Emma narrowed her eyes at me.
"So," she said quietly, lowering her voice as if the walls themselves might be listening, "how exactly do you plan to get us out of here? Don't tell me you're expecting the palace guards to suddenly grow stupid."
I didn't even pause.
"Leave it to me."
Amelia glanced sideways at me, lips curling into a familiar, dangerous smirk.
"Right," she said lightly. "After all, they're just common soldiers."
For once—
we were perfectly aligned.
Our eyes met.
Then we smiled.
"That's the cleanest option," I said.
"Low risk," Amelia added, ticking it off as if reciting a checklist. "No detours. No hidden passages. No waiting for timing or luck."
"And no unnecessary complications," I finished.
There was a brief pause.
Then—
"Hehehe."
Our laughter overlapped so neatly it might as well have been rehearsed.
Behind us, Emma stopped walking altogether.
She stared at our backs.
Then rubbed her face.
