---
Sorin returned from the palace in the afternoon, his carriage approaching the "Royal Advisory Council."
But what he saw made him freeze in place.
Crowds of people were gathering in front of the building, smoke rising from one of the wings, and chaos filled the area.
"What is this?" Sorin said, looking through the carriage window.
He stepped out of the carriage quickly, with Albert behind him.
"Albert, ask someone what happened."
Albert approached one of the guards who was trying to control the crowd: "What happened here?"
The guard looked at him with a tired face blackened by smoke: "A fire, sir. We tried to control it, but it spread quickly."
"How did it start?"
The guard shrugged: "We don't know the reason yet."
Albert returned to Sorin and told him what he had heard.
Sorin stood looking at the burning building, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
He whispered something to himself that no one heard.
---
Within hours, it was officially announced that the building was in urgent need of repairs. The damage had extended to the building's essential parts, making it temporarily unsuitable for use. The royal administration decided to transfer all advisors, including Sorin, to a temporary headquarters in the eastern part of the capital.
---
The next day, Sorin stood in front of his old burned office. The walls were blackened, and the smell of burned wood choked the air.
"Where exactly did the fire start?" Sorin asked.
"In the western wing, sir, far from your office. But the damage to the basic structure also included areas near the entrance to the eastern wing," Albert answered.
"Who issued the transfer order?"
"The orders came directly from the royal administration, sir."
Sorin turned to Albert with a sharp look: "That quickly?"
Albert fell silent, having no answer.
Sorin looked once more at the burned building. Everything was happening suspiciously fast. He had returned from the palace to find a fire, then the transfer decision was issued at this speed... and his father's warning still echoed in his head.
"Albert, I want you to find out exactly who is responsible for issuing the transfer decision from the royal administration, and to investigate immediately into the actual causes of the fire, not just speculation."
"As you command, sir."
---
The new office was in an old renovated palace, but it was spacious and fortified. Its walls were thick, its windows narrow, and its corridors long.
Initially, the administration offered Sorin an office on the first floor, but Sorin felt suspicious and requested to be moved to another office on the upper floor, citing his need for quiet to work. The officials immediately accepted his request, which slightly eased Sorin's suspicions.
Sorin entered his new office for the first time. The office was almost empty, containing only the large wooden desk, inkwell, and candles, and the huge bookshelves were almost empty.
Sorin did not feel comfortable in the new office, but was drawn to its fortification and solidity.
"Albert, this place needs many supplies. Fill these shelves with the books we need and bring more maps and documents."
"Yes, sir."
"I want two guards at the door at all times, and a squad in the corridors."
"From today, I want a personal guard to stay with me even inside the office. And I want you to ask the guard squad to inspect every corner of this new office. The walls, the floors, everything. I don't want any hidden threat. I also want additional patrols in the palace garden surrounding us at night."
"Your command."
---
The days of investigation and inquiry began.
Sorin was not one to sit idly by. He ordered an investigation into the fire, into suspicious persons, and into everyone connected to the old building. He rarely concerned himself with the kingdom's affairs during this period except for important decisions that could not be delayed, as all his focus was on tracking down whoever wanted to kill him.
He would meet some of the other advisors in the corridors or during passing meetings. They would ask each other about the investigations and complain about work pressure and office transfers, but they would go home early. Only Sorin stayed up regularly.
---
On the evening of the fourth day of investigations, Albert placed the reports on Sorin's desk. The candle above the desk had melted with time.
"We found three spies, sir. Two from the Duchy of Nervin, and one of unknown identity who started the fire. His goal was to destroy some documents and records related to the government's new plan."
"Regarding the transfer, I have already learned that the order came from the advisor responsible for security and the royal guard, with the council's approval. The transfer order seems entirely legitimate, and it is to ensure the safety of the advisors after the fire."
"What was the spies' function?"
"They gather information about the advisors' movements, meetings, and decisions."
"Is there anything linking them to the murder attempt?"
Albert was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No, sir. Nothing links them to that. Just ordinary espionage."
Sorin struck the desk with his hand forcefully, his anger clear in his voice: "Damn it!"
He rose from his place and began pacing back and forth in the office: "Who could it be? Who wants to kill me and why?"
"Sir, you must calm down—"
"Calm down?!" Sorin interrupted sharply. "How can I calm down when someone is trying to kill me and you tell me to calm down?!"
Albert fell silent, knowing his master was right in his anger.
Sorin took a deep breath, trying to control his nerves: "Continue the investigation. This spy who started the fire might be our thread. Search his origins and link him to higher parties. Nothing happens by chance with this precision."
