Salvador''s investigation matched Winona''s findings.


    Nichs had not left his fief; he spent almost every day taking his wife and children to see ys or listen to music.


    In Nerovia, there were a few orphanages that Nichs had established. They were dedicated to caring for orphans and the elderly who had nowhere else to turn. He would often attend a y and then visit one of these orphanages afterward.


    However, Winona uncovered something that Salvador had missed.


    It was the fact that Nichs had once saved Eustace''s life.


    This event urred seven or eight years ago, when Eustace was not yet the head of the Spencer family. He had been ambushed during a routine inspection of his estates. By chance, Nichs and his men had passed by, and he rescued Eustace from certain death.


    Nichs was a modest man, and he had no desire for recognition or further dealings with the Spencer family. He had asked Eustace not to make a public fuss over the incident. To Nichs, saving someone''s life was simply a matter of doing what was right, not something that required repayment.


    At the time of the ambush, almost everyone with Eustace had been killed. Only Eustace and his trusted bodyguard, Marvin, had survived. Interestingly, Winona had helped Marvin once when he was attacked while escorting goods. So when Winona investigated and spoke to Marvin, thetter told her this old story. When Winona''s report arrived, Carissa asked Violet about it, and Violet was taken aback. "Something like that happened? I didn''t know anything about it."


    That was seven or eight years ago, and Violet had been in Meadow Ridge at the time. Naturally, she hadn''t been aware of what had happened at home.


    "Should I write a letter to my dad?" Violet asked, furrowing her brow. Worry settled in her heart.


    Eustace owed Nichs a life debt. If Nichs were indeed the mastermind behind the scenes, would he try to use that to pressure Eustace into helping him when the time came?


    In the past, Violet had never been concerned when her family was involved. She knew her dad was loyal to the throne. As a royal merchant, he provided horses to the military and supplied weapons to the Ministry of Defense. It was impossible for him to support any traitors.


    But if there was a life debt involved, that couldplicate things. Even the most loyal subjects understood the importance of repaying such a debt.


    Carissa reassured her, "There''s no need to rush. Let''s wait for Winona to finish investigating the details of your dad''s ambush."


    Violet''s eyes widened. "Is Winona suspicious about what happened to my dad?"


    "She only said she would continue looking into it. She didn''t suggest anything else," Carissa soothed. "Don''t worry. She''ll get to the bottom of this, and I trust your dad. A life debt may be repaid, but there are boundaries to that repayment."


    Violet was lost in thought.


    "If Dad''s ambush was part of a conspiracy, then Nichs must have started plotting this seven or eight years ago. All these years, he has never let anything slip or given anyone reason to suspect him. Even after all the recent investigations, the only thing that''se up is the questionable lead from Willowbrook Estate. How terrifying must this man be?"


    "With mountain bandits, robbers, and refugees stirring up trouble all over, I don''t believe it could happen without his involvement. Prince Yuvan doesn''t have the ability to pull this off on his own," Carissa replied. She continued, "He''s been helping Prince Yuvan, but in reality, he''s been helping himself. Prince Yuvan''s just been a puppet. The wars between Sandoria and Westhaven,bined with the mountain bandits causing trouble, have spread the empire''s military forces thin. If he is the true mastermind-or whoever it is-they''ll likely aim straight for the capital and seize the throne next."


    Violet found people of such devious minds most frustrating, for they always made thingsplicated and hard to see through.


    "So, what do we do now? Only the Mystic Army is left in the capital."


    Carissa pressed her lips together. The Mystic Army had once numbered 30,000 soldiers, but not all of them were elite soldiers. Among them were members of the Garrison Unit, who were hardly fit for battle- most of them were nothing but drunkards and gluttons.


    When they were sent to the Southern Frontier, they had taken 15,000 men and lost over 2,000 in battle. Afterward, hundreds were sent back home as they were unfit for duty.


    Later, Salvador split the Mystic Army into separate units. So now,bining the Capital Guard, the Royal Guard, and the Garrison Unit, their total force was barely over 10,000 men.


    Of course, if the Nightsteel Guard undern''smand were included, they could muster just over 20,000 soldiers.


    They had no idea how many men the true mastermind might have, or where they were hiding.


    The one thing they did know for certain was that if an assault on the capital wasing, it would not be


    dyed for long. The true mastermind''s forces would already be in ce, with some stationed outside the city and others inside.