Everything is so clear in hindsight. The mistakes seem so obvious and blaring that everyone should have noticed. Those little breadcrumbs previously overlooked in favor of more pressing or interesting matters. Bellavarn should have known.

Fool me once—shame on you. Fool me twice—shame on me. Fool me thrice...

It was time to prepare and set the board in his favor. The first piece... Perhaps the most important piece was the person he called to meet him.

Sitting upright in his bed, he was calm. Determination replacing possible anxiety. A figure appeared in the doorway—a petite, recognizable silhouette. Bellavarn smiled with his eyes.

She walked over to sit on a wooden chair near his bed. Many people rotated through that chair already, regaling him with their own stories and feelings. He's learned everything that happened in his absence, from one mouth or another, or seven at once. Now, it was finally her turn.

Bellavarn tossed.

"Think fast!"

Both her arms raised to block the object. The folded piece of paper fell harmlessly into her lap.

Ester glared, replacing her arm in the sling.

"Jerk. What is this?"

Chuckling.

"Instructions. Along with your pay increase, as promised."

Ester tsked. Puffing out a lip.

"I just finished fooling the others. Why do I have to do another job so soon?"

"Lannie said you cried. Was that true?"

She folded her arms. Looking away.

"It was part of the act. It was difficult to create believable crocodile tears."

"I thought I told you not to lie to me."

"No. You didn't."

"...I am saying it now. Also, your concern for me is touching."

"I told you I didn't..."

She trailed off. Bellavarn held a knowing smile. Then it faded. He remembered the tales of the others who came to him. Serious, he spoke softly.

"It was bad, wasn't it?"

Ester looked at him sideways then glanced away with a huff. A small nod was her answer. Bellavarn sighed.

"I don't remember much. Just a lot of pain. I was lucky you were able to get my message during such a garbled mess."

Ester huffed.

"I am a cut above the others."

"Yes. You are."

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Ester relaxed, unfolding her arms and picking up the paper.

"So, what is this about?"

Bellavarn smiled.

"First, tell me if the number on top is good enough for you."

An eyebrow flinched. She eyed Bellavarn.

"This is four times my salary. Are you bribing me? I don't need the money."

Bellavarn enjoyed teasing her more than other people.

"That is sweet, but it will be required if you decide to take the job. I've set it aside slowly over the past month. No one will know about this. Not my father, my mother, or even Lannie."

Ester read the information in silence It wasn't long, but there were a lot of details that would need to be memorized. The farther she read, the more she put the pieces together. Her eyebrows rising further and further until she held the paper with both hands. At the end was an image, unrecognizable without the accompanying information.

Incredulous.

"This is madness. Not to mention dangerous."

"Will you take the job?"

"This isn't just about the job. If I am caught, I will be killed. I am not that great of an actor!"

"Ester..."

"Why do you have to do this? Why do I have to do this?"

She stood with a harrumph. A stern voice halted her stomping.

"Ester."

Bellavarn knew it was a lot to take in, but Ester was the only one he could trust for this mission. She was to only one to pick up on Bellavarn's message. The intelligence lurking behind Ester's uncaring facade was second to none. She was just too lazy to use it.

"No one else can do it. If I did it myself, do you realize how easily things would fall apart? You are the only person I can trust to get it done in secrecy. I need you."

Her arms hung at her sides. Looking down at the bedridden Bellavarn, she was glad he wasn't insane anymore. Instead, he was only mad.

Maybe if it had been me and not Melody that day...

No. Ester is a terrible teacher and would have lost her patience. Looking at Bellavarn now, seeing a completely different person from a year ago, Ester knew she could never have brought about the man in front of her. Bellavarn was a man worth following now. Madness and all.

Not to mention betraying his trust would make her feel shitty.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Thank you, Ester."

"Yeah, yeah. Do I still have to teach you to knit?"

Bellavarn blinked.

"Ah. No. I'll have Lannie help me. I've almost got one half-finished."

"What happened to all that inspiration from earlier, hmm?"

Looking ashamed, Bellavarn rubbed the back of his head.

"I failed. Again..."

Ester smacked her face. Maybe taking the job wasn't the best idea. Bellavarn twiddled his fingers, abashed. Then his mouth formed an O.

"Oh! Can you do me another favor?"

Her stare melted a hole straight through him.

"What? It's not big! If was going to ask you to bring April here, seeing as I am bedridden on doctor's and father's orders. Maybe stationing someone outside the door would have been smarter, but I wanted this conversation to be private. Ah, if you could ask Misses Vale for some cookies. And Vienna for more soup! Also, ask Wendle to set aside another small plot for flowers. I wanted to grow something tamer. Ah, and actually, if you could also-You know what? I will make a list for it. Here, just let me..."

He reached for parchment and pen but stopped.

"Ester? Ester! Where'd you go?"

=

"April."

"Whaat! I wasn't touching anything, I swear!"

A spinning top swiveled to a stop.

April grimaced.

"Bellavarn called for you."

Ester left before April had a chance to object, interject, intervene, intrude, iterate, or pronunciate.

...

April has been stuck reading a dictionary to calm her nerves.

She'd gathered that he was awake by now. That was why she'd been so nervous and fidgety. She'd found the small spinning top placed on one of the bookshelves during her second day here. It had been hidden behind a thick, robust dictionary. With little else to do but read, that was what she did. When she got bored or anxious, she played with the spinning top since it didn't drain her mana and make her pass out and be found/awoken by an angry, angry duke and be rebuked for over an hour before the Duchess came to her rescue.

April glared fiercely at the toy like it wronged her.

Suddenly realizing that all the waiting was over, she became overly conscious of her appearance. She'd been stuck here for a few days, grateful but also unwilling. Thankfully the Duchess took care of her, along with that maid Parcy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even had the chance to bathe or change clothes.

Looking down at herself, she liked the green she wore. Bellavarn once said he liked the color on her, so it's become one of her favorites colors. It was a favorite before, of course, but now it was her favorite-er-er!

Smoothing out a crease, she stiffly walked over to the guards at the door. Only wobbling an itsy bit.