I froze. There, tucked away on a high shelf behind my father's desk—partially hidden by heavy law books—was a small, plush bunny. It was battered, one ear was hanging by a thread, and its color had faded years ago.
It was my favorite toy. The one I had "lost" the day Wayne left for the academy. I thought the servants had thrown it away, or that it had been burned during a spring cleaning. But there it was, sitting in my father's inner sanctum, kept with a care that didn't match the coldness of his voice.
My father followed my gaze. For a split second, his stoic mask cracked, a flash of something like shame or raw grief crossing his eyes. He quickly turned his back to me, his shoulders rigid.
"I said go to your room, Iris," he repeated. The edge in his voice had softened into something unrecognizable—a rasp of old pain.
I didn't say a word. I turned and walked out, my mind spinning.
Two days passed in a blur of forced rest. Wayne spent those days like a man possessed. With Father's blessing, he tore through the investigation. By the second night, he came to my room, his face grim.
"It was the Baron," Wayne stated, pacing the length of my rug. "Ishu's father. He provided the map of the mountain pass to those mercenaries. He was deeply in debt and thought he could ransom a Regulus daughter to pay his creditors."
"And Ishu?" I asked, watching Mia sharpen a small fruit knife in the corner.
"There is no paper trail," Wayne spat, his frustration palpable.
A father acting against us while the daughter works for us? It didn't fit. Was our encounter at the ball a coincidence at all? I wondered if this was all choreographed long before I even knew her name.
"The Baron claims he acted alone to 'protect' his daughter from the scandal," Wayne continued. "She's technically an innocent victim in the eyes of the law."
I leaned back, a cold smile touching my lips. "How convenient for her. To be the daughter of a traitor and still play the part of a fragile flower."
Wayne stopped and looked at me, a fierce new protectiveness in his eyes. "Father has stripped the Baron of his titles. He's in the dungeon. But because Ishu is 'innocent' and has no home, Father has allowed her to stay as a ward of the house. A charity case."
I hummed. I was curious to see her next step. What was her motive for targeting me?
"So she stays," I murmured. "Under our roof. Where she can watch us."
By the third day, the walls felt like they were closing in. My neck was healing;I couldn't stay inside.
"Mia, get my coat," I commanded. "We're going to the garden."
The Regulus gardens were filled with statues of ancient heroes and sharp-edged hedges. In a quiet corner, there was a small flower bed where my mother, father, and I used to spend time. I sat on the stone edge, my fingers brushing the petals as I remembered those rare, happy days.
My mother's body had weakened after giving birth to me. She always needed rest, and when I was barely three years old, she left this world. Since then, Father hadn't been the same. The lion had lost his mate, and he had turned to stone.
I got up and resumed my walk. Near the fountain, I saw Ishu. She looked pathetic in a simple black gown of mourning, her eyes red from crying. She looked up, and for a moment, we were alone.
"Iris..." she whispered, standing up.
"Don't," I said, stopping a few feet away. "Tell me, what are your motives? Why did you really approach me?"
"What are you asking, My Lady?" Her voice was sweet, but the look in her eyes had shifted. It no longer matched her trembling lips.
"At the royal ballroom," I stepped closer, my voice a low hiss. "You did that all on purpose to get my attention, didn't you?"
The "fragile flower" straightened her back. The trembling stopped. A slow, chilling smile spread across her face—one that was far too sharp for a "delicate" girl.
"So, you aren't a fool after all," she said, her voice dropping the high-pitched innocence. "I never thought you would catch on that early."
The game had truly begun.