Everyone’s gazes riveted on the pass key in Nightingale’s hand.
Theo’s eyes flashed darkly. “Why do you have that on you?”
Nightingaleʼs lips moved slightly, as though she was about to smile. The silence that ensued was only filled by the click-clack rattle of wheels, seemingly suddenly loud and jarring. The air was so heavy that it seemed as if it was about to solidify from the pure tension in the atmosphere.
“I borrowed it from the Conductor,” she finally replied in a calm, composed voice. “I don’t trust a man who can freely enter a woman’s private chambers when she is not around, you see.”
It was such a ridiculous excuse that Rasputina could hardly contain her laugh.
“You borrowed it?” She slammed her hand on the edge of the table and stood up furiously. “Why do you always LIE IN OUR FACES!”
The rest of the group snapped their heads to gawk at her, a mixture of confusion and astonishment flashing across their faces.
Even Nightingale was stunned silent by her sudden outburst.
“I have enough of your lies, Nightingale,” she hissed, leaning in closer. “You say that you are here to seek Anastasia on behalf of the Sultana. But I’ve been wondering—why here, on the Orient Express? You could have done the same at the Exposition Universelle without having to go through the trouble of travelling to the capital and buying yourself a ticket. It doesn’t quite add up, don’t you think?”
Anastasia let out a small gasp. “Now that you mention it, it does make more sense for us to meet at Hacerne where the Sultana would be present, doesn’t it?”
“Since I was heading to the Exposition Universelle anyway, I figured I could take the same train as Her Highness,” Nightingale rejoined. “What’s wrong with doing so, may I ask?”
Rasputina immediately countered her statement with the next question. “Then, can you please explain why you boarded the train at Lancashire? I came across you in the aisle of the second wagon-lit—” her jaw clenched as her glare hardened “—yet you dare lie to my face that you’d never met me before tonight?!”
“W-what are you saying?” Nightingale blinked innocently. “I boarded the Orient Express at Cetheri station, as Machel had dutifully noted in his passenger list. I’m afraid you might have mistaken me for another passenger.”
Rasputina narrowed her eyes. “You own a white plumed hat, do you not, Nightingale?”
“I…” A look of surprise passed over her face before she composed herself. “Yes, that’s right. But what does my hat have to do with your accusation of me lying?”
Theo seemingly caught on and raised his eyebrows. “Bratukha, you suspect that Nightingale is the one behind the sabotage in Canterbury?”
“I’m not certain of that,” Rasputina said, levelling Nightingale a cold stare. “But we met when she boarded the Orient Express in Lancashire. It was dark, yes, but I can never miss that distinct white plumed hat she wore.”
“Surely I’m not the only person who possesses a white hat? It could have been the fake Nightingale that you encountered, could it not?” Nightingale retorted. “I’m telling you, I boarded the Orient Express at Cetheri station—”
“And the only evidence of that is the passenger list belonging to the Conductor who, I should add, was paid off by you to obtain his pass key,” she pointed out with a cunning smile. “I’m sure that if we threaten to report him to the Wagon Lit Company, he will admit the truth.”
“T-that…”
Before Nightingale could say anything further, Parthenope gave a light cough and shook her head. “I believe you have it wrong, Your Grace. I think you may have encountered me instead, though I can’t really remember our conversation because of my bad memory.”
“Madame Verney, I believe I’m not, however,” Rasputina replied coolly. “Anastasia, can you please do me a favour and ask Parthenope a question in the Caliphanic language?”
“The Caliphanic language?” Anastasia shot her a puzzled look. “But how would I know how to speak it if I’d never spoken it before?”
“Just give it a try,” she persuaded. “It should come naturally to you as well.”
“Huh? Uh, sure, I guess I’ll try…” Anastasia cleared her throat and mumbled, “ne dediğimi bilmiyorum?”
“What?” Parthenope and Theo blurted in unison.
Rasputina grinned. “You don’t speak the Caliphanic language, Parthenope, unlike—” she stared at Nightingale knowingly “—your sister, who lived in Constantinople. Aman means ‘watch out’, does it not?”
Nightingale remained silent for a few long moments. Her eyes flitted to Parthenope, and breathing a sigh, she smiled almost imperceptibly. “It’s okay, Parthenope, you tried your best. I would have been figured out by Fedya sooner or later anyways, even if the Saintess didn’t.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Parthenope said with a hint of resignation, “I’ve never been good at lying.”
Theo directed a look at Nightingale, his eyes showing a hint of wariness. “I chose to believe what you told me in the fourgon, Nightingale. It’d be wise for you to give everything up and tell everyone here what you are really up to here.”
“Yes, Hauptmann Fedya,” she agreed meekly, earning her an eye-roll from him. Rasputina suddenly felt a pang of jealousy—which she quickly suppressed while glancing away.
“Rasputina is right,” Nightingale continued in a soft yet unwavering voice. “I boarded the train at Lancashire. And I was the one who orchestrated the sabotage of the signals at Canterbury, as a matter of fact.”
“What is your ulterior motive here?” Rasputina demanded. “This murder, are you—”
“No, I don’t have anything to do with that damn dead woman,” Nightingale hastily denied. “I swear on my and my sister’s lives that that is the truth.”
