"Want to go double or nothing? I'll bet your left boot against... let's say fifty gold pieces. You win, you get the ring back plus enough gold to replace it twice over. You lose, you spend the rest of your shift standing on one leg."
The scarred guard's expression darkened, his professional composure cracking as accumulated humiliation pushed him past the point where caution should have held him silent.
"This isn't a game, Miss Kaiser. We're on duty, protecting..."
"You're standing at a gate that hasn't needed protecting in months," Celeste interrupted, her tone shifting from playful to sharp with speed that made both guards flinch. "Your house is bleeding gold. Your Earl made enemies he can't afford to fight. And you're clinging to 'duty' like it's going to save you when this whole estate collapses."
