Chapter 1025: Assassination I

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Tara Veyrault

"Your lord isn't my master; what I do or not is up to me," said the mustached man sitting in front of me. I laughed at his words.

The middle-aged man sitting in front of me is Rastom Rell, one of the mercenary leaders in the city.

A Lv. 40+ powerhouse.

"Of course, it's your choice whether you want to join Count Viremont."

"All I am saying is, if you do, the responsibility for your life will be yours."

"We will not think about our relationship. Even if you somehow survive, the relationship between us will be damaged."

"You will be forbidden from entering our legacies, nor will you have any mist-crafted goods or a drop of potions. We will not get it from others as well," I threatened with a sweet smile on my face.

It's been years since we formed the relationship with him.

We provided him with access to the legacy that only a few have, a steady supply of potions, and also promised a few mist-crafted gear and weapons for coming here.

All of it would disappear, and the cost of it would not be small to him.

Our help had played a substantial part in making his mercenary company what it is today—especially its rapid growth over the past half year.

He got privileged access to the legacy, essence potions, and other things that helped him attract top-tier talent to his mercenary company.

"I am Rastom Rell of the Rell Mercenaries. I would not be threatened."

"It's not a threat, Captain Rell; it is just advice," I replied.

I didn't threaten all the mercenaries and nobles so explicitly. Just the ones that might think about joining Viremont. He is one of them.

"Viremont has brought an enormous army and a lot of powerhouses."

"Many are saying that your lord didn't stand a chance against him. Especially when you had scattered your army across the whole territory,"

Many well-wishers had asked me to tell Lord Silver to focus on Greltheaven alone.

It is the only way we could defend against Viremont and his highly experienced army and the many powerhouses he had brought.

"We do not need a large army to defeat Viremont, Captain. He is not worth it," I replied.

Others aren't the only ones asking that question. I had also asked the same thing of Lord Silver. Greltheaven is most important; we could reconquer the rest later.

He has said it's difficult to reconquer them once we've lost them, and we can't lose even a single city.

We can't lose Gailhorn; it's our access to the sea.

Without it we'll once more become dependent on Thorn again—something we can't afford. We can't lose Panar, because we found something there that would become a pillar of the dominion.

Mirador Hold is our wall against the undead and a trading post that is bringing safety as well as money.

As for the baronies, it is the only place in the whole region that grows the food. We can't afford to lose even a single one of them.

Losing a single one affects the dominion massively.

Most importantly, we are taking that risk of stretching our forces, because we want to show everyone that we can take them, even if they come from all sides.

Master Silver hopes it will buy us a few years.

"My decision will be mine; I will do what I want. You don't scare me," he said angrily and got up in a huff before walking out of the office.

"Do you think he will listen?" asked Arna.

"He should, if he wants to live," I replied. We will kill anybody who goes against us. It didn't matter what our relationship had been. What matters is the dominion and Velvet Garden.

"Speaking of mercenaries, Dallier had reached the city, but he went directly to the camp," informed Arna.

I wanted to curse.

Viremont is being extremely cautious. Even before he reached Inam, now he was even more cautious; only he and that mad Loxley had come to the city.

The rest were with the army.

I tried to snoop on them, but that Loxley is very sharp.

He sensed something, despite the protection from the Madam's spells.

A few hours later, I met a few more people before going to the small house I have in Legacy's compound.

It's not covered within the Legacy influence; it's rare for Legacy to have an office as big as mine. A suite inside its influence would have been too much.

After showering, I sat before the large mirror. Mirda immediately began styling my hair and applying my makeup, then helped me into a beautiful, floor-length indigo satin gown.

The backless gown revealed a hint of cleavage—not quite scandalous, but close.

"Ah, I am really good," said Mirda with a sigh as she finished working on me. Looking at me, like an artist looked at their creations.

"Thank you, Mirda." I studied my reflection in the mirror. I looked incredible.

As Lola always says, beauty is a weapon—one to wield with surgical precision.

I am doing just that, and I am not ashamed. It's a tool that helped me survive the business and is the greatest tool I have; not using it would be foolishness.

I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time before I walked out of the house.

The carriage was already waiting for me, and I sat down.

I watched the city as I left the compound. It's lively, but it feels awfully quiet to me. Maybe because of my mood, I could do nothing but brood over the war that threatens and those who might join our enemies.

That's not enough.

I pushed those thoughts away as the carriage stopped in front of a grand manor. It's large, nearly the size of a palace; it's the residence of one of the powerful people in the city.

