The Eccentric Entomologist is Now a Queen's Consort

Chapter 317: Mist, Machinery, and an Unfinished Puzzle (1)

Mikhailis stretched, groaning as he sat up in bed, ruffling his already messy hair. The morning mist seeped through the window cracks, curling like lazy fingers around the dim light of the lantern left burning overnight. His golden eyes flickered toward the desk where the stolen Technomancer device pulsed softly, its rhythmic hum filling the otherwise quiet room.

His fingers drummed lazily against the sheets as he blinked away the last remnants of sleep. He had fallen asleep thinking about the damn thing, and now it was the first thing he saw when he woke up. The device looked deceptively simple—smooth, metallic, no visible seams or markings—but the faint glow from within gave it away. Something about it was alive. Not in a literal sense, but in the way it pulsed, like it was waiting.

Rodion’s voice cut through his thoughts like a crisp blade.

Mikhailis rubbed his chin, yawning. "Tampered with?" He squinted at the device. "That’s interesting. Who else would’ve had the guts to mess with something like this?"

A Technomancer? Unlikely. If they had modified it themselves, the inconsistencies wouldn’t be there. That meant someone outside their ranks had gotten their hands on this before him.

His fingers hovered over the device for a moment before he thought better of it. Last thing he needed was to accidentally trigger whatever hidden function lay within.

Rodion wasn’t done.@@@@

Mikhailis exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Translation: We don’t know what else it does, but it’s probably waiting for something to trigger it."

"Great," he muttered, swinging his legs over the bed. "Just what I need, a possibly explosive mystery clock."

His gaze flicked toward the badge lying beside it. That, too, held mysteries of its own. The faint reaction it had displayed last night when brought near the device suggested it wasn’t just an insignia—it was a key.

And keys always had locks.

"Someone out there might have the real key to turn this thing on," he mused aloud, reaching over to grab the device and the badge. "I’d love to know who."

Rodion responded, voice edged with dry amusement.

Mikhailis smirked. "That’s what makes it fun."

He stood up, stretching his limbs as the cold air of the morning settled against his skin. The room was still dim, the lantern’s light flickering weakly, fighting against the creeping mist outside. Luthadel’s wards did a poor job keeping the lower districts clear, and his current lodgings weren’t high enough on the social ladder to benefit from stronger barriers.

Estella ignored her completely, rotating the slice in her fingers. "You see the way the mist curing settled into the meat? The flavor must be layered."

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Mikhailis smirked as he strolled over, pulling out a chair and plopping down in an exaggerated sprawl. "Careful, Estella. If you keep this up, people might mistake you for a gourmet critic instead of an overexcited troublemaker."

Estella grinned, finally taking a bite and savoring it as if proving her point. "You mock me, but you’ll regret it when I discover the secret to Luthadel’s legendary seasoning techniques."

Rhea rolled her eyes. "It’s salt and a little magic."

"And mystery," Estella added, undeterred.

Mikhailis chuckled, drumming his fingers on the table before catching Lira’s gaze. She set her teacup down, leveling him with a pointed look that immediately told him she wasn’t in the mood for nonsense. Not that it ever stopped him.

"You took longer than usual," she said, smooth as silk but edged with the underlying expectation of an explanation.

"Needed my beauty sleep," he replied, stretching. "Hard work being this charming."

Lira gave him an unimpressed look, but Vyrelda snorted, shaking her head.

"But more importantly," he continued, tapping his pocket with an easy grin, "I’ve finished analyzing our little toy."

That caught their interest. The table stilled, eyes shifting toward him with the subtle weight of anticipation.

"It’s connected to the mist network," he said, keeping his voice low despite the nonchalant delivery. "Someone modified it, but we don’t know why yet."

Vyrelda frowned. "If it’s been altered, then whoever did it had access to high-level Technomancer gear."

"Or they stole it," Cerys added simply, pushing her now-empty plate aside. "Which means someone is looking for it."

Lira, ever composed, tilted her head slightly. "The real question is: have the Technomancers noticed it’s missing?"

Mikhailis rested his chin on his palm, considering. He had taken the device under less-than-subtle circumstances, but Technomancers weren’t the type to panic over a single missing trinket. They would observe first. See who started moving differently. See who flinched.

"If they haven’t," Lira continued, her voice calm but weighted, "they will soon. You should assume we’re already being watched."

"Oh, we’re definitely being watched," Mikhailis mused, his golden eyes flicking toward the window where the marketplace was already alive with morning activity. "And not just by Technomancers."