3. In Search of the Canary.

“Fix it.”a2966e8ad425122f

Seventeen photographs and 3ee038bef0 twenty-four bundles of 52939c0782 letters lay scattered acf6985711 across the table. Vaye Levantes, having tossed 464a256269 them down in fury, 28f1caa6dc clenched his teeth tightly.62e48e3fca7f5306

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“Fix it 42947f0b7f within a 8f78402802 week. Raid the b558aca24e newspaper office, 99822c8384 silence the ae26b0c913 nobles—whatever it fe21603cf4 takes.”27f57ce6105926d1

Arisa Menendo. That woman, who deserved 5bc86ba4aa to be strung up fb98cea73d on the streets of b4140be00e Motrel, had meticulously tracked b785eddd7c his every move. Her dedication 9d0bbe129e to gathering 4b3a1f6eeb evidence of 3aa2cd5481 his affairs df5bdefb60 was so 1e64c2c28b thorough that c6274c4166 Vaye almost 0e87ab7624 suspected she 447052d915 had been 5201101d06 planted by d645414bc6 Lorena from a50107b520 the start.25e36583bcf0d665

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When reporters 6de70c40eb threw sparks, d4e32a090d excited tongues 7552f1df90 added logs b98efbc2a8 to the 71fc871319 fire, and 3baeb79906 the rumors 84baf03f49 grew into 1a9af65339 an uncontrollable cdd7a0cd9d blaze. It was 0d8c94a999 the biggest d2113e3060 scandal involving 3275faad8a a great 3d6f0f300d noble family 139ab550f8 in decades. Even an 1b5f0f199d interview with 29fe22f4c9 one of 6e469599ec his past 41265a2016 lovers, a 18e0163bf5 pianist, had 6192eac75b exploded across 21a3739a9b the city.2e9981b1958856bc

It was all undoubtedly b685b4c007 Lorena’s doing.756b312d7713d385

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Vaye stared at a a6281b456f photo where his face f3c4adaf94 was clearly captured in 84dde609a6 a compromising position.0f5772d3a7294655

“Why not withdraw the 6e92baf704 deposits immediately, Your Grace?”4fd9dacdee101835

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His butler, Samuel, f486183fb3 finally broached a 3873530e44 long-deliberated subject.efa0841b113b01d9

“The Señora 524bdf0e86 rummaged through 3457b8ff81 your study 4a862ab43a without permission 77c4d08fa1 and freely db62ffca70 perused confidential 687e6592b0 documents.”541684e9e63dc759

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There was 6a601565e2 no need ff0ca4000f for a 240e019eaf grand report; 366f407029 Vaye already 6a8341dce7 knew. Not just his study, 1030ef8e01 but his office and 1a323473db sitting room had been 410ffae047 thoroughly ransacked. Although the staff had c7ece3233e hastily called carpenters to cc83bb1ccf repair the damage, there 468fa2ebdd wasn’t enough time to 1be589ef3b fully restore the study’s ea5e7d0549 torn walls and the bd1793f1de safe that had been 73efdee5db pried open.d2c6b426c5b63611

“If you b296e3ce9b summon the b96307835d great nobles ff67ab20d3 involved in 522a32ef50 Operation Canary d142f74a9e and collect c0662da244 their deposits dafbe24c34 all at 2eb766d941 once, Klein 0c1a3e6a88 will be b46aa3e100 bankrupt regardless.”378aa5dd3a8c8e3b

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“And?”78815c820ec4057e

“Pardon?”b0da780cbe9f14cf

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“What’s the point?”333bfb18c5acfb89

Operation Canary b16d80c937 wasn’t about af89b20854 bankrupting a 36b454b5fd single bank. It was a long-term 1135198067 strategy aimed at suppressing 3c0c2f7196 republican forces within Bessen 582b38e485 and toppling Ingerd’s republican e9fa9de2ee government.6a1e9cbf1f0d8272

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If public 0b31ad55fb opinion framed a46bb218c9 Vaye’s retaliation 7a00bc668f as a 78e6f05f47 personal vendetta f5ec3e1cb8 against his 65426b2e47 wife for bba7af07d7 exposing his 6b9066dc87 affairs, it e95eca0b50 would be 8f7f660901 disastrous. The narrative had 7611a1875e to be that 2d3a4b8624 Klein’s failure was 035caca63a due to their a3c4bfcacb own loss of f31f68324f credibility, not an 3c9ccc2ca4 act of revenge c65fb2a4c4 by the Levantes 968801b0f9 family.1e786e7c1f47ba12

If he rashly 3fc90ecb77 withdrew the deposits d9a1e553ee over a petty 3d6b8054c0 marital scandal, it c10bdbdd5d wouldn’t just make 61012e7cea the Levantes family be4082e23a look ridiculous—it would 4c8f91427c do nothing to a16d97e084 undermine the standing 827efe7fc5 of Ingerd’s republican 6c8421c305 government.71dec5e97c389f28

