Silverhaven slept beneath a cool silver moon, its walls bathed in moonlight, its streets whispering with the hush of dreams and secrets. The city was alive even in its silence, lanterns flickering gently on alley corners and tavern windows glowing like distant stars.
Down by a quiet stream that flowed gently between the eastern gardens and the noble quarter's stone wall, Hina sat alone.
The water whispered across rocks as moonlight played upon its surface. Hina sat on a flat stone near the edge, her white cloak draped around her shoulders, delicate fingers tracing circles in the air above the stream.
Rika and Yuzu had already left with Sebas, their family's butler, back to the Yukishiro estate near the palace.
But Hina... had asked to stay just one more night.
And now, she was here. Alone. Barefoot. Her adventurer boots lay beside her, and her hair was unbound, flowing past her shoulders like midnight silk.
She sighed.
"Father must be furious," she whispered to the moon.
A gentle rustle came from the grass behind her. Hina tensed, only for the sound to still into familiar silence.
She turned slightly.
Red stood a few paces away, his black armor almost blending into the shadows, only the glint of silver at his collar catching the light. His expression, as always, unreadable. Watchful.
Red: You've been quiet,
Hina smiled faintly and turned back to the stream.
Hina: It's easier to think here.
Red stepped closer but didn't sit. He looked at her from the side, hands resting casually at his belt.
Red: You stayed behind.
"Yes," she replied, brushing hair behind her ear.
Hina: I wanted… just one more moment to breathe before everything returns to cages.
Red was quiet.
Hina inhaled deeply, her fingers clutching her cloak.
Hina: My name… Hinagiku Yukishiro… It's not just a name. It's a chain. The Yukishiro family has always been loyal to the crown. We're expected to lead, to marry well, to maintain our dignity. That's how it's been for generations.
Red tilted his head slightly.
Red: And your father wants to marry you off.
She chuckled humorlessly.
Hina: To a noble from the western territories. Lord Kenzairu Arakashi. I've never met him. But I hear he's twice my age, widowed, and in need of a political marriage to stabilize the western border.
Red's jaw shifted slightly but he didn't interrupt.
Hina: I'm not even sure my father wants this marriage, But the pressure from the court, the alliances… he's always tried to protect our family's position. He sees this as securing our future.
Her voice faltered.
Hina: I don't want it. But I don't want to hurt him either. He's always been kind to me… strict, yes, but kind. I wish there was a way to cancel the arrangement without making him look weak. Without… shaming him.
Red finally sat down beside her, on a stone just to her right.
Red: You could run.
"I could," she said with a gentle smile.
Hina: But that would shame him. And I would be hunted like a criminal by the nobility.
Red: You could fight it.
Hina: And cause a scandal.
Red looked at her calmly.
Red: Then what do you want?
Hina: I want a way out that doesn't hurt anyone,
she said, her voice quiet, but heavy with longing.
Hina: I want to be free… but not at the cost of my father's name or honor.
They sat in silence for a while. The water flowed on.
"I envy you," Hina whispered.
Red glanced sideways. "Me?"
Hina: You're free. No chains. No title. Just… Red. You walk your path without care for what others expect."
Red gave a short breath, almost a laugh.
Red: Freedom has its price.
Hina: I'd still pay it," she said.
She stood up, brushing off her cloak.
Hina: Thank you for listening, Red. I'll go back now. The inn's warm, at least.
She walked off quietly, her steps soft against the grass.
Red remained seated for a moment, watching the stream ripple beneath the moonlight.
Then, slowly, he stood. And smiled.
The wind shifted.
Behind a tree not far from the stream, a figure emerged, quiet as a whisper, his long coat fluttering faintly behind him.
The Mysterious Man, cloaked in obsidian robes and a white scarf that concealed half his face, stepped forward. As always, he arrived without sound. No footsteps. No warning.
Red didn't turn.
Red: You always know when I'm going to ask something
The man said nothing for a moment.
Mysterious Man: You rarely talk that long unless something's moved you.
Red turned now, just slightly, the shadow of a grin at his lips.
Red: I need to borrow something from her.
The Mysterious Man raised an eyebrow beneath his scarf. "Her?"
"The Intel," Red clarified.
Even in the gloom, the shift in atmosphere was palpable. The Intel, leader of the information division of the Midnight Pact. A woman whose web of contacts stretched across the continent. Unseen. Untraceable. Dangerous. Brilliant.
"She doesn't lend things," the man said calmly.
Mysterious Man: She names prices.
Red: I'll pay, I just need something… a document. Or a record. Anything that can kill an arranged marriage with noble legality. I don't care what she calls it. Fake blackmail. Lost evidence. Even a signature forged by a minister."
The man was quiet.
Red: She's innocent, Doesn't deserve to be sold off like a bargaining chip.
Mysterious Man: You've never stepped in for nobles before, Why now?
Red's voice was low.
Red: Because this one still believes in people.
A beat.
Mysterious Man: I'll deliver the message,
the Mysterious Man finally said.
Mysterious Man: But I can't promise she'll be interested.
Red turned to face him fully, eyes steady.
Red: Just tell her it's for me. That should be enough.
The man gave a quiet chuckle.
Mysterious Man: You're playing with fire, Black Blade."
Red: Fire's warm when you don't let it burn you.
With that, the man turned, fading into the shadows as swiftly as he'd come.
Red stood by the stream for a while longer, watching the water catch the stars.
Tomorrow would bring new quests, new chaos, new battles.
But tonight… tonight was for the quiet ones. The ones who smiled softly but carried burdens unseen.
And if Red had anything to say about it…
Hinagiku Yukishiro would be free.