Chapter 141: The Assignment

The guildmaster’s office was unusually quiet.

The kind of quiet that made Aria’s skin prickle with unease. No papers shuffling. No distant footsteps. Just the heavy, oppressive silence of a room where something important was about to happen.

Aria sat beside Kelme, her hands folded in her lap, her posture carefully neutral. Kelly stood behind them like a sentinel, his expression one of barely contained exhaustion.

And across the desk sat a man wearing the uniform of the royal army. His posture was ramrod straight, his jaw was set, and his eyes carried the kind of cold authority that came from years of giving orders and watching people obey.

The army leader. A commander of some rank, though Aria didn’t know which. He placed a sealed document on the table with deliberate precision, his movements slow and measured.

"We have a problem."

Aria’s stomach tightened. Kelme glanced at her, his expression carefully blank. Neither said anything.

The commander continued, his voice flat and professional. "For several months, an illegal trade network has been spreading throughout the kingdom."

Aria stared at the document. Please don’t say sugar.

"The substance is banned." Please don’t say sugar.

"It is being manufactured somewhere within the kingdom." Please.

"And distributed through several cities." Please don’t say—

Aria kept her face completely expressionless.

Kelme coughed.

The commander looked at him. "Are you ill?"

"No." Kelme’s voice was slightly too high. "Just a tickle."

"Good."

He continued. "We’ve given this organization a name." He slid a second paper across the desk, the words printed in bold letters.

THE WHITE PRINCESS.

Aria nearly swallowed her tongue. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she forced them back to neutral.

Beside her, Kelme suddenly became extremely interested in the ceiling. He studied the rafters with the intensity of a man who had never noticed architecture before in his life.

"And her associate," the commander continued, "is known as the Charming Merchant."

Kelme scratched his nose. "Horrible name."

Aria kicked him under the table.

"Ow." He winced, rubbing his shin.

The commander frowned, his eyes narrowing. "You two seem nervous."

"We’re very concerned citizens," Kelme said, his voice carrying a note of forced sincerity. "We care deeply about the rule of law."

Aria stared straight ahead. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

The commander leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "We need someone to infiltrate this organization."

Aria’s eyes widened.

Oh.

This was actually perfect.

If they could infiltrate their own organization—if they could get inside the investigation—they could learn exactly how much the authorities knew. More importantly, they could warn their partners. Feed the authorities false information. Move their operations. Clean up evidence. And make sure nobody got caught.

For once, she was going to keep her mouth shut.

The commander continued, oblivious to her internal realization. "You’ll investigate their suppliers, buyers, couriers, and leadership. We need to know who’s running this operation and how deep it goes."

Kelme nodded, his expression one of grave seriousness. "Sounds dangerous."

"It is."

"Good." He leaned back, his earlier panic apparently forgotten.

Aria elbowed him. He coughed. "Sorry."

The commander pushed the documents toward them. "You leave tomorrow."

Aria picked them up, her fingers steady despite her racing heart. "Understood."

They stood, their movements synchronized. As soon as they left the office, the door clicking shut behind them, Kelme grabbed Aria’s arm.

"You heard all that, right?" His voice was a low, urgent whisper.

Aria nodded, her mind already racing. "We’re investigating ourselves."

Kelme grinned, his earlier panic completely replaced by enthusiasm. "I’ve always wanted to investigate myself."

"That’s not what I meant."

They walked down the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. "So what’s the plan?" Kelme asked, his voice carrying a note of barely contained excitement.

Aria smiled beneath her mask. "We cooperate."

"With the army?"

"With ourselves."

Kelme’s grin widened. "We give them exactly what they want."

"Exactly."

"Fake names?"

"Of course."

"Fake locations?"

"Obviously."

"Fake suppliers?"

Aria stopped walking. She turned to look at him, her expression suddenly serious. "No."

"Why?"

"Because if they investigate the fake suppliers and arrest innocent people, we’ll have actual problems." She lowered her voice. "We give them information that’s true enough to sound convincing. Nothing that will get anyone killed. Nothing that will blow back on us. Just enough to keep them satisfied while we figure out our next move."

Kelme stared at her, his expression shifting to something almost like respect. "You’ve become terrifying."

She smiled, a slow, genuine expression. "Milo would be proud."

---

That evening, Aria and Kelme sat in their room, the army’s documents spread across the table between them. Their entire operation was inside them—not completely, but enough. Enough to be dangerous.

Aria tapped one page, her finger tracing the names of distribution routes. "They know about the distribution routes."

Kelme nodded, his brow furrowed. "They don’t know about Vincent."

"Good."

"They know about the baker."

"Not good."

"They don’t know about our production location."

"Very good."

Kelme leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "So?"

Aria slowly smiled, the plan forming in her mind. "We’re going to give them a story."

Kelme understood immediately. "And make sure they believe it."

Aria nodded. "We give them enough truth to be credible. A few real names. A few real locations. But nothing that will actually hurt us."

Outside their window, the city continued moving. Guards patrolled the streets. Merchants closed their shops. Somewhere, an officer was probably preparing to hunt down the White Princess.

Aria looked at the papers. They had spent weeks building their empire. Now the kingdom was coming for them. And somehow, they had just been handed the perfect opportunity to control the investigation.

She smiled, a slow, confident expression. "Tomorrow, we become detectives."

Kelme looked worried, his earlier enthusiasm fading. "Why do I feel like we’re the ones who should be investigated?"

Aria folded the papers, her movements precise. "Because we are."

A knock came at the door.

Both of them froze. Their eyes met across the table. Another knock. Then a voice from outside, sharp and commanding.

"Royal Army. Open up."

Kelme looked at Aria. Aria looked at Kelme. Neither moved.

The voice came again, harder this time. "Open the door."

Aria whispered, her voice barely audible. "Don’t panic."

Kelme whispered back, his eyes wide. "I’m already panicking."

Aria smiled, a flash of genuine amusement. "Good." She reached for the door, her hand steady. "Then let’s make this convincing."