This chapter is brought to you by Run by Maisie Peters.

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On the day of the Calypto Ball, the Calypto Estate was decked out in reds and golds. Cold stone walls were dressed in celebratory curtains and drapes, only ever used for grand events.

Servants and Calypto's mercenaries all busied themselves to decorate the estate, light the hearth, and arrange the numerous feasting foods popular in Vesna.

"Beast pelts that way!"

"Bring more candles here!"

"Where are the musicans? They're late for rehearsal!"

A girl stood near the staircase, watching as the grand hall was slowly converted into a proper ballroom.

"Rasamund." Her aunt, Lady Calypto, approached her calmly in spite of the chaos behind her.

"Auntie," Rasa greeted, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Her aunt smiled, "Yes. Please go to the nursery wing. You should get yourself familiar with Tobus before the ball."

Rasa's mind stuttered.

Yes, the reason for this ball was due to her long-lost cousin.

From what little knowledge she was able to attain, it seemed her late uncle had managed to sire a child outside Vesna's walls.

No one knew about his secret family until his passing, and even then, the village where he claimed his wife and son lived was burned to the ground by the time they found it.

But the stars worked in mysterious ways and her aunt and uncle managed to find her cousin at The Arena.

Working as an executioner.

Rasa knew of horrors and violence.

She, too, had learned to wield the Calypto Twin Daggers and at her age, she has already gone on several missions.

But it seemed her cousin had worked in The Arena for several years since the burning of his village.

It was unbelievable, and awfully cruel.

He was younger than her by two years.

Shame for his innocence, and the children he brought with her.

"I shall do so now. Good day, aunt."

Rasa performed a light curtsy and left.

It was time to meet this Tobus Arcadia.

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The ball was about to start in less than three hours and Nine finally managed to dress all his kittens, his cats, and Jovette.

The servants gathered in the large nursery turned dressing room looked like they were dead on their feet.

One of them came forward and gestured to him, "It's your turn now, Lord Arcadia."

Nine was still dressed in a plain shirt and pants, and his hair was tied back sloppily.

He has been helping the children and cats wash and dress since morning.

Before he could protest, the servants picked him up and dragged him back to his quarters to get ready.

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They threw him into a tub of lukewarm water and scrubbed him down.

Soap bubbles covered his vision, followed by several splashes of water, and then being patted down by plush towels.

The outfit for the celebration was somehow more decadent and more elaborate than his usual clothes.

There was the silk inner shirt that went on first, and then the leather pants made from some type of beast his Lord Uncle fancied to hunt in the last week outside Vesna's walls.

The coat they had him wear had a weight to it that was heavier than his usual red and gold coats. The style of it was similar, golden embroidery against vermillion red, but there were... shoulder pads on top of where the shoulders would be.

Nine knew there was a fancy word for it. Apel-something.

He heard the servants say it at some point in the day.

He donned the jacket and noticed that the sleeves were slightly ruffled and was obviously meant to make his gestures more graceful.

Eye-catching.

It was too eye-catching and reminded him of Toby Calypto.

But he didn't think Toby ever dressed this way. His meager character description had said he wore robes that were... comfortable. He was dressed like a civilian, a wealthy one, who dueled weaker opponents with a rapier rather than hidden twin daggers.

He didn't dress for battle. There was nothing rigid like the coats Nine wore. It spoke of how soft he innately was, and yet he stubbornly clung to Vesna. That child would have been happier if he left.

A servant came forward with golden wires stretched so thinly, they could be mistaken for threads.

"Please sit down, Lord Arcadia. We must make your hair presentable."

And so, for the next two hours, Nine sat in front of a vanity as several hands twisted his hair into several braids, pinning it together in certain parts, and weaving golden wire between dark brown strands.

By the end, he somehow looked presentable and messy all at once. The contrast made it known by the style of the hair being paired with the outfit he wore, and he thought, perhaps, it was what House Calypto was known for.

Danger hidden within beauty, as he had noticed in his Lady Aunt, his Lord Uncle, and even Jovette.

The estate itself, and the history of the Calyptos, masked the truth beneath what was shown.

Assassins in the dark and hunters hiding in plain sight.

That was House Calypto.

Nine looked at his reflection and admired the delicate work that went into the styling.

"One more thing, Lord Arcadia. The Lord and Lady wishes you to wear this."

The servant brought over a velvet box and opened it.

Nine leaned over and then paused.

A golden ring with black leather stared back at him.

It was a necklace...?

No, it was a collar.

An expensive one, too, if the gold was real and the leather made from some sort of beast skin.

Yet, it was something meant to be worn by cats and dogs, and beasts.

Nine picked it up and examined it in the light.

The servants stepped back, holding their breaths as they waited for his reaction.

After a while, a small smile formed on the boy's face and he unclasped the buckle.

"I am pleased. Inform them of that."

