Chapter 8: New Ally
Valentina grabbed her jacket and pulled out a small leather notebook. "I know more than you think." She opened it showing pages of secret notes. "House Blackrose has spies in all the important families in Lyranth."
She started sharing key info, drawing invisible maps on the table between them. "Gareth already bribed two judges for the Trial of Arcane Mastery—Lord Bainbridge and Lady Fenwick. The third judge, Lord Hemlock, has a thing for redheads." She looked up to see how Arthur would react. "He visits the Crimson Petal brothel every third night."
Arthur noticed she was watching him closely.
"So you want me to use my powers on a royal judge," Arthur said.
"I'm saying use whatever advantage you have." Valentina closed her notebook.
So, are you actually willing to do whatever it takes to win?
"Show me what you got," Arthur said, grabbing some paper and a pen.
Valentina took the pen gracefully, drawing out a map of noble families and their connections.
She worked quickly, showing she knew way more about court politics than even the royal advisors.
"House Silvermoor is key to getting divine approval," she explained, circling the name. "Lysandra's engagement to Gareth was clever, but it's not very stable."
She leaned in and lowered her voice. "The girl is scared of your brother's temper. She's seen how he treats servants when he's angry."