Aliya always felt the same feeling of giddiness whenever she entered Belcourt, far from the first time she entered its gates. That time, she had no choice. But as the years passed, and as she grew accustomed to being a Belle, coming home to Belcourt was all she could think about.

Her usual route was to stop by the Manor, spend a few moments there, talk with the children and the soon-to-be courted ladies and walk all the way to the Court of Flowers, the Flower Garden, a few miles from the Manor.

On a good day, she would enjoy the walk, passing by the lake and the Court of Service, have tea at the Village and continue onward to the Flower Garden. But today was particularly different. She had stayed longer in the Manor than she intended, and by the time she exited the orphanage, it was already dark. The first snow had fallen, not too heavy, but it still made the journey quite a challenge. She remembered that the snow had come earlier last year. Earlier, the children in the manor were wishing for it to come sooner—and heavier—as Christmas was approaching.

Streetlamps guided her path and she could see smoke coming out of her mouth as she softly panted, hugging herself with her good arm under her red cloak. Her steps were quick, her mind completely elsewhere.

Expenses were piling and she feared that they may soon lose the apartment in Maple Row. She needed money soon. Lord Hartcaster may be a generous man, but his generosity was about other things. He was kind to her and the friendship he offered was nothing like any other she had experienced as a Belle.

Friends... She did not have many and a few were special. But before Belcourt, she was surrounded by them. There was one friend she vaguely remembered in her past before Belcourt. The memory would come back to her now and then, but not too often. In fact, this was the first it crossed her mind again since... since four, five years ago? She could not remember everything about him, but she could remember that he made her laugh a lot. For a moment she wondered where he was now. He must be out there living his dreams for she also recalled that he had big dreams. "Bigger than Sutherland! Bigger than the world!" he had cried out as he shouted against the strong wind of the sea, his body slightly bent over the railing of the ship.

Aliya only had that memory. She could vaguely remember the boy, but his voice and his laughter were as clear as that beautiful summer. She remembered how she felt during those days in the ship; those days before everything went wrong.

Taking a lungful of air, she lifted her chin and continued her walk, determined to reach the Flower Garden as soon as possible so she could return to Strait right away.

No time, no time...

The voice echoed in her head, causing her heart to race against her chest. It was not the walk, but the apprehension... the unease for what was to come.

She had worked so hard. She had been the best Belle. She never failed Belcourt.

Surely they would grant her this one.

They must, she thought with a huff of smoky breath. They must...

Mason was not getting younger. Soon, he would need more, and that required money. And Delaney... Delaney needed to be saved.

When Aliya entered the Flower Garden nearly half an hour later, she found a young woman at the entrance of the inner building. A new Belle, she thought, reminded of the others before this lady, Sasha one of them. Sasha had been innocent, eyes wide at the sight of her that winter night she met Aliya, the same night she made certain she made an impression on Sasha as she did with the other Belles after she arrived in the Garden. She wondered how this one would fair.

"What is your name?" she asked as the woman curtsied to greet her with wide, glimmering eyes, mouth slightly open as she gaped at Aliya.

"M-Melissa," the young lady replied in an awestruck timbre.

Aliya forced a smile. "And why are you alone outside?"

The woman blinked. "I am... I am waiting for my friend."

She frowned. "Which friend?"

"She is not from the Garden, my lady. She is from the Service and we agreed to meet for—"

"Are you not wearing a red cloak?" Aliya asked, staring at the woman from head to foot.

Melissa swallowed. "Yes."

"Then you ought to be making friends with the other Belles. I am certain your friend would understand."

"But we agreed to—"

"You will never feel welcome in this court if you stick to what you are comfortable with, Melissa, dear," Aliya interjected. "Wait for your friend here and tell her that you can meet her some other time. Your fellow Belles need to know you more. We are not always home in Belcourt, do remember that. It is rare for most of us to gather in one place."

Melissa blinked and then nodded. "Yes, my lady."

