Time/Date: Early Evening, TC1853.01.07
Location: Metropolitan Police Station - 4th Ring
The Imperial Police transport hummed through night-darkened streets. Inside, four people sat in silence—the kind that felt heavy, deliberate. Each lost in their own version of what had just happened.
Lord Kael kept his posture rigid the way imperial training demanded. Golden eyes fixed somewhere beyond the reinforced windows. The expensive dark silk of his robes caught passing streetlamps—each golden thread seeming to burn. His jaw stayed set with that particular imperial stillness, but you could see the faintest pulse at his temple. Fury beneath all those generations of breeding. This woman had drugged him. Violated him. And now she sat there with that calm face, like she was the victim.
Across from him, Amara had arranged herself just so. Wounded innocence, perfect down to the last detail. Amber eyes glistening with tears that caught light like morning dew. Golden hair falling in waves that looked artfully disheveled—which, if you knew Amara, meant they were exactly that. Artful. She clutched a silk handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes with movements calculated to draw attention.
Selene sat beside Amara with the poise of someone who'd weathered storms before. Expected to weather this one, too. Dark hair still perfectly arranged despite the hour. Clothing without a single wrinkle. Only the slight tightness around her eyes gave anything away.
The fourth passenger—Raven, though they all knew her as Mara Brenner—sat with perfect stillness. Muddy brown eyes reflecting none of the panic you'd expect from a seventeen-year-old girl facing criminal charges. Her servant's clothing was simple. Clean. Her posture held a dignity that seemed entirely wrong given her supposed station.
Seventeen hours and forty-three minutes.
She'd been counting. That's how long since she'd delivered the evidence just after midnight. Long enough for full forensic analysis. Long enough to identify three distinct fingerprint sets on the glass—hers and two unknowns. Long enough for someone competent to start asking the right questions and building timeline inconsistencies.
Her gaze shifted to Selene. The older woman's fingers had found the edge of her silk sleeve—rubbing the fabric between thumb and forefinger. Over and over. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it.
A tell.
Fear dressed up as composure.
Good.
"Remember," Selene murmured, voice pitched low for Amara's ears, "maintain your composure. Answer only what's asked. Let the evidence speak for itself."
Kael's attention snapped toward them. Expression hardening even further. "Evidence," he repeated. The word carried absolute conviction. "Yes, I'm certain the authorities will find plenty of evidence once they begin their investigation properly."
That golden gaze fixed on Raven with predatory intensity. The look of someone who believed himself to be hunting down justice. "Tell me, Mara—do you intend to continue this charade even now? Or will you finally confess to what you've done?"
Raven met his stare with calm indifference. Like she was watching something interesting but ultimately irrelevant. When she spoke, her voice held the measured cadence of someone far older than her years suggested.
"Lord Kael, I believe it would be wise to reserve our statements for the proper authorities. After all, anything said in the presence of imperial blood carries additional legal weight, does it not?"
The reminder hung there. Enhanced penalties for lying to imperial family members. Morning frost settling over the conversation.
Kael's eyes narrowed dangerously. He recognized the trap—just a few carefully chosen words and she'd boxed him in. Even that felt like deception. The way she spoke. The legal knowledge she possessed. How far did her schemes reach?
The transport shuddered to a halt. Magnetic suspension adjusting to the station's docking platform with barely a whisper. Through the windows, the Metropolitan Police Station loomed against the night sky—five stories of gray stone and iron. The empire's commitment to law and order made architectural.
As they disembarked, Raven allowed herself a moment of bitter amusement. The police station represented imperial justice. The same justice that had failed her and Novara in her previous life.
But this time would be different.
This time, she held the cards.
***
The station's interior buzzed despite the late hour. Officers moving with purposeful efficiency between desks laden with paperwork. Voices creating a low hum of official business that never quite stopped. Strong coffee and the acrid tang of ink filled the air, mixed with subtler scents. Leather. Metal. That peculiar mustiness that government buildings seemed to breed.
Lieutenant Holt appeared almost immediately. Scarred face arranged in professional neutrality that didn't quite hide his interest in the political complications this case represented. When he'd first recognized the male who'd entered room 623 on the hotel's surveillance recordings, Holt had expected this case to be swept under the rug. So many others involving imperial blood had been.
It was only when Chief Inspector Morrison pulled him aside that he'd realized the true scope of what was happening.
Commissioner Tianlong Wu, head of the 4th Ring Police Division and member of a side branch of the celestial Wu clan, had made his position crystal clear. The Wu and Xuán clans had been at odds for generations—their rivalry woven into the very fabric of imperial politics. When Commissioner Wu caught the scent of a potential scandal involving Lord Kael, he'd been like a shark smelling blood.
"This investigation will follow the letter of the law," Wu had declared to his assembled officers. Eyes gleaming with barely concealed anticipation. "No exceptions, no shortcuts, no political accommodations. Every piece of evidence will be documented, verified, and cross-referenced. Chain of custody triple-checked. I want a case so airtight that even the imperial court's finest lawyers won't be able to poke a single hole in it."
The message had been clear. Commissioner Wu wanted Lord Kael destroyed, but he wanted it done properly. Legally. Completely.
