By dawn, the city still slept.But I was already moving.
While they dreamt of tournaments and court dances, I slipped through corridors like a shadow with teeth.Today was the beginning.Today, blood wouldn't spill — not yet.But something would break.Something important.
At House Verdane's estate, the rot ran deep.
Lord Verdane — bloated with power, drunk on the favor of the royal family — had grown careless.His son, Darian Verdane, was the weak link. Spoiled, vain, and painfully stupid.
Which made him useful to me.
Gregor and Selene flanked me as we waited in the cramped safehouse near the Verdane estate walls. The building smelled of mold and old iron, but it was perfect for what I needed.
"You're sure the boy will be there?" Gregor grunted, checking the edge of his axe even though no fighting was planned. Yet.
"I made sure," I murmured. "His favorite courtesan received a little… incentive to lure him out. And the letter she passed him spoke of a secret treasure buried here during the last rebellion. Something only a hero could claim."
Selene laughed, soft and cruel. "Men like him can't resist being the hero. Even when it kills them."
"Exactly," I said, my eyes narrowing.Tonight, Darian wouldn't die. That would be too quick. Too simple.
No.Tonight, he would be ruined.Exposed in the worst possible way — disgraced beyond repair in front of the vultures who called themselves nobles.
Elsewhere, in the Phoenix Society's underground hall, Evelyne was weaving her own web.
Her voice cut through the smoke and whispered ambitions like a blade.
"House Drakov abandoned their vassals after the eastern border wars," she said, her eyes scanning the circle of gathered noble daughters. "Their weakness is their debt. Their soldiers haven't been paid in months. A few coins in the right hands, and we can buy loyalty — or at least, silence."
Mireille arched a brow from across the circle. "You move fast, Astera."
"I don't have the luxury of moving slow," Evelyne shot back, her gaze flinty. "Every day we wait, the heroes tighten their grip. I say we strike before they see us coming."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the hall. The Phoenix Society had long dreamed of shaking the order, but Evelyne… she brought them teeth. A plan.
And deep inside, Evelyne's heart beat harder.Step by step… I will claw my way up. And when I reach the top, not even fate will stop me.
Back at the safehouse, everything snapped into motion.
The signal — a flickering red lantern — appeared at the distant alley mouth.
"Showtime," I hissed.
Gregor moved to block the only exit. Selene disappeared into the shadows, her blades already glinting faintly.
And then, Darian Verdane stumbled in. Dressed in flashy silks, reeking of cheap perfume and cheaper wine, he grinned like a fool.
"Where is it?" he slurred. "The treasure? I came all this way, y'know—"
That's when the trap closed.
Selene's blades caught the light as they sliced the ropes above, sending the hidden cage crashing down. Not on Darian — no. On the dead body we'd planted earlier: a servant dressed in royal colors, marked with false letters claiming conspiracy against the crown.
The room was rigged — false ledgers, counterfeit coins, and a forged map that led back to House Verdane.
The perfect scandal.If found, it would look like Darian was plotting to overthrow the royal family.Treason. The highest sin.
And just outside? My second team — bribed street rats — ready to 'coincidentally' alert a passing patrol.
Minutes later, the city's peacekeepers burst in.
Their captain froze as he saw Darian, red-handed amid the incriminating evidence.
"What— no, this isn't— I was told there was a treasure—!" Darian bellowed, panic turning his face blotchy.
But it was too late.The captain's eyes narrowed.The patrol moved in.
Chains clinked.Accusations flew.
And by dawn, every broadsheet in the city would scream:"Heir to House Verdane Arrested for Treason Plot!""Noble Conspiracy Foiled by Brave City Watch!"
The dominoes were already falling.
Far away, Evelyne smiled as a report was slipped into her hands.
She scanned the lines, her heart quickening.Verdane. Disgraced.A major house, brought low.And I wasn't the one who struck the blow…?
Her fingers tapped the paper, a flicker of suspicion coiling in her stomach.
"Someone else moves in the dark…" she murmured. "Someone dangerous."
Rosa shifted uneasily beside her. "Milady?"
"Nothing," Evelyne said quickly. "Just… the game is changing faster than I expected."
But inside, a chill ran down her spine.Because for the first time, she realized:There is another player. One who might be as ruthless as me. Or worse…
Back in my estate, I watched the early editions of the broadsheets hit the streets.
Chaos bloomed like a flower.Lords panicked. Factions shifted.The 'heroes' of the court scrambled to distance themselves from House Verdane.
All according to plan.
"One spark," I whispered to myself, "to set the whole kingdom ablaze."
And this was only the beginning.
Soon, more houses would fall.More 'heroes' would be unmasked as the corrupt scum they were.And in their place, I would rise.
But even as I smiled, there was a flicker of unease in the back of my mind.
Because somewhere, in the depths of the city, I could feel it —Another storm was gathering.Another hand was moving pieces on the board.
Who? I wondered. Who else dances in the shadows?
Far below, Evelyne stood on her balcony, the paper crumpled in her fist.Her eyes burned as she gazed toward the distant estate where I plotted.
Neither of us knew the truth yet.Neither of us knew that our paths were set to collide.
But fate?Fate already knew.
And it was smiling.