“Hi, you must be new here. I’m Caelin,” Caelin said, not recognizing the attractive man before her. With a face like that, there was no way she would forget. Even the tacky dragon tattoo looked aesthetically pleasing when on him. Not to mention, the black long-sleeved button up and dark grey trousers matching with the colors of his hair and eyes. 

Caelin glanced at the toned, tanned arms that his rolled up sleeves revealed and nodded to herself approvingly. It took a moment before she realized that she’d been admiring his body for longer than was socially acceptable. Caelin glanced back at his face.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. His jaw was clenched as he stared intensely at her.

A wave of discomfort and self-consciousness washed over Caelin. She hadn’t thought her entrance was particularly unusual. Usually, no one else at AIKA ever batted an eye at it. But it wasn’t exactly a look of confusion or disgust in his grey eyes. His gaze was like a storm, and Caelin couldn’t identify the emotions she saw. Was it anger? Betrayal? Longing?

Since the stranger still hadn’t said anything, Caelin crossed her arms and began ruminating. She definitely hadn’t met him before, but perhaps she had killed someone he cared about? That was highly possible. She had killed so many that night.

“Caelin!” Lilac’s stern shout sounded from close behind her.

“Fae-locks,” Caelin swore and hid behind the handsome stranger, putting him between her and the fuming Division 3 commander approaching them. 

“How many times must I repeat myself that you may not wander off unsupervised—” Lilac began her lecture before stopping suddenly. “Theo.”

Caelin looked up at him, feeling as if the name didn’t suit him. It certainly didn’t fit his sharp jawline and broad shoulders properly—those looked more like they belonged to someone with a name that starts with “K”.

“Perfect, I was looking for you too,” Lilac said, temporarily shifting her focus. “Your room’s been prepared. It’s at the end of the hall on the right of the west wing’s second floor. We’ll be heading out tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock sharp. Meet at the front entrance.”

“Understood,” Theo said. He then reached out behind him, grabbing Caelin’s wrist. 

She had slowly backed away while Lilac was talking, attempting to leave unnoticed. Caelin’s heart skipped a beat. Her skin burned under his touch, and she couldn’t help admiring the hand that held her. Were those sword calluses on his hand? Even his fingers were pretty. He held her in a tight grasp, like he didn’t want to lose her—and yet, his touch was also gentle, as if he was afraid to hurt her. Was this finally the beginning of her fairy-tale romance?

Theo tugged her forward, but contrary to her expectations of falling into his arms, he pushed her before Lilac and let go.

“She was trying to escape,” Theo explained.

Caelin’s romantic delusions instantly evaporated, and she glared at the unchivalrous man. That was it. She hated him.

“Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Lilac said. She grabbed onto Caelin by the back of her shirt’s collar, scruffing her in place like a disobedient pet.

Theo nodded curtly and left, retreating back towards the building.

“So when are you gonna let me go?” Caelin asked.

“When I know that you’re not going to run away again,” Lilac said, looking casually at her other hand, where purple sparks crackled and popped at her fingertips.

“Oh come on, Lilac,” Caelin complained and held up her arms before Lilac’s face. “Just look at how pale I am! How will I ever find a good suitor when I’m never allowed outside, resulting in such a deathly complexion.” Caelin sighed dramatically. “Any decent man would flee at the first sight of me like this.”

The corner of Lilac’s lips twitched as she contained her temper. “I do believe that’s the last thing about you that would scare a man away. Besides, I didn’t know you were so worried about your romantic prospects, Caelin. I wish you would’ve let me know sooner. I could’ve helped you.”

“By letting me go outside?” Caelin looked at Lilac hopefully.

Lilac smiled and shook her head. “By arranging a marriage between you and Baron Keefe.”

“…Isn’t Baron Keefe over sixty years old?” Caelin said slowly.

“Which is why I’m sure he won’t be so picky over his fifth wife’s pale complexion.” Lilac nodded compassionately.

