"RIGHT THERE," MYRINA nudged her chin at a faraway table. "That's where the drink was, and where the poisoner must have gotten to in order to poison it. I swear the dark-skinned maid was frolicking around that table."

  There was a legion of cooks and servants behind Myrina and Irina. Irina turned to them. "Any impressions?"

  There were slight murmurings as the servants discussed amongst themselves, trying to figure something out. It wasn't the best idea, bringing them out to somewhere they could collaborate—not because they'd lie but because they might accidentally fabricate falsehoods in their minds, but interrogating them one on one had revealed nothing so far. A bit of discussion might be just what they needed.

  One maid finally opened her mouth, raising her hand. Irina's eyes shot to her, and she flinched slightly. Myrina stepped forward. "Please. Anything you might remember or know. It does not matter if you think it'd be useless."

  The maid finally said, "I remember one Hrishnan maid coming in. She asked me for some pastries and that her master was hungry. So I went into the main kitchen and returned and gave it to her. I remember nothing else, I'm afraid. It might not even have been her—quite a few people came in, Your Highness, your ladyship."

  Myrina frowned. "Her features? Clothes?"

  "Black clothes, ma'am. Her face was veiled. Her eyes were brown. She wore almost no jewellery, which surprised me. Most of the Hrishnan maids wore so many bangles and accessories."

  "Is it just me," Irina frowned, "or does that seem more like a chador than an Hrishnan styled veil? In which case the maid would have been Dumahian instead?"

  The maid shook her head. "Your Highness, I recall her mentioning that she served the Hrishnans. She mentioned a master, so I assume she serves a man."

  Irina almost laughed—as if she and Myrina would have missed that. But no matter. The maid was just trying to be helpful, and she had been. Whoever this was, they were desperately trying to use misdirection. Serving the Hrishnans, yet dressed in Dumahian clothings. It was obviously purposeful. Most likely, the maid was the poisoner. Irina thought it seemed like something only one person had planned. Most definitely personal.

  But what would this random woman have against her? That was what stumped her still. They had so many leads, but not once had they come up with a proper motive, especially since they'd all agreed this was most likely for a personal grudge.

  Thing was, Irina wasn't a good person. She'd done many bad things, hurt quite a few people along the way, all in the name of a greater, brighter future. And she did agree with that, she did believe it. Sacrifices always had to be made. But not everyone agreed with the vision she had for the world. And she'd offended people in Sai and out of. While her reputation was generally positive, and she was known as an intelligent and pragmatic young woman seeking to build a better world, people had been used as fodder along the way. And some people had seen the ugliest sides of her.

  It could be anyone.

  It was moments like these that Irina regretted many of her prior actions. Some of them had been unnecessary at times. Some, of course, she felt no remorse over—refusing to comply with Myrina's wishes of her becoming a priestess of Hongyun was one of them. But there were some people who didn't need to be hurt.

  And apparently one of them had decided to enact bloody revenge.

  Myrina and Irina exchanged a glance. Myrina asked, "What's your name, girl?"

  The maid curtsied. "Li Haolan, Your Ladyship."

  "What a powerful name," Myrina murmured. "Thank you for your help. We might seek you out in the next few days, and if you remember anything else, please do tell us. Does anyone recollect anything else?"

   Nothing. No one remembered a thing. Irina clamped down the disappointment she felt. It should have been expected, yet she still just wished someone knew something. Anything. A single clue. More than what they already knew.

  Yet: nothing. This was a dead trail. The kitchen had been too busy yesterday, everyone too buried in their work to notice the finer details. Servants of the guests came in and out, and no one took particular note. And among them was a treacherous snake, one that had its own fangs and wasn't afraid to use them.

  Irina said, "Let's go, Zimi."

  Irina always thought Myrina's Saian name fit her perfectly. Mai Zimi. Zi was the character for a child. The character for mi meant honey. Sweet to a fault. She wasn't naive, by any chance, but she possessed an almost child-like optimism for life. She saw the best in people. She saw the beauty in the world. She was everything Irina wasn't, and that was why Irina couldn't let her go.

