IT WAS NIGHT time and they were back in the Scarlet Palace, the quiet walls suddenly comforting after the chaotic events of the day. Io had come in moments earlier, ready to collect Irina for the meeting. Lady Katharine was being held at a distant, secluded part of the Palace, the word out that she was being kept away for her own safety.

  Irina wasn't sure how many people believed it. It was a widely known fact that she and the lady did not get along. Tongues were most likely already wagging. She was surprised Stephen hadn't come knocking for answers yet.

  "Unfortunately," Io was saying, "I'll have to stay in the room. Just in case she tries to strangle you or what not. Don't worry, pretend I'm part of the furniture."

  Irina sent her an unimpressed look. "I have no expectations of you actually being able to remain quiet."

  "I'm offended." Io paused. "But at the same time, you're very much right. "I will not be able to remain quiet, but I'll try my best. What do you even actually have to say to her anyways? Because I can't fathom a reason why you'd want to even talk to her right now."

  Irina tilted her head. "Well, I want to figure out why she'd want to do such a risky, careless thing."

  "We already know why." Io raised her chin. "She bloody hates you because she thinks the Prince deserves better, and really we all know she just wants him for herself. Which isn't happening. Have you seen how the Prince acts around her? He clearly sees her as a sister."

  "Because you have so much experience in that."

  Io scoffed in reply. Irina shook her head. "I just want to figure this out. It won't take too long, don't worry, and if she doesn't cooperate I'll just walk out. It doesn't matter all that much anyways, we just need to find her accomplice."

  "Asteria, Myrina and Danna are compiling a list of every female guest and the ones she's heavily interacted with in the past while as we speak."

  "Excellent." Irina raised her chin. "We'll pay them all a visit if necessary."

  "There's a lot."

  "I'm sure we can spare the time, one way or another?"

  Io rolled her eyes. "Right. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's go talk to Lady Katharine first, yes? I'll lead you there now."

  At night, the palace was devoid of its usual bustling servants and more recently, guests. When she was younger she'd found it awfully eerie, though she'd since gotten used to the emptiness. The moon was rather dim tonight, and the air a bit chilly against her skin. Irina pulled her outer coat tighter together, glancing up as the clouds past. It seemed like such an ordinary night. She might have been tempted to think so, if not for the fact that someone had tried to kill her and be caught this very day. Anad the fact that she was going to speak to them now.

  She'd had a bit of time to formulate what to say to Lady Katharine. To think everything over, to analyse her motives—and of course brainstorm up potential suspects for her accomplice. She was assuming a Meliquean, or someone else who had some kind of grudge against her. Most likely, this grudge was not personal. If it was, they'd have done it themselves rather than use Lady Katharine as a knife.

  Therefore, the Meliqueans. They were the only ones present with any kind of political grievance with her, and it was very much their style, as they'd all agreed before.

  It was a long walk. A walk long enough that normally, she'd have been carried there on a sedan chair. But those were a bit out of style—not to mention the fact that Irina didn't actually have anyone to lift a sedan chair in her household and therefore used the one shared by any member of the higher Saian nobility, and the fact that those servants would talk, so she made the arduous trek instead. When they arrived, she gave a little shudder.

  "We had to move her so far away?"

  "For her safety," Io reminded. "And to make sure no nosy guest comes in."

  "Right," Irina mumbled. "The Wolves are inside, I assume?"

  "Come in and see for yourself, won't you?" Io asked, stepping forward. The guards at the front door parted at the sight of them and they walked in through the sliding doors. Irina glanced around. The corridor was palely lit, barely enough to make out everything. Io moved down the passage until she'd reached a wooden door, the light from behind seeping out. She gave two knocks.

  The door opened, and Ronan Tang, the Crow, stepped out. "Oh, thank god. She's been talking my ear off for the past hour."

  "Nothing useful?" Io asked, hands on her hips.

  "She's been explaining Arecian high society to me," Ronan said blankly, pushing his hand through his crop of dark hair. "As if it's of any importance to me. It's never going to be useful."

  Irina let out a laugh. "Alright. You take a break, Io will be here to watch after me. We'll call you back when we're done."

  Ronan gave a bow and left. Irina stepped in. Lady Katharine hadn't been physically restrained, and the room resembled more of a parlour than a prison. The lady sat on a comfortable oaken chair, a few half-finished pieces of dimsum beside her. Her eyes were ficed on Irina as she moved forward.

  "Lady Katharine," Irina said mildly. "I promised I'd come visit."

