Hyde woke up with a throbbing headache, as if his head was being splintered by an axe.

It was something they did not need to know, lest it be considered a disgrace.

Clutching his head for a moment, he let out a heavy sigh.

Trying to recall was a difficult task, only glimpses and scenes beckoning to him from last night. There …there was Garret. Yes, that man had offered him a strange tonic, alcohol and then everything escaped his grasp.

There had been someone hopping in the bonfire? Was it him or was it Jaime?

He groaned and rolled over in his bed, wait, bed? When did he end up here? He stumbled off the mattress and groped for the window. Gus or somebody else must have carried him here, man. Tom would laugh—wait, Tom wouldn’t laugh about it when he was too busy talking with his twin.

Hyde’s shin struck against something. Biting back a curse, he hopped up and down for a moment and clutched his knee. Where was a light orb when he needed one?

After a couple attempts, he found the window and opened it.

It was still dark, with only the silhouettes of the village’s home flickering around him. A cold draft made the man shudder, and somehow it felt like it was appropriate to shut the windows and clamber back to his bed. It felt right, but the memory of yesterday—before the drinking happened here would gnaw itself on his mind.

The thieves had been here.

He was positive of it.

Hyde hadn’t been able to use [Falcon’s View] that time, but he would have recognized them nevertheless. They had went off running as soon as their carriage arrived, fleeing the scene—a bolt of movement caught his eye. He blinked, it disappeared in an instant but it had been there.

The young noble vaulted over the window’s ledge and landed on the ground. His legs were already striding towards the direction that movement had went to, into the alley of houses. It should be idiotic to chase after it, he knew he would say it hindsight but he was already running after whoever moved earlier.

He gulped down the words in his throat, alerting that person would make things worse. Hyde should have used his skill awhile ago, straining his ears to hear something else besides his floundering footsteps. A fork in the road appeared before him, and he ran towards the right path. If they weren’t after them, after his sister or him or the village head… then it could only mean one thing.

Only one thing of value would be present, the gifts in the carriage.

Picking up his pace, he rounded to the clearing and the shadow. “Stop!” he shouted, putting every ounce of authority into that one command.

The figure paused before finally twirling to meet him with their hands up in the air. A familiar face.

Hyde blinked, “Tom?”

“I was totally not sneaking out to meet with your sister.” The words flew out fast in the young soldier’s lips.

It was almost pathetic, really.

Hyde wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making right now, but all that pent up energy fizzled out of him. It had just been Tom, he had been anxious for nothing. “Ugh, it was just you, give me a break, will you?” He rubbed his face. “It’s too early to… ick, whatever. I’m going back.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Hyde,” Tom ran his fingers through his hair, “I’m just uh… patrolling the perimeter.”

The noble waved him off, already making his trek back to the Village Head’s home, “Sure, whatever. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Hyde!”

. . .

Later that morning, Hyde joined the Village Head’s family for breakfast. The Village Head’s wife was fussing over the table, making sure that their daughter was well behaved and didn’t try to steal some cheese off the table.

“Good morning sir Hyde,” Gus came inside the home, he was carrying two buckets of milk.

“Thank you so much dear,” Eliza managed a frazzled smile, brushing some hair behind her ear. “Reuben here is complaining about his back.”

“I could have carried it myself, but I couldn’t refuse Gus’ offer.” Reuben laughed, already picking off morsels of bread and seated down. “Please join us, lad.”

“Do forgive us for this meal,” His wife was up and about, almost fluttering about. “If you want, we can ask if some of our neighbors still have leftovers from last night.”

They were being too hospitable, it was embarrassing. “Ah it’s fine, we’re good-”

Rhine’s voice overtook his, the young woman walking out of her room. “Good morning everyone,” She curtsied before making her way to a seat besides Hyde. She looked as if she had been attended to by several maids. How’d she do that first thing in the morning was beyond his understanding. “I hope I haven’t woken up too late.”

