Not trusting anyone in the hideout to give him any privacy, Kaito waited until the frigid air stopped blowing so harshly to step outside of the shack and make himself comfortable, or at least as comfortable as he could manage, on a small, wooden bench out in the never-ending snow. Kaito was homesick. He hadn't even been in the Winter Continent for a week, and he was already prepared to go back home and never think about this bone-chilling hellscape ever again.

Kaito was tired of the continual darkness.

He would scream if he had to spend another night shivering himself to sleep.

He missed his home in the Summer Continent.

He missed his family.

As much as Kaito didn't want to admit it to himself, he also missed Miku.

There were a lot of things Kaito regretted. Sometimes dumb things he did when he was twelve that would keep him up at night whenever his brain felt it necessary to remind him of stupid mistakes he made, and sometimes they were more serious grievances. However, right now, Kaito's biggest regret was not killing that blonde Juliet when he had the chance.

It didn't matter if she was guilty or innocent. It didn't matter if Tonio had enlisted her help back at the start of that tragic school year. All that mattered was somehow and someway, this Juliet had stolen Miku from him.

Kaito could think of no bigger blow than losing his fiancée to a Juliet of all people. He couldn't even begin to figure out how that Juliet tricked Miku into thinking of her as a dear friend whose life was more precious than Yuzuki Gakuko's. This Juliet was some sort of master manipulator, and Kaito let her go.

Perhaps instead of giving her to Miku, Kaito should have made sure that Juliet had no hopes of recovering during those few hours she belonged to him.

No longer wanting to think about Miku, and especially the Juliet who took Miku from him, Kaito searched through his contact information until his family's name graced the screen. Although his mother should have been the first person Kaito contact, he didn't think she would handle the news of his whereabouts well even if Kaito fed her some convincing, trust-me-I'm-perfectly-safe lie. Akaito, his troublesome cousin, was not an option. That left only one person. Knowing the best person to call was the one person who was the closest thing to a twin Kaito ever had, his finger pressed against Kaiko's name and he confirmed that she was the one he wanted to call.

Kaiko answered during the first ring. Hair and eyes wild, Kaiko began screaming, "For the love of Artemis, Kaito, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to contact any of us ever again! You pop us a quick message to tell us that you survived that attack on the academy, then that's it?! I get you're busy helping to investigate or whatever it is you're doing now, but didn't you ever think to maybe just maybe send us a short, written message every now and again so we can be updated on how you're doing and not be worried over the possibility that you're dead somewhere in a ditch? Kaito, I swear I would somehow find you wherever you are and kill you if I wasn't so relieved to hear from you and can see with my eyes that you're not dead yet!"

Waiting only a moment to make sure his cousin had nothing else to say, Kaito replied, "I'm sorry it's been a few days, Kaiko, but I am glad to see you again. Even if it's through a tablet screen."

All Kaiko did was narrow her eyes and stick out her lower lip in a pout.

Quieter, Kaito added, "You know I call you every chance I get. I'm sorry it's not as often as you like, but I can't make a habit of disappearing from my team just so you can hear from me regularly."

"I know," Kaiko reluctantly replied, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it. You're a book nerd, Kaito, not a fighter. How do I know you won't get yourself killed?"

"I have no intentions of going into combat."

"Yeah, we see how well that worked out when the Thorns attacked that school."

Kaito opened his mouth to respond, but realizing his cousin had a point, he closed it again.

Seeming to understand that there was no point in arguing as Kaito wouldn't change his mind about working to stop what she believed to be a Juliet rebellion, Kaiko asked, "Well, have you talked to Miku lately? I unfortunately no longer have her contact information – my own fault for breaking my tablet without saving her contact across my other devices. It doesn't help she hasn't reached out to me either, but I still want to check in on her and learn how she's doing."

When Kaito didn't immediately respond, Kaiko frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Have you not been in contact with Miku either?"

"No," Kaito answered, hating the syllable as it passed through his lips.

"Okay, that's not a I-lost-her-contact-info-too no." Kaiko's demeanor softened. "Kaito, what happened?"

With a heavy sigh, Kaito told Kaiko nearly everything he had been carrying for what felt like months. He told his cousin how he had proposed to Miku and their agreement to keep the engagement a secret. It was possibly the happiest time of Kaito's life before Miku broke off the engagement shortly after the Cinderella Academy Attack. What Kaito did not tell Kaiko was the blonde Juliet's involvement in any of this, neither in the attack or being Miku's reason to call off the wedding before they could even begin to plan it. Kaito already felt ashamed telling Kaiko all of this, and he couldn't bear to tell her that it was all thanks to one manipulative Juliet.

"Oh, no, Kaito," his cousin whispered as Kaito finished telling her about the end of his relationship with Miku. "I'm so sorry. I know you two really liked each other. I'm surprised she would break it off with you so suddenly."

