Chapter 52
Following her conversation with Duncan, Arden retreated to her room in the barracks. While she was fortunate to have the rest of the day off, her luck was short-lived. As she reached her hallway, she spotted Douglas and one of his cronies waiting outside her door.
Thankfully, they hadn't seen her yet. She immediately turned back around, frustrated by the blatant double standards of the Guard. She never understood how Douglas could abandon his post so frequently without a single reprimand, while she was met with glares for so much as a misplaced sneeze.
She finally understood why humans complained so bitterly about their mortal jobs. It was the crushing cycle of "performance punishment"—the corporate phenomenon where being the most capable person in the room only earned you a
