Elowen's POV:
The market is just as loud as before when I return.
Vendors call out prices from beneath bright awnings. Children weave between stalls carrying baskets of fruit. Somewhere nearby, a musician plays a cheerful tune on a flute.
Everything looks the same.
But I notice things differently now.
Every narrow alley.
Every man standing too long in one place.
Every pair of eyes watching the crowds.
I reach the cobbler's shop where Selene and Hailey wait near the entrance.
Selene is examining a pair of shoes with dramatic concentration when she spots me.
"There you are."
She straightens immediately.
"You were gone forever."
"Hardly forever."
Hailey studies my face more carefully.
"You took a long time," she says.
"The alley twisted more than I expected," I reply calmly. "I had to circle around."
Selene waves away the explanation.
"Well, you're back now. Good. Because we have a problem."
I raise an eyebrow.
"What kind of problem?"
"Shoes."
She gestures dramatically toward the display table.
"There are too many choices."
The cobbler's shop is smaller than the dressmaker's, but no less impressive. Shelves line the walls, displaying elegant slippers and finely crafted heels in every imaginable color.
Selene lifts a pair of golden shoes adorned with tiny jewels.
"Look at these!"
"They are certainly noticeable," Hailey says.
"That's the point."
She glances at me.
"Elowen, yours must match the silver dress."
The silver dress.
For a moment, my mind drifts back to the conversation in the alley.
The shipments leave before the masquerade.
I force the thought aside and step toward the display.
A pair of shoes catches my attention immediately.
They are simple compared to the others—slender silver heels made of smooth satin, with delicate crystal stitching along the edges.
When the light strikes them, they shimmer faintly with a blue reflection.
Like the gown.
"These," I say.
Selene nods approvingly.
"Yes. Perfect."
Hailey selects something elegant but practical, dark blue with minimal decoration.
Selene, unsurprisingly, chooses the most brilliant pair in the shop: bright coral silk with golden embroidery.
"I refuse to disappear into the background," she declares proudly.
"That was never a risk," Hailey replies.
Selene laughs.
For a moment, the mood is light again.
But my thoughts refuse to settle.
As we leave the shop and walk back toward the waiting carriage, the sounds of the market seem sharper somehow.
Too many people.
Too many shadows.
I find myself scanning faces without meaning to.
Selene notices my silence.
"You're very quiet."
"I'm thinking."
"That's rarely a peaceful activity for you."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
The carriage ride back to the palace is calmer.
The streets of the capital glow under the warm colors of the late afternoon sun. Lanterns are already being lit along the roads, and the smell of roasted food drifts through the open carriage window as we pass the outer districts.
Selene continues discussing the ball with great enthusiasm.
"I wonder who will attend."
"Everyone," Hailey replies. "It's the Queen's masquerade."
Selene grins.
"Exactly."
She turns to me.
"And masks mean mystery."
"Yes," I say quietly.
Mystery indeed.
My thoughts return once more to the alley.
The girl's frightened face.
The men's voices.
They took my sister.
We'll find another one.
I stare out the carriage window as the palace walls rise into view.
Someone in this city is gathering children.
Not one.
Not two.
Many.
And they are doing it openly enough that men can discuss it in an alley without fear.
Which means one of two things.
Either no one knows.
Or someone powerful is making sure no one looks too closely.
The carriage stops in the palace courtyard.
Servants hurry forward to assist us down.
Selene stretches her arms dramatically.
"I cannot wait for the masquerade."
"It will certainly be memorable," Hailey says.
We walk together through the palace gates.
Courtiers move through the corridors in elegant clusters, already whispering about the upcoming ball. Servants carry flowers toward the grand hall where preparations have begun.
Everything feels bright.
Festive.
Perfect.
And completely disconnected from the darker thoughts occupying my mind.
Selene stops outside the corridor leading to our rooms.
"I'm going to see if the dressmaker can add more embroidery," she announces.
"More?" Hailey asks.
"There is always room for improvement."
She smiles at me.
"Rest well, Elowen. Tomorrow we must plan hairstyles."
"I look forward to it."
She hurries off down the corridor.
Hailey lingers a moment longer.
Her gaze studies me carefully.
"You're still thinking about something."
I meet her eyes calmly.
"I often am."
"Yes."
She hesitates slightly.
"If something is wrong…"
"I'll tell you."
She accepts the answer, though I suspect she knows it is incomplete.
"Good night then."
"Good night."
When I finally reach my room, the silence feels welcome.
The candles have already been lit by the servants, casting warm light across the small desk near the window.
I remove my gloves slowly and place them beside the unfinished letter to my father.
The room is peaceful.
Too peaceful.
I sit at the desk and stare out the window.
From here I can see the distant glow of the capital city beyond the palace walls. Hundreds of lanterns flicker across the streets like scattered stars.
Somewhere among them, a small girl is running home.
And somewhere else…
Her friend is still missing.
The men's words echo again in my memory.
The shipments leave before the masquerade.
Before the ball.
Three nights.
Three nights before, whoever is behind this finishes their work.
I lean back slightly in the chair, considering my options.
I could tell the palace guard.
But what would I say?
That I overheard criminals in an alley?
Are children disappearing?
Without proof, the story would sound like a rumor.
And if someone powerful is involved…
The truth might disappear just as easily as the girls.
I close my eyes briefly.
I did not come to the capital to solve its problems.
I came to survive the trials.
To return home once they were finished.
Yet the image of the frightened child refuses to leave my mind.
They took my friend.
Slowly, I straighten in the chair.
If the palace does not see what is happening…
Then someone else must.
My gaze drifts toward the silver mask resting on the table beside the fabric samples.
Moonlight glints faintly across its surface.
A masquerade.
Masks.
Secrets.
The city will be full of movement and confusion that night.
The perfect time for someone to hide dangerous things.
Which also makes it the perfect time to watch.
I rise from the chair and move toward the window.
Below, the palace gardens stretch into shadow.
Beyond them, the city waits.
Somewhere out there, someone believes they are unseen.
Untouchable.
My fingers rest lightly against the cold glass.
"If no one else is looking," I murmur softly to the empty room, "then I will."
The decision settles in my chest with quiet certainty.
Tomorrow, I will return to the market.
And this time, I will not simply walk away.
Because somewhere in the capital, children are disappearing.
And whoever is responsible believes no one is paying attention.
They are wrong.