Time dissolved in the confines of her four walls. She could not say if minutes or hours had passed. She lay sprawled on the rickety floorboards, staring at the cracked ceiling above. Thoughts did not come and emotions did not stir.

  She was numb.

  The faint light filtering through the tiny hole in the wall was the only proof the world outside still existed.

  Then the lock clicked.

  Lumi shot to her feet. Too fast, the blood rushed to her head. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, the room tilted. She braced herself against the wall, her palm scraping against splintered wood.

  “You look like shit.” The sight of Rico leaning against her doorframe made her stomach twist. His voice was casual, as though he wasn’t complicit in her ruin. “This isn’t about the gem you stashed beneath your bed, is it? Quite a fortune you had there. I had no idea.”

  The paralysis shattered, replaced by a tidal wave of fury.

  “You.” Her voice was low, venomous. She stepped forward and shoved him hard in the chest. “Why?”

  Rico didn’t budge, his smirk widening, “The Lady commanded it.”

  Sol. Of course it had been her. But why now? Why today? She must have seen the floorboard in Lumi’s memories before, must have known about its existence.

  So, why now?

  When she was so close to freedom.

  Lumi’s breath hitched, anger mixing with a creeping despair. “She had no right—”

  Rico silenced her with a flick of his wrist. “The Lady is ready to see you now,” he said, as though her rage was a nuisance to be brushed aside.

  He turned and gestured for her to follow. While her legs carried her, her mind swam in chaos. The main lounge loomed closer with each step, her thoughts swirling faster.

  The betrayal cut deeper than any blade ever could. The promise of freedom had been a lie. A cruel illusion dangled before her to keep her obedient. And now, everything she had worked for, bled for, suffered for—it had all been taken.

  How dare she. How dare she?

  Lumi didn’t wait to be announced. She brushed past Rico’s looming silhouette without a second thought. Shoving open the heavy double doors, she strode into the lavish lounge.

  Surrounded by company, Lady Sol reclined on a low chaise. She was no longer the child she’d been hours before. Her features had aged, now those of a woman in her late twenties, perhaps early thirties. The room held a glittering array of finely dressed men and women. Laughter rippled across the space, mingling with the heady scent of wine and sex.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Pleasuremaidens swayed hypnotically, their movements deliberate as they entertained guests. Each striving to make an impression and secure a booking for the night.

  Lumi didn’t care why she’d been summoned. She didn’t care who these people were. Her focus burned solely on the woman lounging in the center of the scene. She stormed forward, cutting through the perfumed haze like a tempest.

  “You stole from me.” Her voice cut through the room like a blade, silencing the chatter.

  Lady Sol’s gaze lifted lazily from her guests, her expression hardening into cold steel. When she spoke, her tone was sharp as glass, “You were caught.”

  “What?” Her anger momentarily gave way to confusion.

  Sol rose, “Follow me.”

  Without waiting for a response, she turned and strode towards the private lounge. Lumi felt the weight of Rico’s imposing presence behind her. It was a silent threat that left no room for defiance. She followed reluctantly.

  Sol sat comfortably, and gestured for Lumi to do the same. It was only when she did that the Lady spoke again.

  “The Emperor,” Sol’s voice dripped with disdain, “He came here. Told me you robbed him blind last night. You know the rules, Lumi. Don’t get caught. And if you do, you sure as hell don’t let anyone know you’re associated with me. How do you think your foolishness makes me look, hmm?”

  “I don’t give a damn about your reputation.” Lumi gritted out.

  Sol’s lips curved into a cold smile. “A shame, really. It’s that very attitude that’s landed you in this mess.”

  “Give him back the money I stole, I don’t care. But the rest is mine. I earned it.”

  Sol leaned forward, setting her goblet of wine on the table with deliberate slowness. Her gaze locked onto Lumi’s, cold and unyielding. “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “You have no right—”

  “I have every right,” Sol interrupted, her voice rising above Lumi’s. “You belong to me. And so does everything you think you own.”

  Lumi’s nails dug into her palms. Her body trembled with the effort to hold herself back. She wanted to claw at her, to make her feel even a fraction of the anger boiling inside her. “You’re vile.”

  Sol’s laughter was callous. “Is that any way to speak to the one who puts a roof over your head? The one who allows you to live?”

  Lumi’s chest heaved, her breaths ragged. “I want it back.”

  “And I want a vacation home in the southern islands of Senka,” Sol mocked, leaning back against the chaise, “But we can’t always get what we want, can we?”

  “Tell me.”

  The lady raised one neat brow, “Excuse me?”

  “I want to know who I am. The gem is yours, fine. I’ll work another decade to win my freedom if I have to, but I must know. Tell me who I am!” The last words were bellowed with all the rage she felt.

  The air was suffocating. Sol’s voice cut through it like a whip. “I don’t give out favors for free. You’ll have to pay to get what you seek.”

  “I—” She started to say something, but then a large palm patted her shoulder. Rico’s. It was a warning. She fell silent.

  “You’ve embarrassed me in front of my guests,” said the Lady, “For that, you will not be paid for your services tonight.”

  Oh gods. In her misery, she had forgotten all about tonight. Of what she would be expected to do. The realization hit her like a cold wave.

  Then Sol delivered her next blow, “The Emperor has paid double what the General offered. He’s booked you for the entire night. You will do as he commands, please him in any way he desires—or you will face my wrath.”

  Rook paid for her services? Double what General Sivan offered. Her anxiety surged, this time in a way that twisted deeper than when she’d thought about spending the night with the General. Sure, being commanded to please Rook made her vengeful. But it also made her belly tighten, it made her skin flush.

  “Why should I obey you?” Lumi’s voice shook, but she felt defiant, “You’ll never set me free. You’ll never tell me who I truly am.”

  “Why should you obey?” Sol’s smile was cold, “Because you have no choice.”

  It was true. Defeat settled over her like a suffocating blanket. There was nothing left to say, no hope to escape the consequences of her own actions. Her fate was sealed.

  “Now,” Sol drank from her goblet, “Go with Gertrude and get washed up. The Emperor doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”