A/N: I had great plans and ideas for this short story, but too little time to develop it fully. 

[Playing The Villain]

The door opened and closed, the brief sound of deafening rain outside muffled once again into a comfortable background ambience. Rashtia von Ludergeiss ignored the rainwater that she had brought into the small shed, staring at the cloaked figure who sat still in front of a square wooden table, with a single candle on it. Very much like Rashtia, the hood of the figure's cloak hung low enough so that only the bottom half of a face could be seen, and she made out a square jawline and hard lips pressed in a line.

It was not difficult to guess that the figure waiting quietly for her was a man, and she assumed that her gender was equally easy to guess from the same evidence. She was still only one step into the mid-sized shed, cautious. The shed was completely empty with the exception of the figure, the table, the candle and two chairs. There were no hidden corners –no spaces where ambushers could hide in waiting for the right moment. She had been a little concerned about the two small square windows on both sides of the shed, but she had not seen anyone near the shed at all when she had approached it. It was safe to say that the two of them were alone. At least for now.

Rashtia's caution paid off. As if her hesitation had been too long for the man's liking, he made the first move by revealing his hand in a gesture for her to take the seat across him. In his one move, Rashtia noted many things.

He wore fitting white gloves on his hands –gloves that were for knights or nobles only. His forearm, when he had stretched his arms out to gesture towards her, had a multitude of uneven scars; battle scars. And just very briefly, when his cloak had moved along with his hand gesture, she had seen a stiffness along the side of his body; he had a sword strapped to his side.

Rashtia took careful note of all the observations that she made as she took her seat across the man. Because she had been the one who had arrived late, she had been at the disadvantage of showing the man her general height and stature. The rain had not been helpful –the water had forced her shapeless cloak to show a general body silhouette. Meanwhile, the man across her was in his dry, shapeless cloak and could possibly be hunching to hide his actual height.

In terms of the ability to recognize each other after today, Rashtia was at a sore disadvantage at the moment.

"You have come far and gone through much to have a chance to meet me." The man said, and if Rashtia could trust her ears, she guessed that it belonged to a young man somewhere either in his late teens or early twenties. She hid her surprise well despite the fact that she had actually been expecting to be meeting someone later in their years.

The trials that she had to go through just to meet this man had been so carefully planned and well executed to get a judge of her capability, personality and determination had given Rashtia the impression that she was dealing with an individual who had amassed a large well of experience that came from age.

"You have not been the easiest person to find." Rashtia answered, keeping her voice low. In her non-official dealings, Rashtia had always made a conscious effort to hide the real calibre of her voice. Even if it only helped a little, Rashtia was willing to do anything to keep her real identity hidden in her mission.

"For good reason. But if you have passed the tests, then you must know what I have been looking for." The answer came back confident, and though Rashtia had initially been suspicious if the person in front of her was another test or the real mastermind of the tests, she now easily concluded that he was indeed the one she had been dealing with all this time. If he were a fake, then he were a very good one, and Rashtia would have to concede defeat to find another path to her goal.

"You need a woman who can handle politics of nobility, the expenses of a household belonging to a title no lower than a marquis, who can attract the right attention with the least amount of money and words spent." Rashtia answered, recalling the many tests that she had been made to go through unknowingly. She had initially been led around thinking that she was going to be meeting the mastermind, but over time she had learnt to spot the test and the reasoning behind the tests that she had been put through.

"Very good. I also needed someone with brains as fast and calculative as yours." The compliment given was lined with a tone of approval. "Unfortunately, I have one final test for you."

"I know." Rashtia stood up slowly even though it hadn't been that long since she took the seat. "It will be dark outside. Please watch carefully."

The man did not answer as Rashtia stepped out from the shed back into the rain, then slid her sword out from the sheath that had been buckled to her belt.

"If you are important to the man inside the shed, please do not attack me too eagerly. I will control myself, but in the event that I make a mistake in this rain, please forgive me for any lives I take today." Rashtia announced to the black cloaked figures that had appeared in the time she had taken to talk to the man in the shed. She made sure to walk to the empty area in front of the window so that her audience could see her easily, and the swordfight began immediately.

Rashtia finished the test within ten minutes and she stood in the pouring rain, hanging out her sword in front of her so that the rain could wash the blood off her blade. She was satisfied that she had not made any mistake in her test and that her attackers were alive, albeit all unconscious or simply unable to move from their positions on the floor. She would very much hate it if she took a life by accident.

Her preparation to resume negotiations with the mastermind of the test was stalled when her instincts suddenly made her turn around just in time to see a sleek white blade slicing through the rain towards her. Spinning with her blade brandished forwards for defense, Rashtia admitted that she had been taken by surprise, and when their blades clashed, the strength at which her opponent had come for her took her in shock. The vibrations that both their swords made was so strong that her fingers almost loosened on the hilt of her sword as she stumbled back.

"Impressive. You have been trained well." The comment was paired with a sudden lunge that Rashtia jumped to dodge. The two consecutive attacks made her confirm a very important fact –the man who was the mastermind of everything was also the strongest amongst all her attackers at sword fighting.

