"So you're going after her first?" Julian mused after a a pause.

The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of the estate . He had locked himself away with the ledgers since yesterday, and I needed to know what he had uncovered—if anything.

"Clara has too much influence over this household," I murmured, scanning the financial ledgers. "Not to mention how she influenced me as a child. She's my chief suspect out of anybody."

Julian leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "You're sure she's corrupt and not just an overzealous servant?"

"That's what I intend to find out." My gaze flicked to a section of the records.

him. "Have you found anything?"

Julian leaned back, rubbing his temple. "Nothing concrete yet. But there are discrepancies. Small amounts missing here and there, subtle enough to be overlooked unless you're searching for them. Whoever's behind this is clever." He shifted, flipping to a page. "And there's something concerning with your personal account, right here." He pointed to a spot on the page.

I traced a finger down the list. He was right Something was wrong.

My personal accounts had several large withdrawals—luxury expenses, fine silks, imported jewelry—all within the last several weeks. But I hadn't made these purchases.

Julian tapped the paper. "I know you're quite an extravagant spender, but look. These amounts. Do they seem odd to you?"

I studied them, then let out a quiet groan. "That's more than just a few stolen coins. Someone's been siphoning money from my account for years." No one could spend that lavishly, not even Rosaria.

I frowned. "And where is the money going?"

"That's the problem." He tapped a finger against a ledger. "While your account is the worst, it's not the only one. It's the entire household. Some of it is being rerouted into 'maintenance costs' for estate buildings, but the numbers don't match the actual expenses. And some of it is simply... gone. No records, no explanations."

So it wasn't just stolen—it was being laundered. My stomach coiled. This was theft, right under our noses. They were bleeding the money out of us, and while the Duke had a lot, it was still painful to witness.

Julian sighed. "And what of you? Did you find anything useful?" He didn't expect much.

I gave him a knowing look. "Of course." I told him about my conversation with Edith—the missing supplies, the footmen, and the old storage houses.

Julian's brows knit together. "The storage houses? No one's used those in years."

"Exactly," I said. "So why are supplies being sent there?"

He drummed his fingers against the desk, thinking. "If this is connected to the missing funds, then it's bigger than I thought. We need to check those buildings."

I nodded. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. If someone is running an operation out of them, they won't take kindly to us snooping around."

Julian studied me for a long moment before sighing. "I still can't decide if your sudden change is impressive or terrifying."

I grinned. "Why not both?"

He shook his head but didn't argue.

_____

At dawn the next day, we made our way carefully to the edge of the estate where the old storage houses stood, half-forgotten beneath creeping ivy and years of neglect. The air smelled damp, the morning mist clinging to the weathered wood.

Julian scanned the area as we approached. "No guards. If someone is using these, they aren't expecting visitors."

"That works in our favor." I adjusted my gloves and stepped forward. "Let's see what they're hiding."

The heavy door creaked as Julian pushed it open. Sunlight spilled inside, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air—and crates. Stacked haphazardly, some pried open, revealing sacks of grain, barrels of oil, bolts of cloth.

"These are estate supplies," Julian muttered, picking up a ledger left on a crate. "And look at this." He held up the page—lists of goods, but no official seal. "They're running a separate inventory. Someone is moving supplies off the books."

I crouched beside a crate, brushing dust away. The markings on the wood were faint but familiar. My stomach turned. "These shipments were meant for the household. For us."

Julian stiffened. "So they're stealing directly from our stores. Not just money—food, materials, necessities."

Above all, in the back of the shed on a large crate, I saw something that caused my veins to freeze. It was a dragon emblem, burned into the wood. So they've left their mark, I seethed. They're not afraid of being discovered.

"A dragon..." Julian mused, "wonder what that's about." Of course, he wasn't aware of the Shadow Walkers. After all, they were a secret organization.

A noise outside—footsteps on gravel. I shot Julian a sharp look. We weren't alone. We slipped behind a stack of crates. The wood was rough against my back as I pressed into the shadows, steadying my breath.

The footsteps grew closer, deliberate but unhurried. Then the door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside.

A guard. One of ours. I recognized him as the one that usually guarded the gates at noon. He carried a small lantern, its flickering light casting long shadows along the walls. He moved with the ease of familiarity, weaving between the crates as if he'd done this a hundred times before.

Julian tensed beside me, but I placed a hand on his arm. If we were discovered here, that guard could easily kill us. The footman reached for a crate near the back, the one with the dragon emblem, prying it open with a small tool. He inspected its contents—more grain—then nodded to himself before pulling a cloth-wrapped package from his coat and tucking it inside.

A delivery? A message? I bit my lip, watching as he closed the crate and straightened. Then, without a glance around, he turned and strode back out into the morning light.

We waited several beats after the door shut before Julian exhaled. "That was close."

"He wasn't stealing," I murmured, stepping out from our hiding place. "He was delivering something."

Julian frowned. "I recognized him. That was Reginald, one of the middle guards. I never knew he would be involved with something like this..." he sighed, shaking his head. "Let's take a look at what he put in that box."

