Lucian was midway through a very pleasant nap when Elaine kicked open his door.

  "My lord, we caught a spy."

  Lucian groaned. "Of course we did."

  Elaine dragged a struggling man into the room and shoved him into a chair. The captive was young, panicked, and sweating through his tunic— probably because Elaine had caught him mid-crime and mid-regret.

  Dorian entered a moment later, looking equally exhausted. "My lord, this man was caught sneaking into the town archives!"

  Lucian rubbed his temples. "Why does everyone break into the archives? Do they think I hide gold there?"

  Elaine crossed her arms. "Probably looking for financial records. I bet his employer wants to know how Duskwatch is still running without taxes."

  The spy flinched. "I—I’m just a humble merchant!"

  Elaine raised an eyebrow. "A merchant who sneaks into government buildings at midnight?"

  Lucian sighed. "Alright. Who sent you? And before you say ‘no one,’ let me remind you that I have a very sharp-tempered knight standing behind you."

  Elaine grinned and cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

  The spy swallowed hard. "I… I can’t say."

  Lucian stared at him. "Fine. Let him go."

  Elaine and Dorian stared at him.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "…What?" Elaine asked, confused.

  Lucian stretched. "If he’s a real spy, he’ll report that we’re incompetent and not worth the trouble. If he’s just a merchant, well, he’ll go sell something. Either way, less paperwork for me."

  Elaine frowned. "You’re… releasing him?"

  Lucian yawned. "Yep. Open the door, off you go."

  The spy blinked. "I—wait, you’re not going to interrogate me?"

  Lucian rested his chin on his hand. "Too much effort. Just make sure to report accurately. I hate misinformation."

  The room fell silent.

  Dorian paled. Elaine squinted. The spy swallowed hard.

  A moment later, the so-called spy ran off, convinced he had just encountered the most dangerous mind in the empire.

  The next morning, Elaine leaned against Lucian’s desk, smirking.

  "So that’s your tactic? A ‘let the enemy think we don’t care’ strategy?"

  Lucian, still groggy, sipped his tea. "Tactic? No. I just didn’t want to deal with the hassle."

  Dorian looked utterly exhausted. "Well, your ‘non-strategy’ is working. The spy you released? He ran straight out of town, and I hear he looked absolutely terrified."

  Lucian blinked. "Huh. Guess he really was bad at his job."

  Dorian hesitated. "Or… he thinks you’re terrifying."

  Elaine chuckled. "That works in our favor, doesn’t it?"

  Dorian rubbed his temples. "It means word will spread that you saw through the spy immediately and let him go on purpose—which sounds like something a calculating mastermind would do."

  Lucian groaned. "I swear, I’m not doing this on purpose."

  Elaine grinned. "That’s what makes it even better."

  Duke Reinhardt read the latest report, his fingers tapping against the polished wood of his desk. His informant, Lord Cedric Vale, stood before him, looking uneasy.

  "And you’re certain of this?" Reinhardt asked.

  Cedric nodded stiffly. "Yes, my lord. Our spy was discovered within hours… and then released without interrogation."

  Reinhardt leaned back. "Interesting. And what was Veilwood’s reasoning?"

  Cedric hesitated. "He… he told the spy to ‘report accurately’ and said he ‘hates misinformation.’"

  A long silence followed.

  Then, to Cedric’s growing unease, Duke Reinhardt smirked.

  "Fascinating. Either Veilwood is a fool who doesn’t care about espionage… or he’s confident enough to let us watch him."

  He stood, swirling his wine. "Let’s test him further. Prepare an envoy. We’ll offer him a deal."

  Cedric bowed. "And if he refuses?"

  Reinhardt’s smirk deepened. "Then we’ll know how to deal with him."