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"I've been waiting for you for a long time, sir."
The figure sprang from the edge of the wooden bed, a dagger gleaming sharply in his hand. As Cole turned his head, time seemed to slow. In the moonlight, he took in the man's appearance: not tall, thin, with messy grey-black hair, dark brown clothes, and cold eyes that seemed to merge with the night.
Cole's gaze fixed on the dagger. The attack was unexpected. If not for Caesar's sudden warning, he would have been struck. Watching the dagger's trajectory, Cole felt he could dodge it. If he could just keep his distance, he would have a chance to draw the Winter Blade.
Cole intended to dodge between the mattresses, but then he saw another figure rushing out of the darkness. There was more than one assassin! The second man aimed to attack from behind, moving with astonishing speed, also wielding a dagger. Death approached him from both front and back, instantly blocking almost all his escape routes. With every passing second, the strangers drew closer.
"You have offended someone, my lord, and someone has offered to buy your life," the assassin behind him hissed as time snapped back to normal speed.
The first dagger missed, passing by Cole's arm. He firmly grasped the wrist of the other dagger's owner, freezing the blade in mid-air. A curse burst from the assassin whose dagger had just swung, and the sharp blade twisted in his hand, stabbing towards Cole's chest again.
Cole twisted the skinny wrist in his hand hard, and the man groaned in pain. He pulled the man to block the second assassin's dagger, then caught the dropped dagger with his free hand. Seeing his companion blocking the way, the second assassin realized the assassination had failed. He plunged his dagger directly into his accomplice's throat, then turned and bolted for the door.
Blood splattered onto Cole. He shoved the screaming, dying man aside and pursued the fleeing assassin to the door, but the man was incredibly agile. By the time Cole reached the threshold, he had already vanished into the corridor.
When Cole returned to the bedroom, the man lay dead, his blood appearing black in the night. Finally, the scream had startled someone, and the first to arrive was the night patrol guard. A team of men rushed up the tower with torches, all of them shocked by the scene in the room.
"Your Highness, what happened here?" The leading knight, Ser Kag, asked, eyeing the bleeding corpse.
"Someone paid to buy my life, Ser Kag," Cole told him.
The knight shuddered. The prince attacked by an assassin on his watch—panic spread through him, but the anger he expected didn't come. "There is another assassin hiding in the castle. Take your people to find him," the prince ordered calmly, then described the assassin's features in detail.
Cole remained in his study all night, summoning all the ministers to a royal meeting. Storm's End was in turmoil due to the assassination attempt. Hundreds of soldiers scoured the castle, room by room. It wasn't until dawn that Josée came to him with a body.
"Your Highness, he was dead when we found him," Josée reported.
"He died a long time ago," Maester Pylos said, examining the body. "At least four or five hours."
"Where was he found?" Prime Minister Davos asked. A shiver of fear ran through him. If Cole had been assassinated, it was hard to imagine what would become of Storm's End.
"Outside the Prince's Tower," Josée replied.
The Prince's Tower was the territory of House Penrose and Nightsong. The prince had placed them there. Legend had it that the old king Jaehaerys once hid there when his uncle, the cruel Maegor, was in power. Thinking of the body appearing near Lord Heywood Fell's residence, everyone couldn't help but overthink. They knew Heywood Fell hadn't been at dinner yesterday.
Cole considered why Heywood Fell would hire an assassin. Was it merely to avoid paying fifty gold dragons? No, it couldn't be that simple. Either he had another purpose, or someone wanted to frame him.
A trial, an assassination, then a framing – it seemed everything was pushing him and Heywood Fell against each other. Was it the Lannisters, trying to sow discord between him and the lord? He thought quickly.
It wasn't easy to get an assassin into the castle, let alone his bedroom. The only one with such ability would be a lord of the Stormlands. So, who could it be? He mentally reviewed the nobles of each family. Cole remembered Gilbert had warned him that the lords seemed to have complaints about his alliance with Dorne.
"Could it be a conspiracy?" Gilbert had said. It was clear who most wanted Cole dead. He knew the traitor must still be in the castle. Someone had betrayed Storm's End, and Heywood Fell was undoubtedly the most suspicious.
"Put the castle on alert, and check if anyone has seen these two people?" Cole ordered Josée, who then left to carry out the command.
News of the prince's assassination spread quickly, sending the whole of Storm's End into a panic. The one who suffered most, naturally, was Heywood Fell. The murderer's body was found below the tower where he lived, discovered by his own guards.
He was indeed dissatisfied with the verdict that he was framed for killing the merchant's daughter, but since he had proven his innocence, he had no intention of making enemies with the prince over this matter.
He had not attended dinner that day simply because he was drunk with his knights. He only woke up because the castle soldiers were searching for the assassin.
The castle's alert lasted only a few days before being lifted. There was no major action. The prince attended banquets and courts as usual, as if everything had returned to normal, but Heywood felt every day was like a year. His knight suggested he return to his territory first.
"My lord, Ser Oakley Cullen is visiting."
Heywood, who was drinking wine in distress, heard the announcement and told his servant, "Please let him in." The residence in Nightsong City was nearby. Heywood had been having good conversations with Oakley Cullen these past few days.
"My lord, is the wine from the Arbor still to your taste?"
"I have been ruined by wine," he said bitterly.
"The gossip of stable boys and servants is like the ballads of jesters that have always fooled the world. It is not difficult to imagine that our prince is buying into this," Oakley Cullen chuckled. "There are rumors that he is mobilizing troops," Oakley continued.
Hearing about the army, Heywood's heart trembled, and he pretended to be calm as he asked, "What is the prince going to do?"
"The answer may not be good for us, Heywood." His expression suddenly became solemn. "You know, the assassin was found right outside our residence."
"Sir, the meal you asked for is here." The servant pushed the door open and entered, followed by a maid carrying a plate.