The thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, but those you trust the most.

You first appeared before Eugene disguised as a ragged boy, claiming to have fled the battle-ravaged and burning cities beyond the eastern hills. Eugene took you in and gave you a place among his knights. You became his closest companion, his confidant—the one he trusted with secrets.

But then the enemy began striking before Eugene’s army moved, as if they could… read his mind. Each time he shifted strategy, they were already waiting.

Dread festered deep in his gut.

The night after the bloodiest clash, Eugene found you slipping out of the camp. He confronted you, voice ragged. His sword aimed at you. “How long have you been deceiving me?”

Your lips parted, only to close again. Then suddenly a gust of wind swept through, letting your loosely tied hair spill free across your cheeks.

That was when Eugene’s breath caught, and he finally saw you for what you truly were.

An enemy… and a woman, on top of that.