"I don't trust you."
No one would feel kindly toward someone who had used them twice. Besides, Madeleine knew Bailey would never say such a thing.
Knight Tarkinson was unfazed. "You don't have to trust me, but surely you trust Lord Annan?"
"I've had a carriage prepared. We can leave whenever you're ready."
"And if I say no?"
Knight Tarkinson, who was about to take control of the Art Capital, smiled. "Annan Reeves asked me to pass on his message, but I don't think that's enough... I should do better than that."
"Madeleine misses you."
At the ship hotel, Annan said the same thing to Bailey.
Bailey Knight shook her head. "That's all in the past..."
"Exactly. It's in the past, so what's left that can't be resolved?"
"What I mean is..."
"If you're worried Silver City won't agree, I'll talk to them."
"You don't..."
"Knight Tarkinson edited this. I asked him for a copy." Annan cut her off again, determined not to let her finish refusing.
He took out a Magic Stone and activated it. It projected an edited video of her and Madeleine singing "Moonlit Dance Steps" in the Finals.
Bailey listened in silence, a flicker of nostalgia crossing her eyes.
Annan caught the shift in her mood and spoke at just the right moment. "What do you think? At least meet her once. Whether it mends things or makes them worse, you'll finally put an end to the past."
Ordinarily, traveling from the Orr Empire to Free City took several months at the very least. The Portal on Commercial Street cut that journey dramatically short. The next day, Madeleine arrived in Free City in secret.
Knock, knock, knock—
The rhythm of the knock on the door seemed to startle the rose in its vase.
Bailey's fingers