"Do I need to change?" Kaiden asked. He was wearing the standard PT outfit, which isn’t exactly presentable for a meeting.

  Greaves shook her head. "They told me you can come as you are."

  "Did they say what this is about?"

  Greaves gave him an amused look. "They never tell me shit. Let’s go. I wanna get a peek at who's out there."

  Davick cut in. "You think one of the Petal sisters is there?"

  Kaiden blanched at the thought.

  Greaves scoffed. "Yeah, right. You really think a Petal sister would come here personally for some private? I don’t even have the slightest clue why the Perennial Petal is requesting your presence—and seemingly trying to keep it quiet."

  Davick gave a triumphant hmph. "Well actually—"

  Kaiden coughed loudly, cutting Davick off, and shot him a sharp look that said shut up.

  The exchange wasn’t lost on Greaves.

  Her eyes narrowed as she looked between them. "Hey, what was that look?"

  Kaiden thought about it for a second as the trio made their way toward the front gate. "Actually, I did a special mission for the Perennial Petal before I got here, and they probably just want to follow up with me on that."

  "Hmmm," Greaves murmured, studying him closely. Kaiden tried not to look nervous under her sharp gaze.

  Then she turned to Davick. "Why are you coming?"

  "I wanna see a Petal sister, Corporal," Davick said without hesitation.

  Greaves rolled her eyes. "Just don't be late for your training."

  "Of course, Corporal," Davick said with a grin.

  As they got closer to the gate, an expensive-looking horse and carriage came into view, hitched just outside. The dark wood of the carriage was polished and refined, its edges lined with discreet silver trim. It was designed to be unassuming, but the presence of guards standing at attention around it made it clear this was no ordinary transport. These weren’t common mercenaries either—each of them wore medium armor, a mix of reinforced leather and steel plating that allowed for both mobility and protection. Their disciplined stance and alert eyes suggested they were highly trained.

  Kaiden exhaled in relief when he saw the woman standing between them.

  Not a Petal sister.

  "Who's that?" Davick blurted out before Kaiden could even process the question himself.

  Kaiden shook his head. "No idea."

  "Never seen her before," Greaves added. "And she doesn’t look like a Petal to me."

  The woman was striking, with vibrant red hair pulled into a sleek, low bun, a few loose strands framing her face. Her features were sharp, and her expression unreadable, giving her an air of quiet control. She wore a long, high-collared dress made of deep navy fabric, tailored and businesslike, with subtle embroidery at the cuffs. Her posture was composed, and she observed her surroundings with a cool, assessing gaze.

  Davick sighed, clearly disappointed. "Are you sure this is the Perennial Petal and not someone pretending so they can kidnap Kaiden?"

  Kaiden raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell would want to kidnap me?"

  "Oh, very positive," Greaves said, nodding toward the carriage. "That setup is meant to be incognito. For whatever reason, this is supposed to be on the hush."

  Davick sighed again, then shrugged. "Well, I guess I'm leaving then." He turned to Kaiden and clapped him on the back. "Have fun, and we'll catch up later."

  Kaiden nodded. "Yeah, later."

  As Davick walked off, Greaves and Kaiden continued toward the gate.

  "I'll wait until you get inside," Greaves said.

  "Okay, Corporal," Kaiden replied, feeling the nerves tingling as he approached the waiting carriage.

  Greaves stopped just short of the gate and crossed her arms. "This is as far as I go."

  Kaiden glanced at her, then at the carriage. The redheaded woman standing beside it had already noticed them and offered a cordial smile.

  He sighed. "See you later, Corporal."

  Greaves smirked. "Have fun."

  Kaiden rolled his eyes but said nothing as he walked toward the carriage.

  The woman studied him as he approached. "You must be Kaiden Hayward."

  "I am," he confirmed.

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  She extended her hand. "I'm Lirienne Valcrest."

  Kaiden shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

  Lirienne gave a small nod. "Follow me."

  She turned toward the carriage, but after taking a step, she must have noticed his hesitation because she paused and looked back at him.

  "This isn't a conversation for the open," she said, trying to ease his doubt.

  Kaiden exhaled and nodded. "Okay."

  He followed her inside.

  The interior of the carriage was as refined as he expected—plush seating, a quiet space designed for discretion. But that wasn’t what caught his attention.

  The moment he sat down, his eyes landed on the other occupant.

  A familiar face.

  Marigold Petal.

  Kaiden's eyes widened, and for a moment, he was so taken aback that he didn't answer.

  "It's good to see you again, Kaiden," Marigold said smoothly.

  "Likewise," Kaiden replied, lying through his teeth.

  He had only met Marigold once, and while she seemed the more reasonable of the two sisters, this was still a world he had no interest in getting caught up in. What did she want from him? Still, it was better than dealing with Zinnia.

  Marigold knocked on the wall behind her, and the carriage began to move.

  "I'm sure you've got a lot of questions," she said, folding her hands in her lap. "I'll answer them soon, but first, we're dropping off Lirienne here."

  Kaiden frowned slightly. "Okay," he said, not sure what the point was.

  Lirienne smiled. "I work for the Merchant's Guild, so officially, you'll be doing work for us," she explained. "But unofficially, you'll be working for Mistress Petal."

  Kaiden frowned deeper, but then the meaning became clear.

  "Lirienne is a smokescreen," he said.