  "I don't have anything to say to you."

  "Oh, but I have things to say to you." She flashed a smile. "Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time." Io had taken vigil in the corner of the room, standing still as a rock, not making a sound. A sentinel guard. As long as she didn't speak, she might as well be invisible. Irina pulled a chair over until it was opposite Lady Katharine, and smoothed her dress as she sat down. "It's not every day something like this occurs."

  "I'd hope not," the woman responded sarcastically. She'd regained her wits sometime along the day, resuming her usual sardonic and wry demeanour. A tint of arrogance as well, she sensed. "Is Gabriel alright?"

  "The general is alright." Irina lowered her head. "Last I check, he only has a broken rib or two. Nothing too serious. And I'm alright as well, thank you for asking, despite your attempt to make sure I wasn't so."

  "I didn't ask."

  "I know, but I decided to presume you were simply too concerned to ask." Irina offered a toothy smile.

  "I did not mean to hurt him."

  "You didn't." Irina tilted her head. "None of us quite expected him to walk into the horse."

  Lady Katharine winced. "He can be a bit clueless at times."

  "I don't think walking right into a horse acting widely is clueless. More of, not thinking in the moment. But that's not what I'm here to speak to you about. I'm here to talk to you about Stephen. You think you're saving him."

  "I was."

  "You realise this is our duty?"

  Lady Katharine replied, as expected, "Fuck duty. It shouldn't interfere with one's personal life. You're ruining his life."

  "You know, between the two of us," Irina said, amused, "I think I probably put up more protest against the marriage compared to Prince Stephen. You can ask any one of my friends—I was a bit of a nightmare when it was first confirmed."

  "She was." And Io had already interrupted. The girl clamped her mouth shut as both Irina and Lady Katharine turned to stare at her.

  "Right." Irina faced Lady Katharine again. "It is our choice between duty and love. You realise this? If he chooses to go through with this marriage, there is nothing you can do about it. I learnt this the hard way, if I must admit."

  "This isn't what he wants—"

  "If he didn't want it he'd have put up a fight. He didn't." Irina raised her chin. "We'll make this work. I won't make him miserable. There have been plenty of political marriages in the past that have been extremely amicable. I have faith in adding this one to the list."

  "He deserves love—"

  "I have no qualms against him taking a mistress if necessary—" but the words were bitter when they left her mouth. She swallowed slightly. "As long he has no qualms about me taking a lover of my own. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

  "That's the problem. You don't love him. You don't even care for him. You're barely friends. You can't make him happy."

  "Let's be real," that was Io again, one brow raised. "You're not really doing this to save him from some loveless marriage. Your reasons are purely selfish. You want him for yourself. He doesn't see you that way."

  "You don't know that—"

  "Please, I can see it in his eyes." Io stepped forward, flames flickering in her dark eyes. "He thinks of you as a sister. That's not going to change, you know."

  "It might—"

  "No it won't."

  "Then why?" Lady Katharine snapped, throwing down her hands onto the chair. "Tell me why he's willing to see her as a potential bride but I'm stuck as the sister! Tell me! I've stuck with him through thick and thin for the twenty-three years I've been alive but he chooses you. And he won't even give me a chance."

  "This kind of thing—"

  "Shut up." Lady Katharine's head turned back to Irina. "Do you know why I hate you? You do. I hate you because somehow you're the one he's attracted to. Even though he barely know you you pique his interest. He defends you. And you don't even care for him. You don't give a single flying shit about him or his wellbeing, you're just here for the political alliance. I love him. Why can't he love me?"

  Irina said, "You need to calm down. Prince Stephen's interest in me is wholly political. You're being irrational here—"

  "Oh, fuck being rational." The expression on Lady Katharine's face was miserable. Her dark brown eyes were filled with... longing, pain. That was what unrequited love looked like. The pining, the wishing, the secret stares and daytime dreams. The bitterness as you watched him put a ring on some other girl's hand, even though you'd been there all along. "I've been rational all my life, princess. It's why he has no idea. It's why I always hid it. Because I had to be rational. Screw that. Why?"

  Irina wasn't sure how to respond. She hadn't come here to... comfort Lady Katharine, but it felt like that was what she was doing. And she had no experience in this kind of situation. What did you do?

  Because truth be told: she did pity the lady. Because it was clear she was doing this out of love. Yes. She was jealous. Yes, she was going through this all the wrong way, but still, it was almost... admirable.

  (Though murder really probably wasn't the correct way to do this.)

