The ticking of the clock in Governor Friedrich's study sounded like a hammer driving nails into a coffin. I stood in the corner of the room, steadying my breath as the pungent aroma of Friedrich's cigar filled my senses. Before me, the man stared at a large map of the East Indies with the gaze of a predator.
"Julian has been gone too long, Kartika," Friedrich's voice was heavy, filled with a suspicion he no longer bothered to hide. "He said he wanted to find 'writing inspiration' out of town, but my intelligence hasn't spotted him in any luxury hotels."
I offered a thin smile, the kind I had practiced for years to mask the storm in my heart. "Young Master Julian has the soul of an artist, General. He prefers seeking inspiration in places untouched by crowds. Isn't that why you entrusted me to watch him? To keep him safe within his wild freedom?"
Friedrich turned, his ice-cold eyes piercing through me. "Freedom is a dangerous luxury in this land. If he meets the wrong people—especially that 'ghost' we've been discussing—freedom can turn into treason."
I felt my fingers grow cold behind the folds of my kebaya. Friedrich was beginning to scent Adrian's existence. I had to divert his attention before he sent the Marechaussee toward Buitenzorg.
"I heard rumors in the market, General," I said in a low tone, as if providing a trivial secret. "There's a group of petty bandits in the Tangerang border trying to disrupt the sugar supply lines. Perhaps your attention is better spent there than worrying about a prince daydreaming by a river."
Friedrich fell silent, weighing my words. I knew he hated any disruption to his cash flow. That was his weakness: greed.
Once dismissed, I strode out of the palace with a quick pace. The night wind of Batavia brushed my face, but it couldn't cool my mind. Julian had no idea how thin the thread supporting his life was right now. He was playing with idealism in the mud, while I had to extinguish the fires at the heart of power.
I stepped into my carriage and whispered an order to the driver. "To Ibu Siti's house. Now."
I had to ensure Raden Ajeng Sekartaji was prepared for the worst. If Friedrich found the link between Julian and Adrian, history wouldn't just record a scandal; it would record a family bloodbath that would burn all of Batavia.
Julian, are you a fool or just too brave? I thought, watching the streetlamps recede. You are trying to find the truth, but you forget that in this world, truth is often deadlier than lies.