Having made the decision to stop struggling with her anxious thoughts and get the job over with, Nora made her stealthy approach to the corner of the impressive residence.

Underfoot, the wooden shingles threatened to send her spiraling down to the muddy ground below.

Her fingers gripped the edges of the cobblestones in the wall to keep her footing, and she slowly made it to the corner. Peering around with keen hazel eyes, she saw something so perfect to continue her ascent that it might as well have been a ladder.

A lop-sided smirk crept onto her face at the sight of a honeysuckle-covered trellis leaning against the house. It reached all the way up to the roof of the third floor. Nobles valued appearances more than security, it seemed.

Nora displaced her weight back onto her heels, then forced her body forward and jumped around the corner onto the trellis. Quick fingers dug through the honeysuckle to the wood of the trellis beneath and began to skillfully climb up.

As the flowers tickled her nose and lips, she puffed out some air in annoyance but was still grateful that the Taeguns hadn't planted something here with thorns. Truly, they should have.

In nearly no time at all, she made her way to what she assumed was Lady Myrtle's balcony. Nora did not even have to jump from the trellis to the balcony to reach it. She had climbed the trellis high enough to simply step down onto the railing, and then down once more on the balcony floor.

The invitation of a large door drew her over. She placed one hand lightly on the door's lever and pushed down with the slightest pressure she could manage in an attempt to muffle any noises in case she was lucky enough for the door to open.

There was no movement. Of course, she had expected the door to be locked.

'But wouldn't it have been nice if it wasn't?' she thought wistfully.

Picking the lock on the door would work, but there was always the chance her pick could break, which meant she'd have to purchase more. That would slowly eat away at her savings, and she absolutely needed those.

With her hope crushed, she then walked to the nearby window. There were no handles on the outside. Placing her palms flat around the glass pane and leaning into it, she pushed upward slowly so the window would rise. It didn't budge.

Though it appeared to have a gap at the top for the window to be pushed up into, that obviously hadn't worked.

'Ugh. How does it open, then'? She wondered, and studied the window, glaring at it like it was her enemy.

It was then that the cross-section of thin dark wood that ran in an 'X' from the corners the window diagonally caught her attention. It was merely decorative, but she might be able to use it to pry the window from its closed position.

'What else can I do?' It didn't look like the window pulled open, but she had to try.

Narrowing her eyes, she attempted to grip the thin strip of wood that ran down from the top right corner. It was a precarious grip, but it was enough. As the window opened, and she had to shift backward to allow space for it.

Fluidly, she snaked through the open gap into Lady Myrtle's room and slinked into the room's left corner, which was the closest. Surrounded by walls, she no longer felt chilly from the breeze. It was a welcome change, especially considering how soaked her trousers and blouse were.

Instead of rain and wet grass like outside, the room smelled heavily of roses, which must be from the Lady's perfume. It was so strong that Nora found her nose crinkling.

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Her eyes scanned the room, until they rested on a mound covered by a thick duvet. This mound must be Lady Myrtle.

'Surely, she would never let that ring leave her possession', Nora reasoned with herself and silently tip-toed over to sleeping woman, but before she reached out to bring the cover down, she stopped herself.

If she accidentally woke Lady Taegun, that was it; she'd have to flee. With that in mind, she began to quietly open and search the drawers of several jewelry boxes sitting on a vanity at the far side of the room.

It was dark in the room, but because this family used magical lamps, there was a faint glow. It was just enough to see.

While there were plenty of jewels and trinkets in the boxes, the enchanted opal ring was not there. It was unique. Not only did it have an opal stone, but the band was also white and had 2 gold inlays in the ornate shape of roses.

Moving on from the vanity, she continued to search the room until the only option left was to look at Lady Myrtle's fingers. She swiftly lowered the duvet and found the Lady's hands. In an instant, she saw the ring on Lady Myrtle's right hand.

Without wasting a second more time, Nora started to slip the ring off the Lady's finger. It took a bit of effort and a few pauses as Lady Myrtle snored or moved in her sleep, but Nora finally managed to coax it off the finger and was just about to pull the cover back up when a knock sounded on the door.

"Darling, are you awake?" called Lord Bertelis from outside his wife's door.

To Nora's horror, the sleeping Lady Myrtle hummed in response to her husband's voice, "Hmmmmm".

Immediately, Nora's eyes widened. She snatched the border of the duvet and threw it back over the woman. It settled over top Myrtle's head, and the woman wiggled around underneath, obviously uncomfortable by the new position of her blanket.

As fast her muscles would move, Nora turned on her heels and dashed toward the window.

Even running, her steps were no louder than a whisper thanks to a large plush rug on the floor and her refusal to wear shoes when taking on burgling jobs.

Nobles' rooms were not small. In fact, this bedroom was larger than Nora's entire living space within the guild, and reaching the window wasn't as simple as taking a few strides.

The click of a door unlatching sounded alarm bells in Nora's mind. She'd hoped to be out of the room before the man outside the door made his way in, but luck was not on her side.

"Who the blazes are you?!" The angry voice of Lord Bertelis boomed behind Nora, and thundering steps were heard racing toward her. He was quickly closing the distance between them as a high-pitched screech from Lady Myrtle pierced the air, overtaking all other sounds.

Having thrown the obstruction of her face, Myrtle noticed the shady character running toward the window.

"Guards!!!" screamed Myrtle. "Help!"

More steps, presumably from the summoned guards, clumsily boomed on the wooden floor outside the room.

Nora's heart pounded loudly in ears, and her breathing became rapid. The window was close now, but it seemed so far.

A guard had made it into the room. She could tell by the thundering stomps of boots, and Lord Taegun's less threatening scrambles had stopped. The lord was likely nearly by his wife's bed by now.

Myrtle bolted to a sitting position, clutching her blanket like her life depended on it even though it was obvious that this intruder was trying to escape, not cause harm.

Having finally reached her gateway to escape, Nora desperately flung an arm out to grip the window frame. Bracing herself with an arm against the frame, she placed a foot on the windowsill and prepared to hurtle onto the balcony.

The guard who had made it into the room had daunting speed. His boots pounded the floor, nearing the window already.

'How is this possible?!' Nora was astounded. If Myrtle had screamed even a couple of seconds earlier, there was no doubt in her mind that she'd be caught. Smoothly, she lifted herself up and over the window's threshold.

Myrtle's panic-stricken eyes darted around the room and narrowed on muddy prints on her luxurious rug. Besides the thief's dirty mess, nothing else looked out of place save for a drawer in one of her jewelry boxes not being fully closed.

Realization struck Myrtle like a slap to the face. If the thief was looking for jewelry, it was possible she had one particular piece in mind. Her eyes shot down to her hands.

By the time Lady Myrtle noticed the missing ring, Nora was already on the balcony looking for the next path in her escape.

Not even once during the commotion had the thief looked back. She couldn't, else the Lord and Lady Taegun would see her panicked face. The thought was too shameful bear, so Nora gritted her teeth and resisted curiosity's temptation.

The guard reached the window shortly after Nora, but it wasn't as as easy for him to get through. His shoulders were much too broad, his legs too large, and his thick leather armor too restricting.

Pounding a fist on the window frame, the guard withdrew from its opening, and jogged to the door to unlock it.