Evelyn watched the wallet with an icy detachment. This kind of amateur sabotage—she wouldn't put anything past Seraphina and her lot anymore. With a swift, practiced motion, the wallet vanished, tucked away into her hidden space.

Nearby, Caleb’s wails of agony echoed through the air, a mixture of physical pain and bruised ego. How could she? He was her own flesh and blood, yet she had struck him with a ruthlessness that terrified him. Had she no fear of maiming her own brother?

Dominic, who had tasted that particular brand of misery before, looked on with grim sympathy. "She’s built a life with these peasants," he muttered. "She doesn't see us as kin anymore. Why did you have to provoke her?"

"I didn't provoke her!" Caleb hissed through gritted teeth.

Seraphina bit her lip, her eyes downcast as she spun the tale of the stolen wallet. It was true that Julian had picked her up yesterday, and the path did indeed skirt the edge of the field where Evelyn had been working.

Julian’s brow furrowed into a deep V. "Evelyn isn't the type to steal. It’s not in her."

"And the girl we knew wouldn't have done half the things she’s done lately," Caleb snapped.

"It’s all my fault," Seraphina whispered, her voice thick with rehearsed guilt. "If only I were stronger, if I hadn't been so careless as to leave it behind..."

"This has nothing to do with you, Seraphina," Caleb said firmly. "You have no idea how low she’s sunk."

Seraphina’s distress wasn't entirely feigned; the wallet was a heavy loss. Julian, unable to stomach the communal mess hall, had been funding their private meals. He had entrusted her with over a hundred dollars and his entire stock of ration coupons. Without them, the coming weeks would be a hungry, desperate struggle.

"We have to get it back," Julian decided.

"She denies everything," Caleb grumbled. "She even dared us to call the police. She’s betting on our mercy, thinking we won't actually go through with it."

Julian had no desire to see Evelyn sent to a labor camp, but the situation had reached an impasse.

Tears spilled down Seraphina’s cheeks. "Maybe if I beg her? I’ll get on my knees if I have to!"

Caleb’s face hardened. "Why should we beg her for what she stole? We go to the police. She didn't hesitate to send us to the farm; why should we spare her? Perhaps a few days of 're-education' is exactly what she needs."

Later that afternoon, the rhythmic chugging of a township tractor broke the silence of the fields. Dominic returned, flanked by officers from the police bureau. But as the vehicle rattled to a halt, it wasn't the lawmen who caught the villagers' eyes. It was the man stepping down behind them—tall, commanding, and impeccably dressed in a pale green shirt and a black jacket, his gold-rimmed spectacles glinting in the sun.

"Who is that? He’s stunning."
"Makes that new fellow, Julian, look like a boy."
"Look at the boots... the glasses. That’s a man with real power."
"Look! Even Barrett is running out to greet him!"

Adrian had come to Red Wolf Valley to survey the land for reclamation—and, perhaps, to mend fences with a certain prickly young woman. He hadn't expected to encounter the police on the road, nor had he expected to find the girl’s own brother, Dominic, reporting her for theft.

After inviting the group onto the tractor, Adrian had lapsed into a cold, impenetrable silence. The officers noted that the Mayor was far more distant than during their last meeting. Dominic tried several times to strike up a conversation, but his words died under Adrian’s stony gaze, leaving his face a bright, embarrassed red.

Barrett, the village head, felt a cold sweat prickling his scalp. Another scandal? These city youths were turning his peaceful district into a circus of drama and police reports. It would ruin their chances for the "Model Village" award.

"I haven't heard a word of this," Barrett said, his voice straining for neutrality under Adrian’s watchful eye. "Evelyn has been here two months. She’s diligent, honest, and stays out of trouble. I’ve never seen a dishonest bone in her body." He shot a glance of pure loathing at Dominic. A man reporting his own sister? Utterly spineless.

The lead officer remembered Evelyn well. His impression of her was a complicated one—high-minded and ideologically sound, yet strangely cold toward her brothers. Seeing Dominic stand there as her accuser filled him with a sense of unease.

"Let’s gather everyone and get to the bottom of this," the officer suggested, glancing at Adrian. The Mayor’s refusal to leave or speak of work made it clear: he intended to oversee this personally.

Evelyn and Seraphina arrived shortly after. The sight of the police told Evelyn everything she needed to know. In the countryside, collective harmony was everything; those who invited the law into the village over petty squabbles were quickly branded as pariahs.

Julian’s heart hammered against his ribs when he spotted Adrian. Had his cousin come for him? He had spent the last two weeks avoiding a meeting, and now they were face-to-face in the worst possible circumstances.

As Julian opened his mouth to greet him, Adrian’s gaze swept past him as if he were made of glass. The word died in Julian’s throat. Does he not want to be seen with me? "Cousin Adrian!" Seraphina cried out, her voice unnaturally loud, desperate to tether herself to the Mayor’s status in front of the gaping crowd.

"Cousin," Julian echoed, forced to follow her lead.

Adrian gave a curt, glacial nod. His aura was one of profound alienation.

Evelyn looked at Adrian, her lower lip trembling just enough to be noticed. She bit it back, her eyes rimmed with a sudden, fragile redness as she lowered her head in a display of profound hurt.

Adrian’s hand stilled. His gaze darkened, sweeping slowly over Julian, Seraphina, Caleb, and Dominic. As his eyes settled on each of them in turn, a suffocating pressure filled the air, leaving a chill crawling down their spines.