Chapter 44 – The Search
[Ren’s POV]
I woke later than I intended.
For a few seconds, I lay still, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. Then the previous evening came back to me, and I found myself smiling. It had been a good night. Better than good, actually, though I wasn’t about to start congratulating myself just yet. Sera wasn’t someone who could be won over with a pleasant dinner and a few compliments. She had her own priorities, her own business, and more than enough experience dealing with people who wanted something from her.
Still, sixty percent.
I opened my System and checked the notification again, mostly because I wanted to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.
[COMPANION BOND]
Target: Sera Voss
Bond Progress: 60%
Not bad. Not bad at all.
I got dressed and made my way downstairs, where I found Sera already seated in a small dining room. A cup of tea sat beside her, and a document lay open on the table. Her hair was tied back, and she wore the composed expression I’d grown accustomed to seeing whenever she was dealing with business.
She glanced up as I entered. "You sleep well?"
"Very well, thank you. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten I was here."
"I had work to attend to."
"Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to abandon your entire business because you had a guest."
Her mouth curved slightly. "A considerate answer. I’m almost disappointed."
I took the seat opposite her. "I’ll try to do better next time."
A servant brought breakfast, and for a while we spoke about less important things. The previous evening wasn’t ignored, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in discussing it over breakfast. Sera asked whether I intended to stay in Haremdale much longer, and I told her I hadn’t decided. There were still matters I needed to settle, and leaving before I had answers would be premature.
"That sounds suspiciously like another way of saying you have no plans," she remarked.
"I prefer to think of it as keeping my options open."
"Convenient."
"Very. You should try it."
She gave a quiet laugh and returned to her tea. It was an easy exchange, but I noticed how quickly she settled back into her usual manner. Whatever had changed between us, she hadn’t suddenly become someone who spent her mornings ignoring her responsibilities. I wouldn’t have expected her to.
I was halfway through breakfast when she set her cup down.
"There’s something I wanted to tell you."
I looked up. "That sounds serious."
"It concerns the man you’ve been searching for."
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth. "Joseph?"
Sera nodded. "My people have been following the information you gave me. They’ve spoken to a few contacts and checked several reports from people who have seen someone matching his description. Most of those sightings led nowhere. Some were old, and others were too vague to be useful."
"And this time?"
"This time, they found something more substantial."
She reached for the document beside her and took out a smaller sheet. It wasn’t a detailed report, just a few lines written in a neat hand. She placed it on the table between us.
"One of my contacts has dealings with people employed around House Vellmore," she explained. "He heard about a new guard who was recently brought into the household. The man was introduced through another member of the guard staff and given the name Joseph."
I read the note again.
"House Vellmore," I said.
"Yes. My people made a few additional inquiries. The description matches the man you told me about. They also confirmed that he has been seen around the estate since taking the position."
I leaned back, considering the information. It wasn’t the answer I’d expected, but it was the first useful lead I’d received in some time. Joseph had managed to find his way into a household that had already attracted my attention because of its connection to the Thorn Collective.
That was interesting.
"How certain are they that it’s him?"
"There’s no official portrait or document that proves it. I won’t pretend otherwise. But the description is consistent, the name matches, and the circumstances surrounding his introduction are unusual enough to make the report worth taking seriously."
"Unusual how?"
"Apparently, he was recommended by a guard who already worked there. The recommendation was made before Joseph himself appeared at the estate. My contact couldn’t establish why the first guard was so insistent on bringing him in, but the arrangement was accepted."
I frowned.
A recommendation through an existing guard. It sounded ordinary enough on the surface, but something about it caught my attention. Joseph had already shown that he could get involved in situations without following the path the System expected. He’d appeared in Millhaven, warned Clara about the attack, and somehow managed to put himself directly in the middle of an event that should have belonged to me.
Now he was inside House Vellmore.
I couldn’t tell whether he was investigating the Thorn Collective, pursuing his own objectives, or simply taking advantage of an opportunity. Whatever the explanation, it was difficult to believe his presence there was meaningless.
"Did your contact see him personally?" I asked.
"No. He heard the report from someone who had. I asked my people to verify the details before bringing it to you. They weren’t able to establish everything, but they did enough to make me believe this is worth following."
