Alouette is putting on lipstick when someone knocks at her door.

She glances to the side, the sound coming unexpected at eight in the morning, and then shrugs and goes back to her task. She checks herself in the mirror to make sure it looks nice and then walks back into the bedroom. She almost trips as she slips on her usual high heels, and after catching herself and mentally scolding herself she walks to the door.

She opens it and gasps when she sees Harry standing on the other side. She closes it again and leans against it, her heart pounding in her chest. Why is he in front of her room so early in the morning?

He knows, her mind says. He knows, he knows, he knows.

Alouette shakes her head. He wouldn't be waiting in front of her door so casually if he did. She needs to get a hold of herself, at this rate she'll be the one that makes him suspicious.

She opens the door and offers him a little smile. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you."

"And to think you said I wasn't threatening only a few days ago," Harry comments playfully, but the smile that curves his lips doesn't reach his eyes. He often smiles sarcastically, and Alouette doesn't know if she finds it attractive or highly concerning.

"You aren't, I just didn't expect anyone to be on the other side of the door," Alouette lies smoothly, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her back.

He takes a step back to give her more room and she instantly misses the faint smell of his cologne. "I knocked."

"I didn't hear you." She walks to the lift but stops instantly when she realises he's following her. Right. "Can I ask you why you were waiting for me?"

"I'm free this morning, so I'll take you up on that coffee offer."

Alouette frowns, but then remembers. She did ask him out to cover up her secret scheme a couple of days ago. She assumed he would forget about it, but he didn't. "Oh, yes. Of course."

The lift comes and they step inside. She usually goes to the dining hall to get her own coffee, but Harry always takes it upstairs. No one would ever dare to give him coffee from the hall to drink.

The fifteen seconds they spend side by side in the lift are the longest of Alouette's life. He's too close and the memories from some days ago are coming back all at once to screw her over.

I believe you wanted to see me earlier?

You don't seem to be scared of me.

I believe I find you as intriguing as you find me.

I'd love to see where this will lead us.

I'd love to see where this will lead us.

I'd love to see where this will lead us.

The doors open again and Alouette has to try her best not to run out. She clenches her teeth and waits for Harry to step out first. He does and she follows him out, focusing on the white marble of the floor and the sunlight coming from the floor-to-ceiling window running down one side of the corridor to stop herself from thinking more foolish things.

When they get to the small cafe there's a small queue, that dissipates in the instant everyone sees Harry approaching. He motions her to go first and she surpasses him, feeling a little uneasy before forcing herself to remember the situation she's in. She's being ridiculous, and if she keeps this up he'll notice soon.

"A latte, please," she tells the man behind the counter, before turning to look at Harry. "And..." While she's brought him coffee countless times during the day, she doesn't know what he usually drinks for breakfast.

"The usual," he replies to her silent question.

"Right away," the man says, and then hands Harry a touchpad. "Your code, sir."

Alouette is familiar with the payment methods in the Palace. "Hang on!" she interjects, taking it before Harry can and putting in her own code instead. "I'll pay for it."

Harry shoots her an odd glance. "I can pay for myself." The statement is so obvious that she almost laughs out loud. Of course he can.

"But you shouldn't. I was the one that asked you to have coffee with me, so I'll pay for you too."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." She takes her own coffee and hands Harry his. "If it makes you feel better, the money on my account is from the salary that you give me, so it's technically yours." She turns around and walks away.

"That's not how money works!" Harry exclaims going after her, and she chuckles into her cup.

"Where are we going to drink this?"

He sends a look around. "Balcony."

She nods. She remembers the balcony, she used to hide there instead of going to the dining hall alone when Evie was too busy to join her in her first weeks. It's also where she had one of her first real conversations with Harry.

They get to it and he opens the door. Alouette doesn't know if it's because of the early hour or of the chilly weather, but nobody is out there. She's never been happier to be alone with Harry, and she frowns when she realises it. Her emotions seem to be all over the place today.

She steps out and walks to the glass railing, leaning her forearms on it and looking at Northfair underneath her while waiting for her latte to cool down. She's never been out here so early in the morning before, and it surprises her to see how different the scenery looks at that time.

The city is still shining and glinting, but its gleam is dulled by the grey of the sky and the morning fog. If she closes her eyes, she could almost make herself believe there is nothing but barren land in front of her, just like the ones she saw when Nathan drove her to the Palace.

"Where are you from?"

She jumps at the question and turns her head quickly. Harry is standing next to her now, one hand on the railing. His fingers are curled around the glass and are slightly trembling, showing her that he's a little cold. Why would he ask to go out on the balcony without a coat if he knows he gets cold easily? She smiles and shakes her head, finding it cuter than it should be.

"You haven't answered."

Alouette tilts her head, trying to play dumb.

"I asked you where you're from." He doesn't miss the look she sends his way. "I couldn't find it online," he admits in the end.

