The Eccentric Entomologist is Now a Queen's Consort

He had noticed it while eating—the way certain merchants moved, the flick of their fingers, the quick nods exchanged between seemingly unrelated customers. Not unusual for a black-market hub like Luthadel, but these weren’t simple bartering gestures. These were signals. Practiced, precise.

Information flowed here just as much as goods did, and not all of it was legal.

"We need to dig deeper," he said, fingers idly spinning the badge between them. "And I have a fun little idea."

Lira sighed, rubbing her temple as if already regretting whatever was about to come out of his mouth. "That always means trouble."

Vyrelda leaned back in her chair, watching him with a mix of amusement and skepticism. "Are you going to explain, or should we prepare for whatever ridiculous scheme you’ve come up with this time?"

Mikhailis feigned a wounded look. "Ridiculous? Vyrelda, you wound me."

"I doubt it," she muttered.

Estella, still chewing thoughtfully, waved a hand. "Let him talk. I want to hear what ’fun’ means to him."

Mikhailis’s smirk widened. "Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?"

Lira exhaled, her fingers tightening slightly around her teacup. "Some of us prefer to keep our adventures from turning into city-wide disasters."

He leaned in slightly, golden eyes gleaming with mischief. "That’s what makes them memorable."

Cerys, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke, her voice even. "If you’re planning something reckless, at least tell us how much of a mess we’ll have to clean up afterward."

Mikhailis gave her an innocent smile. "Clean-up? What kind of man do you take me for? My plans are perfectly structured."

Silence.

Even Rhea looked skeptical.

"...Most of the time," he added, finally breaking into a grin.

Lira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just get on with it."

He chuckled, tapping his fingers against the badge once more. "I think it’s time we pay a visit to the mist network itself."

That got their attention. The air at the table shifted, a quiet tension settling between them. They all knew what that meant. Luthadel’s mist didn’t just happen. It was controlled. Managed. And if this device was linked to that network, then whoever had modified it had either intended to break that control—or take it for themselves.

The question was: which one?

Mikhailis leaned back, letting the moment linger.

This was going to be interesting.

____

Back in his private room, Mikhailis placed the stolen device on the desk while Lira stood behind him, arms crossed, her sharp gaze locked onto the strange object. The faint rhythmic hum of the device filled the small space, almost like a second heartbeat—one that didn’t belong, one that didn’t belong to either of them.

He adjusted his glasses, fingers tapping lightly against the wooden surface. The morning chill had yet to fade, the air still heavy with lingering mist creeping through the cracks of the window. The dim candlelight flickered, casting long shadows across the room, stretching toward the stolen Technomancer device as if drawn by some unseen force.

Lira remained silent but observant, as always. She was more than just a maid—she was his shadow, his tether to reality when his mind drifted too far into intrigue. Where most would hesitate to question him, Lira spoke her thoughts freely, though with a certain grace that made her criticisms easier to swallow.

Mikhailis smirked to himself. Not that I ever listen all the time.

The device pulsed again, its glow steady, neither growing stronger nor weaker. It was waiting. For something. For input. For a command.

Rodion’s voice echoed in his mind, crisp and analytical.

<Conducting deep analysis. Estimated completion: 37 seconds.>

Mikhailis picked up the badge, flipping it between his fingers before holding it near the device. The reaction was immediate. A faint blue glow pulsed from the stolen Technomancer tool, responding to the badge’s proximity.

Lira’s sharp eyes narrowed. "It’s a key."

Mikhailis grinned. "Bingo."

Rodion’s voice returned with a clinical breakdown.

<Badge grants limited access. Likely a low-level clearance tool. However, its reaction suggests that nearby mist nodes may respond to it.>

Mikhailis leaned back in his chair, twirling the badge between his fingers. "Which means..."

Lira let out a sigh, already anticipating the direction of his thoughts. "You want to test it."

"Of course," he said smoothly, his grin widening.

There was no hesitation in his voice. The more he learned about this city, the more the pieces began to fall into place. The mist wasn’t just an uncontrolled hazard—it was manipulated, adjusted in real-time. The device was proof of that. And now they had a key. The question was: how much could they unlock?

Lira gave him a long-suffering look. "Then we do it smart. No reckless moves."

Mikhailis turned in his chair, meeting her gaze with a playful glint in his golden eyes. "Do I look like the reckless type?"

Lira didn’t dignify that with an answer. She merely raised a perfectly shaped brow, her silence heavy with meaning.

