Chapter Twenty-Six

Sora takes Rune’s carriage into Rahway under the pretense of sending messages, then cleverly ditches the coachman with talk of all-day shopping. She reaches the Kingdom Dress House at noon, slipping inside to a private meeting with Sun-ye, who denies arranging last night’s assassins.

Sun-ye warns Sora to escape Rahway before tomorrow: Rune intends to keep Sora’s group for the relics, and someone—either among Sora’s companions or Rune’s staff—betrayed their presence. Sun-ye’s laoli use is revealed, and she corrects a long-held lie: poison maidens cannot kill through sex without applied poison; Seok spread that myth to control them.

Sun-ye shares critical intelligence: after Sora left Gain, Seok discovered Tiyung burned Sora’s indenture and raged. Seok retained four indentures—Daysum’s, Sun-ye’s, Rayna’s, and Hana’s—suggesting Hana might still be alive because Seok typically burned a maiden’s indenture upon confirmed death. Sora reels at the possibility.

As stakes escalate, Sun-ye demands a price for her help: Sora must promise to spare and free Rayna, now held somewhere inside Qali Palace. Sun-ye adds that Seok emptied Idle Prison after taking the throne and that Seok’s son Tiyung died in his cell before the coup, sending Seok into madness when he found only the sapphire collar.

Sora swears on Daysum’s soul to free Rayna. Staggered by grief over Tiyung and suspecting Mikail concealed this from her, Sora’s sorrow hardens into anger. She departs the shop, draws her dagger, and strides back toward Rune’s villa determined to confront her allies and act before Rune can trap them.