Mica stared down the guard in front of him, noting the shifty look in the male's eyes. The regent had been juggling so many things prior to the incident, probably resulting in him forming a grudge against the young man. He fully understood his thought process. Orion was precious and his body was weak. Using violence against the weak boy for simply trying to greet him was a response uncalled for. And since the orange-haired male was shocked in the process and spiralled into a coughing fit not long after, it was terribly worrying for the aged man. Still, Presley should have acted with more tact, considering the brunette's origins.

The coral-haired male was gripping his hands, knowing the immense disappointment the man had in him. He, too, understood his failings, always far too emotional when it came to one of two people. Orion was simply too special to allow such disrespect. The knight could barely stand it when the brunette was dismissing his divine birthright, but seeing something like that made him spiral out of control. It was only right he should be kneeling in front of the royal, begging for forgiveness. Still, apologizing to the Akahito was not something he felt he could do. At least, he knew he would never be able to do it sincerely.

"You have many responsibilities in the palace, but disciplining foreigners is not one of them," the silvery-blue haired man sighed, moving to grab at his sister's ring on his pinkie - a bad habit of his, "I've spoken to Verona about this matter as well."

"You...did?"

"You sound as though she's going to eat you alive. Well, to tell you the truth, she certainly sounded like she would."

"But his highness was hurt! Surely she must have understood my actions dictated that I - "

"Count Alvaric."

The knight hung his head obediently, sealing his lips shut. He had committed another mistake, speaking against the regent and raising his voice. Though his emotions were high-strung because of harm coming to Orion, he knew he should have controlled himself. After all, though Verona treated him as an adoptive son and the previous queen had been very fond of him, Mica had no such affiliation with him. To him, before him was simply an overeager knight babying the crown prince and baring his teeth at a guest. In addition, it was clear that the man still had a grudge against what happened with him and the first prince.

"My niece did not understand your actions. In fact, I placed the matter of your discipline in her hands, and she decided to suspend you from some responsibilities for the time being."

"Please, archduke. I understand my faults, but please allow me to remain by his highness's side as his escort. I feel...if you will forgive these selfish words; this impacts him as well."

"They are selfish words, and arrogant, too. You are not the only one that serves him. I'll have more knights around him to fill in for your absence. Of course, you are to continue your duties as the chief of staff even during this suspension."

Presley said nothing. Instead, he felt self-pity for the loneliness he knew he would inflict Orion with. As a prince, he already found it difficult to bond with others, but as a dying child, it was even worse. Though no one mistreated him or ignored him, there was a notable difference in the treatment towards him against his cousins. The coral-haired man just hoped that his personal attendants would notice the male's loneliness and make an effort to give him some happiness. But, if not, he could always just convey that to them directly.

"Before you leave, you'll attend a luncheon with the Akahito heir. You will also apologize for your hastiness."

Though the coral-haired man darted his eyes away, narrowing them in discontent, he did not dare reject the order. After all, this was the only way the royal family could make amends with the Akahito's. But to apologize to such an arrogant and impulsive brat was demeaning. Mica knew exactly what the knight was thinking, the man suddenly letting go of the ring and sighing.

"Orion will be in attendance as well. I don't care what the Akahito heir says to him. You will keep your mouth shut. Unless Orion is in direct danger of being killed, you will not move from your spot either."

"Yes...your majesty."

. . .

The orange-haired prince was shocked as the brunette slapped his hand away. Though he had only intended on making friends, it seemed he was rejected. He had a lot of time to think why that was, especially being bedridden. Truthfully, he couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't that he was unfriendly. He also ruled out it being related to his status as a prince. After all, Haru was very close friends with his cousin. In the end, the boy could not figure it out, making him sigh quite often.

However, when his great uncle informed him he would be having lunch with the brunette, he was given a second wind. Though he knew it was wholly unnecessary, he took the extra steps to look presentable. As the other servants prepared his traditional attire, he took some time with his chief servant to observe himself in the mirror. He would frown before tilting his head to the side, peering at himself as though he'd never seen his own semblance. At this, Atlas, Orion's head servant, began to question it anxiously.

"Is something wrong, your highness? If you're feeling unwell, there is no need to go to the meal. I can inform - "

"This may sound strange, but," the prince paused, flaring red as he hid his face behind his hands, "am I, in any way, unattractive?"