"So have you." Rashtia grit her teeth and she lunged for a parry, but caught air. The next slice missed her fingers by a hair's breath, and Rashtia hurried to escape from the man's range in a real fear for her safety for the very first time since she had arrived on the scene.

"You have very good instincts. I like the way you move." The compliment continued coming as the strikes continued pushing Rashtia back as she desperately blocked and dodged them all. After her fifth block from the heavy strike of the man's sword, Rashtia was forced to admit something that she had never wanted to admit before.

The man was better than her at sword-fighting. His swings were too hard for her strength to sustain against in the long run, and he had a speed that rivalled hers.

Forced on the defense, Rashtia did not even realize that she had been backtracking until her back touched something solid, and she was hit with the sudden realization that she had touched the wall of the shed. She struggled to raise her arm to block the next blow, but the lunge was too fast for her. In the last second, she closed her eyes to avoid staring at death in the face, and heard a dull thud.

"Very good reaction. There is a hint of weakness that will suit your role very well." The words made Rashtia aware that she had not sustained any damage, and when she forced her eyes open, she found that the sword had impaled into the wood beside her neck. If he had aimed just a few centimeters to the left, she would have been tacked to the shed wall and died with the sword in her throat.

"Excuse me?" The shock made Rashtia forget to keep her tone low, and she consciously covered her hand over her lips at the sudden smirk that showed as the man pulled his sword out and stepped back to offer her some space once again.

"Your real voice is rather befitting as well. Many men will listen to your words if you speak with your real voice." The man had been complimenting Rashtia ever since they met but she had not gotten a single answer out of him so far. Her rush to demand her questions answered were stalled when he sheathed his sword once more – and this time she could see that his sheathe was very simple –before he turned away from her. "We will talk back in the shed. My men will pick themselves and each other up when they have recovered."

My men.

Rashtia furiously wondered what sort of title to place for the man if he could easily call skilled swordsmen to this isolated place a good ways away from the capital just to organize a test for her. Her focused pondering made Rashtia follow the man back inside the shed and she didn't even realize that she had taken her seat again until the man leaned forward and placed both his hands –white gloves and all –on the table between them. Now that he had positioned himself closer to the candle, she could make out a little more on his face –a nose that was sharp and well-defined.

"You and I are both here because we have things we require from each other. I have tested you and deemed your worthy of my task for you, and you have picked me out of so many people in this Kingdom to be capable enough to carry out your task. Since I have ascertained that you are a fine lady of rather noble lineage, would you like to lay down your reason for requesting help from a source as dubious as mine?"

Rashtia could no longer deny that this man sitting in front of her was –without a doubt –a man of nobility. And of a rather high position at that, if he could afford to put her through such complicated tests. Still, she had come so far. It would be a complete waste if she were to be turned away her because she refused to reveal her intentions first.

Rashtia swept the hood of her cloak back, and faced the man squarely in the face, not surprised at all when he made no reaction. She wouldn't even be surprised if he had already found out about her identity long ago despite her efforts to keep it hidden thus far. He truly seemed like a man who had the ability to find out about her identity and the details of her past without even flickering an eyelid on the effort required.

"In case you have not yet found out my identity, or have not been bothered to find out for whatever reason, my name is Rashtia von Ludergeiss. I am the second princess of the fallen Ludergeiss Kingdom. I am here today requesting for assistance to avenge my family who have been killed unjustly."

"The official reason why King Mundus ordered the capture of Ludergeiss was because your sister Istia, spurned our King's advances and harmed his royal body. She was disrespectful and caused harm to our Crown." The evened answer came, but Rashtia had heard of this ridiculous excuse so many times that the rush of righteous anger did not even bother to burst anymore. Besides, she was speaking to someone who had power within the kingdom of Redgrave. Rashtia knew without a doubt that this man sitting in front of her also knew of the tyranny that had caused her kingdom's sovereignty.

"You know my sister was only trying to protect herself from being raped by your king. Istia would have never hurt even a fly if she could help it, but your king was the one who threw himself onto her." Rashtia answered softly because she had already had her outburst previously. What was left of her now was only the smouldering ashes of her rage, and a cold, steel determination to avenge her family.

"The Istia who would never have hurt a fly incited the anger of the king. I am sure you have heard stories even before this tragedy that King Mundus is not a man to be trifled with."

"When I am through with my revenge, he will be no man." Rashtia promised, clearly expecting to be mocked for her serious words. Her uncle who had given her shelter when she had escaped the castle with her little brother during the siege had at first laughed, then worriedly dissuaded her that her desire for revenge was only going to end up in her messy death.

Her poor little brother had also begged her in tears to not attempt suicide in seeking revenge. No one had believed her capability of carrying out her goal. No one but herself.

"Your revenge; do you seek revenge only against the man who started it all, or the entire kingdom of Redgrave?"

"Redgrave has no grudge with me save their king. Anybody who gets in my path of revenge will be cut down, regardless whether they come from Redgrave, Ludergeiss or otherwise." Rashtia answered strictly.

"Very good. Then you are in the best position. This deal is optimal for the both of us." The man –despite all his nobility –clearly had no loyalties to his king. Rashtia had detected a hint of concern for the kingdom as a whole when he had asked her about her revenge plan, but it was clear that this man sitting before her had no fondness for his own king. The simple fact that he probably already knew her identity –and could easily guess her motivation – and yet still agreed to meet her meant that he already had a plan for her.

