HAWK & SABLE | TWENTY-FOUR

IRINA WAS FUMING. The princess was utterly red in the face, mouth opening and shutting, eyes screwed shut. The portrait of rage and frustration, all locked inside the body of a sixteen year old who'd been given too much power and responsibility at too early an age. Sometimes she looked at Irina and thought the girl seemed years older, an ancient soul locked in a mortal body.

If Ciri wasn't the recipient of her wrath, she'd have thought it amusing.

Right when she thought Irina would explode, the princess sucked in a deep breath and opened an eye. "You didn't think to call for any of us?" she demanded, rubbing her forehead.

"So you could have run in and found my corpse?" Ciri asked politely, offering a tense smile. "I know how the Panther works. I made a gambit. It paid off."

"Asteria?" Irina asked, twirling towards the countess, a whirlwind of red and gold, the hem of her qipao rustling around her feet.

Asteria's hands snapped up in mock surrender, seeming grimly amused, mouth half-quirked up. "Do not look at me. I back Ciri's instincts. I don't think anyone would have heard her anyways."

"I have guards posted around Gui Yan Gong," Irina growled. "Guards who are adept in combat."

"Next to the Panther?" Asteria huffed. "They might as well be useless."

The three girls sat in the same office the Panther had graced his presence with hours before. Ciri hadn't bothered immediately calling for any one. The Panther would probably have been sticking around to listen in on that anyways. Irina hissed and spat and paced around the room. Asteria stood next to the wall and looked bored and did her best to be invisible to avoid Irina's fury. Ciri waited patiently for Irina's temper to cease.

So many things would be easier if Princess Irina's vocabulary of swear words were just a bit shorter.

She sucked in another deep breath, struggling to keep her cool. "Okay, okay. So he came to apparently visit you. In my office. And he admitted that he wasn't being paid to kill you. Anything else you're not telling us?"

Ciri gave a shrug. The rest of the conversation wasn't relevant. It wasn't information Irina needed to know. Irina would never actually hurt a child, but god knew what else she could do with that information. Diabolical, their princess, crafty to the very core. If only she had a tighter rein on her emotions. Rage and irritation, mostly.

"Did he give anything away regarding his employer?"

"It's a he. He said that he pays well. And the Panther said that the employer doesn't seem like a fool." Ciri's head snapped back to the conversation, replaying it for what felt like the hundredth time in her head. Analysing every bit of it, making sure there was nothing she'd missed.

"So," Irina drawled in her characteristically dry manner, "nothing we haven't already realised."

"We could strike the females off the list of suspects," Asteria suggested, rather bravely in Ciri's opinion. When Irina glared, she shrugged. "Just pointing it out, Your Highness. Not completely useless."

"Nothing from the others?" Ciri asked, leaning back into the comfort of the chair.

"Both Rhys and Io found trails," Asteria reported. "They're working on that. Might take a while. Lord Archsham was still detained by some lords last time I checked. He's escaped Lady Kuroki unscathed, it seems. Very, very unfair." She strolled towards a shelf, opening a small porcelain box. Nothing must have been inside, because she closed the lid after that. Had this been another day, Ciri would have been tempted to check the box out herself.

They were busybodies that way. It helped with their job, most of the time, that little trait, but it would do nothing but annoy Irina more now, and the princess was thoroughly irritated enough. Ciri felt like being prudent.

After a few moment's silence, during which Ciri took the time to inspect the scenery outside and Asteria continued scrolling, Irina said, "I'm not fond of the idea of the Panther running around the Scarlet Palace. Unnoticed and unchecked."

Asteria's shoulders rose and fell. "Nothing we could do about it. It's too big."

"He's dark-skinned, rumoured to be massive in size, and popping around like a mole. It's not as if he's capable of hiding in plain sight." Irina rubbed her forehead and kept walking in circles. "He's also committed murder. And assault."

"So he has." Ciri folded her arms. "But let's not focus on him for a moment. We shall concentrate on the mole. Direct all your rage towards them, since he's the start and ending of all this. He's why the Panther is around."

Asteria hesitated for a moment before saying, "I've looked into William Hua."

Irina's attention snapped to her, before her dark eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. "I didn't ask you to."

Asteria shrugged, all innocent-like. It wouldn't fool a single soul. "You were already so busy, I didn't want to burden you." Not giving Irina a chance to respond in what certainly would have been a reprimand, she continued, "Rhys' suspicion does have merits. The man is actually rather mysterious."

