he wrote in code to protect the integrity of the message, not to conceal harmful intent.”
Angel didn’t look up. “And yet he came here without an invitation. Without informing anyone. That’s the part that makes all of this complicated.”
“He admitted as much,” Rell said. “Said it was a risk Prince Jake was willing to take.”
Angel finally leaned back in his chair and exhaled. “What do you think, Cley?”
Cley hesitated for a beat, then answered, “He doesn’t seem like someone sent to cause trouble. But he’s not innocent either. He knew what he was doing. Even if the message is harmless… It’s still spying. If not handled carefully, this could stir something between us and Harmonia.”
Angel nodded. That was the issue.
Punishing the man would be justified—he had trespassed and collected sensitive information. But the message didn’t contain threats. It didn’t reveal troop weaknesses or war plans. It was… observational. Neutral. Strangely respectful.
Expelling him might be seen as too lenient. Detaining him too harsh. And Angel wasn’t about to make a diplomatic misstep over one spy, even if the man walked like a sword and talked like he’d already won something.
Angel’s eyes moved across the report one more time. He finally folded it and set it on the desk in front of him.
“I’ll let Lord Darius continue handling the situation. He knows Prince Jake, and he’s Harmonian himself. If the spy tries anything or says anything else suspicious, I want to know immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Rell said, standing.
Angel stood too, rolling his shoulders and brushing down his coat. “And the message. No one else sees it unless I say so. No leaks. Not a word to the public or the council. We don’t need rumors right now.”
Rell bowed his head. “Understood.”
Angel moved toward the window, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out over the training grounds below. The soldiers were in formation, the rhythmic clash of weapons rising faintly through the glass.
Cley stood, waiting, then finally asked, “What are you thinking?”
Angel’s voice was quiet. “That Prince Jake is watching.”
He turned just slightly, his gaze sharp again.
“And now we’ll watch back.”
Cley didn’t respond at first, just gave a short nod, understanding the weight behind Angel’s words without needing it spelled out. He’d worked with Angel long enough to know what that tone meant. The game wasn’t over—it had just shifted boards.
Angel turned fully from the window, his steps slow and deliberate as he returned to the desk and picked up the coded report again. He tapped the edge of the paper against his palm thoughtfully. "It’s almost too clean," he muttered. "Nothing sensitive, nothing that would stir panic. No plans or names. Just polished observations and kind compliments. No spy writes like that unless they’re either confident… or covering something.”
“You think he’s hiding something?” Cley asked.
Angel didn’t look up. “I think there’s always something they don’t write down.”
The door creaked softly as Rell excused himself, leaving them alone in the study. The quiet that followed wasn’t tense—just loaded. The kind of silence that built around unsaid plans and too many possibilities.
Cley stepped closer, lowering his voice. “What do you want to do about Prince Jake?”
Angel set the report back on the table and finally sat down again, eyes distant but focused. “If this really was a test,” he said slowly, “we passed. The man walked through our defenses, was caught, interrogated, and we treated him with restraint. If Jake was watching to see if we’d overreact, well… we didn’t.”
“But if it wasn’t a test,” Cley said, “then it means Jake’s laying groundwork. Probing us to see how far he can reach.”
