Windsor Castle From The Thames

Golden chandeliers covered the velvet walls of the palace. Everything here screamed wealth, from the opaque marble floors to the intricate designs hand-carved into the columns.

The luxury spread so far that it almost made me sick. I’d had the privilege of hitting up some pretty nice places before, but at a certain point, the excess almost felt vulgar.

Good luxury is quiet, pristine, but still somewhat down to earth. A lot of places I loved in Japan were like this, with the sanded wooden floors and simple carvings around the exterior that embraced a feeling of humbleness. Sure, flashy colors and extravagant displays had their place, but they were mere accents instead of the focus.

That was the opposite here.

Didn’t matter where I looked, the floors, ceiling, even the people were all decked in gangly gold from top to bottom. It was like any sense of decor was thrown out to flex the wealth crosswater could bring.

Even our clothes represented extravagance. Gone was my simple gray uniform, replaced with a suit with the unit's logo on the right shoulder. Just putting it on, it was plenty clear that this wasn’t any old suit. If anything, fighting in this would be easier than my cloak.

I looked over at Aila, dressed in a beautiful turquoise dress that stopped just above her ankles. Her blonde hair flowed like the ocean behind her. I couldn’t stare away from her eyes, blue gems that seemed to go on for infinity.

“What do you think?” I asked Aila, who was staring in awe at the magnificent ceiling.

“It’s overwhelming. I know we need to focus, but it feels as if we’ve stepped onto another planet!”

“Tell me about it.” I sighed. For me, this excess just brought about a sense of dread. “We need to meet up with the group.”

In the end, half the unit ended up trying to volunteer, though out of those, only a dozen of us ended up making the cut. Me and Aila mixed with a dozen of the most talented students Unit E had.

Yet that didn’t intimidate me in the slightest. Pure power wouldn’t be the game changer.

“Mia!” Aila called as we entered the king’s study. The man himself was absent of course, but with the potential dangers of our plan there wasn’t a more secure place in the entire castle.

“Aila, Rin, good to see you too.” Inside, the dozen of us chosen were gathered around the head table, Thien at the front. “We’re just getting started.”

“Perfect.” I leaned against the back wall. Sitting would just be a waste of time.

“Thank you all for coming.” With our arrival, Thien slammed the door shut behind us. “I know everyone here has the plan memorized, but for clarity’s sake, I wish to give you all one more rundown.”

He cleared his throat. “Despite her title as an assassin, Lilly loves to kill in broad daylight, so we’ll give her a target. I will be dressed as His Majesty on the ballroom floor. Team A will be my personal guard for appearances, while Team B will be guarding the real king down in the lower chambers.”

“That just leaves us.” I said.

“Correct. Team C, you two will scout the castle while acting like honored guests of His Majesty. Do you have your waterline?”

“Right here.” Aila and I simultaneously took out tiny silver medallions filled with droplets of water behind a clear backing.

From Theon’s description, these were the kingdom's equivalent of radios; miniature disks running on crosswater that could send messages across the entire city.

I didn’t really get the mechanics, but those didn’t matter to me. What mattered was getting our message across.

“Perfect. If you spot anything of note don’t be afraid to call, and remember. The instant you activate the waterline, you’re on a thirty-minute timer. One second over and you will be out of fuel.” Thien said.

“Understood!” This time, it was Aila who responded.

“We will finalize our preparations in here. Team C, you know what to do.”

With those final words we turned toward the door. The party had thirty minutes before it began, yet our task started now.

Aila breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind us. “I know how nice he truly is, but to meet such a celebrity like this still makes me shake.”

“Better get used to it.” Our time to relax was over.

Somewhere in this building, Lilly’s imposter was lying in wait. It didn’t matter if she was in some crevice, blending into the crowd, or impersonating the king. I would find her imposter, and blow the farce open once and for all.

For now, however, all we could do was sit and wait.