"Oh." Her mind races as she tries to remember all the made up information about her fictional life. She hasn't been asked in months, so it's harder than she'd like to admit. She should've revised them all at least once. "I'm from Dinstead."

Harry seems confused, so she continues.

"It's a small town right outside Pans."

"But you studied at the Greenside University. Why not Pans?" The question is innocent, but it makes her heart drop. How couldn't she notice it earlier, or even back at the Revolution? Harry is right, it does make little sense.

There is a reason behind this peculiar point of her fake biography, but it isn't one she can tell him about. Greenside has the only university the Revolution could infiltrate to make up fake records about her and Dinstead is the only town in their country that still has no records of its births and citizens. It's so small that even Harry couldn't be bothered to modernise it, and they took advantage of it.

But Harry's right, it doesn't make much sense from a convenience standpoint. She has to make up a reason fast.

"The old country has always been too chaotic and unstable for my liking," she says the first thing that crosses her mind, and then glances at him and gives him an innocent smile. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Which university did you go to? Or did you not...?" Coming from a family as influential as his, it wouldn't surprise her if he told her he completed his studies at home.

"Northfair University," Harry replies, eager to prove her wrong. "I have a degree in business, one in economics and a master in Political Economy and Development."

Alouette lets out a panicked laugh. She's supposed to have a business degree as well— she can just hope he'll never ask her anything. It wouldn't take him long to figure out she's never opened a business book in her life.

He gives her a bewildered smile. "Did you actually think I'd do this job without having any knowledge on the matter?"

She bites her tongue not to reply. While she can't argue that he surely has necessary background to be president, she can't really say he's doing a good job. He isn't a mess and isn't lazy, he simply doesn't care. He doesn't care enough to listen to the people and what they need, and the country is on the brink of a revolution because of that. He hasn't reverted any of the damaging policies that were put in place by his father, his main concern being suffocating every revolutionary attempt he hears about.

Doing something would only imply costs and no benefits, she heard him say once. She wishes he'd stop making all his decisions with his brain and use his heart instead sometimes. He's too detached from the world outside of the Palace to realise that the digits in his many folders aren't numbers, but people.

His people are suffering, unable to pay for their basic necessities, violence is spiking up and their society is in shambles, and all he does is stare at it from above, destroy every revolt attempt and hunt down everyone that wishes for a better world. And, as Elijah always says, make sure his mice keep running on the wheel of his country.

Resentment bubbles up in her chest and she looks away, trying to calm herself down. It's in moments like this that she realises the importance of her mission. Harry isn't clueless, he isn't an inexperienced twenty-six year old that doesn't know what he's doing. He's all too aware of his actions, and they're the wrong ones. What he's doing is wrong. It's harmful, and he not only knows it, but also doesn't care. He doesn't want to listen. He only cares about power and influence, and he doesn't care about who he destroys in order to get it.

That's why he has to go.

"Were you homeschooled?" Alouette asks, even though she's sure she already knows the answer.

Harry takes a sip of his coffee, staring down at the city. "I was. My father provided us with the best teachers in the country."

"Now I get where all the degrees are coming from." There's a faint sourness in her voice, and if he notices, he doesn't let it show.

He chuckles. "So you really thought I didn't have the necessary skills to do my job."

"I didn't say that!" Alouette exclaims, playfully hitting his arm. It's so easy to pretend he isn't as bad as she knows he is while talking to him. "So have you also studied international relations and political science?"

He tilts his head and finishes his coffee. "I'm familiar with those, even though I can't say I have a degree in them. Are you quizzing me?"

"I'm not!"

Harry turns around and leans back against the railing. The three-hundred feet drop behind his back makes her head spin. "You have to understand my father has intended to pass on his title to me ever since I was born. I was raised to rule this country one day."

"That sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a child, though," she says with a frown, and then gives him a mischievous look. "Did you have a secret dream?"

Harry sighs and stares into the distance. "I wanted to be a dancer."

She sends him a shocked glance. "What, really?"

"Is that what you wanted me to say?" He laughs, and the innocent sound trips her over again. His laugh is as smooth as a waterfall and yet as electrifying as fireworks in the sky. "Did you truly think I'd have one?"

Alouette glares at him. "You were lying."

"I was." He laughs again, and she has to take a long sip of her latte to keep herself from reacting to the sound.

"I can't believe you. Do you even know how to dance?!"

"I have never danced in my life, and I never will."

She chuckles, shaking her head. "You are such a liar."

He only shrugs in reply, and then looks towards the window. Alouette follows his gaze just in time to see some people looking at them before they scramble to get away under Harry's hard look.

"Well, I think we both have a job to get to now," he says hastily, and doesn't waste his time in going back inside.

She sighs and finishes her latte before going inside as well.

Harry is already in his office when she sits at her desk and resumes the tasks she still has to finish from yesterday.

