Somehow, the interior of the Royal Palace was more colourful than the rest of the town. The walls were covered with large portraits and busts of important people Druscilla didn’t know. Some sections had vines growing over them. Indoor vines – must be an insect-fest. Large windows flooded the interior with bright sunslight – much to Druscilla’s chagrin. She was dressed in an outfit resembling a nun’s habit, only exposing her hands and face.

It was the day of her courtly debut. Unfortunately, she was not the only debutante. The antechamber was populated by about twenty young girls just coming out of their teens. Each one had a chaperone; a close relative past the age of forty. Druscilla’s chaperone was Clementine Clearwater. Druscilla didn’t need to see the lower half of Clementine’s face to know that her chaperone would rather be anywhere but here. Not like she has a choice.

Their cover story was that Druscilla was a distant relative of Clementine – freshly arrived from the far North with a boatload of wealth. This feels like one of those romance novels.

The mood in the air was light – everybody was nervously excited to meet the Royal Family. A lot of the girls present were second-born children of their families. Custom dictated that they would spend the rest of their lives in the Royal Court. The tradition had started out as a way of obtaining hostages by the first King of Boshamia. But since then, the land became peaceful, and the tradition transitioned from a form of legal kidnapping to an honour that was envied by others.

Druscilla heard the murmurs from the adjacent throne room cease. The King and his entourage had finally made their appearance. The thick carpet that was seemingly omnipresent in the Palace muffled their footsteps, so she could not ascertain their number.

The doors to the throne room were swung open by some unseen mechanism. The chaperones led their charges into the King’s presence. The room itself was the largest Druscilla had ever seen. The throne room had much fewer windows – most of the wall space was taken up by paintings of fantastical animals and plants.

The aisle was lined on each side by courtiers who examined the debutantes like farmers assessing which livestock they were going to buy. At the end of the aisle were about half a dozen steps to the foot of the throne. The King looked splendid in his regalia, sunslight bouncing of the jewels in his crown. His face was ghastly pale, however, and Druscilla could hear his wheezing breath. The man did not have long to live. On either side of him were his family members on smaller thrones. Behind the King were a number of serious-looking officials in gaudy clothing. Druscilla recognized the garb of the Holy Men she had seen during her stay at the Temple.

They came to a halt at the bottom of the steps. Their chaperones pulled back and joined the onlooking crowd. Far above their heads, a stained glass mosaic of a rainbow flowing like a waterfall cast its tinted light upon them like a spotlight.

One of the priests stepped forward from behind the King – a golden staff in hand. The staff was tipped with some sort of large gem that diffracted light like a prism. He raised the staff up and the gem caught the light – no, it was actually radiating light of its own. Druscilla wanted to study the gem, but it hurt her eyes to look upon it. None of the other debutantes had this issue – in fact, they seemed captivated.

The priest launched into a monologue into a language Druscilla did not understand. His words seemed to make the gem pulsate, casting waves of light onto the crowd. Druscilla desperately wanted to look away – but such an action was considered heresy. Clementine had told her to never take her eyes off the gem, which was a holy symbol in Boshamia. The air around them had changed. It was cleaner and lighter, one could say it was holy. It made the hairs on the back of Druscilla’s neck prick up.

The priest droned on in his monotone. Druscilla tried her best to hide her discomfort – until she could not bear it any longer. Tears fell from her eyes. It started as a drop or two but soon turned into a steady stream. The King was looking at her, his Queen was looking at her, everyone in the room was looking at her. Her knees were wobbling and her head was light. She felt like she might pass out.

I can’t mess this up. Mercifully, the priest concluded his prayer and the gem’s light faded away. That was the cue for the debutantes to genuflect before the King. Druscilla all but collapsed to her knees, lowering her head to hide her face. She surreptitiously wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve.

The King stood up to address them. “Welcome to my humble court. It gives me great joy to be able to lay my eyes on the finest fruit of my country – for that I am thankful. My home is now yours if you swear your fealty unto me.”

