Who Said Life was Fair? - A Novella

Chapter Four

Lucas sat on one of Thousand's utility stools, gawking at his reflection in the vanity. She'd managed to completely tame his curls with an iron, then handed him a makeup brush and told him to cover up his freckles while she worked on their costumes. He did the best he could, conjuring up the memories of his mother covering her own freckles before going to parties.

Staring back at him was an image of Rodric.

He blinked once, then twice, but couldn't dispel it from his mind. Now that their differences were removed, he looked exactly like his brother. Well, of course. We're identical twins, his rational mind thought.

Besides, it would be good for the job if people couldn't tell them apart by appearance, since their faces were well known across the Empire. Now to work on his behavior, or so Thousand had said. Shouldn't she be coming back by now? he wondered. She's been in there for almost–

"Hey, quit staring at yourself. It's time to go. We'll be staying in Plumsk for the next week."

Lucas whipped around. There she was, clad in one of the V-cut gowns that people in Pluma usually wore. Her hair was a shimmering silver this time, and tied up in an elaborate updo. Her eyes stayed brown, but they were more vibrant, and her cheeks had been made pinker. She also seemed thinner, although that might've been the dress. It was the figure-hugging kind, with a thin gray jacket – that in no way reflected the bitter cold up south.

"How do the ladies even survive with that little covering?" The question slipped out without him even thinking.

"It's actually a mark of pride up there. The less layers you wear, the stronger you are, or something. Seems pretty backwards to me." Thousand shrugged, and Lucas found himself nodding with vigor.

Inside, he almost let out a yell of victory. He actually knew her opinion on something! That added to the list of things he knew about her – she was a mercenary, her code name was Thousand, she could make herself look like anyone, and she thought the fashions in Pluma were 'pretty backwards'. That was certainly progress!

"So, uh, what exactly is the plan?" he asked. Hopefully he'd find even more information as the mission went on – somehow, he would figure her out. "Who are you impersonating?"

"A fictitious 'Lady Rosa Gavinik'. Supposedly, she's converted Rodric Riel into the ideologies of Pluma, and they're coming to the ball to assert their support for the king. In reality... well, we're really not." She let out a dry chuckle, tugging in a stray lock of hair from her complex updo.

Despite all good sense, Lucas found himself questioning the plan, even though he really shouldn't. "Wait. My brother would never just... switch sides – the most he'd do would be to abandon his aggressions," he said. "And even that seems far-fetched. King Ivory is smart, he'd never believe it," he continued.

"Hmmm." Thousand seemed to consider this. "You have a good point." He perked up, not expecting her to take him seriously. "I guess we'll just have him fall madly in love with her then."

"W– what?" he sputtered, feeling his cheeks heat up. He took a step back, hoping that would clear his head.

"What's wrong? Everyone knows people do crazy things when they're smitten. Does it sound strange that your brother would abandon everything to be with his lover?" Thousand didn't seem to have taken note of his reaction at all.

"Well, it's... pretty strange." Stone-cold Rodric falling in love? That was the most unbelievable part, never mind leaving everything to be with some foreigner. But then again, he didn't have a better plan... "It's less crazy than the other one, though. We could even call Aunt Gladys and tell her to stir up all the gossip. You know, when they started seeing each other and all. To make it more believable."