There was little warning before the man threw the hood of his cloak back, and recognition flashed through Rashtia immediately.

Despite the obvious fact that she had lost in their one-on-one swordfight previously, she found herself on her feet and her sword drawn and pointed at the man who had not moved a single inch after revealing his face.

"I thought you held no grudge against anyone save our king?" Vergil Sparda, the Crown Prince to the Redgrave Throne, the king's trusted aide and advisor, the kingdom's shining light... the man who was closest to the king sat in front of her, relaxed with his sharp crystal blue eyes piercing through her.

"You are the same man who stood beside the King when he took Istia's head in front of a crowd!"

"Many people stood watching the king take your sister's head off her shoulders. Does it make a difference where I stood during that event? If you will not go after a mere citizen of Redgrave for standing by and witnessing the public execution, then why are you pointing your sword at me?" Vergil answered calmly, clearly not at all threatened by her sword tip since the both of them knew that if he was serious, Rashtia stood no chance against his prowess.

"You were the only one who had the power to stop him!" The anger that Rashtia had thought was gone sprang forth like a phoenix, and her low and resigned tone all but changed into an aggressive shout in the relative silence of the shed. The tears that she thought she had finished shedding sprang to her eyes as she glared at him with all her might. She had never been a believer of magic, but if they ever existed, she wished that they would aid her in sending knives to her quarry now.

"I have the power but no ability." The evened tone did not even change even in the face of her obvious anger. The Crown Prince spoke as if she had asked for his order in a café.

"What do you mean you have no ability! You are the Crown Prince; the right-hand man of your bastard king!"

"A Crown Prince who has his hands tied." Vergil stated, leaning back against his seat. "How much did you learn about the royal family of Redgrave? How much of our lineage are you privy to?"

"Your lineage?" Rashtia lowered her sword slightly since it was obvious that the man felt no threat from it. It was a fact for the both of them that her sword would do nothing for her if he desired it. The Crown Prince of the Redgrave throne was infamous for being the world's best swordsman. "You were born to the late King Sparda and Queen Eva. They met with an accident while they were out on official duties, but you were too young to take the throne, so your uncle is holding the throne."

"Very official." Vergil nodded in approval of her knowledge. "But not the truth."

"Then what is the truth?" Rashtia demanded. Back when she had heard the news about the late King Sparda's brother taking the throne instead of the young Crown Prince, even she had suspicions that there were more that met the eye. But the politics of Redgrave had been of little concern to her or her kingdom... at least until King Mundus tried to rape her sister.

"Mundus isn't my uncle, and my parents did not die by accident. Mundus used to be a squire in the Royal Guards, but he earned favor to his position as aide of our kingdom's advisor Allen. Together with Allen and my father, the three would often spend time discussing policies and strategies. I was taught growing up that Allen and Mundus were my father's friends. The day my parents died, I was in the carriage behind theirs. I watched as Allen and my parents were dragged out of their carriage and were stabbed to death. I thought Mundus was about to be attacked too. But when I woke up, I was in a prison cell underground. Mundus was alive and standing in front of me. He told me that he didn't kill me because he needed one of us alive to vouch for him. If a royalty like me vouched that he was as much a victim in the 'accident' as I was, then he would be cleared of suspicion of sabotage. I had to vouch for him and watch him take the throne that was meant for me. I've been working for him ever since because I have no other choice, and over the years, our act has been taken very well."

"What... why?" Rashtia reclaimed her seat, calming down at the true horror story behind the current king's rise to power. "Why did you vouch for him, then? Now that you are officially of age, why haven't you done anything against him? Why do you still heed his orders?"

"Because of my brother." Vergil held no happy tone in his voice as he retrieved a folded piece of paper from somewhere beneath his cloak, sliding it over the table.

Short silence was allowed as Rashtia accepted and unfolded the paper slowly, eyes widening in surprise to find a family portrait shining back up at him. There was no mistaking the family in the picture –it was Vergil's family. And he had a twin.

"The official news was that Dante had passed away in the same accident as the king and queen. But the truth is that Dante is still alive, but in his captivity. The only reason behind my inability to act against him is because of Dante. I've been trying to find where he's been hiding Dante ever since he rose to power, and it hasn't been an easy task considering the power I lost when he took over as king."

"Then... you want me to find your brother for you?" Rashtia asked.

"No, you can kill Mundus. I have already found where Dante is being hidden, but I cannot reach him until Mundus is dead. But I cannot move against Mundus myself; I have sacrificed too much of my freedom when I was younger to convince him that I was his slave. He sees my every movement. But you. Once I put you into a good position, you will get rid of him for me, and I will have Dante saved and my throne back."

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Have you heard? Our prince, his highness, was caught shopping with a beautiful lady of unknown descent! Her mannerisms seem befitting of one with a high position, but nobody could recognize her or determine where she came from."

"Yes, I have heard of it so. The ladies in my book-reading circle were saying that her beauty was comparable to a goddess, and when she spoke, all men in her vicinity looked enamored. Lady Morpheus witnessed his highness buying her a necklace made of rare diamonds!"

