It took about another hour before the six of us were released. The intrèpolians had to confirm that we weren’t suspects, that our statements aligned with those of the other witnesses, and they had to determine that we hadn’t tampered with the crime scene or acted suspiciously before they gave us the all-clear, with possible questioning at a later date.

  Stepping outside, the cafe was just as bustling as it was inside.

  Intrèpolians scoured the area for evidence, their voice overlapped and blended together, unless you focused on a specific conversation, it was hard to make out anything.

  Then, a woman’s voice cut through the chatter, drawing our attention.

  “Hey!”

  Instinctively, I turned towards the familiar voice and so did Yvon and Toini.

  It was Marleigh.

  Even if I hadn’t recognized her voice, her presence alone was unmistakable.

  As eldest daughter of the Count of Aspea, the Vice Captain of the Green Torins—one of the ten who contributed the most to the war—she draws attention to herself by just existing. And yet, contrary to her tomboyish appearance, this noblewoman who was four years our senior is my kind and sweet best friend, the owner of this unfortunate café and, for some reason, my brother’s girlfriend.

  You’d think such a refined woman as herself wouldn’t have questionable taste in men.

  As soon as we stepped past the perimeter, she marched towards us.

  “They already told me what happened,” She said, exasperation evident in her voice. “I told an intrèpolian that I was the owner but they wouldn’t let me in!”

  “Obviously,” Yvon crossed his arms. “It’s an active crime scene, and you aren’t related to the case. Vice Captain or not, this isn’t your jurisdiction.”

  “They still questioned me though,” she pointed out.

  “Astute,” Yvon replied, unfazed. “You said they already informed you about what happened. One of your staff was stabbed, so naturally they’d ask you a few questions. You know, for someone frequently called smart, common sense eludes you.”

  Marleigh’s lips curved into a deceptively sweet smile before she reached out and aggressively stretched Yvon’s cheeks.

  “And common decency isn’t even in your vocabulary!” She shot back, still tugging at his face.

  “Mph—hff—HEY! You hag!” Yvon swatted at her hands but Marleigh kept her grip firm, “That hurts!”

  Satisfied, she finally let my poor brother go and turned to the rest of us—only to find two faces she didn’t expect to see.

  Her eyes gleamed with recognition before she strode up to Egor and smacked his back so hard it actually made an audible thud.

  “Eggy! How have you been! Last time we saw each other was what? Six months ago at the victory banquet?”

  Egor winced, his entire body jolting forward. Rubbing his spine, he turned to her.

  “Leigh… still heavy-handed, I see. Mind taking it down a notch? One of these days, you’re going to send someone to the emergency room.”

  “She already did,” Yvon whispered—loudly. “I could barely walk for three weeks.”

  He moved closer to Egor and continued, “I’m telling you man, this woman’s future husband is going to need protective gear.”

  Toini and I looked at Yvon then at each other. No one else in this group besides me and Toini knew about them, so only we knew that Yvon was just describing his future. Why were they hiding their relationship? Because of our demented—I mean, beloved—older sister of course!

  Marleigh cleared her throat, deciding to move the conversation along.

  She turned to Lev and asked, “What brings you to this side of town, Vice Captain?”

  But before he could answer, Egor spoke up instead.

  “We came from your base. Captain Nile wanted to go over a few things with your captain before the operation. We finished the meeting before lunch but the captain stayed behind with your dad—seeing how stressed he was. Who can blame him? Considering that his Vice Captain WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.”

  Marleigh flinched.

  As their squad’s vice captain, she was supposed to be at their base assisting her father with their assignment. But instead, here she was, in civilian clothes on a workday.

  “W-Well, that’s his fault!” She huffed. “The man told me that if I did my best during the war and proved myself as valorian he’d let me be done with being one! Tsk! I’d rather just be a business woman than keep fighting for this sorry excuse of an empire.”

  Egor looked ready to argue but Marleigh quickly cut him off.

