As Elara stepped through the inn's doorway, her boots clicking softly against the polished wood, the excited murmurs of Joren's voice drifted from outside, his actions not sitting well with her.
'I'll deal with him later.' She thought to herself, at that moment, she just wanted to rest for the day.
She made her way to her room, where Mara greeted her immediately, relief visible on her face. "My lady, welcome back. You look exhausted." She said, with a light bow.
Elara merely nodded, shrugging off her cloak. "It was more tedious than planned."
After taking off the outer layers of her clothes, she handed them to Mara before disappearing into her chamber.
The room was softly lit by a trio of glowing crystal orbs, their light reflecting off the polished brass tub at the center. With a sigh, Elara untied her tunic, setting it aside piece by piece until she stood without any piece of fabric.
As she walked to the bathroom where a hot bath had been prepared beforehand, she watched for a moment as steam curled lazily from the water, simply looking at her dull reflection in the water.
She sank into the bath, the warmth spreading across her skin. It should have been comforting, at least it was for a fleeting moment, but her thoughts refused to stay still.
She sighed again, her brows knitting close together for a while before relaxing.
"Shifting the date as they please," she muttered bitterly, but in a resigned tone, water rippling with her subtle movement. "As if such a task can be completed so easily… damn bastards."
She exhaled sharply and closed her eyes. The water muffled the world, but it didn't silence her mind. For a long moment, she simply lay there, her face expressionless beneath the rising steam.
When she finally stepped out, toweling her hair, Mara was there, setting a robe across the bed. "You've been gone long today," Mara said, tone soft. "Everything went well, I hope?"
Elara's reply was delayed. "As well as-" she spoke while she slipped on the robe and made her way toward the window before stopping.
Like a sudden visible shadow, Sylvi was there, half-shrouded by the moonlight streaming in. Her presence was so quiet it almost felt unnatural.
Elara studied her for a beat, then said, "You might just give me a heart attack one of these days… You've been somewhere." She said, and clearly, it wasn't a question.
Sylvi's expression didn't shift, and her lips remained sealed.
Mara, who had lingered behind, exchanged a look with Elara and stepped forward, tone more serious all of a sudden. "There is report Lady Elara…"
Elara turned to her. "Go on."
"Sylvi followed the girl - Lina. She was with Keane."
Elara's eyes narrowed, the calm in her expression hardening.
Mara then continued, "The girl panicked when she was caught and ran off. Later, Joren sent her off in a hurry, out of the city, with one of his men. Sylvi confirmed it."
Elara's gaze drifted to the window. "So… he's cleaning up."
For a brief moment, silence reigned. The sound of crackling wood from the fire place filled the background.
'Joren, you snake.'
She'd always known he had ambitions, but betrayal? Betrayal on what grounds? It made no sense. Perhaps, she was overthinking it?
"Still," she murmured, "it doesn't add up. He doesn't know enough to act against me." She said, voicing out her thoughts.
Sylvi's eyes met hers as she said that. Just a look was enough even with nothing said, it carried weight.
Elara frowned. "Unless," she whispered, "he found out something. We can't rule that out"
Mara nodded faintly. "Sylvi has taken care of the girl. She's being kept safe, for now."
"Good."
Elara moved to her desk, fingers rubbing her forehead. Her mind was already turning.
"If things have gotten to this," she said at last, voice low, almost to herself, "we'll need to take a more direct approach."
Mara said nothing, but she understood, both she and Sylvi did. The same thought crossed all their minds.
"Damn it."
…
Elsewhere, in a dimly lit room, almost dark, the single lantern on the wall flickered weakly. Shadows shifted with each wavering breath of flame, painting the cracked old walls in restless shapes.
Lina's muffled breathing spread softly as she lay on the ground, bound by ropes, a rag stuffed between her teeth. Her eyes darted across the dark, toward the only other presence in the room, a thin youth leaning lazily against the wall near the door, half-dozing, half-watching. The smell of damp straw and stale wine lingered in the air.
She wriggled once, testing the ropes yet again without any hope of breaking through. To it, the youth lifted his gaze, one brow twitching.
"Don't bother," he muttered, voice dry. "You'll just bruise yourself. Those ropes are quite rough too."
On hearing him, she froze. His tone wasn't cruel or menacing like some villain, just indifferent.
Outside, boots clicked briefly on stone. The sound came, faded, and vanished. Nothing else.
As she came to her senses in full, memories of all that had happened came back to her in vivid images.
The man Joren had sent with her was already dead. His body had been left in the bushes some distance off from the lone path, probably not to be found any time soon y any stranger that would care, throat slit cleanly before she was taken.
