I did not sleep that night.
It wasn't because of the voices in my head, nor was it because of nightmares. It was because I was weaving a plan.
The Head Butler was the Marquis's mole. That meant every move the children knew, the Marquis knew. Every plan I made with them would find its way to the enemy's ears.
I couldn't involve them.
But I also couldn't face the Marquis alone—not with this body. The body of a seventeen-year-old girl who had never killed, at least not in this lifetime.
I needed help. But from whom?
The next morning, I summoned Kael to my room.
He arrived with a sword at his hip, his face slick with sweat from training. "What is it?"
I looked at him. "Close the door."
He obeyed, his expression shifting to one of grim seriousness.
"I am going to tell you something," I said. "And I want you to remain silent until I am finished."
Kael nodded.
"The Head Butler is the Marquis's spy."
His hand instantly flew to the hilt of his sword. "What?!"
"Silence." My voice was sharp. "Do you want the entire castle to hear?"
Kael held his breath, his eyes burning with fury, but he kept his mouth shut.
"Sera overheard him talking to someone last night. He is reporting our every move to the Marquis."
"That bastard—"
"Kael." I stared him down. "Quiet."
He ground his teeth together, but he remained still.
"I cannot involve your younger siblings in this. The Marquis will find out. But I need someone I can use without the butler's knowledge."
Kael met my gaze. "Me."
"You." I nodded. "You will be my blade. But no one can know. Not even Vina. Not even Reno. Only you and I."
Kael was silent for a moment, then he gave a firm nod. "What is the plan?"
That night, I slipped out of the castle.
Kael was waiting for me at the back gate. He had prepared two horses—one for him, one for me. I didn't remember ever riding a horse. Yet, the moment my foot touched the stirrup, my body moved on its own. Mount up. Grip the reins. Ready.
Instinct, yet again.
"Are you sure about this?" Kael whispered.
"No," I replied. "But we have no choice."
We rode through the darkness. Varen Village was only an hour's ride from the castle, but we weren't headed for the village center. We were headed for Harkon's warehouse.
Reno had already provided me with the location: on the outskirts, near a small stream. It was a secluded spot—perfect for someone wishing to hide something.
We stopped on a small hill overlooking the warehouse. From here, I could see everything.
The warehouse wasn't large, but there were three men standing guard in front, swords at their sides. Another sat by the side door.
Four men.
"I can take two," Kael whispered. "But four..."
"We aren't attacking," I said. "Not yet. I only want to see."
We watched for an hour. Two men left the warehouse, replaced by two others. A guard rotation. Orderly. Disciplined.
These weren't common thugs. These were trained men.
"The Marquis sent his own men," I whispered. "Not hired muscle."
Kael looked at me. "That means they're more dangerous."
"It means Harkon is more important than I thought." I stared at the warehouse. "A Marquis wouldn't send trained soldiers just to guard a village loan shark. There is something inside that warehouse."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." I backed away from the hill. "But we will find out. Just not tonight."
We returned to the castle before dawn. No one knew we had been gone.
The following day, I called Reno to my room.
"I want you to do something," I said. "But no one must know. Not even Kael."
Reno arched an eyebrow. "Secrets from my own brother? Intriguing."
"Harkon." I locked eyes with him. "I want you to go back to the village. But this time, don't watch the warehouse. Watch his house. When he leaves. When he returns. Who visits him."
Reno smirked. "Mother is planning something."
"I am always planning something."
He nodded. "I'll do it."
"Reno." My voice caught him before he reached the door. "Be careful. They aren't common thugs. They are trained men."
Reno turned back. His smirk vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "I understand."
Late that afternoon, Vina met me in the library.
"I found something," she said, her face flushed with excitement. "About the E.E."
I sat across from her. "Tell me."
She opened her notebook. "I searched through every book I could find. There isn't much, but I found this." She pointed to a page. "It's an old letter. Very old. Perhaps from the time of the Count's grandfather."
I read the letter. The ink was heavily faded, but a few words were still legible.
...The Eternal Eye is not merely an organization. They are the keepers of balance. They side with no king. They side with no noble. They side only with the truth they believe in...
...if you find the symbol of an eye within a circle, be wary. They may be your allies. They may be your enemies. But they are never neutral...
"Keepers of balance," I whispered. "Are they some kind of judges?"
Vina shrugged. "I don't know. But from what I've read, they don't take sides. They have their own rules. Their own goals."
A secret organization that takes no sides. The Count was a member. And he had chosen me as his successor. What did it mean?
"Keep searching," I said. "Anything you can find about them."
That night, I stood before the Head Butler's door.
I knocked.
The door opened. The butler stood there, his aged face registering shock at my presence. "My Lady? Is something wrong?"
I smiled. A smile I had never seen in the mirror. A cold, predatory smile. "I only wish to talk. May I come in?"
He hesitated, then stepped back. "O-of course, My Lady."
I entered. The door closed behind me.
The room was small and simple—a bed, a desk, a candle. Nothing suspicious. But I hadn't come for evidence. I had come to look into his eyes.
"You have served the Varen family for a long time," I said, sitting on the chair by the desk. "Thirty years, you said?"
The butler nodded, his hands trembling. "T-that is correct, My Lady."
"You must be very loyal."
"As... as loyal as I can be, My Lady."
I stared at him. His eyes were darting around, unable to meet mine.
"You know," I said softly. "In my past life—the one I don't remember—I once had someone like you. Someone I trusted. Someone who had been with me for years."
The butler swallowed hard.
"And that person... betrayed me."
The room seemed to grow colder.
"I don't remember what I did to him." I stood up and walked toward him. "But I do remember... that he never betrayed anyone ever again."
The butler backed away until his back hit the wall. His face was pale, sweat pouring down his temples.
"I... I do not understand what My Lady means..."
"Of course you do." I stopped right in front of him, staring into his terrified eyes. "You work for the Marquis. You report my every move to him."
He opened his mouth to deny it, but no sound came out.
"I'm not going to kill you." I stepped back. "Not yet. You are far too valuable to be killed."
I walked toward the door and paused.
"You will continue to do your job. Report to the Marquis. But from now on... you will report exactly what I want you to report."
I turned my head and fixed him with a final gaze.
"Do you understand?"
The butler nodded rapidly, tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks.
"Good." I opened the door. "Goodnight."
I leaned against the wall in the hallway, my heart hammering against my ribs. My hands were shaking.
What did I just do?
I had threatened an old man. I had looked at him like a predator looks at prey. And I... I had enjoyed it.
In the corner of my vision, the blue screen appeared.
[ SOUL GUIDE SYSTEM – SLEEP MODE ]
[ Data Recovery: 11% ]
[ New Fragment Detected: "Controlling the Enemy from Within". ]
[ Description: You do not kill a traitor. You turn them into a tool. It is far more useful. ]
[ Query: Continue recovery? ]
I stared at the screen.
"Not now."
The screen vanished.
I walked back to my room, my steps light and measured. Like a predator that had just marked its territory.
Tomorrow was the festival.
And I would arrive with a weapon the Marquis knew nothing about: the truth of who I was.