The setting sun bathed the balcony in a warm glow to contrast the cool breeze that began to blow through the capital as Augustus collected his thoughts. Ever since they first met, he was captivated by Olivia's beauty and had aimed to try and win her heart and a place by her side as her first concubine. Following proper etiquette, Augustus first requested a meeting with James and asked if he would allow Olivia to take concubines. When he received a positive response to proceed it got his hopes up. "But that girl…" Countess Lucina Sanguine, Olivia's childhood friend who was rumored to be the rape child of Countess Felswore and Baron Braxton, seemed determined to meddle and stop him. This went beyond what his parents had done, "…What does she have against me?"

"Don't think you're special," a voice called as the doors opened and Lucina entered the balcony.

"Countess!?" Augustus looked past Lucina into the hall but saw no one around. He instinctively backed up to the railing and kept his eyes focused on the young countess.

"You look like you're thinking about weird things, Augustus," Lucina teased as she closed the doors and walked over to the railing next to Augustus. "I already promised Olivia that I would drop the issue of your innocence, for now. So lighten up, you look too pale to be celebrating a birthday." Lucina lazily leaned against the stone railing and let the breeze dance through her hair. Her smile was friendly and warm while her eyes were frigid cold as she matched his gaze. "Look, I even brought you a drink as a peace offering!" Lucina held out a glass of liquid.

"…Are you trying to poison me?" Augustus felt a little calmer since he knew Lucina would keep her promise to Olivia, but by her own words, she never promised not to hurt him.

"Do you get off thinking you're special, or something?" Lucina asked and set down the glass on the railing. "I honestly don't really care that much about you."

"Then why are you tormenting me!?" Augustus demanded and batted the glass off the railing where it fell and smashed to the ground below. "My parents are dead! My name is spat on! You've taken my family's lands! And now you come to Olivia's birthday party to pick a fight with me! If you're not tormenting me, then what 'are' you doing!?"

"…" Lucina's eyes lazily looked at the shattered glass before slowly turning to Augustus. "You're misunderstanding something, Augustus: I didn't kill your parents because they were yours, I killed your parents because they thought they could dictate Olivia's life." The air around Lucina shifted and became more unnerving as she continued, "I didn't ruin your name because it's yours, I ruined it because it stained Olivia's purity." She slowly got up from leaning against the railing, straightened herself upright, and started waltzing over to Augustus. "I didn't take your family's lands because I dislike you, I took them because Olivia would hate what was happening there if she found out." She stopped with only a foot of space between them and looked up into Augustus' eyes with a look of complete indifference. "I don't hate 'you', Augustus, I hate that you're trying to claim Olivia."

"…What?" Lucina's words sounded like nonsense yet her tone was completely serious.

"If you had nothing to do with Olivia, if you weren't trying to worm your way into her heart, I would have mostly left your family alone." Lucina gave a shrug and added, "There would have been a few changes, but for the most part I would have left your parent's business and Solfin alone. I'm only doing this because you dare to sully Olivia with your weak love."

"Weak love!?" Augustus stood firm, put a hand over his heart, and declared, "My love for Olivia is true and pure! She's a beautiful woman who's turned the heads of many noble sons and is someone who any of us would dream of taking as a wife; or in my case being her concubine! Besides, it's not like His Highness will fill her heart. They may have fooled the nobles, but I can see how lonely Olivia is and how negligent His Highness will be once they're married." Now it was Augustus' turn to be accusatory with Lucina as he asked, "Would you have Olivia live a loveless marriage without anyone by her side to comfort her?"

"Of course not," Lucina immediately answered and stated, "But you aren't worthy enough to take that place."

"Why no-"

"What would you do for her?" Lucina cut Augustus off with her question. "How deep does your love go?"

"I could do anything for her!" Augustus proudly declared.

"Really?" Lucina innocently asked while tilting her head to the side. "Even kill?"