Count Brelland.

The guard opened the door, and I stepped out before walking toward the grand gates, activating Drape of Seductress and Seductive Presence.

They have named me the most desirable woman in Inam.

When I first heard the title, I laughed—not because it surprised me, but because I had been deliberately cultivating that reputation, leveraging my seductive charms. I simply hadn't expected to earn it so quickly.

When I mentioned it to Sister Carla, she showed no surprise.

She told me that beauty is desirable, but nothing drew people more powerfully than power itself—and here, I possessed both.

I reached the grand gates and simply walked through them. I didn't stop.

Though I did nod at the old man standing by them.

Soon, I reached the large white doors, which were open, and standing by them were a man and a woman in their early thirties: Count Brelland's daughter and her husband.

"Welcome, Overseer, thank you for gracing us with your presence." The woman said.

"It's my honor to be here, Lady Launa," I replied with a smile, while her husband stared at me unabashedly. She glared, which he barely noticed.

I nodded at the woman and activated Flawless Entrance as I stepped into the ballroom.

The ballroom was already filled with people; the party started at nine, and it was past ten.

I come late to parties, but not this late.

Hundreds of eyes turned toward me as I entered. They looked at me with lust, desire, and envy. I smiled at them, and my smile became wide when I saw a long, brown-haired man coming toward me, and a green-haired woman.

Both were in their early thirties and married.

"Overseer, you look ravishing as always," said the man, looking at me from top to bottom with no shame. However, there was no lust or desire in his eyes, unlike the woman beside him.

"Stunning would be the right word," added the woman.

"Thank you for the compliment, Viscount, Viscountess Manfield." If someone asked me if I had made some friends, I would say these two.

Most considered them odd, but I liked them. They are more genuine than others and fun to be around.

"Everyone seemed to have arrived," I said, looking at the party. The occasion was an anniversary, not that these two need an occasion to throw a party.

"Yes, a lot of them. Lord Thorn and, of course, your friend Count Viremont,"

I followed her eyes and saw the man. At that exact moment, he turned to me and our eyes met and remained locked for a moment, before I looked away.

"Has he been able to convince anyone?" I asked Berisella.

These two have quite a network among the nobility; it was the main reason I courted them first, before I became friends.

"Most nobles are inclined to wait and watch. Though if Count Viremont captured one of your cities. Many would ride to join him,"

That is absolutely true.

The reason many nobles didn't was because of our reputation. We have successfully defended and won every battle we have fought.

Especially the last one against the undead. It created a reputation that makes others hesitate.

If Viremont conquered one of our cities, that aura would break, and nobles, mercenaries, and merchants would throng to join him- not just him, but also Grimvale and Arenthal.

"Still monitor any who might be joining him," I said to the couple.

A few minutes later, I mingled with the crowd—laughing, smiling, and flirting. Yet since arriving here, I had kept my distance from anything more intimate.

Seducing someone was one thing; crossing that boundary was another.

When I was a seductress at the Velvet Garden—and later its Madam—I could act openly. Now I am the Overseer. I could entice, but I had to maintain firm boundaries.

It wasn't merely about preserving the dignity of my position; keeping my distance also sustains their lust and desire for me.

They all wanted what they could not have. It keeps their desire for me simmering.

That is what I love the most.

I never liked sleeping with people that much; I did that every day for years.

What I love the most is seducing.

Like a hunter, I relish the thrill of the chase—the knowledge that I could make someone plead and beg for a single touch. It's an incredible feeling.

I stopped in front of two men, both in their middle age, both having a lust for me in their eyes.

"Miss Tara, it's been a while. Seeing you again is like finding water after wandering through a desert," Tollen said, barely managing to conceal the lust in his eyes.

I laughed, letting a hint of Seductive Laugh slip into my voice.

"I'm afraid this particular oasis is off-limits, Mr. Tollen."

"Nothing is ever truly off-limits, Miss Veyrault," Harnel interjected with a knowing smile.

"Speaking like a true merchant, Mr. Harnel," I replied, and he laughed, but there was a seriousness in his voice, like most people when they talk such things.

At the slightest encouragement, he would snap to attention.

That was why I had to be careful—flirt, but never cross the line. My friends say I danced along its edge, and they are right. Without stakes, where's the fun?

I talked with the men before moving to other guests.

'Baron Balmos had entered the city.' I was about to approach a couple when the voice rang out in my head.

Finally!

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