{MIHO'S POV}
The night is perfectly still for one second, two, three. Nothing moves and no one breathes. Sorrel stays kneeling in front of us. In front of Aoi-kun.

Panic constricts my throat. What if Aoi-kun says yes? Will he leave me?

"Give—give me a day." Aoi-kun manages. All the blood has drained from his face, leaving it chalky and pale. His hand, still holding mine, is cold.

Sorrel smirks as if he's already won. "Very well. You have 24 hours to think it over."

The assassin rises to his feet and salutes. Then Sorrel turns and casually jumps out the window, returning to whatever shadow he oozed out of.

I bring Aoi-kun back to my room since his window is broken. Neither one of us wants to sleep. Aoi-kun has a lot to think about. I need to stay with him, worried he might disappear if I blink.

We freak Hajime out when he goes to Aoi-kun's room to wake him up in the morning, since the latter is gone and his room is disheveled. Alarm bells blare, and many people run around frantically searching.

Hajime finally comes to my room and finds us, passed out on top of the covers of my bed together. We get thoroughly chastised for not telling anyone.

Aoi-kun remains distracted the entire day. I take care of his work, knowing he needs space to think.

When the sun sinks before the horizon, Aoi-kun looks up with a determined expression. He stands, balling his fists. I stand too.

Aoi-kun looks at me with a pained expression. "You can't come with me, Miho."

"Break... my legs then." I challenge.

"Sorrel Merī is a trained assassin." His voice gains a little more edge.

I won't back down. "And I'm... your sword. I will support... whatever choice you... make. No matter what... that choice... is. Even if... the whole world... is against you, I will... stand by your... side."

We stare at each other for a second. Aoi-kun breaks eye contact first. With that argument settled, we make our way back to his room.

The assassin is waiting for us.

"I knew you would come!" Sorrel exclaims. "We have so much to teach you! The girl too, I suppose. She has talent, although the hair is a bit flashy."

"Wait." Aoi-kun says. "I haven't agreed to anything yet. You never told me what's in it for me?"

Sorrel pauses, tilting his head. "What isn't? The Bloody Merī family will help you win this civil war. We'll kill all of our patriarch's enemies. Even the faux emperor Kenji. We are a clan of fresh-faced warriors, now at Aoi-sama's beck and call."

Aoi-kun recognizes their value. The assassin clan is worth an army, based on their skills and the training they endure. They would be a much stronger fighting force than our current troops, which mostly consist of commoners and refugees.

Living in a warzone is constantly stressful. Having a group of fresh soldiers that haven't been in conflict for the past two years would be game-changing.

But that still leaves one big question.

"What's in it for you?" Aoi-kun asks suspiciously. "Why would the Bloody Merī family willingly bend the knee to a sixteen year old?"

Sorrel smiles. "A sixteen year old future emperor. We would receive your backing to do as we please, and you would retaliate against our enemies. Even if the Bloody Merī family were to come out of the shadows, no one would dare persecute those under the direct command of emperor of Zoral. We wish to expand our influence and you are the golden goose."

"You're asking me to openly support a group of assassins?" Aoi-kun balks at the idea. "That would be social suicide. No one would associate with Zoral. Traders wouldn't cross our borders and wars would start when important people died."

"You underestimate the influence your empire has. Zoral has the largest landmass and many natural resources. There are businessmen smart enough to see that a relationship with Zoral is more beneficial than scorning it. Fear is also a wonderful tool."

Aoi-kun wavers. I empathize with his internal struggle: a hatred of affiliating with assassins—let alone pardoning their actions—versus a desire to save his empire. The Bloody Merī family would definitely give him the edge over Kenji in this war.

But then I realize. Oh no. Of course. Kenji.

It's Aoi-kun's guilt over the loss of Tervuren and Laekenois that solidifies his choice. He never wants his people to experience a loss like that again. That's precisely why Sorrel chose now to approach.

Aoi-kun breathes out harshly. He hangs his head in self-disgust. "I'm so sorry, Father."

