Raphael Earhart
I hadn't expected it to go this smoothly. Alonzo didn't just play along—he spared me from the whispers behind my back, the endless insinuations and doubts. More than that, he appointed me to Gattir himself—exactly what I had planned, albeit a little sooner than intended.
But because the decision came from him, it looked like his initiative, not my request. Which meant I was no longer the "petitioner." Now, I was the "burdened one," tasked with something undesirable. In the eyes of the nobles, that subtle shift mattered.
Everything had gone perfectly—but one final stroke remained before the curtain could fall.
– There's one more matter I believe should be addressed here and now, – I said, turning to the Patriarch.
– And what would that be?
– With your permission, – I began, rising from one knee. – As I mentioned earlier, I found records detailing those involved in the narcotics trade and human trafficking.
