Livia gently patted the back of Marcellus's hand, her tone warm but unwavering.
"Alright, but you really don't have to worry too much. Last time was his best chance to hurt me—when I was alone, trapped by him in that cave, with no one around and barely a way to escape. And he let it pass. It wasn't that he lacked the chance—it was that he… didn't want to."
Her gaze dropped slightly, as though recalling the danger of that moment. Yet, despite herself, a flicker of complex understanding surfaced in her expression.
"Someone who truly wanted to kill me wouldn't have hesitated. But he did. That means he has reservations—it means he has other plans. Besides, I played my part well last time: I showed fear when I needed to, humiliation when it served, leaked just enough detail, and fed him a few 'useful' pieces. He's not stupid—he knew I was lying. And because of that, he's more likely to believe I'm not truly aligned with any of you."
She paused, then fixed her eyes on Marcellus.
"As long as that doubt remains, I still hold value to him. A piece that seems divided in loyalty—a weak, seemingly inconsequential girl with cracks to exploit—he'll want to keep that piece. And harming me would be a waste."
At this point, her voice finally sharpened with a trace of cold clarity.
"The only thing we really need to guard against is if he becomes desperate—and decides to take me hostage. But the hunting cabin solves that risk perfectly. With all the traps in that area, all we need is the right timing. If we act before he does, we keep the upper hand. The plan is dangerous—but the odds are firmly in our favor."
Silence fell over the room for a moment. Outside, the wind rustled the leaves, as if nature itself acknowledged the gravity of this gamble for life and death.
Elias, leaning against the wall, had been silently listening. After a beat of thought, he finally spoke, his tone calm and steady:
"Livia is right. What we're using here isn't brute force—it's timing, and illusion. As long as we stage it right, make Jim believe everything is out of our control and fully under his, he'll drop his guard. And that moment of miscalculation—no matter how brief—is enough for us to reclaim the initiative."
He turned to Marcellus, adding,
"But there's one key point—the setup must not be too elaborate."
Marcellus nodded. "You're afraid it'll tip him off?"
"Exactly." Elias replied. "The worst thing is a setup that feels too perfect. If he walks into the cabin and immediately senses an unusually dense, intentional layout of traps, even a fool would realize he's walked into a snare. What we need is something that feels natural, incomplete, and asymmetrical—an area that looks abandoned but still faintly dangerous. Let him find the traps—but ones that seem like lingering hazards, the kind you can work around, not a battlefield prepped in advance. Let him think we're wary, not trying to ensnare him."
Livia nodded in agreement.
"Right. The traps have to look untouched, aged, worn. No fresh traces. I trust you both can handle that part. As for me—I'll play the greedy, gullible girl lured by the promise of treasure. That'll be enough."
She smiled faintly to herself, almost in mockery, then quickly composed herself again.
The three of them exchanged a silent look, full of unspoken understanding.
They knew—
This was a wager that bound reason, emotion, deception, and life itself on a single line.
And this time, victory wasn't an option.
It was the only path left.