Caleb stood frozen, his face pale. "How is that even possible?"

Julian was equally stunned. He had assumed Adrian’s sudden patronage of Evelyn was a favor to him, a gesture of family loyalty. He watched his cousin, searching for a sign, but Adrian’s face remained a mask of stone.

Seraphina’s heart burned with a sharp, jagged resentment. She had marked the bills and coupons in the stolen wallet with tiny, secret symbols known only to her. If the police had found that wallet, she could have forced Evelyn into a confession. But these bills? The officers had checked them; there were no marks. Did Adrian truly provide for her?

Jealousy, hot and bitter, surged within her. She was Julian’s friend too; why had Adrian never looked her way with such protective intent?

Barrett, the village head, stepped forward to settle the matter. "Evelyn is under Mayor Adrian’s protection. When she first arrived in town, he provided her with funds and rations. I was there. I saw it with my own eyes."

Julian, the only actual relative of Adrian in the room, felt a hollow ache in his chest. He was family, yet he stood on the outside.

Caleb’s eyes darted between Evelyn and Adrian, frantic. He knew the truth—or at least, his version of it. He was the one who had slipped through the window to plant the evidence. The wallet had to be there.

"Even if that money belongs to Cousin Adrian, I don't believe this room is clean," Caleb barked, his youth lending him a reckless, foolish courage. "I want to search it myself!"

Evelyn didn't even look at him. "The dregs of society have no place in my home."

"You're hiding something!" Caleb shouted, his voice cracking.

The lead officer’s expression darkened. "We have already performed a thorough search. Our findings stand, whether you believe them or not."

Caleb bristled, his neck turning a blotchy red. "I won't believe it until I see for myself. Dominic saw her take it! He saw it with his own eyes!"

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, a predatory glint appearing in their depths. A new plan was taking shape. "Fine," she said, her voice dropping to a smooth, dangerous calm. "If you're so intent on a search, I’ll allow it."

Seraphina tensed. The sudden shift in Evelyn’s stance felt like a trap. Had Evelyn found the wallet and moved it? Or had the police truly missed it? "Evelyn, what is it you want?"

Evelyn met her gaze with a chilling smile. "I will allow one of you to search my quarters. But in return, I will search yours."

"Why our rooms?" Caleb demanded.

"Because," Evelyn said, her tone dripping with mock sweetness, "I suspect this is a classic case of the thief crying 'thief.' I believe you’ve fabricated this entire charade to punish me for the farm. And given your history of slander, I think it’s only fair we see what you are hiding."

Caleb opened his mouth to protest, but a single, frigid glance from Adrian silenced him.

"I find the terms acceptable," Adrian stated.

"Who goes in?" Evelyn asked.

Before Caleb could volunteer, Seraphina stepped forward. "Evelyn, we’re both girls. Let me do it. I promise I won’t disturb your things."

Julian nodded; it was a sensible compromise. But Evelyn wasn't finished. She turned to Adrian, her expression softening into something resembling trust. "Brother Adrian, while the officers and I search their quarters, would you mind staying here? I don't want anyone else slipping inside while I’m gone."

Adrian gave a slow, measured nod. "As you wish."

Dominic led the way back to their quarters, Caleb trailing behind like a scolded dog. The room was empty, the other laborers still out in the fields. Julian and the brothers shared a space that, thanks to Seraphina’s housekeeping, was relatively orderly.

Evelyn began her search. She moved with a slow, agonizing deliberation. When she reached the cabinet by the heated bed, her eyes scanned the personal effects. She knew exactly which shelf belonged to whom.

Caleb had arrived with nothing, surviving on the charity of Dominic and Julian. Evelyn didn't waste a second on his threadbare belongings. Instead, her hand moved toward Julian’s canvas bag, buried deep beneath a pile of laundry. In the blink of an eye—a sleight of hand that even the watching Dominic couldn't track—the bag was gone, vanished into her hidden space.

Next was Dominic. She knew him well; he shared his mother’s habit of hiding treasures in tin biscuit boxes. While Barrett’s movements distracted him, Evelyn reached out. The biscuit box vanished as if it had never existed.

Her primary goal was achieved, but she wasn't done. They moved to the women’s quarters to search Seraphina’s area. Since Seraphina was the "victim," the officers deferred to Evelyn.

Under their watchful eyes, Evelyn remained a picture of innocence. She smoothed the quilts and patted the pillows. When her fingers brushed against something hard and heavy tucked inside a folded dress, she didn't hesitate. The object was absorbed into her space an instant before she unfurled the garment to show it was "empty."

Dominic let out a long, relieved breath. He had been terrified that Evelyn would try to plant the wallet back on them. He had watched her like a hawk, and she had done nothing of the sort. Or so he thought.

Back at the cottage, Seraphina’s search had turned frantic. Her initial confidence had evaporated, replaced by a cold, creeping dread. She had torn through Evelyn’s wardrobe, shaken out every quilt, and prodded every inch of the mattress.

She moved to the kitchen, plunging her hands into the grain bins. If Adrian hadn't intervened, she would have dumped the sorghum across the floor. She checked the salt jars, the pickle crocks, and even the soot-stained base of the stove.

Julian watched her, his expression shifting from concern to something approaching disgust. The sheer desperation in her movements was beginning to look like malice.

Seraphina licked her dry lips, her voice trembling. "I... I can't find it. Perhaps she moved it before we arrived..."

"A man is presumed innocent until proven otherwise," Adrian interrupted, his voice a lash of cold air. He turned his gaze to Julian, his words dripping with contempt. "Control your people, Julian."

Julian flinched as if struck. He looked at Seraphina with a new, weary clarity. "We’ve made a mistake. We misunderstood the situation."

"But Dominic said—" Seraphina started.

"He was mistaken," Julian snapped, cutting her off. If they couldn't find the wallet, the only way to save face was to retreat. "His eyes played tricks on him in the sun. That’s the end of it."

Evelyn and the search party returned a moment later. When she saw her room—a chaotic mess of overturned clothes and scattered grain—her face turned as cold as a winter tomb.

The officers and Barrett looked equally appalled. When Evelyn had searched the brothers' room, she had barely disturbed a thread. Seraphina, by contrast, had treated the cottage like a battlefield. The disparity told the story better than any witness ever could.