The other servants paused at that, all staring at one another with visible confusion. The chief servant also had a bizarre look on his face. He could anticipate any number of concerns or requests from the prince, but, considering his personality, a question about his own looks was certainly unexpected. Though, perhaps it was because of the (h/c) haired girl the rumors were talking about. However, he couldn't be more wrong. Orion was asking if he would be uncomely to other males.

"Of course not."

"You can't flatter me. I want your honest opinions. It's a really important thing to know, so I can fix it."

"Fix? There is nothing to fix, my prince. You are the visage of both your royal mother and your sacred father. I believe everyone would agree that your hair - beyond being a precious symbol of the sun god - is very pleasing to the eye. And, speaking of eyes, the teal color you have is very gentle."

"There must be something I can fix."

The other servants gazed at one another before attempting to pretend as though they never heard the question in the first place. However, the prince caught onto it, knowing there was more to the gaze than it seemed. It was like they were exchanging a silent oath to keep their thoughts to themselves. After getting nothing but flattery from his chief servant, he turned to the others, giving innocent eyes in an attempt to coerce them out of their thoughts. It was expectedly effective.

"If I must, your highness," one of them paused, giving a knowing look to the others, "You are...unheathily skinny."

The other servants moved to cover his mouth, telling him to shut up. Of course, everyone knew why, especially the chief servant who went to personally tell him off. The statement was true, the orange-haired male realizing that as he looked at himself more in the mirror. He was also very pale, but both stemmed from his illness and impending demise. That was probably why they didn't want to say anything.

"Don't listen to him!" one of the others snapped, pulling on the servant's hair to punish him for his comment.

"Your highness is the picture of beauty!" another huffed.

As the rest of them tried to cheer him up by mentioning how he was dainty instead of skin and bones, the orange-haired male zoned out. That was probably the part of his appearance he hated most, but, unfortunately, he could not control it. No matter how much he ate, his body just couldn't gain weight. Similarly, more often than not, if he tried to eat more than a fistful of food at once, his body would simply reject it. Getting a meal was hard enough as it was, so it was not surprising that he looked like that.

Rather, he was upset at the fact that this may have impacted Haru's opinion of him. When he first looked at the brunette, he immediately noticed his appearance. The male was very attractive. Though he was always sulking, he still had a presence that Orion was drawn to, making him feel inferior in terms of appearance. He had surmised his own looks may have served as a reason why the brunette didn't want to shake his hand. Frowning, he began holding up different accessories to his hair, wondering if they would make him look a bit better. If they did, perhaps he could still make friends with the male.

The thought encouraged him greatly, enough for him to become enthusiastic about getting ready. Though he could not put on enough weight, he definitely could make up for it by tending to other parts of him. Before long, he was seated in his wheelchair and taken to the dining room. All the way to the location, he was fiddling anxiously with his thumbs, both excited at the chance to make friends with the male and fearful of being rejected. He didn't even register all the compliments the attendants kept throwing at him.

To his surprise, Haru had already arrived, slumped against the chair he was given. He would have preferred to be out on a walk than to be forced into the meal. Furthermore, since it was a Saturday, that meant no meat would be served. They probably would have pushed a bunch of vegetables to him, but he wouldn't eat it. Rather, he was very strongly craving something too cheesy for his own palate.

Orion, having a completely different mood, very eagerly fiddled with his hands in his lap. He would look up at the brunette every now and then, causing Presley to take a sharp breath in. The knight quickly received a glare from the regent, causing him to straighten his posture. He was well aware of what he was to do, waiting for the silvery-blue haired man to get the two on better terms. Still, no matter how much he talked, Haru had absolutely no intent on taking him seriously. Instead, he seemed focused on his tablet. Before the knight snapped at him for his disrespect, he heard the regent cough, instructing him to remain silent.

"May I ask what that is?" the orange-haired prince perked up, gazing in fascination at the accessory, "I've never seen anything like it!"

Haru opened his mouth excitedly, his pure tell showing just how much interest he had in the subject of technology. However, he soon recognized it was the thief that was speaking, and immediately silenced himself. Narrowing his eyes, he looked to the side, pretending as though he had never heard the male's question. As a result, Presley once again flinched, but knew better than to test Mica's patience. Though, to be more specific, he was terrified of what the boy's mother would do if he were to go against her warnings.

"I'm also quite curious. Is it something new you're going to sell?" the regent hummed, about as well-versed with technology as a toddler.

"No."

