Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 261: Palace heist

The sun had barely risen when the innkeeper hurried into the room carrying a tray piled with steaming meat and a pot of freshly brewed tea. His hands shook a little as he set everything down.

"I cooked what I could," he said quietly. "You all look like you need something warm."

Lucas nodded gratefully. "Thank you... truly."

Ice Belle hopped from his shoulder to sit near the food, sniffing curiously. Selene helped hand out plates. Seraphina stared at hers without a single bite taken, eyes distant.

The innkeeper hesitated before clearing his throat. "Forgive me for asking but... I overheard a bit of your discussion last night. You are planning to rescue Her Majesty, aren’t you?"

Nyx exchanged a look with Selene. They both turned back to him.

"We have not yet found a way into the palace," Selene admitted. "The entire capital has become a nest of enemies overnight."

Nyx added, "Guards roam the walls. They would notice even a shadow slipping too close....The celestials could sense Xavier’s space energy miles away...so it’s really out of the option." Lucas nodded and agreed... it’s a risky move.

Seraphina finally snapped her gaze up, cold and sharp. "And what does that have to do with you? Do not meddle in affairs that are beyond you. This is imperial business."

The innkeeper flinched but held his ground. "With respect, My Lady... the Empress never treated us like common rabble. If she is suffering, we are suffering with her. I cannot... stand here and pretend nothing is wrong."

Seraphina’s voice cracked, grief trembling within every word. "You have no idea what is happening. You do not understand what we have lost."

Lucas stepped forward before their tension grew. "Seraphina... he’s not wrong."

She turned to him fiercely. "Xavier, you left her behind. You do not get to decide what is right anymore."

Lucas inhaled sharply. "Selene already told you...If I hadn’t teleported us away, we would all be in chains beside her. I made a choice to keep us alive and free."

Seraphina’s lips trembled. Lira and Mirielle each placed gentle hands on her shoulders.

"Enough," Lira murmured. "We are all hurting. We need each other right now."

The innkeeper bowed his head deeply. "Please... let me help. Many in the city still believe in Her Majesty. They only need a sign that the throne stands firm."

"And what can you do?" Seraphina asked bitterly. "Serve us more tea?"

He lifted his gaze again, courage flickering in his eyes. "I can show you secret paths only the smugglers use. I can help gather loyalists. I can mislead patrols. I may be powerless in strength but I am not powerless in loyalty."

Lucas studied him carefully. The man was terrified... but willing. That alone carried weight.

"We cannot turn away any ally," Lucas finally said. "Not now."

The innkeeper let out a shaky breath of relief. "Then... I am yours to command."

Seraphina looked at Lucas, her eyes filled with conflict. "If the Empress remains imprisoned... it will be because we failed her. Again."

"No," Lucas answered, his voice steady despite the exhaustion still aching in his bones. "This time... we get her back."

Ice Belle hopped into his lap, chirping as if in agreement....she made a move for a meat...but Selene stopped her. She chirped in displeasure and flew back to Lucas’s shoulders while fuming.

Seraphina’s jaw clenched as she wiped the corner of her eyes, forcing composure back into her voice. Her grief morphed into sharp suspicion the moment she turned her gaze once again to the innkeeper.

"You speak like a noble patriot," she hissed, "yet you used to smuggle illegal goods into the capital and into the Palace. Do not pretend you are a saint standing with the crown now."

The innkeeper stiffened. He did not deny her accusation. His fingers curled tightly into his apron, but his voice held steady.

"I have done things I am not proud of," he replied. "But the Empress never punished the common folk for the corruption of the palace. She always protected us. I would not abandon her now."

Seraphina took a step closer, her eyes burning with distrust. "If you were truly so involved behind the scenes, then why have I never heard of you? A smuggler with that much influence should have been exposed a long time ago."

He offered a small, humorless smile. "My Lady, if a smuggler is widely known... then he is no smuggler at all."

Nyx leaned back against the wall, arms folded as she examined him. "So you admit it then. You moved things for the inner court. For the nobles."

"I used my routes to make sure some families survived another week. Good and bad were always tied together in my work."

Selene’s expression softened, curiosity replacing the earlier tension. "Then why help us now? You must know that siding with us could cost you your life."

The innkeeper swallowed, fear flickering behind determination. "Everyone in this city has been holding their breath since the usurpers arrived. We all felt the life drain from the streets. If there is even the smallest chance to rescue our Empress... I will take it."

Seraphina looked at him for a long moment, wrestling with rage and desperation. Her voice finally emerged, strained. "If you betray us, I will cut you down myself."

He did not flinch. "Then may I prove to you that I stand on the right side now."

Lucas watched the exchange quietly while Ice Belle settled protectively in his lap. Something inside him shifted as he saw a spark of courage in the ordinary man.

Sometimes the only difference between a criminal and a hero was the moment they chose to act.

The innkeeper dragged a chair closer and sat with a grunt, folding his arms. Seraphina waited, restless and already regretting every moment spent in the inn’s questionable safety.

"So," Seraphina began sharply, "how exactly do you plan to get us past palace walls, dozens of guards and whatever else lies between us and the dungeons? Don’t bother giving a vague answer again. If you truly are the ’best’ at this, prove it."

The innkeeper exhaled, slow and heavy like he was measuring his patience grain by grain. "Not the front gate. Not the upper balconies. Too many eyes. The only path safe from scrutiny is beneath."

Lira frowned. "Beneath? What is that supposed to mean?"

"The city sewers," he replied plainly.

All the girls except Seraphina chorused their disapproval in a single horrified exhale. Lira recoiled, hands already gripping the edge of the table. "You can’t be serious. Sewers? That place is filled with filth and disease and spirits know what else."

"And the smell," Selene added, wrinkling her nose so intensely the innkeeper almost laughed.

"I am aware," the man replied dryly. "But if it comforts you, the smell is not the worst part. The worst part is getting lost. Those tunnels twist under the whole capital."

"That does not help at all," Lira muttered under her breath.

The innkeeper leaned forward and lowered his voice even further. "There are access points only smugglers and certain nobles know. Hidden entryways. I know a few of them. It leads directly beneath the palace."

Seraphina narrowed her eyes, unconvinced but listening. "And I suppose you expect us to trust a man who openly admitted to smuggling contraband for nobles who shouldn’t have it?"

"I do need your trust, My Lady," he answered without flinching, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. "I need your cooperation as well."

Lira tapped her fingers nervously. "How far is the journey through the sewers?"

"two hours if you move quickly," he replied. "Longer if you hesitate or panic."

"We do not panic," Seraphina snapped back reflexively.

The innkeeper raised a brow. "I have lived long enough to know that even the strongest panic when the dark becomes too tight and the air too thin."

Lira swallowed, trying not to picture it. "And when we come out on the other side?"

"You will find yourselves in one of the palace’s lower storage chambers," he explained. "From there, it depends on how you intend to reach your target. My job ends once you are inside."

"So you are not helping us past that point?" Seraphina asked, sounding almost offended.

He shrugged. "I sell passage, not heroics."

Seraphina clicked her tongue in frustration. "Convenient. You walk us to the lion’s den and then vanish."

"I lead you to an opportunity," he corrected.

"We should not wait," Lucas said, lifting his gaze at last. He had barely spoken throughout the entire discussion and his sudden interjection drew every eye to him. "If we rest, we give our enemies time to prepare. If we move now, the palace will be less alert."

Nyx stared at him for a moment, "Fine...You have a point. We go soon... but at least let us eat before we walk into a nightmare."