Rin woke up in a pool of her own tears. Choking back another sob, she turned her attention towards Miku. The Cinderella was still fast asleep on her side of the bed, face directed towards Rin, her soft snores filling the room.
Against her better judgement, Rin reached out and brushed a few strands of hair behind Miku's ear. Unable to help herself, Rin then trailed her fingers down Miku's soft cheek. It was a good thing Miku was heavy enough a sleeper to not often be disturbed by the thrashing Rin's nightmares sometimes caused, otherwise her face would be screwed up in worry and concern instead of its current relaxed and peaceful.
"I love her." Rin had said those words, believing them to be her last. At first, she expected Miku to say something about them, but Miku never said anything at all. It was as good a sign as any that Miku didn't return the feelings and decided to not embarrass Rin by repeating them. It broke Rin's heart, but she was grateful to be given the opportunity to pretend it never happened and hopefully forget it one day.
Although Rin wasn't stupid enough to actually believe she would ever forget developing feelings for this high-class lady who would never in any universe fall in love with Rin in the first place.
Besides, Rin sighed as she pulled her hand away, if Miku knew I had a part in Ms. Yuzuki's death, she would never want anything to do with me ever again. It's better this way.
Knowing she would not be going back to sleep, Rin crawled from underneath the covers and changed into something more appropriate. While undressed, Rin's eyes fell on the cursive CAE burned onto her forearm. Physical proof that she had at one time been property of the Cinderella Academy of the Equinox Continent. A constant reminder that her own father had sold her into what was practically slavery. Rin sometimes forgot the burned inscription was there. She hated seeing it whenever she made the mistake of looking at her bare arm and being forced to recall that this had not always been her life.
Rin grabbed the pendent Nero had given her back when Rin was someone else who lived an altogether different life, rubbed her thumb over it as she allowed herself for just a moment to remember what they had and what could have been in a different world, and tucked it away in her pocket. She had loved and lost. Now she loved in vain. This was the life of a Juliet. Even though she did not believe in the goddess nor the future the Sisters predicted in the stars, Rin was not stupid enough to deny that the Sisters had been right when they promised Rin would have no happy ending.
With the decision to begin preparing breakfast before the Alice servants could wake, Rin slipped out of Miku's room and treaded down the hall. She tiptoed down the stairs as she took the path that would lead her towards the kitchen. Rin expected to pass through the parlor on her way. What she did not expect was to find somebody else sitting in the parlor. Someone Rin knew was not too happy about her existence.
Rin heard Mrs. Hatsune before she saw her. It was as Rin was quietly darting through the parlor that a lamp suddenly flicked on. The Juliet nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the woman speak.
"Why am I not surprised to see the little rat scurrying about in the middle of the night?" Mrs. Hatsune wore a soft pink nightgown, and she reclined in the chair as if she had not been able to sleep and had chosen to spend the night sitting somewhat comfortably in the parlor.
Why the parlor, Rin didn't know. It was the least comfortable looking room in the whole mansion. The purpose of the parlor was to entertain guests while showing off how well this family had it made. Wallpaper made of gold ribbons and carnations twisting and turning into a beautiful, complex pattern; furniture made of finer leather than what Master Tonio had in his office at the academy; and all kinds of fragile knick knacks Rin dare not look at for fear she would break them if she merely breathed on them – this was not Rin's top choice of places to pass the time.
Yet here Mrs. Hatsune was, sitting in one of her fancy chairs and glaring at Rin as if the Juliet was a disgusting bug she wanted to squash but didn't because she didn't want to ruin her new shoes.
One look at the woman, and it was obvious where Miku inherited her looks. Same turquoise hair, same blue eyes, and same pink lips. Yet those same features that were beautiful on Miku's innocent face were twisted and ugly on Mrs. Hatsune's sneering features.
"What?" she spat when all Rin did was stare at the women as her heartrate returned to normal. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself, Juliet?"
Finding her voice, Rin simply responded, "I woke early and decided to prepare Miku's and my breakfast before the Alices awoke so that they would not have to rush to cook for us before we leave."