"Yes, well, she did." Kaito sighed again. "I still have her contact information, if you would like to get in touch with her."

"Hmm, no." Kaiko shook her head. "I don't want to reach out to her unless I know she's okay keeping in contact with me. There's no way for me to know if breaking off your engagement meant breaking off contact with the rest of us unless she tells me. If that's the case, I don't think I want to know."

"Since when do you care what people think about you?"

"I have always cared, my dear cousin, I just don't make a habit of sharing it."

"Enough about my failed love life," Kaito said after a moment of silence hung in the air between them, "how are you, Akaito, and Mother doing? I really miss you all."

The next few minutes were spent with Kaiko quickly explaining how everyone had been doing since the last time Kaito contacted them. Lady Yanhe, Kaito's mother, was adjusting to leading her district while in hiding, Kaiko was helping her to the best of her abilities, and not much was to be said of Akaito. He did what was required of him, but nothing more and nothing less. It was just like Akaito, but Kaito could see Kaiko's frustration in their cousin not stepping up more in these trying times. When Kaito asked if Kaiko had said anything to him, all Kaiko did was give Kaito a look that told him, "Of course I said something, but do you honestly think he would listen to me even if the fate of the world depended on it?"

"Other than that," Kaiko said as a way of finishing her family news update, "we have all been doing well enough. We mi—Well, Aunt Yanhe and I miss you and worry about you, but we're willing to believe you're taking care of yourself. Just don't go about doing anything else stupid and putting yourself in more dangerous situations, okay?"

"I promise that I will try, but I can't promise that I will succeed." Kaito wished his cousin was there with him, but he didn't voice that desire. As lonely as he was, he was grateful his family was someplace remotely safe. He couldn't say as much about himself or those around him.

"Unfortunately, I know that's the best you can offer me." Kaiko sadly smiled. "Don't wait too long to call again, okay?"

"Define 'too long.'" The two chuckled and said goodbye. Kaito ended the call and felt himself miss Kaiko as if he hadn't just spoken with her.

Considering how much he still kept to himself when the two never had a secret between them as children, perhaps Kaito hadn't truly spoken to Kaiko in a long, long time.

"Do you plan on staying out here all night?" Luki asked, emerging from around the corner.

After Kaito recovered from nearly jumping out of his skin, he answered Luki's question with one of his own. "How long have you been listening to my conversation with my cousin?"

"Nearly the whole time," Luki said with a shrug, as if he did not just invade Kaito's privacy without first getting Kaito's consent.

"And how much did you hear?"

"All of it."

There was a lot Kaito wanted to say, but he chose to speak none of it. Privacy was an illusion at this point, anyway. Perhaps he should have been grateful to go for this long without having any undesired eavesdroppers listening in on his conversations.

"Consider yourself blessed," Luki then said, sitting beside Kaito on the bench. "You dodge a blaster shot with this whole engagement thing."

"And what do you know of engagement?" Kaito halfheartedly challenged. It wasn't that he really cared much, but he was a little curious as to why Luki would make such a comment. Luki didn't strike Kaito as the kind of guy who had been engaged or married before.

Which proved to be the case when Luki replied, "Not a lot personally, I admit, but I've seen my fair share of married couples. My parents hated each other. My sister's husband drove her to commit suicide. I don't think I have ever had a friend remain happy after marriage. Marriage had always seemed to me the thing you do when you want to guarantee you stay miserable for the rest of your life."

Kaito gave it a moment of thought before he returned, "I won't say you're wrong about your friends and family, but not every married couple is miserable. I have a pair of friends who have been married for a few years now, and they are the happiest people I know. In a lot of ways, I envy what they have."

Shrugging, Luki said, "Okay, you know one happy couple. I won't deny happy marriages do exist. However, they are the exception to the rule."

"Has there ever been anyone you admired?" Kaito asked after a moment, suddenly filled with a childish sense of curiosity.

"Hell, no." Luki snorted. "Perhaps a girl I liked to peep on and touch whenever I could, even if mostly because she was the only female I saw on a regular basis, but never admired. Or at least not the way a former coworker admired said girl."

"Let me guess, they married and he instantly regretted it but is now left with no choice but to live his life in misery?"

"Aha, nope. The poor bastard died before they could get married."

The way Luki said that, as if this coworker's death was part of a sick joke of some kind, made Kaito's stomach feel uneasy. However, Kaito wanted to know what happened. He voiced the question to Luki.

"Boating accident," Luki briefly explained. "It was an old boat, and it gave way from underneath the girl. She fell in. Damn thing couldn't swim, so the guy jumped in after her. Gets tangled in an abandoned net in the process. She made it out and back onto the boat, but he drowned. Didn't have a knife or nothing to help him save his own sorry ass."