In unison, the debutantes chanted, “I promise in the light of the rainbow that I will be faithful to my King, never cause him harm and observe my homage completely unto him against all persons in good faith and without deceit.” It was hardly the first time Druscilla had lied through her teeth.

“Rise then, daughters of my country.”

Respectful applause rose from the gathered crowd. The debutantes had just passed a rite of passage – it was cause enough for celebration. There would be a dinner party thrown for them when the suns set, but for now, it was a meet-and-greet with the other court members.

King Ferdinand excused himself and his entourage followed after him. They were going to conduct essentially the same ritual on the debutantes’ male counterparts. The boys would stage a mock battle for the King – to display skill and courage to their new liege. The evening’s festivities would be their chance to introduce themselves to the court.

The chaperones descended on the gaggle of debutantes – and they slowly dispersed. Clementine padded over to Druscilla’s side and slid her arm through her elbow. “I was half-expecting you drop unconscious,” she said. “I suggest you come up with an excuse for why you were crying – here comes Chancellor Quentin Redfield.”

A robust man in a red doublet and pants was purposefully striding towards the pair. Beside him was a slim woman in a modest dress, also in red. “Morning to you all,” the man said. “I am Quentin Redfield, Grand Duke of Berlowaine and Chancellor to the King. This is my wife, Susan Redfield.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Chancellor. My name is Druscilla Clearwater.”

“What a charming young lady,” Susan Redfield said. “We are pleased to make your acquaintance. I am somewhat surprised dear Clementine never mentioned you before.”

“You never asked, my Lady Redfield,” Clementine mumbled from beneath her face scarf.

“In any case, here I am now, my Lady,” Druscilla said. Redfield was a powerful man – it would do her no good to be rude to his wife.

“Indeed, welcome to the South, lady Clearwater,” Redfield said, his voice a bit too loud. “I understand you came from the Nord islands, correct? Let me be the first to assure you that it was the best decision you could have made. The land here is prosperous and peaceful. The King despises conflict and bloodshed, so you need not worry for your life as you once did in the North. In fact I give you my word as Chance-”

“Oh, enough of that Quentin,” Susan interrupted. “Do you think such topics are appealing to a Young Lady on the day of her debut?” She turned to Druscilla. “Forgive him – that’s all he ever talks about day and night.” Susan took Druscilla’s free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You very much remind me of myself, Druscilla. Before I married Quentin I grew up in a small coastal village. The village temple, if you could even call it that, had a small gem that fit on top of a wand. It was barely the size of half my fingernail, and the light it produced was dim and pitiful. My mother was a Holy Woman, so I was raised in the ways of the Light. The Scriptures describe the Holy Rainbow as the physical incarnation of bliss and purity, yet seeing that puny crystal in my home village raised doubts in my mind. I thought the priests were overselling it. That was until I came to the Capital and laid eyes on the gem here. There and then, my faith was renewed. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Suddenly I understood it all; I was so happy that I almost cried.”

How convenient… “Thank you for noticing my tears of joy, Lady Susan.”

“Everybody noticed your tears of joy, it was a beautiful sight. Do not be ashamed. Here is my card. Come see me soon before I return to Berlowaine. After all, a young lady like you ought to have a proper married woman to look up to in life.” Clementine bristled at those words. “My husband and I will take no more of your time, see you soon, Druscilla Clearwater.”

“Goodbye.” Druscilla gave a polite curtsy to the older woman. Clementine remained rigid.

The chancellor was about to say something when his wife pulled him away. Clementine watched them join the crowd. “I never liked the Redfields,” Clementine said.

“Well today isn’t about you. Be more polite to everyone we speak to.”

“As you desire.”

The room was filled with the hubbub of pleasant conversation as people got to know the year’s debutantes. Several people eyed Druscilla but were put off by her chaperone. “It seems we will have to take the initiative. Tell me who’s who in the room right now.”

