The court had barely emptied when Raven dismissed the guards and turned sharply to Kallen.
"They were both lying," Raven said flatly.
Kallen nodded. "The maid was too eager. The matron too loud. Fear looks different on the innocent."
Raven moved toward the desk, fingers tapping once against the bare space where the seal should have been. "This cannot linger. Not with the Tiger Clan watching for weakness."
"They'll use this," Kallen said grimly. "A missing seal is an invitation."
Raven's eyes hardened. "Then we close the door before they knock."
He turned, voice lowering. "We set a trap tonight. Quiet. Immediate. No court. No spectacle."
Kallen's mouth curved faintly. "Already thought of it."
"The seal is small," Raven continued. "Too dangerous to discard. Whoever has it will try to hide it nearby—somewhere they believe untouchable."
"The matron," Kallen said. "She has access. Authority. And arrogance."
"And desperation," Raven added. "She will move tonight."
Raven's voice slid into Kallen's mind—telepathic, precise.
Shadow the servant quarters. Seal the corridors silently. No guards in sight. Let her think she is alone.
Kallen inclined his head. "By dawn, this ends."
Raven turned back to the window, staring into the dark palace grounds. "It must. If the Tiger Clan speaks before I do, blood will follow."
And Raven Darward Acosta did not intend to bleed.Far from the palace, torches burned late into the night.
The Tiger Clan's council chamber was alive with murmurs, silk-robed ministers pacing like predators denied their hunt.
"A king who loses his seal loses authority," one minister sneered. "This is our leverage."
"Careful," another warned. "The Dragon King does not fall easily."
"Power rots from within," the first snapped. "By morning, we will call for inquiry. Suggest incompetence. Demand regency."
A third smiled thinly. "And if he resists?"
"Then the court will decide," came the reply. "Thrones have changed hands for less."
They believed the night belonged to them.
They did not know the seal had already begun its journey home.