Even though there was snow all around her, Petra still felt cold sweat trickling down her forehead. It was almost like her layers of clothes and coats finally decided to wrap themselves around her body and make her feel the heat instead of the cold.

This wasn't the first time she saw a dead body, but she still felt uneasy at the sight of it.

Her gaze never left the body lying down on the snowy grounds. The expression on the person's face made her stomach slightly twist. Their eyes and mouth were open, making their face twist in permanent horror, and their hands were on their neck. She didn't know what frightened her more--their slightly purplish face, or the blood that poured from the side of their mouth.

Or maybe the insignia on their chest should have scared her to death. Two golden unicorns with their horns crossed against each other and a chamomile flower below. It was the insignia of Nuryyn.

The person in front of her was a Nuryynian soldier, lying dead in the snowy gardens of Royisa's Castle.

"Petra!"

Petra turned around, watching as Peter caught up to her. Just like what she expected, her twin stopped in his tracks with wide eyes. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, only for stutters to leave his lips.

"Is- is he..."

It was a dumb question, but she understood why he was asking that. He must have seen the insignia, too.

Even though she was certain they were dead, she still pushed her legs to walk forward and kneel down in front of the soldier. Their purple-tinted face should have been a good enough sign that they were gone, but she still placed two fingers on their neck. She held her breath, as if she was expecting them to come back to life and breathe.

Unsurprisingly, there was no response.

"They don't have a pulse." She stood up and dusted the snow out of her clothes. "I told you, they're dead."

"I... I figured that they were, but..." Peter reached for his bolo tie and fiddled with the gem before stopping next to her. "I was hoping that they were just... in a coma or something from the cold."

Petra's chest slightly ached from her heart beating too much, but she pushed her nervousness aside and shook her head. "Yeah, 'sleep'. Because with that face and blood, they sure would have a nice nap in dreamland and think about magical wonders and fantasies!"

Her brother shot her a glare and scoffed. "Petra, this is serious. They're from Nuryyn, and- and--why is there a dead body in the royal gardens?! Are you not concerned about that?"

She scoffed and brushed her brother away, turning her gaze back to the soldier below them. "Do you think you can detect what killed them? By the looks of it, I'm assuming they were either poisoned or strangled to death."

"I'm not touching it, I don't want to be accidentally accused or anything." Her brother crossed his arms and mumbled to himself again. Then, his eyes lit up as a smile curled on his face. "Hey, what if you do your star magic thingy and see what it tells us to do?"

"Star mag--what are you talking about?" It was her turn to scoff, though it slowly turned into laughter. "You think that trusting what the stars say is better than reporting the body to the higher ups and becoming less suspicious? I thought you said that this was serious! Why are you suddenly--"

Something tugged Petra's chest, making her purse her lips and lower her head. She placed a hand on her face before turning to the body in front of them.

Of course, her star map. How could she forget about that? If they would report the body, they might be even more suspicious, and maybe the blame would be put on them. But if she would just say that they trusted what the stars told her, then people would think it was the best choice because it was what fate foretold.

She clutched her chest, soothing the tug inside, and nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. I might be rusty since I haven't done this in a long time, so don't blame me if things go wrong."

With a deep breath, she placed her hands in front of her. The tips of her fingers glowed in a bright white color, leaving traces of light as she formed a circle in the air. The circle glowed an even brighter white, before fading into a pale silver color mixed with a galaxy of stars.

"Are you sure that's rusty?" Peter chuckled as he lowered himself to the map's height. "Looks completely normal to me. Anyway, what'd they say? Can you still hear their voices or did you already forget some of the stars' names? And what's with--"

"I might be able to hear them if you would put. Your face. Away!"

Her brother crossed his arms and turned away, mumbling, "Fine" under his breath. Now that she had her space, Petra turned her head back to the star map.

She placed her fingers on the map, making ripples trace across the galaxy. Dots of stars sparkled even brighter than the others, creating traces of constellations and patterns in the sky. For a moment, her fingers froze as she furrowed her brows. But after twisting the zodiac circle and aligning the map further, she fanned the map away.

"We have to bury the body."

Peter was silent, only staring at her with a blank face. Then, he let out a laugh and placed his hands on his stomach. "Bury the bod--ha! You amuse me, Defakt."

