For the next handful of days, Kazuya went to meet with Mica almost every few hours. The two were inseparable despite the age difference between them, and since they were both massive intellectuals, it was easy to get along with one another. They could discuss things like politics with ease, but talking about their shared love of literature was also a major topic of debate. Sometimes (though no one really could explain why), Satoru joined them, the man primarily having affection for wine and books. If Kazuya didn't have to return sooner or later to his home country, they probably would have started a book club together.

In the meantime, the younger girl and Haru spent their time exploring. Though the former was none too pleased about being dragged outside in the sunlight and being made to walk, the latter insisted upon it. He dragged his feet, hoping that, somehow, someway, if he was annoying enough, she would just abandon him. Sooner or later, Sona would go pick him up and he wouldn't have to walk anymore. That was the wonderful thing about technology; it did just about anything so that people didn't have to exert effort.

Unfortunately, she didn't let him go, dragging him from place to place with more energy than he ever had. She seemed to like the constant flowers and greenery, though, he didn't really understand why that was. Anywhere in the world was bound to have grass. Really, they could have just stayed in Echal. He huffed thinking about it, receiving a look of warning from her. He gave one right back, wondering why he had to cater to her wishes again until she brought it up.

"It's not a chore to be here, you know," she sighed, eyes gazing at one flower and then another, "Just think of it like a honeymoon or something."

The brunette resented that remark. She was the one that kept stringing him along from place to place, making him do things he never would have dreamed of. And though one of those things was walking, there were plenty of others that he could have mentioned. For instance, she kept trying to force-feed him vegetables instead of the more appetizing options of cheese snacks and pizza. Holding up his hand, he showed her the back of it, narrowing his eyes discontentedly with a pout.

"Where's my ring?"

He gawked at her like she would magically pull out a wedding ring for him, but she could do no such thing. Instead, amused at his resolve, she began to laugh, affectionately ruffling up his hair. The brunette flinched at that, beginning to panic over his disheveled state. In his mind, even a moment of unkempt hair would deter her from ever giving her said ring. He began to tidy himself up, putting each strand of hair back into place and glaring at her. She couldn't guess what he was thinking (no one really could), but it must have been something along the lines of betrayal.

"You can be cute, too, huh?" she giggled, the male flushing just a bit as she gave him a peck on the cheek, "I guess I'll play along. What kind of ring do you want?"

Haru became very energetic all of a sudden. He thought very hard about how to answer, presumably expecting she would take everything as literally as he did. For a while, he just slumped on the grass, crossing his arms over his chest while glaring menacingly at any ants that bothered him. When he had finally made all the details of whatever shackle he wanted to parade around, he lit up like a firework, quick to grab onto her hand and pull her down.

Though the action, itself, wasn't gentle, he had meant it to be, a somewhat masked look of shy regret on his face. She was quick to forgive him, as usual, and allowed him to retain the excitement about the piece of jewelry. He prattled on and on about how he wanted it to be special and one-of-a-kind and unique, elaborating about how, if it wasn't, it would be useless. Honestly, most of what he described was just nonsense. She couldn't wrap her head around it, but there was one part she thought was very sweet.

The brunette took great joy in explaining that he wanted her signature on the inside of the ring. He said, if he was ever stressed - which, unlike the common consensus of his mental state, he could be - he stated he would rub the inside of it for good luck and happiness. She knew the brunette wasn't one to believe in things that he could not see or touch with his own form, despite his enjoyment of the fantasy genre. However, to see he was so taken with the idea of her name bringing him much-needed support, she smiled.

And then, when she had questioned him about his plan for her ring, he immediately lost that spark of adoration. All he said was that it would have a big, shiny, expensive rock. Sighing, she threw herself back against the grass, laying down comfortably under the warm Vethelan sun. Haru, relieved she wouldn't be dragging him around for a while, did the same, his muscles stiff from the torture of "walking". They could have just taken a car or something.

(Y/n) basked in the sun as if being nurtured by it, but the brunette didn't feel the same way. Rather, he felt it was unpleasant and sticky, suffocating him in some ways. Whereas she felt very at home in the grass, the feeling of life invigorating her, Haru wanted very much to go back indoors, where he didn't need to feel itchy because of some green things poking out of the earth. She felt cool as she dipped her hands into the small pond, the feeling of flowing water putting her at ease. Haru thought the feeling of being wet was gross.