  "Keeping up appearances," Marigold confirmed.

  "Exactly."

  Kaiden leaned back against the seat, exhaling slowly. "Can you tell me what this is about?"

  "Yes," Marigold said, "once we've dropped off Lirienne."

  The redhead nodded. "It's none of my business, and quite frankly, way above my head."

  Kaiden had a sinking suspicion of where this was leading—something he had pushed out of his mind since leaving Camp Thorne.

  The carriage continued on for some time, with Lirienne excitedly asking Marigold a constant stream of questions. They ranged from seemingly trivial to complex analytical business discussions, and Marigold answered them all with a calm patience that suggested she was used to this kind of attention.

  Kaiden sat quietly, taking it all in. It was clear that Lirienne held a deep respect for Marigold, speaking to her with unwavering deference and always addressing her as Mistress. It almost felt like she was in the presence of a personal idol, eager to absorb every word.

  Kaiden, however, was completely forgotten.

  Marigold looked slightly amused at Lirienne’s enthusiasm but didn’t seem bothered, responding to each inquiry with measured poise.

  Kaiden found himself wondering if he should be calling her Mistress as well. Was that common for the Petal sisters? Or was Lirienne just overly respectful?

  He decided not to. It would only sound insincere at this point, considering he had already spoken to both Marigold and Zinnia normally. Besides, if he was making a mistake in etiquette, Marigold was not the type to hold back on correcting him.

  He didn’t know much about her yet, but he had already gathered that she wasn’t someone who hesitated to speak her mind.

  The carriage finally came to a halt, and a knock sounded against the door.

  One of the guards riding at the back spoke. “We’ve arrived at the Merchant’s Guild compound.”

  Lirienne turned to Marigold. “Thank you so much for this opportunity, Mistress. If you ever have need of me again, I would happily oblige.”

  “I may in the future,” Marigold replied.

  Lirienne dipped her head slightly. “Thank you, Mistress.”

  Then, as if suddenly remembering Kaiden’s presence, she turned his way. She didn’t say anything, just offered a polite smile before exiting the carriage.

  A moment later, Marigold knocked on the carriage wall from the outside, signaling the driver, and the carriage began to move again.

  Kaiden had been instructed to keep the curtains drawn, so he didn’t get a chance to see the Merchant’s Guild—a mild disappointment, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  Marigold turned to him, her expression shifting into something more serious.

  “Now, it’s time to get down to business.”

  "Okay," Kaiden said, straightening himself in his seat.

  Marigold wasted no time. "You now work for me."

  Kaiden blinked. "What about the Corps? I can't just leave—"

  Marigold raised a hand, signaling him to stop. Once he fell silent, she continued, "You're not leaving the Dungeoneers. You'll still be dungeon diving, but your training days will be spent with me. Officially, you'll be working with the Merchant's Guild as an apprentice. The story is that Zinnia was impressed with your work on the 'special mission' and referred you for an apprenticeship."

  "The cover sounds simple enough," Kaiden said.

  "Exactly," Marigold replied, a slight, almost predatory smile forming on her lips. “But the real work is much more important.”

  Kaiden shifted uncomfortably. "I don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, don’t I even get a choice?"

  Marigold's expression remained composed. "Not for being here. Once you signed the contract with the military, you gave up having a choice."

  Kaiden was slightly taken aback by her bluntness. "But..." he began, but the words died on his tongue. She was right. He was under contract.

  "And this has been worked out by your sergeant major," Marigold added. "So you can consider this military orders."

  Damn, Kaiden thought. They were really cornering him here. And what sergeant major?

  Truthfully, he was intrigued by becoming a Spell Scribe, but he hated the feeling of being forced into it. It almost felt like captivity.

  Wait… that's it.

  A thought occurred to him, a way out.

  "I'll just buy out my military contract," he said suddenly. "I have more than enough gold."

  Marigold looked at him appraisingly before responding. "Normally, that’s an option for anyone with the coin—but not for you."

  Kaiden narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

  "Because the military has to agree to it. And they won’t."

  Kaiden shook his head. "No... I was told—"

  Marigold cut him off. "A sale can only be made if both parties agree. This is elementary business. If you read your contract, it says you have the option to buy out your contract, not the right. And in your case, they won’t allow it. I’ve already tried to buy out your contract for more than it was worth and was turned down."

  "What?" Kaiden said, caught completely off guard. He felt a sudden rush of frustration. She had already tried to buy his contract? She had assumed he would just go along with it?

  Marigold must have caught the look on his face because her voice softened. "Look, I understand that hearing it like this might make you angry, but believe me, I have no intention of robbing you of your freedom. That’s not how I do business. Your orders place you here, but I will be paying you for your services and training. Not a bad deal, right?"

  Hearing that did ease Kaiden’s mind a little.

  He took a breath. "If it’s a deal, that means I have to agree to it, right? My orders don’t officially say I’ll be working with the Perennial Petal, so I can decline. I’ll still have to show up though."

  Marigold chuckled, shaking her head. "There might be a businessman in you after all. But yes, that’s how it works. I won’t force you, but you’ll find it’s very much to your benefit. After all, this really is the chance of a lifetime."

  Suddenly, a non-combat class tome appeared in her hand, its cover smooth and unmarked. She turned it over once before holding it out to him.

  "So," she said, meeting his gaze. "How about it? Want to become a Spell Scribe?"