Mrs. Hatsune lifted her chin higher. Rin wondered if the woman did this so she would have to look down on Rin. Either way, it worked.
"It's your fault my once beautiful daughter has become a disgusting lard of excess flesh and unsightly pudge," she accused as if there was no doubt about it.
"With all due respect, ma'am," Rin began slowly, "Miku's diet was purely her choosing. I did not encourage it."
"Yet you did not discourage it either while you followed her around, did you?"
"It was her choice to make."
"I can't believe I fought to have you be the one to protect my daughter lest she have another fainting spell, and yet you let her eat herself into the unsightly form she is today."
Face growing hot, Rin curled her fingers into fists and said through clenched teeth, "Slim or not, Miku is an exceptionally lovely woman. The extra weight she chooses to carry does not make her any less beautiful. As long as she's happy with herself, does it matter how she looks?"
Narrowing her eyes, Mrs. Hatsune replied, "I'm not stupid, you ignorant girl. I know Miku broke off her engagement to Lord Shion for you. Why she would make such a foolish decision, I don't know. However, I do know that she will one day wake up and realize her mistake. Miku is my daughter, and she will ultimately go back to the foundation of the world I have taught her since she was able to walk. Miku is destined for greatness, and you are destined for ruin. When she realizes this, Miku will let go of all the things that put a target on her back. That includes you, little rat."
There was so much Rin wanted to say, but she bit her tongue. Right or wrong, Mrs. Hatsune had a point. Miku did make a mistake in breaking off her engagement to Lord Shion, especially for Rin. Although Miku and Lord Shion did not agree in their view of Juliets, that did not make the marriage a poor choice. No matter what Miku thought about Rin and her fellow Juliets, that did nothing to change the Juliets' status in the world.
Perhaps if Miku did marry Lord Shion and became lady of the Idun District, she would have had the chance to make a difference and perhaps even fight for better living conditions for Juliets. It might have met opposition with her husband, but Rin knew Miku wasn't the type to back down so easily. Now with that match terminated, possibly forever, Miku was back to having the little influence she maintained as an unmarried Cinderella who had yet to work her way up to higher status. There was nothing Rin had to offer Miku. She knew it and so did Mrs. Hatsune.
Now the question remained when Miku would know it.
"As you are my daughter's possession," Mrs. Hatsune said in a tone that made Rin want to squirm where she stood, "I have no say in how you are treated and what shall ultimately become of you. However, I will not allow that to stop me from voicing my opinions of you. If push comes to shove, I will not allow anything to stop me from saving my daughter from your influence if the risks of associating with you become too high for her. I have protected Miku from your kind her entire life. Her not being a child anymore does not change that she is still my daughter whom I will protect at all costs."
Not knowing what to say, Rin bowed her head as if to submit to Mrs. Hatsune's words. However, Rin did not break eye contact. Rin would feign respect, but she would also show that she refused to be so easily intimidated.
Rin had given up her sense of self-respect and did whatever it took to stay alive once. It was something she had no intentions of ever doing again. Especially for a woman who was too blinded by pride and her sense of what was right to see the beauty in her own daughter finding who she was and fitting into that identity she was making for herself.
It appeared Mrs. Hatsune could see the challenge in Rin's eyes, for she neither looked away nor blinked. For a moment too long, the two maintained eye contact. If Rin could win a battle against Master Tonio, she knew she could win a battle against this woman.
Fate decided that neither would be the winner. After what had been no more than five minutes, a maid walked into the room. "Mrs. Hatsune—" she began but cut herself off when she saw Rin inside the parlor with the lady of the house.
Both Cinderella and Juliet looked away from each other to stare at the Alice. She fidgeted for a moment before trying again, "Mrs. Hatsune, would you like me to prepare your morning tea?"
"I would much appreciate it." Although Mrs. Hatsune spoke to the Alice, her attention returned to Rin. "Make some for my daughter as well. I'm sure she would like a cup before her flight."
"Yes, m'lady."
After the Alice had gone, Rin again offered another faux nod of respect. Mrs. Hatsune said nothing as Rin walked out of the parlor and finally continued her journey to the kitchen. In a couple of hours, Miku and Rin would be free from the woman's influence for a few days.
