"I shall excuse myself for a moment,"

William's voice was graceful, smooth and unhurried, addressing the cluster of nobles encircling him. Disappointment flickered across their faces, yet none dared to voice discontent.

Crossing the marble tiles of the ballroom with measured steps, William's gaze found his brother, Albert, across the room. A single glance—sharp and knowing—was exchanged. Albert responded with the slightest nod before resuming his engagement with the aristocrats, maintaining the web of civility.

Tonight’s plan was simple. A reconnaissance of this estate held by the noble who had, with callous indifference, ended the life of a commoner as ash from a cigar, and William’s decided how the Justice would find its way to this man.

The evening’s tea party provided the perfect opportunity, leaving the halls sparse and unguarded. William’s footsteps were hushed as he traversed the estate’s corridors, his eyes drinking in every detail—the turn of each hall, number of guards, the comings, and goings of maids. Every information was another thread in his plan. He moved like a shadow, until the silence fractured.

Footsteps—rapid, unsteady—echoed from behind. Instinct halted him, his gaze snapping toward the sound. from the corner, a girl appeared, nearly colliding with him in her haste, eyes wide with surprise and something rawer—fear. Her attire was that of a commoner, and marks on her wrists and ankles, stark against her skin.

William’s expression remained unruffled, though his crimson eyes flickered with a restrained calculation. "Are you alright, miss?"

He kneeled, a gesture of courtesy and concern, hand extended to help her up, but the thud of footsteps at the corridor’s mouth interrupted the moment. A nobleman brimming with menace and cruelty.

William straightened, the mask of civility slipping back into place as he regarded the man. A soft smile on his lips—polite, almost gentle—yet the flicker in his eyes spoke of something far colder.

"I was not aware the tea party involved such... spirited entertainment.”