DECEMBER 1811

Caroline had never felt such immense anxiety since she first met the Belles, but today was different. She was back to who she was, dressed in a pretty dress and playing the role of the fiancée to a Royal. She would soon become a Royal wife and her father had insisted that she would have to meet the others as well.

That was why she was in the Coffin. Trent had earlier left her with Lady Winthrop who told her about the history of the Coffin; and how Natalia St. Vincent and her daughter-in-law, Aliya, had transformed the place. Lady Calbridge, Robert's mother, gave her more information about the wives.

Her mother, of course, had already given her a talk of what to expect, but the woman refused to come to the Coffin because of where it was located. "Let Harriet and Clara tell you everything you need to know. And if you think you do not want to be there, you simply tell Trent to take you away from there," the Duchess of Remington had told her.

"And where is Aliya?" she asked Lady Winthrop after the woman told her of their latest storytelling hobby that highly depended on the number of dead bodies in the Coffin.

"In the Theater," said Lady Winthrop.

"In the Theater?"

The woman shrugged. "It must be about the new mission, dear. I do not know. Now with Robert as the new Master, things are moving faster. West Blackwood's disappearance—"

"What is the matter, Clara?" Lady Calbridge asked.

Lady Winthrop's mouth had hung open, her eyes widely staring somewhere behind Lady Calbridge and Caroline.

Caroline and Lady Calbridge turned their head over their shoulder and they, too, froze in their seats.

Caroline knew the two men walked across the Coffin in merely a few strides, but she felt it happen slowly, as if she witnessed them wade through water. Their coats flew behind them as they glided past without even bothering with a greeting. Then they disappeared into the doorway that led up to the Theater.

"Is that who I think it was?" Lady Winthrop asked.

Lady Calbridge's hand dramatically flew to her chest. "Good heavens! I think it was!"

Caroline was speechless. Her eyes wide, her mouth still hanging open. She swallowed.

What was going on?

☙✾❧

Aliya stood before the Royals, aware of their questions but uncertain why they were asking the questions.

"There are numerous entrances into Belcourt," she told them. "But as I have told you many times, there are also many Soldiers. The forest is the best, of course, but one has to be well-oriented of the area. No one is more knowledgeable of it than the Soldiers themselves. They have been trained there."

Dior, standing beside her, was not looking pleased. "How many Soldiers are there, precisely?"

"I cannot say. Belcourt reveals very little. You must also take into account the Soldiers that have retired, gentlemen. Most of them retired early, and they are the only ladies I am uncertain of."

"What do you mean?" asked Rider.

"Belles, when they retire, get our own permanent housing with other retired Belles, or if we have pleased Belcourt with our services, we get one for ourselves. The women in the Court of Service never retire. They die inside Belcourt. The same for the Librarians, the women from the Court of Libraries. The retired Soldiers, however, are... should I say, invisible. No one knows where they retire to, or where they are."

Dior's jaw tightened. "Inactive spies, you say?"

Aliya shrugged. "They can be out of Belcourt as we speak as active spies, I imagine."

"You can ask your sister."

"Delaney will never tell me anything about the Palace." She looked at Oliver, who was looking as serious as the rest. She wanted to demand why they wanted to enter Belcourt, but she was certain they would not tell her.

"What of the dungeon?"

Dior's question made Aliya blink. "What of the dungeon?"

"What do you know about the dungeon? How is it accessed?"

"It is in the Palace. Underground. But why would you—" then she stopped, finally realizing what was happening.

Sasha.

She knew Ruby and Sasha had been taken prisoner. But Ruby had been released. Sasha, on the other hand, was still in the dungeon. She heard it from the other Belles she still saw now and then. The reason, of course, was unknown as the Belles refused to tell her. She could ask Fatima, but Oliver had told her to stay away from Belcourt for now.

The door burst open and Aliya jumped on her feet. The Royals snapped their head to the door. And the room fell silent. But not for long.

