THE WHITE FOX | ONE

  THE CARRIAGE GAVE a little jolt, causing Asteria to blink in surprise as she was thrown back into her seat. Across the carriage, neither Danna nor Io seemed even mildly bothered. Rubbing her forehead, she muttered, "I was so close to falling asleep."

"Boohoo, poor you," Io shot back, pulling her gaze away from the window, piercing her with a striking look. "We're almost there. Hang in there, Ast."

"Be polite," Lady Kuroki scolded next to her. "At least try, Iolanthe."

Io's eyelids fluttered shut. "Sorry."

They were all a bit on edge. It happened when you were on your way to a mission. Asteria's shoulders slumped, and she no longer cared if she wasn't sitting ladylike as she leaned against the wooden walls of the vehicle. "How long is almost?"

Io scrunched up her nose. "Half an hour?"

"Can both of you shut up?" Danna whispered, irritation clear. "Not you, Lady Kuroki. Just these two. I need at least a bit of peace and quiet before I'm swarmed by privileged, prejudiced brats deciding I'm easy prey."

"Yinyi."

"Sorry, ma'am." But Danna didn't look apologetic at all, and Lady Kuroki knew her students well enough to know this was pointless. She sighed and leaned her head against the cushioned seat. "Asteria, my dear, why don't you brief your classmates on the mission once more?"

Asteria bolted upright, as if struck by lightning. "Caershire is—"

"Melique but on our side?" Io suggested, eyes alight with mischief.

Danna, voice muffled from the pillow she had planted her face in, muttered, "The word you're searching for is a republic."

That made Io blink. "I thought it was a democracy."

Asteria, at the end of her rope, blandly said, "It's both." She sent a long-suffering look to Lady Kuroki, who shrugged in reply. "But that was not my point. Caershire's government may be on our side, but not all of its people are. The people here are given a huge amount of political power, and share many different ideas. Hence, watch your tongues."

"As if we don't do that all the time." Sleepy eyes met hers. Asteria glared at her friend, and Danna shrugged before leaning back into the pillow, not giving a damn about her mussed-up hair. "I'm exhausted. I barely had a proper break before being shipped onto that boat, damn it."

"Language, Yinyi." Why Lady Kuroki insisted on using their Saian names even when speaking in foreign languages, Asteria had no idea.

Danna mumbled her apologies before returning to her sleep, or some mimicry of it. Asteria continued on with her prepared speech. "People from all around the world would be at this party. Future dukes, duchesses, marquesses, marchionesses. You name it, they have it. These are people who have, or will have great influence. Don't make enemies."

"Easy for you to say."

Io was a complicated case. At the end of the day, the girl was illegitimate. A bastard. They could make up backstory after backstory, each more detailed and sophisticated than the last, and the aristocracy would still look upon her and see something different.

"You realise you're the only person here anyone has any chance of liking?" Danna asked, one elegant brow raised, being the expert she was at speaking with her eyebrows. There it was, the truth. Because even polite, educated and sophisticated Danna was half-Meliquean, and hence tainted in the eye of the haut ton. It didn't matter that her sister was a Saian baroness. She was half enemy, and she'd never be accepted.

That was why Asteria was here. Because with the support of a future duchess, even those grievances might be forgiven.

"I'll deal with your image," she replied, unimpressed. "You focus on the mission." She'd never been raised for the field. Her parents were spymasters, not spies. They tugged on puppet strings behind the scenes, manipulating and controlling everything. She was their child, and the same.

Lady Kuroki nodded approvingly. She was coming along as chaperone, as befitting of three young ladies travelling alone, and would run her own investigations parallel them, but what they were seeking would only be easily found by blending in among the glittering ton of the world. The creme de la creme. The aristocracy.

A ladder of which Asteria was near the very top of.

"We know what to do." Among the three, Danna was easily the most experienced. Asteria had little to no time on the actual field, and Io was only fifteen, and barely so. At eighteen, Danna had already gone on a few solo missions and returned successfully. Asteria wasn't worried about their skill on the field, no. She was worried about her friends' mental states, because every mission seemed to drain something out of Danna and strip away a bit more of Io's cheer. When she talked to Lady Kuroki about it, the reply was always the same: it happens. They'd get used to it eventually.

And what happens when they do? What happens when lying and killing becomes part of their very being?

"I know that," she responded, voice curt. "I know what you're capable of."

"Good." Danna's lips twisted upwards in a half-sneer. "Any more things to brief us on, oh great countess?"

Asteria fixed her friend with a cool look. "You know I came prepared."

Danna made a gesture that said, continue. Asteria said, "We've done some background checks on the guests."

Danna made a low growl with her throat. "You couldn't have told us about this before we landed in Caershire?"

"We didn't know the guests before we landed in Caershire," Asteria replied, one brow arched. "Ten from Caershire, mostly the children of politicians and a few nouveau riche. Four from Sai— us included, not counting chaperones. Five Arecians. Two Vayanteans. Three Asayamans, a Kon Rian, two from Dumah and two from Hrishna, though one spent half their life in Arecia. One from Joskum. One Novokulugan."

