I put the pen down after reading through the entire agreement one more time. The inked letters looked cold beneath the crystal lamp, yet the promises written there felt warm to me. A clear role, safe boundaries, and payment generous enough to make my eyebrows rise.
The terms were simple and in my favor. I would only have to act as the Guild Master during public events and meetings. I wouldn't fight. And if anything ever felt too dangerous, I could refuse without facing any direct consequences. The benefits alone felt like Ruth was giving me more than she should.
Ruth looked me up and down and asked, "What name should I write for your new identity?"
I paused. A familiar name flickered in the back of my mind, a memory of a man who sometimes visited me in my dreams.
"Freyden," I said.
Ruth blinked in surprise. "Freyden? That's… your father's name. You're really going to use it?"
My father used to be very famous, so it was no surprise that his real name was known to many people.