  “I didn’t say anything treasonous nor did I violate military law. Besides, the war has been over for a while now and guess what, I’m still here! So I figured since my father—my boss—has no intention of letting me go, I’ll just do whatever I want! It’s not like I’d be losing my job anyway.”

  Egor muttered in disgust, “Ugh. Nepotism at its finest.”

  Their banter made the events earlier seem like a bad dream. Had it not been for the intrèpolians working behind us, I might’ve actually believed it was just a nightmare.

  “Enough of that,” Marleigh said, shifting the conversation elsewhere again. “What’s up with them?”

  “Who are you talking about?” Egor asked.

  Marleigh then pointed her fan at Lev, then at me.

  “This one and that one. If looks could melt people, Yvette would be a puddle by now.”

  Lev arched a brow. “I’m just making sure the tear she made on her dress isn’t seen.”

  “A gentleman as usual,” Marleigh hummed. “But this isn’t the first time my best friend’s had a wardrobe malfunction with you in the vicinity, this isn’t even the worst one. Usually, you’d let her brothers handle things like this and only step in as a last resort. Which—considering how Yvon’s almost always to the rescue—rarely ever happens. So you can understand my confusion.”

  Toini and Egor exchanged awkward glances.

  “Young Miss, you’re going to want to sit down for this,” Toini suggested.

  “She’s right,” Egor agreed. “Let’s go to the park and talk there. The view is also calm and relaxing!”

  Marleigh frowned, realizing how tense the two were. “What’s going on?”

  Lev—nonchalant like usual—answered, casually dropping the news on her without warning.

  “Why would I let someone else take care of my fiancée when I’m here?”

  Egor facepalmed. Yvon snickered. Toini was flabbergasted.

  “That’s one way to inform her,” Eugen whispered.

  “Sigh… I can already hear the nagging and it’s not even here yet,” I muttered.

  Marleigh’s eyes widened in shock after hearing Lev’s words. She snapped to me, but by the time she did I was already hiding behind my shield—Yvon. Hey, I already got a nagging Toini today, I don’t want a nagging Marleigh to boot.

  “Hey Coward,” She began, “Care to explain yourself?”

  I examined my nails, pretending to act as casual as possible. “I have the right to remain silent.”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Before Marleigh could press further, a group of valorians approached us. Leading them was a woman whose blonde wayed in the wind and her green eyes as sharp as ever, locking onto me and my brother.

  “Yvon? Yvette?” She said in surprise, “What are the two of you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the boutique.”

  “Mom…” I called out, almost in a whisper.

  The calm concern on her face morphed into sheer horror as she landed on our blood stained clothes.

  “WHY ARE YOU COVERED IN BLOOD?!”

  She yanked Yvon towrds her, twisteinghim around, her eyes darted to his arms, legs, and torso before turning her attention to me. She lifted my chin, examined my face then knelt to check my legs.

  The sudden body check wasn’t unexpected, Mom would sooner march to battle unarmed than let us get hurt. Not that it was ever a problem—Yvonne hid her abuse too well.

  Before she could continue, Inspector Juke and Detective Fàsach emerged from the cafe. Noticing our very not-so-subtle group, the Inspector approached us with a wide smile. Though, I don’t really think an inspector smiling so brightly at a murder scene was something anyone here wants to see.

  “Greetings to the pen of Oryx—the Countess of Sunglen—Colonel Dulcenia Oryx!” He chimed. “Today is just full of surprises. First it was the Vice Captain of the Violet Lyrixes, now it’s an old friend!”

  Notcing Mom’s near-hysterical state, the inspector sighed. “If enemy soldiers saw you right now, they’d be flabbergasted. ‘The Steel Princess of the Battlefield’, ‘The Smiling Executioner’, shaken at the sight of blood!”

  Mom shot him a sharp look.

  “They can laugh all they want at me but things are different when my family is involved.”

  She turned back to us and asked, “Are you alright?”

  Yvon, ever the charmed, smiled in an attempt to calm her down.

  “Yes, Mom, we’re fine. Look! There’s not a scratch on us, see? Our clothes are a mess—her’s more than mine—but the blood isn’t ours. We’re not hurt, Mom.”

