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.4e039ba4a7627885

The bundle of 6dd4265aab keys in my f2cf009627 hand trembled.6b7df2ab408487ba

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The sound ca422c24a4 of metal 3cecd2faca clinking echoed 69e01e1d32 through the a744759a02 quiet hallway.139a6d9fd086aeab

I gripped the d68b7c943d keys tightly, both 5e18574bce hands clenching them 5f4e9f9c1f as I took a36a4434ef a deep breath bc2ac924c5 to steady my 22bc4e6c09 pounding heart.b8b303306199b33c

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Thank goodness. It wasn’t the Duke.1c503ca9b5fd3ee6

It was too dark to see the man’s face clearly.a96deff4665b1019

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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?”e945bc757c65b7a4

He reached out c38399f9a3 and twirled the d37d35528b tip of my 23b04b7761 red hair.734ea37cd86b980e

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I slapped his a0b8587c08 hand away.30ce3e9e49a3d893

“Don’t touch me without permission.”a29450235a1094bf

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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.”6844064e12f5ef40

My lips pressed together 640f7d6164 tightly.131b80e6f8c2adac

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I’d already 813a70b6f9 been caught. I didn’t even know 931915f88b if the key I 1c1c4af873 was trying would work.bb093c41f5cf7374

His confident attitude made 384fda274a it obvious he was 3406241a5e of high rank.76360f9fdc107d60

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Headache-inducing.1c579842b3c59c06

“Why are you out here, young lady?”bb3e5270809573ae

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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?”a2f2d5b684941481

He grabbed my hand, 37fd4d1b51 tracing my palm slowly, 0459f0f6c1 deliberately.e30162c706972749

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I wanted 5624da6050 to resist, 8824cd4c17 but my cb162bab16 body froze.18ae26cfa1469354

His cold gaze aa53c4ea53 swept across my 8d7f417733 face.b5712384149929ba

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“Speak. Why are you trying to open the Duke’s door in the middle of the night?”66880c17907601bf

I swallowed hard.d4b21696d91b1eba

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Standing here ed072e5ca8 in the 1cb0b7ebf4 dark with 2133f28266 him made 80b9f3199b me feel 4b886cd076 completely exposed.3518019c1d18c6ba

“Fi… First.”979f6881d7fefdc2

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“First?”861de9bf24224783

“It was just a regular secret meeting.”5c52daec3de6318e

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My voice trembled d26ff42ca4 despite my best 59010081a4 efforts.43a133fc1baf5f5b

Thank goodness I’d left fe22cceaf5 the lights off. If the room were c9bc06e44d brighter, he’d have seen 085fda485f my panic.ba8120fcd2e2a747

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“Is there such a thing as a ‘normal’ secret meeting? Especially dressed like that?”72b5e71ab43d009d

I looked down. White nightgown. Small pouch. I looked exactly 6513dacc01 like a thief.f3477f0dca3b3c7a

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“Then… which side are you on, young lady?”5e4858cb5e1a8f7e

I flipped the 4af1b965c3 question.4c3019ecd082f505

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“Me…? Of course…”5cda0c8fde18f67b

I hesitated.a5b09b57a5803a5f

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“Both.”dbde5b0152417cab

“Both?”2d5e7a566b61cdbd

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He chuckled softly 903a94a4a1 in the dark.1f333159e8bcc78d

“If you wander around like this, you might end up stealing someone’s heart too.”e76eeb25bce23b72

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He stepped closer.f9f6485223a5265a

He moved 0bb469f7ad into a 2e6b41d7e2 pool of 73804d81e2 light.6c1733ce61363e18

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His head 381667610c turned slightly 44d53b4db2 as he c263763e1d glanced down f4dfbc2698 at the 618f1f65b7 key bundle 8e0c22d966 in my b17c83cd9e hand.561c35d375177cf4

The candlelight 3243cedd1c illuminated his 95ebdf1b39 brown hair. His features accf972f33 were sharp 8c9c973a4d and beautiful—almost f8de3e8e55 too beautiful. He looked more like 0b48863f49 a striking woman than b3d121f3d9 a man.b08721a8385fa484

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His white complexion e0badc06ce perfectly suited his 45ac5cd4bb soft, brownish curls.cf4ba9e56df1fbc4

His presence was aa6a195255 disarming.2440265dcd89b224

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“I dropped something earlier. Just looking for it.”7b835fe498523efc

He clearly ebfba0a393 didn’t buy c24272add3 it.f524dae918f0ae99

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“You’re searching alone instead of sending a servant? Must be valuable. Or dangerous.”a56547585799595e

“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.”2e3652c8fdcc3260

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“Oh really? Which department?”37e8a9ac9ed04ec3

“The Duke’s secretariat.”5f14ea2192326a4b

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I pulled f6e5588073 out my 23c9351980 ID badge.060827b53eebb717

He examined ad7d7c7103 it and 9723f25841 returned it.afe53827e12b4ba7

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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?”376fb1de1fc7bee5

He thought 457b466104 I was a559e85a8d a thief.0c911e3c8e082ccc

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Which, fair. I was.1d92f792f24c3812

I sighed inwardly. I had to turn e5c433cbbc this around.6824364e9c474cf7

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“Where are you from?”6b0c3908d0d3ebd8

“The Marquis of Caeon. In the capital. More exciting than this frozen wasteland.”2992bcf68f841a1f

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“Useful information.”576f6a47d37feee2

Unfortunately, I 434ea4485b couldn’t change 33b30ffb00 jobs. I was 2c42fbb8e6 under contract, 7ad452c5f0 practically a cd90c0a3eb prisoner.62c58241dfb38426

