Yvon rubbed his nose bridge in frustration.

"I skipped out on going out with my twin sister and our parents once, and said sibling comes back engaged…"

"Are you done being stupefied? If so, get out of my room so I can get some sleep."

Ignoring me again, Yvon just continued rambling on.

"This whole thing just seems so absurd!"

"So you’re not done yet," I said, rolling my eyes. "Look, it’s as clear as the waters in Lake Kalopsia that this was something we’d have a hard time getting out of. Did you not hear the part where the empress basically told us to get married?"

"That’s what makes this whole thing more annoying! The imperial family gave this the ‘okay’! The same family whose head has a soft spot for you and literally wanted you to be his daughter-in-law! The emperor got ahead of his son, overwhelming you with gifts the moment you agreed to be a candidate for crown princess! And then what? As soon as his radiance marries our older sister, you’re just another political bargaining chip?"

"I was ten, and the emperor and empress wanted a daughter. I was basically their practice run for her radiance, Princess Cielo," I reminded him. "And besides, what does being a crown princess candidate have got to do with anything? I wasn’t even officially one since the selection process ended before it even started when Yvonne entered the picture."

I leaned on his shoulder, "Look at it this way: the imperial family wants me to get married to the second most eligible bachelor in Vreqiseon. Or is he the first now that his radiance is married?"

"Maybe it’s their way of compensating you for getting your hopes up at becoming crown princess," said Yvon. "Or maybe it’s their way of cheering you up because they thought you might be sad your childhood crush got married to your older sister!"

I raised an eyebrow, "Was that last bit really necessary?"

Not only was Yvon poking my cheeks, but also at a topic I’d rather not talk about. Not because it was embarrassing, sensitive, or anything like that, but because there was no point in talking about it.

When I was younger, there was a year and a half when I lived in the imperial palace.

Our parents were preoccupied with taking care of our older sister, who was sick, and at the same time, the Ducal family of the north was massacred. Only the Grand Duchess—the emperor’s younger sister—survived. My mother wanted to comfort her best friend but couldn’t do so because she was focusing on Yvonne, so she sent me to comfort her radiance in her stead.

That’s when I met his radiance, the crown prince, and just like many little girls in Vreqiseon, I had a crush on him.

"When are you going to forget about that? It wasn’t like that was uncommon anyway. I was one of like a thousand girls that had a crush on him. Quit teasing me about it."

"And out of a thousand of them, only one is my twin sister," he retorted.

Yvon lay back on the bed and mused, "Come to think of it, you and Lev would be good together since the people you fell in love with married each other! Let's call it 'The love story of the two people whose love was unrequited.' What do you think?"

I rolled my eyes, "That your naming skills need some serious work. When I talk, do you just hear a *furpaw barking? I literally just said quit teasing me about it! And weren’t you just ticked a few seconds ago that this engagement was done behind my back? Why are you making a book out of it now?"

"Because I can’t do anything about this if you agreed to it already, not to mention the fact that you’re oddly cool-headed about this. So why don’t you share what plan that brain of yours is cooking up."

I smirked, grabbed the dagger I hid under my bed, and started tossing it up and down, "How’d you know I was already scheming something?"

"Because I know you all too well," he answered. "Spill it, Yvie. What are you up to?"

"Just something that will speed up our plan," I said.

"I was given an advantageous piece for my board today," I added, throwing the dagger straight into a hidden slot where it fits. Doing so opened up a secret wall with a board filled with all sorts of plans and details.

I stood up and grabbed a small portrait of my fiancé from the pile on the table, placing it in the hidden compartment.

I turned to face my brother, "It would be a shame not to use it, wouldn't you say?"

Seeing the villainous look on my face, Yvon shivered. "Remind me now and then not to get on your bad side."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Also, do me a favor and speed up the plan," he added. "I told you, didn’t I? I don't want to live in an empire where that venobra we call our older sister is the empress."

He grabbed the other dagger hidden under my bed and tossed it straight past my head and into the portrait of my sister on the board. I knew it wouldn't hit me, so I didn't even flinch, but that was dangerous!

After he hit the portrait, he smiled and said, "That would be a living nightmare."

♡

Late into the night, Lev looked out the window of the private room of the local bar on the outskirts of the capital, observing the bustling night market as he sipped his drink.

His drinking companion and squad member, Egor, leaned back in his chair and asked, "Are you really tying the knot with the kid?"

Lev took another sip of *whisper and replied, "Yes, and she's not a ‘kid’ anymore. She came of age last year."

(Whisper - a potent, robust, aromatic aperitif similar to vermouth)

"Hey, I've known her ever since she was a baby. She's like a little sister to me. No matter how old she gets, she's still a little kid in my eyes," said Egor.

