Chương 50: Catching up.

Her next day off found Lira sitting alone on the balcony level of a tea house situated neatly between the market district and the noble quarter, sipping slowly from a delicate porcelain cup while pretending to be nothing more than a servant enjoying a rare afternoon of leisure. The establishment itself looked perfectly legitimate. Which, technically, it was.

If one ignored the minor detail that it had been founded and quietly financed by the Ink and Blood Syndicate, and that at least three of the five servers were being paid primarily to overhear gossip while refilling cups. It was, in Lira's opinion, an excellent business model. Good tea, respectable clientele, and a steady flow of useful information. She had barely finished her first cup before Pallan arrived. As always, he was dressed immaculately.

He somehow managed to look wealthy, tasteful, and effortlessly forgettable all at once, which Lira suspected was not accidental. His coat was dark green with subtle embroidery along the cuffs, paired with polished boots and gloves that looked far too expensive for someone who was technically a felon. He slid into the chair opposite her with practiced ease.

"How is my favorite maid doing?" he asked warmly, signaling for tea without even glancing at a server.

"Is castle life treating you well?" Lira smiled faintly.

"Quite well, actually. I even got promoted." Pallan blinked.

"It even came with increased pay," Lira added. Now he looked genuinely interested.

"Seriously?" Lira leaned back slightly, allowing herself a small moment of smugness.

"You are currently looking at the new caretaker of the royal library." Pallan stared at her for a second, then let out a delighted laugh.

"A promotion already? I leave you alone for what? A few weeks?"

"It was more or less me finding and then occupying abandoned territory."

"You always were an overachiever," he chuckled.

"And here I was worried you were after my position. Maybe it is the king who should be worrying about his." A server arrived with Pallan's tea, placing it down with practiced grace before disappearing again. Pallan stirred his drink lazily.

"Library caretaker, huh," he mused.

"Interesting title, but does that not put you further away from the best gossip?" Lira reached into her satchel and slid a folded paper across the table.

"Oh, ye of little faith." Pallan unfolded it. Inside was a concise summary of information she had collected over the last several days: early noble arrivals, tentative guest lists, anticipated scheduling changes, and most importantly, notes on emerging seasonal fashion trends. His eyes moved quickly down the page. and halfway through it, his expression sharpened.

"Oh, this is very good."

"I thought you might appreciate the information about purple being in fashion." He looked up sharply.

"You have no idea. Purple dye only comes from the eastern duchy. I could easily manufacture a shortage." Stolen novel; please report. Lira smirked.

"I may have lost access to private chambers, but I gained something arguably better." She gestured vaguely.

"The castle administration." Pallan gave an approving nod.

"You continue to exceed expectations." Then his eyes narrowed slightly as he folded the paper again.

"But this could have been delivered through one of the drop boxes." His tone shifted subtly.

"So why did you request an in-person meeting?"

"Can't a girl miss her favorite uncle?" Lira joked, trying to keep the conversation from becoming too tense before she reached into her satchel again and withdrew a thick book. It looked old and unremarkable. She placed it carefully on the table between them and nudged it toward him.

"I found this while cleaning." Pallan opened the book. His brows furrowed immediately. The interior had been hollowed out, and resting neatly inside was the dagger.

"Well now," he murmured. His entire demeanor changed. From the relaxed merchant facade emerged the leader of a criminal syndicate. He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a pair of thin gloves along with a monocle. Lira watched with fascination as he carefully put both on with almost ceremonial precision.

"You travel with those?"

"One should always be prepared for forgery, or in this case, appraisal." He lifted the dagger carefully. There was a genuine spark of delight in his eyes now, using both sight and touch to examine the dagger. The thin gloves allowed him to sense the itching while never making skin contact. He rotated the blade, inspected the sheath, and studied the detailing. Then the pommel was next. That was when his expression froze completely.

In one abrupt movement, he dropped the dagger back into the hollow compartment and snapped the book shut. Then he looked around sharply, his eyes widened as if he was afraid to be caught with the thing.

"Are you insane?" he hissed. Lira blinked. That reaction was stronger than expected.

"What is wrong with it?" Pallan leaned closer, lowering his voice further.

"Do you know what that is?"

"A dagger?"

"No." He tapped the closed book.

"That is not a dagger." He opened the book just enough to expose the pommel.

"It is a wax seal." Lira leaned in. Now that he pointed it out, the flattened pommel made far more sense.

"A seal shaped like a dagger?" She frowned.

"Yes, because apparently subtlety is for cowards when it comes to nobles." He shut the book again.

"The pommel carries the royal crest." Lira blinked twice. That… was mildly alarming. She had intentionally avoided over-inspecting the object earlier, not wanting to accidentally stab herself or trigger some unknown magical nonsense. She had noticed gold detailing and quality craftsmanship, but not much else.

"If it carries the royal seal," Lira said slowly, "would that not make it even more valuable?" Pallan stared at her in disbelief.

"If I ever need a royal seal, I will ask you to forge one." That was, somehow, the best compliment to her skill as a forger. The royal seal was very complicated in design. He rubbed his forehead.

"No. Absolutely not." He pushed the book back toward her with the care one might use when returning a cursed artifact.

"I did not build this enterprise from the ground up only to be executed over a stamp." Lira picked the book back up and returned it to her satchel. Pallan lowered his voice even further.

"How come no one noticed something like that was missing?"

"It probably belonged to the late queen dowager," Lira shrugged. He gave her a long look.

"What exactly are you planning to do with it?"

"I am the caretaker of the library." Lira smiled.

"And?" He narrowed his eyes.

"And I found it in my library." Realization dawned on his face, followed immediately by visible concern.

"Oh no." Lira smiled innocently.

"I intend to be an honest little maid." Pallan looked personally betrayed.

"You are going to report it?"

"Eventually. If and whenever I want to curry favors with someone important." He stared at her for several long seconds, then sighed deeply into his tea.

"I cannot decide whether you are very brave or profoundly reckless."

"Why not both?"

"That is exactly what worries me." Their conversation drifted after that into safer topics. Castle rumors, syndicate gossip, and Pallan bragging about his latest scheme. By the time they parted ways, the tension had mostly dissolved. Pallan patted her shoulder before leaving.

"Try not to accidentally cause a coup."

"No promises." He left with the long-suffering expression of an uncle whose favorite niece kept getting into too much trouble. Lira remained a little longer, finishing her tea before stepping back into the streets. Since she was already in the market district, she decided to do a bit of shopping. She bought small practical snacks first: dried fruits, candied nuts, jerky, and a paper cone filled with roasted chickpeas dusted in spices. Nutritious food that would help her recover after casting spells.

On her way back, she passed a seamstress shop and slowed. She studied the display window thoughtfully. Her current wardrobe was functional, but increasingly inadequate. She was no longer just another maid. Technically, she was in a leadership position. That warranted some visual reinforcement. Nothing too extravagant, perhaps better quality fabric, a better fitted apron, and a shift from black and brown to midnight blue.

Something that still clearly communicated that she was a servant, but a slightly higher-ranked one. A new uniform that quietly announced her legitimacy. Lira stepped inside. If she was going to continue building herself a position inside the castle, she might as well dress for the job.