  She didn't understand it. All these years, they'd gone through the same things together, again and again. Yet Myrina remained wholly unaffected, while Irina became more and more cynical as the years went by, losing her innocence bit by bit until she was no longer a girl. But Myrina had stayed the same.

  How did the girl do it?

  Myrina nodded, turning to the servants. "Thank you all for your help. You must go back to business now—the feast for tonight's new batch of guests may be cancelled, but it does not mean you can slack. I still expect the best of food to be served."

  "Yes, my lady."

  "Irina?" Myrina asked softly. "Do you have anything to say?"

  Irina scanned the group gathered. Slowly, she tilted her head. "Good job so far. The food has been excellent, and I have not heard a word of complaint regarding the catering from the guests. And we all know they're a tricky bunch. Keep up the good work, but do try to keep an eye out for the security of the kitchen. We do not want a repeat of yesterday's incident."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  Irina nodded. "Let us go, Myrina."

  And so they left the kitchen together, side by side. Myrina said, "We learnt nothing, basically. Nothing's popped up in your mind? A reason this dark-skinned woman might be out to kill you?"

  "I'm going to be honest with you," Irina winced as she said, "I've pissed off many people. But Hrishnans? Not really. The same with Dumahians. The trail of people I've annoyed in the past is mainly limited to Saians, Meliqueans, Arecians and the occasional Caershireen. And of course, the Lohians, but they aren't here, are they?"

  "But none of them would be stupid enough to kill you. Is there anyone who you've well and truly threatened or irritated? Someone who might actually just be vengeful enough to try to end your life?"

  "If I knew," Irina sighed, "I'd have told you already. But I don't. Hate can be easy to hide, Myrina."

  "How unfortunate for all of us. All would be better if we were all honest with each other."

  "You have plenty of secrets of your own."

  "And I don't want to keep them, trust me." Myrina raised her chin. "But I don't usually have  a choice."

  "Well."

  "Well indeed." Myrina shook her head. "Never mind that. We need to decide how we're going to proceed with this."

  "Asteria's gone to speak with Diksha Sahni. If anything's going on among the Hrishnan women, Sahni would know. If she doesn't, then we're out of luck there."

  "Let's go back and wait for her, then. Perhaps we can stop by and check on Justine to make sure she's doing alright."

  "Sounds good." Irina nodded. "Bing Yi?"

  "Yes, Your Highness?" The maid had been quietly and dutifully following them around the whole day.

  Irina turned to glance at her. "Would you mind going to Gui Yan Gong and waiting for Lady Asteria to come back? Tell her to go to General Lan's quarters. We'll be there. Oh, do come with her."

  "Yes, Your Highness," Bing Yi curtsied and ran off. Myrina looked pensive.

  "What?" Irina asked.

  "You're way nicer to her than your previous maids. Not that you were horrible to them or anything, but you were just... indifferent. You care about Bing Yi."

  "She's grown on me."

  "She's smart. She has potential. I don't get why you won't let her in closer."

  "If she's let into our world fully, she becomes a target. As my tieshen gongnv, she's already got a target on my back. She's my close maid, she knows everything I do. I don't want to put her in any more danger than necessary. She's just a girl."

  "We're all just girls," Myrina said sadly. "Or we were, once. We were all in danger anyways."

  "We didn't have a choice. We had no one to protect us, to watch out for us. She does. Me. And damned if I'm going to fail at it."

  Myrina shut her eyes. "I know you always think you're a bad person. And you have done bad things. But I just want you to know that it doesn't make you a bad person. It just makes you someone who's messed up in the past."

  "I know."

  "Good." Myrina nodded. "I'm glad you do. I don't hate you, by the way."

  "I was hoping you didn't."

  "Well, I don't. I never quite could."

  "I'm glad to hear that."

   And then they fell into an uncomfortable silence, neither girl quite sure what was meant to be said after a conversation such as that. What did you tell someone who just told you they did not despise you, even though you knew fairly well you would not blame them if they did? Were you supposed to call them a fool? Or were you supposed to be touched, and treasure this opportunity? Use it for your redemption?

  Irina wasn't sure. She didn't think this was a situation a lot of people were ever put into. It  was rare she was at a loss of words and actions, but this was one of those times.