The servants all breathed a sigh of relief.

Nine ignored them and put the collar on.

It reflected in the setting sun, and his eyes followed the spot of light it made on the vanity table.

Honestly, did they think he was a stray? What was he? A cat?

But the gift was precious, if not a little funny, and Nine was highly amused by it.

"Lord Arcadia, Lady Rasamund is here to meet you," said a servant at the door.

"She may come in."

A girl stepped into the room with the grace of a poison butterfly.

She wore a red dress buttoned to her throat, was the first thing Nine observed. Her sleeves were long and wide, and hid most of her hands. He saw a hint of black gloves covering her hands.

It was her piercings that caught Nine's attention.

Two on either side of her nose bridge, two beneath her lips, and a multitude climbing up her ears.

"Do they hurt?" Nine asked.

She paused. "What?"

He gestured to her ears.

"Do they hurt?" he asked again.

Lady Rasamund looked at him for a moment, and then she smiled.

"No, it doesn't."

"They look... nice."

"Do they now?"

Nine nodded. "Yes," he answered, and then, as an afterthought, he asked, "How many did you win?"

Her smile somehow grew even wider at the question. "I couldn't keep track. Too many."

"I see."

She performed a curtsy. "I am your older cousin, Tobus. Please call me Rasa."

Nine bowed his head.

"Tobus Arcadia. You are my cousin and ally."

She looked at him, and then laughed.

"Uncle warned me about that. You like to name connections, don't you?"

Nine grimaced. "It... makes it easy. To keep track."

She laughed again. "Come on. You're all dressed, aren't you? Show me your kiddies. I heard you brought a hoard of them."

"They're kittens."

"Oh? Is that what you call them?"

"Mhm."

"How cute."

Nine let Rasa drag him out of the room, leaving the servants to clean up.

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Rasa's first impression of Tobus was that of a child who might be slightly dulled in the head, but intimidating enough to cause goosebumps all over her skin.

He had their aunt's eyes, or rather, his father's eyes.

The same emerald green eyes that her cousin Jovette have also inherited.

The elders were hoping for more vermillion eyed children, but the Calyptos were a branch family of House Elisia in the Capital, and their blood was fairly diluted after hundreds of years. Rasa just happened to be lucky, though she dodged the bullet that was heirship once she announced her intentions of becoming a Saintly Sister.

Having an heir in the employment of House Stella was apparently distasteful, but it was her mother's House. She learned the Calypto twin daggers, but it didn't mean she was strictly required to be fully affiliated with them.

Tobus took her to a door that she remembered led to the observatory, but when he opened it, she saw that it had been turned into a large nest of pillows, pelts, and toys.

She first spotted the three overgrown cats she heard so much about.

Their heads rose and they glanced at her with bored faces before going back to sleep.

Then she saw the children, her cousins "kittens."

There were eight of them, all dressed up in varying shades of red with gold.

They were running around playing some sort of game, but each of them were careful, climbing up the walls and jumping off platforms.

In the middle of it all, there was her other cousin, Jovette, who was sitting in the center watching happily as the children chased each other around.

"Kittens," Tobus called.

The children stopped what they were doing and turned as one.

Alright. That was creepy, but at least Tobus had them trained.

He pointed to each of them and then started to make quick introductions.

"That's Duri, that's Tess. By the walls is Trei and Lief. Over there is Quin, Juno, Sept, and Otto."

Rasa was slightly dizzy from all the names, but then she realized something.

"Did you name them after numbers?"

"No," Tobus said.

Oh, thank the gods. Perhaps they were nicknames?

"Their parents did. For good luck."

Of course, Rasa thought, concerned and bewildered by that information.

"You can call me Nine."

"... I think I will stick with Tobus."

"Okay. Kittens, say hello to Rasa."

The children all chorused, "Hello, Lady Rasa."

"Hello, kiddies." She smiled in amusement as they approached her, asking about her dress, or her piercings.

From the corner of her eye, Raw watched as Toby made his way over to the center of the room and picked up Jovette as if it was the most natural thing to do.

She saw him brush some hair out of her face with a soft smile.

"My Lord, the ball will begin soon," a servant by the door declared.

Rasa met Tobus' eyes.

There was no ripple in his gaze, as if the celebration was for someone else.

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[.................. Rasamund Calypto : Tobus and Jovette's cousin and supporting character of Poison-Laced Daggers. A member of the Saintly Sister Assassination Corps. Disliked Toby Calypto. She was Rowan's first crush ..................]

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The author has something to say:

Nine's fit is inspired by Tybalt's costume in the Japanese all-woman cast of the musical Romeo et Juliette--based on the French Musical of the same name. Some of you might have noticed I changed the name of the last chapter. I felt The Boy didn't match the other chapter names. Anyway, can you guess who Pluto and Rasamund are in the original story?