"!?!" Augustus felt his throat seize shut and his breath get stolen from his chest. The setting sun's light caused Lucina's dress to shimmer and shine a brilliant red, but all Augustus could see was a waterfall of blood running down Lucina's body.

"Could you kill for her? Could you go to war for her?" Lucina reached up a black-gloved hand and gently touched Augustus' cheek causing him to shudder at how cold her body was. "What would you give up for her? Because I can guarantee you that I've already given more than you ever could."

"…His Highness will never accept you." Augustus knew of Lucina's and James' hostile relationship; many whispered it was why she was sent to war. "Even if you could convince Olivia, you'll never convince His Highness."

"Nor do I want to," Lucina turned away and leisurely started walking around the balcony with her hands behind her back. "Why would I need to ask James for Olivia's love?" Lucina jabbed at the fact Augustus told James of his intentions with Olivia before even Olivia herself. She also intentionally called James by his name to rub in the fact that she's personally known the crown prince longer than Augustus. "All I need to do is wait and I'll get my chance at her heart. After all," she added while slyly looking over her shoulder at Augustus, "It's not like you're going to make any progress at the rate you're going."

"You make it sound like I don't even have a chance."

"Because you don't," Lucina stated matter-of-factly which caused Augustus to flinch. "All your 'romantic' gestures won't work on Olivia. If anything, they're making things worse for you since Olivia still doesn't see you like you see her." Lucina tapped her chin in mock thought before commenting, "Olivia was always one to swoon over the strong so you should at least show her you can hold your own and be there for her. I'd start there."

"Are you…helping me?" Augustus was completely confused by Lucina's intentions. While he could handle himself in the social world when talking to normal noble daughters, Lucina was an enigma at times that stumped him.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I know you'll fail," Lucina giggled while a cruel smile played across her face. "I could give you all the advice in the world and you'd still fail to capture Olivia's heart, so why not?" She went back to leaning against the railing and rested her chin on her hands. "Even if you orchestrated something to look like the hero, you'd probably find a way to mess it up. Plus, I want to see you squirm."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You're sick!" Augustus wrinkled his nose in disgust at how happy Lucina sounded.

"And you're on borrowed time," Lucina reminded. "While I won't do anything since we're at Olivia's party, that doesn't mean you're safe."

"!?!" Augustus felt a chill run down his spine as unseen eyes stared oppressively into his very soul. Something moved in the shadows.

"If you don't capture Olivia's heart…" Lucina once again waltzed over to Augustus and put a hand on his shoulder. "Then you'll be seeing your parents very soon." She continued past Augustus and let her hand brush off his shoulder. Augustus' heart was beating so fast he thought it might explode and his mind was racing with reckless, stupid thoughts that Lucina had planted. "Tick-tock. Tick-tock," Lucina laughed as she exited the balcony since her work with Augustus was finished. Now it was time to enjoy being in the capital, and she knew just the way to do it.

***

"Olivia, you really don't have to," Lucina said in a faked meek voice. It had been a week since Olivia's birthday and now Lucina found herself sitting in Olivia's bedroom in the imperial palace. Over the week she had played up how much her hands bothered her and deliberately stopped taking care of them to win sympathy points with Olivia. But, she appeared to have gone too far as it got to the point she could barely hold a cup of tea and dropped one during their tea party earlier that day.

"The patient has no right to talk back! Now quiet, you!" Olivia ordered as she had Mary bring over a bowl of hot water.

"My Lady, I can do this," Mary explained as she knew what Olivia was going to do.

"No, Mary, it's fine." Olivia brushed Mary's concerns away as she sat down in a chair across from Lucina with the bowl in between them. "Could you give us some privacy?"

"Of course, my Lady. Please call if you need anything," Mary replied and gave a bow before exiting the room.

"…Is this a punishment?" Lucina asked as she looked at the steaming hot water.

"That depends," Olivia replied in an unamused tone. "Do you know what you did wrong?" She tested the temperature of the water to make sure it was still hot, but not too hot since she didn't actually want to hurt Lucina.

"I neglected myself?"

