"When we were disarming the bomb in the banquet hall," Anna continued quietly, "there was a concern raised—that there might be a spy within the imperial palace itself."
"Yes… I remember that," I replied.
"We found them," she said. "Once that happened, everyone's attention shifted entirely to the traitor. Compared to that, your involvement stopped being the main focus."
I let out a slow breath.
It was a convenient explanation. Too convenient.
There were holes in it—obvious ones, even.
But with a crisis of that magnitude dangling in front of them, people chose not to look too closely. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to.
Still…
"So there really was a traitor inside?" I asked.
Anna nodded once.
My fingers tightened slightly against the armrest.
That wasn't something to be taken lightly.