  But right when Irina was speechless, Io spoke up. "Sometimes," she said slowly, stalking forward until she was next to Irina, "Some loves just aren't meant to be. Sometimes they'll always be wistful, one-sided. There's nothing we can do about it. Love needs to be balanced on two sides to be healthy. If you give and give and they don't give back, you'll just end up getting hurt. And it's even worse when they don't even notice. That's what's happened to you, isn't it? You can't even blame the prince. It's not his fault. Which is why you took it out on Irina, who you know this really isn't the fault of, but you needed someone to blame anyways. So you picked her."

  Irina turned to stare at Io. That was... personal. Terrifyingly personal. Something happened to her, Danna's words rung in her mind, she's emotionally scarred.

  Qing shang. The wound of the heart.

  Io had gotten hurt. By a boy. That much was clear now. Her heart was broken. And so, to prevent it from happening again, or perhaps to deal with the pain, she froze it. And by doing so she pushed everyone else out as well. She erected a wall around herself that no one could bypass—not even Danna, from what she'd said. And that was why she'd been worsening day by day.

  Who hurt you? She wanted to ask. What kind of boy could Iolanthe Mi fall in love with?

  And more importantly, what kind of boy could break the heart of Iolanthe Mi?

  Io wasn't just anyone. She was someone who'd met the highest members of nobility and the scum of the earth, and everyone in between. She was someone who traded lies with liars and frauds with frauds. She wasn't someone who'd let her heart be stolen away.

But this wasn't about Io right now. It was about Lady Katharine. A drop of tear rolled down the woman's cheek. "It's not fair."

  "Nothing is fair," Irina said quietly. "Especially not when it comes to issues of the heart. I think you realise this."

  "I won't tell you who my accomplice is," Lady Katharine said, staring up. The hatred had left her gaze, replaced with a barren emptiness. "I owe them."

  "We know it's a woman," Io said.

  Lady Katharine nodded. "I'm sure you'll all find who she is anyways. But it won't come out of my mouth."

  "That's alright."

  Lady Katharine nodded again, and then asked, "What will happen to me now?"

  "We won't punish you too severely. We will have to ask you to never step foot onto Saian grounds again, and send you back to Arecia immediately. What they decide to do with you will be out of our control. I promise I will not interfere." Irina pursed her lips. "You were misguided by your feelings. And by your accomplice. You are simply the knife they decided to wield."

  "I knew," Lady Katharine said. "I was just willing to bet on the chances we didn't get caught."

  "Well, I'm sorry to inform you that you lost that bet." But Irina wasn't very apologetic. It didn't matter. At the end of the day, Lady Katharine still tried to kill her, and very nearly almost succeeded. "We'll be breaking the news to the Arecians tomorrow."

  Lady Katharine shut her eyes. "If they ask to see me, say no."

  She was someone with her pride. She could not and would not face her friends like this. Mei lian. No face. Irina gave a nod. "I'll try my best to arrange that, but you won't be able to avoid them forever."

  Grimly, the lady replied, "I'll deal with that when the time comes."

  "You're certain you do not wish to simply tell us your accomplice?"

  Lady Katharine shook her head. "I have loyalty, Your Highness, no matter what you might believe. I'm not going to tell on her. It's simply not something I can do."

  Irina supposed that was somewhat respectable. So she gave a nod. "I hope we never meet again, Lady Katharine."

  "I hope so too," the lady replied, her eyes closed.

  They left after that, Io in toll. The moment they'd left the building behind, Io started, "I know you have questions."

  "I do," Irina confirmed. "But do you have answers you want to share?"

  Io shook her head. "No. Not yet. Maybe not ever."

  "Well," Irina said with a shrug, "I suppose I can wait."

  Io paused for a moment. "Danna told me, you know."

  Irina nodded. "I expected as much. She told me you didn't blame me. Is that true?"

"It's not your fault. I would have been there, one way or the other. It was always just a matter of time."

  "You're a good girl. You know that, right? You're one of the smartest and bravest people I know. Don't let anyone break your spirit."

  "No one can, no one will." That was a promise, and it was assurance that whatever had happened to her, she was still the same Io deep down, with the same soul, same personality. Nothing could take that away from her. "You never need to worry about that."

  "That's good to know. And, I know you don't blame me and whatnot, but I still want to apologise. I still had a hand in sending you to Melique. I should have stopped it."

  Io shook her head. "It was inevitable, you have no need to apologise. But I appreciate it all the same. I know you suddenly think you've done so many horrible things and stuff, and you have fucked up. I will tell you that. You've fucked up quite a few times, but everyone does. You're still smart and wise, all you need to do is to take in other people's feelings into consideration once in a while."