"Is that a question?" Olivia sounded like a mother disciplining their child.

"Because I was neglecting myself," Lucina corrected her previous statement.

"Yes… You were." Olivia helped Lucina take her gloves off and rolled the sleeves of her red dress up to her forearms before gently taking Lucina's hands and putting them in the water. It was hot, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable and Lucina felt her fingers relax as the warmth of the water seeped into her joints. Olivia still held Lucina's hands under the water and bitterly muttered, "Even now they're still cold."

"It's fine."

"It's not fine!" Olivia angrily rejected Lucina's attempt to brush off what she'd been doing to herself. "And I feel bad since I know the reason why you did it." She looked into Lucina's eyes with an accusatory stare. "I grew wise to your antics years ago, Lucina, so don't do them anymore; especially if it involves harming yourself!"

"…Okay." Even though she was getting reprimanded, Lucina couldn't help but smile as Olivia kept holding her hands under the water.

"…Honestly," Olivia mumbled as she started to gently massage Lucina's hands to try and loosen up her muscles. Her fingers traced the scars and scratches that littered Lucina's hand and told the stories of her experiences during the war which put a bad taste in Olivia's mouth. "I can get you some ointment from the royal doctor that's good for hiding scars."

"I'm fine." Lucina felt another lecture coming on so she quickly clarified, "They don't bother me that much and aren't the cause of my aches, so I'm fine with leaving them alone."

"But people will badmouth you for them." Many nobles, at least in the capital, believed that unblemished skin was the basis of beauty and that rough hands were a sign of the common folk; unless you were a knight. While Lucina was the leader of the Hellhound knight order, the nobles didn't like them to begin with so they wouldn't let Lucina's rough skin slide.

"Will you badmouth me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then I don't care." Lucina leaned forward and rested her head against Olivia's shoulder. "So long as you don't hate me, then I don't care what the other nobles say behind my back."

"…Why would I hate you?" Olivia leaned her head against Lucina's and continued to massage her hands. "Did someone put weird thoughts in your head?"

"No… Just my own worries, I guess," Lucina admitted as she enjoyed the warmth that radiated from Olivia's touch. She was glad Olivia couldn't hear her fluttering heart.

"Despite being three months older than me, you sure enjoy acting like a baby," Olivia joked.

"But we both know you're older than me," Lucina joked back and chuckled to herself. A long silence filled the air as Olivia continued her massage while Lucina kept her head buried in Olivia's shoulder. After much hesitation, Lucina mustered up the courage to ask, "Are you afraid of me?"

"No." It didn't sound like Olivia was lying.

"Then, will you visit me in Solfin?"

"…One day." Olivia obviously hesitated. She knew she was being unreasonable by avoiding Solfin, but it was a city that held significant meaning to 'Olivia' and her fate, and the thought of going made her uneasy. "Once we graduate from the academy, and the prophecies are all behind us, I'd love to take a vacation and stay with you in Solfin." Olivia felt Lucina's head nestle closer to her which caused her to laugh. "It's been far too long since I saw an ocean. Margaret tells me there's a restaurant you took her to that's right on the water and sells really good sushi."

"I'll make sure to reserve the best table," Lucina affirmed as her mind daydreamed about that far-off day. At times, Lucina wished that Olivia was never burdened with the prophecies she carried since that meant she would visit Solfin without issue. But that also meant that their first meeting, and subsequently becoming friends, wouldn't have happened since it was only because of the prophecies that Olivia acted the way she did. Would she have fallen in love with that Olivia? "…" Probably not. Lucina admitted that an Olivia without the knowledge of her past life would most likely be a completely different person to the one gently massaging her hands today. They might have still become friends, but Lucina's heart would never hold these same emotions for anyone other than her Olivia. "It's a promise."

"Yeah…" Silence once more fell upon the room, but this time it was a calming quiet as the girls passed the time in each other's company. Eventually, the water started cooling down, and Olivia asked, "Are you sure you won't stay the night? It's been a while since we last had a sleepover."

