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.07dccf8c57d3fdcd

The bundle of keys e3dcc72e34 in my hand trembled.af19d7d6f4471279

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The sound 0a8a9b4467 of metal 79df389103 clinking echoed 6b9865f672 through the 3df9d67c4b quiet hallway.e438b5a4c7d396f5

I gripped 935e795df1 the keys 03ece1423e tightly, both 901ad9dd63 hands clenching db649a6bcb them as a080d6732e I took 08e4c8e81f a deep 8d2d339dfb breath to 7a53a620cc steady my 531c4a4057 pounding heart.5433f9616484190f

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Thank goodness. It wasn’t the Duke.ec9f2d3e9ccdf483

It was too dark to see the man’s face clearly.3b0ac0b90ae0bed2

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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?”d8c12e9ded62fec5

He reached out ec2d84d3e1 and twirled the a68d327c66 tip of my 19961d2cb6 red hair.a4087b46fc950d3f

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I slapped his hand bee5603307 away.4957d7818290352e

“Don’t touch me without permission.”e549c690929679a6

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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.”eb8bc5f67db09c4a

My lips pressed together bf146a18f4 tightly.3b8212d44dfcdb82

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I’d already been caught. I didn’t cc3e951f42 even know ecb5ba6bc7 if the 432ac6f4ae key I d1394b0f7a was trying 2c7d59e5b9 would work.2738f7499a83d961

His confident attitude made edd5fa0960 it obvious he was 7963ba3317 of high rank.1fd3bad6d6cc0933

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Headache-inducing.0426390e4b102738

“Why are you out here, young lady?”645355179ff79ce6

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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?”2035429892dab611

He grabbed my hand, c0a71775a8 tracing my palm slowly, 61e88a9d3d deliberately.546926e6c1f62179

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I wanted f4c7285741 to resist, c74a28bb35 but my 32524cdaae body froze.be26de0f840ff33a

His cold gaze cfc6861cbc swept across my 5bad1c2686 face.64fb3c8f6f8bb71f

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“Speak. Why are you trying to open the Duke’s door in the middle of the night?”022afbcff93f8495

I swallowed hard.a2a826489e6c8481

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Standing here in the b4038cee17 dark with him made 4fe348dee0 me feel completely exposed.11624cd749eedc41

“Fi… First.”5cf96ded89b07f89

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“First?”1ebe58449c403e23

“It was just a regular secret meeting.”45e16e0555c7a514

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My voice b1e8ffc578 trembled despite ce87ce9fef my best ccb7de8a6d efforts.f75db4d2fb8fd864

Thank goodness I’d 87e03ccb8b left the lights dcf4fa8e1b off. If the a642c6060d room were 6c4597f02d brighter, he’d bbef5852cc have seen effeeba9d2 my panic.fad2a58d6f9beb79

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“Is there such a thing as a ‘normal’ secret meeting? Especially dressed like that?”b5ca3747e5b7a05c

I looked down. White nightgown. Small pouch. I looked exactly like f76d2c85cc a thief.45cc1d7984478700

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“Then… which side are you on, young lady?”aa82a44ad4e71687

I flipped the question.d3c2bdbd42f7a541

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“Me…? Of course…”b4f054d694561a33

I hesitated.671b6496b46db04c

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“Both.”90d081bdd5c99aa0

“Both?”db1f2cba4cb9ddac

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He chuckled cbd2e5eb44 softly in 284bf7ceab the dark.d6e3b12aaad954d2

“If you wander around like this, you might end up stealing someone’s heart too.”20892681ca7a0f9b

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He stepped closer.976a2a9f1a69274d

He moved into 0d4ce2408b a pool of 96db1521ca light.ea9ab762265f5031

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His head turned slightly 8c69b720e4 as he glanced down 8fa6c25fba at the key bundle 9902ab55b1 in my hand.a4d0f78c1f2b696e

The candlelight b4ecf3d78e illuminated his 92ef811523 brown hair. His features 4a93b864b7 were sharp 2c827e707f and beautiful—almost ae0672b8e0 too beautiful. He looked more 9805801008 like a striking 2704a856de woman than a cf49364405 man.e7ed7f66f49da52e

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His white complexion cde12d2463 perfectly suited his f1667a3f49 soft, brownish curls.52a6838baee2ad16

His presence was 410ea3f8fc disarming.2454355811192b3d

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“I dropped something earlier. Just looking for it.”fc24fa442b4f4e82

He clearly didn’t buy 5748f791ce it.721d05b334c473de

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“You’re searching alone instead of sending a servant? Must be valuable. Or dangerous.”be0a74271f51ebde

“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.”cd55e2a4cf0a05d2

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“Oh really? Which department?”64e4d4fd4d7ce46a

“The Duke’s secretariat.”79a98233d3dc9696

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I pulled out my 0812ce8909 ID badge.d6923aa51e319bd0

He examined it 2c658885c2 and returned it.50662815a8399c25

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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?”f6de7ae4369ed37c

He thought I was 373edee88d a thief.624038be8494697c

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Which, fair. I was.a747b1a39c6d9cfd

I sighed inwardly. I had to c4cddff3e9 turn this around.49ca6a4dd8beb339

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“Where are you from?”7074b0a44594220a

“The Marquis of Caeon. In the capital. More exciting than this frozen wasteland.”b2b98fa1e3fb52f4

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“Useful information.”f8b31b54bff7557d

Unfortunately, I 590672d30b couldn’t change bf4e44f1f0 jobs. I was 0aa77cd99f under contract, 9e06262d96 practically a 031bc70876 prisoner.72ac762150770ae9

