That single word, "Lunvale", sent Rafael and Carissa hurrying back to Hell Monarch Estate as soon as the banquet had ended.


    In the council hall, arge map was spread out before them. Lunvale was located in Ebonflow. It was once the fiefdom of Lorenzo, Augustus'' brother. Generationster, it had be the domain of the Realm Defender.


    The title of Realm Defender was just that-an honorary title with no military power behind it. The current Realm Defender was Tiberius Sanford. A Realm Defender usually received a sry from the court, but by this generation, the benefits had been significantly reduced. During previous investigations, Tiberius hadn''t been overlooked. Though Lunvale was still rtively prosperous, it was far removed from both Valken and Stonebridge County. Moving troops to Lunvale would take significant effort.


    On top of that, Tiberius was someone with no great ambitions. He had all sorts of bad habits-drinking, gambling, and other vices. He had already squandered most of the family fortune passed down by his ancestors.


    ording to previous background checks, he had one wife and 32 concubines, and at least 50 to 60 women in his harem. His ability to gather women was unmatched-if he couldn''t purchase them, he would trick them. If that didn''t work, he simply took them by force. Because of this, his rtionship with the local authorities was also poor, and the officials often had headaches from his actions. Each year, there were at least a hundred cases involving him causing trouble and forcibly taking women.


    However, Lunvale was his fiefdom and they couldn''t drive him out. Even though he was causing trouble, he was still the Realm Defender. The officials couldn''t be too harsh with him.


    There weren''t manyints filed against him. The governor of Lunvale served for three years and was always careful to protect the royal family''s image. They didn''t dare submit too many reports because they were afraid Salvador might favor a rtive, and that it would hurt their career. So, they just put up with it as much as possible.


    This allowed Tiberius to keep causing trouble in Lunvale.


    "He has one clear characteristic," Jacob said, breaking the silence. "He''s reckless because he''s desperate."


    Rafael thought for a moment.


    "When one gets desperate enough, he''ll try anything to make money. But after all these years in Lunvale, Tiberius hardly has any friends left and doesn''t have any real power. How does he make money? He can''t even borrow any. Let''s check which of his properties ornd he owns privately."


    Jacob pulled out the earlier


    investigation notes, flipping through the pages as he spoke. "He only has one or two estates left. The betternd has been leased out. The remaining estate is in an awkward location. It''s either impossible to rent or unsuitable for farming or


    nting fruit trees."


    "Send someone to investigate quietly," Rafael instructed, his fingers pressing against his temple. "I''ll speak with the king. We''ll give Randall a task and see what he reveals."


    No one wanted to be useless. Randall, born of a concubine, had never known a father''s love. Even though Avis had raised him, her health was always poor. While there was maternal affection, it never gave him the strength he needed.


    He was raised with harsh discipline and constantly put down. As a result, hecked confidence and drive, had no temper, and was extremely passive.


    However, it was precisely this kind of life that needed a rope-a rope that might either strangle him or help him climb out of the depths.


    Giving Randall a task would reveal whose side he chose. If he helped Yuvan, he would condemn himself. But if he remained loyal to the task, perhaps there was a way out.


    Salvador also believed that giving


    Randall a role could be useful, and so arranged for him to work at the Supreme Court as a warden to


    oversee prisoners. The positio


    wasn thigh-ranking, but it would


    allow him to see many lives rise and fall. The hope was that this might reshape his outlook on life.


    When Randall received the appointment to the Supreme Court, his emotions were aplicated mess. Honestly, he was scared because this was something he got by betraying his dad. Everyone around him now would no doubt try toopry more information from him.


    Amid his fear, there was also a flicker of happiness, as if he had glimpsed a faint light shining down on him. Deep down, he felt that while he might be insignificant in Yuvan''s eyes, he might finally be taken seriously by others. That night, he thought a lot, and one word kepting to his mind-power!


    No wonder Yuvan was so obsessed with that ultimate power-what one in power said could change lives and even determine their fates.


    The attraction of power was as great as its terror.


    Just before dawn, Randall picked up his quill and wrote a letter to his only true friend-Barrett.


    From that moment, Randall felt like they were truly moving forward on their own path.