[Ren’s POV]
House Vellmore was exactly the sort of place that made people think twice before approaching its gates.
The estate stood behind a high iron fence in the northern district, its stone manor set well back from the road. Smaller buildings surrounded the main residence, and guards moved between them with the practised ease of people who knew the grounds. The Vellmore crest was displayed above the entrance, leaving little doubt about whose property it was.
I didn’t approach the gates immediately. Instead, I spent some time observing the guards and the people coming and going. Sera’s information had given me a reason to look here, but I wasn’t going to assume the report was correct simply because I wanted it to be.
Eventually, I caught sight of a guard speaking with another man near one of the smaller buildings. I couldn’t make out their conversation from where I stood, and neither face was familiar. I waited, watching for someone who matched the description I’d been given.
No Joseph.
I stayed longer than I intended, but there was only so much I could learn from the street. Approaching the entrance and asking for him would accomplish little beyond drawing attention to myself. If he was employed here, he could be anywhere on the grounds, and I had no reason to believe the guards would tell a stranger where to find him.
I left without forcing the issue.
It wasn’t a wasted visit. I’d confirmed that the estate was active, that the guard staff was larger than I’d expected, and that getting inside without a proper reason would be difficult. More importantly, I now had a place to return to if I needed to investigate further.
I could try again another day.
For now, I decided to return to The Lantern. I had spent enough time standing outside House Vellmore, and there was no point pretending that staring at its gates would make Joseph appear.
The streets were busy by the time I reached the inn. Merchants were closing deals, carriages passed through the wider roads, and people moved between shops with the usual impatience of a city going about its day. I stepped through The Lantern’s entrance, greeted the innkeeper with a nod, and was about to head towards the stairs when I noticed a familiar figure near the common room.
At first, I thought I was mistaken.
Then the man turned.
Joseph.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
His eyes widened as soon as he recognised me. Mine did the same, though I recovered quickly enough to hide most of the surprise. I hadn’t expected to find him here. I’d come to The Lantern because it was where I was staying, not because anyone had told me he would be here.
And judging by his expression, he hadn’t expected to see me either.
Of all the places in Haremdale, we had managed to choose the same inn.
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. My search had taken me to House Vellmore, and the man I’d been looking for was standing in the very place I’d returned to without giving it a second thought.
Joseph was not alone. Clara stood a short distance from him, with Maren beside her. They appeared to have been preparing to leave, though neither sister moved once they noticed me. Clara’s gaze shifted between Joseph and me, her expression tightening as she recognised the change in the atmosphere.
Joseph recovered first, but only just. "Ren."
He remembered my name. Of course he did.
"Joseph," I replied.
I kept my voice even, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The last time we’d spoken, he had been standing in the magistrate’s residence after the festival attack. He’d warned Clara about the Thorn Collective, known details about the planned assault, and then taken a beating from one of the attackers while trying to protect her.
He had been an unexplained presence then. He was an unexplained presence now.
And somehow, he had ended up working for House Vellmore.
My gaze briefly moved to Clara. She looked from me to Joseph, clearly trying to understand why we were staring at each other as though the rest of the room had disappeared.
"Do you two know each other?" Maren asked.
"We’ve met," I said.
Joseph gave a small nod. "In Millhaven."
"At the festival," I added. "Though I doubt either of us expected to run into each other here."
"No," Joseph said. "I didn’t."
There was something guarded in his voice. He wasn’t trying to appear friendly, but he wasn’t openly hostile either. It was the same careful attitude he’d shown when I’d questioned him before. He knew I was the Chosen Hero, and he knew enough about the world to understand that standing against me could be a serious mistake.
That didn’t mean he intended to back down.
I took a step closer. "I was actually looking for you."
Clara moved slightly, placing herself nearer to Joseph. "Why?"
"That’s something I’d rather discuss with him."
"Then you can discuss it here," she replied. Her tone was polite, but there was no warmth in it. "There’s no reason to take him somewhere else."
I looked at her for a moment. Clara had always been difficult to read. The System had marked her as someone important to my story, and I’d spent enough time trying to win her trust to know that she didn’t respond well to being told what to do.
Joseph glanced at her. "Clara, it’s fine."
"No, it isn’t," she said, without looking away from me. "You don’t know what he wants."
A faint smile touched my mouth. "At least we agree on that."
Joseph’s expression hardened. "If you have something to say, say it."
There was the man I remembered. No attempt to flatter me, no effort to pretend we were old friends. He’d stood his ground in Millhaven when he had every reason to be afraid, and he was doing it again now.
I found that irritating.
I also found it interesting.
"You’re working for House Vellmore," I said.
The change in his expression was small, but I caught it. His eyes narrowed, and for the briefest moment he looked genuinely surprised.
"How do you know that?"
So the report was correct.
"I’ve been asking questions."
"About me?"
"Among other things."
Joseph studied me, and I could almost see him trying to work out how much I knew. He glanced briefly towards Clara and Maren before returning his attention to me.
"Why are you interested in where I work?"
"Because you have a habit of appearing in places you shouldn’t be."
His brows drew together. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Really? You knew about the attack in Millhaven before it happened. You knew who was behind it, how many men were involved, and where they intended to enter. Then you appeared at the magistrate’s residence and somehow became involved in Clara’s affairs."
"I warned her because she was in danger."
"And you expect me to believe that’s all there is to it?"
"Believe whatever you want."
The answer was calm, but I could feel the tension building between us. The people in the common room had begun to notice. A few conversations had stopped, and the innkeeper was watching from behind the counter.
I wasn’t interested in turning the place into a spectacle. Not yet.
"Come with me," I said.
Joseph didn’t move. "No."
Clara’s hand tightened around the strap of her bag. Maren had gone quiet, her attention moving between us as she tried to judge how far this might go.
I looked directly at Joseph. "That wasn’t a request."
"And I’m not your guard, Ren."
The words landed harder than they should have. Perhaps because he said them without raising his voice. Perhaps because he seemed perfectly aware that he was refusing someone who had every advantage over him.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. "You have no idea how much trouble you’ve caused."
Joseph’s jaw tightened. "I think you’re confusing me with someone else."
"No. I know exactly who you are."
For a moment, the room seemed to fall away. It was just the two of us, standing several feet apart, with all the unfinished business from Millhaven sitting between us.
Then Joseph shifted his weight.
It was a small movement, but I recognised the preparation behind it. His attention had settled on me, his shoulders had tightened, and his hands were no longer resting casually at his sides.
He was getting ready.
I felt my smile fade.
"Joseph," Clara said quietly.
He didn’t look away from me.
I could have let it go. I could have walked upstairs, waited for another opportunity, and approached him somewhere less crowded. But I’d spent too long searching for him, and now that he was standing in front of me, I wasn’t inclined to let him walk away again.
Joseph took a breath.
"Not here," he said.
I glanced at the people watching us, then back at him. "Fine. We can take this outside."
He didn’t answer immediately. Clara looked as though she wanted to object, but she seemed to understand that the decision had already been made.
Joseph finally stepped forward.
And whatever had been holding the tension between us in place began to break.