We slipped out from behind the creates, and I cautiously approached the box the guard had tampered with, pulling open the lid. I reached in for the paper, opening it up to look at the ink.

I could hardly read it. It was written in some sort of gibberish—code. But I knew what it was, as I could pinpoint a few words. Oaklan. Is that where they're taking the supplies?

I stood, handing the paper to Julian. "Read it. It's delivery instructions."

Julian took the paper from me, his eyes scanning the gibberish message in ink. "I recognize this handwriting... it's Clara's."

"I knew it." I clenched my fists. I had always known Clara was corrupt, but now we had some solid evidence. "Do you know anything about it? Can you read it?" I asked.

Julian squinted. "It's a cipher... I could interpret it, but it's going to take some time."

"Alright, let's take it back with us."

Julian folded the piece of paper and stashing it in his satchel. He cast a nervous glance behind him. "They won't notice?" He asked, the ominous dragon symbol casting a foreboding presence.

I shook my head. "It will be fine. We need to find out where those supplies are going and who's on the receiving end."

Julian nodded slowly, catching my drift. "We'll collect evidence. And then we can bust the entire operation in one fell swoop."

I grinned. "Exactly."

——

The problem that faced us was now what to do in the meantime while waiting for father's return. It would be a few weeks at least, more than enough time to gather evidence.

Julian and I were in the library this time, and he sat lounging at a desk while trying to read some books on ciphers that might be helpful.

"Finding anything useful?" I asked him.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "No, not really. These Dragon people are no joke, so far I've got no leads on the cipher. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

I sighed. That was to be expected. The shadow walkers, or "dragon people" and Julian and I had been calling them, were well versed in slinking in the shadows. I expected no less from them. I sat at a separate desk, penning a letter to the crown prince.

I didn't want to have to involve him, but it looked like it was going to be necessary for now, in order to clean out the estate. I reviewed the contents one more time, then, satisfied, I rolled the letter neatly and placed my ink seal on it.

"There, it's done," I said. "Julian, I know you're busy, but I need you to arrange for this to be delivered quietly. If Clara and her allies catch wind of this..."

Julian stretched, yawning. "When I said I'd help you, I didn't realize I'd be working my fingers to the bone," he said sarcastically, then moved forward to take the letter from me. "Alright. I can do that."

I smiled. "Perfect. Then, while we wait for reinforcements, I'll perform a more thorough investigation of the staff. We need to know who we can trust."

While I regretted to involve him, I penned a letter to the Prince telling him we were in need of some trustworthy personnel. He would know what that meant—and would hopefully send us some new Loyalist house staff. We needed someone to replace Clara, that guard, and numerous others I planned to get rid of.

If they're part of the shadow walkers I'd like to imprison them entirely, but... I may have to settle with just firing them, and driving them out of the dukes territory. When father returned, we could expose all of them.

As I sat in my room drawing up a plan, a servant entered my quarters. It was Edith, and she was carrying an ash box for the fireplace. I smiled, this was perfect.

"Edith!" I waved her over, and she turned, looking at me with a confused expression. Then she straightened, setting down the ash box and folding her hands.

"Y-yes, My Lady?" She said.

"Come here. I have a task, and I think you're the right person for the job," I smiled.

As she approached, I reached into my drawer and pulled out a stack of a few silver Rokels. Her green eyes beamed, and regarded my carefully.

"I need to you be my eyes and ears for the staff," I said slowly. "If you hear anything suspicious, you will report back to me, and there will be more where this came from." I jingled the coins, which amounted to three months of wages for her.

Edith nodded. "Y-yes, I can do that," she eyed the coins hungrily.

I snatched them away, stepping closer to her. "But if I find out you're betraying me, I'll make sure to sever all your limbs." I said this with as ominous of a tone as I could manage, to strike fear into her heart. It was more grotesque than I would have liked, but I wanted to send a message to her.

Edith trembled. "Y-yes, my lady..."

I smiled. "Good." Then, I handed her the stack of coins. "Be watchful this week. You will give me a report every two days of your findings. And I want names."

After a short silence, Edith spoke, taking the coins, "yes, my lady," she did. "Thank you. I won't let you down!"

With that settled, I leaned back in my chair, sighing. My mind returned to that Cipher. Oaklan... I thought. Was it mentioned in the novel? I knew it had to be tied to the shadow walkers. The famous port city lie only a three hours journey from the estate.

Then my mind clicked. Of course! Oaklan was the hometown of the chancellor, and was governed by Lord Avon, a notoriously corrupt noble from what I could remember. During the fall of the dukedom, he was the first to sell out and betray my father. But is he tied to the shadow walkers?

I sighed. From the cipher alone, it seemed like Oaklan would be an important place. I hoped Julian would be able to decipher the directions soon. I'll need to travel there soon, to investigate, I thought.

In the meantime, I think it would be good to get a breather. The walls of the manor felt much too stifling. I rose, ringing the bell for one of my servants.

"Yes, my lady?" After a few moments, one of my maids appeared.

"Prepare a carriage. I'm going to make a trip to town," I said.

"As you wish, my lady," the maid replied, and turned to leave. "I will call for you when it is ready."

"Very well, thank you," I said.