"Have you heard of the dead maid?"

"She was found in the royal garden last night."

"You heard that scream, right? It was probably her!"

"I heard her body's all disfigured. A murder, they say."

From dawn to this moment, Leo had heard at least one of these from someone at one point in time. He was still angry at Orson for his poor explanations of the true dangers involved with the flower, causing the fall of a member of the group.

She had now become the topic of discussion for bored workers and possibly for those outside palace walls, and there was nothing they could do to reverse all this. Leo wondered what Bertha and the others would think when they heard this.

There was a knock on the opened door and he looked up to see Moth.

"Orson's been waiting for you a while now," he informed. "Told me to come fetch you."

He didn't even realize he had taken so much time. "Yes, sorry, I'm coming. Give me one more minute."

He hurriedly stuffed down clothes and other essentials into his bag as Moth walked over, sitting at the foot of the narrow bed.

"I heard a bit of what happened last night," Moth said but Leo said nothing. "I know Orson may seem to you right now as an apathetic man who could care less about anything but I want you to understand that he is as affected by this as you are."

"Oh, I can see that," Leo said sarcastically, tying up the bag.

Moth smiled tenderly, patting Leo's head. "Don't be too hard on him, hm?"

Moth had been a long-time friend of Orson's and was the first point of contact when Orson escaped with Leo that day. He had been more than generous to the two and treated Leo quite warmly and oftentimes than not, he reminded Leo of his own father.

He followed Leo to the foyer where Orson waited impatiently.

"Just how many things were you packing?" Orson complained, hitting the bag. "Do you think of this as some kind of vacation?"

"Yes, clearly," Leo retorted and Orson hit the back of his head, the exact spot the wound was. He yelped, cradling his head in his hand as the pain rippled through his scalp.

"Orson," Moth scolded. "Have you forgotten the boy's wounded?"

"My aim would have been off if I had."

He angled Leo's head forward gently. "Does it hurt? Did he hit you too hard?"

Leo nodded dramatically, glancing at Orson. "He did and it really, really hurts."

Moth glared at Orson. "How many times have I told you to be gentler with him?"

He motioned at Leo from top to bottom in a way that felt belittling. "Yes, and this is the result."

"I don't like how offensive that sounds," Leo said.

"And I don't like how offensive you look, but you don't hear me complaining, do you?"

Leo paused a second. "You're a very hateful man."

"Like you're any more pleasant."

A few exchanges later, they were now ready to leave the place.

Moth embraced Leo. "Take care of yourself out there, son."

"You too, Moth."

"Don't forget what we discussed," Orson reminded Moth.

"Certainly not." He attempted to hug Orson but got his head pushed back in rejection.

Moth chuckled. "I expected as much."

"I don't even know why you bother," Leo said.

With the image of Moth fading into the distance, the two traveled down the rather quiet road.

"Honestly, he coddles you too much," Orson said at one point. "Look at the sorry mess you turned into."

"I'd say it's more your fault than Moth's."

"Don't pin this on me."

As they emerged from the shade of the trees, they spotted Bertha and another woman waiting. If Leo remembered correctly, she served in the kitchen with Bertha. Her name... didn't matter much.

"You're twenty minutes late," Bertha said.

"You can blame that one," Orson said, looking pointedly at Leo, then more softly, "About Tishie..."

Why would he bring up the subject of her death now? The moment felt wrong.

"You know what? Now's probably not the best time," Leo said. "We'll talk about this later."

"I understand."

Leo was caught off guard. "What?"

"When Reisey returned without Tishie, I knew something had gone wrong," Bertha said. "And from what I heard this morning, I can very much tell what happened."

The young woman gave a consoling pat on Orson's shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."

Leo expected as much a reaction but he felt disappointed to see how easily they accepted it. Tishie hadn't been just anyone, she had been one of them, and it's a fact that it could have been any of them in her position.

Bertha adjusted the strap of her leather bag. "We're already behind schedule so we better get moving."

They maneuvered through the busy western wing, winding through countless corridors, and at the intersection of the two wings, they turned onto a wider pathway.

As they passed the eastern wing, Leo slowed, his gaze caught by a particular scene.

From a porch, he noticed Elizabeth visibly agitated, speaking to a woman who sat elegantly poised, sipping tea. Her words appeared to fall on deaf ears as the woman didn't spare her a single glance.

He stumbled over a loose tile but thankfully maintained balance.

Orson turned behind him.

"I'm fine."

"I didn't ask," Orson said.

"I would advise you not to walk with just your legs," Bertha said.

He shook his head free of distractions. Whatever he saw was none of his business and it had no place on his list of worries.

He sped up to them and in a quiet fashion, strode to the palace gates.

Upon arrival, the guards, following procedure, asked the standard questions before viewing the required permission slip signed by the head maid.

The gates were opened wide once they had been confirmed and the four were now set free into the outside world.

Phase three of the plan had begun.

* * *

Whether it was because it had been a few weeks since he saw anything but trees and frantic maids, the dull city in his memory had been washed anew with warm, comforting winds and vividly sunny colors that screamed life.

He felt oddly moved by the mere sight of the relaxed citizens of Lelseck who went about their day with half as much haste as the servants of the palace.