Which meant—paradoxically—this might be the one case in the empire where true justice actually had a chance.
Behind Holt stood Lieutenant Veyne. Steel-gray hair and precise uniform suggesting someone who tolerated no deviation from proper procedure.
"Your Highness, ladies," Holt said with a carefully measured bow. Acknowledging celestial rank while maintaining his authority as an officer of the law. "I'm Lieutenant Holt, and this is Lieutenant Veyne. We'll be conducting the questioning tonight."
He gestured toward a corridor lined with doors marked in stark numerical system. Imperial bureaucracy at its finest. "We have separate interview rooms prepared. Standard procedure requires that we speak with each party individually to ensure complete and accurate statements."
Kael stepped forward. Imperial bearing asserting itself automatically. "Lieutenant, I must insist that Amara not be questioned alone. She's seventeen years old and under significant duress. As someone who witnessed the initial crime, I believe it's appropriate for me to be present during her interrogation."
The calculated concern in his voice might have fooled someone who didn't know him well. But Raven heard the underlying note of possessive control that had marked their every interaction. Even now—believing himself to be supporting his ally against the woman who'd victimized them both—Kael couldn't abandon those authoritative instincts his imperial breeding had drilled into him.
Veyne's sharp eyes flicked between the prince and Amara. Expression suggesting someone who'd navigated these particular waters many times before. "Your Highness, while we appreciate your concern, our procedures exist to ensure that each witness can provide their testimony without external influence. However, given Miss Amara's age, she's entitled to have a legal guardian present if she so chooses."
Before Amara could respond, Raven spoke up quietly. Voice cutting through the developing conversation with unexpected authority. "I waive that right. I prefer to speak with the officers alone."
The words fell like stones dropped into still water. Ripples of surprise and confusion spreading outward.
Kael's golden eyes widened slightly. Amara's carefully maintained expression flickered with what might have been concern. Or was it satisfaction? Another layer in whatever scheme she was weaving?
"Are you certain, Miss Brenner?" Holt asked. Scarred features arranged in professional concern. "You're facing serious allegations, and having someone present who understands your rights might be advisable."
"I understand my rights perfectly well," Raven replied with calm precision. "And I understand the value of providing testimony without the presence of those who might wish to influence my words."
Her muddy brown eyes settled on each of her companions in turn. Lingering just long enough to let the implications sink in. The suggestion that she might have reasons to fear their influence hung there like smoke from a funeral pyre.
Kael's imperial stillness cracked slightly. Jaw tightening with barely restrained anger. Of course, she would try this—painting herself as the victim, the innocent girl surrounded by powerful forces. It was brilliant, actually, in its audacity.
"Very well. But I insist on being informed immediately if there are any irregularities in the questioning. As a member of the imperial family, I have certain responsibilities regarding the welfare of citizens under investigation."
"Of course, Your Highness," Veyne replied smoothly. Though her tone suggested she found his protective concerns somewhat transparent. "Shall we begin? Miss Lin, if you would accompany me to Interview Room Three."
As Selene was escorted away, her dark eyes met Amara's for just a moment. A look that carried years of shared understanding and carefully practiced deception. Then she was gone, leaving Amara alone with Kael and the growing weight of their situation.
"Miss Brenner," Holt said, gesturing toward a different corridor, "Interview Room One is prepared for you. Miss Amara, you'll be in Room Two with Officer Chen. We'll conduct these interviews simultaneously to ensure the most efficient use of everyone's time."
Amara started forward, but Kael's hand fell on her arm. Gentle restraint. "Actually, Lieutenant, I believe there may be some confusion about the charges being brought. Shouldn't Amara be treated as a witness rather than a suspect? She's the one who alerted us to Mara's schemes."
The question hung there with imperial authority behind it. But Veyne's response carried the unmovable certainty of imperial law.
"Your Highness, at this stage of the investigation, everyone present at the scene is considered a potential witness. We're simply gathering statements to establish the facts of the case. No formal charges have been filed against anyone—yet."
That final word carried a subtle emphasis. Made Kael's golden eyes narrow with something approaching alarm. For the first time since entering the station, he seemed to grasp that his celestial blood might not be sufficient to control the direction of this investigation.
But no—that was exactly what Mara wanted him to think. This was all part of her scheme, wasn't it? Making him doubt. Making everyone doubt. So that when the truth emerged, she could claim she'd been the victim all along.
The predator was more dangerous than they'd imagined.
But they would prevail.
Truth always did, eventually.
Amara caught his eye. Amber gaze holding steady despite the tears threatening to spill. A message passed between them—trust me, stay strong, we'll prove the truth together. She'd prepared him for this, hadn't she? Warned him that Mara was cunning. That she would twist everything. That she might even try to claim she herself had been drugged to make him believe her innocent.
As the officers led them toward their separate interview rooms, Raven felt the familiar weight of countless lifetimes pressing against her consciousness. She'd played this game before, in different forms, with different stakes.
But this time, the ending would be different.
This time, justice wouldn't fail.
Outside Interview Room One, the Metropolitan Police Station continued its nightly business. Unaware that in these small chambers, the threads of a conspiracy that reached into the highest levels of imperial society were finally beginning to unravel.