The Duke's footsteps faded, leaving me alone in the dim, drafty corridor. My heart felt like a trapped bird beating against my ribs.
I looked down at the floor. The single droplet of Cassian's blood glowed a violent, pulsing red through my System-monocle. It looked less like a liquid and more like a molten ruby.
"Liquidated assets," I whispered, the irony tasting like copper in my mouth. "He wasn't kidding."
I knelt, my expensive silk skirts soaking up the dust of the floor. In my old life, I'd handled greasy ledgers and coffee-stained receipts, but I'd never scraped a man's blood off the floorboards with a piece of discarded parchment. My stomach did a slow, nauseous flip.
Don't think about where it came from, I told myself. Think about the numbers.
As soon as my fingers—trembling just a little too much—touched the parchment to the drop, the golden screen exploded into a frenzy of notifications.
[ DING! ]
[ HIGH-VALUE BIOMETRIC DATA DETECTED ]
[ Analyzing 'Ancient Blood' of the War Duke... ]
[ Analysis Complete: This blood contains 0.05% traces of Forbidden Mana. ]
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE TRIGGERED! ]
[ Because you have secured 'Collateral' from a Great Power, the 'Black Market' tab is now UNLOCKED. ]
I scrambled back into my room, locking the door with a click that sounded like a gunshot in the quiet house. I collapsed onto my bed, the luxury of the feather mattress feeling undeserved.
The System screen shifted. The clean, professional gold turned into a bruised, oily purple.
[ THE BLACK MARKET: FORBIDDEN ENTRIES ]
• Item: 'The Truth Serum' (Side effects: Permanent loss of taste) - 200 Points
• Item: 'Ghost Ledger' (Records thoughts, not words) - 400 Points
• Item: 'Identity Audit' (Swap your debt with someone else's) - 1,000 Points
"Swap my debt?" I stared at the screen. "You mean I could just... give my death sentence to Evelyn?"
The thought was tempting. It was clean. It was efficient. It was exactly what a cold-blooded auditor would do. But then I remembered the face of the tailor from the boutique—the way his hands shook. If I just swapped my fate, the entire Astrea dukedom, including the innocent servants, would likely be purged in the fallout.
"Not yet," I muttered, rubbing my face. My skin felt grimy. I needed a bath, a nap, and a stiff drink, but I had a forty-eight-hour timer ticking in the corner of my vision.
I looked at the 'Ghost Ledger.' If I was going to expose the Saintess, I didn't need her to talk. I needed to see what she was thinking when she signed those fake orphanage receipts.
[ PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL: 1x 'Ghost Ledger' ]
[ Remaining Points: 50 (Plus 'Ancient Blood' bonus pending...) ]
A heavy book bound in translucent, shimmering skin appeared on my lap. It was cold—freezing, actually. As I touched it, a name began to etch itself onto the first page in jagged, black ink: EVELYN VON LILYWHITE.
Below her name, a list of numbers began to scroll, but they weren't currency.
• Lies Told Today: 42
• True Net Worth: 1.2 Million Gold Crowns (Hidden in the Southern Temple)
• Current Thought: "The Prince is a fool, but his crown will look lovely on me."
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the book. The "Saintess" wasn't just a thief; she was a predator.
Suddenly, a frantic pounding started at my door.
"My Lady! My Lady Seraphina!" It was my personal maid, Martha. She sounded like she was hyperventilating. "The Duke's carriage hasn't even left the gates, and the Temple Guards are here! They say they have a warrant to search your 'Personal Accounts' for evidence of heresy!"
I looked at the Ghost Ledger, then at the door. They weren't waiting three months. Evelyn was moving the deadline up.
"Audit this," I hissed, grabbing the ledger and shoving it under my pillow.
I didn't have time to be a victim. I checked my reflection in the mirror—red hair messy, eyes burning with a mix of exhaustion and spite.
"Martha! Open the door!" I shouted as I grabbed the heavy, silver-topped cane from the corner of the room. "And tell the Temple Guards to wipe their boots. I just had these floors cleaned, and I'd hate to charge them a cleaning fee they can't afford."