Chapter 117: Jozef The Spy

While Victor was marching his troops to Doulon, his spy, Jozef was at work. After receiving his instructions and a parchment that was meant to be delivered to Duke Godert, Jozef began to infiltrate the Fontaine Palace.

For multiple months prior, Jozef had studied the layout of the Fontaine Palace. He knew that one day there could be a mission that required him to enter the palace, so he thoroughly studied not only the layout of the palace but also patrol routes, sentry posts and potential points of entry.

Jozef also took an interest in the comings and goings of individuals who had access to the palace. One idea that Jozef had was infiltrating under the guise of a butler in the palace, or a palace guard. Unfortunately, the plan was too risky due to the unknown level of security for identification. Jozef could face being singled out if nobody recognised him.

The next best option was to sneak in under the cover of night. A simple and cliche plan, nevertheless it was a plan that Jozef had more faith in. Its only drawback is that he did not know what room Duke Godert was staying in, which could prove problematic if he spent too much time trying to locate him.

There was one more option that had a more bold approach, he could approach the palace claiming to be a messenger from his captured family. Although it was highly risky, it would definitely grant him an audience with the Duke of Godert. Jozef was a fan of taking this bold approach, he knew that a show of bravery might be well received by the duke.

With this in mind, Jozef began to formulate a persona and a background that could be convincing enough to sway not only Duke Godert but the other noblemen present. For simplicity, he would keep the name Jozef and he would create an elaborate story as to how he managed to get to Osterbon.

First and foremost, Jozef had to leave the city discreetly with a new set of clothes. Once he was out of the city he would dirty himself and give off a shattered and weary appearance. If he was going to convince anyone that he did bring news from the Godert family, he had to look like he had been fleeing from Luxenberg soldiers.

Next, he could not use a forged letter since that could expose him as a fraud. He would have to concoct a fake scenario, that allowed him and the Duchess of Godert to cross paths. This section would prove most difficult, he had no personal information about the Godert family, other than the basic descriptions of their appearance.

This gamble was certainly a risky one, but Jozef was confident in his ability to pull this off. He had been the first spy Victor ever summoned. He had years of experience in places like Sardia and Jenkas, creating personas and crafting false backstories was something he had a lot of experience in. If anyone was capable of succeeding, it would be him.

With a firm resolve, Jozef appeared on the road with the dying light of the sun. His clothes were slightly torn and stained with mud. He staggered and limped his way to the front gates where he was confronted by the guards stationed there.

"Halt, who are you and what is your purpose for coming here?" One of the guards said in an authoritative tone. Acting tired and hurt, Jozef replied in an almost desperate manner. "Please help me, I come from the city of Auderbrast, I bring news of Duke Godert's family and a personal account of what happened to the city."

For the guards, this level of acting was sufficient enough to warrant them to escort Jozef to the palace. Although the first step was a success, Jozef needed to put on a flawless performance if he was to succeed in his mission.

Hastily, the guards had gotten him to the courtyard of the Fontaine Palace, where he waited for several minutes before meeting not only Duke Godert but also Grand Duke Fontaine, Duke Verdant and Duke Hirschmann as well as the rest of their family members.

Jozef was a little taken aback by how many important people had gathered to hear his false tale. Nervously he looked at Duke Godert and knelt before him with his head lowered. "Duke Godert, I am sorry to appear so unsightly before you, but the damned cavalry of Luxenberg was sent to hunt me down. I bring news about your family and a personal account of what happened with the siege."

The noblemen were all eager to hear this news. There had been no information from Auderbrast about what had happened and what was the status of Duke Godert's family. Albus in particular was nervous but eager to hear this report.

"It is quite alright man. Please enough with the pleasantries, tell me everything. Do not miss a single detail," Albus said in a calming tone. With this, Jozef began a brilliantly detailed report of the siege and what became of the Duke's family.

"The siege was a relatively short one, my lord. The Luxenberg forces unleashed their full artillery might upon us. Which weakened the walls, but we held firm until they fired upon us using this weapon we had never seen before. It was like an exploding spear that was shot into the air. Everyone panicked and even some of our defenders were frozen with fear," Jozef began to orate.

Jozef was lucky to get a recount of the siege from Victor a week before his mission. It was because Victor needed Jozef to see if news of the siege and their new weapons had been leaked to the general public. If he could keep his new weapons secret, he would have an easier time besieging cities that were clueless about these terrifying rockets. Fear was a weapon Victor would use to mentally attack the defenders.

"It would not be long until the southern wall fell and the Luxenberg soldiers quickly poured into the city. The marketplace, the city square and even your palace were overrun quickly, my lord. I was visiting your wife to talk about commissioning a new jewellery piece for your daughter, whose ascent into being a teenager was fast approaching. Unfortunately, I was with them when they were apprehended by the King himself."

This was a massive bluff from Jozef, he had no clue about jewellery, nor did he know what dealing with Duchess Godert was like. All he knew was that the young Alicent was turning 13 years old soon, and that would be his way of conversing with the Duchess, in regards to a possible present. So far Duke Godert showed no signs of suspicion, so Jozef continued.

"I was released from the palace but kept within the city since King Victor was enforcing a lockdown of Auderbrast. Before I was released from the palace, I heard King Victor order his men to keep your family under house arrest in the palace. His tone seemed almost respectful in some manner, yet I can not speak to his intentions."

"My escape from the city was fueled by the fact that I was living in homeless shelters. Both my money and wares were confiscated, while only leaving me with the clothes on my back. I managed to steal a horse from a local's property before sneaking past the drunk and dazed nightshift guards that were stationed near the breach in the wall."

"The horse could only get me so far until it was shot dead, by a mounted rifleman. From there I hid in the bushes and forests, evading my pursuers. I figured my safest option was to head to Doulon, however, I came to find out a few days later, that the Luxenberg army was heading there to besiege it."

"My safest option was to seek you out, my lord. For I have nothing left and hoped that I could receive a small token of gratitude for bringing this knowledge. All I would dare ask for was a small sum and a horse, I plan to return to my parents' village near Bismarck. Hopefully, they can forgive me for leaving them and let me stay with them for a little while." 

Jozef now waited to see if his tale was believed by the noblemen.