  So she did nothing as they headed to Justine's quarters. Most of the physicians had gone now that Justine's situation was stable, but one still remained. He knelt as she walked in. "Your Highness, Your Ladyship."

  Irina gave him a nod, and he stood. She asked, "The General is well?"

  "Conscious and well, Your Highness. I've been giving her medicine to ease the soreness of her throat, but her voice is still rather croaky. I'm afraid there's no easy way to speed it up—not even Asklepios could do much about that. It's a rather unfortunate side effect of nianide." This physician was one of the older ones, in his late fifties by the look of it, and extremely capable if he was the one left behind. Irina had seen him around once or twice, though he'd never attended her. Not someone of high rank within the imperial physicians, then, but most definitely someone who'd been around for a while.

  Irina tilted her head. "How long do you estimate it'd take for her voice to return to normal? Oh, and how are her lungs? She'd have trouble breathing properly, right?"

  "Again, just for a while." The physician raised his chin. "There is a chance her lung capacity may be permanently affected, but with good enough care—and we are providing the best, Your Highness, don't you worry, there should be no long-term damage done."

  "Thank you for your care," Myrina said quietly. "We greatly appreciate it. General Lan is a dear friend, and we would not want anything to happen to her."

  "Of course, Your Ladyship. I am simply my duty, there is no need to thank me."

  Irina said, "Would it be alright for us to go in and visit her now? She is awake? We would not be disturbing her?"

  "I do not believe so. Please, right this way, Your Highness." They walked down the corridor, and the physician paused outside Justine's door and knocked twice.

  Justine's voice, slightly shaky, replied, "Come in!"

  The moment the door opened, Irina rushed forward, though she was careful to maintain her composure. "You're alright? Feeling fine?"

  The physician bowed. "I'll take my leave, Your Highness, Lady Myrina, General Lan. If you need me, I'll be right outside."

  Justine offered a smile, sitting up. She looked alright, and didn't seem to be tired at all. "I'm perfectly fine." But her voice was still weak. At least it was just that and nothing else.

  "That's good, that's good," Myrina said, sitting down beside her and clasping Justine's hands between her own. "We're trying to figure it all out. It was a dark-skinned, veiled maid who added the poison. That much we know for certain. We just need to find out who she is now."

  Of course, it wasn't as simple as that. And Justine knew it too. But Myrina was just trying to comfort her, to make sure she knew that they were working hard to bring whoever did this to her to justice.

  So Justine nodded. "That's good. A Hrishnan, then? Or a Dumahian?"

  "Not sure," Irina murmured. "They said they worked for the Hrishnan, according to one of the maids, but was dressed like a Dumahian."

  "Misdirection," Justine murmured, slowly looking away, pensive. "Probably neither, actually. Some of the Caershireen maids are dark skinned. Kon Rians?"

  "A few of the Arecians are dark-skinned as well," Irina said. "We just need to find a motive. Their target was me, and it seems personal."

  "Well," Justine let out a little snort. "That complicates matters. God knows how many people want to kill you, Irina. We've lost count. Would have been easier if it was purely political." She let out a sigh. "I wish I was out there with you guys, but I'll probably be here for a while more. I'll make it to your wedding, don't worry—six days to go."

  "Six days to go," Irina repeated, shaking her head. "Doesn't seem real, does it?"

  "You'll be gone in six days."

  Myrina said, "She'll visit, I'm sure. It'll be fine."

  "That's not what I'm worried about," Justine said. "She's still going to be in another country, Myrina. At least Prince Stephen is a good man. He won't treat you wrong. But your temper, you have to remember. It's not the same bloody country."

  "What use is saying this to me?" Irina laughed. "As if anyone would dare try to step on me. You worry far too much."

  "No," Justine let out a small snort. "I think I've been spending too much time alone. Thinking too much, you know. So many things going through my mind, I've been thinking about how much we've changed, how much is about to change."

"What a waste of brain space."

"For you, maybe. For me, it's been refreshing. I realised, I think, that I never gave much thought to anything but the present."

  "That is a wonderful way of living."

  "You want to live that way? You wouldn't have lived this long if you did, you know."

