"Well then… How may I help you, Lady Luna Eirwen Caelora?"
Velira's voice was smooth as black velvet, and her amber eyes gleamed—not with flirtation, but with recognition. The kind that said: I know you didn't stumble into my café by accident.
Luna didn't flinch. She merely sat straighter and folded her gloved hands on her lap.
"I need information," she said softly.
The café's sounds faded into a distant blur—But here, at this small table in the corner, a line was being drawn. A deal quietly forming between two women—one pretending to be harmless, and the other pretending to be amused.
Velira raised an eyebrow. "Information is my favorite kind of currency. What are we digging into?"
Luna's gaze remained carefully unfocused. "I want to know… the truth about my parents' deaths."
That caught the guildmaster's attention.
"Now that," Velira murmured, "is a very big request, my lady."
Luna continued, her voice level. "Four years ago. A carriage accident near the Vellon ridge. Everyone called it tragic. Sudden. Unavoidable. But I was in the carriage, too. And I remember nothing. Not the fall. Not the screams. Not even the cold."
Velira leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing.
Luna pressed on. "I want to know why I was spared. And who arranged their route that night. There were no witnesses. But someone had to know. A servant. A stable hand. A shadow."
A long pause passed between them.
Then Velira let out a low whistle. "You're not just pretty and polite. You've got iron under that silk."
"I want truth," Luna said, unblinking. "Not sympathy."
"And what else?" Velira asked. "People who come to me never want just one thing."
Luna didn't hesitate. "There was an apothecary named Varric Thorne. He worked under my brother but vanished from the capital six months ago."
"Name rings a bell," Velira said, fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.
"And you want to know why?" Velira asked, studying her. "Where he went? Who paid him off? Whether he vanished… or was vanished?"
"Yes," Luna said.
Velira tilted her head, smile slow and curious. "You certainly know how to ask pointed questions, Lady Luna. That's not very blind of you."
Luna turned her head delicately toward her. "Curious choice of words."
The guildmaster laughed—a short, warm sound that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Tell me something," Velira said, sipping her tea. "You picked the perfect spot to fall earlier. You ran with surprising precision. And now you're staring almost exactly at my eyes—without blinking."
Luna's smile was faint. "I heard your voice. Guessed where you'd be."
"Did you now?" Velira asked, voice lilting. "Are you sure you didn't know who I was before you 'accidentally' helped me in the market?"
"How could I?" Luna replied sweetly. "I can't see."
Velira barked a quiet laugh and leaned in. "You're quite funny. Most noble girls are either terrified or insufferable. You? You're composed. Calculating. You're dangerous, I think."
Luna's voice softened. "Are you going to say no to my request, then?"
"Not at all," Velira said easily, folding her arms. "I like dangerous women. I just like knowing who they really are."
Luna gave no reply. Her stillness was answer enough.
Velira sipped her tea again, then glanced toward the back door. "Alright, Lady Luna. When I gather the information—and I will—where should I send it?"
Luna didn't pause. "Don't send anything."
"Oh?"
"Leave a hint," Luna said calmly. "Something subtle. A flower in a vase. A coin with a scratched edge. I'll come to you."
Velira studied her again, expression unreadable. "You're not just playing blind. You're living it."
Luna tilted her head slightly. "And if I'm lying?"
Velira's smile was sharp. "Then you're doing it better than most spies I've met."
Luna didn't rise to the bait. "What will it cost?"
Velira's eyes sparkled. "You think I'll charge you?"
"You're a guildmaster. Nothing is free."
Velira set her cup down and leaned close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Normally, you'd be right. But for you, Lady Luna… consider this request on the house."
"Why?"
Velira smiled slyly. "Because I want to see how deep this rabbit hole goes."
Luna's fingers tightened on her gloves. "You think I'm hiding something."
"I think you're hiding everything," Velira murmured, almost with admiration. "And whatever it is, it's big enough that even I couldn't tell until ten minutes ago."
A beat of silence passed.
Velira's voice dropped to an intimate whisper. "You fooled me, Lady Luna. Even I thought you were blind. Until just now."
Luna's lips parted slightly—but before she could answer, the café door opened with a soft jingle.
"Lady Luna!" Maela called brightly, holding a small, silk-wrapped box in her hands. "I found the brooch!"
Luna stood smoothly, pulling her cane from beside her chair and schooling her face into serenity.
"I suppose I must go," she said.
Velira rose as well, stepping beside her with all the elegance of a highborn lady.
She caught Luna's gloved hand gently, bringing it up in a mock gesture of farewell—and with a playful brush of lips to knuckles, she whispered so quietly that even the wind couldn't hear:
"when we meet again, Just answer me one thing, my lady…"
"How do you lie with your eyes open? That will be my price."
Luna stilled. Her heartbeat skipped. She had no time to reply.
Maela was already at her side. "Oh, my lady, I didn't mean to take long—should we go now?"
Luna smiled faintly. "Yes. Let's go."
Velira stepped back and gave a shallow curtsy. "See you again soon, Lady Luna. Do come for more tea."
Luna nodded politely, her voice smooth. "It was a pleasure."
But her mind was spinning.
That final question… wasn't a threat. It was a game. A test.
And Velira wasn't just some informant. She was watching.
Outside, the knights fell into step immediately.
Maela babbled softly about the brooch she'd found—"It's silver, with a little opal in the center. It reminded me of the moon, so I thought it suited you both"—but Luna barely heard her.
Inside her mind, Velira's whisper echoed.
"How do you lie with your eyes open?"
The weight of the words sat heavy in her chest.
That night, Luna returned to her chambers, hands trembling only after the door closed behind her.
She leaned against the wall, exhaling a slow breath.
She had gone to find information, and she had.
But she had also been seen.
Not by commoners. Not by nobles. Not even by her brother.
By someone who specialized in masks. In lies. In secrets.
Velira Adair knew something now.
And that made her either Luna's most dangerous enemy…
…or her most valuable ally.