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Anna had learned in graduate school that the most dangerous conversations always began with an invitation.

She followed Michael Davies to a secluded balcony overlooking the palace gardens, acutely aware that she was stepping away from witnesses and into unknown territory. The stone railing was cold under her hands. Below, nobles drifted through manicured paths like pieces on a board she could not yet read.

Michael leaned against the marble column with practiced ease, studying her with the same intensity she had seen in her dissertation committee. The look of someone dissecting an interesting specimen.

"You have changed," he said without preamble. "Three weeks ago, you were a tantrum wrapped in expensive silk. Today, you speak to Crown Prince Richard without trembling and deflect his attention with philosophy. That degree of transformation is... statistically improbable."

Anna's mind raced. Michael Davies was the Head of the Mage's Tower, which meant he trafficked in information and magic both. In the game, his route required brutal honesty. He respected intelligence and despised manipulation poorly executed.

She could lie, but he would see through it. She could deflect, but he would lose interest. Or she could offer him what he valued most: a puzzle.

"People change when they realize they are going to die," Anna said quietly. "They either break or they adapt. I chose adaptation."

"Death flag awareness." Michael's eyes gleamed with genuine fascination. "You are referring to the common noble affliction of sudden mortality realizations, or something more specific?"

The question was a test within a test. Anna weighed her options in the space of three heartbeats. The system had labeled Michael's route as "Information Broker/Neutral Ally." Neutral meant he could be useful without romantic entanglement. Ally meant he would trade rather than take.

"Something more specific," she admitted. "I have forty-five ways to die before the year ends. I intend to survive all of them."

Silence. Michael studied her with such intensity that Anna felt stripped down to component parts. Then, slowly, he smiled.

"You are either delusional or operating with information you should not possess. Both options intrigue me." He reached into his coat and withdrew a small crystal, perfectly cut and glowing with faint inner light. "This is a communication artifact. Linked directly to my private study. If you truly have access to future knowledge, I would very much like to trade for it."

Anna took the crystal carefully, feeling its warmth pulse against her palm. "And what would you offer in return?"

"Information. Protection. Resources. The Mage's Tower remains neutral in court politics, which means we can move in spaces others cannot." Michael's expression turned calculating. "I have no interest in seeing you dead, Emily de Valois. Dead people make poor business partners. Living people with unusual knowledge, however, are invaluable."

The system chimed softly.

NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: Mage's Crystal (Communication Device) MICHAEL DAVIES: Interest increased to 8% (Intrigued) WARNING: Information trading carries risks. Knowledge changes the future.

"I will consider your offer," Anna said carefully. "But I need to know something first. If I trade you information about future events, and those events change because of your actions, what happens to my credibility?"

Michael's smile widened. "Now that is the right question. Most people never think three moves ahead. I like you, Emily. You think like a scholar, not a noble." He pushed off from the column and straightened his coat. "The answer is simple. I will verify everything you tell me through independent means. If your information proves accurate, your value increases. If events diverge from your predictions, we analyze why. Either outcome is useful."

He was treating her like an asset to be cultivated. It should have been offensive. Instead, it was the most honest transaction she had experienced since waking in this world.

"Then we have an understanding," Anna said.

"We do." Michael inclined his head slightly, a gesture of respect rather than deference. "Use the crystal when you have something worth trading. Or when you need extraction from immediate danger. I will respond."

He left as quietly as he had arrived, disappearing into the garden party crowd with the ease of someone who belonged everywhere and nowhere.

Anna remained on the balcony, turning the crystal over in her hands. She had gained a potential ally. She had also revealed that she possessed knowledge she should not have. Michael was intelligent enough to be useful and dangerous enough to be lethal if he decided she was a threat rather than an asset.

The system chimed again.

QUEST UPDATE: "Acquire the Duke's Ledger" Time Until Opportunity: 12 hours New Option Available: Request magical assistance from Michael Davies Warning: Using the crystal creates a debt

Anna pocketed the crystal and turned back toward the party. She had twelve hours before the Duke's monthly council meeting. Twelve hours to decide whether to risk the theft alone or involve her new ally in plans that could reshape the future.

Below, Crown Prince Richard watched her from across the garden, his expression unreadable.

She had survived another death flag, but something in his focus made her certain that the real test had not yet begun.