"Do you actually have information on who’s involved?" Ragnar asked, his voice low and serious now, his interest fully piqued.
Jayran shook his head. "That, I don’t have yet. What I do have are suspicions."
With the way the rebels were operating, Ragnar could not afford to waste ti chasing suspicions that might prove false and lead nowhere. Every wrong move could cost lives, resources, and draw unwanted scrutiny his way. And yet, he also knew that a single overlooked suspicion might tip the balance between successfully ending a rebellion and suffering utter failure.
"Well then," Ragnar said, "let’s hear them."
"Alright." Jayran agreed, but the look in his eyes hardened even further. His shoulders squared, as though he were bracing himself. "But what is said here must never leave this study."
He waited, watching Ragnar closely, until Ragnar offered a single, firm nod.
Only then did Jayran continue. "I’ve had my eye on Lord Rycoff for so ti now."
Ragnar frowned slightly. "Why is that?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
"It’s because of where his loyalties lie," Jayran explained. "He is a staunch supporter of my mother but not of her alongside my father. The king and queen of a kingdom are usually regarded as a single, unified governing force, yet Rycoff doesn’t even bother to conceal that he favors one over the other."
The explanation sounded plausible. Lord Rycoff was a very wealthy noble and a traditionalist to his very core. He has always been dogmatic, and openly vocal about it. He frequently echoed hateful rhetoric about humans at court, never bothering to soften his words.
Ragnar made a ntal note to look more closely into the man’s dealings, his finances, and the company he kept. If Rycoff truly was funding the rebellion, then his punishnt would be handled separately from the rest.
Still, sothing in Jayran’s words had caught Ragnar’s attention.
"Why does Rycoff supporting your mother automatically make him a suspect?" Ragnar asked. "Do you believe she is sohow involved?"
Jayran exhaled sharply. "I would be more surprised if she wasn’t. She doesn’t exactly make an effort to hide her disdain for our father." Then, more quietly, his voice dropping, he added, "The only similarity we share."
Ragnar nodded slowly, absorbing all the information he was being given. Listening and collecting tidbits that could serve his mission later. That was all he could do for now. Even if Jayran handed him a full list of nas, Ragnar still could not take it to the king, not yet. Not while Laheir Tavish remained chief advisor, free to whisper poison into the king’s ear and twist any accusation until he turned them against Ragnar.
More importantly, Ragnar could not allow Laheir to suspect that his involvent in the rebellion was already known.
"House Alwen and House Nereth," Jayran continued, "for the sa reasons as Lord Rycoff. And this list wouldn’t be complete without ntioning Laheir Tavish or at the very least, that vile heathen Yannick he calls a son. Yannick’s na has been tangled in corruption scandals before, so of them tied to rebel activity, but he always manages to wriggle his way free from them everyti. I may be wrong about the others, but Laheir’s involvent isn’t one of them."
Ragnar humd thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.
Jayran narrowed his eyes on him. "You don’t seem surprised," he said as the truth slowly dawned on him. "You knew, didn’t you?"
Ragnar t his gaze with a bland stare. "What I know is aningless if I cannot use the information properly," he replied calmly. "Weeks have passed and Gerard still hasn’t been recaptured. He is the missing link we need, the one thread that could unravel the entire rebellion. That is where my concern lies."
Silence stretched briefly between them.
"I’ll help in any way I can," Jayran said finally.
Ragnar smiled faintly and nodded, deciding there was no harm in accepting assistance. After all, the last ti Jayran had helped him, it had worked in his favor. There was no reason this would be any different.
"That would be greatly appreciated," Ragnar said. "My wife and I will be returning to Amris soon, and I’ll need soone to report on the private happenings within the palace. I would leave today if I could. Irah’s murder has admittedly made wary."
Jayran’s expression shifted. "Then it seems like you haven’t heard what happened to Lord Corvin this morning."
Ragnar raised a brow, feigning ignorance convincingly. "What do you an?" he asked. "What happened to Lord Corvin?"
He did not ntion that Corvin had stood before him only hours earlier. Jayran could be perceptive at tis, not as keen as Azul, but sharp enough to sniff out the truth if enough information is presented before him. Ragnar carefully schooled his face, betraying no flicker of emotion that might invite suspicion.
"He was found dead on the road with several broken bones," Jayran said. "He was bleeding faintly when they discovered him. So claim they saw him fall from his horse, but most of what’s being said is pure speculation."
He recalled how the palace had been buzzing with the news, spreading like wildfire through corridors and courtyards alike. The incident had occurred not far from the palace, making it inevitable that word would reach the nobility first before spilling into the city.
Jayran found it odd that Ragnar hadn’t heard yet. News traveled fast in the capital and even faster among nobles. But he dismissed the thought almost as soon as it arose. Confined to this house all day, Ragnar could easily have been the last to learn of it.
Ragnar forced a look of concern onto his face, his eyes softening with carefully practiced sympathy. "How tragic," he said quietly. "His family must be devastated by the news. Perhaps you could visit them and pay your respects in my stead. I would have gone myself, of course, but by the ti the family is prepared to receive visitors, I will have already left the capital. It is truly unfortunate timing."
Jayran nodded. "I will see what I can do."
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