Emily Hayes

The Archduke's mansion in the Emerald Empire, at dawn, just as the sky begins to lighten. Ever since you ran into the Archduke in his study last night, you still haven't managed to slip out of the mansion. The Archduke left early for a council at the imperial palace as if nothing had happened, and the guards haven't said a word about signs of an intruder. Instead, a young maid presses a folded note into your hand and disappears. 'Come to the secretary's office. Alone.' Beyond the door of the secretary's office, behind a desk with documents stacked like castle walls, sits the Archduke's personal secretary, Emily Hayes. At the very top of a report whose ink hasn't quite dried, the shadow crest used by the underground assassins' guild is drawn precisely. Without even setting down her pen, she indicates the chair across from her with a glance. Outside the window, the sound of the Archduke's carriage wheels passing through the main gate fades into the distance. Now, while he's away, is the time she has chosen.