Chapter 105: Three days

Stefan's POV

I stared at Kara for a long second after she asked the question.

*Will you protect me from her?*

The smart answer was no. The practical answer was no. Getting between a woman who could inflict permanent, incurable sickness and the people who disappointed her was an excellent way to end up as a cautionary tale.

I had already been whipped, chained, and nearly beheaded once today for getting involved in this woman called Kara's problems. Every calculating part of my brain told me to draw a hard line right here.

But somehow, I ignored all of them, for a reason I couldn't explain at all.

"Fine, I will protect you from the Silent Matriarch." I replied.

Kara's eyes widened, as if she hadn't actually expected me to agree. I gave her firm nod as assurance that she heard me right.

"But from now on," I continued, my voice dropping into a firmer tone, "you tell me everything. No more surprises. No more secret meetings. No more running into my rooms with half the palace on your heels. If something happens, I hear about it before it blows up in my face. Clear?"

She nodded quickly. "Clear."

"Good. You're staying here until things calm down. The Hand will bring you food. Don't open the door for anyone who isn't me."

Kara exhaled like she had been holding the breath for hours. "Thank you."

The System chose that moment to chime in, bright and satisfied.

[MISSION COMPLETE — Protect Kara]

Reward obtained: Key to the Incubus Vault.

I didn't waste time to check it out. That was what I had been chained for. The key appeared in my inventory as a dark, heavy thing that felt warmer than metal should. I used it immediately.

The Vault opened like a door that had been waiting a long time.

Three items floated forward, each one labeled in clean System text.

**Incubus Memory** - Instant comprehension of any written material.

**Incubus Perception** - Heightened awareness of physical states.

**Incubus Body Language Analysis** - Accurate reading of intent and tension through posture and micro-expression.

I felt a real, pleased grin pull at my mouth for the first time since the dungeon incident.

"Now this is more like it." I muttered.

I claimed all three. The knowledge settled into place without pain or resistance - clean, immediate, useful.

~~~~~~~~~~

Evening came quietly.

Kara slipped out when the corridors were at their least watched. I walked her as far as I safely could, then returned to my rooms alone. Dove's attention was still too sharp for me to risk another disappearance so soon. That left only one option for keeping my promise to Jonquil.

I lay down, closed my eyes, and reached for the dream.

The gray space formed but it was empty.

No Jonquil.

I waited, pacing the formless ground, muttering under my breath.

"Come on. You asked me to come back tonight. The least you could do is fall asleep at a reasonable hour."

She never appeared.

Sleep eventually pulled me under properly. When I woke, morning light was already filtering through the windows and the System was waiting with all the warmth of a debt collector.

[MISSION FAILED — Make Jonquil feel good throughout the day]

Penalty applied: –200 EXP

I was supposed to feel the penalty somehow, after all I worked hard for every EXP and AP. But what I felt instead was sharper and more irritating - the simple fact that Jonquil had never shown up in the dream at all.

I couldn't help but wondered what was going on with her.

It was at that moment that the system dinged in;

[Congratulations,] [Host has begun to harbor genuine concern for his First Pillar.] the System said, tone almost light.

"No."

[Denial is common in early stages.]

"I'm concerned about her well-being because she is useful and because I gave her my word. That isn't the same thing. You wouldn't understand the difference. You're not human." I said flatly.

[As you say, Host.]

The tone was unmistakably teasing.

I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Funny how pleasant you get when you're not busy handing out penalties and locking every useful item behind another mission."

The System offered no reply after that. It simply went silent, which was somehow more annoying than if it had argued.

I sat there on the edge of the bed for a while longer, my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor while the System's last remark sat in my head like a burr.

Genuine concerns?

I scoffed under my breath and dragged both hands down my face.

"You really don't know what concern means, do you? I gave her my word. I don't like leaving loose ends. That's all it is. You're reading too much into a failed mission and a missing warrior." I deadpanned.

[Host's elevated stress response when the First Pillar failed to appear in the dream does not support that interpretation,] the System replied, still carrying that faint edge of amusement.

"It's called not liking unfinished business." I insisted sharply.

[Of course, Host.]

The tone was so politely skeptical that I actually laughed once, short and dry.

"One of these days I'm going to find the setting that turns your personality off."

The System offered no further comment. It had already gotten the reaction it wanted.

I stayed sitting a little longer anyway, turning the problem of Jonquil over in my mind. She had asked me to come back. She had looked me in the eye and made the request with that blunt honesty of hers. Then she had spent the entire night unreachable. No dream presence. No contact. Nothing. In a place like Bloomhold that could mean extra drills, a sudden assignment, or something worse. The fact that I couldn't simply send a message or walk over without risking another treason accusation only made the irritation sharper.

Eventually I stood up and rolled my shoulders, feeling the last residual tightness from the dungeon lashes.

"Hand," I called.

She appeared promptly.

"I need to go out. Prepare a bath and be quick about it. I've got things to handle."

The Hand was so easy to order around. The bath was fast. Within a blink of an eye, she had helped me get dressed.

I got ready to her into my plan. The plan was simple: get outside the main wings, find someone who actually knew where Jonquil was, and deal with whatever new problem the System had just dropped on me afterward through Jonquil.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sneaking out of the palace in daylight was a different kind of problem. I used the servant routes where I could, kept my head down, and stayed close to walls. I was halfway toward a usable side exit when the sound of approaching footsteps and the low murmur of many voices forced me into the shadow of a column.

The Queen had returned.

The Queen passed first. Belladonna walked at her shoulder like a drawn blade, her expression was cold, too cold than usual. Behind them came a cluster of ranked Flowers, their postures were rigid, their eyes staring forward. Even from a distance the new Incubus Body Language Analysis lit up in quiet, precise observations.

Tight shoulders. Controlled breathing. Micro-tensions around the eyes and mouths. None of them were relaxed.

Something had gone wrong.

Lily was near the rear of the cluster. When the Queen and Belladonna continued into the private wing and the remaining warriors began to settle into waiting positions, I caught her eye and gave a short, sharp gesture. She frowned, not understanding, until I repeated it more clearly. After a moment she drifted away from the others with careful casualness and followed me into a narrow side corridor.

The second we had a fragment of privacy I turned on her.

"So," I began, keeping my voice low, "did the whole place just go to shit while I wasn't looking, or is this only a medium-sized disaster?"

Lily stared at me, completely lost.

"I do not understand what you are asking."

I waved a hand. "Forget it. Different language. Just tell me where Jonquil is."

"I do not know. I have been with Her Majesty's party since the day before. There was a meeting. I was not informed of Jonquil's duties."

Before I could press further, the sound of a door opening reached the passage. Belladonna stepped back into the main corridor. Lily's posture changed instantly. She gave me one quick look - half warning, half apology and moved to rejoin the General without another word.

I stayed in the shadow, my jaw clenched very tight.

Then the System chimed again, bright and completely without mercy.

[NEW MISSION]

Complete Belladonna's recruitment within three days.

Reward: Bronze Chest

Penalty for failure: Compulsory missions without reward for three days.

I stared at the text floating in front of my eyes.

Belladonna?

The same woman who looked at me like she was measuring the distance to my neck. The same woman whose loyalty, affection, and trust were all effectively zero. The same woman who had wanted me sent to Bloomhold under her direct power from the beginning.

Three days...

I opened my mouth, closed it again, and finally managed a single disbelieving breath.

"You've got to be joking."