Irina raised a brow, beckoning her to continue, attention grasped. Asteria waited for a bit, just enough to be annoying. "For starters, I've realised that he almost never talks about his childhood in Eirao. I wasn't even sure which island he actually grew up on– it's Tabaraki, by the way. He has an aunt and uncle on his mother's side who lived there. Died in a fire the year he came here. Actually why he was summoned back.

Irina's eyes narrowed further, which Ciri hadn't thought was possible. "Don't tell me. Sole survivor?"

Asteria looked nonplussed for a moment then nodded. "Sole survivor. Why ask— oh. You don't think..." Her voice trailed off as she realised that was what Irina was thinking. And then Ciri saw the moment she contemplated it too, and saw the truth. Ciri's mind had followed the trail. She stiffened.

All three girls' minds were on the same page. Ciri turned her gaze down onto the desk in front of her. "He doesn't look like his father. It's rumoured he was a bastard."

"He was linked to both Ai and Du guniang, probably romantically. And if we dig further, maybe Huang too."

Asteria's eyes darted between the two, calculating, analysing. "He's rich as all hell, apparently from his mother's inheritance. But the late marchioness came from a relatively poor family. Even now, Sir Li's family is barely scraping by in funds."

Irina finished their thoughts for them, adding the final nail in the coffin. "His father overlooks the Treasury. Treasury officials frequent his parties. That's not out of spite. A convenient excuse for a well-placed spy."

"It's time to clear our nest." Ciri stood.

✢

"IT'S THE LORD. It's—"

Irina waved her hand, cutting Laurence off mid-sentence. "William. We figured it out."

Laurence stopped in his tracks, barely seeming surprised, evidence of his skills. "How did you find that out?"

"We've all come to the same conclusion." Dominic didn't sound pleased, though. "We found letters. Between Huang guniang and Lord Hua. Might I add, rather explicit letters. Locked in a desk drawer. Took a whole two seconds to pick it."

"While you were pouring through love letters," Asteria said, "Ciri, Irina and I poured over some evidence. The Panther confirmed that his employer was male. And I did a little research on Hua Lin's history."

Laurence's eyes snapped to Ciri's. "The Panther confirmed it?"

She shrugged. "I had an unexpected visitor. He was quite amiable, didn't try to maim me."

His mouth fell open, then shut again. "I won't ask." Damn, he was cute when he was flustered. Not now, Ciri. Her eyes flickered away first.

"You shouldn't." Irina turned to her cousin, who watched proceedings with an indecipherable expression. Ryan was always like that. Vaguely terrifying, somehow still the most powerful person in the room despite his usual silence during these meetings.

A few moments passed in awkward silence. Myrina shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. Danna and Malcolm waited with utter calm. Io frowned over whatever she was thinking about, and Noah stayed still as a rock.

Finally, Myrina asked, voice quiet, "Now what?"

Irina's eyes travelled to Rhys. "You say you have a way of figuring out Cuckoos."

Rhys bit her lip. "I do, but those were children, Irina. William's an adult."

Dominic was glaring at her. Their gazes met. "What?" she snapped, letting out a huff of air. Dominic shook his head.

"You were lovers, Rhys. He trusts you. There has to be something you can do."

Her hands flew up. "If it is him, he has no scruples over killing at least three of his other lovers, whether directly or indirectly. Not very comforting to confront him with that identity, friend."

Dominic rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, apparently rendered mute by the outburst.

"Rhys?" Prodded Irina, looking hopeful. Rhys shut her eyes, contemplating something, before giving a brash nod. Before anyone could say anything, though, she raised a slender finger, wagging it in the air.

"With a few conditions."

"List them," Asteria said.

Rhys pointed at Myrina. "I want her with me."

Myrina started. "Me? Why?" Around the room, everyone looked equally perplexed. Rhys met Irina's eye, and some silent conversation was exchanged between them. Irina gave a curt nod, and then met Myrina's gaze, tilting her head. The countess relaxed with understanding. "Oh. Alright, I suppose. Though I don't understand—"

"I won't let you get hurt." Rhys looked at each and every one of them. "Once I ask, he'll run. But I don't want any of you too close by. If he senses anyone with me, he won't give me the answer I need. But make sure that Zui Hua Gong is surrounded."