West Blackwood and Stefan Northcott, the Viscount of Greene, had just entered the Theater.

"Eaton!!" Someone cried out in awe.

Rider jumped to his feet to meet his friend. "Where in the bloody hell—"

West planted his hand on Rider's shoulder and without a word, walked toward Aliya. He looked like he had not disappeared for months at all. His face was as it was the last time Aliya saw him. The same could be said to Greene, whose black hair was longer yet still the same unruly one Aliya remembered. The only difference was their clothing. Their coats, trousers, shirt, and shoes did not speak of their titled status, the materials that of laborers.

West's light blue eyes traveled to Dior standing beside Aliya. "Are you the Master?"

Dior nodded.

Then, suddenly, West's face darkened. If there was anything Aliya had learned about how the Royal Circus worked, she knew that a new Master would only be made if the Royal Master and Darcy were absent or had stepped down from their role. "Tell me what happened now. Just what I need now."

"She is in Belcourt's dungeons," Dior said.

Aliya grew uncomfortable, uncertain if she should be there.

"We have Macmier," said Rider.

"Good," said Greene. "I'd want my hands around that bastard's neck."

West remained unmoving. He seemed to lose control. He did not show it in his face, but Aliya saw it in his eyes.

"I want her out of there now," he said to Dior.

"We are working on it," Dior said. "And there is more," he added. He turned to Aliya. She took it as her cue to leave. Without glancing at West, she walked out of the Theater.

At the Coffin, she seemed to be in a trance. "What is it, dear? Was it truly Blackwood?" she thought she heard Lady Winthrop ask.

Aliya just nodded, her eyes on the ground, her mind reeling. "Lady Winthrop, we have a new Darcy, yes?"

"As I heard from my husband, yes," said Lady Winthrop.

"Robert nominated the new Darcy, dear," added Lady Calbridge.

"Good God," she gasped, hands on her growing abdomen. "Sasha was the former Darcy."

☙✾❧

Caroline was quiet on their way to home.

Trent took her hand and she let him, but he could sense that she was bothered. "Is it the Coffin?" he asked. "I am certain it is not Lady Winthrop. Or Lady Calbridge. Or Aliya. Is it the corpses?"

She turned to him. "I understand why you couldn't tell me who the former Darcy was, but you ought to have at least given me a clue that Sasha was working with the Circus."

His jaw clenched. Then he sighed. "I tried to reason with her, Carol. She did not want to tell you, and I had to follow her orders."

"But why? She could have had me as an ally inside Belcourt. Mayhap she would not be where she is now if—"

"She wanted you to be as innocent as you can be in front of Belcourt."

"But why? Why did she allow this to happen? She could have found out who the Circus rat was some other way. Why did she order me to name her?"

"Because the game changed for Sasha. It was a long shot. She compromised the information regarding Rothsker. It was never a plan. The Maiden never met Tanner outside of Belcourt. He was always the one to go to her. But that night, she did. And it was as Sasha had hoped for. In the expense of Rothsker's life. And hers, when she met with Tanner to confront him, knowing she was being watched. She knew she would be found out soon the moment she realized there was a rat." He lifted her hand to his lips. "Sasha told me to tell you when you got out that you have passed the test. You are now worthy to be a Royal wife."

"Bloody hell, I am!" she burst out. "Good Lord," she sighed afterwards, closing her eyes. "Things could have turned differently if you told me."

"No, things happened just as she wanted it."

"But why did she want it? She had advantage inside Belcourt as Mistress."

She squeezed her hand. "Sasha has to leave Belcourt."

☙✾❧

With her return home, Caroline had been kept busy. Her mother had resumed planning for the wedding along with Trent's mother.

And since that night West Blackwood returned, she had heard nothing. Even her father refused to say anything. However, the Royal Circus had given her one more mission.

That was why she was in Belcourt, waiting for Arielle in the same drawing room in the Palace. Caroline composed herself, determined to do her last act in Belcourt.

