In the morning, I wake slowly, savoring the warmth of the morning sunlight on my skin. In a drowsy trance, I reach my hand out to feel Asteria beside me, but I am greeted by cold sheets. I open my eyes more fully, finding Asteria not lying in bed, but, rather, seated on the edge, her back turned to me. The events of the night return to me in a blur – how I made a decision I could never have seen myself making months before.

I chose Asteria over my family. I'm still unsure whether that was the right choice or not.

Even now, my cheeks burn with the realization that I had last night. Perhaps I am young and naïve, but I cannot deny I love Asteria. I almost want to call weakly to her to tell her so, but I suddenly become a coward. I suppose I cannot say for certain whether Asteria loves me back, and I'm not sure if it would be fair to tell her either.

"Asteria?" I ask groggily.

Finally, she turns to glance at me. "Oh. Fe," she says. Her voice is sorrowful, and judging by the bags under her eyes, she didn't have the pleasure of sleeping as peacefully as me. "Good morning."

"How long have you been awake?" I ask as I push the covers back and sit up.

"A few hours," she says quietly. Her shoulders slouch, and I can tell she is still hurting. I don't blame her. I am only now recognizing how much the words from my mother's tongue have stung as well.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

Asteria lets out a long, shaky sigh. I realize she must have been crying earlier; her eyes are reddened and slightly puffy. I want to wrap her in my arms and kiss her, but it feels wrong in the moment. With the way she is holding herself, I can tell she does not want to be touched.

"I'm okay," she says. It's a lie if I've ever recognized one. "I talked to my father this morning, actually. I've received permission to leave this evening."

My eyes widen. "That would cut our trip short by—"

"Two days, yes," Asteria confirms. "We'll have to attend one last strategy meeting this morning, and then we can take the afternoon train to Okchester." She must notice the shock in my face because her voice becomes imbued with sadness. "I want to go home, Fe. To Esterpool."

Esterpool will never be home to me. I never thought it was home to Asteria either, but I cannot deny how much I want to escape this hellhole of a castle. I cannot imagine how furious Kiana will be to learn I am leaving early, and, of course, that I did not show last night, but I am also ready for this journey to end. Kiana and I have schemed enough. I do not think Asteria nor I can last another day of being threatened by the king and prince.

"I want to head back, too," I agree. I cannot hold back any longer. I scoot closer to her, until I can make out the faint scent of her perfume and feel her warm breath on my skin. I reach forward slowly, cupping my hands around her cheeks, and bring her mouth to mine. There is a new sadness in our kiss that I have never experienced before; salty tears mixed with warmth. I dislike it.

"I will need to go speak to Felicity to let her know I am leaving," I say to Asteria as we pull apart. "Will you be able to get breakfast on your own?"

Asteria nods. Later, I dress her in silence, thankful it is the last time I will have to do so in Magewell. Then, I leave her behind to head towards the maid quarters. I pick at my meal, still feeling shaken from the day prior. In the distance, I spot Felicity and wave her towards me.

"Good morning, Fe," she says with a smile. When I do not greet her with the same vivacity, she frowns. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh. No. Well...I suppose I should tell you that I am leaving earlier than expected. The princess and I will be departing later this morning, after the strategy meeting," I say.

There is a brief look of shock on Felicity's face, but she masks it well. "Well, I appreciate your visit all the same. You are always welcome here."

"Thank you for your hospitality," I say. "I could not have navigated the castle's halls without you."

Felicity chuckles. "Safe travels to you and the princess. When you finish the meeting, be sure to return the key to me."

I nod in agreement, thank her again, and discard the remainder of my breakfast. As I make my way out of the maids' quarters, I suddenly feel a hand clench onto my wrist. I spin around, coming face to face with my sister. Kiana's eyes are darkened and glared. She has broken formation with the other guards that have gone down a separate hallway to speak to me, I realize, as I hear footsteps dissipate in the distance. She drags me into the empty corner of a hallway, away from the ears of anyone nearby.

"Where were you last night?" she hisses.

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep," I say. "By the time I woke, it was dawn." I cannot tell if Kiana believes me judging by the quizzical expression on her face, but I do not let the thought linger. I will be parted from her shortly anyways.