Caelin slumped her shoulders in defeat. “On second thought, I’m not really in a hurry to find a partner. In fact, I rather like the way my room here looks quite a lot.”

“Good girl,” Lilac said and let go of her hold on Caelin. She patted the top of Caelin’s head.

“I’m twenty-five, stop treating me like a kid,” Caelin said, brushing Lilac’s hand off. “You’re only ten years older than me.”

“If you want me to stop treating you like a child, then maybe you should start acting your age,” Lilac retorted, but her stern expression softened when she saw Caelin’s forlorn expression. “Come here.” 

Lilac led her to a nearby stone garden bench, where they sat down. Taking Caelin’s hand in her own, Lilac patted it comfortingly. “I know you want to go outside on your own, but you have to keep in mind that this is all to protect you. Alice and Queen Calandra have worked very hard to keep you hidden here instead of locked in the royal prison, away from those who’d wish you harm for what you—” Lilac paused as she carefully picked her words. “—for what had occurred.”

“I know,” Caelin said despondently as she watched a bumblebee land on a white lily. “But it’s already been eight years since then. We both know that I’m not like what they thought I was.” Caelin ducked her head down, and a curtain of hair hid her expression. Cupping her face in her hands, her shoulders shook and her voice quivered as she spoke. “It’s just starting to feel like even if the world moves on, I’ll never be free.”

Lilac immediately pulled Caelin into a hug, sighing as she felt her resolve give way with each of Caelin’s trembles. “My division has an assignment tomorrow in a small town called Gorvia. It’s less than a day’s distance away. How about I ask Alice about bringing you along for it, hmm?”

Caelin pulled away from the hug and looked at Lilac hesitantly. Her heterochromatic eyes glistened, lashes wet with tears, scared of getting her hopes too high for nothing. “Really? Do you mean it?” 

“Yes,” Lilac assured her. “Gorvia’s population is small. There should be few, if any, there who would remember the incident. Especially since, as you said, eight years have passed already.”

“Oh thank you, Lilac,” Caelin said, smiling as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lilac immediately took out a lavender handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the tears. “After all that, you still cry in the end.”

“Except these are happy tears,” Caelin said cheekily. 

Lilac smiled and stood up, tucking away the handkerchief. “Head back inside. I’m going to talk to Alice about tomorrow’s plan. Meet us at the front gate tomorrow morning at seven. Don’t forget.”

“Of course not,” Caelin said confidently, standing up as well to leave. “You’re the best, Lilac!”

“As always,” Lilac replied, waving her hand in acknowledgement as she headed back.

Walking in the opposite direction of Lilac towards the east wing entrance, a smirk slowly played across Caelin’s lips. Not a single trace of her earlier emotional distress with Lilac was present in her eyes now. Caelin almost felt bad for how easy it was to manipulate Lilac with just a few tears. It took her a while to earn Lilac’s trust, but her innocent act and crocodile tears finally paid off. The first step in her plan was almost complete. She just needed to wait until she gained more of their confidence. Soon, she’ll be able to finish what she had started eight years ago. 

And have her revenge.

Five figures stood by the front gates of AIKA as they prepared to head out. Their AIKA-issued travel packs were already strapped to the back of the steam-driven stagecoach. Caelin pulled her thin coat tightly around herself. The early summer mornings in Lunaria were still a bit chilly with the sun only just beginning to rise.

“Let’s do a short introduction before we get moving since we have two new people joining our team today,” Lilac said. She pointed at herself first. “Everyone should already know who I am. I’m Lilac, commander of Combat Division 3 here at AIKA. This is Hale, our apprentice. Caelin, who’s only joining us this one time. Killian, our only full-time member. And Theo, our temporary contract worker.” 

“Welcome to the team, Theo,” Killian said politely. 

“Thanks,” Theo said. “Nice to meet all of you.”

Caelin refused to look at him. She still held a grudge from when he ruthlessly turned her over to Lilac. However, he continued to stare at her from across the line.