It was the inevitable return that had Rin's stomach prematurely tying itself into knots.
I don't remember signing up to be anyone's errand girl.
Meiko shivered and brought her coat higher up to cover her face. It was particularly windy, and for some goddess forsaken reason, Meiko didn't think to bring her scarf. She thought the fur inside her hood would help keep her face warm, but she had been wrong about worse things.
"So, Tonio never intended to tell anyone?" Hio asked Kiyoteru as the three of them traveled to town. The combined group needed some supplies to hold them over until their next course of action was planned, and Meiko, Hio, and Kiyoteru somehow got stuck with the errand.
"His plan was to put an end to the Benevolence's attempt to infiltrate Artemis before it could really begin," Kiyoteru answered, placing his hands behind his head. "I was never completely on board, but Tonio is the leader. I just do what he says."
"Even if his ideas are stupid?" Meiko questioned, prompting Hio to mutter, "You're one to talk."
"I'm not afraid to challenge my godfather if push comes to shove," Kiyoteru replied, "but at the end of the day, what he says goes. On the upside, at least he's right most of the time."
"This wouldn't be one of those 'most of the times,' would it?"
"Of course not. It was wishful thinking to stop the Benevolence before they could sneak into Artemis."
"And now everyone has signed up for a battle they probably didn't want to fight." Meiko snuggled further into her coat as best as she could, but the attempt was futile.
Seeing her struggle to keep warm, Hio removed his extra scarf and offered it to Meiko. She bared her teeth as if to tell him to take it back, but he narrowed his eyes and kept his hand with the scarf outstretched. With both a muttered curse and a thanks, Meiko accepted the scarf and wrapped it around the lower half of her face.
"It was a nice hope, but an unrealistic one," Kiyoteru agreed. "Part of me wonders who would not have agreed to join the cause had they known what they were truly signing up for, but the rest of me knows there is no point worrying about it now. We're all here till the end, whether or not we like it."
"How did the others react to learning the truth?" Hio asked, his brows knit with concern, as they entered the town.
Like most towns within the Winter Continent during the sunless winter months, lit lanterns were scattered throughout the streets to light the paths for residents and travelers. The stone buildings lined the snowy streets, and bundled people went about their daily tasks. There were a few people who traveled on a snow bike, but most people traveled on foot.
"Oh, Ona had a few choice words for Tonio," Kiyoteru answered, his eyes widened as if he vividly recalled what, exactly, Ona's few choice words were. "The others were more or less struck speechless. I don't think it's going to really process for them until later tonight if no later than tomorrow morning."
"I remember when I first learned the truth," Hio muttered. "I was in denial for days. . . ."
"It doesn't sound real to begin with," Meiko mumbled. "There are others out there, and they want to seize control of Artemis? Who are these others? How are they out there? Why are they so interested in us?"
"According to legends," Kiyoteru felt the need to remind Meiko, "Artemis isn't the first planet humans have dwelt on."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Meiko rolled her eyes. "The goddess carried the purest humanity had to offer away and brought us to this planet, and—"
A scream tore through the air, interrupting Meiko. The three came to an abrupt halt at the sound of the scream and turned their attention towards the cry. About seven or eight barely dressed girls were running away.
Meiko looked from what they were running and sucked in a sharp breath. These girls were running away from a brothel. There was only one of the three castes that could be found in what Meiko always called the House of Whores.
None of those Juliets looked to be over the age fourteen. It was possible their families sold them to hopefully earn enough to survive the winter. The girls wouldn't be touched until they were of age, but that didn't mean they wouldn't receive any training until their day came. When they were old enough, their innocence would be stolen from them. It wasn't unusual or even rare to hear about girls attempting to escape the brothels in which they were kept, yet Meiko had never witnessed it until now.
Seeing some large men chasing after the girls, Hio lunged forward as if to stop them. However, Meiko's reflexes were better, and she took hold of Hio before he could get far out of her reach. They made eye contact, and Hio reluctantly nodded as a promise he wouldn't go anywhere.
