Lady Rose sat inside her office, a cup of her favorite tea resting on the table, its warm herbal scent filling the room. In her hand was a letter that had just arrived. After seeing it was from Raze, she opened it quickly and pulled out the paper inside.

It detailed everything he had discovered, the possibility that certain people within the Kingdom of Vermilion were working with demon cults to spread the abomination infection throughout towns, cities, and eventually the entire kingdom. He explained that Count Liam was one of them and urged her to find a way to inform the queen so she could take preventive measures before the infection spread beyond control.

Lady Rose finished reading and folded the letter. She had read it aloud for the person sitting across from her, none other than Marine, the queen herself. Marine sat with her legs crossed, a palm resting beneath her chin.

"To think I would hear something like this on the day I came to visit you," Marine said.

Lady Rose slid the letter back into its envelope and set it aside. "I'm certain you already suspected others might be plotting with the cult. There's no way you believed your entire kingdom was loyal."

She lifted the teacup and took a slow sip.

Marine sighed. "A queen can only wish. Still, no one has heard from Count Liam for the past three days. He has vanished."

"Hm? Why were you searching for Count Liam? Did you have business with him?" Lady Rose asked.

"There was a meeting. All nobles from counts and above were supposed to attend. He failed to appear, so I ordered him brought before me, but he wasn't found. They're still searching for him," Marine explained.

"Could it be that he has fled with the demon cult?" Lady Rose asked.

"I don't know. But I will find him. And when I do, he and his entire bloodline will pay the price for betrayal," Marine said, her tone sharpening with anger.

She clapped her fingers softly together before speaking again. "That aside, let's talk about how your student managed to get this information."

"Knowing Raze, he wouldn't hide something this serious," Lady Rose replied. "Something like this should never be kept in the dark, but he wouldn't want the trouble that comes with you knowing it's from him."

Lady Rose took another sip of her tea. "I don't know if you noticed, but Raze simply wants to live quietly and build a place where he can feel safe. He doesn't put himself at the center of issues, but he always ends up there. No matter how he tries to avoid it, something keeps pulling him back."

She set her cup down, her gaze softening. "When I first met him, he was just looking for money to invest in his father's barony, to create a sanctuary for himself. I had to persuade him to even come with me. And ever since then, he's been dragged from one thing to another. He hasn't done anything that draws any real major attention yet, but he's getting there," she added with a small chuckle.

"Fixing a several-hundred-year-old rune is something worth attention," Marine said. "If it wasn't for you, and him, asking me to keep it quiet, it would've been celebrated across the kingdom."

She tapped a finger thoughtfully on the table. "But still, Raze is not the kind of person we should allow to act completely freely."

Lady Rose paused. "And why do you say that?"

"Because he is a genius. And talented. People like that tend to be eccentric. You would follow—you've trained many of them. Without a leash, they follow their own desires. Their thirst for knowledge, advancement, or whatever drives them often leads them down paths most of us wouldn't agree with."

"Are you saying Raze would go off track?" Lady Rose asked.

"Not necessarily off track," Marine said. "But we have several neighboring kingdoms. The Solas Kingdom sits right beside us to the east. And you know them—they'd leap at any opportunity to gain an advantage over Vermilion. They would gladly take a genius like Raze and give him everything he needs to grow."

"You're wrong," Lady Rose said calmly.

Marine raised her brows. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"For someone so intelligent and calculating, you miss things when it comes to people," Lady Rose said. "Raze isn't the type to accept handouts from another kingdom just because they offered. He knows any hand they extend comes with a leash attached. He was cautious coming to meet you; he didn't even want to meet you at first. If not for me, both of you wouldn't have crossed paths, and he would've remained the anonymous figure he wanted to be."

She continued, "Raze is sharp. He can tell when someone is trying to rope him in. If he has chosen Ribest as his sanctuary, then he'll stay as long as no one gives him a reason to leave. You can still have him at your beck and call, to assist, to aid, to help. But instead of putting a rope around his neck, why not build trust?"

"You're asking me to trust him? That's a tall order, Master," Marine said.

"It isn't," Lady Rose replied. "You just don't want to. Despite being a great queen, you still carry the trauma of your past, fighting your brothers for the throne, being betrayed, losing the ability to trust. You believe control is the only solution. But some people simply cannot be controlled. Raze is one of them."

Marine narrowed her eyes. "You believe that?"

"I do. His movements, his choices… I've never seen anything like it. Someone like him won't allow himself to be controlled because he knows control will restrict his path. He won't take the bait, ever. If it looks like they're taking it, it's only so they can gain power and later take their freedom back, whether you like it or not."

Lady Rose leaned back slightly. "So instead of chasing him with chains, the best way is to guide him and watch him. Let everything feel natural. If he senses you're giving him too much special treatment, he'll know you have intentions, and he'll begin preparing countermeasures."

She finished her tea.

Marine slowly leaned back in her chair. "I hear you, Master," she said, then stood up. "Sadly, that isn't how I operate. What you've said makes sense, a lot of sense. But I've looked into that boy's eyes. And despite the smile and softness, there's someone sinister in there… someone like me. Someone craving a game of chess."

She smirked.

"So who am I not to indulge?"

With that, she turned and walked out of the office.

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