The days in Tyron Mansion had become a silent symphony of fear and vigilance. After the failed attack at the Automaton Workshop – a setback Marius reported to Lady Vareth with the cold efficiency of describing a broken machine part, mentioning the targets' escape and the loss of the fragmented mage's grimoire – the atmosphere within the white marble walls grew even more rarefied, more charged. Vareth spent more time in her private study, locked away with her runic maps and coded communicators, impatience emanating from her like a palpable chill that made even the oldest servants walk on tiptoe.

  Lina felt this pressure like an invisible hand squeezing her throat. Ever since Elara returned terrified from the black market days before, babbling excuses about not finding the medicine Lina asked for and avoiding her gaze, Lina knew something was wrong. There was a secret in the servant's eyes, an extra layer of dread misaligned with the usual fear of the Lady. And there was Lysa's presence itself, confirmed to be in Lysendar, a shadow projecting over every luxurious corridor, every silk tapestry, every crystal goblet. The "old doll" was alive, powerful, and nearby. The thought was a constant terror.

  The summons came on a gray afternoon, as fine rain began drumming against the enchanted glass of the high windows. Lina was called to Vareth's private study, a place she detested – not just for memories of cold reprimands and relentless orders, but for the room's very atmosphere. It was a large space, dominated by a massive petrified wood desk, shelves filled not with common books, but ancient grimoires bound in exotic leather and data crystals pulsing with restricted information. The air smelled of old dust, runic magic ozone, and the faint, persistent scent of black rose.

  Lady Vareth stood with her back to the door, observing a holographic map of Lysendar floating above her desk. Blue light points (System patrols) and gray ones (Tyron units) moved slowly across the projection. She didn't turn when Lina entered.

  "Close the door, Lina. And activate the privacy seals," Vareth ordered, her voice calm, controlled, but with an undercurrent of steel.

  Lina obeyed silently, feeling the soft click of the runic seals sealing the room from the rest of the mansion. A shiver ran down her spine. Meetings with seals activated usually meant unpleasant orders or dangerous news.

  "The Zero Anomaly and her associates continue to elude us," Vareth began, still facing the map. "Marius lost their trail after the Workshop incident. Clever, how they used the Desert's Code flaws to get here undetected by the main networks. But they're trapped in the city now. The Purification has intensified. It's a matter of time until they make a fatal mistake." She finally turned, her pale eyes fixing on Lina. The gaze lacked maternal warmth; it was a strategist assessing a piece on the board. "However, time is a luxury I prefer not to grant worms. We need to accelerate the process. Force them from the shadows."

  Lina felt the familiar knot of fear tighten in her stomach. "And how do you intend to do that, Mother?"

  "With you, dear," Vareth replied, a thin smile that didn't reach her eyes touching her lips. "There's an event next week. A Charity Ball for the 'Victims of the Purification,' organized by the Social Chamber. A public demonstration of our compassion and support for the King's cause." Irony dripped from her words like sweet poison. "All of high society will be present. Including important figures from the System and the Guard. A perfect occasion for visibility."

  "Visibility?" Lina repeated, confused and apprehensive.

  "Your visibility, Lina," Vareth clarified, stepping towards her. "You will attend. You will wear the Star Tears necklace I gave you on your sixteenth birthday. The one you wore back when our little Zero resided with us. You will circulate and smile. You will perhaps look a little vulnerable. A perfect, glittering bait."

  Understanding hit Lina with the force of a physical blow. Bait. She was to be used as bait to lure Lysa. The idea was so monstrous, so cold, it left her breathless.

  "No," the word escaped before she could stop it, a shocked whisper.

  Vareth raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

  "No!" Lina repeated, her voice gaining strength, fueled by years of repressed fear and resentment. She stepped back, away from her mother's icy presence. "I won't do it! You want me to… expose myself? To become a target for her? After everything you… we did? Are you insane?"

  Surprise on Vareth's face was genuine but lasted only a second, quickly replaced by a mask of cold fury. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

  "Insane?" Vareth hissed, voice dangerously low. "Insanity is disobedience. Insanity is weakness. Insanity is forgetting your place and function in this family, Lina. You exist because of me. You enjoy this luxury, this position, because I navigate this world's dangerous currents. Your duty is to obey. Your duty is to be useful."

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  "Useful? Like Lysa was useful? Like an object for you to display and discard? Like bait for your personal hunt?" Lina's anger finally exploded, words tumbling out, trembling. "I am not one of your pieces, Mother! I will not risk myself because of your obsession with that Zero! She killed Grenda! Killed Circle Masters! She'll come after us, and you want me to wave at her with a shiny necklace?"

  "She will come after you, Lina, with or without a necklace!" Vareth retorted, her voice rising for the first time. "Because of what you did! Or have you forgotten your little games with that baton? Your laughter while she was humiliated? You planted the seeds of her hatred as much as I did. The difference is, I understand how to deal with consequences. You just tremble and hide."

