She let out a little dry, mocking laugh. "You missed me?"

"I did." Laikin shrugged, pulling his hood down. "You're a hard woman to meet, Lady Dylan."

"My father and I have been very busy with brother's trial," she told Laikin, staring him coolly in the eye. "I must put family first during times like these."

He chuckled, knowing she lied. Even if her expression showed devotion, her own eyes said otherwise. A brief flash of hatred passed through Dylan's eyes whenever she spoke of her family. It was subtle, but undeniable nonetheless.

He smirked, then his beautiful blue eyes lowered, focusing on Dylan's lips. "Is that why you've been parading around with His Highness?" he asked.

Dylan frowned. She knew rumours would spread about her visit to the Imperial Palace, but after being faced with them directly, she wasn't sure how to respond.

She decided to feign ignorance. "What do you mean?" she asked him, batting her eyelashes. "The last time I saw His Highness was when I had tea with His Majesty, the Emperor."

Laikin laughed at her response. "Of course," he replied, wiping his tears of laughter from his eyes. A dumb and ignorant Dylan did not exist. The mere thought of it made him chuckle.

The expression on her face didn't even flicker. "What's your business here?" she asked impatiently, not wanting to keep up their charade any longer.

"I sent you a letter, but the response wasn't... adequate."

Did she receive his letter? She tried to remember, but everything was faint and foggy. Dylan had received so many letters that it was hard to recall a single one. Jessie had been dealing with the responses on her behalf.

Cadence glared at him, listening in on their conversation. A sense of unease crept over Laikin. He shivered suddenly and pulled his cloak more closely around his body.

"As I've said before, I'm quite busy." She took a moment to adjust her bonnet, then met Laikin's gaze. "That won't stop you though, right? Let's head somewhere to chat privately."

'Laikin won't stop until he gets what he wants. It's best if I deal with this now.'

He smiled devilishly. "As I thought, you're the only one who understands me."

Before they left, Dylan surveyed the crowd for Grisa. She spotted her still dancing with Lucas in front of the quartet. Somehow she looked even prettier than Dylan remembered. Was it her expression? Grisa's animated eyes looked even livelier than they normally did.

'I should give them both some space.'

***

Side by side they walked down the road. Dylan took a moment to adjust her bonnet to shield her eyes from the sun's glare.

"The sun is particularly bright today," said Laikin.

She looked up at the blue sky high above and saw the bright sun shining on them. It was indeed very sunny today. She smirked, thinking about Axil locked up behind bars somewhere. While she was leisurely promenading outside in the sun, he was probably rotting away in the darkness of his cell.

"It is indeed lovely."

Laikin stopped at one of the thatched roof cottages. "Here we are," he said.

"Tavern Tea and Pastries," Dylan read. "How charming."

It was a very humble cottage, especially with its wattled sides and abundance of unkempt vegetation. The walkway to the front door was uneven, lined with wild flowers of different colours in a disorderly manner. Nonetheless, the teashop had a unique charm to it.

"After you, milady." He opened the front door and reached out for her hand to hold. "Please take my—"

Cadence immediately grabbed her hand instead. For a moment the two men glared at each other, while Dylan was too busy peeking inside the tea shop to notice.

Beautiful paintings of flowers dotted the walls and the homey furniture created a cozy atmosphere. The tea shop wasn't very busy, but the warm environment made it seem as if it was full of life.

"Let's go in," she said absentmindedly, tugging whoever was holding her hand along with her.

Laikin led her to a table, and they sat down. Cadence frowned at the sight of them together, and stood guard a few feet away. Soon, a middle-aged woman with bright eyes came to take their order.

"We'll have astragalus tea, please." Laikin leaned back in his seat and smiled up at the woman.

She furrowed her brow. "Mr. Laikin, you're not going to order your usual?" she asked.

"Not today, Annie. I have someone with me, so I'll drink what she likes." Laikin grinned.

"And who's this beautiful young lady?" the woman asked, arching a brow in Dylan's direction. "Dear, you're as pretty as a blooming flower. May I know your name?"

"D-Dylan." She forced a smile. She always felt awkward whenever someone complimented her directly.

"Nice to meet you, Miss. Dylan!" the lady said with a beaming smile. "I'll get your drinks right away."

