Matthew tailed Ines inside the castle. It wasn't an easy task at all. She moved like a snake, perfectly silent and impressively fast, her catlike instincts always rendering her invisible to the guards. Her undeniable skills never ceased to impress him.

It seemed she remembered the way up to the king's quarters from when they were younger. All the soldiers trained by the army were familiar with the castle's architecture for emergency purposes. Should the need arise, they would be able to protect the people inside without fear of getting lost.

However, that didn't mean that applied for that case when there was no emergency and that they were normally permitted to enter the premises. Only the Lions, the king's guards, were allowed to, so if they were caught violating that regulation, they would be in great trouble.

They passed through corridors and massive sets of stairs, hiding every time a guard appeared in the distance. Even though they were in a hurry to reach the upper floors where the king's rooms were located, they couldn't help but admire the beauty of the structure.

Huge windows permitted the morning sunlight to enter in abundance, illuminating the interior, and the walls were adorned with bright paintings and portraits of kings and queens of the past. Whenever they walked past open doors, they marveled at the lavish furnishings inside.

'But my king! We cannot take up their offer!' someone was suddenly heard saying from the inside of a room. 'It is a reckless decision we should avoid at all costs.'

Matthew and Peter immediately froze in place. That could be the person they were looking for. Matthew glanced around them. Knowing they couldn't just stand there and risk being seen by soldiers, he signaled her to enter the room right next to the closed doors. They rushed in and opened the balcony doors that stood at the far end of the small library.

The moment they stepped outside the cold wind greeted them. Matthew payed no mind to his freezing hands and jumped to the other balcony, the one that was connected with the room the men were in. He stood away from the glass doors to remain unseen and made some space for Peter to fit in.

'And what do you propose instead, Lorence?' they heard a booming voice say, most likely the king's.

'Buy ourselves some time until we know what we are dealing with.'

'My hands are tied. We are accepting their offer. No objections.'

'You are right, my king, as always. Your wisdom can not compare to my humble thinking. We need allies, that much is true. The people from the east might be the solution to our problems.'

'They had better be.'

Matthew had a feeling that whoever was talking with the king was more cunning than he let on. His gut told him that he knew how to persuade the king to his advantage and present it like it was his decision making, although in reality it was the adviser's scheming all along.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet in the room. Someone was coming towards them and if they exited the balcony doors, their position would surely be compromised. Matthew glanced at Peter, panic crossing his face, and he saw his terror reflected in her eyes.

The seconds ticked off, and the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Matthew's heart was thumping in his chest and fear had paralysed his body. His mind was futilely searching for a safe escape route, but there was no way they could avoid being seen. His hand instinctively touched his sword as he waited for their exposure to happen.

'There is another matter I need to discuss with you, my lord.'

Matthew heard the footsteps come to a halt just centimetres off the doors and walk away afterwards. He let out a sigh of relief.

'What is it?'

'I have brought the papers for the weapons' delivery. I just need a signature.'

'What weapons?' the king's voice was laced with suspicion.

'For your guards. It is only a formality, my lord. Leave these insignificant matters to me.'

'I trust you. Do not disappoint me.'

'I would never, my king.'

Matthew and Peter looked at each other, understanding that he must have been the man they were searching for. From what they could deduce, he had plotted the weapons' distribution within the army without breaking the king's trust. The latter was clueless as to the seriousness of the situation and had no idea what those weapons could result in.

Matthew signaled her to wait. If they were to get information from him, the king shouldn't be present in the room. He waited and listened to his receding footsteps. The door opened and then closed with a gentle click. Matthew peeked behind the balcony doors. The man was standing by a mahogany desk, tidying up some documents. That was the moment to barge in.

Matthew nodded at Peter and raised up his hand, counting down to three. When he reached zero, the two of them simultaneously dashed into the study without making any sound. Guards could be standing right outside the doors, so they had to be extremely careful.

As soon as the stranger saw them come at him, the colour drained out of his face and his knuckles turned white from holding the papers too tight. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but Matthew was already there. With indescribable speed he landed behind him and seized his throat, covering his mouth with his rough hand.

Although the king's advisor fought against his firm hold, he was untrained and his lack of strength prevented him from being a good match for Matthew's towering figure. While he kept the man restrained, Matthew saw Peter quietly locking the doors of the room. Once she gave him a thumbs up to confirm everything was okay, he gestured her to follow him outside.

'Do not make any sound,' he snarled at the king's advisor, pushing him towards the balcony.

Fortunately for them, the balcony was too high for the guards below to notice them and the closed doors behind them provided enough sound insulation for the guards in the palace not to hear them.

'Now, we will sit and have a peaceful conversation,' Matthew glared at him warningly and stood in front of the glass doors to block his way in.

As he stared at the middle-aged man, he soon realized that he had seen him before. He was one of the three advisors of the king who had climbed up the ranks and had ended up working for the royal family. He was recognised for his pride and unwavering sense of duty, apparently.

'Who are you?' the man gritted his teeth. 'How did you get here?'

'That does not concern you. You should tell us—'

'This is preposterous! I demand you release me at this very moment! I am the king's right hand. I deserve a better treatment.'

'Listen to me very closely. We say what—' Matthew said, but Peter cut him off.

'We are here, because the weapons you sent to the camp are crappy.'

What is she talking about?, he thought at first, gaping at her, but then he suddenly understood where she was taking it. He had to admit she was smart.

'I don't know what you are talking about,' he knitted his brows in confusion. 'I sent no weapons.'

'Don't play the fool. We saw them with our own eyes at the king's camp.'