He was starting to long for an extension of their little trip.

"And this is where we part," Bertha said. "We'll meet again in three days at this exact spot so careful you don't forget."

Leo noted the three main landmarks—a brewery to the east, a tailor's shop to the west, and the holstered banner of an alchemy school in the distance.

"Take care," said the woman whose name Leo was yet to recall.

Bertha bid them goodbye then soon disappeared amongst the endless stretch of buildings.

Leo turned to Orson, his expression questioning why he was still there.

"I know you're itching to get rid of me but I can't leave you just yet," Orson said.

"Why?" Leo spat the words.

"Because I'd be too worried about leaving my poor boy all alone in this big, big city," Orson joked, tracing a finger down Leo's face.

A shiver ran down Leo's cheek as he slapped Orson's hand. "Don't scare me like that."

"I could do worse," Orson said, a small smile on his lips.

He shuddered. "Seriously, why aren't you leaving?"

Orson was quiet for a moment. "I'm thinking."

"And that's something you can do better once you hit the road," Leo said, pushing him. "Now, leave. Hurry up."

Orson reluctantly parted from them and the remaining two boarded a carriage headed out of town soon after.

* * *

The Rethfell Temple of Lelseck was brimming with fervent worshippers and inside the majestically built concrete houses were chanting priests and a meditative congregation bundled together on stone benches.

Leo and his companion took off their boots and clasping their hands, entered with a prayerful outlook.

He skimmed through the strained faces of praying men and smiled when his eyes landed on the perfect targets.

With her veil on, an old woman stole surreptitious glances at multiple people from the corner she sat, and inclining her head in a deceptive bow, she would whisper to the people sitting beside her and they would laugh silently. One might have believed her to be offering sincere prayer to the One Most Holy but if you looked closely, you would find her engaged in a far less needful activity.

He moved carefully through the throng, careful not to draw attention, then settled comfortably on the row behind her.

She turned slightly, and Leo knew he had her attention.

As practiced, he lowered his head and began whispering his prayers. "I begin first by offering my utmost gratitude for seeing me through my sojourn back home and saving me from the clutches of the evil one. All I ask of you this morning is that you grant me the courage to continue my work for this country and a listening ear to help bring to light the horrors I have seen and the secrets I have heard, and finally..." He ended with a sentence he knew would get her reaching out after the service.

When service was over, he rose to leave.

"Now what?" his companion asked.

"We wait," he said as he exited the building. He put on his boots, and without interacting with anyone, attempted to leave the premises.

He was right.

Not even a minute went by she came scrambling after him. Her friends stood a short distance away, watching.

"Young man," she said sweetly, touching his arm. Looking at her under better light, she didn't look as old as she did under the veil—though she was still well advanced in her age.

He turned around, looking confused at the unexpected call. "And what can I do for you, madam?"

She let out a breathy laugh that sounded sickly. "Oh, don't be alarmed. It's just that I haven't seen your faces around these parts before, so I thought I'd take the time to get to know you a bit."

"Well, that's mighty nice of you," his companion expressed.

"Oh, it's the least I can do," she chuckled. "So where are you two from?"

"We're from Norsipp," Leo answered.

Her eyes widened. "Norsipp? My, that's far! I can't even begin to imagine how much you folks suffer with those barbarians in your woods."

She smiled sadly. "We try our best every day."

"Honestly, I don't know why the king has yet to get rid of those goons after all these years," she said spitefully. "They've practically settled!"

"Things have gotten worse now," Leo said. "If there are indeed Eruwian spies going around spreading those atrocities, we might as well go to war."

She couldn't hide her interest. "What spies do you speak of?"

Leo and his companion shared a look, before Leo said, "Don't tell me you haven't heard."

"Pardon me, I must be lacking in my knowledge given I no longer travel as much," she said. "So what about those spies?"

"Well..." Leo leaned in, cupping one hand around his mouth as he whispered into her ear, leaving her veins visibly throbbing.

"What?" she asked grimly. "Is this true?"

Leo nodded solemnly.

"We've tried our best to die out the rumors but you know how stubborn people can be," his companion said.

"Especially with matters regarding our safety," Leo agreed.

She grabbed Leo's hand. "Worry no more. Those bastards won't get far with this nonsense."

"We surely hope so," Leo said.

The now enthusiastic woman rejoined her group, her resolve evident. Leo was confident she would stir the response they needed.

"Do you think it will work?" his companion asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Oh, she'll do a fine job, that one," Leo replied with a smirk.

The one thing Leo found people to believe readily was a half-truth. Rather than a blatant lie, deception was easier to ingest and gave less room for any speculations and when dealing with the larger populace, especially, rumors met the desired standard.

It was true that the Eruwians were wreaking havoc on their borders and had done quite a lot of damage to immediate towns like Norsipp, therefore earning them the disfavor of most Gerdians, but their ill relationship began much before King Arnold's time and there was no way to improve it.

Whether the Eruwians' meticulous plan was true or not was left to the imagination of the people.

"Are we done here?" she asked.

"Indeed, we are."

They left the temple and boarded the nearest carriage, heading to the next town.