If the Treasury was a battlefield of ink, the Imperial Ballroom was a minefield of lace.
I stood before the gilded mirrors of my dressing room, adjusting the bodice of a gown that felt less like clothing and more like armor. It was a deep, predatory emerald—the color of old money and envy. I had used some of my hidden "Cabbage Fund" to bribe the palace seamstress to sew hidden pockets into the voluminous skirts. One for my daggers, one for my smelling salts, and one for the incriminating ledger pages I'd torn out earlier.
"You look... expensive," a voice rumbled from the doorway.
I turned. Kaelen was leaning against the frame, dressed in full formal military black. The silver embroidery on his coat caught the light like moonlight on a blade. He looked like the kind of man who would burn a city down just to see the color of the flames.
"Expensive is a compliment, Your Highness," I said, clipping my sapphire necklace into place. "It implies a high market value."
Kaelen walked toward me, his heavy boots silent on the carpet. He stopped behind me, meeting my eyes in the mirror. "Tonight, Vane will try to corner you. He'll use the other nobles to shame you. They remember the 'old' Elara—the one who threw tantrums and emptied the wine cellars."
"Let them," I said, a cold smile spreading across my face. "It's much easier to rob someone when they think you're an idiot."
Kaelen reached out, his gloved hand resting briefly on my waist. "Stay close to me. And Elara? If things go sideways... run for the North exit. My horses are waiting."
"I'm not leaving without the receipts, Kaelen."
The Gala was a sea of perfume and poison. As we entered the ballroom, the music didn't stop, but the whispers did. I could feel the weight of a hundred judgmental gazes. The Lexen failure. The greedy spider. The Prince's new toy.
Lord Vane was at the center of it all, holding a glass of sparkling nectar, surrounded by fawning sycophants. When he saw us, his eyes flared with a brief, panicked spark before settling into a mask of arrogance.
"Lady Elara!" Vane called out, his voice carrying across the room. "I'm surprised to see you out of the tower. I assumed you'd still be drowning in... what was it? Ah, yes, the 'laundry' receipts."
The crowd chuckled. I felt Kaelen's arm stiffen beside me, but I patted his hand gently.
"Lord Vane," I said, my voice projecting with the clarity of a bell. "I actually finished the laundry. It was quite dirty, wasn't it? So much... filth... hidden in the seams of the Western Fleet's budget."
Vane's face paled, then flushed a deep, angry crimson. "I don't know what delusions you're suffering from, but perhaps you should stick to things you understand. Jewelry, perhaps? Though I see you're still wearing that same sapphire. A bit... repetitive, isn't it?"
I stepped away from Kaelen, walking straight into Vane's personal space. The circle of nobles widened, sensing blood.
"It is a classic piece," I whispered, loud enough for those nearby to hear. "Just like the classic 'Ghost Fleet' maneuver. You know, Vane, I did a quick calculation on the way here. The cost of the silk you're wearing tonight is exactly equal to the yearly rations for a border battalion. A battalion that, curiously, hasn't been fed in six months."
Vane's glass trembled. "You dare—"
"I don't just dare, My Lord. I audit." I leaned in closer, my voice a lethal murmur. "The Golden Anchor manifests are being seized as we speak. By tomorrow morning, the Emperor will know that his Chancellor has been stealing the bread from his soldiers' mouths to pay for his rings. I wonder... does the Imperial Executioner charge by the head, or is there a group discount for your co-conspirators?"
Vane backed away, nearly tripping over a countess's train. "You're insane. You have no proof!"
"I have the math," I said, taking a sip of a passing waiter's champagne. "And math is the only truth in this gods-forsaken palace."
Suddenly, the heavy doors at the end of the hall burst open. A soldier in Kaelen's personal colors ran toward us, his face grim. He whispered something into Kaelen's ear.
Kaelen's expression went stone-cold. He looked at me, and for the first time, I saw real fear in his eyes.
"Elara," he said, grabbing my hand. "We have to go. Now."
"What? I haven't even finished my drink!"
"Vane didn't just steal the money," Kaelen hissed, pulling me toward the shadows of the balcony. "He used it to hire the Shadow-Guild. They aren't waiting for a trial. They're in the palace. And they're here for you."
The lights in the ballroom suddenly flickered and died. A scream ripped through the darkness.
I reached into my hidden pocket and gripped my dagger. The audit was over. The heist had just turned into a massacre.