The ballroom of the Spire was a masterpiece of deception. To the intoxicated nobles swirling across the marble floor, it was a palace of dreams. To Mia Reed, it was a gilded cage, and she was the only one who knew where the bars were hidden.
After the icy encounter with Lady Silas and the lingering, suspicious gaze of Leo Black, Mia retreated into the periphery of the room. She needed to disappear. She picked up a flute of champagne from a passing servant—not to drink, for a dull mind was a dead mind—but to use as a prop. A woman with a glass in her hand looked like she belonged; a woman with empty hands looked like she was looking for something to take.
Focus, Mia, she whispered to herself.
The Ledger—the "GOLDEN LEDGER " as the underworld called it—wasn't just a book of accounts. It was a map of every bribe, every murder, and every betrayal that had built the Silas empire. If Mia could get her hands on it, she wouldn't just be rich; she would be the most powerful person in Aethelgard.
She watched Leo from across the room. He was tall, his broad shoulders cutting through the crowd like the prow of a ship. Even while escorting the bumbling Duke, his head was constantly moving, his eyes (those piercing greenish-blue sparks behind the gold) scanning the balconies. He wasn't just a guard; he was a predator guarding his territory.
He's fair-skinned, almost pale under the golden light, she noted, catching the way his straight, dark hair caught the sheen of the candles. And those faint marks on his skin... pockmarks? No, they looked more like old battle scars or the remnants of a rougher life. It made him look human. It made him look vulnerable, which was a lie she couldn't afford to believe.
Mia waited for the orchestra to begin a heavy, thundering waltz. The vibration of the drums would mask the sound of a clicking lock. She slipped through a set of heavy velvet curtains behind a marble statue of a weeping angel.
The transition from the ballroom to the servant's passage was like stepping from a summer day into a tomb. The air was colder, smelling of dust and old stone. Mia reached into the hidden slit of her floral gown, her fingers finding the cold, familiar steel of her lockpicks.
She climbed the narrow spiral staircase, her soft slippers making no sound. Her heart was a drum in her ears. Step. Breathe. Step. Breathe.
At the top of the stairs stood a door of heavy oak, reinforced with iron bands. This was the entrance to Lady Silas's private wing. Mia knelt, her gown spilling around her like a pool of ink and petals. She inserted the tension wrench and the pick.
Click.
The sound was tiny, but in the silence of the hallway, it sounded like a gunshot. She frozen, holding her breath." Going somewhere , little owl ? "
The voice didn't come from the hallway. It came from the balcony directly above her.
The Standoff
Mia didn't scream. She didn't even jump. Her training took over. She stood up slowly, keeping her hands visible but poised.
Leo Black was leaning against the stone railing of the upper gallery, looking down at her. He had removed his golden mask, dangling it from one finger. Without the metal covering his face, he looked younger—perhaps twenty-four—but his expression was weary. He had a mysterious, mocking smirk playing on his lips, the kind of "drink" of a smile that suggested he knew exactly how this would end.
" The private wing is off-limit to guest ". Leo said, his voice dropping to a low, intimate rumble. "Even the pretty ones " .
"I got lost ." Mia lied, her voice steady. "The spire is a labyrinth . I was looking for the powder room ".
Leo let out a short, dry laugh. He vaulted over the railing, landing silently on the rug a few feet from her. He was tall, looming over her, the scent of expensive tobacco and sharp ozone clinging to his coat.
"You're a terrible liar ,Mia reed ".
Mia's blood turned to ice. He knows my name.
" I don't know who's that ! "she snapped, stepping back until her spine hit the iron-banded door.
Leo stepped into her space, his greenish-blue eyes locking onto hers. He didn't reach for his sword. Instead, he reached out and touched the edge of her silver mask with a gloved finger. I grew up in the same gutter as you little owl , I know the way a thief moves. You don't walk like a lady ; you walk like the floorboard will tell on her . "
He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "The ledger isn't behind that door . Silas moved it an hour ago . She knew you're coming ".
Boom !! They had their first ever convo .
What do you think will happen next ? Do comment your thoughts on these chapter and you prediction for next one <3