"His highness bought a piece of jewelry for a woman? But he has never gifted a lady with jewelry prior to this! Even the engagement gift that he sent to Lady Soleil was only a pair of gloves. Does this mean that he holds this unknown lady a higher regard than his own fiancée?"

Rashtia listened carefully to the rumours filling the hallways as she rushed past in her guise as a maidservant. The ball had yet to start, and already there were many nobles gathered and eager to start discussing their opinions on the most popular topic: about her. While Rashtia had never once taken part in such blatant gossip sessions back in her kingdom of Ludergeiss, she knew that had been the same back before the fall of her kingdom – nobles arriving at balls earlier than the starting time so as to get the juiciest gossip before any unwanted ears arrived.

Still, Rashtia was conscious to keep her head down and made sure to meet no eyes as she navigated her way through the corridors to the main dressing room. The ball this time was hosted within the walls of the Rose Palace, the palace that had once used to be the Queen Eva's residences. Other than the fact that the gardens of the Rose Palace boasted the most beautiful flowers in the whole of the Redgrave, Rashtia was also aware of the many stories of how the late King Sparda had used to exploit the many secret doorways of his Queen's residence to steal secret kisses and alone time while they were still alive. The Rose Palace was probably the most romantic place in the entire palace grounds, and such atmosphere was exactly what Rashtia had needed for her big debut.

Rashtia did not bother to knock on the door before she entered the dressing room, but made conscious effort to keep it locked behind her before she turned to her waiting partner in crime. He was already dressed in his best, and she had no idea what he could have possibly said to his attendants, maids and bodyguards to afford the luxury of being able to wait, absolutely alone, in the darkness of the unlit dressing room in all silence.

"Are princes not supposed to go around greeting his guests if he reaches the venue early?" Rashtia asked casually, fearlessly meeting the eyes of the man who had closed the book he had been perusing upon her arrival. She didn't even want to ask how long the man had been waiting for her alone in the quiet darkness. The Crown Prince of the Redgrave Kingdom was clearly a very different person when he was alone with her, and when they were around a crowd under watchful gazes.

"Princes are not supposed to be head-over-heels stupid for a lady who has dubious background." The answer came evened, paired with a gesture towards himself. "And here I am."

"Point well noted." Rashtia nodded. "Where is my battle gear?"

"In the adjourning room." This time Vergil gestured towards the door near him. "Dress well. Prepare yourself for danger. It would be a big waste if you ended the day today as just a messy splat on the floor."

"Danger..." Rashtia hesitated shortly in her journey towards the gestured door. "Should I bring a sword for self-defense?"

"A woman bringing a sword into a ball? We are trying to establish the threat you pose to the stability of the political sphere, not a physical threat." Vergil raised a single brow in questioning.

"Wouldn't it be rather unfair if you were allowed to bring a sword as part of your getup, but I don't?" Rashtia questioned in reply, eyeing the sword strapped to the man's official uniform at his side. Even before Rashtia met the Crown Prince in person herself, she had already heard rumours of how he was the only person in the entire kingdom of Redgrave who dared to –and was allowed by the king –to wear an actual sword as part of his official uniform rather than a ceremonial sword like everyone else. That rumour was very effective in elevating Vergil's reputation as the world's best swordsman, and though Rashtia trusted her partner's skills, she still felt better with a weapon of her own on her body.

"Would you be able to hide a sword?"

"Have you see how ridiculous women's dresses for balls are? I can hide a person underneath the folds and nobody would know better." Rashtia scoffed, taking the lack of protest as a form of consent as she helped herself into the adjourning room where she found her dress already prepared for her.

Months ago, Rashtia would never imagined that she would once more be wearing a ball gown and be attending the ball hosted by the man who had murdered her family. Vengeful and dark thoughts accompanied her as Rashtia did her best to put on her own ball gown, glad that Vergil had foreseen enough to bring his own book for perusing because putting on her battle gear for the night alone was a challenge in and of itself.

She didn't know how long she took, but when Rashtia stepped back out of the adjourning room, another woman different from the one that walked in came out. If Vergil was surprised by her change, he didn't comment as he silently obeyed her small request for help to tighten her bodice from the back. It was a silent, professional affair as he tightened the strings to her corset underneath, then expertly tied her bodice up.

"If you're already trying to kill me, it would be easier to wrap your fingers around my throat rather than crush my ribs." Rashtia gave soft complaint as he tapped her shoulder to signal that he was done, turning around to face her partner in crime fully. "But how do I look?"

"Ready to kill." Vergil's answer was simple as he stepped closer to her. Rashtia startled a little at the suddenly proximity at which he had invaded her private space, but held her breath as he brought something out of his pocket and seemed to fix it behind her neck.

They were silent as Vergil fixed an array of jewelry on her – earrings, bracelets and even a ring on her finger. The professional and silent way at which he garnished her with accessories made it seem as if he were fixing them on a plastic model, and Rashtia certainly behaved similar to a model as she stood frozen, waiting for the whole process to be done before Vergil finally stepped back.