"Does this have anything to do with a rumor I heard yesterday?' she questions.

"What rumor?" I ask. Surely she has not heard anything about Asteria and me, but my heart quickens at the thought of it.

"That you raised your voice at Prince Stephan yesterday?"

When I do not respond, her eyes widen in horror.

"What are you thinking?!" Kiana exclaims as quietly as she can. "Are you insane? Do you have any idea how much you could have jeopardized our plan?"

"I am fine," I say, unclasping her hand from my wrist. "I am sure you heard an exaggerated version. Gossip must spread quickly in these walls. Do not worry. No one suspects a thing."

Kiana still looks annoyed, but she seems satisfied in lecturing me for now. "Tonight, be there on time."

"I can't," I say. "I'm leaving, I'm afraid. Directly after the strategy meeting."

Once again, Kiana looks at me, perturbed. "What do you mean?!"

"Asteria requested to leave two days earlier. I cannot convince her otherwise. We have done enough, haven't we? We have mapped nearly the entire castle. You have the schedules of the royal family. Mama or Taika can help with letter correspondence. We should stop speaking now. We're going to draw suspicion if we remain here much longer," I say.

"How can you say that all so calmly?" Kiana mutters.

I open my mouth to respond, but I hear a voice calling me in the distance. "Fe! Fe, are you there?!" It is Asteria, most likely come to grab me from the maids' quarters so we can head to the strategy meeting.

My feet move upon instinct. I pause in my steps, realizing that this is probably the last time I will see Kiana until we meet again for the assassination. I wish I had something meaningful to say to her, but I can only offer a shrug in response to her look of shock.

"I will see you later," I say.

I turn the corner, my eyes meeting Asteria. She quickly walks to my side. Perhaps she is more courageous now that we are leaving Magewell, but for just a moment, she takes hold of my hand. I try not to look up at her in shock.

"It's time for the meeting, isn't it?" I ask.

"Yes," she says, rubbing her thumb against my palm.

At the sound of footsteps, we quickly drop hands, and I turn, seeing Kiana has decided to make her way out of the shadows that I emerged from moments ago. Asteria tilts her head at me.

"Sorry that you were looking for me. I ran into Haukea on my way out. We were saying our goodbyes," I explain.

"Princess," Kiana says, bowing towards her.

Asteria dips her head in response.

"I shall see you both in the meeting, I suppose," Kiana replies, walking past us.

My sister has never scared me quite like my mother. We may have never seen eye to eye, but we have always been each other's best friends at best and allies at worst. However, when Kiana catches my eye, there is suspicion lingering behind her brown eyes. My mother may have threatened me, even slapped me, during her recent visits, but the cold stare Kiana sends me is enough to send my heart into a violent fit.

"Fe?" Asteria says, breaking my gaze at Kiana's backside.

I cannot show Asteria my weakness like she showed me the evening before. To do so would jeopardize the plan, in the words of Kiana. Instead, I push down my worry, knowing that there is nothing Kiana can prove. We are so close to fulfilling the plan. Surely my mother cannot remove me from Esterpool now, no matter what Kiana has to say.

"Sorry. Let's go," I say, beginning to escort Asteria to our final strategy meeting.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A few days ago, I would have expected myself to be thrilled to be attending my final war strategy meeting with Asteria, but I only echo her indifference. This trip did not result in the way I expected it to. One quick glance at Asteria, and I can see from her vacant expression that she is still upset. When my eyes linger to Kiana in the corner, she finally meets my eyes, and I can sense displeasure in her gaze as well. I glance back down at the table, feeling more confused than ever. I had hoped this trip would clarify my intentions and perhaps get me back on the same page with the mission. Instead, I only discovered that I love Asteria and that I am more uncertain than ever about following through with my role in my mother's plans.

"Before we begin the meeting, I have an announcement to make," King Ruben says. His voice echoes loudly across the room, silencing any remaining small talk between the royal advisors. His eyes lock onto Asteria, who has been seated quietly next to me since the moment we entered the room.

