The Most Evil Kind.

—"What am I supposed to do here?"

—"You find all your scouts and give them a new task. The main thing is that the baron must survive! I assume everyone agrees on that?"

With confirmations received, Konstantin stood up from the table.

—"Let's just not let him be killed! By evening, we'll return with a plan."

Leaving the city without hindrance wasn't possible. Almost at the gates, a procession was intercepted by Knight Barkh, who greeted them politely and invited the knight's comrade for a mug of beer. Alexander left only his guards and suggested the others go on without him. He himself entered the first tavern he came across with the knight, spending almost an hour tormenting his stomach with bad beer.

The conversation turned out to be completely futile. It seemed the conspirator didn't know why he had called the person for a conversation but very much wanted to talk. The only time his expression changed from sad to joyful was upon hearing that Alexander had finished all his business in the city and was leaving.

Empty talk and small doses of alcohol finally ruined the vampire's mood, and as he passed through Peski, he bluntly told the elder about his daughter when asked. He added that if he cared so much about her, he shouldn't have handed her over to strangers. Upon arriving home, he found himself in the midst of a meeting.

—"We hand over this young fool to the baron, end of story!" Eugene was visibly upset.

—"And what do we get from the baron for this?" Konstantin remained calm; the news of the conspiracy hadn't affected him in the city, and now there was no reason to get worked up. "We can't demand more than a 'thank you' from him anyway. By keeping such a significant factor as unknown conspirators, we can milk him well. We are the only power in the barony."

—"Why aren't you even considering taking the girl's side?" Olga looked at them all through slightly narrowed eyes.

—"Because she's greedy!"

Alexander, who had been standing and listening to the arguments since his arrival, knocked on the wall to attract attention.

—"I understand that all suggestions revolve around how far we'll go in exposing the conspiracy? Will we crush it completely, with all the organizers, or leave the organizers unknown, dealing only with those on the surface. Right?"

—"Yes, exactly."

—"I'm for completely crushing the conspiracy! Eugene?"

—"Crush them to the end."

—"Kostya (Konstantin)?"

The last triumvir hesitated. Overall, his words no longer carried much weight; he had said earlier in the day that the Triumvirate would make the decision, and two votes were already unanimous. But for some reason, he didn't want to hand over the baronetess. He wasn't even acquainted with her!

—"To hell with it! Crush them to the end!"

Alexander nodded.

—"Oleg, I need twenty guards fully armed. Semen, get at least a liter of blood right now and fill up personal flasks. Leonid, get ready too, you're coming with me. Everyone else is free; I'll ask only the triumvirs to stay. Let's gather at the pace!"

As the gathered dispersed and only the three most important vampires remained at the table, Alexander sat down.

—"How do I hand over the bride?"

Eugene and Konstantin simultaneously scratched their foreheads. The question was indeed interesting. The only person who could reveal her to the baron was Knight Barkh, but even he might not say much. After all, all his behavior could be explained by the obsession of a lovestruck man. The girl could easily shake off all accusations. And considering the rarity of mentalist mages and their work for the appropriate agencies, she had nothing to fear.

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