This chapter is brought to you by The Devil Doesn't Bargain by Alec Benjamin.

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The mission debrief was less than satisfactory once Nine and his team got back to Vesna.

Lord Eartha was standing in his study with a grim face. Standing in front of him was Venus and Uranus.

Nine had his men dismissed but kept one hand on Belwyn.

The other two were free to leave.

"Cat, Peacemaker. I see that the mission was successful?" There was tension in Lord Eartha's voice.

Was this not a good time?

He discreetly glanced over at Venus and Uranus. The younger had the same frown as Lord Eartha while the older looked like a dead man walking.

Nine nodded curtly and presented the documents Belwyn was able to take from the cultists before the building blew up.

"Evidence. Target is dead, and Poppy Field confirmed the higher ranks have been eliminated."

Lord Eartha drew a long breath in satisfaction. "Good, good. At least something had gone right this evening."

Nine blinked and eyed Uranus unhappily.

He heard Venus call his name before the communication implant cut off.

There was a pull, and Nine noticed Belwyn trying to get out of his grip. He had forgotten he was holding onto his arm. He let him go.

"Puppy," Nine turned to him.

Blue eyes turned to him with some apprehension.

"Who was your handler?"

The focus of the room turned to Uranus once more.

The man stared at the floor, flushing red in shame.

Nine unsheathed his daggers--

"Stand down, Cat," Lord Eartha ordered sharply.

Tension rose and Nine reluctantly tucked his weapons away with a click of his tongue.

He narrowed his eyes at the man.

"You could have killed him," Nine told Uranus.

The man paled.

"N-no, Lord Arcadia, I..."

Lord Eartha sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with agitation. "My apologies regarding my nephew. He has proved himself incapable. Uranus, I am moving you back to the Ancestral Estate."

"What? But Uncle, that's in the Capitol--"

"Exactly. You will no longer be affiliated with Vesna from henceforth. Not after you nearly got your agent killed."

"But what about my post--"

Lord Eartha silenced him with a single gesture. "Venus has shown he is ready. While he was not able to show his best in front of Cat, he alerted Poppy Field and Hydrangea of what happened and brought them over to aid Cat and Peacemaker."

Uranus pursed his lips. His hands balled into fists, and he glared at Venus with obvious resentment.

The boy didn't look at him. He was too busy staring at Nine.

After a moment of silence, Uranus stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Lord Eartha looked tired. "My apologies to you, Peacemaker," he said to Belwyn. "Uranus broke his oath of neutrality and sided with House Calypto."

Belwyn made a small gasp while Nine glared.

"He believed if Peacemaker caused the mission to fail, it would humiliate Lord Monttevi."

Even better if he got the boy killed.

Was left unsaid.

"Trash," Nine spit out.

Lord Eartha grimaced at the statement.

Venus, who had been silent this whole time, took one step forward and said with a determined voice, "I will not let it happen again. Uranus was a disgrace to all handlers. We believed he was experienced and gave him Peacemaker, but that proved to be our mistake. Forgive me, Peacemaker."

Belwyn blinked in surprise, but he accepted the apology hesitantly.

Nine grabbed his arm once more and turned to Lord Eartha.

The man sighed and waved his hand, "You are dismissed."

They left the Tower of Truth.

---

Venus had only met Cat once since he was put on this specific mission. His uncle had quickly introduced them to each other, and Venus felt like a baby being given training wheels.

Cat was... magnificent on the field.

The magic surveillance spell provided footage of the fight in the fake temple, and Venus saw him fight against a woman with a sword that was nearly as tall as him.

Yet, he fell his opponent like a silent and quick killer.

Cat didn't argue, nor did he distrust Venus. Venus knew his age would be an obstacle, and older agents disliked having a boy be their handler. This mission was his first, and if all agents were as quick and obedient as Cat, Venus believed his mission success rate would be as long as that of Tobus Arcadia of House Calypto.

"I never thought Uranus would fall in love with Rasamund Claypto. Did he really think helping the Calyptos would win her affections?" Venus heard his uncle mutter irritably.

"Isn't Rasamund Calypto a part of the Saintly Sisters?"

His uncle huffed. "Yes. Uranus obviously didn't get the memo that the Saintly Sisters swore off men."

Venus snorted. Uranus was a fool. He believed himself superior, having been from the Capitol and hailing from a branch family of House Stella. He often looked down on Venus and his older brother.

Mercury purposely targeted him on the dueling field, knowing Uranus only knew how to fence. He deserved every single beatdown. Eyeing them like dirty children from the streets, did he think Vesna was an aristocratic city?

Perhaps the Calyptos appealed to him because they acted as if they were nobility, but every single person in Vesna knew it was all a facade to entrap their enemies.

"What did you think about working with Cat?" his uncle suddenly asked.

Venus excitedly regaled him with his first mission experience.

---

Bel was dragged out of the Tower of Truth by Tobus.

He had been in shock by the experience of his first mission as an agent. He never thought someone would purposely target him due to house rivalry.

He was surprised Tobus was so... angry by this.

Bel believed Tobus Arcadia would have changed in the last few years. He had rarely seen him since they were twelve, and now, two years later, he learned Tobus had taken several missions like a seasoned soldier, back-to-back, and had become one of Vesna's best.