Io's eyebrows shot up. "That's thirty-one people." Trust the girl to be able to calculate it that quickly.

"Surprised?"

"I was expecting less," she admitted. "Probably shouldn't have. How much land do the Carlstons own?"

Asteria didn't need to hesitate. "Fifty acres, more or less. They're powerful and rich. Try not to piss them off."

"We're hunting in their home," Danna scoffed. "Oh, they'll be goddamn pissed."

Lady Kuroki didn't bother reprimanding her for her language this time. Maybe she'd finally grown used to it and realised her efforts to curb their tongue was futile. Unlikely. She was probably just too tired to say anything.

"By you, maybe." Io scratched her arm. "You sure I can't blend in as a servant girl instead?" That was usually Io's preferred disguise. It worked when she was younger, but Asteria doubted it would work with the same efficiency now. Io was too pretty, too attention-grabbing. She stood out in the crowd. These days, she could easily pass off as an eighteen year old.

Io saw the answer in Asteria's eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll dress up in fancy garbs and try not to strangle anyone by accident."

"You give your impulse control far too little credit."

"That I do. That I do. I quite vividly recall Ciri describing me as a blood-thirsty twelve year old back then. It was true, really, I've matured since then, I like to think. Don't you agree, Lady Asteria?"

Asteria deemed it prudent not to answer.

Danna let out a snigger. "She's not going to answer you."

Io replied, "I didn't expect her to, really. I do have a brain, you know."

"I never doubted that."

A single sniffle. "If you did, I'd be extremely disappointed in you. We're boring them now. Anything else?"

Asteria raised a shoulder in a half-shrug, tilting her head towards Lady Kuroki, who said, "You're by yourselves, girls. I can't help much." None of the girls pointed out that the baroness rarely helped even when she could. But they had been specifically chosen for this mission because they were so young. No one would recognise them and be suspicious. They were inconspicuous, invisible. Perfect agents.

"Of course, my lady," Danna murmured with a forward tip of her head. "We won't disappoint."

But they were all troubled, plagued by other thoughts. No one would say why, but they all knew it. This might be one of their last missions together. In a few months, Danna and Io were heading off to Melique, the heart of enemy territory. Not everyone came back.

When the idea had first been proposed two years ago, Danna had howled with disagreement and horror. But now the girl was carefully resigned to her fate. Asteria wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Her fingers rubbed against the jade ring adorning her fingers. Once, twice, then she looked up. "The mission may not be as treacherous as you're used to, but it's still important. Bu yao qing shi." Do not view this lightly. She spoke Saian to hammer in the point. A smile twisted Lady Kuroki's lips upwards. She'd always been disapproving of their reliance on foreign languages.

"Bu hui de." We won't. Danna spoke the main dialect of Saian much more comfortably now. She wasn't always like that. Danna had grown up in Xiang Zhou, who spoke their own special dialect, and she hadn't been given an education as befitting of her station. There were still hints of a highland accent in her Arecian if you listened carefully, but it was now more or less covered up. It wouldn't cause an issue on this mission.

"Na jiu hao." That's good. The four in the carriage fell into a silence, no one quite sure what to say, turning to stare out of the windows. The view lapsed together, miles of greenery and farms with the occasional livestock. Besides her, Lady Kuroki shifted her weight and adjusted her sitting position.

This might be their last mission together. Asteria was nineteen now, old enough to graduate. Old enough for her parents to relocate her back into Scarlet Palace in Sai. To be kept there. Her friends had an important, dangerous mission no one else could complete. Lady Kuroki was getting older, making it less and less convenient for her to travel. For them, it was the beginning of the end of an era.

Asteria lowered her head and silently wished time would stop.

『-』

"WELCOME TO Carlston Manor, my ladies." George Carlston swept into a low bow, blonde hair almost shimmering under the Caershireen sun. "We're very glad to have you."

"Thank you, sir. Danna, Io, our host, Mr Carlston. Mr Carlston, Miss Daneira Pang, younger sister of the Baroness of Xiang Zhou, and Miss Iolanthe Mi, a cousin of mine who has been placed in our care."

He bowed as well. Both Danna and Io gave a quick curtsy.

Lady Kuroki wrinkled her nose. "May we be immediately brought to our quarters? I'm exhausted from the journey. I loathe travelling in carriages these days. Awful, wouldn't you agree?"

Mr Carlston didn't even blink as he regarded the small, dark-haired matron. "Of course, my lady. Dunne!" A young man scrambled forward. "Bring the ladies to their quarters. Make sure they're comfortable there."

Asteria smiled. "Thank you, sir. Very considerate of you."

"My duties as host, my lady. It is of no inconvenience. If you'd please follow Dunne?"

Not having collected a floor plan of Carlston Manor as they had hoped to, they had no choice but to obey with a dip of their head. Servants came and collected their luggage, which was numerous. They'd expect clothes and jewellery, not weapons and tools for housebreaking. They were full of surprises, Lady Kuroki's little band of deadly students. All of them took pride in it.

