Chapter 3 - The Shadow of the Minister
The return to the city was not the triumphant homecoming Adrian had imagined. He moved through the streets like a ghost, his mind reeling from the revelations in the ruined house. If his mother was alive, and if his father’s "heroic" legacy was a fabrication, he had been fighting for a lie his entire adult life.
He decided to confront the man who had been his father’s right-hand man—the Minister of Defense, Julian Vane.
Vane’s office was a monument to opulence. When Adrian walked in, unannounced, the Minister didn't look surprised. He was pouring a glass of amber liquid, his back to the door.
"Captain Morel," Vane said smoothly. "I heard you were back. I expected you to go to the barracks, not wander the marketplaces."
"I found her, Vane," Adrian said, his voice cold. "I found my mother."
Vane froze. He turned around, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Ah. The old woman in the square. A tragic case of dementia, I’m afraid. She’s been bothering veterans for years, convinced she’s someone she isn't."
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Adrian slammed his hand onto the mahogany desk. "I know who she is. And I know about the ledgers. I know what you and my father did to keep the war going for the sake of the munitions contracts."
Vane chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. "You were always a good soldier, Adrian. But soldiers aren't meant to have memories. They’re meant to have targets. Go home, drink your wine, and forget the bread."
