They went into the office together, just in time for the shift. The room’s unsettling luxury—polished wood, brass fittings, and a high clock that never seemed to move—sat against the weary faces of its employees.

  “Good morning, Mirelle.” Vierna waved as she stepped inside, forcing a bright, practiced smile. What had happened with Lina had helped—somewhat—but the ache of her own deeds still lingered, etched deep where no words could reach.

  She studied Mirelle. The woman looked as though she had dressed in a rush: her hair only half-combed beneath a simple beret, a faint streak of face powder uneven across her cheek, and the sleeves of her white shirt pushed up at mismatched lengths. Her black skirt sat slightly crooked, one side riding higher than the other. They were small things, but together they made her look like someone who had stopped caring halfway through getting ready—something that, in any formal office, would speak louder than words.

  “Hello, Crysta,” Mirelle said as she yawned. “What a night we had, huh?”

  Mirelle’s eyes lingered on Vierna. Vierna’s heart beat faster with each passing second those eyes stayed on her. It was as if something sharp lay behind that gaze—something that could pierce through her lies and drag her deeds into the open for everyone to see their rot.

  Does she know what I did? How could she? Does my dress look off? Did I wear something wrong?

  “Wow. You’re a heavy drinker, aren’t you?”

  “What do you mean?” Vierna replied reflexively.

  “Look at how you’re dressed. I mean, I didn’t even look in the mirror before coming here, but didn’t you feel hungover or something?”

  Vierna blinked, a flicker of relief washing over her.

  Fuck, I need to get myself together.

  “Hehe… not really, Senior,” Vierna said with a smile. “I just had a pleasant morning, that’s all.” She glanced toward Lina, who was yawning on a nearby bench.

  “Ah I see…” She nodded as if she gets what Vierna meant, “Well let’s…”

  “Good morning ladies~”

  A voice so sickening full of fake flattery came from behind them. As Vierna turned she saw the hulking figure of the tax master. Seeing the means to reach their destination with their cover intact, Lina stood up and headed toward the man.

  “Good morning, Herr Korrn,” Vierna and Lina said stiffly, forcing their voices into politeness. Mirelle only shrugged as Korrn laid his clammy hand on her shoulder.

  “It is nice to see you two so fresh and eager to begin another day in the office,” he continued, his eyes shifting to Mirelle. “Unlike this girl here, who seems to have forgotten she is doing a very important job for the tax office. Mirelle, are you all right? You seem a bit off today.”

  “I-I’m fine, Herr Korrn. Thank you for your concern,” Mirelle stammered, trying to edge away. But she wasn’t brave enough to move outright, fearing the repercussions.

  “Out drinking again? It isn’t good for women at your age to drink constantly. You do know it gives you a beer belly, don’t you?” Korrn leaned closer, inspecting her with feigned concern. “What has you so down? Is it because we’re going to Rolbart today?”

  Pinned beneath the weight of his hand on her shoulder, she stammered again. The words never came.

  Watching Mirelle wilt under his touch made Vierna’s and Lina’s stomachs twist. If the opportunity ever arose, they would gladly shoot him in the head—without hesitation.

  “You do know I am not a vindictive man, yes?” Korrn said, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. “Rolbart has always been troublesome. Every time I went there to collect, they pay only what is due. We can’t have that. We are at war, and everyone must contribute—especially mixed villages. I honestly don’t know why the Reich hasn’t purged their kind already. But as a humble servant, I can only follow orders.”

  The three girls kept silent, unsure of what kind of response he expected. Vierna herself didn’t understand what was so bad about mixed villages that they especially needed to contribute. In a way, it made something crawl under her skin.

  “So, Mirelle, cheer up. Who knows? Maybe I won’t have to resort to disciplinary action today.” Korrn leaned in, his face far too close to hers.

  Vierna and Lina watched Mirelle’s terrified expression as she tried—and failed—to hide it behind a polite smile.

  “Y-yes Herr Korrn.”

  Korrn smiled. “Good. Now, you two—back to the filings. And Mirelle, prepare the necessary arrangements for the trip. I don’t intend to stay there long. The air always feels like it’s choking me in that place with all those… people.”