“So, can we talk about why exactly she is here?” Hale asked, jerking a thumb in her direction. “I thought she was supposed to be locked away in some heavily guarded roo—” Hale yelped in pain as Caelin nonchalantly stomped on his foot, digging the heel of her boot into his toes for good measure.     

He hopped in place on one foot, cradling the injury as Lilac sighed. She evidently had her work cut out for her. “Alice already gave her approval. So long as one of us is with her at all times, it’ll be fine. Let’s head out.”

Killian nodded in understanding, but Caelin noticed he still took the seat in the stagecoach diagonally from her, just outside of stomping range. Theo, however, remaining as stoic and unreadable as ever, sat directly in front of her. Continuing to ignore him, Caelin chose to look out the window instead as the driver steered them out into the woods. It was such a shame for the handsome face to be wasted on such a stiff personality.

“For the past month, there’s been multiple reports of the people in Gorvia disappearing,” Lilac began to explain their mission as the stagecoach moved. “Currently, ten people have already been confirmed missing. This is obviously unusual for a small farming town with a population of less than 800 people. The persons of interests are a mix of ages, gender, and occupations with no obvious pattern. No bodies have been discovered yet, so we’ve labeled it as a kidnapping case, but prepare yourselves for possible homicide. When Count Kalindae alerted Alice about this strange case occurring in his territory, she suspected that this may be Imperium related, hence why we are involved. Our goal is to locate the missing, arrest the perpetrator, and confiscate any illegal Imperiums. It’ll be faster by train, so we’ll be getting off at Apatite City’s station.” 

While they waited for Lilac to purchase the tickets, Hale spotted a group of young ladies in pastel dresses, standing a few numbers down from where they were on the platform. Making eye contact, they immediately began giggling and talking to themselves while stealing a couple shy glances. 

“Excuse me, friends, for a moment,” Hale said and walked over to the ladies with a grin plastered on his face. 

The giggles and blushes intensified as he approached. The AIKA group watched as Hale said a few words, then a lady batted her eyelashes, and he told an indecent joke. 

The gaggle of girls all quickly fanned themselves. 

“I think I should get him before he goes too far,” Killian spoke up as Hale began walking further down the platform with the ladies. He chased after them. 

“So he is a philanderer,” Theo suddenly said beside Caelin, catching her off guard. She hadn’t realized how close to her he was. 

“It’s definitely a bad habit,” Caelin agreed. “No lady at AIKA has been safe from his advances. Although, I’ve heard that he’s more respectful than others, which is why so many fall for his words only to end up with a broken heart in the end.”

“Does that mean he tried to make a move on you too?” Theo asked, his expression darkening slightly.

“Of course,” Caelin said. “But at least he knows when to back down. He’s just a bit…special you could say, when it comes to his romantic situations.”

“Have you been here for a long time?” Theo asked. “You seem like you know a lot about AIKA.”

“To be honest, AIKA is almost all I know,” Caelin admitted softly. “I actually have no memory prior to turning 15, and then AIKA found me just two years later. I’ve been here ever since.” 

Turning to look at Theo beside her, Caelin saw a strange expression on his face. A torrent of incoherent emotions flashed by before settling back to his usual neutral, calm countenance. She felt vaguely annoyed by this silent judgment. Caelin typically didn’t care what anyone else thought of her or her past. In fact, she enjoyed sympathetic gazes once she revealed her tragic backstory. It certainly made them much easier to manipulate. But for some strange reason, it was different with Theo. 

She didn’t want his pity. 

“I may be an amnesiac, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak,” Caelin said. She wanted to scare him—to warn him to tread carefully around her. “Don’t you want to know why Alice had me locked up in AIKA for all these years? Why I can’t be trusted alone while outside?”

 Theo took the bait. “Why?”

Caelin leaned in close to him, whispering softly in his ear, “Because I killed them.” She held back a laugh as she noticed him stiffen. 

“Who did you kill?” Theo asked hoarsely. 

“All of them.” Caelin smiled.