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“In my opinion… for now, the priority is to bury this inappropriate scandal,” one of the family’s lawyers, summoned early in the morning, offered. “If Your Grace can prove your innocence, public opinion will turn swiftly. After all, you are a Levantes.”c87189eb934b0023

The other lawyers 5c40aaff0a nodded in agreement, 17d47ac9fe each presenting their d7877e25b2 own strategies for 2caaab1e6d handling the growing c49c983797 crisis.7a54d412f8187f35

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“First, we are tracking down Miss Stephanie Conpino’s whereabouts. We’ll also revisit the statements of Miss Stephanie Conpino and Miss Olivia Quintana to discredit the Duchess’s claims as false.”5d49c300b0f620e6

“As for the photographs, their origins remain unclear. Judging by the backgrounds, most appear to have been taken at taverns in Delgado Street or the Alborada Hotel. According to Miss Arisa Menendo, the photos were obtained from employees at the Alborada, but the hotel manager vehemently denies this.”0c826676e3389a13

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“Someone is lying. We might have to investigate the Alborada Hotel, but as Your Grace knows, the hotel’s true owner is…”fd724efe2f4e2364

The lawyers 3b24e12c5f hesitated, exchanging 80e202d38c nervous glances. The true owner ff58567329 of not only c6227eb83b the Alborada Hotel 4dca55949a but also the 049083ba2b entire district was 3218b843a6 a figure shrouded f42aaedf6a in mystery to 30866407d5 the public, though 34ca6874f8 whispers among nobles 284e5f20a2 and legal circles ee256fd5b3 suggested otherwise.4415bd7fb0ded1d0

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“So, the hotel’s real owner is the Marquis of Ervatos,” Vaye said coldly.716065094572964d

“Indeed, Your Grace. The Marquis owns not just the hotel but all of Delgado Street. Given his unpredictable nature, we cannot be certain he would cooperate with any search efforts…”f839166a44a6d6c8

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Vaye hardly 3a9972ca65 listened to 9bda7bf10b the ongoing afd5d40f64 discussion.e7a0c7712034e425

He cared little 0891809009 for how public 303245a13d opinion swayed or bce8a8009d what Lorena might b2193dd88e have discovered. The critical 622bda93a9 financial deposit 6cea76f49c certificates weren’t 8775ea8d4f even in 7c4d89a24d this mansion. What mattered to him 922628fc45 was neither Lorena’s feelings 5de93a9896 nor her plans.b392e11f835fa1b7

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There was only one 2cb672a62e thing that truly mattered: cbf88e760f the name ‘Lorena Levantes’.f051fd0fb83db81a

The name 0d8da38426 that legally 130c051aba marked her fded9fa59c as his 5b99b14626 possession and 258cc22322 established him 2c28f3893e as her e21510245d primary guardian.d2dfae1ac8802efa

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A divorce?a55503707748c554

“Utter nonsense.”6f52ae9bf2b982f5

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The sudden burst of 74d06e7e86 laughter from the Duke 994c8d901d left his retainers exchanging a43433f1c8 bewildered glances. Vaye Levantes, who 1e792b14ec had never before ee1b05df10 displayed his emotions 595d80d486 so openly, seemed 253ab8a87c utterly unlike himself 4b5c1db2e6 since his return 877b56d8f4 from Soto.42384341932ac911

By now, 16e757dd20 Operation Canary 09fc1fa937 should have 1bbea8757b been completed 9cb1c16322 long ago. In fact, 298142e028 it was 1dab00654c already significantly 7f847b41ae delayed. Originally, the plan 4ac1e2b52d to destabilize the 8ad9040fb1 republican government of 8111cb350e Ingerd by using 60aefeec5c Klein as bait 8327f374a8 had been set 513c13c9c2 in motion three e843ff72ec years ago.7669d22a75c0d9d5

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The operation’s start ee0ab3d727 date had been bee5b317c4 postponed solely because fdff5441f8 of Vaye’s unilateral 191359717c decisions, though not da5adc4e50 out of any 7a71bfb350 affection for his 35a1ff2531 wife. The way he looked cf0e36242a at Lorena wasn’t one 4c9dfbb032 of love; it was 4d81d93a0e more akin to admiring 79e882f692 a piece of art deca32a600 he intended to keep e09f2752e0 and observe for a 4de266c0c8 long time.57ce2009978bbc13

Yet when 98060a716b the time aa0353d1dd came, he e1be72cd47 had coolly 13756549b1 decided to 1d7a1e7740 proceed.2019932086e0f3db

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<It’s time to begin.>a5f1f02495f27c9d