Sorrel smirks. He knows he's won. My awful thought grows like a weed inside my mind. It feels more plausible by the second.

I desperately reach out clutch Aoi-kun's arm, stopping him from grabbing Sorrel's outstretched hand. Both pairs of eyes flit to me curiously.

"Aoi-kun, Kenji... didn't have the guts... or ability to... murder your... father."

Aoi-kun is taken aback. "Wait. You're saying my uncle didn't kill Father? That's impossible."

"No... I'm saying... he commissioned... somebody else to... do it for him."

Aoi-kun's eyes widen in horror. The fog that clouded his judgement clears. I sigh in relief. Aoi-kun turns to glare daggers at Sorrel, his fists balling up.

Sorrel scowls at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a thousand times over.

"It makes... sense." I continue in a lower voice. "This wouldn't be the... first time the... Bloody Merī family... was hired to... assassinate... your father."

"Mother." Aoi-kun grits his teeth.

"Indeed." Sorrel laughs tightly. "What a clever girl, piecing it all together! Leader happily agreed to the request. That man stole our princess. Leader would have done it himself, if he was confident he could."

"Bitter... much?" I snap.

"Wouldn't you be?" Sorrel retorts. "Our clan had a long-held grudge against the former emperor, so we were oh so pleased to accept Kenji-sama's request. The second half of the job is taking longer for the same reason that the first half was easy. Because of Azalea. You're Azalea's child, so Leader hoped it wouldn't have to come to this."

Huh? Second half of the job? Who else would Kenji want to get rid of?

He's obsessed with the crown. He wanted to clear all obstacles to the throne. That means Sei and—

I leap in front of Aoi-kun, my rapier interrupting a dagger aimed for his stomach. Aoi-kun could've stopped the attack himself, but I'm not taking that chance. He's disoriented right now.

Sorrel will only get to Aoi-kun over my dead body.

Sorrel is clearly good at his job. He strikes at Aoi-kun with practiced precision. Most knights wouldn't be able to withstand such a rapid onslaught. But to me, Sorrel's dual daggers are a watered down imitation of Aoi-kun. Just like his eyes.

It's not a fair fight. Since Aoi-kun and I practice together every morning, I can predict all of Sorrel's moves. Dodging his feints is as easy as breathing.

Soon, Sorrel is pinned to the floor with the tip of my rapier flush against his throat.

I prepare for the finishing blow, but Aoi-kun grabs my wrist. "Don't."

"Are you... kidding me?" I hiss. "He's an assassin... after your life. Plus... who knows how.... many other lives... he's taken! If anyone... deserves to die..."

Aoi-kun holds me back. "He's my mother's adopted brother. She never wanted to go against her former family. She wanted to break the cycle of hatred."

I grind my teeth, lowering my rapier. Sorrel flees to the open window. He hesitates, turning back.

"I won't stop her next time. Leave us alone." Aoi-kun threatens. Sorrel jumps out of sight.

"What... gives?" I snap irritably, rubbing my wrist where Aoi-kun squeezed too hard.

"Why do you think Mother and Father never overthrew the Bloody Merī family?" Aoi-kun asks. "They wanted too. But they couldn't, because the clan is too extensive. If Mother and Father went on a manhunt for assassins, it'd be like picking up all the shards of a broken vase with your bare hands."

"Painful?"

Aoi-kun rolls his eyes. "You can collect the bigger shards, but there's always going to be tiny fragments left. It's impossible to clean up every minuscule bit. Even if they killed my great grandfather, which Mother could've done easily, someone younger and worse would've taken his place."

I forgot: the Bloody Merī family's influence reaches all the way to Clarines. If we declared war on them, they'd be a thousand times worse than Kenji is. Aoi-kun made the best choice by stopping me.

"I hate it... when you make... sense." I grumble.

Aoi-kun laughs, relaxing for the first time in 24 hours. We still have plenty of problems. But, whatever we face, Aoi-kun and I are in it together.