"But I just don’t get it, Lev. Why are you going through with this? You could've easily gone around it by asking the emperor for the freedom to choose your wife. He’s been asking you what reward you wanted for your contribution to Vrequiseon's triumph in the recent war. He was at a loss after you rejected all his suggestions."

"I do not need a private island at the moment, and the promotion was just the emperor’s way of compensating me because he announced his son married my prospective fiancée," Lev explained. "Why are you so uneasy about this anyway? We—the parties involved—are willing to do this, so what’s the matter?"

Egor furrowed his brows and retorted, "Because you're eerily composed about this! Look, man, I know you're usually pragmatic and level-headed, but we aren't talking about what you're having for lunch here. Marriage is a big life decision! I'm your best friend, and I can tell that you still have lingering feelings for Yvonne, but you want to marry her little sister?!"

Pouring himself another glass of whisper, Lev replies.

“My feelings for Yvonne don’t matter. She’s married to my best friend, and that’s that. Besides, this isn’t just a matter of two families getting together. It’s more than that. Our territories and our people’s lives rest on this agreement because if we lose it, war breaks out, and both sides won’t be able to take it. As she so eloquently put it, Serebro needs Sunglen, and Sunglen also needs Serebro.”

“So you see,” he continued, “Our opinions don’t really matter in this situation. We have other people—two whole territories—to prioritize.”

Egor shakes his head and sighs, "You nobles and your responsibilities."

Lev laughed, "You speak like you're not the future Viscount of Edrea."

Their conversation shifted as Lev picked up the pile of paperwork Egor brought for him.

“Seriously, man? You just got engaged today, and I don’t think work should be your priority right now,” said Egor. “You should be spending your time getting to know your bride! You’re getting married in a few weeks!”

Lev—who was barely paying attention to Egor's words—replied while still focusing on work, "I’m looking forward to it."

Egor pressed, “Take this seriously, will you? If you’re going to marry her, give her at least some attention! She’s not Yvonne, who’s fine in the background. Yvette loves the spotlight. Honestly, man, do you even know the first thing about your fiancée?”

“I am taking this seriously,” said Lev. “And I know she’s not Yvonne. We’ll take our time getting to know each other. We have the rest of our lives for that.”

“But one thing’s for sure,” Lev added, grabbing his file on Yvette; he scanned the information he had on her, "I got myself one intriguing woman for a wife.”

Furrowing his brows, Egor asks, "What do you mean by that exactly?"

Taking the small portrait of Yvette in the file, Lev held it up against the moonlit window, remarking, "There's more to her than meets the eye."

♡

Begrudgingly, I agreed to let Yvon sleep in my room tonight, specifically to avoid his incessant whining. At this point, he was practically living in my room while his room was empty most of the time.

What’s the use of using separate bedrooms if he keeps on sleeping in my room?

I sighed. I'll be sleeping in the window seat again. I could sleep beside him but then I'd just wake up on the floor thanks to his sleeping habit of flailing around.

I took the dagger from the hidden slot and closed the wall before heading to bed.

As I walked by, I caught a glimpse of a picture of my older sister and me playing at our old tree house. Given how similar we look, we were often thought of as identical twins.

I picked up the photo and Yvon noticed.

“Whenever I see that picture, I’m reminded that we shouldn’t take things at face value. With how happy you two look there, you wouldn’t suspect that she was threatening you to smile for the painter in order to get that perfect picture.”

I smirked and stashed the picture in a drawer. "Let's not reminisce over bad memories. I'm busy enough thinking about the modifications to the plan; I don't need to be bothered by our unpleasant past."

As Yvon falls quietly to sleep I catch up on a mystery novel I'd been putting off reading for a while. While engrossed in the deductions the detective was making, something falls out of the book. It was a bookmark, a gift from Haneul that I've cherished since I received it. Normally, I'd put it back in the book, still using it despite being worn out because of its sentimental value, but not today. Today feels different.

As Yvon falls quietly to sleep, I catch up on a mystery novel I’ve put off reading for a while. I was flipping through the pages, engrossed in the deductions the detective was making, when suddenly a bookmark fell out.

It was a gift from the crown prince, something I’ve cherished ever since I got it.

Usually, I'd put it back in the book, still using it despite being worn out because of its sentimental value, but not today.

Somehow, today feels different.

Standing up, I place the bookmark in the same drawer as the picture, murmuring, "It’s time to say goodbye to my childhood."

♡

Lev returned to the Serebro estate after drinking with Egor.

Entering his room, he took off his coat and was about to change into more comfortable clothes when he caught a glimpse of his desk, where a quill gifted to him by Yvonne caught his eye.

Approaching his desk, he picked up the quill, and at the same time, the picture of his fiancée—the one he had taken from her file—slipped out of his pocket.

He settled the quill in its holder and picked up the picture, the image of Yvette staring back at him with her verdant eyes.

Holding the picture in his hand, he whispered softly, "Yvette Oryx... What mysteries lie beneath your surface?"