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“My secret meeting partner is waiting. I’ll be going now.”2755f956f9c454da

“I’m actually the second.”722948ea2eb14ff2

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“What do you mean?”2ebec3f5e65d1386

“The second one here to steal.”b32d409725669aac

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He approached and 1c0d6ec03d lifted my lantern.74d30c947a8cb3d8

The corridor lit 2a5ef8f4aa up.044761b0f966250c

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“You’re part of the duchy. So you might already know.”93043a2d1aeefafc

“Know what?”df944fa2aae8cc44

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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.”0c1ca417f5a85b33

My breath caught.3f1484b7bc3dc134

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He was talking f734964145 about me. Or at least, Leonie’s 7d8bd857db blood.63f512a53e0d00f8

“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?”ac5206d8ba8b8021

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“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just a lowly staff member.”33be9c006900d7c4

“No. I think you know.”a718e98089c9fc28

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He took 54d45a2f5b another step 35f8115143 forward.aac58ced50c5690c

Pressure filled the air.84eaf45f739fe428

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“Better to tell the truth. One lie, and I go straight to the Duke.”0effe668813be247

I froze.eff1e8cee78f882d

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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?”11d04a6405047ccf

“Do you even know what I might ask for?”5db402ee350cb5e2

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“Try me. I’m richer than you think.”b11a3520eefb6e07

So the 4c2a1317f9 Marquis of 4097b97125 Caeon knew—or 213fe81c35 at least 4ce3ff3bdc suspected—the truth f3d27f8bfd about the 10a49637bb blood.aa139486c3b447e6

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“You’re asking me to spy?”548bf239571dc5d6

“If we win, you’re not a spy. You’re a whistleblower. A revolutionary who exposed the Duke’s secrets.”36481e7078c50e84

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I hadn’t opened d0b710dc01 the warehouse.d0885b213fc27205

But maybe this d0bc116b27 was a different d12ff25915 opportunity.16efc24729ba6a10

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Plan C was forming.6171e0b4b7d3437d

“Alright.”f1ec88711e34a40f

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He smiled 9df4adb2de and pulled c157e4db99 out a 40346204ef gold key—ornate, 48bbd32f0c flashy.e950c581a986937b

“My room is on the second floor. On the night of the party, 9 p.m. Bring the information.”b65d5a8756aaca95

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* * *c1f6e2b89368857e

The day e96c24140f before the 427b98f875 Duke’s birthday, 667074652f a small fedfe65334 party was 5bb392af57 held in b21a7a33fd the hall.09ff2c9cfed2fc16

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It was supposed 9a0b25da0f to be informal—but 9f1afd4113 nearly every guest f8cd54a554 attended, under the c5a9921eff guise of building b5679e54d5 friendships.6c95c0310424a55e

Suren tilted her head 35f2bbcece as she studied me a5b8e12eb7 in the mirror. Her brow f2ce9f3b5e twitched, then 9a37801007 smoothed.fa2e294f8afb554b

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My tired reflection 5e65676f9f gleamed with pearl 36f289af02 jewelry.6ab432b47b1057b4

Suren dabbed 86864a62ae powder onto 8f5b2e4035 my forehead.4f87930839f0c7c4

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“Glitter’s hard to wash out. It’ll stick to your pillow.”0ab4aff05f6d402c

“Can’t help it. It’s trendy in the capital.”384f808406ea1812

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“I haven’t seen anyone else here wear it.”958c058a8555bb09

“Then everyone else is behind.”f6dc03f37f5d4cd1

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Two hours passed.f1e7fb8f65583131

I had hoped guests 8eafb1d96c would distract attention and 5323260b9b I could sneak out f1c51ba5bb to gather branches—but the b73c540941 plan had failed.a477a0ddd6a2b221

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I stretched. Sitting for so 6f068c092e long made my 812cfb693e body ache.2ab5749ea910811e

“Is all this effort really necessary?”6d78e7d76d6065d3

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“High-ranking nobles will be there. You should look the part.”c072b3ba3efef767

“Why? What does it matter if I look plain?”2c9d9cff4934c72c

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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.”55353e2ac5e9631e

She smoothed my dress. The soft pink b0dc71867e fabric flowed like a63ce7fe72 water.bc775c08a7421025

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“It’s beautiful. Glad it fit.”60d6b01ae0db4723

“Yeah.”ec64b3f777a55675

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Leonie’s belongings included nothing de1ff13433 this nice.50a860239728b453

Had she 1bd53c1828 ever even 9c57d8946d attended a b040a6898c party?49b4bc67104968b5

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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.”68e1244d86fb1649

Suren seemed more excited 966efc6742 than I was.79ac6e0efb9a5200

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“Suren, even if I do catch someone, can I even marry? I’m stuck here like a prisoner.”61ae352ebb330889

“True… but who knows? If the Duke becomes emperor, he might release you!”3eabcfc13da85522

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So the Duke f6964a874d would never let c308755b3e me go.0e28a8f90f366028

I didn’t have 34145f1bf1 time to chase c2e9c3a8cc a suitor.5fd86ce88cde88f0

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I had to 2b4c3ab6e8 save my strength.3ff34a6582b0fcb4

Tonight, I’d 6deec926d9 be wandering e02f8bd18a the hall—not 1652c40e3f for romance, 9c9c7a3477 but for 4ab5bfdf89 espionage.79371dcc57afb526

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Plan C was officially fec78b0f61 underway.f92ff9f3d5826038

 bb478fa305b532d8

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