Chapter 358: A Key to the Kingdom

Celeste’s jaw tightened. "That defeats the purpose. We need a healer."

"Take Monica."

"Monica is..." She paused, reconsidering whatever she’d been about to say. "Monica’s combat experience is limited. And her Aspect, while powerful, requires time to establish proper control over an unfamiliar environment."

"Which is exactly why she needs field experience." I crossed my arms, settling into negotiation mode. "Monica controlled an entire dungeon’s worth of hostile vegetation in the Arboretum. She’s got more raw potential than half the Sentinels combined. What she lacks is confidence."

"And putting her in a stressful situation will help with that?"

"Putting her in a stressful situation with competent backup will help with that." I nodded toward the training field, where Monica had appeared at some point during our conversation. She stood near the greenhouse, Ferdinand’s pot tucked under one arm, her honey-blonde hair catching the fading light. "She needs to see herself succeed. Needs to build the muscle memory of winning instead of being used as a shield."

Celeste followed my gaze. Something softened in her expression.

"You actually care about her development."

"I care about having useful assets. Monica is currently a diamond covered in mud. I intend to clean her off."

"Fine." Celeste nodded, accepting the compromise. "Monica joining. You as backup. We depart at 0900 tomorrow."

"One more condition."

Her eyebrow arched. "You’re certainly demanding."

"I want to see the Gate briefing. Full details. Threat assessment, environmental factors, monster spawn predictions. Everything the VHC sent you."

"That’s classified—"

"Then declassify it." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Someone with high-level clearance planted an A-Rank killer in your last training dungeon. If there’s another trap waiting, I want to see it coming before we walk into the trigger."

Celeste held my gaze for a long moment. The dying sunlight cast shadows across her face, making her look older. Harder.

"You really believe someone in the VHC is trying to kill me."

"I believe someone with access to VHC security protocols is trying to kill you. Whether they’re inside the organization or just have friends there, I don’t know yet." I paused, weighing how much to share. "But I intend to find out."

"Why?"

The question caught me off guard. "What?"

"Why do you care?" Celeste’s voice had gone quiet, stripped of its royal polish. Just a girl asking a question she’d probably been carrying since the Necropolis. "You saved my life. You offered my friend sanctuary when her own team abandoned her. Now you’re talking about VHC conspiracies and going out of your way to protect me from threats I didn’t even know existed."

She studied my face like I was a puzzle she couldn’t solve. "What do you want from me, Satori Nakano?"

What do I want?

I want answers about my father. I want to know why the VHC sent assassins when he got too close to the truth. I want to understand what game the gods are playing and how to flip the board before they sacrifice me for their entertainment.

And you, princess, are my key to the kingdom.

But I couldn’t say any of that. Not yet. Not until I understood how much she knew and how much she could be trusted.

So I gave her a different truth instead. One that was just as real, if not quite as complete.

"I want to build something that lasts." The words came easier than I expected. "Not just a guild. Not just a team. Something that survives whatever comes next. And you’re part of that, whether you like it or not."

Celeste absorbed this in silence. The sun had nearly disappeared now, leaving us in the purple twilight of early evening.

"That’s a very politician answer."

"I learned from the best."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "My sister would appreciate that."

Your sister would dissect me the moment she suspected I was a threat to her precious order. But sure, let’s pretend we’re all friends here.

"The briefing," I reminded her. "Send it to my datapad tonight. I want time to analyze it before we depart."

"I’ll have Noah drop it off within the hour." Celeste started to turn away, then paused. "Satori?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For not treating me like I’m made of glass." She looked over her shoulder, and for just a moment, I saw the girl beneath the princess. The one who’d never had a choice about who she was supposed to become. "Everyone else acts like I’ll shatter if they breathe too hard. It’s... exhausting."

"You’re not glass," I told her. "You’re ice. There’s a difference."

Her smile widened slightly. Genuine this time. "And what’s the difference?"

"Ice can break. But it can also freeze everything around it. Depends on how you use it."

I watched her walk away across the darkened training field, her white hair gleaming in the first starlight. A princess with a target on her back and no idea how many crosshairs were aimed at her heart.

Know Thy Enemy.

The quest pulsed in the corner of my vision, patient and persistent. Celeste Vance represented the key to everything I needed. Information about the VHC. Access to classified archives. A window into her sister’s carefully constructed web of control.

And now she was asking me to walk into another Gate with her. To put myself between her and whatever dangers waited in the dark.

It was either the smartest move I’d made since arriving in this world, or the beginning of a spectacular disaster.

Knowing my luck, probably both.

I turned back toward Onyx House, where lights had started flickering on in windows. Natalia would be waiting. And Emi. And Skylar, lurking in whatever shadow she’d claimed for the evening. My court of beautiful, dangerous women, each one a complication I couldn’t afford and couldn’t resist.

Tomorrow I’d play porter for an ice princess in a dungeon that might be a trap.

Tonight, I had other problems to manage.

The Gardener watches.

The message I’d deleted still burned in my memory. Someone knew something. Someone was playing games I hadn’t figured out yet.

Just another day in paradise.