•     •     •

Lunchtime comes around, but Alouette only realises it when she looks up and finds Jayden hovering over her desk.

"Still here? Want to have lunch together? I just finished at the archive," he asks, and she nods, stretching her back and feeling her muscles snap.

"Absolutely, if I have to go through another file I'll start crying."

He laughs and she stands up, rounding her desk. Harry's office door is half-open and her eyes meet his for a brief moment, and then she turns around and walks out in the corridor with Jayden.

They get to the dining hall and buy a couple of sandwiches before moving to one of the tables at the side of the room, hoping to be able to talk undisturbed.

Alouette observes him and smiles when she sees he's now wearing an all-black uniform that fits just right. It's similar to his old one, but this one has a little badge on the chest that informs everyone of his new rank. He's a member of Harry's personal guard now, tasked with protecting the President in every occasion. He's part of the inner circle.

"New uniform?"

Jayden nods proudly and shows it off. "Arrived just yesterday, what do you say? Do I look better than with the other?"

Alouette chuckles. "It looks good on you." She takes a bite of her sandwich and lets out a surprised hum. "This is so much better than usual!"

"I've heard they changed the company that brings food to the Palace, it's probably that."

She frowns. "They have?"

He lets out an affermative sound. "I saw some new vans outside this morning."

Alouette finds it a bit suspicious, but doesn't say a word. Something tells her things might not be as they seem— it sounds like the kind of thing the Revolution would do. Are they trying to see if they can get some vans through the security of the Palace before the attack? She'll have to ask Nathan about it.

Her mind goes back to Jayden's words from earlier. "Did you say you just finished with the archive today?"

"The President had me reorder entire sections of the archive. Can you believe he keeps everything on paper in there? And I mean, everything. It's a mess."

"On paper? Why doesn't he just file it?" She has to look away to seem uninterested after the eagerness of her questions.

Jayden shrugs. "The risk that someone will access and steal the information he puts online is always high. I heard that's why most of what happens in the Palace isn't on computers. He prefers the old methods."

Alouette nods slowly. Suddenly all the papers and folders make a lot more sense. "Was it really that messy?" She asks, changing topic. He might be her friend, but he's still part of Harry's personal guard. She doesn't want to make him suspicious.

"Everything was just thrown in there. I don't know if it's his technique to make sure nobody will ever be able to steal useful information, but now everything is filed and organised." Jayden stares into nothing, absentmindedly chewing his food. "Even though he should get rid of some things. I think he has information on everyone that has worked for his family for the past thirty years at least."

Alouette's attention suddenly perks up. If Harry keeps track of everyone that has worked for him and her father's handwriting is in his book, does that mean she could find a file about him in the archive? She'd be able to find out the truth that way.

The next step is clear to her: she has to access the archive.

Her mind is working so quickly that she doesn't even notice Jayden has stopped eating until he stands up to throw away his napkin.

"Should probably go back now, I wouldn't want the President to send me back to the archive for some more days," he jokes when he comes back, and Alouette forced herself to laugh.

She finishes her food as well and then they go back to her desk together.

When they get there she notices that Evie isn't there anymore— she probably went to have lunch as well. She barely gets to sit on her chair before Harry steps out of his office, his gaze focused on Jayden.

"I finished my task at the archive, sir," Jayden tells him, determined but respectful.

Harry narrows his eyes and folds his arms. "After only four days?"

Jayden doesn't move, and Harry sighs.

"Very well. You may go to the guard room and meet the others. They'll fill you in on the job."

Jayden nods, but Harry doesn't dismiss him.

"One more thing," he says, "you will be working under the head of security, but never forget that you answer to me. You will tell me everything there is for me to know, and you will carry out tasks from me without informing your colleagues or supervisors unless I tell you to. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly clear, sir."

"Then you're dismissed."

Jayden nods one more time and goes out of the room.

"You know, you could've been a little nicer to him," Alouette says as soon as she's sure he's out of earshot, and Harry walks closer to her.

He leans over the desk and kisses her cheek. "How's what I do with my employees any of your concern?" He whispers gently into her ear, and then moves away from her, his usual smile curving his lips at the shocked look on her face.

She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out, and he laughs.

"Let me know when Evie comes back." He walks back into his office and this time around shuts the door behind himself.

Alouette hides her face in her hands as she tries to calm down her racing heart, and then forces herself to focus on her job again.

Evie comes back about ten minutes later, and Alouette tells her that Harry was looking for her earlier. She nods and knocks on his door.

He opens it some moments after.

"Were you looking for me?" Evie asks him, and he nods.

"Send five men out to Greenside and Dacran. I want to know everything they find about the power issue," he instructs her, and she nods.

"It will be done right away, sir."

Harry goes back in his office and closes the door, and Alouette stares at the surface of her desk worriedly.

He wants to investigate her home.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. x
Miki