The Thornbird's Ruined Harbor

Next, I went to my own account and changed my profile picture from our engagement photo to a Renaissance painting—Judith Slaying Holofernes.

Less than a minute later, my comment was deleted. Immediately after, the door to my room was pushed open, and Caspian's confidant, Nico Gallo, strode in.

"Ma'am," he said with a slight nod, his tone respectful yet cold. "Mr. Sterling wanted me to let you know that Briar's situation is delicate. She's a key asset inside a rival family, and he's fulfilling his duty as her handler. He hopes you can understand."

Ah, duty. Caspian's favorite word for anything concerning Briar.

When that informant was first recruited, she didn't even know the most basic counter-surveillance techniques. She was clumsy, impulsive, and always bungled his orders, turning them into one mess after another. Caspian used to complain about her constantly, telling me she was slow on the uptake and a massive pain.

He used to tell me everything, but at some point, all his stories started revolving around her.

"Seraphina, that woman can't even remember basic Morse code! I have no idea how she’s still breathing."

"Briar got herself exposed again today and made me look like a fool in front of the council! I swear, one of these days I'm handing her over to Intelligence to sort out!"

He was always threatening to remove her from the core network, but she remained his closest informant—right up until she claimed a rival family was after her.

Then, I watched as he changed her codename from "Trouble" to "Thornbird."

Now, with all the signs of his betrayal laid out before me, how was I supposed to just turn a blind eye?

I listened calmly, feeling no desire to argue with a mere messenger, and let out a soft, dry laugh. "I see."

Nico seemed surprised by my composure. He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Mr. Sterling has arranged for your favorite Michelin-starred chef to cook for you personally tonight. He hopes you'll…"

Before he could finish, the door swung open again. This time, it was my attending physician, Elias Croft.

"Nico, you can leave," Elias said, his voice brokering no argument. "Seraphina needs to rest."

Nico glanced at Elias, then at me, and ultimately chose to obey.

After he left, Elias came to my bedside and began removing the IV from my hand.

"You're cleared for discharge. But you've just had major surgery, so you need to take it easy. Your health comes first, Seraphina. You need to focus on that, alright?"

The only response I could muster was a soft "Mm."