[center][h1]Lady Safina Haliel[/h1][/center]

Safina allowed herself a very visible roll of her eyes as the duke practically fled the room. Typical. Were it not completely against her cover as just a lady-in-waiting, a slight application of force could have held him there longer. Still, at least it told her that he had absolutely no intention to pay what he owed. The man wasn't unintelligent; he had to have known this would be a red flag. Just up and leaving when a representative of the Queen questioned him was [i]actionable[/i].

There were other ways to find out what he was up to. A snap of her fingers had the pair of guards outside the office step in, closing the door shut behind them as Safina silenced the room with a Muffle spell. 

"My lady." They saluted. "Orders?" 

[b]"Whitley, I want eyes on Duke Rhinecliff for as long as he remains in Hathforth. Jensen, return to the barracks. Inform Adrienna and Grugin that they're to join Whitley in establishing surveillance on the Duke. Then send a runner to the Odonfield cell. Accelerate the infiltration timeline. We need eyes and ears in his castle's staff by the time he returns home."[/b]

"By your command, Grandmaster." The two Concord members in disguise as castle guards promptly about-faced and left to fulfill their orders, the Muffle spell ending shortly after. With that out of the way, Safina took a moment to take a breath and compose herself from the sharp-gazed Grandmaster she was to the socialite and lady-in-waiting she pretended to be. 

She returned to the throne room shortly after, quietly watching the proceedings until there was an opportunity to step in. Once Duchess Bastille's gift was accepted, [i]and wasn't that another one that needed watching[/i], Safina quickly stepped towards Vulluin. Protocol dictated that she relay this through him first, and it would cause less alarm either way. 

[b]"Inform the queen, [i]quietly[/i], that Duke Rhinecliff is welching on any conversation regarding his taxes. I'll be having him followed, but for now, there's no need to make a scene until we have more actionable intelligence."[/b] While any monarch would be well within their rights at this point to make a move against a delinquent subordinate, going after a powerful noble over taxes was asking for unrest. No, best to have further proof of misdeeds to make the case ironclad before proceeding further.


[@Estylwen] [@Donut Look Now]