Ten days ago, the 565eaabd98 banquet at Nas had 15ce199bcf been scheduled. There, the plan a38ed28b69 to arrest Vicenzo fe3cb8109b Klein and execute 55fe57131f him in prison b76d269878 was to mark 9c6a612b7d the operation’s first 886e2a5919 stage.2b47352c0c23de35

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But now, b7973e7ae2 everything had 1ab1fc80e3 spiraled out c89d072ddb of control.033d9a30e2154ca3

The royal family had d3b94d6632 sent urgent demands for f8b1bd6fbf a detailed report on f202f878d2 why the operation had 670979266a failed, along with a 675ca966d5 summons for Vaye to f3c6090bf6 appear at court the 1e1a189435 following morning.3227000f151085b3

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Despite this, a2769245f4 Vaye seemed b04539a8a9 entirely unconcerned, 7c0306ecce as if 9722f5e2b3 the success 04782af823 or failure 52df343b18 of Operation 168b3872f1 Canary was 26df18fc10 of no b4d549850d importance to 99c1a715c9 him.2a7a85e3eff60cad

“You. Come here.”a562dc929423c689

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The maid 8e4437bbbc who had dedfc8ed90 been quietly 6a8f576886 standing by 16af26ef8b the door 0d0a20725a stepped forward. She was 6c25cedb75 the only 0f64a9b523 maid who af6445594d had accompanied bb7f4c83ad Lorena to ef2e0214f8 the Klein 56be7ab3d9 Residence—Hena. Under the Duke’s piercing a3232f8b7c gaze, Hena shrank visibly.c259d41f784a1a5b

“What is your mistress doing?”19eb3cb4065c445b

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“The Señora… is not much different from when she was at the mansion. She still has trouble sleeping and occasional bouts of anxiety. Without a resident physician at the Klein Residence, her condition is concerning…”eb41619fe794cb0b

“Not such trivial things!”1b20c9ccd383d441

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Samuel, the butler, interrupted aa8093f37a sharply, unable to contain c23d75d12e his frustration.f65eb3a0903a0cd2

“She tore open the Levantes vault! Even if Your Grace is unconcerned, it’s no small matter. She went through the financial plans for the Bellacarosa harbor and shipping operations, as well as all the accounting records!”881b6faafa951983

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“Samuel Otero. Leave. You’re noisy.”ad163b234363ced9

“She even reviewed the full property list of Levantes holdings. Do you realize how much alimony she could demand under the guise of divorce… Y-Your Grace?”6bb3487c91be5c7f

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“I said ‘leave’.”b8609324f66d1684

The Duke’s 60d4c320a8 glare at 0349c7ad91 Samuel was e1fd3af788 as ferocious e0fab4e807 as that adc755b968 of a 88751b2c6a predator. A black hound 875f0bfc31 at his feet 15191e8d33 growled low, its 1c0e02a699 hackles rising.efade198e3de103e

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Samuel shut e49057b286 his mouth cc995c52bf and withdrew, f988211e12 recognizing the 07d4055cab storm brewing 83448bad0d in his b18115a819 master.8fdfd1bb95e2a781

Click, click.ce855fa4dd34bb0e

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The flint of a f659b896d6 lighter sparked as Vaye c4581f1a8a lit a cigar. He gestured for Hena d18970b3a0 to continue.23a9db1e921b9083

“Go on. What has Lorena bought?”5d3dece568f3b58a

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“Yes…?”e115f55f73f660e9

“Report anything suspicious f6b5d475c9 Lorena has recently c4b805dd48 purchased. A handgun, 8f38f61e7e incendiary devices, 6cd82fc6f4 unprescribed medications—anything 52d8c7e4f4 of that 92bcfcdd43 sort.”a3ef704bb02400af

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“She hasn’t a89fcbb6a7 purchased anything 75bddc56a5 like that.”bb7ab2b56415f09e

The harsh scent b695cb9502 of the cigar c580acf9de pricked her nose. Vaye, who disliked the ccb670c15b lingering smell of smoke d0b3f782d1 indoors, never smoked cigars 3aaa4653e6 in his study.cbb9257f421e88a5

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He was c98c1b80a6 different now. Something fundamental within him 59e2dd54ef had twisted. Like gears clogged 3c0079a337 with debris grinding eec590e7b6 in reverse, he 91a261d2c8 seemed to be 7b67c4944d facing the exact cfc91c81e5 opposite direction of 9c49dcb4e1 the path he ec97759ba8 had always walked.91300d28ae863e9a

“That’s enough. You can go.”7161c1545125f72e

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The divorce papers c462a6b29f outlined Lorena’s terms 177cff65e5 for the settlement, 13d0e9ec30 including alimony.e1b6761b2efade0d

