The pace guards stiffened as Lia's carriage approached the gates. She watched through the window as they exchanged worried gnces, clearly unprepared for Lady Allura's unexpected visit after half a year of absence. The massive iron gates creaked open reluctantly, as if the pace itself was wary of her presence.

  "Lady Allura to see His Highness Prince Cassian," her footman announced. "She bears a message of importance regarding border security."

  The guards' uncertainty only grew, but they couldn't refuse a noble of her standing. "His Highness is in the Throne Room, attending to morning petitions. You may wait in the Azure Parlor."

  Lia was escorted through marble corridors she'd only read about, her heels clicking against floors polished to mirror brightness. Courtiers scattered at her approach, whispering behind raised fans and ornate sleeves. She caught fragments: "...disappeared for months..." "...up to her schemes again..." "...poor Prince Cassian..."

  The Azure Parlor lived up to its name – walls draped in sapphire silk, furniture upholstered in various shades of blue. Lia perched on the edge of a settee, clutching the sealed letter as minutes stretched into an hour.

  Finally, footsteps approached. Prince Cassian entered, and Lia's breath caught. He was more striking in person than any novel description could capture – golden hair catching the light like a crown, eyes the color of summer skies. But those eyes were cold as they fixed on her.

  "Lady Allura." His voice held all the warmth of winter frost. "To what do I owe this... unexpected pleasure?"

  Lia rose and curtsied, fighting the urge to fidget under his gcial stare. "Your Highness. I bring a message regarding border security. It's urgent."

  She extended the letter, but Cassian made no move to take it. Instead, he studied her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

  "Six months of silence," he said softly. "No appearances at court, no social engagements, no..." he paused, choosing his words carefully, "...activities of your usual nature. And now you appear with concerns about state security?"

  Lia kept her hand steady, still offering the letter. "People can change, Your Highness."

  Something flickered in his eyes – surprise, perhaps, or disbelief. He finally took the letter, breaking the seal with practiced efficiency. As he read, his expression shifted from suspicion to genuine concern.

  "These troop movements... how did you come by this information?"

  "I have my sources," Lia replied, borrowing Allura's haughty tone as best she could. It felt like wearing ill-fitting armor.

  Cassian's gaze sharpened. "Sources you've never shared before, despite your family's position and your own... proclivities." He paused, studying the letter again. "This intelligence could save thousands of lives. Our border forces were completely unaware of this threat."

  He looked up, conflict clear in his expression. "The crown owes you a debt, Lady Allura. Such service cannot go unrewarded. What would you ask in return?"

  Lia blinked, unprepared for this turn of events. In the novel, Allura would have demanded power, position, or proximity to the prince himself. But Lia wanted none of these things.

  "I... seek no reward, Your Highness. The safety of the kingdom is reward enough."

  Cassian's eyebrows rose. "Six months of absence, and now altruism? You continue to surprise me, Lady Allura." He reached for his seal. "Nevertheless, I insist. I'll have the Royal Treasury issue you a formal commendation and—"

  "That won't be necessary," Lia interrupted, then immediately regretted her boldness. "I mean... if there's nothing else, Your Highness, I should take my leave."

  He nodded slowly, still watching her with that penetrating gaze. "Very well. But the crown remembers its debts."

  Lia curtsied and turned to leave, her mind whirling with the unexpected offer of reward. She'd made it halfway down the corridor when she realized her reticule was missing – left behind on the parlor settee in her nervousness.

  Sighing, she retraced her steps. The guards, having seen her leave, weren't at their posts. As she approached the Azure Parlor, she heard something that made her pause – a sound suspiciously like someone in distress.

  The door was ajar. Through the gap, she saw Prince Cassian, his perfect mask shattered.

  He sat hunched on a window seat, head in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. The sight was so at odds with his regal bearing that Lia froze, unable to look away.

  "I can't," he whispered to himself, unaware of her presence. "I can't keep doing this. Every day, every hour, every breath measured and weighed and judged." His fingers cwed through his golden hair. "Even vilins have more freedom than I do. At least they choose their path, however dark. While I..."

  Lia must have made a sound, because he looked up suddenly, catching sight of her. Horror fshed across his face as he realized she'd witnessed his breakdown.

  "You saw nothing," he said hoarsely, attempting to reassemble his princely facade. "Leave. Now."

  But Lia found herself stepping into the room instead, closing the door softly behind her. "Your Highness..."

  "DON'T." His voice cracked. "Don't you dare pity me. Not you. Anyone but you."

  "I'm not pitying you," Lia said softly, retrieving her reticule from the settee. "I'm... understanding you. For the first time."

  Cassian ughed bitterly. "Understanding? You, who've spent years making my life more difficult? Who've schemed and maniputed and—" He stopped, confusion repcing anger. "Why did you really bring that information? The truth this time."

  Lia considered her options. The mission was complete – she'd delivered the letter. But something about his raw vulnerability called to her.

  "Maybe I wanted to do something right for once," she said finally. "Maybe I wanted to see if change was possible. For both of us."

  Cassian stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for deception. Whatever he found there made him look away.

  "The reward offer stands," he said quietly. "You've earned it."

  "Then I ask only this – that you remember this moment. Remember that even those you think you know completely might surprise you."

  She left before he could respond, her heart pounding as she walked through the pace corridors. The weight of his pain, his longing for freedom, stayed with her.

  Back in her carriage, Lia heard ALICE's voice in her mind: "Mission complete. Bonus objective achieved: Gained Prince Cassian's curiosity. Additional reward unlocked for exceptional service to the crown. New paths unlocking..."

  Lia leaned back against the cushions, thinking of blue eyes filled with pain and the prince's insistence on rewarding her good deed. She'd meant to avoid entanglement with the male leads, but fate, it seemed, had other pns. And for the first time, she wondered if the original story had understood these characters at all.