“Presenting Aila Fantasia and Rin Suzuki of Unite E.” The butler gave us a polite bow as we walked through the massive doors that opened toward the ballroom.

A blast of wealth nearly blew me off my feet. The smooth marble felt like ice under our feet, pristine white tiles that would have stood out even on earth.

No matter the world or the country—while people starved outside, there would be a feast ready at the rulers’ home.

“You take left, I’ll take right,” Aila said. I nodded; we didn’t have time to waste.

As we separated, I walked into a mess of people. I felt the brush of finely woven silk dresses, velvet suits, and the faint cold feeling of metal sewn into the fabric. Perfume dominated the air, snuffing out any trace of oxygen as the nobility chatted way too quickly for me to keep up.

I’d much rather a simple fight. This pompousness felt overwhelming in comparison.

“Forget it,” with a sigh, I ducked into a shaded corner behind a collection of marble pillars. Putting the soulless stone busts glancing down at us aside, this was the best place to scout.

My eyes scanned the room. From what I knew about Lilly’s imposter, her Senn was focused on shadows and stealth, hence why her public executions were such a shock. She wanted to be seen, be wanted, be a target. I couldn’t discern why.

I gasped.

In between the crowds preparing for the ball, I spotted someone I couldn’t mistake for anyone else.

She wore a beautiful green dress that matched her stained glass-like eyes. A light brown ponytail trailed her every move like some mystical afterimage. She walked with a familiar confidence, weaving through the people with an athleticism even Unit E couldn't match.

The way she walked and carried herself—only one woman in either world could match both of those.

“Lilly…” I muttered, unconsciously revealing myself. “Lilly, wait up!”
It was stupid, I knew it was stupid, but I had to talk to her. She didn’t look like an assassin yet she was here.

She glanced back, face covered in shadows from the flickering waterlights. I didn’t need to see her expression to tell how shocked she was. Yet, as I walked towards her, she turned the other way.

“Wait,” I tossed aside any sense of subtlety as I ran after her. “Lilly, we need to talk!”

She didn’t respond, yet I could tell she was picking up the pace.

“Come on,” I dashed into the crowd, giving up all pretense.

Most of the nobles scattered like crows as I weaved through, though some were too dumb to get the message. Those ended up on the floor.

“Welcome, one and all, to the royal ball,” Thien stepped out in the corner of my eye. His striking features were cloaked in more makeup than a geisha and tall figure masked with luxurious robes of gold and purple. A near perfect disguise.

Yet Lilly completely ignored him, slipping through the crowd and exiting the ball room through the back.

“Listen to me!” I broke through the crown, giving away my cover. I wouldn’t need it anyway.

I slipped outside without too much hassle. The grand marble pillars did a fantastic job of muting the chatter from outside, letting the ball sound like muttered discussions.

But I had no time to admire the decorations.

The tail of Lilly’s dress flicked past me at the end of the long, glamorous hall. It was an impossible distance to cover in such a time, yet it was her. Another person couldn’t mimic her confidence.

Begrudgingly, I set off after her. It was like I was a mouse being led to a mousetrap, but I could never resist the bait.

“At least talk to me!” I screamed.

We both rushed up a set of stone stairs. With every corner I turned she was one corner ahead, just enough to keep me on track yet her face was still out of reach.

“Wait.” I froze. Her voice flew like a bird through the room. I could have sworn she was right next to me. “Come on, don’t you want to see what happens?”

“Stop playing games, Lilly,” I sped up, ignoring the burning in my knees. “Where the hell have you been? Why do they think you’re murdering kings?”

“Patience.”

“Patience my ass,” light began to smoke from my fingers. It felt raw, all my annoyance and pain condensed into banded light.

After what felt like a thousand steps, I found her at the top of the steps.

Here, the gilded door protecting the king’s resting chambers had been smashed in two. Lilly stood at the end of the hall, admiring a purple gem in her hands.

While the corpse of the king lay at her feet.