---
Sorin rarely left his office. He would stay up until late hours, and the lack of interrupted sleep greatly increased his exhaustion.
He would work from morning until evening, and his personal guard Kyle would always stand in the corner, silent and alert.
---
One evening, days after his anger about the spies, Sorin was immersed in his work, and nothing had progressed in the investigation.
The candles were lit around him, and papers were scattered on the desk.
Kyle stood in his corner, as usual, silent and alert.
Suddenly, Sorin felt heavy drowsiness, accompanied by a faint sweet smell, like burning incense or rare herbs. He could not resist due to severe exhaustion and lack of sleep.
He whispered incomprehensible words to himself, and his head fell onto the desk, and no one heard the echo of his words.
---
Upon hearing the faint fall, the massive Kyle moved quickly toward his master, realizing that Sorin must be very exhausted to fall like this.
"Sir? Are you alright?"
Kyle approached the desk and bent down to check on him. At that moment, Kyle inhaled the sweet and subtle scent concentrated near its source. He tried to hold his breath, but the substance's strength was more than his strong body could bear.
His knees trembled. He tried to scream, but the words wouldn't come out.
Kyle suddenly fell to the floor, unconscious.
---
Silence filled the office, with the dim candlelight the only witness.
The noise did not reach the door, as Sorin and Kyle had fallen in the depths of the room, far from the ears of the two guards.
Then, after seconds, a very faint friction sound emanated from the wall.
A massive wooden panel in the wall moved very slowly, revealing pitch darkness behind it. A secret passage opened, suddenly sending a stream of cold air into the warm room.
Three masked men appeared, wearing all black clothes, and moved with speed and precision, as if they knew every corner of the office.
They grabbed the unconscious Sorin and lifted him carefully.
Then they disappeared with him into the secret passage, and the wall closed behind them as if nothing had happened.
Kyle remained on the floor, unconscious.
The guards outside the door heard nothing.
---
**Knock knock**
"Sir?" Albert said from behind the door, carrying a dinner tray. "I brought you dinner."
No answer.
He knocked again.
**Knock knock knock**
Complete silence.
Worry began to creep into Albert's heart.
He turned to the two guards standing by the door: "Did my master leave?"
One of the guards looked at him in surprise: "No, Sir Albert. He did not leave!"
"And Kyle?"
The two guards shook their heads in denial.
Albert felt increasing worry. No answer from his master, nor from the personal guard who should be with him.
He opened the door and rushed inside, and the dinner tray fell from his hands with a loud sound.
---
The scene before him was terrifying.
Kyle was lying on the floor, unconscious, his face pale, and a faint sweet smell filled the air.
But the office... was empty.
No trace of Sorin.
"Sir?!" Albert screamed, his voice trembling with terror. "Sir Sorin!"
He ran to the desk, looked behind it, under the window, in every corner.
He ran to the closed windows and forced them open to replace the air, but the smell did not completely dissipate.
Nothing!
He ran to Kyle and began shaking him forcefully: "Kyle! Wake up! What happened?! Where is my master?!"
Kyle began to wake slowly, his eyes confused, trying to understand what was around him.
"A... Albert?"
"Where is Sir Sorin?! What happened?!"
Kyle tried to remember, but his memory was confused: "I... don't know... I was standing in my place... then my master suddenly fell... I went to check on him... then... I inhaled a strange and sweet smell... I couldn't resist."
Albert looked around in panic, seeing that everything seemed normal, but his master had disappeared.
He disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him.
"No... no, this is impossible!" Albert whispered to himself.
Then he rushed toward the door and shouted at the top of his voice: "Close all the palace gates! No one enters or leaves! Search for Sir Sorin everywhere! Now! ...And examine the source of that smell!"
Chaos and panic spread in the blink of an eye.
The guards ran in every direction, searching the rooms, corridors, gardens, and every corner of the building.
But there was no trace of Sorin.
He had disappeared without a trace.
---
The news reached the Duke's palace.
A messenger, panting and his face pale as death, entered the Duke's office.
"My Lord Duke!" The messenger bowed, his voice nearly breaking from terror: "Sir Sorin has disappeared!"
"Disappeared?" the Duke said calmly.
"Yes, my lord! He has been kidnapped!"
The Duke looked at the messenger with a long silence.
Then he said surprisingly: "Very well. You may go."
The messenger left, astonished by the Duke's reaction.
The Duke remained sitting alone, looking at the papers before him.
Then he whispered in a voice that could barely be heard: "Failure."