  "Why precisely are we discussing such a deep and depressing topic?" Myrina murmured, frowning slightly. "Are you sure you don't have a fever, Justine? You're not precisely acting like yourself. Is this a side effect of nianide I've never heard about?" Despite the countess's serious tone, it wasn't difficult to see that she was kidding. That was part of Myrina's humour. The ability to say these absolutely ridiculous things with a straight face. Most people weren't able to tell whether she was joking or not.

  Ryan most definitely included, of course. Perhaps that was why he disliked her so much. Well, they'll have to put it aside soon. Because Irina still had every intention of having Myrina aid Ryan in the while after her departure. Irina would not be keeping Myrina in Arecia for long, no more than the time it takes for her to fully settle down. Myrina's duty laid elsewhere, whether she liked it or not.

  Justine let out a long sigh. "You're right. This is far too dark a topic for right now. So, back to the topic of murder and assassination. The poisoner."

  "We asked Asteria to come here. She just spoke to Lady Diksha Sahni."

  Justine pursed her lips. "That woman terrifies me."

  Myrina gave a tiny shrug. "Lady Diksha may seem threatening and intimidating upon first meeting, but she's quite a caring person. And if you gain her respect, she'd treat you well."

  "And how does one gain her respect?"

  "By not being an idiot," Irina interjected, shaking her head. "Whether or not Lady Diksha threatens you is not the point. The point is she's the leader of the Hrishnan woman here, so she would most likely be privy to everything, or at least aware if something is wrong."

   "Of course, of course." Justine leaned back. "I suppose we have to wait, then? For Ast to show up?"

  Myrina said, "She shouldn't take long. We sent Bing Yi to wait for her at Gui Yan Gong, our original meeting place. Just be patient. Would you like me to brew you some tea?"

  "I believe I require more rest right now," Justine said with a small laugh. "Tea wouldn't help with that. Normal water would do, thank you."

  "I could ask the kitchen to prepare some soups that could help soothe your throat. Pear soup, perhaps?"

  "Run it through the physicians first," Justine shrugged, "I don't really mind. Water is fine by me. I'm," a cough, "not picky." Justine had never been able to afford to be picky. Not when she was on the streets. Not when she was with the army camps. Not when she was on the battleground. Justine had taught herself to make do with the little she was given throughout the years, and Irina always thought that that was an admirable part about her.

  Girls like her, raised with a silver spoon—for the most part—simply could not relate. Though Irina had had her own dose of pain and hunger for a while, the effects on her had been different. It hadn't ended with some appreciation for all the little things in life, but a determination to do better, to not make the mistakes those who came before her did. Dynasties rise and fall. But Irina was going to make sure the Yie Dynasty lasted. That under them, Sai would prosper.

  "I shall," Irina said. "Myrina, remind me later."

  Myrina nodded beside her. Rising, she moved to the table in the centre of the room, taking Justine's finished cup with her. Once it was refilled, she walked back over, handing Justine the cup. The general gobbled it down graciously.

  "Your throat doesn't seem that bad," Irina said. "You can speak normally. You still sound a bit odd, but it's perfectly understandable."

  "It just hurts sometimes if I speak too much," Justine said. "Or when it's dry. It's nowhere as bad as you might think, genuinely. Just feels like I have a cough."

  "That's good," Myrina said. "Don't forget—you still technically a maid of honour speech to deliver during the wedding, if you're physically up for it."

  Justine groaned then. "Aww, hell. I completely forgot about that. If I more or less recover by then, I'll do it. If not... could you take my spot?"

  Myrina looked scandalised. "I will not do it. Perhaps Asteria would." Her lips were pressed together. It was why Irina hadn't asked Myrina to be the maid of honour, even though it would have made just as much, perhaps even more sense than asking Justine. She knew Myrina would be terrified. The poor woman wouldn't be able to function in front of so many eyes. Irina was many things, but she wasn't cruel. And it wasn't as if she had no one else to ask. No point torturing Myrina like that. Justine didn't mind anyways. She was a general, a leader of an army, and perfectly used to giving grand speeches to masses of people.

  "Fair enough," Justine said. She yawned. "I hope Asteria gets here soon. I'm starting to get sleepy."