"He gave his life for hers," Kaito breathed, imagining what could have possibly been going through that guy's mind in his final moments. The girl he loved could live, but the cost was his own life. A part of Kaito wondered if had the guy known either the woman he loved died or he died in her place, if he would have still made that same decision.

"The stupidest thing you could ever do," Luki stated, sending Kaito's thoughts to an abrupt halt.

Looking at Luki from the corner of his eye, Kaito asked, "So you mean to tell me there isn't a single person you would die for?"

"Of course not," Luki answered. "I'm going to watch out for Number One. Everyone else is on his own."

"You wouldn't die for any of us if you were ever presented with the choice?"

Luki laughed without humor. "I would betray every single one of you for the right price."

Heart sinking in his chest, Kaito stared at the pinket for a moment or two. All Luki did was stare into the endless winter night sky. Then he turned to Kaito and grinned.

"No need to look so distressed," he said, a devilish chuckle to his words. "What, you think I was serious?"

"I don't know you or what you would do if driven to make an impossible choice," Kaito replied, feeling a chill in his bones that had nothing at all to do with the bitter cold and the wicked wind howling all around them. "Would you be a man who makes whatever sacrifices necessary for his team, or would you be the man to sacrifice your own team just to save the skin of your hide?"

Luki's grin widened.

Upon returning to the Megurine mansion, Rin and the others were at a loss for what to do next. After attending Ms. Yuzuki's funeral then watching an innocent Juliet murdered in cold blood, nobody dared suggest a normal activity to lessen the darkness of the day thus far. However, none of the girls wanted to spend the rest of the visit doing nothing.

"Perhaps we can take a walk in the garden?" Luka suggested, pulling on her hair as if she didn't know what to do with her hands. "Merli has chores to attend to, but the three of us can get a little fresh air in our lungs."

Rin turned her attention to Miku to watch her mistress chew on her lower lip in thought. Miku looked out the window as if that would help her make a decision. Then, after a moment, she replied, "A walk would be lovely."

As the two Cinderellas stood to prepare to go out, Rin looked at Merli. The Alice was already staring at Rin, nothing about her expression readable. Had Rin not read Merli's note, she wouldn't have known Merli was seeing an opportunity, an opportunity Rin should take.

"You go ahead," Rin told Miku. "I think I'm going to prepare our bags so we can leave first thing in the morning."

Miku frowned. "That shouldn't take more than ten minutes. Why not take a walk then pack tonight?"

Thinking up an excuse quickly, Rin held her head for show. "I have a headache from the heat. It will do me much better to stay indoors than to stand under the blazing summer sun."

Although Miku's frown deepened, she did not argue. She took a deep breath and told Rin that she hoped the Juliet felt better. Swallowing bile, Rin thanked Miku and wished her an enjoyable walk.

After the two Cinderellas were given their walking shoes, had taken hold of their parcels, and walked outside, Rin sagged. She didn't know what Merli wanted to talk to her about. If Rin was being completely honest with herself, she didn't want to know.

"Rin," Merli called in what sounded to be a permissive tone, "I know you have a headache, but would it bother you too much to help me fold the laundry? I would really appreciate the help."

"I can help," Rin replied after a moment spent in pretend consideration.

Following Merli, Rin walked out of the grandeur of the mansion and into the servant quarters. It wasn't as bad as the Juliet quarters in the Cinderella Academy, but Rin still felt unease how the home transitioned from a richly decorated and colorful design to bare, colorless walls and dry wood floors. Rin felt a little sad looking around the minimal living conditions of women who were supposed to be of a higher status than she.

Along the way, Merli picked up a basket of clean clothes from a fellow Alice servant. She thanked her coworker, paid a smile and a compliment, and again went on her way. Unable to shove down the awkward feelings, Rin kept close on Merli's heels.

When they came to an empty, well lit room with painfully white walls, Merli shut the door with her foot and set the basket on a small wooden table. There wasn't much else in the room save a couple of stools and what Rin assumed was a bucket of extra cleaning supplies. Both girls sat down in the chairs, and Merli began to fold the laundry.

"Rin," Merli began slowly, as if she was dipping her toes in a lake she was familiar with but wasn't sure she trusted, "how capable are you of keeping a secret?"

What does Merli want to talk about that she wants to keep this between us?

Bouncing a shoulder up and down, Rin casually replied, "I would explain just how good, but that would involve giving away some secrets of my own."

Merli smirked. "I cannot tell if you're messing with me or have lived that undercover a life."

As if she had no cares in the world, Rin casually said, "I am no stranger to working undercover, that I will admit. Anything beyond that fact, I'm afraid I won't be breathing a word of it to you."

