April knocked softly on the door with the back of her knuckles, balancing the heavy silver tray on her forearm.

​"Come in," a soft, slightly exhausted voice called out from inside.

​April pushed the door open with her shoulder and stepped into the sprawling, luxurious bedroom.

The room was massive, decorated in soft creams and golds, with a king-sized bed that looked like a cloud.

Liora was sitting on the edge of the mattress, her shoulders slumped. She had already kicked off her high heels, and her small, pale feet were buried in the thick plush rug.

​"I brought the refreshments and your garment bag, miss," April said, keeping her voice low and perfectly polite as she set the tray down on a nearby side table.

​Liora looked up, offering a small, fragile smile that looked incredibly weary.

"Thank you so much. You can just leave the bag by the wardrobe."

​April nodded, hanging the heavy designer bag up. As she moved around the room, her eyes naturally drifted toward Liora’s chest.

The green jade necklace was hanging right there, resting against her collarbone. Up close, it looked even more ordinary, almost completely out of place against the expensive designer gown Liora was wearing. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

It was hard to believe something so plain held an entire boundless dimension inside it.

​April didn’t linger her gaze. She looked away before Liora could notice, her expression completely smooth.

​"Would you like some help unzipping your dress, miss?" April asked quietly, stepping closer. "The zippers on these custom gowns can be quite stubborn to reach alone."

​Liora let out a relieved sigh, turning around on the bed. "Oh, yes please. I was just sitting here wondering how I was going to get out of this thing without calling my mother back upstairs."

​April walked up behind her and reached for the hidden zipper at the back of the gown. She pulled it down slowly, the fabric parting cleanly. But as the silk gave way, April’s fingers froze for a split second.

​Liora’s back wasn’t flawless.

​Revealed under the soft bedroom lights were several old, faded scars crisscrossing her pale skin—jagged marks that clearly hadn’t come from a minor accident.

Even though she was the precious, long-lost biological daughter of the wealthy Morgan family now, she had clearly led a brutal, ambiguous life before they found her. She had suffered.

​April stared at the marks, a sudden realization hitting her. So this was why the world’s destiny favored this girl so much. This was why she got the magical jade necklace and a league of powerful men to protect her during the apocalypse.

The narrative code of the universe was just compensating her for the trauma of her past.

​Liora pulled the loose dress up against her chest, shivering slightly as the cool air hit her bare back.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking down at her lap. "I know... the scars look bad. I didn’t exactly grow up in a palace before my parents found me."

​A heavy silence filled the room.

​April looked from the scars on Liora’s back to the jade necklace hanging loosely around her neck.

A normal person might have felt a wave of pity. A normal person might have thought, She suffered so much, she deserves this magical artifact to keep her safe when the world ends.

​But April wasn’t a normal person anymore.

​Her gaze remained entirely cold. Liora had suffered, yes. But what about her? April had spent ten years being whipped by Liora’s sadistic mother in this very house, and then another ten years running and starving, helping people who later used her as literal zombie bait.

She had suffered just as much, if not more, and nobody had handed her a magical dimension on a silver platter or a league of brave protectors.

​If the universe wasn’t going to give her fair compensation, then she would just have to steal it. Liora would still have her wealthy parents, her biological bloodline, and her powerful future allies to keep her safe and beautiful.

But this necklace? This belonged to April now.

​"Everyone carries their own marks, miss," April said, her voice smooth and completely unbothered as she stepped back. "There is no need to feel ashamed of surviving."

​Liora looked up, her eyes wide with a touch of surprise and genuine gratitude. She clearly hadn’t expected such a grounded, comforting response from a random housemaid.

"You... you’re very kind. What’s your name?"

​"April, miss," she replied with a polite, shallow bow, her eyes locking onto the exact clasp of the jade necklace one last time.

​She had the layout of the room memorized now. She knew exactly where the bed faced, where the jewelry would likely be placed, and how to slip in without making a sound.

​"Have a good rest, Miss Liora," April murmured, turning around and walking toward the door.

​Tonight, the real heist would begin.