A Background Character’s Path to Power

I didn’t open the notebook right away.

Instead, I carried it to the reading table along with the book it had been hidden behind. The tea I’d brought earlier had cooled, but I poured a cup anyway, the herbal scent sharpening my focus as I took a deliberate sip.

Then, and only then, did I open the notebook.

"Clank."

The first page was empty.

"..."

So was the next.

"..."

And the next.

"Tsk."

I kept flipping, my fingers moving methodically through the pages, but nothing revealed itself - no hastily scribbled notes, no hidden sketches, no sudden rush of forgotten memories.