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“My secret meeting partner is waiting. I’ll be going now.”f68ceba951583605

“I’m actually the second.”6cce423be2b72302

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“What do you mean?”ffe65c099cb7b785

“The second one here to steal.”f2414cd6f53382a8

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He approached and lifted 5b7083dd74 my lantern.6b44e6add39421fa

The corridor lit up.3c5b76ba1da2752d

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“You’re part of the duchy. So you might already know.”21ddf97c36dd7726

“Know what?”e0fcf13de1b30b85

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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.”0b61a3b72f562e3b

My breath caught.d18cdb5087f7a8d9

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He was e4033d54c6 talking about da64766f52 me. Or at least, Leonie’s 5a2343b54f blood.a2a0470d6a561ea2

“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?”8c1dae81366a0ec8

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“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just a lowly staff member.”280683b865c86ae8

“No. I think you know.”3225abe71991276e

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He took another step aa2744d212 forward.cf57261d206ef2e1

Pressure filled the 4f2b8c0309 air.9126b07c1400452c

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“Better to tell the truth. One lie, and I go straight to the Duke.”16f8f8432a626cdc

I froze.08b7a0bc56b5d78a

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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?”6f3fffe82c1520a4

“Do you even know what I might ask for?”5c2147225329096b

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“Try me. I’m richer than you think.”77380ff43b0c26c7

So the Marquis 504aa3c28a of Caeon knew—or d82f43d511 at least suspected—the ad81d41af2 truth about the 87b2a7fe77 blood.cb8abd1ac36b1313

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“You’re asking me to spy?”c76b2ce1d44ce0cc

“If we win, you’re not a spy. You’re a whistleblower. A revolutionary who exposed the Duke’s secrets.”429e79aa9c0354cd

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I hadn’t 99e232bfcc opened the 0269e41fcc warehouse.81f742cdc0c75705

But maybe this a3da8e54c3 was a different fc9b1507df opportunity.8cf8e1ed7bc478c7

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Plan C was e933d38519 forming.154f816e2614efe1

“Alright.”92ca0d98e5289213

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He smiled and c5718aff20 pulled out a 7623ffe3df gold key—ornate, flashy.75d493ea4699a4f5

“My room is on the second floor. On the night of the party, 9 p.m. Bring the information.”8b9dd3730d90dcb8

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* * *aa7cc4d496e89f5b

The day before e007d4a244 the Duke’s birthday, 4a79895134 a small party 95d46728f5 was held in 8370e7d488 the hall.08be84f9f7059af9

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It was supposed to 8bc52f8176 be informal—but nearly every 78626e541a guest attended, under the 2cd407b13e guise of building friendships.6872f53b4fffde46

Suren tilted her head 8224ba9183 as she studied me 2b2091b678 in the mirror. Her brow twitched, then 636b8c0c7f smoothed.147aa5b45f2f3f53

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My tired 0f2c68bcb1 reflection gleamed 00211ac1cd with pearl 9e87c3fd1d jewelry.9ee3cc007ad6b7ee

Suren dabbed powder onto 7f6b12c255 my forehead.58b425e2c1eb9deb

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“Glitter’s hard to wash out. It’ll stick to your pillow.”0c334e4ec4c857f3

“Can’t help it. It’s trendy in the capital.”f5d71615bedb981c

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“I haven’t seen anyone else here wear it.”8700a9662880dca7

“Then everyone else is behind.”e028ea0888024b7d

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Two hours passed.ea06568e53135047

I had hoped b385a754fe guests would distract d36e01bf1b attention and I 78372ac2ea could sneak out c5d7612f32 to gather branches—but b8a47aae31 the plan had ddd6e2e02e failed.8ba96282d5ea3029

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I stretched. Sitting for so c43ae37eab long made my 97f9184a45 body ache.e69564adf093113f

“Is all this effort really necessary?”dfa18f08a4605ee0

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“High-ranking nobles will be there. You should look the part.”0462c3159859fbf4

“Why? What does it matter if I look plain?”3982677b7642c6de

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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.”19397b9e77cff809

She smoothed my 3770a0b7c7 dress. The soft 196cf8b89f pink fabric 29b45069ee flowed like 07af2147b9 water.a965c6775e56f712

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“It’s beautiful. Glad it fit.”30a692334860c523

“Yeah.”2e2012341fed6af2

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Leonie’s belongings included d080e4649f nothing this nice.f97f0028eed76b3e

Had she ever f5a54880c3 even attended a 2d33eaaa02 party?43f11ab3292d451c

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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.”439c186e91696ece

Suren seemed more 616fe459c2 excited than I ab70b97c44 was.e647c90185477e9d

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“Suren, even if I do catch someone, can I even marry? I’m stuck here like a prisoner.”ac0c847dcebf98c7

“True… but who knows? If the Duke becomes emperor, he might release you!”fc7f827c5ba29492

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So the Duke ad3f85bc73 would never let 275c447e66 me go.fe77fe2265856cca

I didn’t have time 534ddb1d25 to chase a suitor.5ff20cadd56750bf

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I had to save e256eb10ce my strength.755b8401851f47ad

Tonight, I’d be dc238468b1 wandering the hall—not cf559b9356 for romance, but 3150884066 for espionage.7be6d12c68b8ad39

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Plan C e7c20d0ef9 was officially 7e7d0e6f2a underway.330040c127ba2fe7

 1cc3c67a5ac48b2e

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