The waitress brought them astragalus tea in small teapots.

"I come here often," Laikin said, pouring a cup of tea for Dylan. "The environment here is nice."

"I can see that. It's very nice and—warm. I like it."

"As do I," he said, pouring himself a cup. He sipped it elegantly before setting it back down on the table. "You're probably wondering why I sought you out, Lady Dylan."

Dylan laughed bitterly. "That's correct, since I know you don't do things without reason."

'So tell me what it is that you want.'

He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a blue and silver pen. "This writing tool is quite interesting, don't you think?" he asked, slowly twirling it in his fingers.

Dylan's grip tightened around her teacup as she swirled the green liquid around and around. Laikin was the one who got her a fake identity. It was part of a deal—a promise for a promise.

"There's no use in pretending," she answered, sipping her tea. "That is my invention."

Laikin was someone who knew too much. When she runs away, will he follow her? Will he expose her? The only people who knew about Jonas Ferguson's true identity were Laikin and Whittle. That was already two too many.

'Should I kill him? I could pay Emmett to do it.'

For some reason the thought made her frown.

"Don't fret," he told her, slipping the pen back inside his pocket. "I'm only curious as to why you're using a fake name instead of your real one. Do you not wish to be recognized for your work?"

She shook her head. "The credit will go to the Beaumon household."

It was a simple but well-calculated lie. Laikin could already probably tell her loyalty for her family wasn't as strong as she let on. It would be safest if he thought she kept it a secret to prevent her family from receiving credit for her work.

'I hope this is enough to satisfy his curiosity.'

Laikin leaned back in his seat and grinned. "I see," he responded. "While we're on the topic of family; a little birdie told me that milady will soon become an heiress presumptive."

"That is yet to be confirmed, Lord Laikin. My father and I are working very hard to prove my brother's innocence."

"Ha, right." Laikin didn't believe a word she said. "Since you're working so hard, have this." Then, calmly, he pulled out an envelope and set it down on the table.

It was obvious the recent turn of events was orchestrated by Dylan. He wasn't sure how or why, but he knew she had a part in her brother's downfall.

She opened the envelope, read through the letter and gazed at him, her expression stunned. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's exactly what it looks like."

She stared at the paper with a distraught expression on her face. It was an official report of Axil's whereabouts for the last year, altered to make it seem as if he was truly involved in the underground casino.

It was also signed by both Laikin and Edwin, meaning they would testify as witnesses if needed. With this, regardless of whatever evidence the Duke found, Axil would be named guilty. There was no way he could win against the Crown Prince and the Frederique household.

What could Laikin possibly gain from helping her take down Axil?

"I can't accept this," she said.

If she did, then she would be indebted to him. Laikin would surely use this against her in the future. Although having a backup plan was a good idea, it wasn't worth the risk.

Seeing her hesitance, he said, "I won't ask you for anything in return."

"I find that very hard to believe, Lord Laikin."

He rose from his chair to get the bill. "You can choose whether to use it or not," he said, signalling Annie with his hand. "Regardless of your choice, I won't hold it against you."

It was the truth. Laikin needed Dylan to become the heiress presumptive of the Duke. If she didn't, then she would probably become the first Empress candidate. All the signs pointed to Dylan as the future Empress.

She was extremely intelligent and attended Faerchester as a Red Coat. That alone was more than enough proof of her abilities as future Empress. She was strong and intelligent—an ideal ruler.

Furthermore Prince Caspian was wholeheartedly infatuated with Dylan. He even went so far as to personally escort her in the fanciest Imperial carriage he had. It was practically a public declaration of his feelings.

What bothered Laikin the most was him. Laikin glanced up at Cadence—the Emperor's loyal dog.

Since the Emperor attached his favourite knight to Dylan, it meant he was interested in her. If the Emperor wished to mess with the trial in order to prevent Dylan from becoming the Duke's successor, then he could—easily.

If Dylan had no inheritance, she would be married off like all the other ladies of nobility. It was the easiest way for the Emperor to get his hands on her abilities and the military support of the Duchy of Beaumon.

Laikin gritted his teeth. He had no intention of letting her marry that damn Prince.



AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry for the late update! I was busy with moving houses!