Aliya widened her smile. "Good. I am glad that you understand. Belles may be intimidating at first, Melissa, but we do not cause harm to fellow Belles." In a lower voice, she added, "But it will help if you stop slouching."

The woman pulled her shoulders back.

"And do not address me as though you are from the Service. We are equals. You call me Aliya."

Melissa swallowed and nodded.

"Perfect!" Aliya said, turning on her heels. "I will see you in the parlor later!"

Her smile disappeared as she navigated to Lady Mariam's study. She lifted her hand and knocked.

"Come in," Lady Mariam's voice answered from the other side.

Aliya sashayed inside with her head held up and smiled at Lady Mariam. "My lady, I apologize for the tardiness. I was... well, you know what happened."

Lady Mariam narrowed her eyes. "Let me see." Lady Mariam stood and came near her, lifting one side of her cloak to reveal her injured arm. The woman shook her head. "You should have been careful, Aliya."

"I was, but we have reason to believe that the accident was deliberate."

Lady Mariam did not pause until she settled back in her chair. "Yes, Sasha has reported the same."

Aliya stiffened. "Sasha?"

"Yes. She was concerned and directly made inquiries with the Court of Service."

"Why would she do that?" she asked with a frown.

"Your carriage driver can only answer an investigative inquiry from her Mistress. Sasha is very aware of that and so asked Lady Harrett. Harrett obliged and questioned Carrie in writing."

"My driver is my responsibility and she made certain that she—"

"We know that your driver checked your stagecoach that morning, Aliya, as she was trained to do so. She swore that the stokes were in good condition. In fact, we knew it before you came here to see me, all because Sasha had the sense to investigate first and make the conclusion that your accident may have been staged. Because of her report, Belcourt has heightened security around Strait. We are sending some Soldiers to question the Belles and investigate their gentlemen in secret. Anyone can be part of the Circus."

Aliya went cold.

More Soldiers in Strait?

No time... the voice whispered in her ear and her jaw tightened.

"Your arm may pose as discomfort for your next assignment," said Lady Mariam, drawing Aliya back to the moment. "The Viscount of Winthrop."

Aliya blinked. She was familiar with the man. He was a patron of the Humbrick balls.

"He has recently attempted to be a gentleman of Belcourt, but his application was denied for a simple reason that he is well acquainted with a suspected member of the Circus. We need you to look into his wife."

"Lady Winthrop is a cousin to Hartcaster's wife," she said.

"Yes, she is. And she is one of the biggest gossipmongers there is."

"Then her husband would not be the best candidate for the Circus. His wife would cause big trouble."

"Gossipmongers often know everything about everyone, save for their own lives," said Lady Mariam.

"And they could also be very useful in disseminating information, thus serving a purpose for the Circus."

"Precisely, Aliya," Lady Mariam smiled. The Mistress let a moment of silence pass before she said, "I hope you do not take Sasha's actions against her. I did ask her to look after the Belles. She meant nothing bad when she made the inquiry after your accident."

"No, I do not take it against her, my lady. I would have done the same."

"Good. Are you staying here to celebrate Christmas?"

She shook her head. "I am afraid I cannot. My flower is adamant to not attend parliament this year."

Lady Mariam nodded. "Very well, I hope that you grace Coulway with your presence in the coming months as the season starts."

Aliya left Lady Mariam's study with all the grace she could muster and struggled to maintain her calm as she made her way downstairs to join the other Belles for a short chat before her planned departure back to Strait.

"Aliya!" they greeted with smiles, pecks, and high-pitched chuckles. She enjoyed being around these women for they had been together for years, most of them. Their status as Belles was different. Outside, they had a semblance of freedom to dress as they liked and interact with the outside as much as they wanted. But alone together, they shared a common bond. They all had missions all to protect Belcourt, but they never talked about them whenever they were in here. Well, not always. As a group, they were... family?

