I stepped through the door.
The hallway beyond was nothing like the dusty antique shop.
It was silent—but not empty. Every brick, every inch of the air felt watched. As if the walls themselves had ears.
The corridor opened into a sleek, underground chamber lit by dim lanterns of enchanted blue flame. They cast dancing shadows on the polished black floors and honey-oak wall panels that curved ever so slightly inward—like I was stepping into the ribcage of a giant beast.
In the center of the room, a circular desk stood like the nucleus of a grand mind, with smooth, silvery communication crystals embedded into its surface. Paperwork and folders were absent. Instead, ethereal screens shimmered midair, flickering with maps, coded reports, and moving names. I recognized several noble houses, mercenary groups, and—was that a record on the Third Prince's private escort team?
This wasn't just an office. This was the nerve center of the entire empire's secrets.
A metal plaque behind the main desk read:
🜂 SABLENET
Empire-Recognized Information Guild, Neutral Entity under Imperial Treaty No. 17
I froze.
SableNet.
The largest and most feared information guild in all of Aertheya. In the novel, it was said no secret escaped its web—and no lie remained uncovered once it set its eyes on you.
The original guild had once been infamous for corruption and manipulation. But two years ago, the old system had been erased overnight. No one knew how. Just that when the dust cleared, a new guild master—Sasa—had taken the throne.
Sasa was a ghost.
His face never appeared. His voice only came through enchanted intermediaries. Some said he was once a noble; others believed he was an ex-assassin. But what mattered was this:
Sasa rebuilt SableNet into a fortress of intelligence—efficient, neutral, and untouchable.
I swallowed.
A woman in a sleek black coat approached. Her hair was platinum blonde, her eyes silver like moonlit metal.
"You requested the Blue Jewel brooches," she said, not asking—stating.
I nodded. She studied me for a second too long, then motioned for me to follow.
"Come. The Guild Master was expecting someone."
My chest tightened.
He was expecting me?
The floor was velvet black stone. No footsteps echoed. A strange calm hung in the air. Walls were lined with ancient scrolls, glowing crystals, and whispering maps. Everything breathed secrecy. Magic shimmered faintly in the air, like a hidden heartbeat.
I stood at the center, waiting.
Then he appeared—Sasa, the guildmaster.
He wore a sleek obsidian mask that covered half his face. The part I could see showed soft brown hair and sharp amber-brown eyes. Not particularly threatening—he looked like a quiet, grown-up boy. But something in his stillness made it clear: he wasn't normal.
Was this his real face? Or illusion?
In the novel, Sasa never revealed his identity. He always hid in shadows, veiled in rumors and control. I didn't want to dwell. Right now, I had to focus.
He approached and spoke with a smooth, calm tone, "I don't recall the young lady of Vellore being one of our clients."
He gestured, and without a word, tea poured itself into two cups beside me. A mage. Of course.
I sat across from him. "I heard Sablenet works with anyone, as long as they pay."
He leaned forward, amused. "Seems the market is buzzing with all sorts of tales. What's a girl who hasn't even debuted doing in a place like this?"
In Aertheya, noble girls debuted at fifteen. I was twelve.
I met his eyes. "Are you refusing to work with me?"
Sasa's eyes narrowed slightly. "That depends. Where did you hear the passcode?"
His gaze was piercing, like it could carve lies straight from my skin.
I didn't flinch. "I'll tell you—after you provide the first five pieces of information I ask for."
A pause. Then he chuckled softly, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Rumors truly can't be trusted. They say the young lady of Vellore is naïve and sheltered… seems they were wrong."
Sasa leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping the armrest with an amused rhythm.
"What does the young lady want, and how much does she intend to pay for it?" he asked, voice light, but his eyes sharp—studying me like a riddle that refused to unfold.
I met his gaze without flinching. "Two things."
He nodded for me to go on.
"First… where is kaoren Vellore right now? I want everything—his current affiliations, trade, movements, who he meets, even what he eats for breakfast."
Sasa tilted his head, intrigued. "And the second?"
"Before my mother married into House Vellore… what was her relationship with kaoren Vellore? " My voice softened, but my grip on the teacup tightened. "Did he save her… or try to destroy her?"
For a second, silence filled the room—then Sasa gave a low whistle.
"Young lady," he murmured, "you ask questions that would get grown men killed."
I unclasped the diamond necklace from around my neck, the last thing Mother had personally placed on me before the execution day I erased from time. I placed it carefully on the table, the stones catching no light in this dimly lit place, and yet sparkling with hidden fury.
"This will cover the cost," I said.
Sasa chuckled—warm and dry like a book closing after the final twist.
"You're too brave for a twelve-year-old," he said, not mocking, just quietly impressed. "Too steady. Like someone who's already seen hell and lived to rehearse her vengeance."
I shrugged, but didn't deny it.
He reached out with gloved fingers and took the necklace. "Looks like our intel on Lady Ji-ah of House Vellore is outdated."
I smiled—thin and sharp.
"Make sure it's updated properly."As the young lady of Vellore stepped out of Sablenet's headquarters, her footsteps fading into the dusk-stained alleyway, silence lingered for a moment.
The butler stepped into the room, glancing at the door she had just left through.
"She's… quite strong for her age," he said with a hint of amusement.
Sasa let out a low chuckle. With a wave of his fingers, the glamour spell unraveled.
His brown hair shimmered and melted away into cascading strands of true silver, and the dull brown of his eyes gave way to piercing hewell-blue—a rare hue only found in the veins of royal bloodlines.
He leaned back in his chair, swirling the tea with idle fingers.
"Looks like this time," he said, voice rich with anticipation,
"we'll be thoroughly entertained