Maya was pacing now, her voice rising with each word.
"And the WORST part—the absolute WORST part—is that she KNOWS we're following her! She KNOWS, and she doesn't care! She just goes about her day like we're not even there!"
Meili said weakly, "Mistress, perhaps we should try a different approach? Maybe we could—"
"WHAT different approach?!" Maya snapped. "We've tried everything! We've hidden behind bushes, posts, barrels, lanterns, plants—EVERYTHING! And we learn NOTHING!"
She collapsed onto her cushioned seat, looking defeated.
"That girl is either the most boring person in existence, or she's far too clever for us to catch her secrets through observation."
Meili hesitated, then said carefully, "Mistress, what if... what if she genuinely doesn't have any dark secrets? What if she's just... a normal girl who happened to marry the young master?"
Hearing that suggestion, Maya's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with fury.