Instead of letting go of Hio, Meiko clung to him like a lifeline. She slid her eyes towards Kiyoteru, but the man's demeanor was unreadable. Heart in her throat, Meiko joined the crowd on the streets as they watched the pathetic scene unfold.
These large men caught some of the girls, threw them over their shoulder, and carried the girls kicking and screaming back inside the brothel. Many were crying loud enough to pierce into Meiko's soul, reminding her of things she wanted to forget. Only two of the girls were fast enough to not get captured.
Kiyoteru swore, and Hio looked away. After a moment passed, Meiko saw what her companions saw and also lost the ability to breathe. Another man, one who was smaller and possibly unable to capture and carry a girl back, loaded a crossbow.
It happened so quickly.
The arrow flew, and the girl closer to him was down without so much as a silent scream.
Before Meiko could process this, the man reloaded his weapon and took the other girl out just as quickly.
Scarlet began to pool around the now motionless bodies. The other girls, those who were captured, watched these series of events unfold and ceased their screaming. Only one girl kept up her fight as they were dragged back inside.
Life within the town slowly resumed. The people again went about their business. More men exited the brothel and walked in the direction indicated by the man with the crossbow. The bodies of those young girls were picked up and carried away. Within minutes, the only proof that what Meiko saw was real was the dark red liquid freezing onto the concrete walkway.
For a moment, all the three did was stand and stare. The townspeople had already moved on. It wasn't until Hio tried to gently pry Meiko's hand from his wrist that Meiko realized she gripped the man so tightly it was possible she cut off the blood flow to his hand.
Simultaneously, Meiko, Hio, and Kiyoteru regained somewhat of their previous composure. Looking at each other, the three agreed without words that it was time to move on. None of them talked again for the rest of their trip.
Most people didn't think to look for something that hid in plain sight. It was why Cul didn't feel too paranoid walking down the streets of the Diane District's capitol. Besides, she cut off most of her hair and wore men's clothes. In a lot of ways, this was no different than all the times she pretended to be a boy so she could participate in those fancy and overly glamorized balls the Cinderella Academy used to throw. She had donned the disguise so many times, it was almost like second nature to pretend to be male again.
Except now the only price if she was caught was her life.
Even more than a week after the Thorns infiltrated the Cinderella Academy, the names and faces of those who lost their lives appeared on the screens above Cul's head. She wished the city had gone back to displaying its advertisements. Seeing all the smiling faces of people now dead gave Cul a sinking feeling in her gut she did not like to experience.
Especially the sinking feeling that presented itself whenever Cul saw the face of Yuzuki Gakuko, the Cinderella she had murdered in cold blood.
It was one thing to kill a nameless Cinderella. It was easy to seek blood from the kind that senselessly killed Cul's best friend. It was barely a thought to send the arrow flying.
Then the arrow met its mark, and the girl who had never done anything to Cul dropped dead.
The Yuzuki family offered a large reward for the capture and execution of their beloved daughter and sister's murderer. Most families of those who died in the invasion did the same. Yet somehow, Cul felt as if hers was the wanted ad that would be the only one answered.
Cul left witnesses. She shouldn't have, but she did. Now Cul could do nothing but wait for them to turn her in.
It shouldn't have been difficult to add two more names to the casualty list. Rin was a traitor. The Cinderella for whom Rin was willing to give her life had nothing to offer Cul. She should have killed them. What Cul should have done in those final moments before retreat was called was make sure there were no witnesses left to her crimes.
Yet Cul let them both live. Hitting Rin with the blaster was an accident; no matter how angry Cul was, she could never take it out on Rin. Letting the Cinderella survive so she could possibly help stop Rin's bleeding before the fellow Juliet lost too much blood was a potential mistake on so many levels. Cul didn't know if the Cinderella would care enough about Rin to try to save her. Even if the Cinderella did try, Cul didn't know if she was successful and if Rin was still alive.
For all Cul knew, she killed an innocent, accidentally killed a former friend, and left a witness who would gladly turn in Cul.
She couldn't bring herself to confess this to the Thorns, choosing instead to let them believe Cul had killed all three girls.
