Ashenhold Tower
What Dietrich didn't know was that Gerhard had been planning his escape for a long time, from the moment he decided to side with the Grand Duke of Borgia. The resignation letter had only been a signal, the final move in a strategy that had taken months to prepare.
He hadn't planned to resign that morning. The words had simply slipped out, born from exhaustion, anger, and years of swallowing his pride. But once they were spoken, there was no turning back.
Frustration had pushed him past the point of hesitation, and now all he could do was move faster than he'd intended. If plan A was ruined by impulse, then plan B would have to begin sooner than expected.
He had seen it coming: the Emperor's growing paranoia, the thinning patience in court, and the way the nobles whispered about loyalty as if it were a fragile coin to be traded. Gerhard knew that once he left his post as Chancellor, Dietrich would never let him simply walk away.
