Chapter 156: War is the only option

"...or we could simply take Dreadmoor as well."

Lumi’s small smile widened, revealing a glimpse of white fangs as she agreed.

"Precisely... We could take Dreadmoor and annex it directly into Moongrave County. Although nothing of significance has been discovered inside Dreadmoor Castle so far, it remains a critical border position between the Duchy of Stormhold and the Duchy of Vesperion."

Her smile gradually faded as she studied the red lines on the map, her expression turning colder. "However, I do not believe the matter will be quite that simple, my lady."

Aveline raised an eyebrow. "And why do you say that? As far as I know, Dreadmoor currently has no officially appointed Baron."

"That is no longer true, my lady." Lumi shook her head, lowering her gaze to the map. "Dreadmoor is now ruled by the Seventh Son of the Duke of Vesperion. The news reached me only a few hours ago."

Lumi paused, a faint smile returning to her lips. "Quite a few interesting things have happened... while you were exploring the lands of the Eternal Eclipse."

For the first time, Aveline’s usual indifference disappeared.

She moved away from the edge of the table and crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her blue eyes as she studied Lumi.

"The Seventh Son?"

Aveline paused, searching her memory for a moment. "Ah... I remember him. I met him once before... Isn’t he the weakest and least talented among his siblings? Do you truly believe someone like him could pose a real threat if we were forced to fight him?"

Lumi answered softly, but there was a note of warning in her voice now. "Do not underestimate anyone who carries the blood of House Vesperion, my lady. In that peculiar bloodline, even the weakest monster is still a monster."

Lumi lowered her finger to the map, and a small window of light appeared above Dreadmoor’s symbol.

"According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, he recently awakened as a Necromancer... In fact, he is only a few months younger than you."

"...A Necromancer?"

Aveline froze for a brief moment. Her expression barely changed, but her arms tightened against her chest.

Lumi continued. "Furthermore, he will not be moving alone. He has a newly formed Legion consisting of five Ascendant-rank warriors and his two personal maids... both of whom have also reached the Ascendant rank. That makes seven Ascendants in total, with a hundred Awakened warriors under their command."

Aveline furrowed her brows in surprise. "Two maids? Wasn’t each son of the duke supposed to have only one personal attendant?"

"The second maid only appeared recently," Lumi explained. "Apparently, he recruited her himself, and rumors suggest she is no ordinary person."

Lumi rested her finger over Dreadmoor’s emblem.

"Going to war with him directly, while we still know so little about the true strength of his warband, would be a risky gamble. I suggest we approach him and negotiate first, then learn what terms he would demand in exchange for allowing our troops and supplies to pass safely through his lands."

Silence settled over the room.

Aveline did not answer immediately. Her gaze shifted between the treacherous forest route and the red line running through Dreadmoor’s territory. She traced both paths with her finger, studying the options as the map’s cold light reflected in her blue eyes.

Beyond the window, snow continued to fall in silence.

"That won’t do."

Aveline’s voice hardened, and Lumi looked up at her.

"Once we annex the other castle, are we supposed to keep asking his permission and accepting his terms every time we need to move troops or supplies between Gloamveil and Moongrave?"

She pressed her finger firmly against Dreadmoor’s symbol. "A strategic bottleneck like this cannot be left in someone else’s hands. One of us has to remove the other. War is the only option."

Then, as though another thought had just occurred to her, Aveline turned toward Lumi. "By the way... does the Seventh Son have a Seer among his people?"

A peculiar smile spread across Lumi’s face. "Not yet."

Aveline remained silent for a moment before withdrawing her hand from the map. "Then he has nothing to counter your abilities. You can move freely."

She lowered her arms, her usual cold composure returning as she considered their position.

"Besides, we are not at a disadvantage when it comes to Ascendants. In fact, we outnumber them, especially if we count the Vestige I obtained from the Eclipse beast... and the Sliver my mother gave me."

Her gaze settled back onto Dreadmoor’s crest, her blue eyes narrowing with the chilling absolute certainty of a commander who had already mapped out her enemy’s demise.

"It shouldn’t be difficult."

Aveline turned toward one of the chairs and picked up her elegant white coat. Thick, dark blue fur lined its edges, matching the deep blue of her eyes.

She slipped it on, and the heavy garment settled over her shoulders, concealing the tattoos on her back.

Aveline headed toward the heavy wooden doors. Before leaving, she paused and glanced back at the small girl.

"Send an urgent message to the commanders of the main Moongrave warband. I want a war council convened, and I want every piece of intelligence we can gather on his warband and the abilities of his new maid."

For the first time since their conversation began, a faint, cold smile appeared on her face.

"And send another message... congratulating the new Baron of Dreadmoor on his appointment."

Her hand rested on the brass doorknob for a moment.

"Let’s finish this quickly. We need to return to the lands of the Eternal Eclipse as soon as possible, Lumi."

With that, she passed through the double doors and disappeared from view.

Lumi was left alone in the quiet chamber, standing before the glowing map while snow continued to fall outside.

"Congratulations..." she whispered, a cold smile spreading across her face, strangely at odds with her childlike features.

She reached across the table with her small hand. Ignoring the writing quill lying nearby, she picked up a block of crimson sealing wax stamped with the emblem of a glowing moon hovering above a great tomb. She placed it carefully beside a blank sheet of parchment, leaving the quill untouched.

Her crimson eyes shifted toward Dreadmoor on the map, and a crooked smile slowly formed on her face.

"Of course, my lady... I’ll make sure it’s a congratulation he will never forget."