"The earrings were bought from the kingdom's most prestigious jeweler. The bracelet has been sitting in the glass box of the royal museum. The ring holds the famed Jewel of the North, and the necklace belonged to my mother. It was her engagement necklace." Vergil introduced as Rashtia gave her accessories a once-over. She understood that the man had chosen the most popular, most well-known accessories to adorn on her –to show to the society that the Crown Prince had truly lost his mind with love to this mysterious woman enough to buy and bring jewelry from places that should not be touched.

But the engagement necklace was not supposed to be part of that package.

"Are you sure you want to lend me the necklace? It is your mother's property."

"A dead woman can no longer wear it. Besides, it brings enough impact to the nobles –the older ones who have been around my mother when she was still alive would recognize that necklace on you and know that you are a real threat to their position." Vergil answered evenly, seemingly not even sparing a single moment to hesitate.

Taking her hand, neither of them took deep breaths to calm themselves down. Both of them were so used to acting that the act that would be coming up once they stepped out of the room was just another day for them.

It was just another battle coming up for Rashtia.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Lady Tia, would you like another plate of refreshments? Another glass of wine?" The offer came from her partner-in-crime, in a tone so subservient and humble that Rashtia almost had a hard time believing was the very same man who had escorted her out of the dressing room hours ago.

"Another plate would be just perfect, Vergil. And please, fetch us some white wine. I would love to share some with you." Rashtia answered in her most haughty tone of voice, drawing the complete picture of a mistress being served.

There were so many things wrong in the picture that they were setting, but that was exactly what both of them had agreed upon. Rashtia, or rather, 'Lady Tia' was supposed to be as shady a character as possible who had somehow bewitched the strong, proud and confident Crown Prince. The two of them would work together to show how Vergil had completely gone crazy with love for the Lady Tia who had no backing from any reputable families, and her partner would take advantage of their situation to rid himself off the engagement that his uncle had forced upon him when he had been powerless.

The political mess was just a ruse to stir the crowds, and nobles would be split to either try worming themselves into Lady Tia's grace, or to work against her. All these seemed petty, but Vergil knew his kingdom, and most importantly, Vergil knew his king very well. Power, prestige, reputation, name and money were things that Mundus held dear as a king, and losing the capable Crown Prince who had been managing the kingdom's finances to Lady Tia would undoubtedly trip the old man up.

King Mundus would react negatively to Lady Tia and try all sorts of ways to kick her off her power, and –with Vergil's help behind the scenes –she would put up a good resistance against the king. It would be a power struggle against the king and an unknown Lady Tia over the heart of a love-struck Crown Prince.

The roundabout method for Rashtia's revenge had carefully been explained by Vergil who apparently already had everything planned out. In their political fight, the king would undoubtedly let his guard down once and be left alone with Rashtia in a room, and that would be the exact moment that she had been waiting for the entire time –she would revel in pushing her blade cleanly through the ribs of the man who had ruined her family. Then, further with Vergil's help, Rashtia would escape the Redgrave kingdom and from then onwards, would never have anything to do with each other again.

The plan had initially sounded ridiculous in her ears –her playing a cunning political villainess who had somehow found a method to bewitch and ensnare the 'all unknowing and innocent Crown Prince' into her trap and using him as her pawn to rise to power. Still, it was a role that fit Rashtia very well. Back in Ludergeiss, both Princesses had been prepared to be the next ruler and thus Rashtia had been well-taught to deal with sneaky and sly nobles looking to cut a slice of the throne. The role of a villainess infiltrating the political circle of Redgrave and messing everything up... it was truly a role written for her, and Vergil had clearly found himself a good aid in his goal for freedom.

"I apologize for taking so long, Lady Tia." The Crown Prince –the man who had once appeared before his people confident and stable –was now humbled and even bowing in reverence to her as he offered her another plate of refreshments that he had rushed to personally get from the refreshment table.

Rashtia could not even pay attention on the amount of eyes and faces of horror and confusion directed at them at the scene that they were acting out.

The act of today's ball had gone on for hours, and Rashtia was quickly getting tired, but still the main and most important audience had not appeared. The man she had chased all the way into Redgrave, the man she would come back from the dead to haunt the life out of him if she died without completing her goal... the man who was the uncle of the Crown Prince; he had yet to arrive.

"My Prince, please come and sit here beside me. I desire to be close to you." Rashtia said in her most intoxicating voice, accepting the 'obedient' prince into her arms as he sat himself right next to her, leaning close to her like a love-struck fool. The man could seriously act so well in his role that she wondered if he had actually experienced being a love-struck fool once before.

As they shared and flaunted their sweet-nothings, pretending to be completely oblivious of the horrified audience, Rashtia put her face close to her partner's, her eyes fluttering with something suggestive in them.

"Are you sure the king is coming to the ball?" She whispered in his ear, then pulled back smiling as if she had said something suggestive to him. Her partner in crime suited her act well, shamelessly roaming his hands in place where a noble like him should not be roaming without prior permission given. It was certainly an act that an engaged Crown Prince of a kingdom like him should not be conducting, and still, this foolishness lent more authenticity in the idea of him being bewitched completely in her trap.