Mikhailis chuckled, pressing the badge against the device once more, watching as the glow shifted slightly, the hum rising in pitch for a brief moment before settling. Interesting. It wasn’t just an on-and-off switch. It recognized the badge’s presence, but something was limiting its response.

<Conclusion: The badge provides a verification signal, but full activation requires a corresponding mist node connection.>

Mikhailis exhaled through his nose. "So we need to find one of those nodes."

Lira frowned slightly, arms still crossed. "And how do you propose we do that without alerting the entire Technomancer network?"

He grinned. "Carefully." @@novelbin@@

She closed her eyes briefly, inhaling through her nose, her expression the very definition of controlled exasperation. "That doesn’t answer the question."

"It’s the best answer I have."

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Lira’s lips pressed into a thin line. She knew he wasn’t going to let this go. And she wasn’t wrong.

He’d come to Luthadel as an observer. A researcher. A man looking for answers but not necessarily intending to interfere. That idea had lasted all of two days before the Technomancers had made themselves too interesting to ignore.

Lira gave him another long look before shaking her head. "I’ll gather the others."

Mikhailis shot her a wink. "You’re the best."

She turned sharply, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder as she strode toward the door. "I know."

Mikhailis chuckled as she left.

The device continued its steady hum, the glow flickering slightly as if responding to some unseen force. He ran a hand through his hair, rolling his shoulders before leaning back, stretching out his limbs.

Rodion’s voice chimed in once more.

<You are aware that this course of action will likely escalate hostilities with the Technomancers?>

Mikhailis smirked. "Oh, definitely."

<And yet, you are proceeding anyway.>

"Of course. That’s what makes it fun."

Rodion’s sigh was almost human in its exasperation.

<Illogical behavior detected. Predictability index: 4%. Expected risk assessment: High.>

Mikhailis laughed under his breath. "And yet here we are."

Before Rodion could give another cynical retort, the door creaked open again. Vyrelda and Cerys entered, both immediately taking stock of the situation with their respective styles—Cerys’s sharp, assessing gaze sweeping over the room like a seasoned warrior checking for hidden threats, while Vyrelda simply folded her arms, already exuding her usual mix of authority and impatience.

"What’s this about you needing backup?" Vyrelda’s tone was blunt as ever.

Mikhailis grinned. "Nothing too dangerous. Just a little field research."

Cerys shot him a dry look. "Field research." Her red ponytail swayed slightly as she tilted her head. "Right."

Lira, now leaning against the wall, arms crossed, sighed. "He wants to test the badge’s connection to the mist network. That means we need to locate a mist-regulation node."

Vyrelda frowned. "You mean, the things Technomancers use to control mist flow?"

Mikhailis snapped his fingers. "The very same."

Cerys exhaled sharply through her nose. "And I assume we’re not asking for permission to poke around."

Mikhailis pressed a hand to his chest in mock innocence. "Would I ever do something so improper?"

Cerys and Vyrelda answered in perfect unison.

"Yes."

Lira sighed. "Yes."

Mikhailis pouted. "Ouch. No faith in me at all."

Vyrelda rolled her eyes. "So, let me guess. You have a lead?"

Mikhailis tapped his temple. "Working on it. Rodion’s running a scan for anomalies in mist flow patterns. If there’s a node, we’ll find it."

Vyrelda gave him a long, assessing look. "Fine. But we do this quietly. No unnecessary risks."

Mikhailis nodded. "Naturally."

Vyrelda didn’t look convinced, but she accepted it. She glanced at Cerys, who gave a small nod in return.

"We’ll need to move carefully," Cerys muttered. "If the Technomancers realize someone is tampering with their system, they’ll retaliate."

Mikhailis flashed a grin. "That’s why we’ll be subtle."

Lira made a small, elegant motion with her hand, indicating she wasn’t holding her breath.

Mikhailis turned to Estella and Rhea, who had been listening quietly from the side.

"I need the two of you to keep an ear out in the market," he said. "See if anyone’s been talking about mist irregularities, Technomancer activity, anything unusual."

Estella smirked. "Finally, something exciting, My Lady."

Rhea sighed. "You always say that before things go wrong."

Estella only grinned. "That’s part of the fun."

Mikhailis clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Then let’s get moving. We’ve got a city to poke."

Lira gave him a look that practically screamed Don’t phrase it like that, but she didn’t comment.

Mikhailis pocketed the badge and smirked.

This was going to be very interesting.

Vyrelda and Cerys joined them after a brief explanation. Estella and Rhea agreed to gather more information from the market, leaving Mikhailis and his field team to track down a mist-regulation node.