Another awkward wave of silence crashed down on the dining room. Whereas Haru had remained quiet due to his resentment against the royal family, Mica and Orion fell into the lull out of pure confusion. Presley followed the regent though it definitely wasn't for a lack of words he wanted to say. Instead, as the silence built up, the prince began to twitch. He would fiddle more with his thumbs or twirl around the blanket on his legs. After he could no longer take the awkwardness, he began to say whatever just to break the tension.

"I've always admired you and I could never do something so incredible like making androids!"

At the realization that he had let his idolization of the brunette slip, the orange-haired male began to flare red. He abruptly closed his mouth in shock, a small whimper escaping as he dreaded being judged. His great uncle began to laugh, causing him to burn up more and pull the blanket in front of the lower half of his face. Though, strangely enough, he still looked at Haru from the corner of his eyes. He had hoped the male would acknowledge him or begin to speak with him on the subject. That was probably how he gathered the tiny amount of courage to even look at the overwhelming innovator.

To his surprise, the brunette seemed to have heard what he said despite him being in his own world. His brow twitched before he let out a tense sigh, beginning to murmur something to himself with great aggression. That being said, always unable to resist that one weakness of his, he began to let himself smile a bit before biting back the grin. Tapping away at his tablet, he then projected a hologram of the original blueprints for the androids. Orion's eyes glimmered as he gazed at it, the prince genuinely intrigued.

"If you're just going to flatter me, then you should just shut up now. Don't get my hopes up."

"No!" the younger male objected fiercely, a small cough escaping from him before he used all of his strength to push it down, "It wasn't flattery! I think you're incredible! Really, I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

"Then what's this?"

The brunette zoomed in on a particular subset of the coding that he had made himself. It was a new kind of coding language he had developed just for his own use, but that had made its way into each and every one of his inventions. He had even made newer, more efficient hardware to process at higher speeds with far less overheating. And though it wasn't common knowledge, those that followed his work knew of the simple coding he showed the orange-haired male. Then again, Haru never was great with knowing what "normal people" could handle.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the prince blushed, stuttering with great bashfulness, "I could never tell you what that means, even if I studied for a decade. I've never been great with technology."

"Then I guess you don't really 'admire' me."

"But I don't think that's true. I bet you've been able to do things like this since you were little, so maybe it means something different to me," A hesitant pause, "but I admire you for being able to do something I can't."

"Why? It doesn't make any sense to admire someone that doesn't have the same interests as you."

"Is that so? I guess I didn't think about it that way. It might be different for you. I doubt there's anyone better than you at this kind of stuff!"

"Right. I'm the best, so I don't need to waste my time and energy on idolizing someone else."

Mica hid his smile behind his hand. He was glad to see the two finally getting a word with one another. Moreover, he never thought Orion could be so assertive. Though he was still retaining a gentle tone and showing great politeness to the brunette - despite his rudeness - the prince was pushing himself. The regent had never seen the boy so energized. Though he was still confined to his wheelchair and spoke quietly so as not to strain himself, he had a new light in him.

And, yet, despite that much desired change, he could not help but panic over it, wondering when the boy would collapse. It was always a subject of worry, the man's smile fading at the thought of him in pain, or worse, still, dying. He could have dropped dead any day, and, for that reason, Mica's smile dropped. As if sensing the change in the man's facial expression, Orion became a little quieter, placing his hand over his heart and shivering a bit.

"So, what I meant," the prince paused, taking in a deep breath to stifle the pain, "was that, sometimes, people who aren't the best look to others to still enjoy the subject. If I were to relate it to something...perhaps Miss Shiratori! Yes! Even though you don't seem to like business, don't you seem to admire her?"

Haru's eyes softened in realization. Though he huffed at the idea that his own logic was broken, he did appreciate the new light to see the (h/c) haired girl in. He smiled before beginning to talk more about the prince about technology, humoring him. Though he had never had to talk down to someone about how androids worked like they were a child, it was still fun for him. He adored the idea that someone was willing to listen to his ramblings. Even (Y/n) could only take so much of it.

Apparently, though Vethela was very traditional and behind in technological revolutions, the prince still kept up to date with it. He would sit in bed and have his attendants tell him all about the new innovations. In particular, he very much idolized what Haru would make, probably because what he did required a lot of passion past that of just mere curiosity. Either way, he showed just how excited he was to be able to talk to him. Despite his attempts to calm himself and hide his adoration, he could not stifle his body language's clear message.