  The girls then departed. Lina and Vierna went to the filing room, waiting and hoping their plan would work. Obviously they said nothing to Korrn or Mirelle about Henry and Sylia, pretending as if Vierna hadn’t just sabotaged their careers and possibly gotten them fired.

  As they returned to arranging files, Vierna occasionally sneaked a glance at Lina. Lina did the same, and each time their eyes met, they exchanged a sheepish smile.

  Though it had only been a few days since their bodies were altered, Vierna missed Lina’s true face. It was a shame their first kiss had been shared while inhabiting someone else’s body, forged by the Facility’s procedures.

  Yet Vierna did not regret it. Lina had always been there—always more than a friend—and the kiss had only confirmed what they already knew about each other.

  The memory reignited her spirit. Back then, she had believed only in the Reich—in Einhartturm as the sole place she could ever belong. She would have done anything for them both, but the fact that she faltered when poisoning two innocent souls showed that something was missing.

  Stolen story; please report.

  But with Lina now, that emptiness was filled. Leopold, and by extension the Reich, had treated them with kindness so far. They accommodated them, trained them, and gave them shelter.

  Back then it was simple. The Reich had given her a place to belong, and she was grateful for it, willing to serve without question. But with Lina in the picture now, a certain hesitation came. They both would be sent to war eventually, and that war could change them or kill them outright.

  She thought about it. Was there any other place that could accommodate them without sending them into combat? Was running away really a better choice now?

  The idea lingered for a moment, tempting in its simplicity. Just leave, find some quiet corner of the world, and live as nobodies. But the more she thought about it, the more foolish it sounded.

  The world was at war. Even if they managed to escape the Reich and find some neutral nation, the next question was for how long. How long could any country stay neutral? When the two powerhouses, the largest nations on the continent, were locked in conflict, it would not be strange if the flames of war spread to those neutral lands as well. When that happened, those nations would see them only as cannon fodder, expendable assets at best. They were Faintborn after all, low in magic and with minimal combat prowess.

  Hiding was not an option either. They would spend their lives watching their backs. How long could two girls endure that before the burden of survival ground them down to nothing?

  She knew the weight of a life. Her mother had shown her what happened when a person was hollowed by the burden of survival—the same fate that would await them if they spent their lives on the run.

  And so her thoughts circled back to the Reich.

  Sure, the Reich demanded something in return, but to be fair, was there anything in this world that gave freely without asking for something back? Only Lina’s love seemed to defy that logic.

  And so she concluded that serving the Reich was the surest way to secure a future with Lina, not by running from them but by becoming part of them. She had even read in a book that there was no law in the Reich forbidding same-sex marriage, as long as they adopted and raised children.

  True, they demanded three adopted children, more than what a heterosexual couple was required to have, but if that was the price of being with Lina, then she would gladly pay it.

  With the thought of getting away from the Reich was gone now, she looked to the future.

  She recalled the fractured map she had studied in Albrecht’s library—Tsukiyama, the Confederation, all the kingdoms splintered like glass against fate. The Cult of Paradise too—the lunatics who had taken Edwin and plunged her life into chaos. And the revolutionaries, and the nameless cults and splintered would-be nations—each waiting like carrion for the Reich and the Imperium to bleed each other dry.

  For her to be with Lina, to live in peace, all of them would have to go. The Reich had to stand alone. Only then could peace last.

  And so she wondered—should she tell Lina to wait? To admit she loved her, but that duty came first?

  But the thought of Lina waiting in uncertainty hollowed her heart. Worse—if, during that wait, someone else reached for Lina and she accepted it—then Vierna would lose one of the very reasons she fought so hard. What was the point of peace if she couldn’t share it with Lina?

  And that was the optimistic way to see it. What if tomorrow—or sometime soon—either Vierna or Lina died? They were spies, after all, and anything could happen. Even if this mission was called “training,” there were no safety nets. One wrong move and they could be killed on the spot by revolutionaries—who had no pity for spies.

  And if they failed the mission but survived, what would Leopold do? What if he decided that both of them were worth nothing more than guinea pigs, useful only for testing and to be discarded when he was done?

  What if waiting for the right time was the wrong move? What if the right time was now?