Sometimes, Cul believed keeping up this lie only made things worse for her.
Pushing the thoughts aside, Cul entered the old, seemingly abandoned home at the end of the poor side of the city. This was why her male disguise was so necessary: fewer people messed with a boy than they did a lone woman. Cul having a blood rose tattooed onto her wrist only guaranteed that anyone who dare hurt her wouldn't have to worry about repercussions.
Cul made sure nobody else was about and looking at her, stepped inside, and walked into the main room. The windows were open to let the air circulate in an attempt to keep the summer heat from suffocating them. A few of her fellow Thorns were lying on their stomachs in the middle of the floor.
"Back from your daily walk?" Nana asked, cracking open an eye to look at her former coworker.
For as sweet as the greenette appeared, Cul now knew that although Nana's bark was nonexistent, Nana had one hell of a bite. When Nana shot Zola Mew in the head and believed to have killed the lady until Lady Zola awoke from her coma the day the Thorns attacked the academy, Nana treated the heinous act as if it was some great accomplishment. It was enough to make Cul wonder if this girl had a single ounce of regret in her body.
"I don't know how you can just laze around all day," Cul answered as she slipped off her boots. "Is it really so nice to lay around and do absolutely nothing sunrise to sunset?"
Nana flipped onto her back. "Considering we used to work twelve hour shifts six days a week, I'm surprised you don't want to lie around all day and do nothing."
"You need to lighten up, Cul," Clara, the other Juliet in the room, muttered before shoving a fistful of what smelled to be coffee beans into her mouth. Unlike most Juliets Cul knew, Clara was on the heavier side, and it most likely had to do with all the snacks Clara ate throughout the day.
Clara had brown skin and dark brown hair cut to her chin. Extra weight wrapped around most of her body, giving her form a nice set of curves. Whereas most Juliets were malnourished, Clara had come from a bakery in which the owners were generous enough to let her eat the pastries that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Why Clara chose to revolt against the people who kept her well fed and, as far as Clara had revealed, didn't abuse her, Cul didn't know. She didn't imagine Clara was a big fan of stealing food, but she was successful at it. There was no other explanation why she was always eating something.
Although a part of Cul did envy Clara's well fed body, Cul found herself responding, "I think you're the one who needs to 'lighten up,' Clara."
Clara screwed up her face into a sour expression. "I swear, you always act like you sat on a broom handle and it's been stuck up there ever since."
Rolling her eyes for effect, Cul announced that she wanted to be left alone for a few minutes before climbing the stairs. She walked down the hall and came to the last room at the end. The Juliet guarding the door – Cul was sure her name was Arika – simply nodded before letting Cul through for her daily visit.
Ia and Lapis looked up as Cul entered the room and softly closed the door behind her. As with each of her visits, Cul offered both Juliets a friendly smile. No different from other times before, both Juliets frowned at Cul and looked away.
After Ia had try to flee during the attack on the fundraiser, she was captured by the Thorns and threatened to be executed if she didn't surrender. Similarly, Lapis was another Juliet at the academy who wasn't initiated by the Thorns but got caught in mix when she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, that wrong place and wrong time having been watching Cul and Nana flee from what everyone believed to be Cul's three murders. The choice presented to each Juliet was simple: join the Thorns, or die.
Not that either Ia or Lapis really joined the Thorns. To them, death would have been far more preferable. They almost got their way had not Cul intervened.
"They'll come around. You'll see," Cul had insisted, not wanting to lose any other friends even at the cost of kidnapping them and holding them hostage. Gumi's death still haunted Cul, and Rin's questionable fate sometimes kept Cul up at night. At least there were two friends Cul could account for, even if they no longer held a favorable opinion of her.
"How's the outside world?" Ia asked, her eyes trained on her toes. She and Lapis were kept in a clean room with decent beds and a window with a view of the abandoned building next door, but they weren't allowed to leave it. Twice a day, someone would give them a meal. There was a pot in the corner for the girls to relieve themselves. It wasn't the worst prison, but it wasn't the most dignified either. Cul couldn't blame the girls for their sour moods whenever she saw them during her daily visits.