Arielle arrived sashayed into the room with a big smile on her face. Looking magnificent as always, the Maiden settled in a winged chair, facing Caroline.

"Caroline, what a surprise," said Arielle. "Is something wrong? Your family has been good to you, yes?"

"My family has been treating me well, my lady, thank you," she replied.

Arielle smiled. "Belcourt would like to thank you for the service you have given us. If it were not for you, we would not have caught the traitor. Sasha has confessed to everything, and she is soon to be sentenced."

"Then the Garden has no Mistress."

"Unfortunately, yes. Two consecutive Mistresses sentenced to Sinhold? Something has been awry in the Court of Flowers. For now, the court is directly under the High Priestess herself until we find someone more fitting for the role of Mistress." Arielle shook her head and sighed. "It breaks my heart. I trusted Sasha the most. She has been an excellent actress, I must tell you. But then, how could I have been stupid? I should have known she was already poisoned by the Royal Circus."

Caroline inhaled deeply. "Then I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to confess."

Arielle's face turned impassive. She said nothing that Caroline hesitated. The Maiden merely waited for what she was about to say next.

"I lied to you," she said.

"Lied about what?" Arielle's voice had turned cold. The lady must have had enough traitors in the past months.

"I never lost my memory."

The look of betrayal was apparent on the Maiden's face. But she said nothing. She only blinked and pursed her lips.

"I woke up in Belcourt remembering who I was."

"You mean you tricked us." To say that Arielle's voice was cold was an understatement. It was oozing with contempt.

"No, I tried to survive," Caroline said, drawing as much confidence as she could. "The person who attacked me is from here."

"Sasha?"

Caroline shook her head. "It was Jade."

Arielle's beautiful face darkened.

"I never told you because I did not know if I had anyone to trust in Belcourt. I hope you understand how I must have felt when Jade attacked me, someone I only knew as my fiancé's Belle. She had been following me around for reasons I could not tell before she abducted me from Remington. I had seen her carriage following me around. I finally confronted her. You see, Trent and I never kept secrets from each other. We were best friends since we were young. I knew he had a Belle, and I respected that. But when I confronted her for stalking me, I knew she was obsessed with Trent. But when she attacked me, and I woke up in Belcourt, I did not know anymore. Mayhap she was asked to do it. Mayhap someone, for some reason, ordered her to do it. I did not know why I was taken to Belcourt. But I know now. I believe it now that Jade only intended to kill me. She herself must have never imagined someone would find me and take me here.

While Caroline talked, Arielle had managed to compose herself. The woman's face was now blank and unreadable.

"I never told you because I did not know if I had anyone to trust in Belcourt." She swallowed and tried to smile. "I hope I repaid the kindness you have shown me by giving you your rat. I care not what you do to Jade. I am uncertain if she is working for anyone outside Belcourt, or if the attack on me was more than personal. I tried to find out while I was a Belle and was tasked to find the Belcourt rat. I considered her, but I found no evidence. She did nothing but be possessive of Trent. And also act as if she never met me before."

"She gave Belcourt a different report from what you just told me."

"Yes, she did. But since you cannot punish her for the crime she has done to me because I was not a Belle when it happened—well, I guess I truly was never one—I do not expect you to do anything. I simply do not want to lie to you anymore, Arielle, after everything you have done for me and my family. I apologize for how my father reacted. He never knew I never lost my memory."

Arielle blinked. "Did Trent know?"

"That I never lost my memory? No, he did not. I sensed he wanted to tell me more while I was pretending to be a Belle, but I knew he said nothing because he did not want to cause me alarm."

"You could have told him. You said so yourself that you are best of friends."

"I was afraid what he would do to his Belle, my lady. I only told him when he came to take me home." She smiled. "And you can only imagine the amount of scolding I received from him and my father. And my mother, the most. Even my sister."

Arielle closed her eyes and sighed.