I appreciated that she hadn’t rushed to give me the first rumour she’d heard. I had already wasted too much time chasing uncertain information. Joseph was difficult enough to track without adding another false lead to the list.
"Do you know how long he’s been employed there?"
"Only recently. The exact date is uncertain, but it appears to have been within the last few days."
That fit with the timing of the reports. Joseph had arrived in Haremdale with the Dale sisters, and now he was working for a house connected to the very organisation we’d been investigating.
I looked down at the note once more. "This is useful."
"I thought it might be."
"Thank you. I know you have your own affairs to manage, and I appreciate you putting people on this."
Sera regarded me over the rim of her cup. "You make it sound as though I did it entirely for your benefit."
"Didn’t you?"
"Not entirely. House Vellmore has been a concern of mine for some time. Anything that gives me a clearer picture of who is moving through their household is useful to me as well."
There it was. I hadn’t expected her to pretend otherwise, and I respected her more for being direct about it.
"So we’re both getting something out of this."
"That is usually how useful arrangements work."
"Then I suppose I should be pleased we’re so good at them."
She shook her head, though the faint amusement remained in her expression. "You really do have an answer for everything."
"Not everything. I’m still working on a few."
I folded the note and set it beside my plate. "I want to see the estate myself."
Sera’s expression grew more serious. "You intend to approach House Vellmore?"
"I intend to find out whether Joseph is actually working there. If he is, I want to understand what he’s doing before I decide how to approach him."
"That could be dangerous. The Vellmores are not known for welcoming strangers who ask too many questions."
"I’ve noticed."
"Then you should also know that being recognised there could cause problems. If Joseph is working as a guard, he may have access to people and places you don’t. You won’t necessarily be able to approach him without drawing attention."
"I don’t plan on walking through the gates and asking for him."
"Good. I’d hate to think you were that careless."
"I can be careless occasionally. It’s part of my charm."
"One of your less convincing qualities."
I smiled, but I understood her warning. House Vellmore was not a place I could afford to underestimate. Joseph had already managed to get inside, and if he was investigating the same things I was, he might have uncovered information I hadn’t.
More importantly, I needed to know why he was there.
Sera picked up the document again. "I can have my people continue looking into his employment. If anything else comes to light, I’ll send word."
"Please do. But don’t have them approach him. I don’t want him knowing someone is asking questions before I have a chance to understand the situation."
"I’ll make that clear."
We finished breakfast, and I stayed a little longer than I had planned. There was no urgent reason to leave immediately, but I knew better than to let myself get distracted. I had spent too much time looking for Joseph to ignore a lead once it finally appeared.
Before I left, Sera walked with me towards the entrance. The morning was already well underway, and servants moved through the estate carrying out their duties. She stopped near the doorway and turned towards me.
"Don’t mistake this for permission to get yourself killed," she said.
"I’ll do my best to avoid that."
"That isn’t particularly reassuring."
"It’s the best I can offer."
She studied me for a moment before stepping closer. Her kiss was brief, but there was no awkwardness in it. Whatever reservations she still had, she wasn’t treating the previous evening as something she regretted.
"Come back and tell me how it went," she said.
"I will."
I left the estate in a good mood, though my thoughts had already shifted towards House Vellmore. Sera’s information hadn’t given me everything I wanted, but it had given me something solid to work with. Joseph had a name, a position, and a place where I could look for him.
For once, I wasn’t chasing a rumour that might disappear the moment I got close.
I made my way through the streets towards the northern district, turning the details over in my mind. I remembered the festival in Millhaven, the way Joseph had stepped into a situation that should have belonged to me, and the look in his eyes when I’d questioned him afterwards. He hadn’t been frightened enough to back down, even when he knew exactly who I was.
That bothered me more than I cared to admit.
The System still couldn’t give me a proper explanation for him. No quest marker, no status information, no useful classification. Just an anomaly that continued to move through the world as though the rules didn’t apply to him.
I had spent enough time wondering what he was.
Now I had a chance to find out what he was doing.
House Vellmore was my next stop. I would confirm the report, observe the estate, and decide what to do once I knew Joseph was really there.
This time, I intended to be the one asking the questions.