  "If you're tired, you're free to rest," Irina scolded. "Just tell us to go. We can tell you what Asteria figured out later. It's not like you can be of much help to any of us in this kind of state anyways. You might as well get all the sleep you need—you're not going to get another chance to rest like this for a while, probably. You're still supposed to go to Arecia with me for at least a couple months. Or perhaps we'll have to postpone your journey until you feel better."

  "You might," Justine said. "Just in case nianide has any long-term effects, it might be safer for me to stay here until we're sure I'll be fine."

  "The wedding in Arecia takes place a week after we arrive there. You might miss it."

  "It's fine," Justine shrugged. "No matter what, I'll be attending your wedding here. Even if I'm not physically well enough to be your maid of honour. I'll still be there, most definitely, even if they have to wheel me over in a wheelchair—which I won't need to be. I'm feeling fine." She stopped for another coughing fit, before continuing, "I'm tired more because I've been in bed all day than any kind of actual physical fatigue. Once the physicians decide I'm well enough for discharge, I'll be the same as usual."

  "Be careful," Irina warned. "Don't overexert yourself. You're Sai's best general, Justine. We can't afford for anything to happen to you."

  "The day I can't fight on the battlefield," Justine mused, "I'll plot from behind the scenes. I'll always make myself useful, Irina. You don't have to worry about that."

  "Would you be alright with it, though?" Myrina asked the question Irina wanted to. "Not being able to fight? Watching your soldiers die from far away? I don't think you would. I think it'd kill you, Justine."

  Justine said, "I've already watched it happen on the battlefield." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Can't hurt any more than that, I don't think."

  "No," Irina murmured, "I suppose not."

  They all bore their own scars. They were very different ones, but they were scars nonetheless. All three of the women in the room were a little broken in their own way. It was what made each of them, them. What differentiated them.

  Myrina straightened slightly. "Asteria's here." Her wiccai senses had heard what the rest of them picked up a moment later–the sound of nearing footsteps, and then the opening of the door. Irina turned.

  "You're finally here." She offered a small smile. "Learnt anything?"

  Asteria shook her head, pursing her lips. "Diksha is unaware of any plot, but to be fair, if you were planning an assassination, you wouldn't be rushing around telling people about it. She's going to keep an eye and ear out, though. Though, one thing I noted..." she furrowed her brows, glancing up. "Diksha had never heard of nianide. It was clear in her expression. But Cresseida mentioned that nianide caused a wave a few years ago, regarding whether or not it was safe for use in Caershire. It means the Caershireens would know about it. I could find Max and ask him some questions later."

  "The Caershireens?" Justine frowned. "Why would they be trying to kill Irina?"

  "Oh, that's another thing." Asteria sighed. "Lady Katharine Morenshire seems to have been going around telling people the real target was Irina, not you. It doesn't cause too much trouble, I suppose, but it's still a bit irritating."

  "To be fair," Myrina said, biting on her lower lip, "we did forget to tell the Arecians to stay quiet."

  Irina shook her head. "I'd assumed Stoneworth, Stephen and Frederick would. But I'd forgotten to take into account Lady Katharine. My mistake. But it's alright, it might make more sense to the guests why someone is trying to kill me rather than you, Justine."

  Asteria shrugged. "Suit yourself. But it does slightly complicate matters in the fact that the people will have their own speculations. Most likely they'd be horribly wrong, but it would still be irritating to have them potentially interfering in our investigation."

  Irina nodded. "That's fine. We can deal with that. We've done worse."

  Justine glanced at her in return. "So. Have you pissed off any Caershireens recently?"

  Irina squinted, thinking. "Not off the top of my head, no."

  "Now, it would somewhat make sense for it to be a Caershireen—for starters, they have Vayanteans among them. And we all know there have been supposed Vayantean refugees in the past who turned out to be Meliquean spies, but then again we've vetted every single guest here. It could be a Meliquean sympathiser—there have been anti-war movements in Caershire. They're a democracy, it happens. There might just be a secret Meliquean sympathiser among them."

  Myrina said, "That seems a little far-fetched, doesn't it, Asteria?"

  "It is very much far-fetched," Asteria deadpanned. "But it's also the only thing I can come up with right now for why the Caershireens would be trying to kill Irina. And we can't go around accusing them—we're allies, and we do not want relations to deteriorate. Especially not with the fact that war could restart at any moment."