“Yeah, sure you have.” Hyde rolled his eyes.

His sister sniffed, looking at him with a frown. “…are you implying something?”

“Where’d you two go?” He sighed, picking up a glass and tossing it over. He really didn’t want to have this conversation at all, but he was sure that a family member should be concerned about this. Rhine… and Tom. It made shivers roll down his spine, trying to imagine it.

“Milk, sir?” Gus asked, now holding a pitcher. The man was standing right behind him. Hyde reluctantly allowed the butler to serve him milk. It wasn’t like he needed milk though, he was not a kid. Men drank… alcohol. That was what Garret told him, anyway.

“What?” Rhine raised a brow. “I didn’t go anywhere this morning with anybody at all.”

Feigning such surprise and covering it up with words, of course she would. “I thought you were supposed to marry someone at Zourian Kingdom,” It shouldn’t have surprised him at all. “so I don’t know why you’re being friendly with Tom.”

Her gaze sharpened on him, “You have the nerve to say something like that?” Rhine stood up from her seat, “Please forgive my lack of appetite this morning, sir Fletcher. I appreciate the gesture but I must clear my head for awhile.”

And with that, she walked out of the house.

Hyde winced, it didn’t turn out well did it? Taking a glance at their hosts, they stayed composed. As if the Falcon siblings didn’t just had an argument right in front of them. He scratched his cheek.

“Rhine, wait up!”

. . .

“Leave me alone.”

“Hey, I’m sorry alright?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Wait up! How do you walk so fast?!”

A young man rested against a tree, nestled up with a book. It was the perfect spot to read, just the ample amount of shade and sunlight. There had also been the fact that it was quite peaceful, away from the noise of his fellow soldiers training about and the hubbub of the villagers.

It had been peaceful, until now.

Pulling his gaze away from the tales of Aria, he was met with the sight of two notable figures.

The Falcon siblings.

Lady Rhine seemed to be having an argument with her brother, from how she was clearly walking away from sir Hyde and had a frown etched on her face. But despite that, she looked quite pretty as always—she strolled right past him.

“Rhinee!”

He blinked, shut his book and pulled himself up. How could he forget his manners though? Bowing as low as he could, he greeted the only Falcon left. “Uh, good morning sir Falcon.”

The noble paused, and glanced his way. “…who are you?”

It should have made him wince or grimace, but it wasn’t unusual. “Liam, sir Falcon. A soldier assigned to accompany you in this envoy, sir.”

“A-ah… haha, I knew that.” The noble laughed, before hanging his head a bit. “Er, this is kind of embarrassing.”

True to conversations between the other soldiers, and his observations, Hyde Falcon was more outspoken and straightforward than most nobles. Not that he had much interaction with them. But now he wasn’t so sure what to say, “It’s alright sir,”

“No it’s not!” Hyde shook his head, “And by that… I mean, I usually know everybody at the barracks. So I’m not sure how I could have forgotten your name.”

“…I’m not so sure either, sir.” It was like an indirect remark on how he was easy to forget. Liam was sure it wasn’t meant that way, but it kind of was like that. “But uh… sir, weren’t you following lady Falcon?”

“Oh right, Rhine!” The noble scratched his head, “She doesn’t want to talk to me, or to follow her. She’s kind of mad.”

He could see that. ‘Kind of mad’. “Ah, is that so, sir?” He was only asking out of politeness, not that he wanted to get into a sibling squabble or learn what Hyde did to upset his sister.

“Yeah, I guess I was kind of stupid earlier.” The noble looked around before leaning towards him,“Hey, Liam… want to do a secret mission?”

He didn’t like the look on the noble’s face, “A-ah… what does it entail, sir?”

“It’s simple really. Can you keep an eye on my sister? And…uh, report to me if you see Tom and her together?”

“Uh…”

“Please, pleaseeee.”

There didn’t seem to be much of a choice for him would it?