I have that idea of a D&D character who is a smuggler. But instead of playing a rogue, playing a warlock. A lot of warlock spells shpuld work well for "palace intrigue".

Backstory would be something like character is tricked into smuggling humans, try to set them free, get mortally wounded. An immortal one appears, ask why. Character reply slavery is no life. Immortal one offers a pact to heal character. In return, character has to start quest to take down trafficking ring.

Then I thought maybe a bard multiclass would make sense character wise