Chapter 59

Bianca closes the door to her room with more force than necessary. Sound of the door slamming is loud but it provides no catharsis to the frustration twisting in her chest. She had heard the news only an hour ago, and it still does not feel real.

The Captain of the Guard has been arrested.

He was supposed to be her ally. He had been cautious at first, calculated, clever in his maneuvering, but after the amulet failed, after Ember returned from the mission injured but alive, he must have grown reckless.

Bianca crosses the room and pulls the curtain shut. There is no way to undo what happened, and now she has to consider what comes next. The Captain's failure puts her in a dangerous position.

If anyone uncovers their connection, if any detail leaks or draws suspicion, she knows the consequences will be swift. Kaine would never forgive a betrayal that large, and her punishment would be severe.

Still, no one has come asking questions. The guards have said nothing to her. Kaine hasn’t confronted her, and Ember hasn’t so much as looked in her direction. Bianca tells herself that means she’s safe, at least for now.

The bond is still a secret and Ember won’t dare expose it. Bianca is certain of that. The moment Kaine finds out the truth, everything changes, but Ember will never be the one to tell him. She is too careful, too afraid.

Kaine hasn’t called off the engagement either. That matters.

Bianca breath begins to slow. She still has the upper hand. The Captain wasn’t the only tool at her disposal.

She remembers the moment Ember took the charm from her. That small hesitation. That flicker of trust.

Bianca had caught her off guard, softened her defenses. That had been real. It would not happen again, but it had proven something useful, Ember is not untouchable.

She just needs a new plan. One Kaine will never see coming. Something that will force Kaine to move ahead with their engagement.

Bianca smooths her dress, composing herself again. She needs allies more reliable than the Captain, and she needs them soon. This time she will leave nothing to chance.

She moves toward her vanity, sitting down gracefully and staring at her reflection. Bianca studies herself carefully, checking for cracks in the façade she so carefully maintains.

She reaches for a small jeweled comb and slowly begins brushing out her hair. She will be patient, calculating. Bianca knows she must not show any weakness or doubt.

Ember

Two guards are waiting outside my office before I even arrive, and they launch into updates before I can finish unbuttoning my coat.

Work as the interim captain has had the benefit of keeping me busy. It seems as though the previous captain had been neglecting more than a few of his duties over the last several months. My eyes begin to blur as I work through the back log of, incident reports, schedules, and security audits. Every detail passes through me now, and none of it ever stops.

I don’t mind the work, but the eyes on me feel even heavier than they used to. There is always someone watching, waiting for me to miss something or for a reason to question why I was given this role in the first place. The pressure is constant, pressing against me every moment of the day.

By midday, I have gone through two briefings, three meetings, and half a dozen written reports. When I return to my office, another request is already waiting. This one has Kaine’s seal.

We meet in his office. The documents are already spread across the table when I arrive. He does not say much as I sit across from him, and we begin to review the ledgers he’s laid out.

The tone has shifted since the last time we met like this. We still work well together, but the rhythm is gone. The quiet ease between us has been replaced with something sour.

Kaine is too polite. His every word feels chosen specifically not to set me off.

I match his restraint. I keep my voice calm and my comments focused on the task in front of us.

We flag two inconsistencies in the estate ledgers, but there’s no enthusiasm now. We move on, as if neither of us notices the silence that stretches between findings.

I catch him watching me once, maybe twice, when I look up. He glances away quickly both times. His expression is impossible to read, cautious, as if worried that even eye contact will set me off.

I feel Nara growing restless, but he does not speak. She’s waiting. She has her own ideas about what should be said, about how this conversation should go and I can feel her impatience.

I keep quiet.

After the meeting, I return to my office. The halls are dim. Most of the guards not on patrol have retired for the evening, but I am not ready to rest.

First I continue going over the backlog of reports. Next, I check the maps and trace the patrol routes with my finger. Everything is exactly as it should be.

Still, I feel restless. It’s not physical fatigue. My injury is healing, and the healer says I am recovering well.

It is something else, something deeper, like a thread pulled tight inside my chest. There’s a kind of tension that I cannot shake.

I light the small lamp on my desk and sit down slowly. I do not reach for the reports. I just sit for a moment and breathe.

I remind myself of everything I have built, and everything I still want. I had a moment of weakness, but it is over.

I am still here. I’m still in uniform. I’m still in control.

I will not lose focus again.

I close my eyes briefly, letting myself breathe deeply and evenly. I remind myself who I am, where I came from, and how much I have overcome to be here.

I remember every challenge I faced, every expectation I defied. I remember how much it cost to prove myself, and I tell myself that one mistake does not undo any of it. When I open my eyes, I feel calmer, more. Determined, and ready to face whatever tomorrow brings.

I reach for a blank sheet of paper and pick up my pen. I start writing out a list of the tasks that remain unfinished, things that need my attention, reminders of duties that will anchor me firmly in reality.

The simple act of writing clears my head further, pushing back the restless thoughts. I know that discipline and structure will keep me grounded. I cannot afford another misstep. Tonight, I will leave no room for distraction, no room for doubts or what-ifs