The next morning, Sofia joined her mother for breakfast in the private dining room.
Veronica looked terrible, her eyes red and swollen, face pale, movements listless. She picked at her food without eating, lost in her own misery.
"Mother?" Sofia said gently. "You barely slept. Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, dear." The lie was transparent. "Just tired."
Sofia reached across the table, taking her mother's hand. "You don't have to pretend with me. I know it's still about Father's affair. I know you're hurting."
Veronica's eyes filled with tears. "I thought I could handle this with dignity, but every time I think about him with that woman..."
"I understand." Sofia's voice carried perfect sympathy, manufactured through years of practice. "Betrayal is perhaps the deepest wound. Especially from someone we trusted completely."
"Twenty-three years," Veronica whispered. "I gave him everything."
Sofia squeezed her mother's hand in comfort.
They sat in silence for several minutes before Sofia spoke again, her tone carefully casual. "Mother, I've been thinking... with everything happening with Father, perhaps you should consider protecting yourself legally?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if Father is truly having an affair, that's grounds for divorce under noble law. And in divorce proceedings, you could claim significant assets, perhaps even sole ownership of certain properties." Sofia kept her voice gentle, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "I'm not saying you should divorce him immediately, but it might be wise to consult with a legal advisor. Just to understand your options."
Veronica looked thoughtful. "I hadn't considered that. Divorce is so... scandalous."
"Less scandalous than staying married to an unfaithful husband," Sofia pointed out. "And Mother, think about it, if Father is stealing from his own household accounts to pay for his mistress's jewelry and accommodations, you may need legal protection. What if he depletes your personal funds entirely?"
"He wouldn't do that."
"Are you certain? You never thought he'd be unfaithful either."
The logic was sound, and Sofia could see her mother processing it. Planting the seed of divorce would further destabilize the household and divide her parents' assets, making them both weaker when the final crisis arrived.
"I'll think about it," Veronica said finally. "Perhaps you're right. I need to protect myself."
"I just want you to be safe, Mother." Sofia's expression was the picture of filial concern. "Whatever you decide, I'm here for you."
After breakfast, Sofia excused herself and went to her chambers. She had a letter to write, anonymous, of course, to be delivered to the Blue Phoenix Guild.
The letter would detail Zach's crimes with specific dates and names, corroborated by evidence from the documents she'd photographed last night. It would be addressed to Aria, the guild leader with a reputation for righteousness.
Aria would be forced to investigate and once she confirmed the truth, her moral compass would demand action, either public exposure or dissolution of the guild. Either outcome served the Demon Lord's purposes.
Sofia wrote carefully, making her handwriting unrecognizable. She included just enough detail to be credible without revealing her identity as the source.
[ 'Guild Leader Aria,'
'I write to you as someone who can no longer remain silent about crimes committed under your organization's banner. Your co-founder, Zach of House Alderton, has systematically assaulted and murdered young women over the past two years.'
'The evidence is documented in his personal records, hidden in his study. Names, dates, and payments made to silence families. One victim, Elena, a refugee, also one of your guild workers was killed three months ago. Her body was disposed of through guild resources, and 100 gold was paid to cover up the crime which also included killing the poor girl's boyfriend.'
'I understand this information is difficult to accept. But as a leader who claims to value honor and justice, you have a responsibility to investigate these allegations. The victims and their families deserve truth, at minimum.'
'A Concerned Party' ]
Sofia sealed the letter and prepared a second one, identical but addressed to a different recipient, the city guard's captain.
Multiple sources receiving the same information simultaneously would make it harder to suppress.
By the time Sofia finished, she'd prepared seven letters to seven different recipients. When they were all delivered simultaneously, the information would spread like wildfire.
But timing was crucial. She needed to coordinate with Claire and Lira to ensure all elements of the plan converged at the right moment.
A soft knock at her window made her look up.
Claire stood outside on the ledge, three stories up, casually balanced as if gravity were optional. Sofia opened the window, and the vampire slipped inside with inhuman grace.
"You've been busy," Claire observed, noticing the letters. "Are those ready for distribution?"
"Almost. I have the recorded evidence from Zach's study." Sofia retrieved the crystal from its hiding place. "Everything he's documented about his victims, including the refugee girl Elena."
Claire's eyes gleamed. "The lord will be pleased. This is exactly what we needed."
"When do we release it?" Sofia asked. "I have letters prepared for multiple recipients, but the timing needs to be coordinated with the other operations."
"Soon. Within the week." Claire accepted the crystal and the letters. "The advisor's embezzlement will be discovered during the scheduled audit in five days. Your father's affair is already destroying his marriage. We want all the crises to converge simultaneously, financial scandal, marital collapse, and exposure of Zach's crimes all hitting within a forty-eight-hour period."
"They'll be overwhelmed," Sofia said with satisfaction. "No time to coordinate a defense or support each other."
"Precisely. Chaos breeds more chaos." Claire tucked the items into a dimensional pocket that shouldn't have existed in her dress. "How is your mother handling the situation?"
"Devastated, as expected. I planted the suggestion that she should consider divorce and protect her assets legally. That should ensure she and Father remain divided even if he somehow proves his innocence."
"Excellent work." Claire moved toward the window. "Continue playing the concerned daughter. Be visible, sympathetic, supportive. No one should have any reason to suspect your involvement."
"They won't. I've been playing this role my entire life." Sofia's smile was cold. "The invisible daughter sees everything and is suspected of nothing."
After Claire left, Sofia burned the draft versions of her letters and cleaned away any evidence of the night's activities.
By the time her maid arrived to help her dress for the day, Sofia was the picture of a worried young noblewoman concerned about her family's troubles.