They entered the manor, which was large and spacious. The insides were decorated with sophistication, subtle hints at their wealth visible in every piece displayed. A centuries-old Saian vase. Some Asayaman trinkets scattered around it. An expensive-looking rug from Dumah. They reached the foyer and were led up the marble stairs, light from the large windows making the material glimmer. The Carlston were no foppish, useless, unintelligent family. They had carved their way up, bit by bit. No fools at all.

Perhaps they could be turned into allies. The prim, proper George Carlston might display a hidden layer of shrewd cunning. It was a nice thought. Unlikely, but it made her smile to herself.

"This way, please, my ladies." Dunne was light-footed and anxious. It spoke of a level of invisibility necessary in the servants of the household. They'd be discreet and observant. That would be Io's job, charming servants. Always very revealing.

Their rooms were down a single corridor. Four rooms on each side. Dunne informed them with exquisite politeness that they'd be occupying the ones on the left. The one at the end of the line was reserved for Lady Kuroki, and her three students could pick from the others.

Io took the first room, because she'd be doing most of the sneaking in and out. Asteria the second, because they glanced out of the window and agreed it was the most difficult to climb out from, of which she was least likely among them to do. Danna took the third, as it was the only one left.

Amusing, how much care had to be put into something as simple as picking a room.

Once they were done, with luggage placed down, Lady Kuroki retired to her own room and the three girls went to explore. Guests were arriving left and right, being loud and rowdy about it. Any one of these people may be spreading the enemy agenda. They may be enemy spies, or simply people who believed in Meliquean beliefs. Either way, they would be dangerous.

Io said, "Do we have a plan?"

Asteria's reply came, "No." She paused for a moment, thinking. "The information we had for this mission was vague in the first place. A group of people seem to be spreading pro-Meliquean ideas quite passionately. We don't know if this is with cooperation and orders from the Meliqueans, or if this group truly believes in what they're promoting. But we know some of them have decided to grace this house party with their presence. Hence why we are here. To discern their identities and hopefully put a stop to it."

"To curb some aspiring philosophers. They'll be second or third sons and daughters, I think. Not heirs. Heirs wouldn't have time to dabble in those. People with time on their hands and a wish to carve their own way in the world," Danna coolly observed. She adjusted the silver bracelet she wore around her thin wrist. She hadn't been living in comfort. Not before she became one of Lady Kuroki's students, not after. The world hadn't treated Daneira Pang right.

"You'd know, second daughter you are."

The smile Danna flashed to Io in reply wasn't friendly. It was the same as the girl herself when all disguises were off: ragged at the edges, sharp and filled with a dull, suppressed rage. "I choose to spend my time playing this game of spies. It's not surprising some of them turn to spreading enemy beliefs. Gives them a little thrill, I'd think, an act of rebellion. A little fuck you to their family. If my parents were still alive and I hadn't been taken in by this crew, I might have considered the same."

"We will not, I think, think about how close you could have been to being our enemy instead of a trusted ally." Asteria kept her voice firm but soft, in case anyone was eavesdropping. She didn't think the people they were dealing with here were trained spies, but amateurs could pack a punch too. One of her friends, Cassalyn Diao, had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of an amateur a few years ago. They were unpredictable, wholly irrational. They astounded her with their stupidity and impressed her with their creativity.

"Meanwhile," Io said, voice dry, "I would simply have been dead."

Neither of these brilliant girls had had an easy life. They had both survived unthinkable things and persevered stronger than before. They were beaten down but emerged victorious. She admired and loved them wholeheartedly. There was no greater honour than to call them her sisters, not in blood but in name.

"No you wouldn't," Asteria said. "You'd have survived even if Lady Kuroki hadn't found you then. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"I think," Io mused, "that that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She smiled, and suddenly she was that young girl again, unburdened by shadows and demons. Before life caught up to her and clouded her dark brown eyes.

"You wound me. Straight to the heart." Asteria let her own lips turn into a small smile. "But we digress. The mission."

"The mission," Io echoed. "Everyone arrives within the next few hours. We're a bit early. I'll search the grounds before everyone's snooping around. Though it's the servants they're bringing along I'm more scared of."

They never brought servants. Lady Kuroki's girls took care of themselves. There was no maid running behind you in the devastated battlefield. They were utterly and completely alone. Some of them had been born into this world that way. Asteria's parents had given her a single maid to help with day-to-day life, but Zhiyin had been more supervisor than maid anyways. The Lus hadn't started from luxury and that reminded themselves of that daily.

"Not a problem for you though," Danna commented.

"No," Io agreed, "but a bloody nuisance." Her fingers tightened and flexed. She looked up, blinking. "We're about to be invaded."

"No," Asteria laughed, "we are about to be the ones invading, my dear." They'd reached a sitting room, and from the sound, one that was occupied quite fully. The three girls exchanged a glance before Asteria carefully pushed the door wide open and walked in.