"Unfortunately, your stupidity doesn't impress me, Idei'na." She turned to the body and scratched the tip of her ears. "You told me to ask the stars what we should do, and they said we should bury the body."

"Are you insane?" Peter asked as she walked towards the corpse. "What if we get caught? What if- what if people would think we killed the soldier? Petra, this isn't a good idea and--"

"And if people ask"--she turned around and placed her hands on her hips--"we can just say that we used my 'star magic' to do it. You said it yourself. People might believe us more if I read the stars."

"First of all, this is crazy. Stars or no stars. Second, you said you were rusty and--"

"Peter, just help me do this!"

It was a while, but Peter finally gave in and helped her grab the poor soldier from the ground. A shiver ran through her spine when she touched their skin, and she was certain it wasn't because of the cold. There wasn't any smell on the body, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Where do we exactly bury him?" her brother asked when he lifted the body up.

She closed her eyes for a moment and recreated a map of the garden in her head. "It's a little risky, but there should be a flower bed by the lake. If we can get there without getting caught, we should be able to get away with ease."

Petra wasn't sure how much time passed, but she couldn't care less. The body was heavy, and it was probably because the soldier was already dead. Even when she used her magic to give her a small boost, the body still felt heavy.

After another minute of dragging, groaning, and resisting the urge to throw the body at the lake, the two of them finally reached the fresh flower beds. The thought of burying the body sounded so easy, but now that they were actually here...

She grabbed the shovel and started digging, scoffing when the frosted snow didn't make the earth budge. "Well this is fun."

Peter paused before placing the body inside the hole, though she didn't need to look at him to know his expression. "Petra, we're hiding a dead body."

"It's called sarcasm, Idei'na! I thought you'd be aware of it since you clearly speak it fluently--more than I ever did."

"I know it's sarcasm, but is it really the time for your sarcasm and--"

"Peter?"

For the second time that night, Petra's blood froze into ice. Her breath got caught up in her throat, and she knew she only had a moment to act. She stared at her brother as she muttered a spell under her breath, slowly allowing her to blend in the shadows. Peter stared at her for a moment, though she could hear the faint curses he whispered to her.

Footsteps made her ears twitch again, making her take a few steps back and stop just behind one of the large rocks. However, she wasn't sure if she should be glad that the one greeting her brother was the commander of the Tactics Brigade, Adrien.

Petra quickly resummoned her star map before looking at them again. Why did it have to be Adrien?

Even though his eyes were hidden by his glasses, Petra could feel the glare Adrien's eyes held. Even his green bolo tie, his mark as a commander, felt like it was piercing through her soul. "Peter, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night? And who were you talking to?"

Please don't say something stupid. She clasped her hands together in a prayer before shrinking deeper in the snow. Peter, please, please, please don't say something stupid!

"Adrien, hey!" Peter dug the shovel on the ground and leaned to his right. "How- how's the weather?"

Petra palmed her face and resisted the urge to groan as loud as she could. Of course, her brother had to say something stupid.

Adrien readjusted his glasses. This time, Petra could finally see the icy glare in his steel grey eyes. "I don't know what you're doing, but let me say this quickly. Quit the act, I know you did it."

Peter laughed and waved his hand in the air. "You gotta be specific, Adi. I did lots of things and--"

"My potion! You snuck into my study and stole the potion I was making!"

"Adi, I haven't been in your study since--"

"Where is it, Peter?!"

In one second, Peter was standing still. In the next, Adrien had grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and lifted him in the air. The shovel fell with a loud clunk on the ground, and Petra could only assume that the body managed to silence its continuous fall.

"The potion I was making!" Adrien repeated as he shook Peter in his grasp. "It was still a prototype. I'm not sure what it does yet, but it could be dangerous. But now it's gone, and I know you took it!"

Petra inhaled a cold and sharp breath. She stood up, making her body blend out of the shadows, and ran from the rock. "Adrien, stop! Peter probably didn't do it, let him go!"

Probably. She mentally palmed her face again. Good job saving your brother there.

Adrien removed Peter from his grasp, letting him fall to the ground. "Petra? How long have you been in there? Actually, since you're there. What are you two doing?"

"Wait. Adi- Adi, stop for a minute!"

But it was too late. Adrien had placed his hand in front of him and summoned a small ball of light. Petra placed her hands in front of her, though she didn't turn away.

She was able to witness the look on Adrien's face when he saw the body on the ground as well.