  The words struck Lina like slaps. The memory of her own childhood cruelty, now used against her by her own mother, was humiliating and terrifying. But the injustice, the coldness with which Vareth offered her as sacrifice, ignited something stronger than fear: rebellion.

  "No," Lina repeated, her voice choked but firm. The tears threatening to fall were of anger, not dread. "I won't. Find another bait. Use one of your modified slaves. Use your own influence. But I will not be the sheep on the altar for your convenience."

  Vareth Tyron fell silent for a long moment, pale eyes fixed on Lina, so piercing they seemed to read every thought, every fear. When she spoke again, her voice was devoid of any emotion, making it even more frightening.

  "I see. Sentimentality has finally corrupted you. Or perhaps it's just cowardice. Disappointing, but predictable." Vareth turned back to the holographic map. "Your refusal is noted. There will be consequences, of course. Your status, your privileges... all can be reassessed. Perhaps a period of seclusion to reflect on the meaning of loyalty and duty would be appropriate. Leave. Your presence has become unpleasant."

  Lina didn't wait for a second command. Turned and left the study, hands shaking, heart pounding wildly against her ribs. Deactivated the privacy seals with trembling fingers and nearly ran down the silent corridors towards her chambers, feeling Vareth's cold gaze burning her back.

  She locked herself in her room, breathing heavily, and leaned against the heavy door, sliding to the floor. She had defied her mother. Refused a direct order. The consequences Vareth promised could mean anything from social ostracism to something much, much worse. Felt more alone and terrified than ever.

  Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door. Not the formal knock of just any servant, but something more hesitant.

  "Lady Lina?" It was Elara's voice, low, concerned. "Is everything alright? I heard raised voices from the Lady's study."

  Lina hesitated. Trusting Elara was a risk. But who else could she turn to? Opened the door just a crack. Elara stood there, face etched with genuine concern. Lina pulled her inside quickly and shut the door again.

  "Elara, I refused," Lina whispered, voice choked. "She wanted me... to be bait. To lure the Zero. And I said no."

  Elara's eyes widened, first in shock, then in something resembling fearful admiration. "You refused Lady Vareth? My Lady, that is dangerous."

  "I know!" Lina burst out in desperate whispers. "But I couldn't! Do you understand? To be used like that, maybe die at the hands of someone I tormented myself? And her coldness, Elara! As if I were a disposable object!"

  Elara placed a comforting, though trembling, hand on Lina's arm. "I understand, my Lady. More than you know." She took a deep breath, making a decision that could cost her life. "Lady Lina... I need to tell you something. Something I did. Something that might change things."

  Lina stared at her, confused. "What did you do, Elara?"

  "I met the Zero. Lysa." Elara confessed, words tumbling out in a rushed, low stream. "That day, in the black market, I saw her. And I spoke with her."

  Lina recoiled as if burned. "You what?! Elara, are you mad? What if Mother finds out? She'll..."

  "She already knows, they tried to extract as much information as possible from me, but I resisted. In the end, Vareth grew bored and let me go." Elara interrupted her, voice firm for the first time. "And I didn't speak to Lysa out of malice, my Lady. I spoke because I felt maybe she was the only one capable of facing the Lady, and because I remembered you. Both of us, trapped in this house in different ways."

  "What... what did you tell her?" Lina asked, fear mixed with morbid curiosity.

  "I gave her information. About the mansion. The guards. And about something the Lady hides in the vaults. Something called an Echo. Something the Zero seemed to be looking for."

  Lina gaped. Elara had committed treason on a level she could barely conceive. But the servant continued.

  "And I asked for something in return, Lady Lina. I asked for your life."

  "My life? To her?"

  "Yes. I told her you were a child then. Manipulated. Maybe not like your mother. I asked that, if the time came, she give you a chance, spare you."

  Lina felt her legs weaken. What would Lysa have answered?

  "And she...? What did she say?" Lina whispered.

  Elara's eyes met Lina's, painful sincerity in them. "She promised nothing, my Lady. Said she couldn't promise mercy. But said if you didn't stand in her way, if you chose differently, you would live. That the consequences would be yours." Elara gripped Lina's hand tighter. "Doesn't sound like much, I know. But coming from her, after everything, it felt like hope. A small sliver. And I believe, Lady Lina, that this Zero, this Lysa, maybe she isn't just the monster your mother painted. Maybe there's more to her. And maybe there's more to you too."

  Elara then spoke the words that would change everything for Lina. "I promised myself I would protect you, my Lady. Ever since I spoke with the Zero. I don't know how. But I won't let Lady Vareth use you as bait or discard you. You will be alright. Whatever it takes."

  Lina looked at the servant, at the unexpected, dangerous loyalty shining in her tired eyes. She had refused her mother. Discovered her maid had made a pact with her greatest fear. And now, that same maid offered her protection, a promise made on the edge of the abyss. The floor beneath her seemed to disappear. Floating in a sea of uncertainty, where enemies might offer hope and family was the greatest threat. The silk cage never seemed so fragile, nor so inescapable. What would she do now? The choice, for the first time in a long time, seemed terrifyingly hers.