Three days before the Imperial Hunt, Lord Solis summoned his family to the main drawing room.
It wasn't unusual for him to gather the household before attending an imperial event. Appearances mattered in the capital. Especially after the humiliation the family had to suffer becasu eof Kira. House Solis had already endured enough whispers over the past few weeks. This hunt would be their chance to remind the court that their foundation remained unshaken.
Kira arrived last. No one looked up when she entered.
Lord Solis was already discussing the hunting arrangements with Lyra while Lady Solis sat beside him, occasionally offering suggestions about which noble ladies Lyra should spend time with during the festivities. Servants moved quietly around the room serving tea, yet not one bothered asking Kira if she wanted any. She had expected nothing else.
"...Prince Julian will undoubtedly be surrounded by officials," Lord Solis was saying. "Don't monopolize his attention, but don't let another young lady do so either." Lyra smiled modestly.
"I understand, Father."
"I've also spoken to Lord Beaumont. His family will be attending. It would be wise to strengthen that relationship."
"I'll do my best." Only after finishing every instruction meant for Lyra did Lord Solis finally shift his gaze toward Kira. It wasn't the look of a father addressing his daughter.
It was the look of a man remembering an obligation.
"As for you..." His voice carried neither warmth nor expectation. "You will remain with your sister."
Kira met his eyes without speaking.
"You are not to wander around the hunting grounds alone."
"You are not to involve yourself in conversations that don't concern you."
"And above all..." His expression hardened.
"Do not embarrass House Solis." The room fell silent.
Lady Solis lowered her teacup with a quiet sigh, as though she, too, believed the warning necessary. Lyra glanced toward Kira before quickly lowering her eyes, carefully hiding the satisfaction behind an expression of concern. Lord Solis continued.
"I agreed to let you attend because refusing the Emperor's invitation would attract unnecessary attention." His words were measured. Cold.
"Do not mistake that for trust."
"If you create even the slightest scandal..." He paused just long enough for every servant in the room to hear.
"...you needn't trouble yourself with returning to this house." No one reacted. Not because the threat was shocking. Because everyone present had grown accustomed to hearing him speak to Kira that way. Years ago, those words would have left her unable to sleep.
She would have searched her memories, wondering what she had done wrong this time. She would have convinced herself that if she behaved a little better, smiled a little more, or worked a little harder, perhaps one day he would finally look at her the way he looked at Lyra.
Standing before him now...
She found herself wondering something entirely different.
Why did I spend so many years chasing the approval of a man who had already decided I wasn't his daughter?
The thought appeared so naturally that it almost surprised her. It wasn't painful. It wasn't even bitter. Only... strange.
She had survived betrayal, execution, and a second chance at life. She had watched kingdoms rise and fall from the shadows. She had learned how easily powerful men could be manipulated when they believed themselves untouchable.
And yet, the girl she used to be had cried herself to sleep because this man rarely remembered her birthday.
Looking back now...
It felt almost absurd.
She inclined her head politely.
"I understand." Lord Solis seemed satisfied by the lack of resistance.
"Good." He dismissed her with nothing more than a brief wave of his hand before turning back to Lyra.
"The riding instructor will arrive this afternoon. Make sure you're prepared." The conversation continued as though Kira had already left the room. She quietly excused herself. No one stopped her.
Back inside her courtyard, Kira locked the door before pulling a folded sheet of parchment from the hidden compartment beneath her writing desk. Unlike the reports Wildflower usually delivered, this one contained no intelligence gathered from spies. It was simply a guest list.
Every noble family confirmed to attend the Imperial Hunt had been written in careful rows. She slowly read each name.
House Beaumont, House Ashcroft, House Vale, The Minister of Revenue, The Commander of the Imperial Guard, Several provincial governors, The Royal Physician. Her eyes lingered there.
The Royal Physician rarely accompanied the Emperor outside the palace unless there was a reason.
She picked up a brush and placed a small circle beside the name.
Then another, The chief steward of Sterling Manor. That was... unusual. She continued reading. Among the merchants invited to supply provisions for the hunt, one familiar trading company caught her attention.
Northwind Trading. Kira opened the small wooden box beside her desk and removed the piece of cloth Rowan had entrusted to her.
Several merchant marks had been scratched into the fabric from memory.
She compared them one by one. Then stopped. The emblem of Northwind Trading matched perfectly.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"So..."
She rested the cloth beside the guest list. "You're attending too."
Whether the company representative came because of ordinary business or because of the Starfrost Crystals remained unknown.
Either way...
She intended to find out.
That evening, she descended into Wildflower's hidden chamber. The Seven Gardeners had already gathered around the stone table.
Information slid another report toward her.
"Our people have completed their preparations." Trade spoke next.
"If you permit it, we'll station our members throughout the hunting grounds."
"The kitchens."
"The stables."
"The supply caravans."
"No one will know they're ours." T he Chairman nodded.
"The hunt gathers too many enemies in one place."
"We would feel more at ease knowing you're protected." Kira quietly closed the report.
"No." Trade frowned.
"My Lady—"
"If Wildflower appears now..." She looked around the table.
"...someone will remember." Silence answered her. She continued.
"Perhaps not today."
"Perhaps not during the hunt."
"But years from now..." She tapped the edge of the table once.
"Someone investigating an old mystery will remember the same stable hand appearing where he shouldn't."
"The same servant."
"The same merchant."
"One coincidence becomes a question."
"Several questions become a pattern."
"And patterns..." Her gaze settled on Information.
"...are how people like Gideon Sterling hunt." No one argued after that. The Chairman slowly inclined his head.
"As you command." Kira folded the guest list and slipped it into her sleeve.
"This time..."
"I enter as Kira Solis."
"Nothing more."
Across the capital, laughter filled the Beaumont residence as several young noble ladies enjoyed an afternoon tea before the upcoming hunt.
Lyra sat among them with effortless grace, listening more than she spoke. She allowed the conversation to drift naturally toward the Imperial Hunt before someone mentioned the Solis sisters.
"I've heard your elder sister will attend this year," Lady Celeste said.
Lyra smiled, though a trace of worry touched her eyes.
"She will."
"I've actually been a little concerned." Several ladies looked at her curiously.
"Concerned?"
Lyra hesitated, as though debating whether she should continue.
"My sister, I mean after the recent scandel." The ladies already knew but they were making sure Lyra was th eone to bring it up again,
"I'm afraid she'll."
"What do you mean?"
"She's..." Lyra searched for the gentlest words she could find.
"Very sensitive."
"If someone speaks with her or even about that incident..."
"I'm worried she'll think she's being ridiculed." Lady Celeste laughed softly.
"Then we'll have to help her become more comfortable." Another young lady smiled.
"A little teasing never hurt anyone." Lyra quickly shook her head.
"Oh, please don't misunderstand."
"I'm sure everything will be fine." No one noticed the satisfaction hidden behind her apologetic smile.
She had never asked them to embarrass Kira.
She hadn't needed to.
Some ideas grew far better once planted in someone else's mind.