'I have no dealings with the king's guards.' The man's eyes nervously darted around, his fingers unconsciously touching his collar. It was clear that he was hiding something.

'We are wasting our time here,' Peter said. 'If you won't explain, then we'll just go and report how worthless you are.'

Matthew saw her turn around and move to go. Was that all?, he wondered. Is she seriously going to leave without any information? He wasn't going to leave it at that, it was his turn to make him talk and he knew just the right way to do it.

'Did you think I would be that stupid to believe you?' the man spoke again, causing Peter to pause and glance at him with raised brows.

Her plan probably wasn't working as she had hoped, the man wasn't buying it. Matthew cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He would give her a couple more minutes to try and loosen his tongue, but after that he would have to step in. He was a gentleman after all.

'What?' he said.

'They did not send you here to get new weapons from me. You came of your own accord. The question is why.'

'You will regret not listening to us,' Peter threatened him. 'We can kick you out of this operation with a snap of a finger and expose you.'

'Lies, lies, lies. If you were part of this business, I would have known.'

'You didn't know because we didn't want you to know.'

'Unfortunately for you, I don't really want to hear what you have to say. My understanding is that you have become a liability. And how do I deal with liabilities such as you? I eliminate them. I'm afraid you will not make it out of this place. Alive.'

'I gotta admit; you do not give up easily,' Matthew chuckled sarcastically. His expression was one of predator who had cornered his prey and knew there was no escaping from him. He had given him the chance to cooperate, and he had blown it. They had gone through great pains to stay undetected, so he wasn't going to turn back without answers.

'The guards will be coming at any minute,' the advisor warned them, striving to sound calm, but his terrified gaze betrayed him. 'You can not escape.'

Matthew advanced towards him, his jaw clenched in fury. He would show him how persuasive his fists could become. With decisive moves, he snatched the man's collar with his left hand and his throat with the other.

'I'm sick of your bullshit!' Matthew screamed at his face. 'No one is coming, because your plan has fallen through, and no one will be able to save you. Speak before I throw you off the balcony!'

'You have no proof! You cannot—'

The man wiggled against his grip, but Matthew wouldn't let him go that easily. He ignored his pleadings and dragged him to the edge of the balcony, the wind wiping his hair.

'Speak!' he roughly shook the advisor. 'Where are the weapons coming from?'

The man didn't reply. He kept glancing down over the railing, at the people and the city that were so tiny from up there. Matthew knew he was afraid of being thrown off the balcony; it was written all over his face. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.

'If anything happens to me, you will be executed,' his shaky voice was heard after a while.

'I have nothing to lose,' Matthew snapped back. 'Might as well die for a good reason. One last chance. Where are the weapons from?'

The advisor still didn't talk and Matthew was getting tired of his stubbornness. He needed something more drastic. Realising time was running out, he lifted the man over the railing and pushed him over the edge, so that half his body was dangerously dangling in the air.

His face paled when he noticed the precariousness of his position. His eyes were clouded by dismay, as his hands strived to find support, and his chest was rising and falling in sharp breaths. With the slightest jerk he would surrender to gravity.

'Where are the weapons coming from?' Matthew repeated, more loudly that time.

His silence drove him mad. So this is how it's going to be, huh?, he thought and decided to play his last card. He held the man up as thunders penetrated the sky and loosened his grip, pretending to drop him off the ledge to scare him. His body hovered for a second and then finally started falling down.

'From the east! They are coming from the east!' he screamed in fear.

Matthew quickly grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him back in the safety of the balcony. As much as he would like to throw him off the balcony, they still needed him. The man took deep breaths to calm himself down and avoided making eye contact.

'What was that?' he asked him with a smirk on his face.

'The weapons. Beyond the mountains.'

'From people with masks?' Peter spoke.

'As far as I know, yes. I get the weapons from those smugglers at the black market.'

That was how the palace was involved in the case. An advisor sought to make a profit out of those weapons and exploited the perks of his position in the castle to hide his criminal activities. Was it that easy to outsmart the king and his trustees?

'So, you don't know anything else?'

'No,' he shook his head.

'The alliance with the east? Who are they?' Matthew probed him further.

'There is a new small kingdom there that we keep secret until we determine their interests.'

'And you pushed the king towards this decision?'

'In order for me to get the weapons more easily.'

Matthew scoffed at his answer. That man was willing to do anything to save his own skin. He had conspired a whole weapons' selling network under the king's nose, and so far he was doing a marvelous job at hiding it.

'Why? Why go to such extremes?' Peter asked impatiently.

'Why not go? Maybe that could finally prove how incompetent a king is.'

Right then a violent banging from the inside interrupted their conversation, like someone was desperately trying to break in. The loud noise pierced the silence and was getting stronger by the second. The guards had probably sniffed danger and were already there, only a few metres away.

Matthew nervously glanced at the locked doors and feared they wouldn't last long. His eyes found Peter, sharing a knowing look. She nodded at him. He would've preferred to gain more information from him, but she was right; they had to go before they barged in.

'We are done here, but will be back,' Matthew warned him. 'Resign from your position. If we find you here again, at the palace, you will wish you had taken our advice.'

'But I can't just leave!' the advisor argued, waving his hands in defeat.

'That is your problem,' was his answer.

The two of them jumped at the nearest balcony and then vanished behind the castle's tall towers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N:  I have retuuurned! *bows and falls down* Thank you for reading this chapter! Now I'm gonna go burry myself in my covers again like a proper slacker. If you wish the advisor a hellish fate, leave a comment/star. Until the next chapter!

Phrase of chapter:  envy is blind / caeca invidia est  - Titus Livius