  She let out a sigh of relief and turned to our attendants, “What about you two? Are you both okay?”

  Toini nodded, “Yes, Your Valoralness.”

  “Yes, Countess,” Eugen replied.

  Inspector Juke, chuckled.

  “Relax, Sen. Your children are alright and so are there attendants. In fact, this one here saved the chef’s life! You ought to give the boy a raise!”

  Eugen fixed his glasses and replied smoothly, “You flatter me, Inspector. Though as a doctor, I merely did my part. However, I’m not saying no to the raise.”

  The Inspector roared with laughter. “HAHAHA! I like this one a lot! Why don’t you become the resident doctor of the KI-CID’s First Section!”

  Eugen smirked. Two job offers in one day, one from us and one from the Inspector of the Khalendros Intrepolian Criminal Investigation Division! Way to go, Doc.

  “I am grateful for your job offer, I have to politely to decline,” He subtly glanced at me before continuing, “While I am confident about my skills, I do think you can find someone better for that role. I can happily recommend some friends of mine who’d be happy to work for the KI-CID. Highly competent and skilled doctors who ranked above me, they’d do well. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I am grateful—as I’ve already said—it’s just that my ambitions go further than just Khalendros. The Capital has its charms but… I dream bigger and want something new and exciting.”

  Intrigued, Fàsach tilted his head.

  “Such a curious answer. Care to share your plans?”

  Eugen simply smiled back at him, “Ahh, but that would spoil my fun!”

  Mom patted Eugen’s head. Her eyes warm and motherly. “I am proud of what you did. I’m glad all your hard work has paid off. You’re a fine doctor! It’s a shame though… You are also a very wonderful attendant. Someone I trust to aid my children.”

  “Not to worry, Your Valoralness. I plan on being an attendant for a few more years. I’ll keep my promise to Her Radiance and look after her siblings.”

  Yvon’s lips curled subtly into a sarcastic smile. Eugen’s words amused us—those that knew the double meaning they held. He wasn’t upholding his promise out of loyalty anymore—no, he was keeping it because she was the one who destroyed his world and we, the people he promised to look after, offered him a lifeline.

  Inspector Juke clapped his hands together. “You can relax now Sen, the children are alright. Just ask the Vice Captain. No harm was done to them.”

  Mom turned, “Right. You did mention a Vice Captain before—LEV?! Goodness, my boy! I am so sorry! I didn’t notice you at all! E-Egor?! You’re here too?!”

  Egor teased her, feigning hurt, his hand over his heart. “You wound me, Aunt Sen! How could you NOT notice your favorite child?!”

  Yvon arched a brow, “I don’t remember having a jester for a brother.”

  I looked at my twin and with a disgusted and flabbergasted look as I gave him a slow once-over.

  “I do, though.”

  “HEY!” The two of them exclaimed at the same time.

  Seriously, who was who’s twin here?

  Egor and Yvon glared at each other jokingly before Egor threw an arm over Lev’s shoulder.

  “Don’t be too hurt, man. You just have to work on standing out better to your fiancée’s mother!”

  Fàsach blinked, “"Fiancée? Their Radiances have been married for a month already. Though it is widely known that you are their friend, even as a jest, what you said could be misinterpreted easily—it could cause a scandal.”

  Yvon scowled, scratching his chin. “Did the jester mention Her Radiance?”

  Fàsach’s gaze snapped to me, realizing what Yvon meant.

  “The Vice Captain is engaged… to the Young Miss?”

  Mister, I do not like your tone.

  Inspector Juke looked surprised, “Sen, is that true? Your youngest is engaged to the Vice Captain?”

  Mom smiled, “Yes, she is. They were engaged yesterday and will be married at the end of the month.”

  “WHAT?!” Marleigh shrieked. “AT THE END OF THE MONTH?!”

  The Inspector looked as pale as snow, “Sen… I know the situation between Sunglen and Serebro, but did you and Aldous think this through? Apologies, Vice Captain, but this young man is infamous for harboring feelings for little Yvonne.”

