Chapter 193: A Tiger In Waiting

(Meanwhile inside Vice-Principal Chadwick’s office)

Vice-Principal Chadwick had sent a letter to the Imperial Government a week ago, explaining his suspicions regarding Riven Dawnriver being a Stormborn, but it was only today that he received a response.

The letter had arrived alongside a small wooden box, and the moment Chadwick noticed the golden Imperial seal pressed into the dark red wax, he immediately dismissed his secretary and locked the door behind her.

Official correspondence from the Imperial Government could have originated from several offices, although considering the sensitivity of what Chadwick had reported and the authority represented by the seal before him, he suspected this particular response had come directly from the Prime Minister.

Breaking the wax, Chadwick unfolded the letter and began reading.

[To Vice-Principal Chadwick,

Your report concerning Riven Dawnriver has been reviewed, and the results of his Imperial Appraisal have been compared against the genealogical archives maintained by the Crown.

Your suspicions warrant investigation.

House Dawnriver has produced no recorded bearer of the Storm element throughout its documented lineage, while only three recognized noble bloodlines within the Empire presently possess a hereditary Storm Affinity.

The identity of Riven Dawnriver’s mother remains undisclosed beyond her alleged status as a minor noblewoman. It is therefore possible that his affinity originates through the maternal line.

Possible, however, should not be confused with probable.

Since only three verified storm related noble bloodlines exist in the Empire, we have extensively looked into the possibility that one such female member of the clan might be Riven’s mother, however, we found none who fit the story.

There are no noblewomen born to either of these three clans that have been missing for the past 20 years, and could have raised Riven in seclusion.

Also, a Perfect Storm Affinity is exceedingly rare even among the three established Storm bloodlines, and the appraisal results you provided display several characteristics historically associated with descendants carrying the blood of Surthur.

Should the boy prove Stormborn, the present account of his birth becomes considerably less credible.

However, unfortunately for now, we cannot mistake this deduction as irrefutable evidence.

Drew Dawnriver is a Duke of the Empire, and supposition concerning the legitimacy of his heir is politically worthless unless it can be converted into fact.

Neither the Crown nor this office intends to challenge House Dawnriver on speculation.

You will therefore investigate discreetly.

Enclosed with this correspondence is an Imperial Truth Orb. You are authorized to employ it upon Riven Dawnriver, provided its use cannot reasonably be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to investigate his lineage.

We suggest that you bring him in for routine questioning, perhaps in a disciplinary incident involving several other students, and as a part of investigating the incident, you question him about his ancestry, and verify if Duke Dawnriver is really his father.

The crown does not wish for a political storm, so make sure that others are subjected to the same treatment and Riven is not singled out.

But in the end, it is our hope that you are able to establish the following:

The identity and ancestry of his mother.

The location and circumstances of his upbringing.

The identity of those responsible for raising him.

The circumstances and approximate date of his first meeting with Duke Drew Dawnriver.

Any knowledge he possesses concerning Stormborn ancestry within his maternal line.

Finally, whether he knowingly considers himself the biological son of Drew Dawnriver.

Exercise restraint in how these questions are introduced. A Truth Orb reveals deliberate falsehood. It does not compensate for an incompetent interrogation.

There is one further consideration.

Duke Dawnriver’s influence within the Eastern Territories has expanded considerably in recent years. The Imperial Government presently has neither cause nor intention to provoke an open dispute with him. However, should the legitimacy of his newly presented heir prove fraudulent, the political value of establishing that fact before the boy’s position becomes entrenched is self-evident.

If Riven Dawnriver is Drew Dawnriver’s son, your investigation ends.

If he is not, determine why a Duke of the Empire has placed a suspected Stormborn beneath his name.

Proceed without attracting the attention of House Dawnriver.

Report directly upon obtaining anything conclusive.]

Chadwick remained silent for several moments after reaching the bottom of the letter.

There was no signature beneath the final instruction.

There did not need to be one.

The authority behind the Imperial seal was enough, while the concise wording and complete absence of unnecessary explanation only strengthened Chadwick’s suspicion regarding whose desk the response had originated from.

’The Prime Minister himself...’

His gaze shifted towards the wooden box resting beside the letter.

Opening the small brass clasp, Chadwick lifted the lid and found a perfectly transparent sphere resting within a bed of black velvet.

The Truth Orb.

Even within the Imperial Academy, artifacts of this quality were rarely used casually, as the enchantments required to determine whether someone knowingly spoke a falsehood made them both extraordinarily expensive and tightly controlled by the Imperial Government.

Chadwick carefully lifted the Orb from its container and examined it beneath the light.

A disciplinary incident.

That part was unlikely to prove difficult.

Riven Dawnriver had already managed to become involved in several confrontations during his first few days inside the Academy, while the hostility between him and House Aureate showed little indication of disappearing anytime soon.

Chadwick did not even need to manufacture a conflict.

He merely needed to wait for the next one.

Once Riven inevitably found himself sitting inside an interrogation room alongside whichever unfortunate student he fought next, Chadwick could introduce the Truth Orb as nothing more than a means of determining who had started the confrontation.

A few ordinary questions for everyone involved.

A few questions regarding what happened.

And somewhere amongst them, carefully hidden beneath the excuse of establishing Riven’s background and character, Chadwick could ask what the Imperial Government actually wanted to know.

’Very soon, I’ll know the truth behind who you truly are....’

Chadwick thought as a wicked smile gradually appeared across his face.

If Riven was genuinely Duke Dawnriver’s biological son, the matter ended there.

But if he was not...

Then Drew Dawnriver had somehow placed a suspected Stormborn inside one of the Four Ducal Houses and presented him to the Empire as his legitimate heir.

Whatever game the Duke was playing, Chadwick finally possessed the means to begin uncovering it.

He lowered the transparent sphere back into its velvet compartment before carefully closing the box.

"It shall be done, Sir Prime Minister."

He muttered, with satisfaction evident in his voice.