Chapter 55 — Shadows at the Docks
The sun crept over the horizon, painting the eastern gardens in pale gold. Celeste stood by the marble balustrade, her lips still tingling from the kiss. She had slept barely an hour, haunted by the look in Kairo's eyes when he finally stepped away.
"This changes nothing," he had said. But his voice had cracked — just slightly — and that single crack was all she could think about.
When Kairo appeared in the courtyard below, his composure was perfect as always, his expression unreadable. He spoke with his men as if the night before had never happened. But when his gaze flicked up to where she stood, there was a sharpness — and a warning.
Forget it. We go back to who we were.
At least, that's what he wanted her to believe.
---
Across the estate, Elira was already in motion. Dressed in a plain cloak, she moved through the marketplace of the lower district, far from the estate's watchful eyes. The coded parchments burned in her memory. One name in particular gnawed at her: Aiden Marrow.
A trusted guard. A man who had sworn loyalty to Kairo.
Elira pushed deeper into the alleys, following a trail of whispered rumors about shipments at the south docks. Her source was supposed to meet her at dawn — but the pier was empty, save for a single fishing boat rocking against the current.
Something was wrong.
A faint sound — the click of a crossbow being drawn — cut through the morning air.
"Looking for someone, Lady Elira?" a voice hissed from behind.
She spun just as a figure emerged from the shadows.
---
The courtyard bustled with activity as Kairo's men prepared for the day, but he barely heard them. His mind replayed the moment from last night — Celeste's lips against his, the quiet tremor in his own resolve. He hated how it lingered.
"Lord Seo?" One of his lieutenants approached with a report. "Shipments from the eastern port are ready. We can move at your command."
"Do it," Kairo said curtly. He dismissed the man with a glance, but his focus drifted again — to the east wing balcony where Celeste had been watching earlier. She was gone now. Good. The fewer witnesses to last night's mistake, the better.
Except it didn't feel like a mistake.
---
Far from the estate, Elira stood with her back to the edge of the pier, facing the masked man who had stepped from the shadows. The glint of a crossbow aimed directly at her chest froze her in place.
"You shouldn't meddle in business that isn't yours," he said, voice low, steady.
Elira's heartbeat thundered, but her expression stayed calm. "If you're going to threaten me, at least tell me whose orders you're following. Lord Vale's?"
The man's grip tightened. "You know too much already."
Elira's eyes darted past him — a cart was being loaded with sealed crates at the far end of the dock. The documents hadn't lied. The shipment is real.
With one swift motion, she dropped to the ground as the crossbow fired, the bolt splintering the post behind her. She rolled to her feet, grabbing a length of rope from the pier and whipping it forward. It tangled his arm just long enough for her to shove past him and sprint toward the cart.
"Stop her!" he roared.
---
At that same moment, Celeste crossed the courtyard toward Kairo, wearing her usual mask of playful indifference. "Good morning, Lord Seo," she said lightly. "You look as though you didn't sleep."
Kairo's eyes sharpened. "And you look like you want me to ask why you didn't, either."
Celeste smirked, but her pulse betrayed her calm facade. "Are we going to pretend last night didn't happen?"
"Yes," he said flatly. "And so will you."
Their gazes locked, a silent war neither wanted to win. Before Celeste could push further, a messenger ran in, breathless.
"Lord Seo — urgent news from the south docks! There's been an attack!"
Kairo's expression darkened instantly. "Prepare the car."
Celeste stepped back, forcing her features into neutrality. What now?
---
Elira ducked behind a stack of crates, her breath sharp in her chest. The masked man was close behind, shouting orders. Footsteps thundered on the wooden pier as more of Vale's men converged. She had to move — fast.
A gap opened between two wagons. Elira darted through, keeping low, clutching the bundle of parchments inside her cloak. A bolt whistled past her ear, splintering against a barrel. She didn't look back.
By the time she reached the far end of the dock, a fishing skiff rocked gently against the moorings. She leapt in, cut the rope with a dagger from her boot, and pushed off. The river current caught her vessel and carried it away from the chaos.
Behind her, Vale's men swore and regrouped. The masked man slammed his fist against a crate. "Find her. She cannot reach the estate alive."
---
Fifteen minutes later, two black sedans pulled up at the south dock. Kairo stepped out, his coat billowing behind him as his men fanned out in formation. Celeste followed silently, her eyes scanning the scene — the shattered bolts, the half-loaded wagons, the signs of a fight.
"What happened?" Kairo demanded.
"Unknown," his lieutenant said. "Whoever was here, they're gone. But these shipments — they're clean. Just grain and textiles."
"Then why the hell are there crossbow bolts in the dock?" Kairo's gaze was sharp, calculating. Someone was here. Someone Vale wanted dead or captured.
Celeste crouched beside a splintered post, tracing the groove of a bolt with her fingers. "Whoever it was… they were fast. And smart." Her eyes flicked briefly toward the river, where a lone skiff bobbed in the distance, almost out of sight. She decided not to mention it.
Kairo didn't see the boat. His attention was on the crates, his mind racing through possibilities.
Was Vale moving weapons under our noses? Or was someone trying to stop him?
"Search every corner," he ordered coldly. "I want answers before sundown."
---
Upstream, Elira guided the skiff into a shaded inlet, hidden by low-hanging branches. She tied it off and climbed the rocky bank, breath ragged but resolve hardening.
I can't let Kairo know. Not yet. If he comes here, Vale will expect it — and spring the trap.
She slipped back toward the estate through the forest paths, careful to avoid patrols. By the time Kairo returned hours later, she was already in her chambers, a damp cloak drying by the fire and the incriminating documents hidden away.
Her reflection in the mirror looked steady, but her heart knew the truth — the noose around them was tightening, and soon she'd have to choose whether to stay silent or tell Kairo everything.
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