The memory hit her like a hammer, her pulse quickening. Sylvi's cold face flashed before her mind's eye as she recalled her emotionless eyes and the slight tilt of her head before everything went black.
Her chest tightened, and suddenly in an uncontrolled, manner, tears rolled silently down her cheeks as she sobbed.
'Why me?' she thought.
The youth stirred from spot, rubbing at his eyes.
"Enough of that," he muttered, his voice flat. "You're being noisy."
Despite his words, Lina couldn't seem to bring herself under control. The youth simply walked towards her, his shadow falling over her trembling form. "Orders are to keep you quiet. Not to comfort you." He said, picking her up with an arm.
Then, without hesitation, he struck her once at the side of the head, precise and practiced. Her body went limp, her head slumping forward as darkness claimed her again.
The lamp flickered as the room fell silent. He dropped her back down slowly, then walked back to where he stood with a sigh.
'They always get me to do these dull jobs… seriously, I'm more than this.'
…
Back at the Inn, Keane was just making his way up the stairs towards Elara's quarters when Elara's door opened just as he turned down the hall.
She stood there, framed by the dim lamplight spilling from within, her hair still damp from her bath. A robe hugged her form, rather modest.
"Keane," she said evenly. "Come in. We need to talk."
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile on his lips. "So do I." He wasn't smiling because the situation was interesting, but as a habit that had become engrained in him right from his highschool days.
In return, a faint smile crossed her lips. "Then it seems convenient."
Keane followed her in, closing the door behind him.
The room was warm. The herbal and flowery scent of oils lingered faintly.
Sylvi stood near the window, eyes as still as ever, while Mara arranged something at a side table before straightening.
The atmosphere was tight, like glass about to crack, yet still durable.
Keane glanced briefly at Sylvi, then at Elara. He didn't sit, and instead remained standing. Even if his stats were all at 99, he couldn't let his guard down around them anymore.
"I'll make this short," he said. "Your plan to revolt against the Viscount, how deep does it go?"
Hearing his words, Mara froze mid-step. Elara was the same, her composure only slipping for a heartbeat. Even Sylvi's gaze shifted, a minute flicker of surprise crossing her face.
"Where did you hear that?" Elara asked, tone calm but cold.
"You can guess," he replied.
"Joren, of course… why did I even ask?" she muttered, more to herself than to him, the last part under her breath.
A brief silence followed as Mara looked to Elara, uncertain. Sylvi simply watched, her hands hanging from her sides now rather than cupped as they usually were.
Elara finally exhaled. "Then it's pointless to keep pretending." She turned, moving toward a desk, "You should understand, Keane — this city is rotting from the inside. The Viscount bleeds it dry while pretending to maintain order. I haven't spoken to you of gates and adventurers yet, but the world beyond the gates hold many secrets within them, and in the name of exploration, the Viscount has been running the city dry and out of prosperity, causing all to suffer under him."
"I'm not interested in politics," Keane said.
She continued, her tone light but edged. "We're not leading a revolt. Not yet. We're orchestrating a shift, one that removes a few key pieces so the rest collapses on its own."
"And those pieces are the Viscount and his heir," he said flatly.
Her gaze flicked toward him. "Seems like Joren knows a lot."
He shrugged. "You're not subtle."
A soft laugh escaped her. "Perhaps not."
Sylvi who was listening the whole time shot Elara a fierce cold glare, one that conveyed her question well, "How much do you intend to tell him?"
"Enough," Elara said without looking back.
Mara crossed her arms. "Elara, we don't know if—"
"We don't have that luxury," Elara cut her off, eyes glinting faintly.
The room fell quiet again.
Elara hesitated only a few seconds before continuing. "Assassination." She said, causing Keane to raise a brow.
"That's Sylvi's assignment," she explained. "She's to remove the Viscount and his eldest son."
"Under whose order?"
"I don't know," Elara said truthfully. "But I have my suspicions."
"Which are?"
"The third son," she said. "He's the only one with everything to gain and nothing to lose."
Keane absorbed that silently.
Elara continued. "I owe a debt to a deadly and well feared and respected organisations, they are known as The Veil of Shadows… the organization Sylvi belongs to… My role is to make sure the path stays clear."
Hearing this, Keane tilted his head. "So you're playing accomplice to an assassination you didn't order."
"Think of it as repayment," she said, voice quiet now. "A dangerous one."
Keane's eyes flicked toward Sylvi and back. To say the least, it was interesting development, but not surprising.
Mara shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing.
"All that, and yet you haven't told me why I'm involved."
Elara turned fully to him this time. Her gaze was direct, almost piercing.
"That," she said, "is the part we were going to discuss tonight."