  "I know," Irina said, rubbing her eyebrows. "I know."

  "Let's get you back," Io nodded. "The wedding's so soon. And we still have to visit some ladies tomorrow morning."

  "Who do you think it is?"

  Irina placed her arms before her. "There's only so many people in Lady Katharine's inner group. I suggest we start there, considering her loyalty. Miss Jocelyn Wushire. Miss Valeria Bustillos Ramos. Mrs Analisa McDoherty. Those are the people in her inner circle."

  "Not Jocelyn Wushire."

  "You know her?"

  "She tried to mess with me once. Remember the house party at the Carlstons' those years ago? The one the three of us got sent on? She's not smart, and we're friends with her sister. Can't be her."

  "Miss Bustillos Ramos and Mrs Doherty, then."

  "Doherty is a lapdog," Io said, her head tilted, "but I haven't known her for long enough to confidently say it's the truth. I don't know much about Miss Bustillos Ramos, but she's Vayantean. I don't see any chances of her wanting to kill you when this alliance would benefit Vayante."

  "Not them, then. Who else?"

  Io said, "The others will give you a list tomorrow. We can start then."

  "Rehearsals..."

  "We can fit it into rehearsals. It's quite ironic that you're spending your last few days in Sai looking for someone trying to kill you."

  "Is it really that surprising, though?" Irina asked, one brow raised. "Somehow, I expected something like this to happen one way or another. We can't have a single day of please here in the Palace."

  "Part of our charm," Io agreed. "Hell's sake, I hate this place in the dark." She glanced around, brows creased as she regarded the sparse lanterns keeping the streets illuminated.

  "You used to love it."

  "I was young and an idiot. Now I don't. Let's just get back. Been a long day."

  "No kidding," Irina muttered. "Come fetch me at eight tomorrow morning. I want to start everything off early."

  "How are you going to break the news to everyone else?"

  "It's just the Arecians we'll have to be gentle with," Irina pointed out. "I'll deal with Prince Stephen. Don't worry about everyone else. But we start with the visits before we tell anyone, to prevent the accomplice from being able to have preparation."

  "I'll have that arranged," Io promised. "How's Myrina?"

  Irina lowered her head. "I'm waiting for her."

  Io said, "It won't take too long."

  "I hope not."

"On this note, though..." Io turned to eye Irina. "We actually solved one problem today. Justine's companion to Arecia."

  Irina frowned. "What do you mean?" That was something she'd been putting off for no particular reason, mainly because by the time they got to it, Justine might not need a companion to travel with her to Arecia. At the speed she's recovering, she should be perfectly fine taking care of herself by the end of the month.

  "General Stoneworth. You think he'll be able to travel in four days, with those broken ribs of his?"

  Irina halted in her tracks. "Io. Are you trying to kill the two most accomplished young generals of our generation?"

  "And they need to learn to get along. If the war restarts, high chances are they'll find themselves fighting side by side, quite literally. They need to learn to cooperate. A weeklong ship journey together ought to do the trick."

  "Not alone." Irina shook her head. "Not alone, Io. Find someone to travel with them."

"I was thinking, the sable sisters and their husbands. They both want to go and visit their family estate. The Duchess of Dai may be gone now, but their family is still here. I think they're going to be leaving two weeks late. Should be enough time."

  "Both heading to Arecia?" Irina asked incredulously. "I thought Ciri and Viscount Archsham were sailing for Epimur."

  "Which is on the way to Arecia," Io deadpanned. "They can travel together, the six of them."

  Irina said, "We'll find a chance to ask them all about it. I can come up with at least two people who will protest very greatly against that."

  "They won't have a choice," Io said wryly. "They'll give in eventually. And it'll be funny."

  "This is going to be disastrous," was all Irina said in response.

👑

  IT WAS ELEVEN o'clock the next day and the sun shone brightly in the sky. A bead of sweat rolled down Irina's forehead as she furiously fanned herself. "Where is she?" she demanded, glancing at Io.

  "I'm sure Asteria is on her way," Danna replied, bored. They were less tense around each other now, that much was already clear, but there was still some degree of awkwardness when they talked.

  "She's late," Irina deadpanned.

  "I'm aware."

  Yes, Danna still retained most of her sardonicism and sassiness, but at least she wasn't actively going against every word that left Irina's mouth anymore. That was already a massive improvement, and she was more than happy that the things between them were slowly being dealt with.

