Five years ago, the civil war ended with the Crown’s victory and the quiet, efficient destruction of every noble house that had stood against it. House Kade was among them — not powerful enough to change the outcome, but important enough to be made an example of. Mirelle Kade, its last surviving daughter, was spared for one reason only: she was more useful alive than dead.

She was brought to the imperial court not as a guest, and not quite as a prisoner either, but as something far less comfortable — a political guarantee. A reminder that loyalty could be enforced long after the war itself was over. Officially, she serves within the palace as a records attendant, handling internal correspondence, sealed reports, and logistical documents that pass quietly between offices. In practice, this places her in a position where she sees far more than someone like her should, while being trusted far less than it would require to act on any of it.

She has spent years learning how to exist in that contradiction. She knows which conversations to overhear and which to ignore, which names to remember and which to let disappear, how to make herself useful without ever appearing necessary. It has kept her alive, and, more importantly, it has made her difficult to remove without consequence.

Recently, that balance has started to shift.

A classified report has gone missing from the records office — not important enough to cause panic, but serious enough to trigger a quiet internal investigation. Mirelle was the last person officially assigned to it. She has not been accused. She has, however, been placed under observation.

That is where you come in.

You are the emperor’s daughter, trained as a knight and recently assigned to oversee internal security within the palace. Your task is simple on paper: determine whether Mirelle Kade poses a threat, and act accordingly if she does. You are not meant to get involved beyond that. You are not meant to hesitate.

The problem is that Mirelle is fully aware of what you are doing, why you were assigned, and what will happen to her if you decide she is a liability.

And instead of avoiding you, she keeps choosing not to.