"I still have lots to do, even here in the capital," Lucina partially lied. While it was true that she was busy with her domain and reorganizing the mansion she confiscated from the Rolfs here in Gorinville, she also had a different reason for not wanting to stick to Olivia's side. "But when I get some free time, I'll let you know." She reluctantly pulled her hands away from Olivia and dried them off with a nearby towel before putting her gloves back on.

"Fine, then don't expect me to walk you out," Olivia joked while pretending to be hurt by Lucina's words.

"Of course, Your Highness," Lucina gave an exaggerated curtsy before leaving the room.

"Ah!?" And almost ran into a maid who was wheeling a cart with tea to Olivia's room. "M-My apologies, Countess," the maid stammered out before giving a bow.

"…It's alright." Lucina eyed the maid up and down suspiciously. Mary wasn't around despite it being about time to help Olivia get ready for bed. The maid in front of her was one of the newer maids assigned to Olivia and was unusually nervous; and not just because of Lucina. The oddly large cart had only a single tea cup despite it being known Lucina would be here, plus the maid looked like she was standing outside the door for quite some time as if waiting for Lucina to leave. Lucina gave the maid a smile before continuing down the hall toward the stairs.

"…" When Lucina got to the stairs, and was out of sight of any people, a large shadow moved outside the window to make its presence known.

"Is it tonight?" Lucina asked after stopping in front of the window but didn't turn to face the shadow.

"…" The shadow slipped a piece of paper through the seam of the windows that Lucina took and started reading.

"Pfft!" Bringing her free hand to her mouth to stifle her laugh, Lucina let out an amused sigh at the note's contents. "He's making this far too easy for me." The paper burst into flames and burned until not even ash was left as Lucina used her fire magic to destroy the note.

"…?" The shadow tilted its head to the side as they expectantly awaited their orders.

"Have someone keep an eye on the maid that just went in Olivia's room; have them grab her if she runs. You keep an eye on Olivia but don't intervene unless absolutely necessary. I'll join you after picking up some things from the mansion," Lucina ordered and continued her walk to the stairs.

"…" The shadow nodded before disappearing.

***

"I've brought some tea, Your Highness," the maid called as she knocked on Olivia's door.

"Come in," Olivia answered as she finished drying off her hands from the water. She glanced over at the tea cart and asked, "Is this a new one? I don't recognize the smell."

"Yes." Now that Lucina was gone, the maid was doing a better job at hiding her nerves. "This was a gift from one of your potential suitors, and I'm told it will help give a restful sleep."

"Really?" Olivia tossed the towel down on the table and took a seat on one of the couches by the windows. "No matter how many times I reject their gifts, they always find a way to get them to me. But, at least this one's useful."

"The many jewelry and paintings you've received previously are also useful, Your Highness," the maid commented to try and make casual conversation as she poured some tea into the cup.

"I meant in a more practical way," Olivia clarified as she enjoyed the aroma of the new tea. "Getting a good night's sleep is more useful to me than another necklace, or pair of earrings I'll probably never wear."

"They would be heartbroken to hear that." The maid watched as Olivia picked up the tea cup, and hid her sweating hands behind her back.

"The sooner they can get over it, the better off they'll be since I have no intention of taking a concubine," Olivia flatly stated before taking a sip. "…?" She looked down at the tea and cocked an eyebrow.

"Is…something wrong, Your Highness?" the maid asked. It was getting harder to hide her nerves.

"It's not bad, but oddly salty," Olivia commented before continuing to drink. "Though, I'll admit…" Olivia gave a yawn. "This is some...really fast…acting…" The teacup crashed to the floor as Olivia's whole body went limp and fell onto the couch, completely unconscious.

"…I'm sorry, Your Highness," the maid justified to herself as she took a large sack out from under the cart's cloth covering that was large enough to fit a young girl's body. As the maid quickly went to work kidnapping Olivia, a large shadow watched everything from the window. Dark clouds rolled in over Gorinville as it was the perfect night for a rainstorm.