282 Spy

25th August 1574

"One of the men in the visiting group is an Ostros spy. While I'm not sure which one if you manage to find him out, feel free to use that information for your own benefit."

Putting the letter aside, I looked helplessly at Elia. With her hand slowly caressing her belly, I could tell that she was already starting to slightly curve her previously impeccable stomach, indicating that our child was properly growing within her body.

"You knew that and you still thought that it would be a good idea to give them a tour through your lands? What did you think would happen, the spy would be amazed by our stuff and attempts to convince Ostros to just willingly surrender?"

Shaking her head in a notion of disbelief, Elia looked at me as if I was some kind of idiot. At least, there was no anger in her voice, indicating that she still believed that no matter what, I would somehow still be able to turn the entire situation around.

"Rather than hoping for them to just surrender… I thought that by showing them what we can do, we could force them to make their move. After all, I made sure so that the news about postponing resolving the conflict for as long as it would take to lay the train tracks all the way to their lands. With that, we already know they will attempt to counteract this kind of invasion, rather than messing up with the training of our troops."

Creating the entire situation where everyone, my own people included, would believe that I would invest so much of my resources just for the sake of dealing with some noble was already an achievement. In fact, in the entire domain of mine, only about ten people knew the truth!

Yet, as great as this kind of scheme worked, it also required me to be kind of wasteful in terms of a small part of the iron that I had to use to create a prototype of the train transport carts!

After all, if anyone were to infiltrate the camp, the military complex would be the first target they would make sure to observe. As such, no matter how stupid it was with how the blueprint for all the parts of the train was already created, the troops that finished their first week of hell, would have boarding and hopping off from a caricature of the train that strangely close resembled my steam carriages, written inside their daily training scheme!

The only saving grace of this entire scenario was that as soon as the open-hearth furnace would be finished, all the steel and iron that was wasted to create those fake train carts could be smelted back into a useful form of ingots!

"Still, inviting a spy to tour our lands? What if their aim wasn't to learn more about our position but to sabotage it?"

Only to find out that I didn't really have one!

If what Michal wrote to me in the letter was true, and that spy was about to poison one of the wells? One of the water storage tanks? Nah, the last option was impossible, since there was no way anyone would miss a stranger trying to climb on top of nearly twenty meter's high tower!

Even poisoning the river didn't seem to be possible, as its water was mostly drawn to the filters and boilers before anyone could dare to drink it. What's more, even if not for that health and safety measure, the number of people that could get sick because of the poison would be too small to affect my production or any of my other projects, as the fresh current would quickly get rid of the poison.

"Sabotage what? Ah, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defeat your point, but rather to see a way in which a single man could really cause any problems."

Feeling the warmth of my dear wife all over my lap, I couldn't help myself but embrace her tightly, while making sure no pressure would be added on her stomach. While I knew that this kind of small actions wouldn't hurt the kid inside her, with no modern doctors and medicine everywhere around me, I just didn't dare to take any unnecessary risks.

"Isn't that simple? Studying the chain of production takes only a moment. With how we are currently doing our very best to increase the smelting output, just by paying someone who is responsible for the currently operating furnaces would have a negative effect on the overall progress. What's more, with enough information about how our lands work, he could hire some mercenaries to wreak havoc, bribe some nobles to go against you with some claims, find a soldier of fortune to assassinate you during the night…"

Raising her head from her belly, Elia looked me in the eyes with a small dose of ridicule mixed in an overwhelming ocean of affection. Despite the current state that this dear wife of mine was, just this look alone was enough to awaken something deep between my hips. Yet, I wasn't as careless to just grab Elia around her waist, throw her on the nearby bed and calm down this sudden urge of mine! 

After all, even if I was the type of brute to do something like that, even though my injuries didn't stop me from living my life to the fullest, putting too much strain on my leg or arm could prove to be disastrous!

"I'm quite scared with how many ways to deal a fatal blow to our plans you found out in just a short moment… But nevertheless…"

With my hand slowly climbing up on her round belly, it took only a moment for it to sneak under her rolled upped robe. A single touch was enough for me to realise that while I was busy with dealing with the councils, city, development and all the other useless stuff, one of the important parts of my beloved wife actually managed to grow quite a bit!

In one instant, this discovery rilled my entire self. Unable to hold myself back from confirming my guess, rather than taking the rest of the robes out, I simply tore it off Elia's body!

"Dear! You don't need to be so hasty!"

Protesting in a light, frilly voice, Elia reached forth with her arms and interlocked them behind my neck. Just from how she pushed her chest to the front, I could tell that her protests were nothing but a part of the play!

"How could I be not hasty when I have such delicious sight right in front of my eyes?"

Murmuring in a voice loud enough for Elia to hear it, I pushed my head downwards, instantly attaching my lips to the tip of her breast. With my teeth locking on her nipple, I sucked as if there was no tomorrow while feeling Elia's hands pulling my head even tighter into her bust. 

"Dear… Today…"

With her words barely capable of coming out of her mouth with all the gasping sounds she was constantly producing, it took her some time to finish her sentence.

"I… I want to be…"

Elia didn't need to say a single word more. Even despite not knowing yet what she wanted, I was perfectly fine with anything that she desired! That's why, after returning myself to a normal position and making sure she would be safe, I released my hold on her body while spreading my arms wide, as if I wanted to convey her the message that she was free to do anything that she wanted!

"Dear…"

The first thing she did, was to place her delicate palm right on my cheek, before gracing me with a slight kiss. Soon, she slid off from my lap, as her mouth continued to traverse down my body. Yet just as Elia finally lodged herself between my thighs with her hands already operating around my belt, a sudden knocking of the doors broke our immersion. 

"Come here."

As painful as it was to have my expectations sniffed out just like that, I caught Elia under her armpits and brought her all the way back on top of my palm. Not only was this the quickest way to hide what we were doing in the middle of the damned day, but it also allowed me to hide the bonner that I popped as soon as our lips reunited a moment ago. Using my healthy leg to kick up the cloth from the floor, I quickly covered Elia's front with its still intact, backside, before calling out towards the doors.

"Enter!"

Seeing who was the damned cockblocker, I was about to swear to myself that I would make his life miserable as only an employer could when I heard his report.

"Sir, we got urgent news. One of the companions of the deputy was found attempting to throw a bag of gunpowder into the mouth of the Bessmer furnaces!"

In one instant, all the excitement from before disappeared, putting my mind on a high alert. Yet, no matter how dire that news was, especially during the time where every last bit of iron and steel were absolutely crucial to the ruse I was set on creating, my body remained motionless, with just the thought of accidentally hurting Elia with a sudden movement was enough to paralyze me.

"Dear, do you want me to solve this matter?"

To my surprise, rather than allowing me to take care of the problem like usual, Elia actually jumped off from my lap in a single, graceful movement while holding her broken robe in a way that would make it hard for anyone to discover its state. 

"Only if you really want to…"