Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 320: Plot of Rebellion

Chapter 320: Plot of Rebellion

Lara, dressed in a crimson riding coat with her hair braided like a crown, smiled faintly as they entered. "You’re late," she said, a teasing lilt in her voice. "We are beginning to think you’d reneged on what we discussed yesterday."

"Of course not, Lady Lara. How can we do that?" Nasser replied smoothly, a practiced grin stretching across his face. "That is the very purpose of why we visit Savadra."

"Is it?" Lara’s eyes slid past him and fixed on Kasmer, her gaze steady and unnervingly precise. The challenge in her stare was unmistakable.

Kasmer’s jaw tightened. He turned his head, as if unable—or unwilling—to meet her eyes. His silence spoke louder than any denial.

The door burst open again, slamming against the wall. Gideon staggered in, breathless and wide-eyed, his face drained of color.

"Sis... it’s bad," he gasped. His chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. Clearly, he had run all the way there.

"What happened?" Lara asked, stepping forward. The teasing light in her voice had vanished, replaced by the weight of concern.

"News is spreading like wildfire. Prince Alaric’s being accused of rebellion. They’re saying the deaths last night—and the fire—were all orchestrated by him."

"What?" Percival blurted out, eyes wide in disbelief. "But Alaric left for Calma, didn’t he?"

Gideon ran a hand through his hair and began pacing, words tumbling out. "The story goes that the banishment pushed him over the edge. That he struck back in vengeance." Gideon started pacing the room.

"Do you believe it?" Kasmer’s voice cut in, low and direct. His gaze shifted back to Lara, reading her reaction with quiet intensity.

"Of course not," came the immediate reply—three voices in unison, firm and resolute.

Nasser blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but recovered with a laugh. "That’s more like it. You three have far more sense than the fools swallowing this nonsense. It is really nice to talk to smart people."

The siblings turned toward him in unison, their expressions cold and unimpressed. A brief silence stretched between them, sharp with implication. Did Nasser mean that anyone who believed the rumor was a fool—including them, if they had?

Unbothered by the tension, Gideon turned toward the door again. "I’m going to Father. He needs to look into this. If these rumors gain traction, they won’t just stain Alaric’s name—they’ll drag yours through the mud as well, Lara. Betrothed or not, the connection is known."

"Bro, Father left early in the morning. He was picked up by a few royal guards. Though he did not say it, I guessed that he’s looking into the deaths too," Percival shouted as his brother exited the room.

Soon after, Kasmer’s pen moved smoothly across the page, sealing the deal with a flourish. But Lara’s eyes narrowed as she watched. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Something about that signature... it unsettled her.

She had her suspicions—that these merchants were not who they claimed to be. And now, as she stared at Kasmer’s name inked in elegant, practiced strokes, doubt bloomed in her chest.

Had she been wrong?

Or had her instincts no longer been as sharp as they used to be?

Later that day, Kasmer and Nasser departed the Norse estate after finalizing the long-negotiated contract to manufacture and distribute the iron horse to Cavinta. This thriving, industrious town rivaled the largest provinces of modern Azurverda.

Kasmer and Nasser left the Norse estate and followed the cobbled alleys beyond the marketplace. They entered a quaint cottage surrounded by bamboo forests, a dwindling sight in the capital.

They saw a man in his early fifties tending to a plot of herbs at the back of the cottage. If Lara were there, she would recognize the two herbs she started cultivating in Calma: Saffron and Stevia.

"Good day, Sir Orion." Nasser greeted politely.

The man stood fluidly, wiping off the dirt from his hands using his sleeves.

"Did you bring a new herb for me?" He asked, looking expectantly at the two men before him.

Nasser replied on behalf of Kasmer. "Sir Orion, we have no new herbs or plants this time. Kasmer and I came to seek your help."

Orion rolled his eyes. He walked toward a mango tree where a bamboo bench was and sat on it casually.

"There is no one else around, drop the pretense." The middle-aged man said curtly.

Nasser choked.

"How did you know?" Nasser asked with full curiosity.

"Duh, no matter how you change your face, you could never change the eyes." The man rolled his eyes again. "Additionally, you did not change the scent on you."

Nasser was speechless. How come he could only smell the sweat on him? Didn’t all sweat smell the same?

Kasmer hesitated before speaking respectfully. "Master, I need to borrow your homing pigeon. My men are in danger."

Orion stood and walked slowly to the other side of the cottage, where the pigeons he raised and trained were. Kasmer and Nasser followed behind him.

"Brat, aren’t you worried about the lies spreading in the capital? Rebellion is a serious thing that could result in death." Orion’s words were tinged with worry. "You shouldn’t have come back. At least you have an excuse, as you are not in the capital."

"Even if I did not return, the outcome would remain the same. I would still be framed." Kasmer lowered his head, trying to hide the sorrow in his eyes. "If I am here, then I have an opportunity to clear my name."

Orion sighed. The brat had a difficult life from a young age. He handed him a white pigeon. "When will your men reach the town of Fereya?"

"It should be tonight," Kasmer said after thinking for a while.

"Then you write the message and send it off."

"Bandits will be dispatched to intercept the convoy tomorrow night at the hills of Anvoya. They were ordered to beat the soldiers and keep them disabled so they could not do any trouble in the future." Nasser provided the information narrated by their spy.

Orion swore under his breath. "Disabled! Isn’t it better to execute them?"

Kasmer was busy writing on a small strip of paper.

Nasser raised an eyebrow. "What are you telling them?"

"A decoy, and an ambush," Kasmer said. "They send a few with the escort guards. Aramis will lead the ambush. Let them fall into the trap too early and spread the news that the bandits and the rebels clashed."

Nasser grinned. "Dangerous. But Aramis loved danger."

Orion nodded. "Which means it’ll work. But what will you do with the current rumor of you rebelling?"

Kasmer’s gaze followed the direction toward the royal palace in the capital’s center. His voice was low and heavy with unspoken memories.

"Tonight, their plan will backfire."

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