Juli tilted her head just a bit.

"You’re not?"

Eli nodded, albeit with a slight hesitancy.

"Their whole plan hinges on Joanne and Haldrin being away at the same time so they can inflict as much damage as possible. Same for Julius."

As he had brooded, it was easier said than done. If the enemies detected that Joanne and Julius hadn’t left their posts, they would definitely pull out immediately.

Julius being present at the house during the attack was a no-brainer — no assassin would want to face a Six-Song Knight.

Joanne being present meant Irene didn’t have to send troops to Florentine. Now whether or not they would find out was a different issue, but Eli knew his enemies better than to expect a sloppy gamble from them.

He expected them to have some sort of guarantee confirming Joanne’s departure. Maybe a liaison who would meet her during the trip to the capital, or someone near the capital ready to send word the moment her carriage rolled past the city gates. In either case, seeing her with their own eyes was paramount to the plan.

Juli dwelled on what Eli had just said for a moment, one finger resting against her lips.

"So. If I understand this correctly, Joanne’s departure is non-negotiable, but Julius is able to stay?"

"Correct. Joanne says she’s headed to the Ministry of Education, but why now, of all times? I don’t know the exact details, but it reeks of a setup. The Duchess’s reach in the capital isn’t something to dismiss. Who’s to say she didn’t puppet this meeting, too?"

Juli gave him a bunch of small nods.

"Right, right. Julius has more room to move. But still, how would you handle that? Like you said, they probably have eyes everywhere. Wouldn’t be surprised if they monitor our troops’ movements. No — they definitely will."

Eli scratched the back of his head.

"I’m trying to figure out a way. There should be—"

His eyes caught on the parcel still sitting on the nightstand, and the sentence died in his throat.

’Oh, fuck. The courier!’

The poor guy had been standing outside for almost more than half an hour while Eli and Juli talked the night to pieces.

Eli held up a finger.

"Hold that thought for a second. I owe Gillian a reply, and I’d rather get the courier home before sunrise."

Juli’s eyes flickered to the nightstand.

"Right! That man’s been waiting on us. Poor guy."

Eli pushed himself up from the edge of the bed, walked to the nightstand, and crouched beside it. He pulled a fresh sheet of parchment from inside the parcel, and set it across the flat top beside the ledger.

Then, he took out a fountain pen that Elise always carried in her coat, weighed it in his fingers, and let his eyes sit on the blank page for a moment.

’The Master of Black Rose...’

Eli rolled the title around in his head, weighing every word he might put to this letter. How much could he afford to reveal?

For one, he didn’t know exactly where she was at this point in time. According to the original story, Black Rose didn’t step onto the stage until much later, about three to four years after the Prologue. Only then did the Hero begin searching for the Master of Black Rose on his master’s behalf.

Eli was certain about her disappearance, though. The text had stated she’d been gone from the organization for five years, so by his count, that meant she must have vanished only a year or two ago.

That certainty had struck him a deal with Gillian.

’Thank the gods I was right.’

In any case, since he didn’t know the exact location, it wouldn’t be wise to write that down and send them on a wild goose chase.

Besides, Eli wasn’t planning on divulging that information even if he had it; the world was better off if Black Rose never found its master during this stretch.

Then, he should keep the details as vague as possible. A blind wolf will chase even the faintest whiff of meat.

Eli let the nib hover over the page briefly, then he started writing.

Five lines that pointed Black Rose’s hounds at a land big enough to keep them chasing for a year, with just enough scent in the letters to tell Gillian that yes, Eli was a trustworthy source, and yes, the next exchange would be worth the price.

’The exploita—I mean, the collaboration must continue!’

Eli trusted that the Master of Black Rose was skilled enough to avoid detection of her own people.

After the ink had settled, he folded the page in thirds and dripped a fresh bead of sealing wax across the seam to lock it shut. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

From the corner of his eyes, Juli shifted closer and closer to the nightstand, even trying to take a peek at what he was writing.

"You know you can just look at it right? I don’t mind."

Juli flinched, nearly slipping off the bed.

"W-What? I’m just trying to stretch out my back!"

She made a show of arching backward, then froze under Eli’s raised eyebrow. Her shoulders dropped, and the bluster melted off her face. Her head drooped, her eyes looked at him with the expression of a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Ahem. Fine, fine. I was peeking! But only because I’ve been wondering how you even know something Black Rose doesn’t. It’s about their master, to boot."

Eli thought of an excuse immediately.

"You underestimate our House’s information network."

"Is that so?"

He shrugged.

"Juli, you know me by now. I don’t come unprepared."

Eli then held the letter out.

"Here. Can you take this down to the courier?"

Juli sprang to her feet. She strode across the floorboards and tucked the letter into her vest.

"Just hand it off?"

"Yeah. Just hand it off. Tell him the House looks forward to cooperation in the future."

Juli nodded and smiled.

"Got it."

She slid her sword belt over her shoulder and slipped into the hallway.

The door clicked shut behind her.