Three days left. That is the deadline we have for our submission of evidence.

  I’ve been coordinating everything as much as possible. What worries me the most is that I haven’t heard any big news from either Baz or Sharon. We’re running out of choices.

  The only thing that is positive to hear is Grant is picking up Shin mastery again after almost a decade; additionally, Ellina and Grant are hanging out together, though, they are not dating.

  If everything else failed, I would have to beg Princess Ellina to help. With their current level of acquaintance, we might be able to at least get a safe passage. Who would want to lose the apprentice they just saved?

  Honestly speaking, I never thought he was going to pull it off. I’m not saying that he should have a romantic retionship, which he doesn’t, but that he should have a friendly retionship with Ellina, the princess he has been arguing with since they first met.

  A month ago, if you had told me I’d put my faith in Grant of all people, I would’ve ughed. But here we are. And somehow, I don’t feel like an idiot for doing it. He now gives me more faith than I gave him credit for.

  He has loyal friends. He is capable of reflecting on his own actions, sometimes. He treats his people with a full heart. It’s all something I didn’t expect to see.

  I used to see him as nothing more than an over-indulged prince—reckless, naive, barely competent beyond his loyalty to the nation. I had no faith in his leadership, only in the fact that he would die before betraying the empire. The inner court can control him, for the nation.

  But this is why I’m in this body now.

  I expected this journey to be a disaster. An unstoppable flood that would drown us all. But against all odds, Grant managed to build a boat. Thanks to Grant being a better person than I thought so.

  Mop isn’t around these days. I found myself thinking of her quite a few times. This is the feeling I miss from being a parent.

  When Grant’s kidnapping happened, I thought I lost two children all at once, but I still didn’t have time for them, when Grant was back. I built a wall up for him so I didn’t have to worry again.

  When my father passed away, all the national issues fell upon me. I have no choice but to sideline my care for my kids.

  When I finally had time for family, Grant was already an unknown person to me. The caring good child was gone, even though I still believe he was the same kid. Luna became a sweet child, but now I know that was only on the surface.

  I’ve been given a second chance to guide Grant and a new caring daughter. This makes my heart ache.

  Why do I deserve this?

  I’m the worst father to all three children.

  This time, I have to do it right. When Mop is back, I’ll be the best “Mommy” I can be until she finds her real belonging.

  Dominic has been scouting around the city. Obelius seems to let us loose a bit. He didn’t tell us what we could do, but he gave us time and space to figure things out.

  When he senses something unjust, he tries to work the ws around them. I remember he once told me he wanted to be the justice, not just the enforcer. Working in the real world forces him to abide by the rules, so he makes sure the rules are just.

  He seldom breaks the rules, but I guess this time it is the time. He didn’t bend too much, but he did.

  Dominic discovers an old slum area. It is almost like an underground city. It’s the dark side of the city of justice. Beggars and runaway criminals fill the paths. The slum leads to something deep, he didn’t have to figure them out yet.

  I told him to find a path out so that we could have a pull-out pn.

  Vivi has been spending a lot of her time at the jail. I know she still cares about Gustaff and her people. It’s just something that cannot be seen on the court.

  She did occasionally stroll around the pace, but she barely bothered to check what we were doing.

  Is she still lingering on her old feelings?

  That doesn’t matter now.

  It’s good for us. She is not entirely focusing on our case.

  Funny as it sounds, Obelius might be the only one who actually cares about how the court case ends.

  Vivi is not preparing.

  We’re not preparing. We’ve basically already given up on winning the case.

  “I think you should take a look at the slum.”

  Dominic brings up this at the dinner.

  I sign: Why?

  “Something that might help us if we know how to fix it.”

  The next day, during Grant’s training with Ellina. We go to the slum.

  An unpleasant scent comes straight to me as soon as we arrive at the entrance.

  It’s a sewage system.

  As we get deep inside, we see the scene we haven’t seen in Bareniss. Rough fabric, torn cloth, molded skin, peeing, and illness, are the common scenes we face every second on the streets of the slum.

  People robbing each other like ws cannot come deep enough for them.

