{MIHO'S POV}
My body hums with adrenaline after my bold declaration. There's a bounce in my step. I feel... thrilled. Excited. Happy.

A rather odd time for an emotional high, considering I'm about to start a civil war.

Now that I think about it, maybe happy isn't quite right. The word is I'm looking for is useful.

We're going to need a base, troops, and supplies first. All we have is the two of us, the clothes on our backs, a bunch of edible but frankly unsatisfying plants, and a single sword that Aoi-kun has with him.

Upon closer inspection, it's a rapier. It's thinner than a normal sword. The iron blade is longer than I'm used to, but well-crafted. On the guard, there's a crest of a shield with a sword and a double-bladed battle axe crossed in front, encircled by a ring of brambles. The Zoral imperial family's crest.

Aoi-kun sees me eyeing the rapier. He takes it off and tosses it at me. "Take it. It's yours."

I open my mouth to protest.

Aoi-kun holds up a finger and tuts at me. "It's. Yours. Okay? I picked it because it was the lightest and easiest sword to grab. These beauties—" Aoi-kun unsheathes two carefully concealed daggers from the folds of his clothes, "—are my weapons of choice."

Daggers. Easily hidden, they're weapons only for the brightest of fighters. True stealth weapons.

However, one has to get in close range so they aren't the best in head-to-head combat against, say, a sword (unless they're throwing daggers, in which case Aoi-kun better hope that he has only two opponents and exceptionally good aim).

"Odd choice?" I ask. It doesn't make sense that Sei Fujimiya, who was unbeatable with a sword, would train his successor to use a different weapon. Shouldn't Aoi-kun be a swordsman then?

Sensing my skepticism, Aoi-kun twirls his daggers. "I use these because they were my mother's. They help me to feel closer to her, since I don't have any memories with her. She died when I was four."

"Unusual... blade." Not many people prefer daggers because they require cleverness to not get hit and get in close to be used effectively.

"My mom was pretty unusual." Aoi-kun smirks. "She was an assassin."

My mouth drops open in surprise. It seems to be doing that a lot around Aoi-kun. I close it quickly.

My expression must be less blank than usual, because Aoi-kun busts a lung laughing. "You wanna hear the story of how they met?"

I nod vigorously. I want to know everything about Aoi-kun's life. That includes his family.

Aoi-kun sits down and relaxes. He pats the earth next to him, so I sit down too. "Well, I suppose it started with the first time Mother tried to kill Father—"

*flashback—seventeen years prior*
{THIRD PERSON POV}
Sei Fujimiya couldn't sleep.

He had too much energy, which kept him tossing and turning. He had just turned eighteen, and his birthday gift was to lead an army on the front lines—without his father's guidance—for the first time.

This wasn't Sei's first war. He had been going to battlefields with his father since he was seven years old. The target this time was Kheorin, a small mining kingdom host to lots of precious metals.

However, this was the first time that Sei was leading the battle without his father at his back to take over if he royally screwed up.

Sei felt responsible for the eight thousand soldiers under his command. It was their lives on his shoulders if things went sour. Even worse, the kingdom could lose a major chunk of land if he failed, and all the citizens living there would suffer.

What's the point? This conflict is meaningless.

Those were the thoughts running through Sei's head. But he didn't dare voice them. It was under the pretense of a gift, but Sei knew damn well that his father was testing him. He didn't intend to fail.

Finally giving up on sleep, Sei flipped off his covers and walked over to the balcony of the room he was staying in. It was on the second floor of Fort Oak, a fortress on Zoral's northern border.

Sei grabbed his sword as he passed it. He'd learned the hard way to always be on guard.

He threw a robe on over his pajamas and walked out into the cold night air. He was only outside for a second before a human form dropped from the roof, landing on the railing.

It was a girl around his age, with waist-length black hair. She looked up and they locked eyes.

Sei sucked in a breath. Her eyes were red, glowing in the moonlight. For a second, neither moved. Both were shocked to see the other on the balcony.

The girl recovered first. Her red eyes narrowed and she leapt towards him. Sei saw the flash of iron and instinctively raised his sword.

Metal clashed and sparks flew, the sound painfully loud in the silent night.

They crossed blades a few more times, sword well-matched versus dual daggers, until they eventually crashed back into the bedroom.

"How did you know?" She asked, struggling as Sei pushed her back. She was good, but he was physically stronger and his sword had better reach.

"What? That you're trying to kill me? Jumping at me with daggers aimed at my throat was a dead giveaway!" Sei kicked her in the stomach, sending the red-eyed girl flying into the wall. She lay there—dazed for a second—allowing Sei to catch his breath.

To last this long against him with disadvantageous weapons, she was a phenomenal fighter. And he was inexplicably drawn to her.

The girl struggled to her feet and raised her daggers, preparing to strike again. Sei wished she wouldn't. He didn't want to kill this girl.

Curiosity got the better of him and Sei asked, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" The girl gritted her teeth in concentration and lunged.

Sei once again had to focus all his energy on not getting chopped up. Her one advantage was that she had two blades to his one, giving her more flexibility and attack options.

"I'd at least like to know the name of my murderer so I can haunt you. Besides, if I'm dead then it doesn't matter if I know your name or not."

The girl considered this. The room door burst open, and six armed and heavily armored soldiers burst in.

"Sei-sama! Are you alright?"

The girl clicked her tongue and backed towards the balcony again. Sei followed in heated pursuit.

The girl jumped onto the railing and paused, allowing Sei to catch up while the uncoordinated soldiers tripped all over themselves.

"Azalea." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"My name is Azalea Merī. Later." With that, Azalea jumped over Sei and ran across the rooftops, heading back to whence she came from.

The soldiers finally made it out onto the balcony, weapons at the ready. They found their prince alone, breathless but otherwise unharmed.

"Sei-sama? Where is the assassin?"

Sei pointed out into the night. "She escaped."

The soldiers lowered their swords. They looked embarrassed and somewhat miffed.

"Who was that?" One muttered.

Sei smiled and looked up at the stars. He mouthed her name and thought of her eyes. Her beautiful glowing red eyes. Azalea suited her perfectly.

"I have no idea." He replied.