"I hope we can be friends still. I regret not having told you. I know now that Belcourt meant me no harm."

Arielle opened her eyes and smiled. "Of course, we can be friends, Caroline. But you must understand that I have much work to do in Belcourt now. After everything that has happened this year and the last one, I am afraid that the High Priestess is pushing for more changes. I am uncertain if we could meet like this again. And now, after this, I will also have to investigate Jade. You are correct. We cannot punish her for what she did to you, but we should still find out if she did it on her own or upon the order of someone else."

"I hope she is not another rat. I would hate for Belcourt to deal with another."

"I hope for the same."

"I am certain that you will not be able to attend my wedding?"

Arielle shook her head with a sad smile. "Maidens are not allowed to venture out of Belcourt, Caroline. But you have my sincerest congratulations."

Caroline smiled. "I feel utterly at ease now that I have come clean."

"If you were a true Belle, I could have you dragged to the dungeons now for lying. But then you are not. And you gave us our rat. We are now even."

Caroline nodded.

"By the by, Caroline, I meant to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Did you notice anything different when Robert Dior was your flower?"

"No, I am afraid. I tried to pry into his life, but found nothing. The only discovery I had was that he is an adorable man in private." She could not believe she just said that about Robert. Goodness, may the heavens forgive her. "And he was nothing but a lonely man. But I'm afraid I did not give him a good impression."

"How so?"

"I understand he has rendered his resignation as a gentleman."

"Yes, he did."

"For that, I am sorry."

"No need to be sorry, Caroline. Belcourt is not for men. It is for women."

☙✾❧

Snow was heavily pouring outside the hotel. Without looking around, Ruby entered the doors of the hotel and proceeded to the room that had become so familiar to her.

But when she walked inside, she froze in her spot.

The lamp beside the bed was lit, revealing nothing but the only person inside the room.

It was not Dior waiting for her inside.

It was a woman.

"Close the door, please," the woman said, her impassive face as mysterious as the dark corners of the room. Ruby did as ordered, and it grew darker.

The woman was wearing buckskin breeches, leather shoes, and a white shirt underneath a black coat. Her long hair was tied high behind her. It was the first time Ruby had laid eyes on the woman.

"I am here because Robert ordered me to," the woman said, voice sounding almost bored, as though she was forced to be there.

"Why am I here?" Ruby asked, her thoughts flying to Sasha. The Royal Circus indeed had women working for them.

"You are now free of the Circus," the lady said, eyeing her wryly. "I do not agree we should let you be, but Dior believes you will be a good girl. Sasha does too, I believe. That woman still considers you her friend." The woman finished her sentence with a scoff, as if she found it ridiculous. Ruby flinched when the woman jumped to her feet.

"Why do you keep doing this to us? To Belcourt? Why are you intent in destroying my home?" she could not help but ask.

The woman's face remained stoic as her brown eyes locked with Ruby's. "We are not destroying Belcourt. Sasha would never allow it. And I would never allow it. You have trapped women inside Belcourt that I want to rescue."

Ruby blinked. "You are going to rescue Sasha, are you not?"

"Of course," the woman said without blinking.

"So she could join you again," Ruby gritted out.

"Sasha would have stayed in Belcourt if it was possible. She could have easily saved you, but she did not because she had to leave." The woman tilted her head to the side. "But I hope you will not say a word to Belcourt about the rescue."

"Why?"

"For one, they will realize you have been giving us information. Another, you would be committing two murders."

"Two murders?"

"Sasha is carrying something far more precious and we all know Belcourt would never let her have it."

Ruby went cold.

"Good night, Ruby," the woman said. "Make right choices."

Ruby whirled around as the woman reached the door. "Who are you?"

"Ah, yes," the woman said, hand on the door handle. "Ellise St. Vincent." She pulled the door open. "And I suggest you forget the name," she added in a dry tone before leaving Ruby alone in the dark hotel room.