  In the end, she decided on both: to be Lina’s lover and a loyal agent of the Reich. Somehow, she would divide her attention—just as she cast Eidrecht inwardly while teasing Lina outwardly in their battle.

  Even if she was weak now, she vowed once more to do everything in her power to ensure the Reich would unite the continent again—just as it did during Arcus’s Era.

  Just as she finished the thought, Lina came over with a stack of papers and moved beside her.

  “Hey, stranger…” she whispered.

  “Hey… what’s up?” Vierna said, trying not to stare at her.

  “That kiss back then… what did it mean?”

  Vierna checked her surroundings first. The door was closed, and the filing room was empty and quiet, save for the rustling of papers and the slow breeze from the window. She also looked at the edge of each corner, making sure that there was nothing, not even a Scrying Eyes.

  After she had done that, she went to Lina. Lina should already knew what the kiss meant—Vierna was certain of that— but she wouldn’t let the question linger.

  “Shouldn’t it be obvious? It means we’re a couple,” Vierna said matter-of-factly, arranging the papers without missing a beat.

  “Co… coup… couple?” Lina stammered.

  Seeing her hesitate, Vierna faltered. Maybe she’d moved too fast. Maybe she had just assumed too much. She looked at Lina, uneasy.

  “Eh? I’m sorry, Lina. I thought… sorry, I should’ve confirmed with you first. Sorry.”

  “No, it’s not that, Vierna.” Lina looked back at her. “Hehe… honestly, I’m glad you think of us that way. And truthfully… it’s been a while since I started thinking about you as more than a friend. We basically live together, see each other all day—even during the night. Not that I’m complaining, hehe…”

  She scratched her cheek with one finger, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Haha… what am I even embarrassed about? That kiss just confirmed what was already obvious.”

  Vierna blushed, scratching her head. “I’ve never been in a relationship before. Let alone with a girl… I only ever read about relationships in books.”

  Lina chuckled. “Haha… that’s really you. Don’t worry. I know all about it.”

  Vierna blinked in surprise. “You’ve been with other people?”

  “Nope…” Lina declared without the slightest embarrassment. “My village was filled with boors and dullards. Besides, it’s kind of hard for Faintborns to get couples. People only interacted with me because of my persistence, haha…”

  She remembered how she had once told Vierna she basically forced her way into every circle and conversation until people gave up and let her join.

  “You’re my first too, Vierna. Don’t worry, hehe…”

  Vierna didn’t know why, but the thought of being Lina’s first was comforting to her.

  She rechecked her surroundings, even peeking outside the door to make sure no one was there. The filing room sat at the edge of the office, like a storage space overlooked by everyone, so there were seldom passersby—still, Vierna had to be sure. Their entire mission depended on it.

  “Well… should we tell Halwen?” Vierna asked.

  “Hell no,” Lina said, a grin in her voice. “Hehe… we don’t know how the adults will react—especially Arkmarschall Leopold. What if he separates us? Says our bond would hinder the mission and the training?”

  Vierna rubbed her chin. “You’re right… Also, we can’t let this interfere with our training or the mission.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that… I still want to burn the Imperium to the ground.” Lina’s eyes flashed with fury as she said it.

  “I want the Cult to pay for what they did to Father,” Vierna added. She took Lina’s arm; it was trembling with conviction and a hunger for revenge. “We need to succeed in this mission, and at Ewige Schlange earn Arkmarschall’s trust and rise in rank. That way we can directly help end this war.”

  “You know…” Lina whispered, “all this talk about our goals—will our relationship hinder our actions? Should we wait until Ewige Schlange is over and our positions in the Reich are more secure?”

  “I thought about that too… but I just can’t bring myself to end it. We only just began, and I believe we can manage both.”

  “Besides,” Vierna continued, “we basically live together, right? Even if we hug a little, they won’t notice the difference.”

  Lina rubbed her chin “Well, you basically use me as a pillow every night. It makes me sore, you know. So yeah if we don’t act weird, they wont notice anything.”

  Lina nodded. “Okay then—secret couple?”

  “Secret couple it is.”

  And so the girls vowed secrecy, balancing their newfound relationship while continuing their training and moving forward toward their goal.