Ikemen Revolution: For Crimson Glory

Chapter 1

"The Red Army doesn't bend rules." The king of hearts icy eyes showed no remorse for his words. Since recently visiting my home, he would know that my brother had shirked his duty to join and still refused even with Lancelot Kingsley at our dinner table. That encounter had made our family lose its status. Our house, our land, our dignity. Ripped away by the selfishness of my brother.

Without a horse, I had walked for two days to even get to the Red Army Headquarters. The soldiers at the front gate had tried to turn me away but the Ace of Hearts allowed my entry. Even he said that it would be a futile attempt to speak to Lancelot now. "I see no where in the rules where women aren't allowed."

Lancelot didn't budge on his stance. "Ian has refused his duty, and henceforth, that has taken away any status that the Adley family has. They have no place among the army. Zero will take you home, Iris." His gaze dropped back down to the papers on his desk.

"I don't have a home, anymore. You took that from us," I said, turning on my heel. My family had split apart mere days after having our status demoted to civilians. My mother's family had taken her in under the stipulation that she remove any contact with the rest of us. My father moved to black territory, hoping to find work. Ian had disappeared the very night he refused to join. My place had yet to be found. Using money that I stole from the house before I left, I've been moving around from town to town, finding no welcome as a stripped aristocrat.

Zero held the door open for me, not having said a word the entire time.

"If Ian finds himself ready to serve his country, I might be willing to allow him in as an ordinary soldier. His place as the Ten of Hearts will not be reconsidered until he proves himself," Lancelot spoke, still not taking his attention off his work.

If I can even find him. His quest to find his true love had drove him away from his family, making him turn his back on us. If that's what love is, I will never succumb to it. We were opposites. He enjoyed cooking, housework, and writing poems. I had been the one who mastered swordplay and learned to strategize for war. For fun, father would say. It would be to encourage my brother not to be outdone by me.

Following behind me like shadow, Zero finally spoke. "The Red Army has never had a woman as soldier, let alone as one of the Chosen Thirteen. I'm sorry that he denied your request, but it's probably for the best. War isn't a—"

"Don't finish that sentence," I snapped. Men. Always so sure that women are weak and frail. If he'd only given me a chance to show how well I can handle a sword... I was sure he would change his mind. Instead, all the King of Hearts did was hide behind their misogynistic view.

"The stables are this way, I can take you wherever you'd like," he offered, gesturing away from the main gate. He didn't seem like a bad person, but with my blood boiling, there was no kind words that would make me calm.

With a shake of my head, I couldn't help the anger in my tone. "I'll be fine on my own. The Central Quarter isn't that far." Without looking back, I forced my body to move. If Lancelot thinks that his harsh words and assessments are going to keep me from getting back what he stole from my family, he is sorely mistaken.

The soldiers stationed by the entrance were snickering to each other and staring blatantly as I passed by. They instantly straightened up as two others approached on horseback. Both of them were high ranking officers. Their crests were the Jack of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts. Rumor has it that the Queen of Hearts is has no heart when it comes to training new recruits. The Jack, however, had a family name that I recognized, the Bright's. While my family never had any direct contact, I'm sure the two of us have met at least once when we were young and at some social party.

The walk back to the Central Quarter took half an hour and my feet ached from all the traveling I'd done in the last few days. The prestigious inn near the very center cost more than I could afford for a few nights, so I simply planned to stay one. Where to go next alluded me. In my frustrated state, my mind wandered to the Black Army. They were said to take anyone in who had skills.

Groaning, I flopped on the comfy bed, something that the other inns in smaller towns lacked. Joining the Black Army would do me no good. It won't get my status back in the Red Territory. It won't bring my family back together. Mother would rather live dirt poor than move to Black Territory. The money in my satchel clinked together, reminding me off their worth.

If Ian finds himself ready to serve his country.

Ian would die in the first day of training.

Sitting up, the wheels in my head began to turn. Lancelot only met Ian once, for a brief moment. That's not long enough to have accessed his character in battle or his skills with sword. Grabbing my dagger from my satchel, I couldn't get to the bathroom quick enough. My image in the mirror stared back at me. Ian and I were three years apart, and while no one had said we could be twins, we did look much alike. Same thin blonde hair that frizzed in the summer heat. Same strikingly bright blue eyes. His jawline was more defined than mine, which was softer and rounder.

If Lancelot Kingsley won't accept anyone but Ian...

I'll have to become him.

Raising the blade to my gorgeously long blonde hair, I sliced the strands bit by bit. The pile on the floor growing thicker by the second. I couldn't bare for it to be so short like most men were. Instead, making it still long enough to pull it back. After all his soul searching for the past six months, he's bound to of let himself go a little. My other features still proved my gender, as I had a decent amount of breast to cover up.

The only favor I could pull to help was a seamstress in town who favored me since I was a child. Rosanne Collings. Her business is going strong, and she makes very beautiful clothes for both men and women. If anyone could help me, it was her. But, at this hour, she might already have left.

Tomorrow is the first day of training, and if Ian fails to show up, I wonder if Lancelot would ever consider letting him in again.

Thank the heavens that Rosanne still worked late. She smiled at me, "Hello, Iris. It's lovely for you to have to dropped by. I heard what happened with your family, and dear if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." This woman is the most wonderful woman who ever lived. She had never married, nor had a child of her own. To her, I was her daughter.

"Rosanne, I do need something," I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. If she turns me away, I'm not sure that there's any way I can get what I need. This is all Ian's fault. The first thing I do when I see him again some day is punch him.

Rosanne pulled the door open further. "Please do come in! What is it?" She closed the door, flipping the lock. She had always been so careful when living alone.

"I need you to help me look like a man."