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I wanted to dig deeper, to understand what had changed, but we’d reached my apartment. Lennox stopped, nodding towards the door. “There. I’ll take my leave.”

As I watched him stride away, his words echoed in my mind. Nothing to like about me? Well, that was certainly debatable. But more importantly, there was no imminent threat from him.

The last few days had been the same for me. I had been going to the palace to keep Anderic ‘company’ while he had been acting like nothing happened. To say it was frustrating would be an understatement.

At least Lennox started to thaw off a bit. Finding out we had something in common was only helping. I had been channeling my frustration and cursing out Anderic while Lennox sent me off. Yesterday he even made a joke at Anderic’s expense.

All the while I had been gathering information about the Red Cross gang. Yesterday I finally found out something important and something worrying about them.

Today I took a break from going to the palace. I didn’t care if Anderic suspected me or not; my plan was pretty good. I just needed to trick the elite he had assigned to shadow me.

I stood in my small, dimly lit bedroom, adjusting the rich silk of my merchant’s disguise.

The expensive fabric felt smooth against my skin; even I didn’t dare to wear so much regularly in spite of owning so much of it.

With how high the price is, wearing so much silk was nothing but provoking disaster.

But today I was pretending to be a rich merchant; discomfort was a small price to pay for information.

“Ilyana, please reconsider,” Laurel pleaded, her brow furrowed with concern. “At least let me accompany you. This Red Cross gang is dangerous.”

I sighed, turning to face her. “Laurel, I appreciate your concern, but I need to do this alone. You’ll be helping me more by staying here and maintaining the illusion.”

She nodded reluctantly, her eyes darting to Annalise, who sat awkwardly in my clothes by the window. The poor girl looked about as comfortable in my gown as I did in this merchant’s garb.

“Remember,” I instructed, “keep your back to the window, Annalise. And Laurel, make sure you’re visible. We need to keep my shadow occupied.”

Fooling one of the elites was difficult but not impossible.

“Yes, my lady,” they chorused.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the task ahead. The Red Cross gang wasn’t just dangerous—they were ruthless. I still couldn’t believe how my father got involved in this mess. But I needed answers, and I’d be damned if I let a little danger stop me.

“Alright, I’m off,” I announced, heading for the back door. “Try not to have too much fun without me.”

Laurel’s worried face was the last thing I saw before I slipped into the night. The cool air hit my face, and I pulled my cap lower, obscuring my features. The streets were quiet; most respectable folk already tucked away in their homes. Perfect for a not-so-respectable mission.

I made my way through the winding alleys, my steps quick but measured. No need to draw attention. The Meadows Inn, the Red Cross’s base of operations, wasn’t far. As I walked, I ran through the information I’d gathered from Tommy.

The gang had been expanding rapidly, taking over more territory than ever before. But that wasn’t what worried me. No, what sent chills down my spine was the person Tommy saw lingering here— Gareth, my father’s most trusted accountant and the middleman he used to contact the Red Cross.

Father had assured me that he took care of Gareth after he almost got caught right here. Father never told me what he actually did with Gareth, but whatever he did clearly wasn’t enough. Tommy even saw him speaking with lower-level members of that gang.

I’ll seriously kill Gareth this time!

I rounded a corner, the Meadows Inn coming into view.

A three-story wooden structure in the heart of the slum of Eldorian outskirts, a gambling den of illegal businesses masquerading as a respectable inn.

Its dilapidated exterior belied the danger that lurked within.

Light spilled from the windows, raucous laughter echoing in the night air.

As I approached the Meadows Inn, a small figure detached itself from the shadows. I palmed my dagger before I recognized Tommy’s scruffy mop of hair.

“Oi, m’lady,” he whispered, his gap-toothed grin visible even in the dim light. “Which fancy lord are ye s’posed to be?”

I rolled my eyes, though a smile tugged at my lips. The boy’s enthusiasm was infectious, even if it was wildly misplaced. “Not a lord, Tommy. A wealthy merchant. There’s a difference.”

“If ye say so,” he shrugged, falling into step beside me as we approached the inn’s entrance.

The worn wooden door creaked ominously as we pushed it open, revealing a room hazed with pipe smoke and filled with the cacophony of drunken laughter and angry shouts. The stench of stale beer and unwashed bodies assaulted my nostrils, bringing back memories of the last time I’d been here.

Last time, I was desperately trying to stop Gareth from getting caught by Anderic and Noah. Never thought I’d be back here again.

As we wove through the crowd, I looked at Tommy. He shouldn’t be here. This was no place for a child, no matter how streetwise he might be. I felt guilty for asking him to go to such a dangerous place with me.

“Tommy,” I murmured, leaning down to speak directly into his ear, “are you sure you should be here? This isn’t exactly… child-friendly territory.”

The boy’s eyes hardened, losing their usual mischievous glint. “This ‘ere’s the place for the lawless, m’lord. An’ I’m as lawless as they come.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died on my lips as I caught sight of a familiar face across the room. Gareth, looking far too comfortable for a man who was supposed to be in hiding, engaged in gambling.

My poor father. He probably gave that money to him and told him to hide. And here he was…. gambling it away.