She could not truly tell. The ladies were not perfect. Someone had someone she disapproved of, some had someone they were closest to and trusted more. For Aliya, she was regarded as the prime Belle—the most beautiful and the most capable when it came to missions. All the other Belles before her approved of her, commended her for her achievements. As older Belles, they did not show up at Belcourt as often, but when they did, they always looked Aliya.

She had not achieved something as big as Sasha, but all her assignments never ended in disappointments. Everyone wanted to be close to her and she made them feel as though they were. She was good at that. She perfected the act herself. The ladies saw her as their alpha, the leader of the pack. She was reliable and she did her best whenever anyone found themselves in trouble.

But that was all that she was because for Aliya, it had always been clear what her purpose was when she came to Belcourt. It was not to be a Belle. She just wanted to be Aliya again. Not the Belle, but the one that came to Belcourt for help.

She had spent fourteen years of her life repaying Belcourt. She had been nothing but loyal.

But she was meant for something else.

As the other Belles discussed her accident, she could not help but wonder if they had ever guessed. Had they ever sensed that she was not entirely present at every moment? Had they ever had that feeling that she was not who she was portraying herself to be?

"Have you met Sasha in Coulway, Aliya?" Ruby asked, eyes utterly interested.

Aliya nodded with a smile. "Yes. She is doing very well."

Ruby shared a sigh of relief with Jade. "That is good to hear. We cannot wait for her to join us in Coulway this season. It had been almost a year since that carriage incident!" Jade said with a giggle.

"What carriage incident?" Summer asked.

Jade and Ruby shared a conspiratorial laugh. Aliya turned on her wicked smile. "You tell her, ladies."

She listened as Ruby and Jade narrated their little adventure with Sasha and Aliya outside Wheeler's where they unhorsed a stagecoach owned by one baron after he attempted to harass Sasha in his mother's villa.

As the other ladies focused on Ruby and Jade, Aliya stayed quiet in her seat, slowly drawing back to herself, unnoticed, until the time when the attention would be redirected back to her.

*****

It was quite late when Aliya and Carrie arrived in the city of Eynsworth where they decided to stay the night before heading on to Strait.

They found an affordable inn along the main road of the city.

"You take care of Mellow, Carrie," she said to her driver who was already leading the horse and their stagecoach to the side of the inn.

She expected the bustling scene that greeted her, and the stares she was attracting from the drunk men around the tables scattered on the main floor. She went straight to the bar and took a seat, waiting for the barman to approach her. When he did, she dropped her coins in his hand. "I need a room for two, please."

He nodded, craned his neck, and shouted for a woman's name.

Aliya calmly tolerated the whistling directed at her and the shouts of invitation to join a few tables. She regretted taking off her red cloak. But it was better to expose her injured arm than being recognized as a Belle. A few offered to kiss her bandages away while one said he would take her, with or without limbs.

"Ah, you must be too used to the unsolicited attention," the voice said beside her.

She was also used to suddenly have someone speak next to her on any occasion. Without flinching, she turned her head to the right. Her surprise came at the same time she sniffed his smell. She blinked when her eyes met his hazel ones. "What are you doing here, Doctor?" she asked, looking him up and down. In his hand was a glass of cheap brandy. "Are you following me?"

Anyone can be part of the Circus... Lady Mariam's voice echoed in her head.

She frowned at the scruffy, giant man before her. Was it possible?

He was grinning at her as though he knew something she did not.

"How is the arm?"

Aliya narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing here, Doctor?"

He let out a loud sigh as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "I came from Coulway."

"You followed me to Coulway?"

He leaned away from her. He swayed a little. "No, of course not," he said, looking into her eyes, his filled with mirth.

"Then you followed me from Coulway."

"Do you take fancy on the thought of being stalked?" When she merely glared at him, he laughed. "No, I came to Coulway for a different reason." He emptied his glass and loudly burped. She did not flinch even when he leaned closer and whispered, "I had a meeting with the Royal Circus."