  "And we play the waiting game once more." Irina let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate it?"

  "I don't see why we have to wait." Myrina smoothed her sleeves, standing up so that Asteria could take her seat. "If it's the Caershireens... well, I'm afraid you're our main source again. Maximilian Harlande and Cresseida Wushire."

  "I'll try to see what I can figure out later." Asteria graciously sat down besides Justine, pushing a lock of the girl's hair back to get a better look at her. She let out a quiet hum. "You look well enough. Not very sickly. I would just think you were tired if I didn't know, not someone who'd just survived poisoning."

  "I'm grateful," Justine said wryly. "Extremely grateful for your kind words. Because my vanity is most definitely what I'm most concerned about right now."

  "Hey," Asteria said with a shrug, "I'm just trying to be encouraging. Nothing you two discovered?"

  "Not much." Irina tilted her head. "Startling few trails. I think we do have to start work with the Caershireens and Hrishnans. They're our only potential leads right now. Maybe I could arrange some kind of social event with them. We need a couple, especially with the dinners now cancelled."

  "Should you be gallivanting around, though?" Myrina asked. "They might just strike again."

  "And we'll be prepared for that, won't we? It's not as if I'm purely using myself as bait anyways. Even if they don't strike, we could use the social events to gather information. It's necessary."

  "I don't see any problems with that." Asteria nodded. "I'll run things through my father to see what his agents might have figured out. But considering his silence, I'm guessing not much."

  The Iron Wolves wouldn't have figured out anything either. This kind of environment wasn't their specialty, so Irina hadn't been expecting them to figure anything out. But still, it was slightly annoying.

  "A luncheon, maybe. With activities." Irina raised her chin. "We should have had one planned anyways, I don't know why we cancelled it at the end. Two days from now. We can have all kinds of activities before it."

  "Activities... you mean outside the city?" Asteria asked, blinking nonplussed. "I mean, it could be hosted at Luo Yun Garden, but it's going to take a bit of planning..."

  "Myrina, will you be able to plan an excursion at Luo Yun Garden within two days?" Irina fixed her gaze on Myrina.

  The countess frowned, swallowing slightly. "It wouldn't be the best thing I've ever come up with, probably, but I could do something."

  "It doesn't need to be perfect, just a day outside the Palace. I want them somewhere unfamiliar. Where they'd be uncomfortable. Where they could all be easily monitored."

  "I suppose it'd work. It'll be chaotic, everyone will be messing around. We'd have a chance to talk to almost every guest in person, without raising any eyebrows. And who knows what people might just let out with all their guards down?"

  Irina raised her chin. "Precisely, Asteria. That's exactly what I mean. And if it doesn't work, well, no eyebrows will be raised. It'll just be seen as an attempt to calm everyone down after the poisoning. Perfectly normal."

  Myrina straightened, and it was clear her thoughts were elsewhere—probably already planning the luncheon in that brilliant, clever little mind of hers. "There's a large field at Luo Yun Garden for horses. Horse-riding, most definitely. Some archery, perhaps? And..." she suddenly paused. "I've been reading up about nianide. It's from seeds, isn't it? It's extracted from seeds. What if I arrange a couple plants that produce fruit with seeds that consist of nianide around the gardens? We could mention it and check for people's reactions."

  "It might not work precisely," Irina murmured. "It might have already gotten out, what poison it was, so it might seem rather blatant. But keep them around just in case, I'll keep an ear out for what people might know already. Did Lady Diksha and Miss Cresseida know what poison it was, or did you tell them, Ast?"

  "I told them. They won't tell, I'm sure. But if someone tells Lady Katharine..." Asteria shrugged. "Yeah, the entire Palace will probably know by the end of the day. It's not even her that's the problem, it's her friends. She's in the same circle as Miss Jocelyn Wushire, who is an actual blabbermouth."

  "Oh, yes," Irina murmured. "I remember her mentioning they were friends. Valeria Bustillos Ramo and Analisa McDoherty as well. A strange selection of friends. Have you realised she's not close with any of the Arecian ladies? Says a lot in my opinion."