Though the younger girl relaxed, she noted that the brunette kept tossing and turning, clearly uncomfortable. Out of consideration for him, she sighed, standing up from the tiny paradise that could hardly be found anywhere else. He did the same, albeit lazily. The male then slumped over her and rested his chin on her shoulder, giving a strained sigh. She could tell he didn't really want to walk back either, but she was going to make him. After all, if he was going to sleep in, the least he could do was take a walk for his health.

"Can't we just call a car?" he groaned, nuzzling her lazily.

"They don't allow cars inside Valiende. Besides, what's the harm in it?"

"My battery is draining."

Although that statement could have been taken as his phone battery draining, he probably most so meant himself. Whenever he would leave the house or some indoor sanctuary, he would become progressively more sluggish. She didn't really know whether to attribute that to introverted activity because the male liked people. He just didn't like a whole lot of them. And, really, it probably just had to do with his perceived laziness. The male just wanted to tamper with tech, snuggle his family, and that was about it. Nature viewing was not his forte. He wouldn't even wish it on his worst enemies (of which he had many).

"You can do it, brat."

The brunette gave an unimpressed look. The nickname she had given him had stuck, mostly because people were shocked at the treatment he received. An Akahito child being called names was unheard of, especially if that child was the firstborn of the main family. In some ways, he really liked it. It showed that she was comfortable enough with him to call him an insulting term, but sometimes he wished she would just call him something a bit sweeter like "darling" or "honey" or, even better, "the love of my life". But, obviously, that had yet to happen, so he just sulked.

"What do I get if I do it?"

"For starters, you won't be left behind. Then you won't have to wait for someone to pick you up. You could be back in time for lunch. Really, so many wonderful things could happen if you moved your feet a bit."

Haru rolled his eyes, showing his attitude. He then proceeded to lift his leg up before putting it down dramatically. For a moment, he looked all around them before proceeding to shrug. It was like he was saying "I moved my foot, but the world is still the same". He was blunt, but it was cute. She smiled, taking his arm in hers and leading him away. The male still had a deadbeat look on his face. Still, there was a tiny hint of enjoyment in his expression, one that very few could ever recognize.

She guided him back, though she took plenty of time stalling, not wanting to go back inside just yet. Instead, she admired the Vethelan flowers from outside the labyrinth, wondering what rare and beautiful ones must have laid inside. Envy became her, really, the girl wanting nothing more than to break the rules of the palace just to catch a glimpse. And though she didn't know it, the same could have applied to the precious flower of Valiende, one seemingly destined to wither up and die without really having lived at all.

Haru watched as the (h/c) haired girl admired the things. He didn't really understand the joy of flowers, especially wild ones. It would have been easier to just get something from a flower shop, and if she wanted to see something rare, it was simple enough to breed an entirely new species of flower. At least, it was for him. There wasn't any appeal in something that had been rolled around in dirt just as there wasn't any in standing outside in uncontrollable wind when they had air conditioning and fans.

"Just pick them and we can go. I don't like the way the sun makes my skin feel."

The brunette rubbed his skin, trying to get rid of the irritable sensation. He winced at the feeling, trying to duck into the shade whenever possible. It wasn't that his skin itself was sensitive, but...In any case, he just didn't like it, so he didn't put up with it. Still, she looked at the flowers, gazing up and down, left and right, wherever, really, and he watched her do it. Though, he couldn't quite deny the sight was pleasing to the eye.

He blushed, rethinking his thoughts on flowers. After all, they were a sign of affection, something he knew men gave women when they loved them. Though, in his experience, she had never been too pleased when she was presented with the same. She'd take them, sure, but unlike the games he'd played or the movies he'd seen, she didn't respond with the same enthusiasm. And she didn't really have some kind of love meter for him to monitor the effectiveness of any gifts.

The same could not be said for his parents. He frowned. His father was giving his mother flowers every single day. It was so romantic, he thought. They loved one another more than the world itself, always in one another's arms. Even as the woman slipped away day by day, they still loved one another dearly. The brunette's eyes sparkled at the thought of having something like that with the (h/c) haired girl. But...it would take time. She wasn't used to loving, after all.