Ryan blinked. "Should I ask about your plan?"

"If you want this to work? No." Rhys shook her head. "Just trust me. Please."

"We've been doing that a lot damned lately," Dominic hissed. "You owe us a lot of answers."

Rhys studied her partner for a moment, something like sadness flickering in her umber brown eyes before she tore her gaze away. "You'll get them. Someday. You better pray that happens far, far down the line. Fine. I'll do this. I'll run a more detailed plan by you people in a moment, need to form it properly first." She shut her eyes. "Tomorrow afternoon. Before he bolts or does something equally stupid."

"The plan?" Ciri prodded.

Rhys scowled. "I said give me a moment to form it properly." She pressed her fingers to her temple. "Go on, keep discussing what you need to do."

There wasn't really anything to discuss now. After a moment of stunned silence, Irina said, "We'll have to tell Lady Kuroki. The Duke. And the Emperor."

"Keep it to them only," Ryan instructed. "Don't want word getting out. I want William taken alive. There could be other Cuckoos within our ranks."

Danna nodded. "We should have someone watch Zui Hua Gong, shouldn't we? Laurence, Ciri, I don't think you two should get any sleep tonight."

Laurence muttered something under her breath. Ciri assumed it was something along the lines that he hadn't been sleeping much anyways. And she'd slept enough in the past twenty-four hours for what felt like a week. So she nodded. "Inform Zhang daren too, of course. Get Iron Wolves posted around."

"The Panther..."

Ciri nodded at North. "All the more reason to post Wolves around. Both to keep William in, and the Panther out, in case he decides to go help the man out again."

"We can't stop him if we truly wish for that," Asteria pointed out.

Laurence said, "If the Panther goes to warn him in the first place, that already points to his guilt. We could immediately capture him and put an easy stopper in this business."

Rhys opened her eyes. "I think I have it figured out. Listen here..."

✢

THEY MET IN the rose garden, neither excited to return to their quarters and sleep surrounded by Wolves, separated by mere walls from a suspected murderous traitor who had every reason to be interested in slitting their throats.

If they were caught here alone, there would be consequences. But both of them were far too skilled for that.

In the darkness, Ciri was a mere silhouette, but he was still able to know it was her strolling down the path. It was the way she moved, like a dancer, each step steady and slow. The sway of her hips, the way her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Ciri."

"Laurence." She sounded mildly surprised to see him there. He knew better than that, of course. She'd have noted him before she even stepped foot in here. "Killing time?"

"Not particularly looking forward to sleeping tonight. Or the lack thereof."

"One would think you'd be used to it by now." A one-shoulder shrug punctuated the quip. She stepped into the moonlight, eyes fastened upon him, mouth lifted in a half-smile. She motioned to the flowers that surrounded them. "They have a way to make these bloom all through the summer. I'm not much of a gardener, so don't ask me details."

He reached out to pluck a red rose, freshly bloomed, ignoring the soft sting of the thorns on his fingertips. There were at least hundreds in this row of bushes alone. This one wouldn't be missed. Giving it a slight sniff, he extended his arm. "For the prettiest girl in this city."

The laugh she replied with was genuine. Delightful, sweet, flattered. "That honour goes to Iolanthe, I'm afraid."

He mockingly frowned. "She's far too young. Perhaps in a few years." A slender arm reached out, taking the flower by the stem. Ciri brought it to her nose, lips curled upwards in a pretty smile. She swayed, left and right, and she suddenly looked the way she ought to— carefree, young, unburdened.

"Walk with me?" He asked, offering an arm.

She took it without hesitation. "I do believe that was the plan." Arms hooked together, they made their way down the row, enjoying each other's presence in silence.

She broke the quiet first. "What will you do after this... mission is over?" She waved her hand in the air, letting that fill in the unspoken words. You never knew who was listening.

"Cass and Marcus are arriving in a week."

Ciri blinked, clearly taken by surprise. She didn't bother masking it, which he took an absurd amount of pleasure in. When a woman as careful with her emotions as Cirinique Diao let her feelings show on her face, it meant something. "A week? Where did you learn this information from?"

"Cadieux wrote a letter to Lady Kuroki. Hence why she requested for me to visit her earlier today. But that's not the important news. The important part is that the two are engaged."

Ciri chuckled. "We both saw that coming, did we not?"

"Why yes we did. When's the wedding, do you think?"