  But, the problem at hand: Asteria Lu Junya was very, very late, and they needed to start the visits to Lady Katharine's female acquaintances, starting with Mrs Analisa McDoherty, who was living with her husband in one of the guest houses. Mr Doherty was elsewhere at the moment, which was why they had to meet with her right then, before he came back. That would only unnecessarily complicate issues.

  "We could go without her," Danna pointed out. "Between you and me, we're more than enough to figure this out. It's unlikely to be Mrs Doherty anyways. From what I've seen of her, she's just one of Miss Jocelyn's minions. She seems to be distancing herself away from her these days, but she doesn't seem to be all that close with Lady Katharine either."

  "Two more minutes," Irina said, continuing to fan herself with a deep set frown on her face. "Two minutes, and then we go in without her."

  Io let out a sigh. "She does actually need to hurry up before word spreads we're here. Prince Stephen has already sent two missives requesting to see you. You can't avoid him forever."

  "I don't," Irina said pointedly. "Just not until we figure out who's behind this. Should be done before... what would you say, four o'clock?"

  Io hummed. "Four seems fair."

  "Possible," Danna said. "I'd actually say earlier. The list of properly viable suspects is actually quite narrow."

  "For someone so social," Irina muttered, "Lady Katharine's actual list of close friends is very short.  Oh, there you are," her eyes narrowed as Asteria slowly approached. "Where the hell were you?"

  The countess flashed an apologetic smile. "In my defence, I was ambushed."

Danna raised a brow. "By?"

  "A few Caershireens fishing for gossip. I had to very gracefully and eloquently extract myself from the conversation because of a prior engagement of utmost importance. My exact words." Asteria rolled her eyes. "People are getting curious. I hope you have an answer for them, Irina."

  "I do. But it's not quite ready yet."

  "Well," Asteria drawled, "it better be done sooner or later. Everyone's eyeing me up like a piece of steak served at a banquet. They all think I know what's going on. Which I do, but it's not as if I am about to tell any single one of them a thing."

  "The correct attitude." Irina lowered her fan. "Enough chit chatting. Mrs Doherty."

  They went into the palace. There was no need to knock or alert the servants—a moment later, Analisa Doherty, red-haired, brown-eyed and pale-skinned, with a small stature and mouse-like demeanour, stepped out from behind one of the doors, breaking into a curtsy. "Your Highness. Lady Asteria Lu. Miss Pang. What an honour. Is there anything I could help you with?"

  "Mrs Doherty, I apologise for disturbing you. Would you mind if we shared a few words?" Asteria asked, a small smile on her face. "It won't take too long."

  Mrs Doherty blinked, smoothing her green gown. "Of course, of course, right this way—darling, would you mind preparing some tea?" she asked the Caershireen maid beside her. The maid scurried off. The four women followed Mrs Doherty into the guest house, where they were led into the sitting room.

   "Is all well?"

  If the Caershireen woman was nervous, she didn't show. She just seemed confused. It didn't look like an act, and they were all experienced in picking out liars. In her mind, Irina  had already eliminated her as a possible accomplice.

  "We'd like to ask a few questions about Lady Katharine, if possible." Asteria smiled kindly.  She waved her hand, and the servants in the room cleared out. They were all smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Io, who was dressed as a maid, stayed. "We have a few things we want to know if you might have answers for."

  "Kate?" Mrs Doherty's smile faded after a moment of thought, her eyes darting to Irina. "Don't tell me, Your Highness, that..."

  "I'm afraid so," Irina said apologetically. "We have evidence. But there's still a few mysteries we want to solve first in this case."

  "Kate... Kate wouldn't..." Mrs Doherty's eyes fluttered shut. "No, actually, that's a lie. I can see how she'd be pushed to do something like that. I always thought she had a rather dark side to herself that even she wasn't aware of."

  "Dark side?" Danna asked curiously.

  "Well, not precisely," the woman said with a wince. "But I always thought she was someone who could be rather ruthless, you know? Who'd do anything to achieve her goals. But this, I didn't expect this. Why? She dislikes you, we're all aware of that, no offence, Your Highness, but that doesn't seem enough reason to try to kill you."

  "That is one of the mysteries we are attempting to solve," Irina said. "Has she said anything recently that is cause for concern?"

  Mrs Doherty pursed her lips, tapping on her chin, before turning back up to meet her eyes. "No, I don't think so. She's been acting rather normal—but I have to admit, I haven't... been close to that group of people since I got married." She beamed, glancing down at her ringed finger. "If you want to know more, it might be worth asking Jocelyn or Valeria rather than me."

