I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Cassandra Beaumont stood before her ornate full-length mirror, methodically removing the trappings of nobility. Off came the expensive necklaces, the glittering rings, the weighty bracelets - each piece a symbol of her status and responsibility. As she placed them in their velvet-lined boxes, her mind wandered.

'I should be reviewing those contracts,' she thought, remembering the stack of documents her uncle had signed. 'I should be solidifying our alliances, securing our interests.'

But her heart wasn't in it. For once, the machinations of Drakorian high society held no appeal. Her thoughts, unbidden, turned to Zafron.

'Zafron,' she mused, a small smile playing on her lips. 'Where are you now?'

She recalled the promise she'd made at Lord Vex's mansion, what felt like a lifetime ago. "I'll find you in Lumina," she'd said as he boarded her cart, fleeing the suffocating confines of Drakoria.

True to her word, she'd sent trackers to Lumina a week after laying Mara to rest. But they'd all returned empty-handed, reporting that no cart matching hers had crossed the border.

'How is that possible?' she wondered, moving to her window ledge. 'Lumina's borders are tighter than a miser's purse. If he didn't go there, where did he go?'

Absentmindedly, she began to manipulate her slime powers, forming the green substance into various shapes. A bird, a tree, a miniature version of the Beaumont mansion. Finally, without conscious thought, she shaped it into a face - Zafron's face.

Cassandra stared at the likeness, feeling a pang in her chest. 'I should have gone with him,' she thought, then immediately chided herself. 'No, I couldn't. My place is here. My duty is here.'

But even as she thought it, she knew it wasn't entirely true. Her duty might be in Drakoria, but her heart... her heart was elsewhere.

Unable to bear the confines of her room any longer, Cassandra made a snap decision. She needed air, space, freedom - if only for a moment.

"Prepare my cart," she ordered, startling a passing servant. "I'm going to the lake."

Moments later, Cassandra was ensconced in her flying arcane cart, watching the smog-choked streets of Drakoria give way to cleaner air as they neared the outskirts. Her private lake, a sanctuary from the city's constant intrigue, beckoned.

As soon as the cart touched down, Cassandra was out, breathing deeply of the unpolluted air. She quickly changed into her swimwear, a sleek one-piece that balanced modesty with mobility.

The cool water embraced her as she dove in, washing away the grime of the city and the weight of her responsibilities. For a few blissful moments, she was just Cassandra - not the heir to the Beaumont fortune, not a player in Drakoria's power games, just a young woman enjoying a swim.

But reality, as it often did, intruded all too soon. As Cassandra emerged from the lake, rivulets of water streaming from her hair, she noticed a figure standing on the bank. A man in a wide-brimmed hat, a cigar clenched between his teeth, watching her with an unsettling intensity.

Officer Steele. The infamous enforcer.

"Well... well..." Steele drawled, taking a long drag on his cigar. "If it isn't... the Beaumont heiress... taking a dip."

Cassandra straightened, refusing to show discomfort despite her vulnerable state. "Officer Steele. To what do I owe this... pleasure?"

Steele's grin was all teeth, no warmth. "Just... following a lead. Funny thing... about leads. They often...

lead to interesting places."

He began to pace along the bank, his eyes never leaving Cassandra. "Been hearing... interesting things. About a certain... bodyguard."

Cassandra's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face impassive. "I wasn't aware that my staff was of interest to the Enforcers."

"Oh... everything's of interest... to me," Steele replied, flicking ash from his cigar. "Especially when said... bodyguard... vanishes into thin air."

He paused, fixing Cassandra with a penetrating stare. "You wouldn't happen to... miss him... would you?"

Cassandra met his gaze unflinchingly. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Officer. My security arrangements are my own business."

Steele chuckled, a sound devoid of humor. "Of course... of course. Just like your little... trip to Lord Vex's mansion... was your own business."

He took another drag on his cigar, blowing a perfect smoke ring. "Funny thing... about that day. Lots of... commotion. Explosions.

A stolen cart...bodies...Dead...bodies, Ring any... bells?"

Cassandra felt a chill that had nothing to do with her wet swimwear. "Are you accusing me of something, Officer Steele?"

"Accusing?" Steele's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "No... no. Just... sharing information. Like how your cart...

never made it to Lumina. Curious... don't you think?"

Cassandra's mind raced. How did he know about Lumina? About the cart? She needed to end this conversation, fast.

"Officer Steele," she said, injecting steel into her voice, "while I'm always happy to assist the Enforcers, I'm afraid I'm not comfortable being interrogated in my swimwear. If you have official questions, I suggest you schedule an appointment through proper channels."

She straightened, calling on every ounce of her noble bearing. "Unless, of course, you're suggesting that the Enforcers now make a habit of accosting nobles while they're in a state of undress? I'm sure the Emperor would be... most interested to hear about such tactics."

Steele's grin widened, but there was a flicker of something - respect, perhaps? - in his eyes. "No need for... threats, Miss Beaumont. I've got... what I came for."

He tipped his hat, a mockery of courtesy. "Enjoy your... swim. I'm sure we'll... chat again... soon."

As Steele sauntered away, Cassandra allowed herself a shaky breath. She'd held her ground, but at what cost? Steele knew something about Zafron, that much was clear. But how much? And what did it mean for Zafron's safety?

Steele, for his part, was already focused on his next move. 'Zafron,' he thought, savoring the name like a fine wine. 'Got you now, boy.'

His eyes glowed as he activated his phantom gaze, scanning the area for any trace of his quarry. The hunt was on, and Steele could almost taste the glory that would come with capturing his suspect.

But first, he needed more information. And he could afford to wait - at least until the Emperor responded to his "special" request. Everything Zafron had done, wherever he was hiding, Steele would find him. It was only a matter of time.

As Cassandra watched Steele disappear into the distance, she felt a resolve harden within her. She needed to find Zafron, and soon. Not just because she missed him, not just because of whatever trouble he was in, but because for the first time in her life, she felt truly alive when she was with him.

'Hang on, Zafron,' she thought, her eyes fixed on the horizon. 'Whatever's happening, whatever trouble you're in, I'll find you. I promise.'