"I bet they haven't even decided themselves. Ah well, it will have to be a big ceremony, I think. At least our side of the family would insist upon that." A frown. "I suppose that means I'm next. I'm not ashamed to say that I was using Cass as a buffer to prolong the inevitable before this."

He didn't like to think of the idea of this brilliant, luminescent girl bartered off in some political, loveless marriage. She might not see it, but girls like her were built for starlight romances, midnight strolls through gardens of orchids and dandelions, and soft words of love whispered towards the skies.

Built for something like... this.

He liked to think he made up his mind at that moment. But he didn't realise that then. Instead, he said, "With war coming, the hands of every eligible girl from powerful families are vital."

"Boys too, I think. You need an eligible boy to be able to marry an eligible girl." She thought about something for a moment, almost smiling, before saying, "I sense an increase in girls joining the service of Hongyun soon."

"I thought some of them could still wed."

"Depends on which kind of priestess you are. Myrina, for example, technically already is one, though she wanted to, well, get to the rank where a priestess was not allowed to be wed." She frowned. "I actually don't know too much about those in Hongyun's service past what Myrina has said."

"You never wanted to be one?"

"Many girls wish to become a priestess for adventure. As you'd know, the priestesses travelled out with Saian armies and went to many foreign countries as embassies. Me, I was already a spy. There was no need for that."

He blinked. "I thought Saian girls were allowed to join the army. And work as officials?"

"You'd realise most of the female officials we're talking about in the Scarlet Palace are still, well, maids. And while females could join the army, most of them are lowborn girls, and that's still few. Outnumbered almost twenty-to-one, I think, though the law has only been in effect for what, three years." Her fingers skimmed over the rose bushes as he watched, transfixed. "And that's just lowborn girls. Most highborn girls are forbidden from doing so by their family, some out of fear for their safety, others out of clear old-fashioned beliefs," her lips lifted upwards, rueful and wry, "not even Irina could completely reverse centuries of discrimination and inequality."

"There are women pushing for equality in Arecia. Immigrants, mostly."

Ciri nodded. "They went so far in search of a better life. They would not settle for less. Could you blame them?"

"No, no." Laurence didn't care much for politics outside of what concerned his work. "I agree with them, really."

"Good." She was humming something under her breath, and he wasn't sure what it was. It sounded Saian. He'd ask later. "So, what are you planning on doing tonight? Because we do have to go back eventually."

"I don't know." Suddenly, he smirked. "I could just talk with you the entire night."

She scoffed, lifting her head slightly, fixing him with a teasingly scornful glare. "I'm not good enough company for that." Truth was, he had a feeling she could talk to him about the military situation in the Lasyan-Meliquean borders all night and he would sit there, willingly. Then, Lady Kuroki's words fluttered through his head.

"Why don't you think you're a good person?"

Obviously taken aback, she blinked and stared for a few moments before her face lit with understanding. "Ah. You've been talking to my friends."

"Lady Kuroki, actually."

That made her frown. "Well that complicates matters. When Lady Kuroki interferes in our business, it's never a good sign. To answer your question, I don't believe I'm not a good person. Not exactly."

He continued on as if she hadn't spoken, purposefully ignoring the pointless words. "It's why you don't believe anyone could fall in love with you." Who lied to you? You're so goddamn easy to love. You could smile at someone once and they'd be willing to fight kingdoms for you, Ciri.

Her eyes flared with irritation. "That's not—"

"Humour me. We have time."

She didn't say anything for a bit. Just kept on inspecting the flowers. He waited, patient as a hunter. She'd talk. If she felt even a fraction of the way he did, she'll talk.

"We are in a despicable profession."

"But you don't think we're all bad people."

"No." Her smile was rueful, full of regrets and pain. "It's rather ridiculous, I must admit."

A brow raised, he replied, "It's very ridiculous, actually."

"As for your other question..." Her fingers brushed against the petals of the rose he had picked for her. "I was twelve, I think, when I looked into the mirror and realised I was... manipulative. Cunning. Too sly. People loved and adored me not for me but for who I acted like around them. There are... very few people in the world who I could be me around. Sometimes, I don't even know if that is me."

"That doesn't make you a bad person. That makes you smart at best, lost at worst." He pushed himself forward, shifting his balance as he walked towards her. "You're not the kindest person I've ever met, but you need to stop treating yourself like shit, Ciri."