  This entire pce is like Cn Uda doesn’t see them as their territory. These people weren’t citizens. They weren’t even outws. They were ghosts, unseen and unwanted.

  This wasn’t just neglect. This was deliberate. No city falls into ruin like this unless someone in power decides it’s not worth saving.

  Those bandits prove to be less of a threat, but someone you feel pity for.

  It’s almost like war refugee camps all over again.

  I know Bareniss accepted tons of refugees during the Civil War, but I always wonder how they accommodated them. The answer here is something now I don’t want to know.

  “Here,” Dominic calls me.

  It’s a tight pipe we need to walk through. He holds my hand and tries to guide my bance.

  We arrive at the other side.

  He points to the end. “Down there.”

  As we move on more and more, fewer people are encountered.

  Then, there is no one else. Giant rats run through the ancient sewage.

  I remember Bareniss was built on some ancient structure. This must be it.

  The more we go down, the more unknown signs we see.

  I sign to him: Is. This?

  He shakes his head. “Even below.”

  He really did finish his spelunking.

  We finally arrive at a small chamber. Dominic pushes the scrap wood away.

  And here we are, it’s a track.

  A track like the mine we saw before.

  And…

  A broken command machine.

  “If we can fix the machine, I think we can call in carts and escape through the mine, but only under the condition that this leads to outside stations not even deeper.”

  This is what we need. An extraction, within the city.

  So two things, a path from the pace to the slum and fixing the machine.

  Even if it leads to deeper, this is a pce where no enforcers come in. It can still be a good temporary hideout.

  The only one who probably can fix this is Baz. That means we are super short on time.

  We go back to the pace and three people are there to welcome us.

  “Mommy!”

  Mop rushes to hug me, and then she jumps back.

  “Stinks, Mommy.”

  I sign, and Dominic says, “Yeah, Mommy stinks. Mommy cleans.”

  Mop smiles happily at the reply.

  Dominic turns to Sharon and Benica.

  “We’ll discuss our progress after we change. Grant might still be training at the yard.”

  “Aye, aye.”

  Benica and Sharon answer simultaneously.

  That night after Grant is back, we go through all the information we have.

  “So a pirate is willing to help if we introduce him to a Uxiosepan princess? How did he get to this request?” Grant rants.

  He does point out a good question.

  Sharon replies, embarrassed, “Well… we don’t have many chips to bargain with and he seems to be the most resourceful in the area, so I said we have an otherworldly gorgeous princess on our team…”

  She continues, “I thought you see her as a chip, too. It’s good for us, you know. He just said ‘introduce’, we don’t have to set up anything, just let them meet each other.”

  Grant is uncomfortable with being pointed out that he is the one who said Ellina is a chip.

  I can see he wants to argue more but has no ground so he concedes.

  “Grant, I spent a lot of time lying my way in to meet him, at least we can try. In the end, getting to the City of Serenity is more important than her retionship.” Benica once in a lifetime adds to the strategy.

  Sharon assesses Grant’s expression.

  “What’s with that face? Didn’t you say it first?”

  Grant blushes and yells, “Fine, whatever.”

  “So what do you girls suggest we do?” Dominic redirects them back to the pn.

  Sharon fshes her most innocent smile. “Grant, can you invite Ellina to escape with us?”

  Grant exhales sharply. “What?”

  Sharon smirks. “You have been spending a lot of time together. I mean, she already saved your life.”

  Sharon tilts her head, studying him too closely. “You wouldn’t happen to like her, would you?”

  Grant chokes. “Excuse me?”

  Sharon’s smirk doesn’t reach her eyes. “I mean, it’s not every day a princess saves a man’s life. Very romantic, don’t you think?”

  “That is not what’s happening!” Grant snaps. “It’s just Shin training! She’s annoying!”

  “Oh great,” Sharon exhales, just a little too relieved. “Then we have nothing to worry about. Let’s just invite her. All we need to do on the day is to make it natural for her to meet him.”

  Dominic sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So, to summarize—our pn to escape involves emotionally bckmailing a prince into selling a princess so a pirate will like us?”

  Sharon nods, beaming. “That’s the pn.”

  Dominic stares at her. “We are dealing with pirates.”

