Chapter 15. Plan C Has Formed

“Oh, has the Duke finally begun his matchmaking business? Seems like he’s eyeing every woman in this castle,” came a stranger’s voice from behind.e9fa33cd6ac4e80f

The bundle of 86bb628eae keys in my 8aa71e5424 hand trembled.93fe19cf65c4276b

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The sound of a13014e43a metal clinking echoed 88c825406a through the quiet 273ca869cd hallway.7d098df0d0c39676

I gripped the c1a9491975 keys tightly, both 7528cf11f5 hands clenching them 9be151a785 as I took 6231e02ada a deep breath 82507edcf9 to steady my 9abebc3522 pounding heart.500a14543e9d7a07

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Thank goodness. It wasn’t d2a026e869 the Duke.59c42f8af26d9040

It was too dark to see the man’s face clearly.c16340b012a21b35

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“I heard there weren’t any guests before me. You must be from around here, my lady. The other ladies all turned me away… But you—do you like this kind of man?”38df1046c30028d6

He reached 531ac3fdf0 out and 015a04df65 twirled the 868b90da5c tip of 529648a61a my red 93ebbf1f13 hair.0c456a1ba52cf6a7

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I slapped his hand cde0623f88 away.9fa0d2209cbd4ff8

“Don’t touch me without permission.”db6aa053abeba392

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“Glad it wasn’t my wrist you grabbed. I might’ve had to put cuffs on you. Yet here you are, just watching me.”7f2247f64c13c0ad

My lips pressed e2f23300ef together tightly.131a0c80d760b1bc

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I’d already been caught. I didn’t even know 8a5f27ac1c if the key I a4fb34e951 was trying would work.be422cdf91376446

His confident attitude made 8bd26450c1 it obvious he was 4ba0f7acb8 of high rank.ad9a5fda9143a325

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Headache-inducing.83bbb5038091de08

“Why are you out here, young lady?”b933865316871692

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“Same reason as you? A secret meeting? Or maybe to steal something? It’s always one of the two, right? Which are you?”e8f87aacb4e5f116

He grabbed my 8291487493 hand, tracing my 8b383d7db9 palm slowly, deliberately.fa2ead2a4bf6dbf6

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I wanted to 9828ae6ad3 resist, but my a3fb172e3c body froze.3a8f9a0a10c785bd

His cold gaze 8fe7ee8b52 swept across my 85b13b1452 face.c5524979b57a5818

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“Speak. Why are you trying to open the Duke’s door in the middle of the night?”fbb39001563638db

I swallowed hard.0f40075d0ea67c74

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Standing here in the 464db093d1 dark with him made ac568a8cd3 me feel completely exposed.1e35f6e312497964

“Fi… First.”63ae9932f7fba64d

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“First?”954ca7d2a10c270b

“It was just a regular secret meeting.”f607ce2db1836c3f

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My voice a8bcd986f6 trembled despite b8fbb23a90 my best ae104d515b efforts.ead50af1de1b5f77

Thank goodness a5ecf98f25 I’d left 44ea26b0b7 the lights 384f196333 off. If the room 61c8b92f70 were brighter, he’d 996a348221 have seen my 6b2876c425 panic.97c725d6e56ffd6f

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“Is there such a thing as a ‘normal’ secret meeting? Especially dressed like that?”fb3373ac4e334df1

I looked down. White nightgown. Small pouch. I looked exactly like c5def1e130 a thief.a47770264697dcc7

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“Then… which side are you on, young lady?”e9c593acade69fe7

I flipped aa37971804 the question.244d50e447a3c8ad

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“Me…? Of course…”83f0b2eaec0536e6

I hesitated.96cc5eb6617dfe14

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“Both.”d7e2eed04667cc97

“Both?”1cb83579c748f11b

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He chuckled softly 8c7f58f992 in the dark.8b752904d3ffe9e3

“If you wander around like this, you might end up stealing someone’s heart too.”82ae1cb8e8f5da83

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He stepped closer.80635538f547c5a9