She gave a little shrug. "I'll work on it. Don't you worry. But fake people don't get happy endings."

"Cass is getting hers. Marcus."

"They're one of those rare exceptions. Look at us. Rhys is running from... a few thousand demons, give or take. She won't even talk about her past. Irina's future is already set in stone as nothing but a political marriage. Danna and Io are going to spend their youth behind enemy lines, living in fear and constant pressure. Even Myrina, who's probably the nicest of all of us..."

"Lady Asteria?"

Ciri snorted. "If she stops being so devoted to her work, perhaps she has a chance. But that's not going to happen. Girls like us aren't built for romances and sweethearts." She gave a little twirl, eyes shut, a strand of hair escaping that tight bun she kept it in. "We chose this life. Or the world chose it for us. We have duties, and not all of our duties are lucky enough to coincide with our heart's desires."

"And what are your heart's desires?"

She seemed to ponder upon that for a moment. They were standing side by side now, again.

"It is strange, is it not? I do not think I know." She seemed amused by that, lowering her head and shaking it. "How could I ask for anything when I don't even know what I want?"

"Everybody wants something." But he sounded stupid even to his own ears. She scoffed, as he had expected her to.

"But not everybody knows what they want, it seems," she mused, scratching her head. Impulsively, his hand grabbed hers. She startled and glanced up, eyelashes blinking furiously.

He let a pleasant smile cross his face. "Don't do that. You're messing up your hairstyle."

They both recovered quickly. She scowled. "It's not as if anyone can see my hair anyways. We are in the dead of the night, not preparing for a ball."

"You never know, my dear, you never know."

She snorted, looking impatient. "Do you have anything intelligent to say, my lord?"

His brows raised. "Truth be told, not really. Have I ever told you that you look beautiful?"

"You're hardly the first to say that," but she was smiling. Whether because she was glad he'd changed the subject or because of the compliment, he wasn't sure. Damned complicated woman.

"Dare I hope that my opinion is one that matters?"

She sniffled. "You did give me this rose and announce me the prettiest girl in the city. I suppose I'll believe you."

Emboldened, he reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Their eyes met. Neither did anything for a few seconds. She was waiting for him, he realised. Waiting for him to make the first move.

That was when he knew this hurt her just as hard as it hit him.

He leaned forward, not enough to touch, but close enough to feel her breath on his skin.

Whispering, she said, "You're being scandalous, Lord Archsham."

"Laurence," he corrected with a smile. "I'm Laurence when we do this."

"And what exactly is this, my lord?"

This woman was going to drive him mad. This was what Marcus felt every damned time he saw Cass. How they spent six years apart, he had no idea. Perhaps he ought to cut his friend some slack. Probably not.

"I don't know, really." His hand stroked her cheek. Soft skin met his cool fingers. Her eyes were practically glimmering under the soft moonlight. "What do you want?"

"Kiss me, Laurence. I want you to kiss me."

He did. Her lips were soft, just like he'd imagined they were. Sweet like honey, the faint taste of the Saian tea she loved drinking so much still on her tongue. He kept it chaste at first, just lips pressing against lips. But then it grew deeper. Hungrier. More desperate.

She clutched at his cravat. Pulled him closer towards her. Do you feel this? The beauty of what we have between us?

I do, he responded wordlessly. It terrifies me. I can't lose anyone else. I'm not strong enough.

I'm not going anywhere.

That was the truth. Because Cirinique Diao wasn't Veronica, and it was for all the same reasons she thought so poorly of herself. That's when it struck him. Ciri thought the girls people loved were sweet and kind and nice, who put everyone else first and saw the optimism and hope in life. For those like her, who schemed and plotted to stay ahead of their opponents and just alive, she villainized in her heart. But because a part of her knew it wasn't true, she never thought poorly of her friends. Just herself.

But it wasn't the nice ones who survived. It was the shrewd ones, who saw opportunity and the reality of the world and adapted to it. Who turned the system to their advantage instead of secluding themselves in a fantasy world where it didn't exist. Who fought instead of taking it passively. Who accepted instead of lived in denial.

There were days after Veronica was gone that he felt like dying. Suffocating. A lonely soul in an ocean of darkness and the unknown. But he'd found a star now. A star who listened and understood, because they had gone through the same things.

I think I'm in love with you, he thought. And I think I'm not afraid of being alone in this world anymore.