The vault beneath Stonewatch Hall had, according to Lord Ashcombe, remained sealed for nearly a century.

Naturally, someone had opened it.

The gathered nobles crowded the archive entrance.

Offering suggestions.

None useful.

"Perhaps it was bandits."

"We are inside a fortress."

"A very determined bandit, then."

Kael pinched the bridge of his muzzle.

Elowen watched with interest.

"Does something trouble you?"

"My lady, I have spent the last hour listening to nobles speculate."

"A terrible burden."

"It truly is."

The steward crouched beside the damaged lock.

His amber eyes narrowed.

Moments later he stood.

"I have reached a conclusion."

The room fell silent.

Lord Ashcombe stepped forward.

"What is it?"

Kael pointed.

"The thief is still inside."

Panic immediately erupted.

The search lasted less than fifteen minutes.

The culprit was discovered hiding among wine barrels in a lower storage room.

He was not a master criminal.

Nor an assassin.

Nor a rival noble.

He was, unfortunately, Lord Ashcombe's nephew.

The young man looked miserable.

"I can explain."

"Please do," said Ashcombe.

The explanation took nearly twenty minutes.

Most of it involved gambling debts.

The remainder involved a remarkably poor understanding of locks.

When it was finally over, the assembled guests dispersed.

The crisis ended.

The gala resumed.

And for the first time all evening, Elowen and Kael found themselves alone.

At least temporarily.

"My lady."

"Yes?"

"Would it be inappropriate to admit I preferred the vault?"

The music had grown softer.

Most of the guests had moved to the ballroom.

Snow drifted beyond the tall windows.

For a while neither spoke.

A rare occurrence.

Eventually Elowen broke the silence.

"You solved that rather quickly."

"It was not difficult."

"Everyone else seemed confused."

"Everyone else was busy being dramatic."

The dragonborn glanced toward the ballroom.

"An activity at which nobles excel."

Elowen laughed.

"Careful."

"Why?"

"I am a noble."

"You are."

"And?"

Kael considered.

"You are only dramatic on special occasions."

"I am never dramatic."

The steward stared.

Elowen stared back.

Neither blinked.

Finally Kael smiled.

"My apologies."

"Accepted."

"You are dramatic on very frequent occasions."

The carriage ride home began the following morning.

No broken axles.

No suspicious vaults.

No scandalous accommodations.

A disappointing amount of normalcy.

For several hours they traveled in comfortable silence.

Then Kael closed his ledger.

A dangerous sign.

Elowen noticed immediately.

"What are you doing?"

"I have completed my work."

"All of it?"

"Temporarily."

The noblewoman frowned.

"That seems unnatural."

"I agree."

Silence lingered.

Then,

"My lady."

"Yes?"

"May I ask a question?"

"You may."

The dragonborn looked surprisingly uncertain.

An expression Elowen had never seen before.

"When this journey began..."

"Yes?"

"...did you invite me because you required administrative support?"

Elowen smiled.

Slowly.

"No."

Kael sighed.

Not unhappily.

"I suspected as much."

The estate welcomed them home two days later.

Servants hurried to unload luggage.

Stablehands collected horses.

Life resumed.

Almost.

As Elowen stepped from the carriage, she noticed something nailed beside the entrance hall.

A new notice.

Written in large letters.

HOUSEHOLD WAGER RESULTS

Below it sat a list of names.

Numbers.

Amounts of coin.

Predictions.

Dates.

One servant saw her reading and immediately fled.

Another attempted to hide behind a hedge.

Kael stepped beside her.

They both stared.

Finally Elowen spoke.

"They were betting on us."

"They were."

"For months."

"Apparently."

Silence.

Then,

At the very bottom of the page was a final entry.

STILL DENYING IT : 4 TO 1 ODDS

Kael read it.

Elowen read it.

The steward looked at the noblewoman.

The noblewoman looked at the steward.

"Well," said Kael.

"Well," agreed Elowen.

Neither moved.

A passing servant quietly added another coin to the betting pool.

The two of them immediately turned.

The servant froze.

Then ran.

Very quickly.

For the first time in days, Kael laughed.

For the first time in days, Elowen joined him.

And somewhere within the estate, a fresh ledger was opened.

A ledger destined to become one of the most frequently updated documents in House Hargrave history.

The End