He moved into 0ec46b654f a pool of dd4881ac9c light.1201b7eb3a9f8a16

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His head turned fcf0854754 slightly as he dc1832fd28 glanced down at 5bf12106da the key bundle 2aa33d08a1 in my hand.403b9e674cc0384e

The candlelight 9e19c22df6 illuminated his 7fcf860f6b brown hair. His features were b3c210a662 sharp and beautiful—almost 8c9b292c1b too beautiful. He looked 5b79ce3936 more like c1811252a2 a striking 9e19cde499 woman than 05624e9510 a man.7fd6bb10bf363d08

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His white complexion perfectly 3b99373dc8 suited his soft, brownish f426f3b87f curls.5aa09377ee6b13e5

His presence was e09fe75aeb disarming.612b4a3582f02b54

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“I dropped something earlier. Just looking for it.”a254106f4cf1b22e

He clearly didn’t f4a3b5b935 buy it.3f025ec3cdb7d26b

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“You’re searching alone instead of sending a servant? Must be valuable. Or dangerous.”aeab480218c977c9

“You’re mistaken. I work in the Duke’s household. I’m not an outsider. It’s not unusual for me to be walking around at night.”e6e3bb4bdb80bac9

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“Oh really? Which department?”6d8469875ef07e69

“The Duke’s secretariat.”5a5ac7bfa72ee01f

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I pulled out my 2dbe66b3f4 ID badge.69149add76e6803d

He examined 21a7c20391 it and 76195134ff returned it.1189d84f188dbec6

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“Stealing’s part of the secretariat’s duties now? The Duke’s payroll must be terrible. Want to transfer to my territory?”941e13a76e1ed804

He thought 61a6bec6f0 I was 136d1d6e9d a thief.6784c76abb9e8b7e

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Which, fair. I was.fd6b70af72568a4c

I sighed inwardly. I had to 20999c066e turn this around.6ac37447400904a9

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“Where are you from?”f60a72ddc10675ef

“The Marquis of Caeon. In the capital. More exciting than this frozen wasteland.”960b2b3baa25499b

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“Useful information.”23558f3692bbd9b0

Unfortunately, I couldn’t 6787f8fecf change jobs. I was a83c9d07ea under contract, bc8945cb6c practically a b9253e7796 prisoner.45fec7d64606af3c

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“My secret meeting partner is waiting. I’ll be going now.”637b417f7a03e52c

“I’m actually the second.”c357db9dc688a5ea

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“What do you mean?”e79da098b63049a0

“The second one here to steal.”98e5a08575fb6d05

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He approached de9282836f and lifted 8317dc6277 my lantern.e10233e37078f180

The corridor e3aba38e5f lit up.b080e0c46674347c

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“You’re part of the duchy. So you might already know.”64e99c5782a83d41

“Know what?”22dd3e2f00f29436

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“There’s a legend. Among the ancestors of the Empress Dowager, a rare mutation caused by mixed bloodlines allowed for immense power—if paired with the right herb.”78a9a53663821019

My breath caught.4f19e4c336ddf329

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He was 80ea7cd1b4 talking about d51cc79888 me. Or at least, Leonie’s ad1321fcff blood.8e570ef9b5b4dede

“I searched the whole country for that herb before the Duke could. No luck. But during the war… I saw something. That kind of stamina? There’s medicine behind it. You’ve found it, haven’t you?”8aac197a968e50f5

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“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just a lowly staff member.”a8845c60052bac34

“No. I think you know.”7d026ace0b4de4aa

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He took another step ee1000ca53 forward.5303e74f46e680c6

Pressure filled the c937955c14 air.2498169e260e0bee

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“Better to tell the truth. One lie, and I go straight to the Duke.”746d6cf312ef7086

I froze.391ba233edbc26ee

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“I don’t know what you’re after… but I’ll keep your attempted theft secret. I won’t tell anyone. In exchange, help me. If you find that medicine, bring it to me. I’ll give you whatever you want. Deal?”de88146ff72cfd4e

“Do you even know what I might ask for?”be591177ab773463

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“Try me. I’m richer than you think.”9b4f9378755d3652

So the Marquis of cb36961417 Caeon knew—or at least ddd9ca106f suspected—the truth about the 5a5661e790 blood.8502a6724db362d4

