“I mean, if it’s happened to you, it’s likely happened before, right?”

“Do you know where I can find that kind of information?”

“The archives, of course.” A knowing smile formed on Scarlet’s rosy lips. “Do you want me to take you there?”

Officer Warwick hesitated, but after some convincing, the three of us found ourselves at Court Guard Headquarters. Scarlet led the way to the archives, which was hidden below the Headquarters. The elevator ride down to the vaulted room took almost ten minutes, plunging us deep toward the center of the earth. By the time the doors opened, Commander Hudson was already there and clearly hadn’t wasted any time getting stuck back in his work. He was reading a file with eyes that could burn a hole in the paper.

“We meet again so soon, old man,” I greeted him. He was visibly taken aback to see me here.

According to Scarlet, this was where the Court kept all their records. Top secret and all. Only someone with a certain level of clearance, like Commander Hudson, knew the passcode. Well, and someone like Scarlet too.

Not only was Scarlet a Pure Royal and a descendant of Zeus but she also happened to be the daughter of our queen, Rhea Christoulakis. I still couldn’t figure out how on earth someone like her ended up being a Court Guard. Or why her mother allowed it. A mystery for another day, I guessed.

“Why are you here?” asked Hudson accusingly.

I stood from the wheelchair, no longer feeling any unbearable pain, and walked closer. I didn’t feel intimidated by him anymore. “It’s a free Court, Commander.”

Hudson dropped the file he had been holding in a box labeled X2211. He replaced the lid on top, closing the box before I could see anything inside. “You didn’t answer my question, girl.” He narrowed his eyes and walked toward me with a domineering look.

“It’s none of your business.”

Just as I said that, Scarlet came up behind us with a file and yelled, “Found it!”

Commander Hudson squeezed his eyes shut and massaged the spot between his brows with his thumb and index finger as if that would release some of his frustration. I almost felt bad for giving him trouble, but at the same time, there was no way I was going to back down when I was this close to an explanation for my double click.

“What did you find?” Hudson gripped Scarlet’s wrist firmly and took the file from her hand. She tried to wriggle away but failed miserably. He glanced at the cover, a stern look on his face as he turned to Scarlet again. “You cannot read this.”