It had been three days since my royal office concert incident.



Three days of humiliation.



Three days of torture.



Three days of His Majesty finding new ways to remind me that I had, in fact, been caught dancing and singing in his office.



The absolute worst part?



He was enjoying this far too much.



It started subtly.



I walked into the royal study, balancing a tray of fresh tea, when His Majesty glanced up from his desk.



"Thalia."



I straightened immediately.



"Yes, Your Majesty?"



He took a slow sip of tea, golden eyes gleaming with thinly veiled amusement.



"...Are you still feeling twenty-two?"



I choked on air.



My soul left my body.



The teapot nearly slipped from my grasp.



"...What?" I croaked.



His lips twitched.



"I simply assumed you must be in good spirits," he said lightly. "Given your... recent performances."



I internally screamed.



I tried to ignore him.



Tried to pretend this conversation wasn't happening.



But, unfortunately, the King had decided that teasing me was his new favorite pastime.



During lunch, I caught him humming the song under his breath. During a council meeting, a minister referenced "handling a situation like a problem." The King immediately looked at me. I overheard a knight saying that His Majesty had been in a strangely good mood lately.



I was never escaping this.



The final straw came when I was pouring tea.



The King tilted his head slightly.



"Perhaps I should assign you to the palace musicians," he mused.



I froze.



"...You wouldn't."



His golden eyes gleamed.



"Should I request an official performance?"



I dropped the teapot.



It shattered on the floor.



We both stared at it.



Then, without missing a beat—



I curtsied sharply and fled the room.



His low chuckle followed me all the way down the hallway.



~~~



I had barely recovered from my public humiliation when another problem arrived.



And by 'problem,' I meant—



Cassian.



It started with yelling.



Loud, obnoxious yelling.



Then—



The sound of something crashing.



I whipped my head around just in time to see:

- A royal attendant running for their life.

- A knight doubled over in laughter.

- Cassian, standing in the middle of the hallway, looking like he had just returned from war.



He grinned.



"THALIA!"



I braced for impact.



Before I could react—



Cassian scooped me up and spun me around.



CASSIAN, PUT ME DOWN!" I shrieked.



He ignored me.



"IT'S BEEN AGES!" he declared.



"It's been three weeks," I wheezed.



"FAR TOO LONG."



A royal attendant coughed loudly.



Cassian finally set me down, grinning.



Then, with zero hesitation—



He took one look at my uniform and said:



"...Why do you look even more like a prisoner?"



I smacked his arm.



Cassian's mischievous grin widened.



"So," he said, crossing his arms. "What did I miss?"



I groaned.



"Too much," I muttered. "The King keeps tormenting me, I accidentally became his document assistant, and—"



Cassian's eyes widened.



"You're working with the King?!"



I blinked.



"...Why do you sound so horrified?"



Cassian grabbed my shoulders.



"Thalia."



"...Yes?"



"Did he trick you?"



"...I mean, maybe?"



Cassian sighed deeply.



Then, patting my head like I was a tragic figure, he muttered:



"Rest in peace, my friend."



As chaotic as Cassian's return was, my problems weren't over.



Because later that night, I received another letter.



And this time—



It wasn't just a jealous noblewoman trying to scare me.



This was different.



The letter was delivered secretly, slipped under my door.



There was no name.



No seal.



Just a single line of elegant, but chilling handwriting.



"The palace is not as safe as you believe."

"You are being watched."

"Be careful, little maid."



I stared at it.



A cold feeling crept up my spine.



This...



This was not from some spoiled noble trying to remove me from the palace.



This was something else entirely.



I read the words again and again.



"You are being watched."



I swallowed hard.



This was no longer petty palace politics.



This was a warning.



And for the first time...



I felt genuinely afraid.