"It's nice out today," Cul answered as she shifted from foot to foot. "Not a cloud in the sky. Hot as hell though."
"Hmm." Ia said nothing more, and Lapis never spoke at all.
The Juliets had made it clear from the start that they did not approve of Cul's joining the Thorns, and they most certainly did not approve of her murdering a Cinderella. Initially, they argued that this was not who Cul really was, and Cul foolishly insisted that the Cinderella deserved to die for her tattoo. Now that her former friends refused to speak to Cul, the red head was forced to realize that perhaps choosing to defend her pride was not the wisest choice she could have made.
There was so much Cul wanted to say, so much she wanted to apologize for, she found that she couldn't speak at all. So, like all the other days, she sat on the floor while Ia and Lapis sat on the bed and told them about her walk. Not because they cared what Cul saw or Cul wanted to tell them about the mundane things going on in the outside world, but for no reason other than Cul wanted to believe that she could still talk to them.
Cul only spoke for a few minutes before a knock on the door interrupted her and Arika's voice came from the other side. "Galaco's back. She wants every Thorn who isn't babysitting deadweight in the main room right now. Word is there's an important update to the cause."
The cause that promises Gumi didn't die for nothing. Cul wanted to tell Ia and Lapis those words, but she didn't. The first and last time she tried, both girls insisted this wasn't what Gumi would have wanted. It was the same argument Rin made that nightmare of a day that wasn't long ago yet felt as if it happened in another life. Regardless, it was the only reason Cul had for doing any of the things she did.
With a soft farewell, Cul walked out of the room. Neither Ia nor Lapis responded to her leaving. It was as if Cul meant nothing to them.
If that was the case, Cul didn't doubt she deserved it.
Cul descended the stairs to find the main room now filled with nearly a dozen Juliets. Nana and Clara sat by the door, Clara now munching on a bag of almonds. There were other Juliets Cul sort of knew but didn't bother to learn the names of present as well. Galaco stood in the center of the room, chin held high as she scanned all who were there. Sometimes Cul wondered if Galaco was in charge of the Thorns or just high up on the hierarchy.
"We need to act again before what happened at the Cinderella Academy of the Equinox Continent becomes nothing more than a memory," was how Galaco chose to open her speech. "We need to prove to everyone that this one time was not a fluke and that we can do it again just as easily as and even better than before."
"Great idea, boss," Clara said over her mouthful, "but one problem: our numbers are still too low, not to mention the casualties we suffered. We were barely able to cause an impression at that Cinderella school. If not for the element of surprise, we wouldn't have gotten very far at all."
"Valid point, bottomless pit," Galaco replied. Clara glared at the name but said nothing about it.
To the rest of the room, Galaco asked, "So, how do we increase our numbers?"
There were no immediate responses. Cul watched as her fellow Juliets shifted from foot to foot. Nobody had an answer they deemed worth sharing.
"Really now?" Galaco frowned. "Nobody?"
"As most of us who worked on the attack from the inside can tell you," Nana answered suddenly and loudly, "what motivated us to join was unjustly losing our dear friend and fellow Juliet, Gumi. She was executed for a crime a Cinderella committed."
Galaco snapped and pointed at Nana. "Exactly. Nobody likes a senseless murder. Especially the murder of someone in a minority. Look how quickly so many of you joined the cause as a result of your dear friend's loss. Imagine if we could recreate that on a grander scale."
While Galaco let her words hang in the air, Cul felt her blood turn to ice. It appeared none of the other Juliets knew what Galaco meant, for they all looked confused instead of concerned. Some whispered amongst themselves, but most of it was to ask it the other had any idea what Galaco was suggesting.
Cul knew what Galaco meant, and she didn't like it one bit.
"You can't be serious?" Cul whispered, hoping against hope that Galaco was simply messing around and this was nothing more than a sick joke.
Although Cul didn't intend to be heard, Galaco must have caught what Cul said because she locked eyes with the red head.
When Galaco smirked at Cul, it was all the confirmation Cul needed to know that Galaco was indeed serious.