Kael remained in the hall for a moment after Miller spoke, then asked calmly, "There are no guards here?"
Miller stopped and turned slightly. "There are none."
A brief pause followed.
"Only me, my daughter, ten soldiers like you, and the staff."
His tone was simple, but firm.
"No need for guards. Nothing enters here without my permission."
Kael gave a slight nod.
On the surface, it made sense. Layers of security outside, controlled access, isolation from the world.
But internally, he understood something else.
Nothing enters… unless allowed.
And he was already inside.
Miller looked at him again and added, "And don't be so formal. No one here is."
Kael replied calmly, "Understood."
Miller left.
The conversation ended, but the meaning stayed.
Later, Kael stepped outside.
In daylight, the estate looked different. Open, quiet, almost peaceful. The kind of place that made people lower their guard without realizing it.
The swimming pool reflected the clear sky. No movement. No noise.
Kael walked over and sat at the edge.
He didn't step in.
Didn't try.
He simply leaned back slightly, letting the sunlight fall over him, relaxed and still.
From a distance, he looked like a man enjoying a break.
Footsteps approached.
Two figures entered the area.
Misty.
And another girl.
Her posture was straight, movements controlled even in a casual setting. A soldier's presence.
She walked closer.
"I'm Silvi," she said. "Under the commander."
Kael glanced at her briefly. "Kael."
Short. Enough.
What caught his attention wasn't her introduction.
It was how they behaved.
They weren't stiff. Not cautious.
They were talking casually, almost like normal friends.
That itself was information.
Silvi stepped into the pool without hesitation. Misty followed, diving in smoothly. Water rippled across the surface.
Silvi looked at Kael. "You coming?"
Kael shook his head slightly. "I don't swim."
There was a short silence.
Then Misty turned toward him, one eyebrow raised.
"Seriously?"
There was amusement in her voice now.
"All spies know how to swim."
She smirked.
"Or are you just too shy to get in because we're here?"
Kael didn't react.
Misty leaned slightly against the pool edge, watching him.
"Or maybe," she continued, "my father exaggerated."
Silvi looked at her. "What did he say?"
Misty replied casually, "He said Kael is the most dangerous and skilled spy he's ever seen."
A small pause.
"Because he brought information from Elfra that even their top officers barely know."
Silvi's gaze shifted back to Kael.
This time it was different.
More focused.
More careful.
Kael remained still, unaffected on the surface.
Calm.
Like none of it mattered.
Misty let out a small laugh. "Doesn't look that dangerous."
Silvi didn't laugh.
She kept watching him.
Observing.
Thinking.
Kael leaned back slightly, eyes half-closed under the sunlight.
Relaxed.
Passive.
Exactly what they expected to see.
But inside, his mind was still moving.
Every word. Every reaction.
Misty's careless tone.
Silvi's growing curiosity.
The lack of visible tension in this place.
All of it meant something.
Because in a place this controlled, nothing was truly casual.
And the more normal things looked—
the more dangerous they usually were.