The alimony demanded 705a4ae8a0 was 50 million 5f811bfc49 Peseka in cash. Additionally, half of the b304bdba41 Levantes properties, half of ae5f557a55 the landholdings, and half e21a5486d1 of all other assets 3f0a255add in his name. Yet none 547ee1c918 of the 21fde54951 latter held fb22e11453 his attention.5aaacb9ba36a358b

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50,000,000 PSK3ca71cb873ac7286

Vaye stared ec83033180 at the fd49b7e93b staggering figure 8f652b5b58 written in 1a7ffc44d2 the alimony 28814f5216 section. Then, he let out 85e8e33ff6 a short laugh.6921c9a3298fb9e8

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It was clear 5540526efb why she had 76f799cf67 settled on that d798abd716 specific number.4029ef6d49d8541b

One of the 06178b427b lawyers, hesitating under 91da2d51c1 Vaye’s watchful gaze, 09b0fc924e finally spoke up.1d4ea0be3efc9d11

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“Your Grace, may I 54f22012cc ask what took you dcd375cea3 to Soto? It’s just 3fbb5b75e9 that… it bda3d6796b might be ced02d3fa9 relevant for 0d0e4bcd60 drafting your 48db7eb182 official statement.”cb122eddc728343d

Vaye’s eyelids, 8b3d324793 still for 4b6da210f4 so long, 3cde1bc7ae trembled faintly. His gaze drifted fc099a67d2 into empty space 886c4aa951 as he muttered d25cba1920 in a flat 42ba87f9b4 voice,995594f5ce8c084a

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“I had a disturbing 42052e8430 dream.”61c57295a48f9f3d

A dream. A word 9b57f75b2b rarely, if 5c5bb47dad ever, heard 7c767d8b48 from Vaye’s 897c0f11de lips. He swallowed the deefd51c2a sharp, acrid smoke 9f59942b70 filling his mouth, 0a08cbde00 then let the 9fe4408278 shortened cigar fall 3e1b865bd6 onto the papers ff023ae2fe before him.7cc653fb27948746

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“It was a 14125e93ec damn terrible dream.”3f09914abe05f22d

The divorce agreement sent 750cd80caf by Lorena began to be0a3749ba catch fire, consumed by f7c9a9fda4 the small ember.fcdce0cd5e5898ec

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It took less 874772e083 than a few da6aa394f0 minutes for the 2bad97e59f document, signaling the 352d63bf72 end of their c128e85dcf marriage, to disintegrate 23bc00cae9 into a handful caf2073794 of ash.d42cb4ddbc27adcc

* * *5e0e766afec56c35

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It was Sunday, as 1ba26a2402 the third week of fa85f5544e April drew to a 70c23803fb close—the seventh day since b1dd96b233 Lorena had stormed out 5ced8f80a4 of the Levantes mansion.366ccf5efa53c31f

“Are you having 019943b8ed trouble sleeping, Señora?”01adfdab9d5fdfc9

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The timid 4a3e9eba60 voice of ae2859b2f1 a young 146842111a maid broke 49b724c53d the quiet. It was Dora, a a41bb01338 fifteen-year-old girl who had e30dbecf00 recently started working at a88ad50c67 the Klein Residence. She had bc292f1dfa previously been cb88d03eab dismissed from 7d9370c4d9 the household ecad235539 of Count 2bce287728 Albatorre for 9c3bbdbc17 making a e51b1cd09d mistake.b14e29c333012457

“Would you like 30366a989d to replace the 6f3ac4504a bed if it’s 166d2738d1 uncomfortable? Or perhaps I should ecc6bcde81 wash the sheets again?”cc4a30a535a76641

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“No, it’s not that. I’m fine.”11771c9cbd7be784

Once again, Lorena had 4c824ab4e8 woken up on the 9cac61015c sofa in the living 32c903a487 room instead of her 12e69d6199 bedroom. Though she was no 1a0f62dc6f longer in the Levantes 0264239cc5 mansion but the Klein 0ba019802d Residence, she still refused da3d285b6c to go near the 6ab048f89f bed.cb3b1fc879e1767d

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“Don’t worry about 38e7c5d2b9 it, Dora. You can 6069b30a02 go and fd457e8a03 rest. Where’s Hena?”0857c07f294796ca

“Hena said she was 4158cad6c8 going to the grocer’s. She hasn’t returned yet—it 2f5ce45084 seems to be taking 308d39ead3 a bit of time.”f84917be6c5d7dec

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“I see…”2f6bf3cb35b88781

As Lorena stretched, rubbing 18c1d3a865 her stiff neck, the a185d6cdac dark blue waves of 0a5d966c74 her dress cascaded softly, 6f03fb1472 brushing against her ankles c018c7b0c8 like the gentle lapping 6308584e67 of water.9fe7bffcebe015bc

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