"I can appreciate your ability to live separate lives." Merli picked a towel out of the basket and began to fold it. "Tell me, Rin, what do you know about Lord Zola?"

Rin's heart skipped a beat. She imagined Lady Zola, shot in the head by Rin's former coworker Nana, left to die within the academy walls. Although she didn't know either Lord or Lady Zola personally, Rin knew they were a part of Master Tonio's team and by that extent her allies. Then again, Lord Shion was also technically her ally, but that didn't stop him from insisting on being her enemy for no reason other than the blood rose tattoo inked onto Rin's skin. Rin didn't know if the Zolas would have accepted her had they interacted or if they would have been just as disgusted by her presence as Lord Shion was.

Choosing to not pick a side either way, Rin merely stated, "I know they are the ruling family of this district, and I know Ms. Hatsune has met and even regularly interacted with Zola Wil and Zola Mew."

"Yes, but do you know how they became the ruling family of the Feyre District?" Merli asked, completely uninterested in Rin's indirect connection to the family.

After Rin answered by shaking her head, Merli explained, "About two or three generations ago, the Megurines were the lords and ladies over the Feyre District. Then, when the lord at the time was about to pass away, he named his favorite child, also his only daughter, his heir. None of his sons were happy about it, especially since the daughter had been married the year before and had taken her husband's name."

Rin didn't need Merli to finish. "These brothers were offended that not only their sister was chosen as heir, but that their family name would no longer be the ruling name over the district."

"Exactly." Merli nodded. "Needless to say, it left a bitter, one-sided rivalry between the Megurines and the Zolas. A rivalry, I should add, that doesn't bother Luka in the slightest."

"She doesn't want to be lady of the district?"

"No, Luka wants to be a fashion designer. Not that her parents are thrilled about it, but she can't fulfill their dreams alongside her own. Luka has no desire to 'take back what is rightfully hers.'"

Furrowing her brows, Rin tried and failed to see where Merli was going with this. She struggled connecting the dots, and no picture formed. Finally, Rin asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Before Merli answered, she looked around the room as if it was possible for someone to be hiding within the few, small shadows. Leaning forward, Merli whispered as if afraid to be overheard by even the furniture. "The Megurines have been financially supporting the Thorns."

Rin had to bite back the urge to shout. So many questions were running through her mind – how did Merli find out, why would the Megurines do this, and if they really cared about Juliet equality. She didn't have to ask any of them, however, because Merli was already explaining.

"I found out by accident," she began. "I was cleaning Master Megurine's office some weeks back when I stumbled upon a broken-sealed letter. He must have not known I was going to clean his room that day. I nor anyone else was scheduled to, but the others and I decided to clean the rooms since earlier that morning Mistress Megurine had been talking of potentially throwing Luka a welcome home party.

"Anyway, curiosity got the better of me, and I read the letter. Master Megurine is in contact with some woman named Galaco. She knows who he is and that he has money. Their deal was made very clear.

"In exchange for the Thorns receiving funding, they are to create unrest in the Feyre District. When there is enough of a following and reason to go through with the plot, the Thorns are going to overthrow the Zolas. Once this is accomplished, the Megurines will walk in and pick up leading the district right where they left off generations ago. The deal for their reclaiming lordship is better lives and opportunities for all Juliets."

Rin shook her head, barely able to believe any of it. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're a Juliet. You saw what happened today. There's a bigger target on your back than on anyone else I know."

"You think I might be in danger?"

"Absolutely." Merli pursed her lips as she stared at the laundry as if somewhere within the fabric was the answers to all the world's problems. "I'm just saying with the Megurines financially supporting the Thorns, odds are the Thorns are going to get more than a little dangerous. If they do, the people will react. You will be a target for no reason other than your tattoo. I need you to be careful. I don't have very many friends left. I would hate to lose you again after just getting you back."

Unable to think of a response, Rin muttered that she understood and resumed folding. As she worked, Rin thought about what Merli had said. There was just one thing Rin wanted to ask.

"Do you honestly think the Megurines have any intentions of maintaining their promises with the Thorns about bettering life for Juliets?"

It appeared as if Merli was trying to not snort. "Of course I don't."

Cul hadn't been able to make eye contact with Galaco since that meeting. When the news of Ruby, a Juliet who wasn't even a part of the Thorns and possibly wanted nothing to do with the uprising, was murdered in broad daylight, Cul had to keep herself from storming into Galaco's room and begin shouting at the top of her lungs. It did not take Cul much digging at all to discover that Galaco hired those guards to hunt down an innocent Juliet and make a martyr out of her.

If any of the others knew, they did not let on. Nobody breathed a word to another. Whether or not anyone agreed was an even bigger mystery.

So much of Cul wanted to tell Ia and Lapis how right they were, but she kept to herself. They didn't need to know. They hated Cul enough as it was.