Though the prince had limited understanding due to his ineptitude with technology, he definitely did understand the trends going on. With this, Haru was able to relate to the boy, the two of them exchanging a decent back and forth. And though Orion would oftentimes ask for help in understanding, the brunette obliged, albeit did so with a condescending tone. That being said, he was hard pressed to speak differently to anyone else that way.

All the while, Mica could not stop worrying. The orange-haired male had never spoken that long without collapsing. He had no energy. As a result, though he tried to hide it, it was obvious how distraught he was. Even his nephew glanced over at him, flinching at the sight of his worry. Orion felt himself begin to weaken even more, the boy resisting the urge to begin coughing. Still, they slipped out of him uncontrollably. Haru must have noticed he was distracted, and, as a result, he became annoyed.

"Just 'cause you like tech doesn't mean anything's different. I still hate you."

"I - " A pause followed by a few soft coughs. "I understand. But I still like talking to you. So, if you want - " Another pause as the male realized he was bleeding from his nose, "please talk to me anytime."

"I'd rather not. You and the rest of this country act like you're some kind of saint, but you're all full of it."

"Pardon?"

"You locked me up because I wouldn't bow to you. That's not very kind to me."

"His highness did no such thing!" Presley snapped, met with the glares of both Haru and Mica, "You hurt him! After he extended such kindness to you, you assaulted him!"

"And what about what you did to Sona?!"

"On that note," Mica mumbled quietly, interlocking his hands together and placing them on his lap, "I believe the Count has something to say to you. Don't you, Alvaric?"

The coral-haired man frowned, wondering just what was going through the man's head. After all, he was also worrying about the prince's wellbeing at that point in time. He thought it was hardly the time. Presley glared at the brunette, the younger male returning the look with great spite. Haru was never the type to forget any grudges. Rather, they liked to fester within him until he could no longer control his impulses. For that reason, the only thing he wanted to see was the knight paying for what he did. Though, truthfully, he would never be satisfied with an apology. He didn't like words.

As the tension came to a high point, Presley refusing to apologize to the brat and Haru refusing to let him off the hook, Orion took in a deep breath. The coral-haired man flinched as the orange-haired male began to grip onto the armrest. That was always a sign that something was oncoming, particularly a seizure. The knight looked to the regent but upon seeing his distraught expression, his heart squeezed. They both knew there was nothing they could do to stop the attack. That being said, as the man nodded, Presley wasted no time charging forward to be by the male's side.

As he did so, the prince began to keel over, taking in heavy breaths and yet never getting any air into his lungs. Haru raised his brow, wondering if the boy was faking it to get his knight out of hot water. However, very soon, the boy passed the threshold of make believe. Blood seeped out from his nose and ears. Then he moved out of his wheelchair to be on his hands and knees, crying as the pain of suffocation began to set in. And as Mica moved to hover over him in concern, it only got worse.

"It hurts," he eked out, clenching his fists and sobbing breathlessly.

Presley attempted to comfort the boy as his great uncle called in the doctors. They weren't very far. If they ever strayed from the boy's side, he would have died. There was always someone there waiting for him to fall into uncontrollable pain. They began to crowd him, one of them focused on helping him breathe while another made sure his heart was pumping. The others focused on his blood, and one of them took note of every little movement the prince made. It was all so routine.

At this point, Haru was beginning to realize that Orion was not acting, and slowly did he draw a parallel. His heart sunk in terror as the male's eyes closed, the brunette not knowing if he was going to live or die. It was a familiar sense of fear that he - though he was often exposed to it - was never able to become accustomed to. On the contrary, at the mere sight of someone in pain, every single nerve in his body became lit aflame. He was terrified, finding himself almost absorbing some of the male's pain by proxy.

"Hey," he mumbled, gripping onto the coral-haired knight, "What's going on?"

"It's none of your concern. You need to leave."

"I asked you what's happening! Is he...sick?"

The knight did not respond. Instead, a dreaded expression came across his face, giving the brunette all he needed to know. Haru's heart started thumping and that was nearly all he could think about. He didn't know. He really didn't have any idea. If he knew, he wouldn't have treated the boy like that. A sense of guilt (a somewhat foreign emotion to him) overcame him and he retreated, leaving the room with shaking hands. The male then tucked himself away in a room and began to spiral at the realization. Orion was sick.