Chapter 18 --18
They found nine servants inside: maids, a laundress, two cooks. All of them registered to Elara’s palace. All of them working here instead. When the knights called their names, two tried to hide. One claimed she’d been "transferred properly." The fox knight just pulled out a second document—the official palace registry showing no transfers had been filed.
"Lies waste time," he said. "And Her Highness doesn’t tolerate wasted time. Line up. Now."
They lined up.
***
An hour and forty minutes after they’d left, the three teams converged back at the Fourth Princess’s wing, each escorting a group of servants. Thirty-two in total—two more than the original count, because Teams One and Five had found additional unregistered workers being paid under false names.
The corridor outside Elara’s chambers was packed. Servants stood in tight rows, guarded by knights who hadn’t broken a sweat. A few of the captured staff were crying. Most just looked terrified.
Liam entered the chamber first and bowed. "Your Highness. All targets retrieved. Two additional irregularities found and detained for questioning."
Elara looked up from the desk. She’d been cross-referencing expense reports while they were gone. "Casualties?"
"None, Your Highness. Minor resistance in the administrative wing. Handled without injury."
"Time elapsed?"
"One hour, thirty-eight minutes, Your Highness."
Elara nodded once. "Efficient." She stood and walked to the doorway, looking out at the crowd of frightened servants packed into her corridor. Thirty-two people who’d been taking her household’s wages while serving someone else. Thirty-two people who thought she’d never notice because she was "too weak" to check.