“We’ve just met the Redfields – the most important people here. The brawny man in blue, leaning on the wall over there is Marshal Trance Bluewater. He’s neither too bright nor too dull, but he’s a capable fighter. His younger brother is the famed monster hunter Trory Bluewater.” Druscilla had heard that name before. “And over there beside the window is the Royal Treasurer Adrian Whitestone. He’s a quiet, bookish lad, as inoffensive as they come.”

Druscilla followed Adrian’s eyes to a pretty blonde chatting up a group of debutantes. “Who is he looking at? A close relation?”

“Not quite – that’s Dixie Blackstone.”

“I recall you mentioning they were in an affair.”

“Indeed – I cannot be certain, however. He knows how to cover his tracks. For all I know, that might be the hateful gaze of an arch-nemesis.”

“Adrian will be important. I’d like to meet him. But first, tell me some other names.”

“Those two old men behind the Redfields are Dukes Yellowflower and Greenwood. They are direct vassals of the king – each about a decade older than the Monarch. There are no other Dukes or Grand Dukes present. The rest are counts or disposable second-born children. I do not know the majority of them.”

“Fine. Let’s go over to Adrian.”

They crossed the width of the throne room to Adrian Whitestone. He straightened himself when he saw them approaching. “Lady Scholar, Lady Clearwater, pleasant morning to you both,” he greeted them politely.

“Pleasant morning to you too, my Lord.”

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Should you need anything, feel free to ask me.”

“Actually, I wanted to help you.”

Adrian chuckled softly. “I mean no offence, but I doubt you are in such a position.”

“No one has bothered to ask me why I came from the North – the Chancellor assumed I was running from conflict like some sort of refugee.”

“Is that not the case? I was under the impression that they worship war and violence in Nord.”

“That must be a terrible misrepresentation, but it doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to say is: the reason I came south is that I recently became very wealthy – and I want to use my wealth for the good of others. Lady Clementine told me that there is a famine occurring and that the relief effort is straining the coffers.”

“It is so. A lot of projects have been sidelined in the wake of the famine.”

“Not to mention apostate witches in the Capital.”

Adrian gulped. “Lady Clementine should not have told you of that. It’s a secret…”

“Oh people always talk – if you know the right ones, it’s easy to see the whole picture.”

“Then you should know those apostates fled the city and are hiding out in the country. Sergeant Trory has been tasked with finding them.”

“Has he now – well, it doesn’t matter. What really matters is that I’m going to start a Merchant’s Guild – I would be open to lending the Crown with some loans. Soon I will make the same offer to the Chancellor; I seem to get along with his wife and he listens to her.”

“Where did you even get that sort of wealth? If actually are that wealthy, that is.”

“Some agreeable man gave it to me. Two and a half million gold sovereigns.”

“Impossible – that must weigh several tonnes. And I heard no news of a debutante arriving in the city with wagons upon wagons of gold. In fact, I didn’t even hear of your arrival within the city at all.”

“I was travelling incognito.”

“Incognito?”

“Yes, in secret. But then again, that doesn’t matter. The only things that matter are the future, and what happens to the Kingdom in the future. I was letting you know of my plans that we might have a cordial relationship going forward. I believe you are unmarried, no?”

He tensed a little. “I am. And there are less expensive ways of trying to court me than loaning money to the Sovereign Monarch.”

Druscilla laughed. “Oh, I’m not trying to marry you, good Lord, I know your heart belongs to another.”

Adrian’s breathing and heart rate increased in an instant. “I- uh… don’t take your meaning, Lady Druscilla.”

A very bad liar. How has he managed to keep his affair a secret all this time? “I can hardly blame you, Dixie Blackwater is quite the catch.”

“How dare you!” He was shouting. “How dare you insinuate that I would cavort with a Blackwater of all people? I would rather lay with a dog!”

Once more, Druscilla was the centre of attention. The room had gone quiet and everybody was staring. Druscilla put on her best deer-in-the-headlights face as Clementine shifted uncomfortably next to her. I thought you were the quiet type, Adrian. “My Lord you misunderstand!” Druscilla said – loud enough to be clearly audible but not quite loud enough to be considered a shout. “I was simply trying to say that I’m prettier than that Blackstone girl – I don’t know how you came to the assumption I was praising her.” Druscilla looked about her like she had just noticed people were staring. If only I could blush on command. “Oh no! You’ve made an embarrassment of me on my debut!” The people started murmuring. It’s a spectacle alright.