"Princess Asteria will be departing later this afternoon, a few days earlier than we initially planned. It is important we be succinct in our meeting this morning, as it will most likely be some time before the princess visits again," King Ruben explains. "Do you have anything to share, Asteria?"

Her voice, which has normally been nearly as loud as her father's for the entirety of the trip, comes out small and meek.

"Thank you for your hospitality and for passing your knowledge onto me," she says to the advisors. Her gaze is lowered, barely making eye contact with those around her. "I look forward to my next visit."

King Ruben nods, then claps his hands together. "Thank you, Asteria. With that, let's move on to discussing our current efforts taking place in Kilneu. Edward, if you please."

One of the royal officials begins reading the latest reports, detailing more lives lost at the border of Kilneu and its neighboring countries. I can sense from the distraught looks on the faces of those around me that this war is drudging on longer than they expected it to. Magnuvia's last successful conquest of another country was fourteen years ago, and they are not making much progress. I take joy in that fact and lean back against my seat, hoping the northern countries will hold their ground and torment Magnuvia awhile longer.

Then, Prince Stephan opens his mouth.

"And what are our current military recruitment numbers?" he inquires.

"Low on our soil," one of the advisors replies. "We have tried increasing benefits, but it has not received much notice. Many of our soldiers now come in from the colonized countries of our empire."

"Then, we simply must recruit more from those countries," Stephan answers.

"But the risk of civil unrest—"

"Is one we can handle," King Ruben interjects. "Go on, Stephan," he says.

Stephan stands up, demanding attention on him. I keep my gaze away from him, refusing to give it.

"We cannot keep relying on our own soldiers to fight our wars for us. The numbers do not justify the results. Let's shift toward drafting more from the neighboring countries."

"Kilneu's population is far too small to recruit so many," another advisor interjects. "And Flumensia has never taken well to drafting; we have always taken the least number of soldiers from there."

"Which leaves Landiani," Stephan says. That same sly smirk appears on his face. I have given up on keeping my eyes off of him now, suddenly horrified by what he will have to say. The entire room seems to be hung up on his next words. I can barely hear the sound of their breathing.

"Landiani has certainly given us the most trouble over the past century," he explains. "The less population we have, the easier it will be to continue our magic harvesting. I say we increase our recruitment from Landiani. Recruit from all ages, from all genders. It is time we stop acting like we give a damn about the morality of our actions."

A shiver runs through my body. Stephan's gaze flickers towards me for less than a second, then back to the room. I cannot tell if this announcement was made for me or not. Is this Stephan's revenge for what occurred yesterday?

Desperate, I turn to Asteria, hoping to find her speaking in the same resilient way that she did to her brother, but when I glance at her, I see only a hollow version of her former self. She keeps her gaze fixed on the table in front of her, and her lips remain tightly shut. This was the Asteria I was always told about; one who was weak and quiet-mannered.

A quick glance at Kiana, and there is anger in her eyes as she listens to Prince Stephan.

I glance at my hands that are shaking slightly against the table. I pray Asteria will speak up, but her silence is deafening. King Ruben and the other officials are chiming in now, celebrating this idea, but I drown out their words.

Staring at Asteria, I think of how, perhaps foolishly, I hoped she could be the solution to all our problems. She never seemed interested in colonization; I had hoped maybe with her as an ally, the whole assassination plan could be forfeited, and she could speak for us instead. However, seeing Asteria broken down like this, I realize now that could never have worked. Even if someone else of high ranking had spoken up, they would have been equally threatened and treated with the same disrespect.

The realization shakes me to my core, and suddenly, my eyes are opened once more.

Hearing the officials chat eagerly about exploiting my country, I am filled with the same rage that my mother instilled in Kiana and myself when we first came to Magnuvia for her mission. My loyalty towards my country has been displaced for some time. It is true that I love Asteria. Even staring at her now, I cannot deny how beautiful she is and how much I would love to hold her in my arms. But I love my country more. I always have.

I make a decision then, one I have been delaying for quite some time.

I am going to return to following the mission. The king and prince must die for their crimes. However, my one wish is that Asteria can be spared in all of it.