“Hey, don’t drag me into your personal problems as you please,” Parthenope muttered.
Ignoring her sister, she continued, “I told Fedya about this already, but I’m the one who orchestrated the entire Crown Jewels heist and hired the two of you.”
Rasputina started. “You WHAT?”
“Wait wait wait, I’m not sure if I’m following…” Anastasia mumbled, confused.
Nightingale waved her hand in a vague gesture to encompass the table. “Long story short, I have been following developments in the Ottoski Federation that caught the attention of Vezmiali Sultana about a month prior. From what little I could gather, it looks like the janissaries have gone rogue and plan to depose the Sultan in a coup d’etat.”
“A coup by the janissaries?” Theo furrowed his brows into a frown before raising his eyebrows. “I don’t see the correlation between an internal affair of the Federation and your actions currently, if I’m being honest.”
“Normally, something like a coup would have been suicidal to even consider, let alone attempt,” she said bitterly. “But something changed recently—a powerful individual approached the janissaries promising to help them defeat the Empire…in exchange for the Crown Jewels of Aetherium.”
Theo and Rasputina widened their eyes. But before they could press further for more details, Alphand raised his head to look at Nightingale.
“This powerful individual that you’re talking about…” he quietly said. “Could he be the Reichskanzler of the Königreich, Mademoiselle?”
She merely jerked her head up and down in a curt nod.
“The Reichskanzler?” Anastasia turned her head to the side to glance at Alphand. “Who is that?”
“Your Highness isn’t aware of the new Chancellor?” he remarked, a look of complete surprise over his face. “Did Her Grace not inform you?”
Theo let out a wry chuckle and surreptitiously winked at Rasputina. “I am of the opinion that Her Grace is as clueless as Her Highness when it comes to her state affairs,” he said airily. “Perhaps Monsieur Alphand can care to enlighten these two ladies for their own sakes?”
Rasputina cursed him in her mind; but it was true that she didn’t know much about the Königreich’s politics, and after Dragomirecki’s startling outburst, she had been curious about the Reichskanzler.
“Monsieur Cath, only you dare to utter such subversive comments in the presence of Her Highness and Grace…” Alphand breathed a sigh and nodded his head at Anastasia and Rasputina. “As you know, the highest authority is vested in Her Grace Saintess Rasputina, the Kaiserin of the Königreich Kievsta. However in practice, this authority is now largely ceremonial following the war between the North and South; it is the Chancellor, also known as the Reichskanzler, who has de facto authority over the Reich because he leads the Reichstag which is vested with the power to enact and enforce laws of the Reich.”
“Erm, that’s kinda complicated…so basically, the Reichskanzler is the important guy?” Anastasia asked hesitantly.
“Pretty much. But that does not mean he can wield his political power however he likes, because he has to win a majority of votes in the Reichstag to advance his agenda,” Alphand explained. “Things have drastically changed in the Königreich, however. The Reichskanzler forcefully passed a new emergency decree, which gives him absolute control of the state, through the Reichstag one year ago. Since the Saintess went missing, the decree was approved by the Reichskanzler himself with virtually no opposition. Now, the Reichskanzler has effectively reshaped the Königreich in his image under the name of volksgemeinschaft.”
“Wait a minute, before you go on,” Rasputina said in a great hurry. “Did you just say that the Saintess went missing?”
He started. “W-w-well, it was a rumour that had been spreading around the two continents because Your Grace hadn’t appeared in public for a long time…but now that you’re in the Empire, I’m sure that news of your whereabouts will reach the Königreich in a matter of time. Your Grace would probably want to return as soon as—”
“NO!” she shouted before catching herself mid-gesture. “I-I mean, I have my personal reasons for staying in the Empire, Monsieur Alphand. I shall deal with my Chancellor in due time.”
“A-ah, it was merely a suggestion of mine, I certainly wouldn’t dare force Your Grace to accept it,” Alphand replied hastily and gave a polite cough. “Returning to the subject at hand, the Reichskanzler has begun to set his sights on the Northern Continent and the Südentenland after proclaiming his manifest destiny to the volke. I believe that it’s called…”
“Lebensraum mit Gott für Kaiserin und Reich. In the Empire’s language, it literally means ‘Living space by will of God for the Kaiserin and Reich’,” Nightingale chimed in, a solemn expression spreading across her features. “That crazed moustached man has deluded the people into thinking that it is the divine right of the Königreich to unify the North and South in the name of the Saintess. And now the janissaries are foolishly playing into his hand by destabilising both the Empire and the Federation.”
“This, um,” Rasputina muttered under her breath. “This sounds way out of my league…”
“Nightingale, so you’re here because the Reichskanzler is targeting the Empire?” Anastasia questioned, her brows still knitted together in a confused frown. “Or is it because of the coup?”
“No, those are problems that even I can’t deal with in my own capacity.” She shook her head. “It’s true that Her Excellency Vezmiali Sultana requested me to arrange a private rendezvous with Your Highness. However, there’s a crucial reason why I decided to find you on the Orient Express instead of at the Exposition Universelle.”
Exchanging a glance with Parthenope, Nightingale breathed a quiet sigh. “Your Highness, the janissaries are plotting to assassinate you on board the Orient Express.”