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“You’re asking me to spy?”65886eb1b34ada7c

“If we win, you’re not a spy. You’re a whistleblower. A revolutionary who exposed the Duke’s secrets.”e334abf3bdf62f94

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I hadn’t opened the 4a424554a4 warehouse.be7072847d8f3226

But maybe this 2fdd701c1f was a different 054cb3075e opportunity.2caeee263fe86095

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Plan C was forming.74715fc03e6f0449

“Alright.”13f6abc262092db0

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He smiled and 536e6952ad pulled out a 7ef73bd5f0 gold key—ornate, flashy.0488a7eadacf756e

“My room is on the second floor. On the night of the party, 9 p.m. Bring the information.”6ab2f15de6ddd698

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* * *f4fb1b604cec8911

The day before the a89e5cb5a9 Duke’s birthday, a small cba19ad3d6 party was held in 845d680734 the hall.4e0d331c7dc07226

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It was supposed to 1913b41c89 be informal—but nearly every 6d07ca1154 guest attended, under the dd7d5051dc guise of building friendships.bed265e4d8dcb00d

Suren tilted 9bc5d86a52 her head 7ae6e264b8 as she a957e0a202 studied me 25c33837f2 in the 65df1d451d mirror. Her brow twitched, then ca3770980e smoothed.a58e1f6a1582b45e

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My tired reflection gleamed 147313c3bc with pearl jewelry.76ea595240ed657e

Suren dabbed powder 8ce3997d2d onto my forehead.6aed7c423141c403

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“Glitter’s hard to wash out. It’ll stick to your pillow.”e3966840c9baf03e

“Can’t help it. It’s trendy in the capital.”3fd6034c248c5b0b

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“I haven’t seen anyone else here wear it.”fba1148d65a6c4ae

“Then everyone else is behind.”7c27ff36d2773f42

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Two hours passed.8570fe4c4a7a85d0

I had hoped guests 540f74b8e8 would distract attention and e6f26b4712 I could sneak out 262fadbde3 to gather branches—but the a44dce8f72 plan had failed.998e096ee8f952f3

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I stretched. Sitting for so long ce9cbedaa8 made my body ache.26f27ff3e59017ca

“Is all this effort really necessary?”5b4ca65c191b9f49

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“High-ranking nobles will be there. You should look the part.”b3ed84d80b544824

“Why? What does it matter if I look plain?”c183e8877fc71734

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“They’re all rich. Wearing capital fashion. You’re practically the Duke’s representative. At least wear flowers. It’s a shame we don’t have any.”b1e55354445b3d57

She smoothed my 18d31d7088 dress. The soft pink 0d3773eee2 fabric flowed like aa65ad5a27 water.84bf163eefef4ad8

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“It’s beautiful. Glad it fit.”983459b69ceafabe

“Yeah.”d60d52159e33636c

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Leonie’s belongings included eb4a5752ba nothing this nice.71b814974b95e1e9

Had she ever even e379db683a attended a party?6d0478ac3d6d1fdd

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“Maybe your fate will show up tonight! Catch a nice young man. The maids say this guest list rivals imperial banquets. Even the random ones have status.”d284cd8677d757a6

Suren seemed 302827435e more excited ba1a8017c1 than I 8c41996b29 was.c8d125dabc8ba172

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“Suren, even if I do catch someone, can I even marry? I’m stuck here like a prisoner.”4ba25601eca38548

“True… but who knows? If the Duke becomes emperor, he might release you!”ddc186885f6a65ea

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So the df44dbe8d5 Duke would 036085dd48 never let b44a50650d me go.847a09ca67219caf

I didn’t have time b12de78a46 to chase a suitor.2e0418c7d16085f7

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I had to f1387f4612 save my strength.ab7ae8c08ff8b70c

Tonight, I’d be wandering 33a489f261 the hall—not for romance, 3d97e23d06 but for espionage.f4069459667db50a

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Plan C bcb99345d3 was officially ba33097df2 underway.3988fee1ed8729cc

 ca7387cb0eefd212

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