  "She tries too hard," Asteria murmured. "You can tell the other Arecian ladies don't like her. She takes great pride in the fact she's so close with Prince Stephen, Prince Frederick and General Stoneworth. Excludes some of the others, I think, or looks down upon them a bit. She's never outrightly cruel about it–they all seem civil to each other, and on the same side, but everyone can sense it."

  "She wants to stand out." Justine raised her chin. "You can tell."

  "Instead she befriends the Caershireens," Myrina said with a tilt of her head. "Could it be her?"

  Irina blinked. "For?"

  "The poisoning."

  Irina let out a startled bark of laughter. "She dislikes me, but she doesn't dislike me that much. She doesn't want to kill me, I assure you, I'd sense it if she did." She shook her head. "No, not her."

  "Probably not," Myrina agreed, shaking her head slightly as well. "Don't know why I'd suggest that."

  "You have to admit though, she's the only guest here past the Meliqueans who has an outright, obvious grudge against Irina."

  "Not one strong enough to kill," Irina assured again. "Most definitely. It's just a personal dislike of each other's general personality. But that is nowhere enough reason for her to attempt to assassinate me. And she was there the whole time during the dinner."

  "The poisoner would have done it prior to the banquet," Asteria murmured. "Do keep that in mind. Just because someone might have been there for the entire banquet does not clear them from suspicion. I don't think it's her, mind you—I agree with Irina, she doesn't seem to want her life."

  "And she's Arecian."

  Myrina squinted. "But she's Hrishnan. Dark-skinned. I get what you all mean, but... I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about her, honestly. And we've agreed it's personal, so the fact that she's Arecian does not mean anything. Her grudge with Irina—and the rest of us, it seems—is also strictly personal. Politics means nothing to it."

  "I still don't think it's Lady Katharine. It just makes no sense for it to be her."

  Myrina let out a sigh. "I know. Ignore me. I'm just getting impatient, the fact that we still haven't found out who it is."

  "We will soon, I'm certain of it." Irina flexed her fingers, rubbing on the gold nail armour on one finger. "Go plan the event. I'll go talk to the Emperor and Empress personally about it in a moment. Is Bing Yi outside?" 

  "I'll go fetch her." Asteria didn't need to be given instructions. A moment later Bing Yi walked in, curtsying.

  "Your Highness, I await your instructions."

  "Go request a meeting with the Emperor or the Empress for me, please. I'm free any time."

  "Aye, Your Highness."

  "And tell Ryan to go too. I want his advice on this, and perhaps the boys have figured something out. Unlikely. It's like the Iron Wolves in this case. It simply isn't their specialty."

  Bing Yi scrambled off.

  Justine let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Yes, we're far more used to the battleground, I'm afraid. How's Danna and Io? Haven't seen them around. Also, Cass and Ciri have arrived by now, have they not?"

  "Tonight," Irina corrected. "I'll tell them to visit you. They'll be sad they missed such a massive show." She gave a little snort. "Perhaps they could be of some help. Both Lord Farnsworth and Viscount Archsham are skillful agents as well. With plenty of their own contacts."

  "Haven't seen either of them since last year." Justine let out a yawn. "This would be nice."

  Myrina's brows furrowed. "If you're sleepy, we could leave."

  "It's... fine." Justine coughed again, slapping her chest with a hand. "Bloody hell."

  "Stop speaking," Irina commanded. "You're hurting your throat."

  "Yeah," Justine muttered. "God wonders why."

  Irina simply glared in return. Idiot. For some reason all her friends were unable to be good patients. She was an excellent one, resting as much as she was told to, but Justine, for example, could never quite stay still no matter what, or fully obey doctors' orders. Io was the worst patient, of course, because half the time she'd claim she did not feel ill at all and refuse to see a doctor in the first place. Luckily, she didn't get injured nearly as much as one expected.

  Io was actually an extremely cautious person. Especially in the past year, where she'd clearly grown a lot. Perhaps it was part of adulting. She was nineteen now. Irina still missed it when Io was simply thirteen, a ray of sunshine, tagging behind Asteria and Danna. And now she'd become someone Irina didn't feel like she quite knew, didn't feel like she quite recognised. It was sad, but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

  (She was leaving soon anyway.)