Darkness. Footsteps. Screaming.
Eustass ran through endless halls, chased by shadows that moved like smoke and snarled like beasts. Blood painted the stone walls. Fire burned in the sky. Behind him, a voice—familiar, broken—called his name like it was a curse.
"Traitor."
He gasped and jolted upright.
"Lord Eustass," a gentle voice said, shaking his shoulder. "You were dreaming again."
Mira, his maid, stood at his bedside, a soft frown on her face. In the gray light of morning, her eyes looked heavier than usual.
Eustass wiped cold sweat from his brow, his breath uneven. "Yeah… the same one."
"You should speak to the palace healer," she said, setting a cup of tea on the nightstand. "These nightmares are—"
"I don't have time for that." He swung his legs over the bed. "The Prince called?"
Mira nodded. "Before dawn."
Of course he did.
---
By the time he reached the palace, Eustass had dressed in his sharp navy robes, gold-threaded at the seams, a silver crest gleaming at his collar—the mark of the First Prince's right hand. As his boots echoed against the marble halls, he felt the weight of his position settle on him like armor.
But something felt… off.
The palace staff usually avoided looking directly at him out of respect or fear. But today, their eyes lingered. The guards at the entrance straightened just a little too stiffly. The pages stopped whispering when he passed. Even Mira had seemed more tense than usual when helping him dress.
He brushed it off.
Inside the royal chamber, the First Prince stood by a tall arched window, wine already in hand despite the early hour. His golden hair shimmered in the light, but the expression on his face was unreadable.
"You're late," he said without turning.
"My apologies, Your Highness," Eustass replied, bowing slightly.
The prince finally faced him, lips curled in a faint smile. "You look pale, Eustass. Not enough sleep?"
"The usual," Eustass muttered.
A flicker of amusement crossed the prince's face. "Sit. We need to talk."
Eustass obeyed, slipping into the velvet seat across from him. He expected another policy crisis or noble tantrum.
Instead, the prince leaned in and said quietly, "The kingdom's gold is gone."
A long pause followed.
"…What?" Eustass blinked. "What do you mean gone?"
"It's been disappearing for weeks," the prince said. "Quietly. Small amounts at first. I didn't say anything—not even to you—because I needed to be sure."
Eustass stared at him, mind racing. No way. I would've noticed. He mentally scanned the treasury reports, budget reallocations, recent tax surpluses—nothing felt off.
"You think it's an inside job?"
The prince's smile didn't return this time. He simply said, "That's what I want you to find out."
"You want me to track it down," Eustass said slowly. "The entire treasury?"
"You're the only one I trust."
Trust. That word landed strangely today.
Eustass nodded, but the knot in his chest tightened. He knew every coin that entered and exited the royal vault. If something this big slipped by him… either someone was rewriting the books—or he was being kept in the dark.
Either way, something was very wrong.
"I'll handle it," he said.
"I knew I could count on you," the prince replied, then raised his wine glass lazily. "Just like always."
Eustass gave a stiff bow and turned to leave, the prince's calm gaze following him like a shadow.
---
As the door shut behind him, the hallway felt colder than before.
The guards stationed outside didn't nod like they used to. They just stared. Not hostile. Just… watching. Evaluating.
He met their eyes for a second, then kept walking. Something's off. Even they know something I don't.
Outside, his horse waited—dark, restless. As he mounted and rode back to his estate, one thought refused to leave his mind:
If the prince didn't trust anyone else… why does it feel like he doesn't trust me either?
----
The sun had dipped lower by the time Eustass reached his estate. The sky was burnt orange, casting long shadows over the high walls and quiet courtyards. As the mansion gates creaked open, Mira stood waiting at the front steps.
She bowed, her tone steady but eyes searching. "Welcome home, Lord Eustass."
He dismounted with a grunt, handing his reins to a stablehand. "Is the study ready?"
"Yes," she said, then added softly, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I think I have," Eustass muttered, walking past her.
---
Inside the study, he collapsed onto the long velvet couch, unfastening the collar of his advisor robes. Mira followed him in, closing the doors behind them.
"I assume the prince wasn't just nagging about the west again," she said carefully.
Eustass steepled his fingers, elbows on his knees. "No. This time, he handed me something worse."
She tilted her head.
"He claims the kingdom's treasury is missing," he said bluntly.
Mira froze mid-step. "Missing?"
He nodded, eyes on the floor. "Gold. Funds. It's been vanishing for weeks. He said nothing to anyone. Not even me."
Mira lowered herself into the armchair across from him, brow furrowed. "But… that's impossible. You monitor everything—budgets, trades, royal payments. You'd have noticed."
"Exactly." Eustass leaned back. "Unless the records were rewritten behind my back. Or worse—he's lying."
Mira didn't respond immediately.
"I mean… what if this whole mission is just smoke?" he continued, voice quieter now. "A way to keep me distracted. To keep me out of something."
She studied him for a moment, then said, "Do you think he suspects you?"
Eustass looked up sharply. "No." Then softer, "I don't know."
There was a long silence between them. The crackling of a nearby fireplace filled the room.
Finally, Mira asked, "Did anything feel different when you spoke to him?"
Eustass hesitated. "Yes. He was calm—too calm. He usually flares up when talking about noble scandals, but this time? Not a flicker. Like… he already knows who did it. Or maybe it wasn't stolen at all."
"You think it's a setup."
"I think I need to be careful," he said, standing again. "Starting now, I want you to double-check every document that leaves this house. Keep a record. Quietly. If someone's tampering with the books, we'll catch it from our end."
Mira stood as well. "Understood."
He turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Also… keep an eye on the palace staff. Especially the messengers. If anyone asks questions about me, I want to know."
"Yes, my lord."
---
That night, as the candles burned low and the estate quieted down, Eustass sat alone in his private chamber, hunched over ledgers and old tax scrolls.
But nothing added up.
Every line was clean. Every seal matched. Every coin accounted for… on paper.
And yet, the feeling remained.
The walls were shifting.
Someone was moving in the dark, and he could feel it. Watching him. Testing him.
He stared out the window, the moonlight casting a faint silver glow across his desk.
I don't know who's lying yet, he thought, but I'm going to find out.