Greg surveyed the mansion on his first day when the head servant gave him a tour to make sure he knew his way around. In secret, he took mental notes on the locations he could use to place the hidden recording devices that he hid in his slightly oversized shoes when he left his apartment.

So, thanks to the device near the fireplace, the Duke heard the whole conversation between the mother and daughter. His animal growled at the mention of demolishing Blue Crescent as the Kylton’s ‘contingency plan’, and Greg thanked Goddess that he was alone in his dark room pretending to be asleep when he eavesdropped.

But he...