He leaned in the same exaggeratedly affectionate manner, the happy smile spread like butter across his face. Rashtia suppressed a shiver when she felt the brush of her partner's breath on her neck as he leaned closer.

"He has no reason to stay hidden in his room once he hears about us acting like two idiotic lovebirds here in public." Vergil's hands pushed the sleeve of her dress further down, and for a short moment, Rashtia worried that he might actually just expose her nakedness right in front of their crowd. He thankfully stopped before things got too dangerous, simply nuzzling her sensitive spots. "Even if he had no intention to attend this ball, he would still come running to get a glimpse of the face of the woman who has made his useful hostage so crazy."

"Well, it's been hours and he isn't here." Rashtia dipped her face to whisper back.

"He is." Vergil short reply was paired with a peck on her lips. "He is just staying out of sight and observing you."

"What?" Her surprise made her pull back to get a glimpse of her partner in crime, but he seemed to have anticipated it as he scooted even closer into her personal space, pulling her head down for another kiss that would undoubtedly seem needlessly passionate to the third person.

"Anytime now, he's going to lose his temper and come charging in." Vergil whispered, and their eyes met by pure accident given their proximity. Unable to help herself, Rashtia startled and froze at how bright they were, and how sharply they pierced through her.

"How do you-"

Her next words were interrupted when Vergil forced his lips against her in another long kiss, and her surprise at his aggressive move faded away quickly to understanding when she realized that she felt a heavy presence approaching the both of them. Even without looking, she knew the identity of the person brave enough to approach their overly-public display of affection.

"My dear Crown Prince Vergil." The greeting might have sounded affectionate, but the tone was nothing close to affection.

True to their acts, both of them pulled away from each other, but without bothering to hang on faces of guilt as they turned to face their intruder. Rashtia kept her eyes and face down for a short moment of mental preparation, careful to hide all traces of her true self, then looked up fearlessly.

"Uncle. It's a surprise to see you here. You've never been one for attending balls like this." Rashtia never imagined that someone caught in the middle of such embarrassing display of public affection could bounce back so naturally and instantly, but Vergil was proving her all wrong. The man stood up, not even bothering to straighten the creases that they had made in his uniform, as he greeted his uncle –the man who had taken him hostage.

"I would never have seen such a pleasant scene if I decided not to join today." King Mundus's smile held knives in them as the two men faced each other. "Please do introduce me to your lady; I don't believe I have seen her around."

"Ah, yes." It was only after Vergil offered his hand that Rashtia took it as a guide to stand up to greet the king –yet another shameless display of disrespect for the Redgrave Throne. "Uncle, please meet my one and only, the woman who has instilled a whole new meaning in my heart, Lady Tia."

"My greetings to you, King Mundus." Rashtia finally braved herself to meet the eyes of the king who stood in front of her, drawing onto her past experience to give him the most meaningful smile she could make. "My name is Tia. I hail from a land far from this kingdom, and Crown Prince Vergil has been nothing but a lovely gentleman in his hospitality. I do very much like it here. Thank you for having brought up your prince to be such a strong, trustworthy man."

And because Rashtia had become used to being the focus of attention from her days as a princess in her own kingdom, she was able to ignore the loud gasp from her audience and the pressure of judgemental and hateful gazes pinned on her. The effect that she had been aiming for with her first words addressed to the man who had ruined her family had been perfect, and if she could somehow find a way to record this scene and play it over and over again, she would have made it her nightly ritual to watch it before sleep, because the slight, brittle change in his expression that only she and her partner could see was enough to lift her spirits for years to come.

"I am sure my nephew has enjoyed his time in your company. Please enjoy his affections showered on you, Tia. My nephew is a man who adores the unknown." The reply might have sounded like a well-wishing, but everyone worth his salt in nobility knew the meaning that hid behind the king's words. He had basically implied that the prince was only showering his affections on Rashtia temporarily, and once he got tired of her, Rashtia would find herself abandoned.

Well, she wasn't going to be so sure.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't know your nephew that well. Vergil has been treating me so well that I quite like this place here. It's such a lovely time spent being here with him." Rashtia was sure not to miss her chance to fire back a bullet, making sure to claim her partner's arm in hers to prove their proximity.

"Yes, Uncle. Lady Tia is... the likes of which I have never seen before. She has given me a breath of fresh air that I have not thought I have ever needed. The kingdom of Redgrave has never shone brighter in my eyes before." The pseudo-infatuated prince declared the same love-struck way he had done the whole night, and Rashtia was immensely impressed by the divulgence between this man's act and his real actual self that she interacted with during their first meeting.

Was it a result of growing up as a live hostage under this tyrant king?

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself immensely, my nephew. You deserve the best this kingdom has to offer – the riches, the power, the women..." King Mundus trailed off, a speech that was not very king-like, but at the same time too threatening to even begin sounding friendly. "I would so hate if you were to describe yourself as if chained to this place that has given birth to you."

"Chained to this Kingdom?" Vergil's laugh held a hint of scoff. "Not at all, Uncle. After all, it was you who have been watching over our glorious kingdom, letting me be free to do whatever I wanted."

