Chapter 1414: Lies and Deciet
Inside the privy chamber, everyone had been waiting.
Members of the Garrof Guild were already present. There are Owen, Daniel, and Lydia, along with Serena, who stood quietly near the window, while Jack and Gavin joined them as the former Ultima infantry.
The Hamilton family had also arrived, including Ethan, who sat between his father and grandfather, engaged in a quiet conversation. The three men spoke in hushed tones, their expressions calm but focused, occasionally nodding as they exchanged thoughts that only family could share.
It was a rare sight to witness three generations of the Hamiltons who each share the same bearing the same composed strength, gather in one room, united in purpose.
Seated a little apart from the others were Maddeline and Samuel. Maddeline sat stiffly, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes wide as she took in the grandeur of the room.
The golden accents, the towering windows, and the carved ceiling were overwhelming—it was all far too much for someone like her, who had never imagined stepping foot into such an opulent space.
Beside her, Samuel was engulfed in a storm of complicated emotions. Never in a million years had he imagined he would set foot inside Cestine Palace. His mind drifted back to his earlier years, when he and others were trained specifically on how to infiltrate this very place. It had always been seen as the ultimate challenge—an impossible fortress cloaked in elegance.
He remembered how detailed those briefings were. The palace was fortified not just by its thick walls, but by an intricate web of protective spells, each one etched into the very structure and placed at every crucial point. Invisible surveillance spells, magical laser grids, and unseen eyes monitored every inch of the interior. And then there were the palace staff that unassuming at first glance, yet every servant had been trained to a standard far beyond any ordinary employee.
But the most frustrating detail of all was this: none of them could be bribed.
Samuel knew that firsthand. His former commander had once tried, believing every system had a weakness. That attempt had only exposed their spy network in Harland, which was swiftly and ruthlessly dismantled.
A six-month mission, carefully built in secret, was destroyed in a matter of days. Since that failure, they had never managed to gain access to Herriond again.