With the iron grates still down, the shop sits in dim hush. King Zafarri leads Shiva out through the back, and only Liza remains, pacing before the antique royal armor in the corner.
X Zavior notices the blue tracking dust clinging to the hidden slip on the counter. It is not just dust, it is a mark, a promise of where the secret has been.
Liza Honeycrumb
That armor. You offered it with such grace. Was it loyalty, X, or bait?
Liza stops in front of the display, one hand hovering near the breastplate. Her eyes narrow as something inside the old suit clicks softly, almost lost beneath the fabric’s rustle.
A seam in the royal armor parts. Inside the hollow chest, a slim mechanism is tucked beside a strip of blue-dusted cloth, the same color as the tracking mark on the slip.
Liza Honeycrumb
By the Mother, it is linked. The armor is carrying the trail.
Liza turns slowly from the reveal to X, suspicion hardening into urgency. The shop feels smaller with the answer finally visible.
✓ Quest Accepted
Win Liza Honeycrumb’s trust
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover Shiva's infidelity with Liza's help
“I have no desire to bait you. I remain loyal. I only seek truth, and thus bringing closure. Shivas eyes told a story that lies deeper than a family crest. Does she desire this arranged marriage? Does she secretly love Sylvan? And is she fearful of what may happen if the truth is revealed?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
X Zavior
I have no desire to bait you. I remain loyal. I seek truth, and closure.
Liza Honeycrumb
Then answer plainly. Does Shiva want this marriage, or is she afraid of what follows if the truth comes out?
Liza’s hand leaves the armor seam and drops to her side. The blue dust on the cloth catches the light, and her suspicion eases by a degree, enough to make room for listening.
X Zavior
Her eyes say more than a crest ever could. She does not look like a woman reaching for love. She looks cornered.
Liza Honeycrumb
Cornered, yes. And frightened. Not of the wedding itself, I think, but of what the wedding will expose.
The broken wax seal in X’s pocket shifts as he moves, a small dry rasp in the hush. Liza notices, and her mouth tightens, not in accusation now, but in thought.
Liza Honeycrumb
If Sylvain is the knife behind this, then someone has been feeding him a map of her fear. That armor was never meant as a gift, was it?
Quest Complete
Uncover Shiva's infidelity with Liza's help