  Mom didn’t answer immediately, she paused before responding. “The vassals did say it would seem too fast, too rushed but in the end we all agreed that despite public opinion, it would be best to get everything over with.”

  I could feel Fàsach's gaze flickering toward me. I didn’t acknowledge it, I didn’t want to. I refused to be under his scrutiny, especially after everything that happened today.

  “The wedding may be rushed,” Mom continued, “but what can we do? It’s for the sake of two territories. We’re beyond grateful that the two of them agreed to it willingly.”

  “Willingly?” Yvon muttered, “Not that they had much of a choice.”

  I smacked him with the back of my hand naturally as though it was an accident.

  She then turned to me and Yvon, her expression softening. “My darlings, you’ve had quite the eventful day. If you haven’t gone to the boutique yet it’s alright, you can go tomorrow. Let’s head home.”

  Just then, a piercing shriek echoed through the sky. A skyeire swooped down landing on our mother’s outstretched arm. A note was attached to its foot. She unfastened it and read it aloud.

  “It’s from General Newport. He’s asking us to visit the barracks on the outskirts.”

  One of her colleagues groaned, a vein visibly throbbing on his forehead. “Which barracks did the old geezer—I mean, general—want us to visit? There are four different barracks in the four different outskirt towns in the capital! Did he specify?”

  Mom glanced back at the note before exhaling. “... All of them.”

  Her colleague ran a hand down his face, muttering under his breath. “This is why I specifically told you Dulcenia—don’t get under the old geezer’s skin! Ah… my blood pressure...”

  Mom exhaled. “It can’t be helped.”

  “I’m sorry, kids, but I have to get back to work,” She said, giving us a hug. “We’ll talk more about this at home.”

  “Be careful out there, Mom,” Yvon said before pulling away.

  Just as she was about to step away, she noticed Lev glancing at me—more specifically at his coat that was tied around my waist, shielding the tear under my dress.

  Her eyes glimmered and she reached into her inner pocket.

  “Actually, I have an idea!” She said as she turned to Yvon, “Darling, why don’t you head back to Savodure? I’ll have some clothes sent for you. I know you’ll do better and feel more relaxed at the kitchen rather than being cooped up at home. Toini, will go with you as usual. Eugen, you too.”

  I frowned. “Can’t Eugen and I just head home? I’m exhausted.”

  Still, rummaging her pockets she replied, “No, dear. Eugen will go with your brother. You on the other hand, I have something special in mind.

  “But I'm supposed to stick close to the Young Miss. Who will be attending to her then?”

  At that moment, Mom pulled out two crisp tickets from her pocket and smiled triumphantly.

  “Oh, you don't need to worry about that—because Lev will take care of her.”

  Lev stiffened. He was caught off guard. I don’t think he was even listening up until that point.

  “I’m sorry, what am I doing?’

  “I find that after distressing situations, a good distraction helps! And what could be a better distraction than a premiere!” Mom was beaming as she handed him the tickets.

  We were all stunned.

  Her colleague rubbed the back of his neck, “I think my blood pressure just went higher…”

  Mom, undeterred, continued, “This’ll give you a good opportunity to get to know each other!”

  A premiere? After we just got out of a murder scene?

  Mom… Are you okay?

  Lev sighed, clearly trying to act polite. “While the idea is… inviting, I have a mountain of work to get back to.”

  “Oh don’t you worry!” Mom said, waving him off. “Egor will handle your tasks and I will talk to your captain!”

  Egor pointed at himself, “I’m doing what now?!”

  Without missing a beat, she took my hand and placed it on top of Lev’s. The two of us locked eyes, completely bewildered by what was happening.

  Lev turned to me, “Can’t you do something about this?”

  I arched a brow, “In all the years you’ve known my mother, do you really think she can be reasoned with when she’s already decided on something?”

  “...”

  Then, with a bright, satisfied smile, Mom chimed, “Have a fun first date!”

  Marleigh dropped her parasol, “Is… this actually happening right now?”