"Of course." The reminder of the Crown Prince's freedom seemed to put the king into a better mood, and Rashtia wished against all of her instincts to launch herself into the man standing in front of her and burying her sword hidden under her dress into his throat. "You are always free to do as you please, my nephew. I trust you always have your kingdom's best interest in your thoughts."

"Always." The promise was tangent to the intensity of the Crown Prince's gaze upon his Uncle, and only with his arms around her could Rashtia feel the real tension that had snaked across Vergil's being. She had thought she would be the only one between the two of them who would be tense in the act against their enemy, but it appeared that the situations were switched. If such simple double-meaning talk could rile the Crown Prince's silent rage, then how in hell had the man been able to compose himself through the many years since his parents' death?

It was no question to ask at the moment, and Rashtia knew that she had to do something before the situation got too dangerous for them.

"Vergil." She laid the honey thick in her voice, looping her arms around Vergil's and removing his hand slyly from where she had been feeling him groping for the handle of her sword beneath the folds of her dress. "You naughty boy; touching places that you shouldn't be. Please excuse us, King Mundus. Your nephew... wants to spend some time alone with me."

Just to rub the salt into a wound that King Mundus wouldn't have realised that they had made, Rashtia leaned in close to her partner-in-crime and left a passionate kiss on his lips before leading the both of them away out of the ballroom.

"You need to calm down, Vergil." She whispered to the man who had silently followed her out of the room with stiff shoulders. "We can't spoil the act so quickly. Think about our plan. Think about your brother."

"I am calm." The reply that came was quiet, the very first time ever since she had met him that Rashtia found the man seemingly powerless in his surroundings. "But I'm not going to remain calm much longer."

Any more advice she could possibly say was removed from her lips when Vergil snapped his gaze at her, piercing blue eyes like daggers chilling her to the bone.

"If we fail, I don't know what I will do to both our kingdoms."

________________________________________________________________________________

"The end is near." Crown Prince Vergil's declaration preceded his arrival into Rashtia's room.

She looked up from the newspaper that had been delivered to her door early in the morning, met her lover's eyes with an unspoken message before waving her hand in dismissal to her servants. Amongst the group of maids attending to her hair and setting up her breakfast table while she read the morning papers, there were three spies in total –one working for the Duke who had been intending to get news on Rashtia's movements and predict her next move, one working for the King who was now entirely focused on Rashtia as his political opponent, and the last working for the Crown Prince himself to make sure that Rashtia behaved the exact way that was expected from her.

Keeping these spies around her –while knowing their identities as spies –was a reality that Rashtia had gotten used to. Her meteoric rise to success from being a mysterious girl from unknown lands into a woman who was set to be the future-Empress had guaranteed the introduction of spies into her daily life.

In fact, Rashtia supposed that she was surprised that there were only three of them around her. She had assumed that there would be more.

Still, the room was cleared of maids and servants, leaving only her partner in crime and her at the table where her breakfast had been set out.

"You didn't call ahead. I hadn't had breakfast prepared for you." Rashtia answered as the prince took his seat across her.

"I had breakfast much earlier in the morning."

"Did you visit Dante?" She asked, folding the papers and leaving it at the side before starting on her breakfast. The two of them had been working together for months to keep their act up, but still she had never found out the location where the man's twin brother had been kept. He had told her that there was no need for her to know, and the less she knew about his brother's situation, the safer it was for both her and his brother. Besides, she was not supposed to know about a man who had been announced to have died years ago with the late King and Queen.

"I told him that I was going to get him out soon." There was no need for the prince to maintain his act since there was no audience watching their every move. "He said he preferred his life as it was. Free meals and freedom to sleep and eat."

"Did he now?" Rashtia laughed lightly. A few months after she had been given her living quarters within the castle as a guest, then later as the Crown Prince's lover, Rashtia had gone wandering around the Kingdom's Archives and read up about her partner's family while they were alive, and most importantly, about her enemy. She had read about the antics of the young Prince Dante, and the records of the many mishaps the princes met because of Dante's antics.

In the cold walls of the castle, she remember having a hearty laugh for the very first in a very long time while reading the stories recorded of young Prince Dante before his 'death'. While she could not guess how the boy must have changed ever since becoming a prisoner locked up by his own uncle, the small insights that her partner sometime shared about him still painted the same prince whose personality had weathered the years.

"He had new scars." Vergil's announcement made Rashtia soft laughter fade away quickly to guilt. "That idiot makes jokes to return us to when we were younger, but he couldn't hide the begging in his eyes. If there was no promise that I was getting him out, he would have started begging me to just end his life and both our torture by now."

"You said that the end was near when you came in." Rashtia reminded softly, recognizing that her partner in crime was once more slipping into his depressive state. The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Redgrave was an exceptionally good actor even before they had made any agreements, and it was only in the nights that they sat together to plan their next move that Rashtia even began to catch a glimpse of the real man inside the many layers of disguise.

She could not claim to know his insides perfectly –he still kept some guards against her –but at least Rashtia knew that Vergil had no actual desire to be a prince or even a future-king of his own kingdom. The man's desires and goals rightful for a Crown Prince had been ruined when his 'uncle' murdered his parents, and the only thing that kept him alive and living as a prince everyday was the desire to free and save his twin brother. Rashtia had no idea what plans the man had if they completed their own personal missions, but she had no interest in staying around to find out.

