I slowly took a step back.

Fuck.

So he really had been there. Unless she was lying too, which felt unlikely, Mr. Marble had an alibi after all. Maybe I really had been grasping at shadows and trying too hard to force the blame onto him. I still could not understand how Jelda had been teleported, but that did not automatically make him guilty.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Where are you going?" she asked, irritation creeping into her voice. "Get over here."

"I’ll pass." I forced a weak smile. "Good luck, though."

"You’ll pass?" she repeated in disbelief. "Are you serious? How dare you talk with the Queen’s si—"

"Ace!" a guard called from farther down the corridor. "Where is he?"

"Looks like they’re calling me." I said. "Nice meeting you."

"You little—"

I did not wait for her to finish. I quickly turned and walked down the corridor toward the throne room. Two guards stood beside the massive doors, one on each side. When I approached, one of them motioned for me to stop and checked me over for weapons. Since I had already stored the dagger inside my inventory, the search did not take long.

The guard nodded to his companion.

The doors slowly opened.

I stepped into the middle of the throne room while the doors creaked wider behind me. First I saw the polished marble floor, then the raised platform, and finally the throne itself.

Queen Mia sat upon it with one leg crossed over the other. Her long crimson dress matched the dark red color of her hair, and the slit along her leg exposed pale skin against the velvet fabric. Even sitting casually, she carried an overwhelming presence that made the entire room feel smaller.

"Ace Walker," she said calmly. "Welcome."

I walked forward and lowered myself onto one knee. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I heard you requested an urgent audience." she continued. "Captain Sora told me it concerned Jelda’s death."

"It does." I replied carefully. "I... have a request."

She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly. "I’m listening."

There was no point asking whether Mr. Marble had truly been with them yesterday. I already had my answer. That meant I needed another reason for this meeting.

"I’d like to assist Captain Sora with the investigation." I said.

The Queen’s expression shifted faintly with surprise. "Assist her?"

"I’ve seen things like this before," I said. "I think I could help."

"Yes," she murmured. "With the number of dead souls attached to you, I imagine you have."

"Then may I?" I asked. "I want to help solve this case. I want to do right by Jelda."

The Queen considered my words for several silent seconds. Then she rose from the throne and stepped down from the platform, her heels softly clicking against the marble floor. She crossed the room toward an enormous dining table positioned near the far wall.

The thing was absurdly large. If two people sat at opposite ends, they would probably have to raise their voices just to hear one another.

"A mere student," she said at last, resting a hand against one of the chairs, "with no investigative experience. I cannot allow that, Walker."

"Please." I said, still kneeling. "I only want to help Captain Sora."

"No." Her voice remained calm but firm. "I will not permit it."

I lowered my eyes toward the floor.

Truthfully, getting permission had never been the real reason I came here. I only wanted confirmation about Mr. Marble, and now I had it. The meeting had already served its purpose.

"Then thank you for your time, Your Majesty." I said. "I won’t trouble you any further."

"Mm." she replied. "You may leave."

I bowed deeply before rising to my feet. Then I turned and walked toward the massive doors. As I pulled one of them open, I glanced back for a brief moment.

The Queen was watching me.

There was something in her gaze that made me think she understood this conversation had not truly been about joining the investigation. Still, she chose not to say anything.

That suited me just fine.

I stepped outside and let out a long breath.

"Phew," I muttered quietly. "That was close."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

I checked the map and exhaled slowly. According to Pix, this was the place where Jelda had bought that necklace. The shop sat inside Bildirweight District, the same district Northwood Academy stood in. Even this late in the day, the streets were still packed shoulder to shoulder with people.

The alley I walked through was narrow enough that not even a horse could comfortably pass through it. Merchants occupied nearly every corner of the district, their voices blending into a constant wall of noise. A blacksmith farther down the street hammered glowing metal against an anvil, sparks jumping into the darkening air while the rhythmic clang echoed between the buildings. Beside him stood a tailor’s shop with colorful fabrics hanging from wooden poles, swaying gently with the evening breeze. Across the road, a tavern spilled laughter and drunken shouting through its open windows, the smell of roasted meat and cheap ale drifting into the street.

The sun dipped lower with every passing minute, shadows stretching longer across the stone roads while lanterns slowly began lighting up one by one. Some market stalls were already closing for the night. A tailor next to me pulled down the shutters of his shop with a tired groan while a pair of workers stacked crates outside a bakery.

Thankfully, the place Jelda visited was still open.

Calling it a shop would have been generous. Four market stalls were arranged in front of a small two-story house, each packed with random goods. An old man stood behind them, speaking with customers while counting coins into his wrinkled palm. Necklaces hung from strings above the counter, while smaller items like gauntlets, rings, cheap daggers, and bits of armor cluttered the tables below.

"Hello," I said as I approached.

"Yes, two silver, there you go," the old man muttered while handing change to a customer. Then he looked at me and smiled faintly. "Hello, young man. Solvane bless you."

"And light your path," I replied automatically. I had heard that phrase so many times by now that it came naturally. "I’d like to ask some questions about a girl who came here yesterday."

The old man’s face darkened immediately.

"Myrrakai’s roots..." he muttered. "Is this about Jelda?"

I nodded. "It is."

"May Orenthis welcome her with open arms," he said quietly, shaking his head. "She was far too young."

"You sold her a necklace, right?"

"And with a discount, too." He nodded. "She didn’t have the full gold coin, so I sold it for eight silver and two bronze."

"Tell me," I continued, "is there any way to trace the necklace?"

He rubbed his chin slowly. "Impossible. It’s only an alarm necklace. Once pressed, it makes noise loud enough for nearby people to hear. Nothing more."

I already knew that, but it never hurt to double-check.

"When she came here," I asked carefully, "how did she seem?"

"I don’t follow."

"Did she look scared? Nervous? Stressed?"

"She definitely looked frightened." The old man nodded once. Before he could continue, another customer stepped up to the stall. "Sorry, kid. It’s closing time, and I can’t stop working now. I pray the gods find whoever killed her."

I let out a quiet breath. "Yeah. Alright. Have a good night."

"You too, son."

Great.

I walked away empty-handed once again.

The evening air felt colder now that the sun had nearly disappeared. I shoved my hands into my pockets and made my way back through Bildirweight District toward the academy. The deeper I walked into the city, the busier the streets became.

Workers carrying crates pushed past me while merchants shouted final deals before closing their shops. The scent of smoke drifted from chimneys overhead, mixing with roasting meat from taverns and bakeries. A group of drunk men stumbled out of a bar laughing loudly, one of them nearly crashing into me before his friends dragged him away.

Everywhere I looked, life continued normally.

Meanwhile, Jelda was dead.

The thought sat heavily in my chest while I walked.

None of this made sense. She had clearly been abducted somewhere else. The lack of blood inside the dormitory room proved that much. Yet nobody had seen anyone carrying her body back inside. The protection crystal supposedly made teleportation impossible. Mr. Marble had an alibi. The necklace was gone.

Every answer only created more questions.

I clenched my jaw while turning down the road that led toward Northwood’s dormitories.

Someone was lying. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Either the protections around the academy were not as perfect as everyone claimed, or someone inside had helped the killers. There was no other explanation left.

By the time I reached the circular street, night had fully settled over the district. Lanterns illuminated the dormitories with soft orange light while students crowded around outside instead of staying in their rooms.

Then I noticed something strange.