Haru's eyes softened at the thought. How much she had been through, how much she had been scorned, hit, abused, hated, etc.; it all weighed on his mind. As if it would remedy all of her trauma, the male stepped back into the sunlight, attempting to ignore the unpleasant feeling it imparted on him. He kneeled down on the dirty and annoyingly itchy grass before dirtying his hands to pick up a flower. Yanking it from its home, he presented it to the girl, watching with heartbreak as she gave a frown.

He didn't know why she frowned, and, frankly, she didn't understand fully either. Either way, she moved to accept the thing, gazing at each and every one of its little flaws. It seemed, even in Valiende, within the place that prided itself on unique, random beauty, it was filled with flaws. The petals were eaten away at, the stem seemed discolored, its shade of green not so striking, and, overall, it was a sad, pathetic little flower. And now it was lacking a home, destined to die because someone wanted to force their notion of love through it.

Haru opened his mouth to tell her if she didn't want it, she could just throw it away. He wanted to tell her she could do whatever she wanted with no consequence. That was the power he wielded as an Akahito, so he wanted to make sure she knew it was extended to her. She didn't have to worry about anyone trying to hurt her anymore or whether or not she would eat that day. Besides that, he could give her all the love she could ever want or need, so -

"You can be unexpectedly sweet," she cut him off, smiling slightly, "When it counts, anyway."

"If you really thought so, you'd - "

"What? Kiss you? Don't mind if I do."

The girl pecked the boy on the cheek, watching as he stiffened up. He even forgot how to walk, moving both legs at an awkward pace as if all his joints were locked in place. The girl moved to help him, holding his hand tightly. She even shielded him from the sun as best as she could. And though he didn't quite realize it, she was protecting him in her own way. His notion of romance didn't fit hers, but she did adore him in a different way. Still, there was no telling when that would change.

Resting her head on his, she meandered back with him, honoring his wishes to go inside where it was predictable, unlike nature. The sight would have been romantic to anyone passing, and, in fact, there were whispers as they walked together. Of course, most remarked on the presence of such a pure-blooded noble as Haru. Still, words flowed through the wind like air, landing, somehow on the ears of someone arguably more pure-blooded (or not, depending on which species you asked).

The boy couldn't get up. At least, he couldn't get out of bed quite yet, becoming weaker and weaker by the day. But he could look out the window. He was always looking out of the pane of glass, and though Presley relayed news of this or that to let him feel like he was still in the land of the living, it made no difference to his health. But when that bit of news came to him, he softened a bit. Romance was something he could never have, so, was it wrong that he looked out of it to catch a glimpse of any couples wandering around?

He watched as Haru and (Y/n) walked around, arm in arm, day after day. Of course, he was far away, so he could never quite make out who they were or some actions they did, but...wasn't it so lovely? No form of literature could ever relay that feeling of young love nor elaborate on the breathtaking jealousy that it caused. And yet, the books never stopped piling up. Read this, read that, and try not to think about your inevitable death. It was all so routine. Just once, couldn't he be a normal person...?

"Your highness," the coral-haired man flinched, torn apart at the sight of the frail thing in front of him, "Maybe...you could something new to eat? I can - "

"I want to sleep."

"But you just woke up. The doctors said you should try to move around a bit. Just a little exercise might - "

"I'm...tired."

"I know. You must forgive my insolence, but even if you're tired, you should still try to walk. I'll help you, your highness, so, please, take a walk around the hallway. Five minutes is all I ask for."

The orange-haired male didn't respond. He simply tucked himself under the blanket and kept his repressed words hidden, just like always. There was no peep from him, no cry, no nothing. From the moment he was born, he was just destined to die. There was nothing in between that life and death for him. There was no love. At least, not the kind he wanted. So why bother fighting to stay alive? It would have made things so much easier for everyone if he just died.

Presley choked down his own sorrows, but he, too, was more than ridden with pain. The prince was dying and everyone knew it, including the poor royal, even though they tried to hide it. Two months. They said it would be a miracle to live past that. As the coral-haired man left the room, he fell against the wall and sobbed, mourning a boy that had yet to pass. And...that was the problem.