Today’s morning began with an unusual edge, a subtle shift that Cassie could feel in her bones. The palace, ever bustling with its constant rhythm of life, seemed to hum with a tension that hadn’t been there before. Servants moved more quickly, glancing over their shoulders, eyes darting nervously from one corner to the next.

Even the air felt thicker, as though the very walls had absorbed the weight of the rumors swirling within them. Gossip had always been a constant here, but now it clung to the stone like a heavy fog, seeping into every conversation, every shadow.

Cassie moved briskly through the servants’ quarters, collecting cleaning supplies from the main storeroom. She avoided the clusters of maids gathered near the entrance, their laughter and whispers cutting through the air. Their glances followed her as she passed, but she paid them no mind.

“… she’s too confident,” someone murmured behind her.

“Won’t be for long,” came the reply, sly and sharp.

Cassie ignored the words, but her focus sharpened. Lady Esther’s discontent had spread quickly through the ranks, fanning the embers of gossip into a flame. By the time Cassie reached the upper halls, her awareness of the shifting currents was acute.

She was met by a steward near the eastern wing. “Esther’s rooms,” he said curtly, thrusting a cleaning list into her hands.

Cassie blinked, caught off guard. She rarely cleaned the Crown Prince fiancée’s quarters; her duties typically kept her elsewhere. The unusual assignment felt deliberate.

She nodded once, her expression neutral, and headed toward the east wing.

The air inside Lady Esther’s quarters was perfumed with the cloying scent of jasmine, almost suffocating in its intensity. Every surface gleamed with polish, as though constantly prepared for inspection.

Cassie worked efficiently, her focus narrowing to the tasks at hand: dusting the vanity, smoothing the silk bedding, and arranging the array of jeweled hairpins and brooches in their designated spaces. The faint sound of voices drifted in from the hall, muffled but persistent.

She was alone. The junior maid assigned to assist her had stepped out minutes earlier, claiming she needed to fetch water. Cassie hadn’t questioned it, but now the absence felt conspicuous.

The door creaked open behind her.

The junior maid returned, her expression unreadable as she stepped inside. She moved slowly, her eyes flickering over Cassie’s work before settling on her hands.

“You’re fast,” the maid said, her voice too casual.

Cassie nodded, her movements steady as she returned a polished trinket to the vanity. “There’s still more to do,” she replied, her tone flat.

The junior maid lingered near the doorway, her presence prickling at Cassie’s awareness. Her gaze was too focused, her smile too tight.

“I’ll check the linens,” the maid said abruptly, slipping into the adjoining room.

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Cassie’s eyes followed her briefly before returning to her work. The tension in the air hung like a thread stretched to its breaking point.

By the time Cassie finished, the room was immaculate. She stepped back, surveying her work with a critical eye, then began gathering her cleaning supplies.

The junior maid reappeared just as Cassie reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” the maid said sharply, her voice cutting through the quiet.

Cassie turned, her brow furrowing slightly.

The maid’s expression shifted—innocence carefully feigned, her eyes wide as she pointed to the vanity. “Lady Esther’s brooch,” she said, her tone urgent. “It’s missing.”

Cassie’s pulse quickened, though her face remained impassive. “It was here when I arrived,” she said evenly.

The maid shook her head, a flicker of something triumphant crossing her face. “I saw you near it earlier,” she said. “You were the last one to touch it.”

Before Cassie could respond, the maid turned and bolted for the hall. Moments later, the heavy tread of boots echoed through the corridor.

Two palace guards entered the room, their stern expressions leaving no room for explanation.

“Cassie,” one of them said, his voice gruff. “We’ve been told there’s cause to search your quarters.”

Cassie’s fingers tightened around the handle of her cleaning bucket, but she nodded. Resistance would accomplish nothing.

The search was swift and methodical. Cassie stood near the doorway of the dormitory, her arms crossed as the guards rifled through her belongings. Around her, the other maids watched, their faces a mix of feigned shock and thinly veiled glee.

The guard nearest the bed froze suddenly, his hand emerging from the pile of folded linens with a glittering object clenched in his fist.

The brooch.

He held it up for all to see, the jewels catching the light.

Cassie’s chest tightened, but her expression didn’t waver. She met the guard’s gaze steadily. “That wasn’t there before,” she said calmly.

The junior maid stepped forward, her hands clasped in mock dismay. “How could you, Cassie?” she said, her voice trembling with feigned disbelief. “After all the trust Lady Esther placed in us…”

Cassie turned to the guards. “I want an audience with the head maid—and Lady Esther,” she said, her tone firm.

One of the guards exchanged a glance with his companion before nodding.

Lady Esther stood near the window of the head maid’s office, her gown cascading like molten silver in the low light. The head maid, stiff-backed and silent, sat at her desk, her expression unreadable as Cassie entered.

The guards flanked her, the brooch displayed prominently on the desk.

“So,” Esther began, turning with deliberate slowness. Her voice was soft, but each word dripped with venom. “This is the thief causing such disruption.”

Cassie said nothing, her gaze steady.

Esther stepped closer, her lips curling into a faint smile. “You’ve done well to hide your true nature,” she continued, circling like a predator. “Discipline can be such an effective mask for ambition, can’t it?”

The head maid’s gaze flicked between them, her frown deepening.

Cassie finally spoke, her voice calm but firm. “I didn’t take the brooch.”

Esther’s smile widened, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course you didn’t,” she said mockingly. “I suppose it simply walked into your quarters and hid itself among your things.”

The tension in the room thickened. The guards shifted uncomfortably, their initial confidence faltering under Cassie’s unflinching composure.

Cassie stepped closer to the desk, her eyes narrowing as she studied the brooch. Its placement among her linens had been too deliberate, too perfect.

“Where was it found?” she asked, her tone quiet but firm.

The guard hesitated. “Tucked between the folds of a pillowcase,” he admitted.

Cassie nodded slowly. “Convenient,” she murmured, her gaze flicking to Esther.

For the first time, the Crown Prince fiancée’s confident mask cracked. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers twitching against the folds of her gown.

Cassie didn’t look away. She didn’t need to say more; her silence was an accusation sharper than words.

The head maid cleared her throat, breaking the standoff. “We’ll investigate this thoroughly,” she said, her tone measured.

As the guards escorted her out, Cassie felt Esther’s glare burning into her back. The threat was far from over, but the cracks in Esther’s composure had already begun to show.