"What is it that you need, Duke Edmund?" she asked. "Were you not satisfied with my colleague?"

The Duke, with a knowing smile, replied, "So, you already know my identity. I expected nothing less from you. As for your colleague, I have a slight suspicion that you are better positioned in this business than he is, and I only speak with those in charge. So, tell me, are you the owner?"

Jana bowed slightly. "My apologies, Duke, but I cannot satisfy your curiosity, not for all the money in the world. We strive to provide the best service to our clients. That’s why when you requested me, I was summoned. Don’t dwell on it any further. I suppose you have come for the information you requested."

The Duke nodded.

Jana continued, "The information is ready. However, there are some details we need to discuss."

Edmund raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Very well. Let's hear it."

Jana handed him a sealed envelope. "This contains the locations and potential hideouts of Princess Moriana. However, there are additional measures you should be aware of. The princess is well-protected and moves frequently."

Jana had fabricated everything, using someone to play the role of the princess in the real world. She tracked this decoy's moves, which she had pre-planned herself. This way, even if the Duke sought information from another source, he would either find nothing or there would be no contradictions between their versions.

Edmund's eyes narrowed as he broke the seal and scanned the contents. "And how reliable is this information?"

"Extremely," Jana replied. "But it requires discretion. If she senses any threat, she will disappear again. Next time you return for her location, it will be even harder to find her."

The Duke smirked. "You are very sure that I will come back again."

Jana smiled slightly. "They call me Foreseer for a reason."

"It was a pleasure," the Duke said, taking her hand and kissing it. Jana remained silent as he handed her the rest of the money. She stood up, offering to accompany him to the door.

Just as she was about to open the door, it swung open almost in her face. Two men entered. One had his face uncovered—it was Sir Gareth. The other was fully hidden behind his clothes, but it wasn’t hard to guess who he was—the prince himself.

Seeing the lack of attendants and the prince's attempts to remain unseen, it was clear he wasn’t here to arrest her but to require her services. Jana stood by the door, welcoming them. The receptionist quickly guided them to the jewelry store with a practiced smile. "What brings you here, my lord? Are you searching for a gift for your lady? We have some exquisite jewels recently arrived from the forbidden lands. What would you like to see?"

Sir Gareth, his expression stern, interjected, "What jewelry shop works at these late hours?"

The receptionist maintained her unbreakable smile. "We are at the nobility's disposal at any time. One never knows when a matrimonial emergency might arise. That's why we are here around the clock."

The prince, uninterested in small talk and aware of the need to return to the palace as soon as possible, interrupted her. "Do you not have pink diamonds?" he asked, uttering the code words for the shop.

The receptionist extended her hand, pointing towards the staircase. "Of course, my lord. I hope you find what you seek," she said, her smile unwavering.

Jana bid farewell to the Duke and ran to the stairs. She signaled for the foreseer that had returned to his post to change places with her. She needed to know what the prince wanted firsthand.

As she entered the room, the prince was already seated, with his knight sitting beside him, trying to blend in and not make it obvious that they were noblemen. Jana felt a twinge of unease, suspecting that the knight might have recognized her voice from their brief conversation before. She subtly deepened her voice as she spoke.

"How can I assist you tonight, Sir?" she asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.

The prince leaned forward slightly. "I need information about Princess Moriana. Her whereabouts, her movements. Anything you have."

Jana nodded. "I have some information that may be of use. However, you must understand the sensitive nature of this request."

The prince responded, "We know. That's why we didn't come empty-handed." He turned his gaze toward the knight, who stepped forward and placed a heavy pouch of money on the table.

Jana handed him a sealed envelope. "This contains the latest information we have," she said, proceeding to tell him the exact same information she had told the Duke. If they were going to compete over her, at least they should do it on fair ground, she thought to herself.

The prince took the envelope, not opening it, and stood to leave. But something was bothering him. He stopped and then turned back toward her.

Jana, who was also standing up and preparing to leave, looked at him and asked, "Is there anything else you require my assistance for?"

The prince hesitated before asking, "Was the man before me seeking the same information?"

Jana, maintaining her composure, replied smoothly, "I am so sorry, but unfortunately, I cannot disclose anything about the clients."

The prince's knight continued to stare at her, his eyes full of suspicion, but said noth-ing. The prince gave a curt nod, signaling his understanding. "Very well. Thank you for the information."

Jana responded, "Thank you for using our services. Good night."

As they left, Jana breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t last long. She had to run to the tavern, change, and go to the palace to pretend she was asleep before the bells would wake her up and start a new day in her maid uniform. Surprisingly, the reprimand she had expected from the head maid for yesterday’s incident never came—probably due to orders from the crown prince.

As she was tending to some errands, she encountered another prospective wife who appeared to be lost. The woman approached her and asked for guidance.

"Excuse me, could you help me? I'm trying to find the library," she said, her voice elegant yet firm.

"Of course, my lady. Right this way," Jana replied, bowing slightly.As they walked, the woman introduced herself as Princess Danui from the Gradian desertic lands.

Princess Danui turned to Jana. "Would you be able to assist me while I promenade in the library? I will need help with carrying my books and perhaps bringing me some refreshments if necessary."

Jana bowed slightly. "Of course, my lady. I am Agnes, at your service, princess Danui."

