Eclipsed monarch

Kael handed her a rolled parchment. She unsealed it carefully, scanning the contents.

A noble crest. Names. Locations.

"Your next task."

She looked up. He met her gaze with his usual unreadable expression.

"Viscount Eldric. Watch his estate. Learn everything—who comes and goes, his guards, his routines. Do not be seen."

She nodded.

It was a different kind of mission. No blood, no blades. But Kael had warned her—knowing when to strike is just as important as striking itself.

---

The Hunt Begins.

She spent days moving through the city, mapping the estate. Watching from rooftops, shadowed alleys, hidden corners.

Eldric was cautious. His estate was guarded at all hours, patrols shifting every few hours. But no system was perfect.

Servants came and went. Wealthy guests arrived in extravagant carriages. And sometimes, in the dead of night, cloaked figures slipped through the back entrance.

She noted every detail.

---

One evening, she returned to the hidden base. Kael waited, arms crossed.

She placed her notes before him.

"There are secret meetings at night. The guards change at irregular times, but there's a pattern. The servants avoid speaking about the Viscount's personal chambers."

Kael smirked.

"Good. Keep watching. There's something hidden there—we need to know what."

She understood. This was not just about information. It was about preparing for something bigger.

So she returned to the shadows. And waited.