Chapter 9
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I spoke with care at first.
Kyle’s focused expression as he leaned in close bolstered my resolve.
One of my closest allies fell into this mess and ended up captured. My goal was her rescue.
He echoed the idea softly before delivering a sharp refusal.
Dealing in sentence reductions falls outside my authority.
That phrasing, as if Connie deserved punishment, sparked a flash of fury inside me.
She reined in her temper, aware that letting emotion take over would sabotage her case.
Drawing in a steadying breath, she projected an air of control.
No negotiation required. She’s entirely blameless.
A subtle nod from him invited more details.
Would you connect me with whoever can verify her innocence?
Your faith in her runs deep, he remarked.
The implication, designed to erode her certainty about Connie, grated on her nerves.
She countered with resolve, signaling an end to the probing. A faint grin curved his lips.
That expression alone transformed his quietly aggravating presence.
Suspicion comes with the territory in my role. Very well, we have an agreement.
He swept up the papers from the tabletop.
Return in three days or over the weekend. In the interim, Connie will remain secure.
Sensitive to her packed days ahead, he’d chosen the later slot. His offer of fresh coffee served as a polite dismissal.
No thanks, I’m set.
She rose swiftly, eager to head home.
He escorted her out with visible hesitation.
Fearing he might summon her back, she departed the café in haste.
Leading a guild demanded such unyielding tactics, she reflected inwardly.
She hoped future dealings wouldn’t hinge on coffee sessions.
Enduring repeats would prove unbearable.
Once Rina had gone, Edwin stepped out from the concealed guild room beyond the café.
Kyle’s probe into her background lay clutched in his grasp.
Yet another chance encounter today, Edwin said under his breath.
Kyle secured the entrance before responding. Difficult to judge. She holds a certain fascination.
Edwin sank into the closest seat with deliberate nonchalance, using her profile to cool himself.
Did your check cover every angle?
Kyle typically recoiled from such questions, yet silence gripped him now. He shared the nagging sense that Rina concealed depths beyond the ordinary.
The file reveals no oddities on its face, Edwin noted while scanning the pages once more.
Her father, orphaned early, earned a noble household’s sponsorship through raw ability. He wed her mother, the count lineage’s youngest offspring, defying family resistance.
He rose to academy instructor and secured a baronetcy, marking their peak status.
Tangled roots marked their past, yet nothing juicy enough for sustained elite chatter.
Stormy union for her parents, followed by subdued years, Edwin contemplated.
They cut links with the Renkels Count entirely, forging no bonds elsewhere among nobles.
Rina bypassed society seasons post-graduation, diving straight into palace duties.
Her path echoed a simple citizen’s far more than blue blood’s.
Background stayed seamless, devoid of voids or quirks.
She crossed our paths in the city by pure accident, Edwin ventured, rubbing his jaw absently.
Past imperial meddling kept Edwin’s features obscure to most. He’d shunned public eyes pre-throne, then shipped off to war post-crowning. These days, solo travels leaned on his peerless prowess alone.
Leak risks stayed minimal, and her haunts rang true to pattern.
Rikel district drew palace workers off-shift; Grisel Park sat steps from her residence; palace proximity made sense.
Even this café aligned with routine market runs.
Coincidences stack up convincingly, Edwin conceded, propping his chin.
Except for these.
He nodded toward her deposited files.
Taken at face value, they offered solid, relevant intel backed by sensible drives.
Context twisted the punctuality into something overly neat.
Doubt crept into even Edwin’s calculations.
Suppose Rina Diaz fronts for the Camelot Duke’s network, he tossed out, tone laced with jest.
Absurd on surface, yet it edged out blind luck as explanation.
Impossible, Kyle dismissed with a quiet laugh.
Renkels Count and Camelot Duke harbor deep enmity.
Indeed, whispers persist of Camelot slaying the prior Renkels fiancée, Edwin remembered.
Olivia Diaz’s sibling now held the Renkels seat, tying her as Rina’s aunt.
Public distance masked their private devotion.
Diaz clan fealty points her Renkels-ward, though unproven, Kyle weighed in.
Silent observation could position her for the title’s claim. Why gamble it spying for Camelot?
The old Renkels patriarch banished Olivia over her match yet eased on heirs’ prospects before death.
Childless and unwed, the present count left pathways open for Rina.
Camelot Duke wouldn’t elevate an asset to countship anyway.
Spot on. Renkels would erupt over the slightest Camelot whisper around Rina, Kyle affirmed.
Peculiar beyond measure, Edwin groaned theatrically, gripping his skull.
After theatrical sighs, resolve sharpened his gaze toward Kyle.
Your follow-up with Rina looms next week?
Affirmative, Kyle confirmed.
Subtle intrigue flickered in Edwin’s golden gaze.
Days blurred into a week.
She paused at the threshold before easing the café door wide.
Bells tinkled overhead. Kyle, straightening furnishings, pivoted with a grin.
Spot on arrival.
He guided her deeper inside.
Company joins us this round, he noted breezily.
She caught young women stealing looks amid their cake bites.
Evidently a genuine public spot, no illusionary veil in play as she’d half-expected.
Customers actually patronize this venue, she whispered to herself.
Kyle halted at her musing.
What else would a café be? His edge sharpened unexpectedly.
Take a seat. Arrival imminent.
Spartan space featured slate-toned walls framing a tidy lounge setup. She obeyed, settling in silence.
Per the tale’s canon, Kyle sprang from the imperial nanny’s line, ranking among the sovereign’s innermost circle.
This intermediary spelled potential heavy hitter.
Perhaps a throne-side counselor.
Steel braced her nerves against awe. Abruptly, a panel masquerading as wall parted, admitting a figure.
Looming height beneath a shadowed cowl.
That outline tugged at buried memory.
Instinct lifted her to feet.
Simultaneously, he shed the hood’s cover.
Fate circles us once more, right?
Shadows couldn’t dim the radiant glow of his golden eyes.
Disaster struck her core: Tobere Rojas stood revealed.