The library was quiet, with a few people inside reading or conducting research. It was a grand room with tall shelves filled with books, large windows letting in natural light, and cozy reading nooks scattered throughout. Princess Danui immediately began to select books, one after another. To another maid, this task might have seemed overwhelming, requiring multiple trips to place the books on a surface and come back for more. But Jana, or Agnes, wasn't any other maid. She stood by patiently until the princess had finished picking up the books, knowing that she would probably only read one or two from the pile.

A man passing by was awed by the sight of the frail woman carrying so many books. Once the princess had settled, Jana stood behind her in utmost silence, waiting for any further instructions. This was something she was exceptionally good at, even from her young days at the Time Office. Her father had been very strict, and even though she ordered people around, she was still receiving orders from someone else.

Time passed, and finally, the princess uttered a word. "Agnes, could you call the librarian? I have a doubt about a word in this book."

Jana, not wanting to make the trip, replied, "Perhaps I could be of assistance, my lady. What word do you need help with?"

Princess Danui raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, you know how to read? What does this word mean—'artless'?"

Jana explained the meaning of the word, "Artless means lacking in deceit or guile; innocent and straightforward."

The man who had previously been amazed by Jana's strength was sitting at a nearby table. In this time, it was rare for people to know how to read, and it was even more unusual for a maid to possess such knowledge. This aroused his curiosity even more.

Jana continued to assist the princess with her reading, answering questions that flowed steadily. The afternoon passed quickly, and soon it was late. The man at the nearby table finally left. Princess Danui looked up from her books and said, "Agnes, could you bring me some refreshments?"

"Of course, my lady," Jana replied, bowing slightly before leaving to fetch the requested food.

The man from the library, wearing a long tunic and carrying a leather folder with some documents, was headed toward the prince's quarters. He was announced at the door as Sir Kahil, the prince's most trusted advisor. Upon entering, he sat on the sofas in front of the prince's desk. The prince, submerged in his papers, lifted his glasses and glanced at the advisor before returning to his work.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Kahil. Any news that might change my mood too?" the prince asked, his tone distracted.

Kahil smiled slightly. "That I don't know, Your Highness. I was just surprised to find an exceptional maid within your palace. She can even read."

At first, the prince wasn’t surprised. "She probably is one of those noble daughters sent to the palace to secure a place in this new reign."

"I doubt it," Kahil replied. "She was being called simply by the name Agnes."

At the mention of that name, the prince took off his glasses and looked towards his knight, who was standing nearby. The knight was already looking back at him. The prince stood and moved to sit on the sofa in front of Kahil.

"Do you remember I told you that Lady Rose was trying to take me to her bed with an aphrodisiac, and a maid had intercepted it?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with this?" Kahil asked, intrigued.

The prince leaned backward. "She was that maid." The knight joined the conversation, shaking his head. "It was probably another one."

The advisor, who loved a good intrigue, responded, "Agnes isn't especially a common name," he said, crossing his legs and leaning forward, placing his hand on the backrest. He continued, "Prince, you might need to look into this Agnes maid."

The idea crossed the prince's mind, but he soon dismissed it. "I have a lot on my plate to also be looking after a maid," he said while returning to his working post.

On Jana's side, her nightly routine was about to begin. This night, she was going to finalize the details of the plan to attract the timekeepers to her. Elowen and Corin would be the honey that would draw the bees.

They would subtly spread rumors and hints about a hidden gathering of timekeepers, mentioning a safe haven where those lost in time could find refuge and camaraderie.

Elowen, with her charm and grace, would frequent popular taverns and marketplaces, speaking just loudly enough for eavesdroppers to catch snippets of her supposed quest to reunite with her comrades. She would speak with such earnestness and desperation that people would either pity her, thinking she was crazy or had drunk too much, or be intrigued by the tales she spun. Corin, on the other hand, would use his connections within the city's underbelly to ensure the information reached the right, or rather, the wrong ears. Together, they would weave a web of deception, making the timekeepers believe that the only way to find safety was to follow the trail they had set.

Rumors in that era spread like wildfire. With a lack of entertainment, people reveled in listening to and passing on the gossip of others. Before long, there would be minstrels singing about the madwoman in the tavern who couldn't stop talking about time travelers and their incredible exploits.

With everything in place, Jana felt a sense of grim satisfaction. The plan was a bit absurd, but it was their best shot at reuniting the timekeepers and getting closer to the orb. She knew that success would require perfect execution and much of luck, but she was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Meanwhile somewhere far from shore, a grand ship, polished and new, was anchoring, its sails billowing in the wind, creating turbulence in the tranquil waters. The sight of a blue radiant light emerging from the depths of the ocean caught the crew's attention, and their eyes widened with wonder and trepidation as they gathered at the railing, whispering amongst themselves, speculating about the source of this otherworldly glow. Their unease grew with each passing moment, the light pulsing rhythmically, casting an eerie glow over the ship and the surrounding waters.

 A man dressed in a crisp uniform was suddenly called from his quarters, accompanied by a much younger man with dark hair. The uniformed man, the captain of the ship, turned to the young man and gave him a reassuring rough pat on the shoulder, smiling at the mesmerizing sight before them. The blue light continued to pulse and glow, drawing them closer to its mysterious source.