Emerging from the shadows, a shrouded figure grabbed hold of Arsen Rydberg. “Let go!” Despite his struggles, the young lord was hoisted over the railing and down to the ground two stories below. The young lord flailed and gasped. “Let go!” The assailant’s hand held firm and the two disappeared from sight.

What the hell was going on? With this change, the story was now suddenly unrecognizable. How was this possible?

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and my thoughts raced. Anything could happen now.

A commoner found alone in the nobles’ sitting room, the heir to the barony lying dead in a pool of his own blood just two stories below. A locked room with only one suspect trapped inside. The conclusion was obvious. I would be executed.

As this thought took hold in my mind, I screamed involuntarily, then ran for the door. I pounded on the unyielding wood with all my might. “Help! I need help!”

I heard a guard chuckle. This was not Arsen’s first time in a locked room with a young woman, and they were confident he would triumph in any struggle. How could he be harmed? Everything would go as expected.

Just not this time. “The lord’s been murdered!”

I heard the other guard laugh raucously from the other side of the door. “That’s a new one.”

“There’s an assassin on the estate! Please—help!”

At that moment, a voice rang out down the hall. “What is the meaning of this?”

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“Countess!” The two guards responded in unison.

The countess? What was she doing here? Was the plot dragging itself back onto the tracks?

“I said, what is the meaning of this? I clearly heard a woman in that room begging for help. If I’m not mistaken, I heard the word ‘assassin’. Now what the hell are you fools doing? Open the door immediately.”

The guard to my left coughed. “I’m sorry, Countess, but we’re under strict orders that Lord Rydberg is not to be disturbed.”

Light footfalls approached the door and I heard the countess’s voice from the other side. “Stand back, young lady.”

I obeyed. Suddenly, both doors were forced off their hinges and landed on the ground with a thud, knocked down clean by a single, powerful kick.

Lady Solana offered me her hand. “You did well. Let’s be going.” She led me out of the room.

We fled into the audience hall as the guards crept into the room behind us. “Lord Rydberg? Hello?”

The countess gripped my hand tightly. “Listen carefully. We’ve yet to be introduced, but right now, you must trust me. Leave the talking to your elders and we’ll have you out of here without a scratch. None of this is your fault.”

Why was she here? Was she in league with Arsen’s murderer? Everything had suddenly gone off course, but how? Why?

None of my questions would be answered now, so all I could do was take a deep breath and listen to her directions. “Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

Lady Solana walked in large steps towards the baron, who was currently sharing a drink with his wife. She called to him in a voice that echoed through the hall. “Baron Rydberg.”

He flinched and turned to us, obviously confused. “Countess? What seems to be the matter?”

“I’m afraid a great many issues need to be addressed, and it simply cannot wait. We’ll begin with your recently departed son and his behavior.”

The baron’s eyes narrowed and behind him, his wife gasped in shock. The guards flanking him each placed their hands on their weapons.

“What the hell did you just say?”