It didn't last.
It never does.
After tea, Master Rin encouraged me to "walk the terraces," claiming that new places introduce themselves best when met halfway. Auralia stayed behind—half resting, half pretending she wasn't checking the room for hidden threats—and Elya remained to defend her queen against Rin's patient, cunning knight.
So I stepped out into Mizuhara alone.
The city breathed differently beyond the threshold of the tea house. The air was cooler on the upper terraces, touched by the spray of small waterfalls. Elder scribes penned poetry under shaded pavilions. Candle-makers dipped wicks into shimmering vats. Philosophers argued quietly over bowls of steamed rice.
Everyone moved with intention, not urgency.
It made me ache.
But the serenity had seams. Small ones. Easy to miss unless you came from a place with too many knives.
Soldiers in deep indigo stood at the perimeter of the middle terrace. They weren't Mizuharan—boots too heavy, posture too stiff, eyes too sharp. Kithran. A faint insignia of silver thread glinted on their collars.
They were speaking softly with merchants. Asking questions. Writing names.
My pulse shifted. Calm into caution.
I took the narrow lane to the left, half in shadow, passing wind-bells and silk streamers. A shelf near the corner bore paper notices. Most were harmless—lost cats, festival dates, tea competitions—but three sheets were pinned higher, with brass tacks and the official seal of Kithra stamped in dark wax.
I felt the danger before I saw the ink.
The first notice bore a hand-drawn portrait.
Of me.
WANTED FOR TREASON, MURDER, AND THEFT OF SACRED RELICSEiran Kael — "The False Warden."Last seen in Kithra. Consider armed and extremely dangerous.
It was a good likeness. Too good. The jaw set in quiet defiance. The faint glow of runes under the skin of my arm. A tiredness in the eyes only people who survive monsters carry.
My stomach went cold.
The second poster stole my breath.
Auralia.
WANTED FOR CONSPIRACY, ABDUCTION, AND PROFANATION OF HOLY GROUNDSAuralia Venn — "The Marked One."Approach with caution. Life reward offered.
Her portrait was perfect — down to the small scar on her lip. Someone drew her with frightening accuracy, even capturing the slight tension she carried in her posture.
That meant one thing.
Someone had seen us clearly.
Someone had escaped Silas's manor.
My throat tightened.
The third notice bore a name I despised:By decree of Lord Silas Calgrace.
My vision tunneled.
I wanted to tear the posters down. Burn them. Shred them. Pretend they didn't exist. But Rin's words echoed in my skull:
The city listens.
If I touched the paper, if I reacted, it would be remembered.
A fisherman passing by squinted at the posters, shrugged, and kept walking. A monk clicked his tongue, annoyed that the notices disrupted the poetry arrangement. Not a single person looked at me with suspicion.
Not yet.
I stepped back, forcing breath into my lungs. My hands trembled despite my will. My runes thrummed softly—unease crawling beneath my skin like distant thunder.
Auralia didn't know.
And I didn't know how to tell her.
When I returned to The Whispering Leaf, the warmth of steam greeted me like an embrace I didn't deserve. Elya was leaning over the chessboard, triumphant as she captured Rin's last rook. Auralia sat with one hand around her cup, half-laughing at something Rin had said.
For a moment, the world looked safe again.
Rin noticed me first. His gaze sharpened, a flicker of knowing passing behind his smile. "Your tea's still hot," he said gently. "And so is your heart."
I managed a nod and sat.
Auralia glanced up, quick and perceptive. "You look pale. Everything alright?"
"Just… taking in the city," I lied.
Her eyes narrowed—not suspicious, but concerned. She reached under the table and squeezed my knee. "If you say so."
Elya proudly announced, "Master Rin says I think like a knight!"
"Dangerous," I said softly, ruffling her hair.
But my mind stayed on the posters.
On the lies.
On the title they'd given me.
The False Warden.
I sipped the tea Rin refreshed for me. It tasted different this time—bitter at the edges, honest at the core. Perhaps he'd brewed it for the mood I tried so hard to hide.
I watched Auralia, unaware of the price on her head.I watched Elya, laughing freely in a world that wanted to devour her.I watched Rin, wise enough not to force the truth before I was ready.
And I made a choice.
I would tell them soon.
But not tonight.
Tonight, they deserved the peace Mizuhara pretended to offer.
The world would find us soon enough.