  Benica shrugs. “Good pirates. I would say. Pirates with connections.”

  “This is the worst pn I’ve ever heard.” He sighs and replies, “Well, if Felicia agrees, then I have no problems.”

  Suddenly, all eyes are on me. I feel like I’m back on the throne.

  I nod.

  Grant’s face crashes like a sinking ship.

  A long, dreadful silence.

  Then, without a word, he grabs a full mug of beer and chugs the entire thing.

  Sms the cup down. Exhales sharply.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  Sharon and Benica exchange a mischievous look.

  Then, in perfect unison: “Yeah, Grant. You’re the best.”

  They start slow-cpping.

  Sharon beams at Grant. “I’m just so proud of you.”

  Benica bows deeply. “Drink. Drink. Drink.”

  Grant gres at them, finishing another cup. “You guys owe me one.”

  If Ellina agrees, then the pn is clear: escape through the slum, fix the machine, and find the pirate. Now we just need the st piece of the puzzle, “destination”.

  My fingers tap against the table.

  Baz, you’d better convince your old master.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  Two days left.

  Grant is still keeping up with his Shin training. That’s the good news. The bad news? No one knows if he’ll actually go through with the invitation. If he doesn’t, everything we’ve done is useless.

  Still no news about Baz. That’s even worse.

  The five of us head back into the slum.

  Sharon and Benica are visibly traumatized. Sharon barely talks, her usual energy, gone. Benica, usually upbeat, but now, stares at the ground like she’s trying not to breathe too deeply.

  I don’t let them wallow. I force everyone on the team to remember the path alone, so that if even one of us makes it out, Grant still has a chance.

  None of them argue.

  The machine is still broken.

  I shouldn’t have expected miracles, but still… disappointment burns in my chest.

  We climb out of the filth and return to the pace.

  The moment we step inside, Mop screeches.

  “I hate this! Mommy, I hate this!”

  She is trying her best to speak in full sentences.

  She refuses to let me touch her until I take a bath. Sharon dumps an entire bucket of water over herself before the servants even bring hot water. Benica just stands there, arms limp, face bnk.

  I don’t bme them. The smell sticks.

  Now, all we can do is wait.

  Wait for Grant.

  Wait for Baz.

  Wait to see if we’re already too te.

  Grant doesn’t come back tonight.

  A servant comes instead. A polite bow, a stiff voice.

  “His Highness requests you don’t wait for him.”

  None of us say anything.

  Something isn’t right.

  The next morning, I find him outside Ellina’s room.

  Slumped against the doorframe.

  Asleep. Burnt out.

  He doesn’t stir when I approach.

  His brow is furrowed, even in rest.

  Like he fought something all night, and even sleep couldn’t bring him peace.

  One day left.

  Another day of training for Grant.

  Still no answer.

  Did he invite Ellina? Did he not?

  He refuses to say.

  Now is not the time to stall.

  We go through another day in the slum.

  The same stench. The same cold filth. The same clean-up. The same waiting.

  Tomorrow is the court day.

  We are still stuck in the same pce.

  Nothing has changed.

  Suddenly—

  The door creaks open.

  A shadow in the hallway.

  Grant?

  Baz?

  No.

  Ellina.

  She steps in, crutch in hand.

  The room freezes.

  Sharon stiffens. Embarrassment flickers across her face. She refuses to look at Ellina.

  Benica stays unnaturally still.

  She looks different today.

  Otherworldly.

  Her presence fills the space like a force of nature—a beauty unparalleled to anyone here.

  Even I flinch as she enters.

  Then—

  SLAM.

  Ellina’s hand hits the table.

  Sharon and Benica flip.

  Neither of them dares to move.

  Too scared to even breathe.

  Dominic recovers first. His voice stays even. “Where’s Grant?”

  Ellina’s gaze snaps to him. For a moment, her expression softens.

  “He passed out after training.”

  She hesitates.

  “He’s sleeping in my room.”

  Silence.

  “YOUR ROOM?!” Sharon explodes.

  Her voice practically shakes the walls.

  Ellina sighs. “Yes, my room.”

  Sharon looks like she’s about to colpse, but recomposes immediately.

