No one stopped Kira as the palace guards escorted her from the banquet hall.
The music had long since faded behind them, replaced by the distant chatter of guests eagerly spreading the night's scandal. Somewhere inside the manor, servants would already be retelling what they had witnessed, each version becoming more dramatic than the last.
By sunrise, the capital would know. Lady Kira Solis had disgraced herself.
She expected to be taken directly to the city prison. Instead, the guards led her into the front courtyard, where Lord Solis was already waiting.
His face was carved from stone. "There will be no prison," he said coldly.
Several servants standing nearby exchanged surprised glances.
"For now." Kira met his gaze without speaking.
Lord Solis slowly looked over the household staff gathering around the courtyard.
His voice carried across the estate. "Lady Kira Solis stands accused of bringing shame upon House Solis. Until the Imperial investigation concludes, she is forbidden from carrying the symbols of this family."
He looked toward the head steward.
"Remove them."
The steward hesitated for only a heartbeat before bowing deeply.
"As you command, My Lord." He approached Kira with lowered eyes.
"I'm... sorry, Miss."
She merely extended her hands. The first thing to go was the jade bracelet her mother had left her before she passed away. The steward carefully unclasped it and placed it into a velvet tray.
Next came the sapphire earrings that marked her as the eldest daughter of House Solis.
Then the gold hairpins woven through her dark hair.
One by one, they disappeared.
Each ornament made her appear less like the celebrated daughter of one of the Empire's oldest noble houses and more like an ordinary young woman.
The final item remained.
The family seal.
A silver phoenix rested against the sash at her waist, engraved with the crest of House Solis.
It represented authority within the estate.
Orders signed with it carried the weight of the family itself.
The steward's hand trembled as he reached for it.
For years, he had watched Kira use that seal to approve winter supplies for the servants, authorize repairs to broken cottages, and quietly pay pensions to retired workers whom Lord Solis had forgotten.
Removing it felt... Wrong.
Lord Solis's sharp voice shattered his hesitation.
"Do it."
The steward swallowed hard.
"...Forgive me, Miss."
The seal left her waist.
With it...
Lady Kira Solis disappeared. The tray was carried away without another word.
Lord Solis looked at her as though he were staring at a complete stranger.
"You will return to your chambers."
He paused.
"You will walk."
No carriage. No attendants. No dignity.
Every servant in the estate understood exactly what this meant.
It wasn't transportation.
It was punishment. The gates of the courtyard opened.
Kira stepped onto the stone path leading through the heart of House Solis. The servants lined both sides of the walkway.
Some had been summoned. Others had gathered out of curiosity.
Every pair of eyes followed her.
The first whispers came almost immediately.
"So it's true..."
"I never imagined Lady Kira would do something so shameful."
"His Lordship was too kind to her."
"I heard they found her in bed with a mercenary."
"They say the Crown Prince tore up the engagement himself."
The words floated through the morning air without restraint.
No one bothered lowering their voices.
There was no need. A disgraced daughter no longer deserved courtesy.
Kira continued walking. Her steps never faltered.
Near the kitchens, two young maids who had once rushed to greet her every morning quickly lowered their heads as she approached.
Neither offered the usual bow. One deliberately turned her back.
The other pretended to scrub an already spotless window. As soon as Kira passed, quiet laughter drifted after her.
"So much for the future Crown Princess."
"I always thought she acted too proud." Another servant snorted.
"She deserves it."
Kira kept walking. She recognized every voice.
One had received medicine from her when his wife fell ill.
Another had begged her for money to bury his father.
She had helped them all.
Not because they could repay her. Because she believed kindness created loyalty.
Now she realized something she should have learned years ago.
Kindness remembered only during prosperity is not loyalty.
It is convenience.
The estate gardens came into view.
The noise behind her faded beneath the rustling leaves and the gentle splash of the koi pond. An old man knelt beside a bed of white lilies, trimming wilted blossoms with careful hands.
His back was bent with age, and silver hair escaped beneath a faded straw hat. As Kira approached, he slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then, without hesitation, the elderly gardener set down his shears and lowered himself onto one knee.
The movement was slow, almost painful.
Yet he completed it with quiet dignity.
"Miss..." His weathered voice barely rose above the wind. "...welcome home."
Kira stopped.
The words caught her completely off guard. No one else seemed to notice. The servants behind her were still whispering. The guards continued walking. Even Lord Solis, now several paces ahead, never looked back.
It was as though the old gardener's greeting had vanished into the breeze before anyone else could hear it.
Kira studied his face.
She remembered him.
Old Bram. He had tended these gardens since before she was born.
When she was little, he had shown her how to grow roses from cuttings instead of seeds. He had secretly given her strawberries before dinner despite the head maid's endless complaints.
Years later, after his knees failed him, she had argued with her father to keep him employed rather than dismissing him as useless.
She had nearly forgotten.
He hadn't. Kira gave the smallest incline of her head. Nothing more.
Words weren't necessary. Old Bram smiled. It wasn't the smile of someone pitying a fallen noble.
It was the smile of someone greeting the same young lady he had always known.
Kira resumed walking. For the first time since the banquet... The weight pressing against her chest eased. Not everyone had abandoned her. Only those whose loyalty had never truly belonged to her in the first place.
The eastern wing of the manor finally came into view. Two guards unlocked her chamber door before stepping aside.
"The investigation will determine when you may leave," one of them said stiffly.
Kira entered without replying. The door closed behind her.
Silence settled over the room. She stood motionless.
Something felt... Wrong. At first glance, everything appeared untouched. The bed had been made. The curtains were drawn. The fireplace remained cold. But her eyes quickly picked apart the illusion. One bookshelf held fewer books than she remembered. The lid of her writing desk wasn't fully aligned.
A jewelry drawer had been closed too quickly, leaving the corner slightly crooked. Someone had searched this room. Carefully. Professionally. Not looking for valuables. Looking for something specific.
Kira slowly crossed to the desk and ran her fingertips across its polished surface. A thin line cut through the layer of dust near the back panel. Someone had opened the hidden compartment. Her expression remained calm.
Only her thoughts sharpened. Interesting...
What did they think I'd hidden here?
Or perhaps...
What were they so desperate to find before I returned?