There was some envy Bel felt for Tobus.

His uncle had compared him to the boy so many times now but was always astonished with each success Tobus achieved.

Perhaps the target's words have proved some truth.

Bel eyed the collar around Tobus' neck and wondered what that was about. He had seen him wear it during that Calypto Ball, and even though it was not part of the uniform that the agents wore, Tobus still had it on no matter what.

Was House Calypto truly pushing him to the brink? A boy with no background, who mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, who didn't even accept the Calypto name, was House Calypto grooming him to be something bigger?

Bel knew Tobus was a trained killer since young. He knew it by the ease with which he killed the target with a single flick of his wrist.

The weapons mattered not. He didn't need honorable duels and the like. An assassin just needed to kill, and battles were nothing but a waste of time.

Yet, Bel wanted to measure himself against Tobus.

Everyone in the compound was talking about how they would be rivals. Same age, same position, and now they were both agents.

Even their interests--

Well, no. Actually, Bel was wrong about that.

Besides the children and the cats, what did Tobus even like? What interests did he even have? What friends or companions did he trust that were not people he needed to care for, or family?

Could Bel be someone like that to him?

He remembered the cold eyes and the hot blood spilling all over Tobus' face. He hadn't even flinched.

Was he a mere weapon in exchange for the safety and happiness of others? Was House Calypto so cruel as to keep him this way, a mindless soldier who had little to be happy about?

The hand holding his arm was warm. No one would have expected that from a cold-blooded killer. Bel could feel callouses on his fingertips.

He stopped.

Tobus paused and looked back.

His eyes drew down to his hand holding Bel's arm and he slowly let go. The boy tilted his head as if asking why he stopped walking.

Bel swallowed and met his eyes. He felt the need to ask this question, just so he could figure out what to do.

"Do you like it here?"

Tobus blinked. He pointed at himself.

Bel nodded. "It doesn't seem like there's much else, besides your... um... kittens."

There was a moment of silence, and Bel thought there would only be silence, but Tobus' lips formed into a small smile.

"It is fine. I am grateful for what has been given to me. My duty is my repayment to Lord Uncle."

That small smile seemed ten times sadder than anything Bel had ever seen.

Why did he feel as if Tobus was trapped? It was so awfully sad, and Bel thought he deserved better.

"You kill so easily in the name of Vesna and your uncle," he said, his voice tight with discomfort.

"Killing is easy," Tobus answered, much to Bel's shock. "Following orders and doing what is told protects the kittens... and the puppies."

He looked at him meaningfully, and Bel tried to force down the blush on his cheeks.

Puppy.

He always called him and Rowan that.

It was at that moment Bel made up his mind.

---

"Have a duel with me."

Nine furrowed his eyebrows.

He was aware that hte story's trajectory was changing, but what in the world?

Did the mission give Belwyn some sort of push in development?

"No."

Nine instantly rejected him.

The boy stared at him with wide eyes and he tugged on Nine's sleeve like one of his kittens.

"Please?"

He heard murmuring around them, and he realized Belwyn's statement had drawn the attention of Vesna's people.

Men and women dressed in blue and red were glancing their way.

Would he dishonor House Calypto if he continued to say no?

Belwyn was... a puppy. Not a full-grown dog. He was a child, and no matter how people claimed they were meant to be rivals, Nine knew he could easily beat this boy in any kind of skirmish.

The fact of the matter was, Nine was an adult in a child's boy and Belwyn was a literal child. Perhaps a talented one at the blade, but talent and experience were not synonymous.

"One duel," Nine said, giving in with a sigh.

Blue eyes looked at him in excitement, and he could see a hint of resolve.

"Winner draws first blood," he continued, making his way to the dueling field.

Belwyn followed at his heel, and a little ways away, the men and women of their respective houses had joined.

---

The winner of the duel was determined before it had even begun.

The Calypto men knew this the moment the boy challenged Lord Arcadia.

They admired his nerve, but Lord Arcadia was not a duelist. He was an executioner who treated his opponents like they were criminals on the chopping block.

It took only a few moves, perhaps a few minutes, but the fight didn't take long.

First blood was drawn immediately. There was a small cut on Lord Belwyn's arm, Lord Arcadia's daggers had slashed deep enough past the leather to give him the shallow wound.

It was generous of him, and many knew he was going easy.

The Monttevis, however, did not see the results of the duel for what it truly was.

Before anyone knew what was happening, a brawl suddenly broke out.

Some of the Calypto men noticed a piercing gaze on their backs as they wrestled with Monttevi men.

Near the treelines, away from the brawl, Lord Arcadia had backed Lord Belwyn against a tree and stood in front of him, acting as some sort of makeshift shield as the brawl turned violent.

He was glaring at them.

Oh.

Oh no.

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[......... Vesna Rule III: An agent must follow their commander's instructions .........]

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End of Part III

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The author has something to say:

Nine is really just vibing. He's content. Bel's out here making his own Wattpad fanfiction, and yes, I am aware of the irony of that statement. You know, this chapter in the outline was called "The start of hatred and rivalry between Tobus and Bel" but what happened? I don't know, sob sob sob. You can't hate a guy that literally tried to attack someone for screwing you over.