  "Is there anyone who Lady Katharine usually does not interact with whom she's been spending private time with?" Asteria asked, tilting her head. "Or anyone who might dislike the Princess as well? The Meliqueans, for example?"

  "Heavens, no," Mrs Doherty said, mortified. "Kate is very firmly against the Meliqueans, she wouldn't work with them under any circumstances."

  "Who else, then?" Danna asked, head tilted. "Most people present gain from the wedding. At least, we're assuming that's what they're trying to stop."

  Mrs Doherty's expression said it all: she knew nothing. Irina said, "Oh, it's alright if you truly haven't heard anything. We weren't expecting it to be this easy—" she let out a little laugh "—but if you do recall anything, do inform us immediately?"

  "Of course, of course," Mrs Doherty said, biting her lower lip. "I'm terribly sorry I can't be of more help. I still can't believe that Kate would do such a thing... Does Prince Stephen know?"

  Irina winced. "We're going to break the news to him tonight. Would you mind keeping this meeting and what we've told you a secret?"

  "I won't tell a soul," Mrs Doherty replied, eyes widened. "Though, umm, would it be alright if I tell my husband?"

  "Mr Doherty can know, but only him," Asteria said with a faint smile. "Thank you for your help, Analisa."

  The Caershireen woman smiled brightly. "It is my honour to have you three under my roof, even though I couldn't be of more aid."

  "No, no," Danna said, rising. "You did your best. We'll tell you what happened the moment we figure it out. I hope you enjoy your day, Mrs Doherty."

  "My stay in Sai has been excellent, minus the few, umm, unexpected accidents," Mrs Doherty said bashfully. "But they weren't in your control, so. I always enjoy my stays here, you are the most excellent hosts."

  "I am glad to hear that," Irina said with a nod, standing as well. "If there is anything we can help you with, feel free to tell us."

  "Nothing I can come up with at the moment, but if I do think of anything, I'll be sure to tell you."

  They left after that, because they were on a tight schedule and there was nothing to be gained by staying. Danna hummed on the way to Jocelyn Wushire's. "She's going to be scared shitless."

  "Do I want to know what you did to her, Asteria?"

  Asteria raised one brow and turned slightly to face Irina. "Io told you?"

  "Somewhat," Irina said. "I don't think it's her."

  "Well, it's these two and Miss Valeria Bustillos Ramos in her inner circle. And Valeria's a Vayantean, which immediately lowers her chances. We have to check all three of them, before we move onto anyone else. They're her closest friends."

  "I'm sure I've said this before, but it's interesting to notice that she has no Arecians among her closest friends." Irina tapped her fan against her chest. "Really, none of them seem to like her all that much."

  "To be fair, Lady Katharine probably spends most of her time revolving around Prince Stephen, Frederick and General Stoneworth." Danna wiggled her thumb, frowning as she glanced down on it.

  "I've been trying to recall things about her from the Carlstons' house party," Io murmured. "It was those three she mostly stuck around too, though not at the start. I think they met through that party. Jocelyn Wushire and Analisa Doherty already knew each other, but Miss Valeria and Lady Katharine met then. Rather interesting, eh? It's almost as if all the gears were put into place years ago, just waiting to be awakened from their dormant state."

  "The Carlstons' party," Irina narrowed her eyes. "That was..."

  "Four years ago," Danna replied. "We went almost right before we headed to Melique."

  "Bloody hell," Irina muttered under her breath. "It's almost like yesterday you merry bunch were still studying in the middle of nowhere under Lady Kuroki, randomly travelling around like a troupe of circus performers. And look at us now."

  Io flashed a smile. "I'm still somewhat doing the same thing. Just without Lady Kuroki."

  "Well, you're the exception," Danna said. "Me, I'm settling down."

  Asteria shrugged. "I don't really care. And I don't have a choice either."

  "Depressing," Danna snorted.

  "As I said," Asteria's smile tightened, "I don't care."

  "As if that doesn't make this even more tragic," Danna let out a dramatic sigh. "You, not caring about something. You're meant to be full of passion, Ast!"

  "She's known as the countess of ice," Io deadpanned.

  "It's supposed to be a cover, a shield." Danna's hand flew to her forehead. "Yet you are saying these horrible, pessimistic things around your closest friends."

  "I'm going to stab you," Io said, face straight.

  "I agree," Irina said, eyes shut.

  Danna scowled.