After all, their carefully-crafted plan had only come to fruition so far because Rashtia had absolutely no plans to stay in the Kingdom of Redgrave after she was done. She didn't expect a king-killer would be allowed anywhere within Kingdom, and there was no desire either. Besides, she had a brother to return to. Even if her partner in crime had done much to elevate her position and help her out, she had no affection for her current situation.

"Tonight Mundus will invite you to a tea party and he doesn't plan on you coming out alive. He has already given instructions to prepare newspaper and gossip about your death, to be released first thing tomorrow. I am unclear how exactly he intends to kill you, but he will have the Commander of the Royal Knights with him. I have heard talk that the General of the Royal Army might be joining in on tea with the King."

Rashtia calmly took a sip from the cup of tea in front of her. The King was finally making his move, and it was time for the both of them to show their hands. Strangely, though, Rashtia did not feel any fear despite receiving news that the King was intending to murder her tonight, and had stacked the odds against her in doing so.

"It seems like he is impatient for his end to come." She announced confidently despite the fact that she actually had no real reason to be so confident of coming out of the tea party alive. All she was equipped with was their successful act of her having seduced the Crown Prince completely to her side, and rumours of her having gained the favor of some important nobles. But those had just been rumours –she had met those nobles because they had been eager to meet her and judge whether she was a worthy candidate to support after. There had absolutely been no promise that she would receive any support, but her partner-in-crime had certainly twisted news and rumours to make it seem so.

"He has never met someone who has so blatantly gone against him. Mundus is used to playing tricks behind the scenes while he paints himself a picture of sophisticated grace. Having you threatening his position in public is ties his hand." Vergil answered. "Tonight, we will stake everything that we have –our lives and our partnership."

"I was ready for this day the moment we agreed to cooperate." Rashtia answered honestly. They had spent months together, spending almost all their time together –either in act of their hopelessly-romantic relationship, or together to plot for their next move. The closeness at which they had kept each other, and understood each other's mannerisms and habit might have led Rashtia to think of something real forming if they were in any other circumstance.

Still, it remained a fact that they were simply only partners-in-crime.

"This is the last time we will be meeting each other." Vergil announced, sitting up straight now. His hand reached into his pocket and left something small that made a soft metallic sound on the table between them, his hands still covered over the item.

"This is the last help I can give you. My father's sword sits in the Treasury beside the room which Mundus has planned to execute you tonight. I will be distracting the guards by breaking Dante out of his prison. With any hopes, you will be able to escape before anyone catches you." The man explained as he slid the item across the table, and removed his hand to reveal a small key –undoubtedly the one that led to the Treasury. If Rashtia were in any other situation, she would have thought immediately of the many other treasures she could possibly take along with her to run off for an easier life.

But Rashtia had no intention to steal treasures from the Redgrave Crown. The only thing she wanted to steal was the king's life.

"Thank you." She accepted the key, much like everything else she had accepted from the man who had pretty much supported her entire journey. "In exchange, I should return your mother's engagement necklace. I have no use for it when I am on the run for high treason."

Rashtia's venture to remove the significant piece of accessory around her neck –something that Vergil had insisted that he kept with her as a show of how deeply he was in love to gift (not lend) her his mother's memento –was ruined when the man raised his palm in a gesture for her to stop.

"No, keep it." He expressed. There was something soft in the piercing blue eyes that despite all of their time together, Rashtia had never figured out the meaning behind it. It had appeared a few times while they were together –much of it when they had been on their fake public displays of affections that had sometimes even made Rashtia wonder if the man was really acting or not.

She could not blame him; they had been acting as hopeless lovers for enough times that Rashtia could feel at some moments that what they had was almost real. Throughout the months, they had touched each other so many times, at places where men and women were supposed to touch each other in public. They had seen each other in various degrees of undress –they even had to act out a scene once in which the maids had caught them in the middle of embarrassing love-making.

Rashtia knew the man's body from inside out, but she could not claim the same for his feelings.

Not that it was ever going to last.

"If there was ever a reality in which I could afford myself to love, then I might have ended up loving you." The words that came out of her prince's mouth surprisingly reflected her very thoughts at the current moment. "If we were the Prince of Redgrave and the Princess of Ludergeiss, we might have loved truly, deeply and innocently."

"We are far too alike in character to not be attracted to each other." Rashtia nodded in agreement, not one to pretend that they did not have moments of actual affection for each other. "But we might not have met. If there was no Mundus, our families would not have been ruined, and I would not have come to Redgrave looking for revenge."

"That is true." Vergil stood up and turned his back to her and the table, clearly in a signal that he was intending to leave her for the last time. "For what is worth, thank you for sacrificing yourself to play the villain. I might have pretended to be a romantic idiot for you, but for the sake of my freedom and my brother, I will cast you aside."

"And so will I to you." Rashtia took another sip of tea from her cup calmly, watching the straight back of a prince she would never see again. "It was my honor to have played the villain by your side, my love."

The door closed behind Vergil, and Rashtia focused on finishing the tea in her cup, tasting a drop of salty tear.