The banquet ended with laughter and wine, but for Albert, it was nothing more than noise. Behind every smile, he had seen greed; behind every toast, ambition. Nobles whispered his name like a prayer and a threat alike—the cursed duke, the emperor's bastard, the man who might one day claim more than he was given.
Now, hours later, Albert sat alone in his study. A half-empty glass of wine rested on the table beside him, smoke curling from the pipe in his hand. His emerald eyes stared into the darkness as though he could see through time itself. He thought of the emperor's cold stare, of the nobles' hungry eyes, and of the curse that bound his blood.
His coat lay discarded, his shirt undone, hair falling into his face. He looked less like the empire's victorious commander and more like a man fraying at the edges.
Sleep toyed with him cruelly. Shadows dragged him into a dream of battlefields, of fire and chains, of whispers that told him he would die nameless, heirless, forgotten. He jolted awake, sweat clinging to his skin, glass shattering at his feet.
A knock came at the door.
"My lord," the butler's steady voice called, "Sir Louis has arrived."
Albert straightened, running a hand through his hair. "Let him in."
The doors opened, and Louis entered, carrying a folder marked with the seal of the duke's intelligence network. His expression was grave as he placed it on the table.
"You asked me to confirm the rumors," Louis said. "The prophecy."
Albert's eyes narrowed. "And?"
Louis hesitated, then opened the folder, spreading the documents across the desk. "It's true. There is a girl. Noble bloodline, but cast aside because of what she is—a dark mage. And if the witch's prophecy is to be believed… she may be the only one who can cure your curse."
The pipe smoke curled slowly between them. For a long moment, Albert said nothing. Then, outside the high windows, a thunderclap split the night sky, rattling the glass.
Albert leaned back in his chair, his emerald eyes gleaming with something colder than fire. His lips curved into a sharp smile.
"Bring her to me," he said.