  Benica is holding in a scream.

  Ellina ignores them. Her face turns serious.

  She looks at all of us.

  Her voice is low but sharp.

  “What is the actual pn?”

  No one answers.

  Is she asking about the pirate?

  Ellina leans forward, fingers gripping the edge of the table.

  She inhales deeply.

  Then let it all out.

  “I thought you guys would have a pn to save him. But he didn’t say a word to me. I mean, he’s not exactly subtle—he’s not the type who can hide a secret, you KNOW that, right? But when I ask him about what’s going on, he says NOTHING. Absolutely nothing! And that is NOT normal, not for Grant, not for ANYONE in this kind of situation—so what the hell is going on?! He looks so defeated. This is freaking me out.”

  She barely stops for breath.

  “And WHY are you all just sitting here like this? Are we waiting for divine intervention? Did you already give up? Because it REALLY looks like you gave up! I mean, honestly, someone tell me what the actual hell the pn is, because I’ve been thinking about stepping in for DAYS now! Days! And the only reason I didn’t is because I assumed you had something figured out! But guess what? GRANT is still walking around like a dead man, not saying a word, and YOU ALL are just sitting here—WHAT is this?!”

  Sharon and Benica just stare.

  Ellina takes a gasping breath—not because she’s done, but because she physically ran out of air.

  And then, softer—

  “…Are you going to let him die?”

  That nds heavier than anything before.

  Her breathing slows, but she’s still gring at all of us.

  Silence.

  Everyone stares at her.

  “Please.”

  Her voice drops. Almost a whisper.

  “Tell me you at least have a pn. Otherwise, what did I sacrifice for?”

  Benica mutters out, “…So, that’s a no on the pirate thing?”

  “What pirate?” Ellina asks.

  Sharon takes over, and stutters even more, “Uhh… so about that… we kind of… sold you to a pirate.”

  “…What?”

  Benica expins, “Not sold! Just… introduced. To be clear.”

  Dominic sighs and stiffs up, “A pirate agrees to help us if we introduce you to him. He just wants to know you.”

  She clenches her fists.

  Her jaw tightens.

  There’s an uneasy silence within the room.

  Dominic gnces at her hands but doesn’t comment.

  She finally replies, “I don’t like pirates. They are monsters.”

  “So… that’s a no?” Sharon presses on.

  She takes a deep breath.

  Then-

  Sm.

  The Table shakes.

  “I’ll do it. For Grant.” She feels awkward even just saying that. She stiffs up, crossing her arm, dismissively. “Uhh… he is a good student.”

  “So when is the extraction?” She presses on.

  Benica says, “At noon, before the court, no matter what.”

  Ellina agrees and says, “Then he will stay in my room tonight, so no one can find him immediately. I’ll meet you all outside the city. This is the most I can do. Otherwise, there’s going to be a major conflict between the two empires. If you run out of options… throw him into the sea.”

  Silence.

  Sharon’s jaw drops. Benica freezes—even Dominic flinches.

  “…Pardon me?” Sharon manages.

  Ellina shrugs, completely serious. “He can swim, can’t he?”

  She meets my gaze briefly, something unreadable flickering behind her emerald eyes.

  Dominic pinches the bridge of his nose. “That is NOT an escape pn.”

  Ellina crosses her arms, unimpressed. “It is for me.”

  Sharon leans toward Benica and whispers, horrified. “She’s actually considering it.”

  Benica, still frozen, mutters, “…Why does she sound like she’s done this before?”

  Mop, who has been quietly observing, tilts her head. “Fish?”

  Ellina just rolls her eyes. “Just do it when you need it.”

  I shrug it off, roll out the map of the slum, and pinpoint the spot directly beneath her room. That will be our extraction point.

  We’ll break through from below. That means every Shin master in the group has to be ready. We only get one shot. I point to the spot on the map. They nod back.

  Ellina’s gaze flickers across the room, from Sharon’s lingering tension to Dominic’s sharp focus. No one speaks. It’s the first time we’ve all acknowledged, out loud, just how close Grant is to death.

  Then, finally, she exhales. “Please don’t let him die.”

  She turns and walks out.

  She doesn’t look back.