“Forgive me Lady Druscilla, I must have jumped to conclusions…”

“No! You’ve ruined everything!” She took Clementine’s hand and ran. There was a smaller exit to the side which was closer, but Druscilla opted to run straight for the main one through the crowd for maximum effect. She brought tears to her eyes just to look like a bride who had been stood up at the altar.

She did not stop running until they were in the deserted washrooms. Druscilla could not hear anyone nearby. She allowed herself a victory laugh.

“I truly do not understand your methods,” Clementine said. “I thought you wanted a cordial relationship.”

“That was a half-lie; I want a working relationship. He cares about Dixie – he’s the son of a Grand Duke so he cares about his reputation too. Hahaha… He knows I know about Dixie. He’ll do whatever I say when the time comes. That was foolish of him though, he didn’t even think I would use the spectacle to my advantage.”

“That’s because you are supposed to be a shy maiden.”

“Is that so…”

“Wasn’t that the girl who cried during the prayers?” Dixie asked June Brownhill.

“It was, I wonder what happened between her and the Treasurer.”

“She seems to have strong emotions – she is ill-suited to court life.”

“You should be happy, after all, she embarrassing that Whitestone of all people.”

“I’m elated.”

“I kind of feel bad for him, did you see the look on his face when he ran after her?”

“June, how long have we been friends?”

“Since we were children. Why do you ask?”

“Then you should know talking about Adrian makes me sick. And besides, it’s your debut, let’s make it worth remembering.”

“Of course, my lady.”

The truth was Dixie was burning with jealousy. Druscilla probably knew about her and Adrian. But how? Probably through Clementine Clearwater. Adrian was not a liar, so she was sure that Druscilla had mentioned the affair to Adrian to blackmail him. Adrian naively tried to back out by raising his voice and causing a commotion – only for Druscilla to cast herself as the victim and sway public opinion her way. That cunning snake.

She spent the rest of the debut in a dark mood. She didn’t let those emotions rise to the surface, however, as she kept on a bright smile for the debutantes and guests. When the event was over she went straight home and put on a cloak. It was about two hours to sunsdown when she left her estate to go to the slums in the North. There she could find individuals who would do anything for the right price.

Since before she was born, Dixie was already embroiled in the feud between the Blackstones and Whitestones. Simply put, it was fate. Her father, Duke Draxler Blackstone, gave her the best education he could afford before sending her to the Capital. She was to pass as a lazy spare heir when in reality she was more of a spy. It had worked, people had a tendency of saying the darndest things when she was around because she was not a threat.

When Adrian was appointed Treasurer in his father’s stead, Duke Draxler told Dixie to gather as much information as possible on the boy. And like a tacky romance novel she had fallen in love with him – not that fate cared, however, as her father had ordered her to fabricate evidence against Adrian Whitestone.

Dixie did not understand why they hated the Whitestones. She was sure her father didn’t either. But that’s the way things were. During the course of her duties, she had made friends in low places. She had befriended a pair of rough twins calling themselves the Terrys who acted as middlemen when she needed dirty work done – after all, her tasks were not limited to Adrian alone. The Terrys had inexplicably disappeared. No doubt the consequences of their actions caught up with them. My time will come too, eventually.

Sometimes, she just wanted to live forever with Adrian in a fairy tale castle – but that would never happen.

The absence of the Terrys meant that she had to go to the crime-ridden slums herself. She went down dark alleys and through dilapidated shanties until she got to the usual place. The people in charge knew her face, so she was not attacked. It was a form of security. Everybody knew everybody else’s face, but not their names. That made it all the more baffling as to who would attack the Terrys seeing as they were well known even in reputable parts of society.

A figure emerged from the dark and revealed its face. One of the Terrys’ crew. “I have a job for you…”