[Osric's POV]
[Everheart Estate]
"Did the messengers arrive?" My voice cut through the silence as I fastened the last strap of my cloak.
Hadrien appeared at my side with a bow. "No, my lord. The investigator hasn't sent word yet."
I paused, fingers resting on the polished silver clasp.
"…Hmm. It's taking too long."
Hadrien's sigh was long-suffering—the kind of sound someone makes when they're used to your impossible standards but still holding onto the hope you might grow patience like a garden herb.
"My lord… You only gave him two days."
I turned, raising a brow. "And?"
Hadrien folded his hands in front of him. "You tasked him with reviewing every attack on the Crown Princess. Every security breach. Every suspicious death, accident, or vanishing maid since she was born. That's nearly two decades of sealed records, half of which are probably hidden under noble bribes and bureaucratic cobwebs. It takes time."
