Haru had no idea where to even start with the apology. As soon as the (h/c) haired girl returned, telling him Orion wholeheartedly agreed to meeting, he started malfunctioning. The brunette didn't know what to say or what to do. He wasn't even sure he would be able to actually stand in front of the ill boy. Rather, he was repeatedly picturing himself cowering and attempting to run away in all of the scenarios he came up with.

After some time trembling by himself, he finally gripped onto (Y/n) and stared up with teary eyes. He didn't say a word. In fact, the moment they made eye contact, he tensed up and looked away. That being said, as his eyes looked as far away as possible, he held her around the waist, trying to get as close as he could. It was his way of asking for help. Though the word "help" - like "sorry" - was foreign to him, she wasn't going to refuse him. Contrary to what some others thought, she cherished him more than anyone else.

"Don't be nervous," she shushed, petting around his hair since he was extra sensitive about it being messed up (since, if it was unkempt, he wouldn't be attractive anymore), "I don't think you could have picked anyone better for your first time apologizing."

"He's going to hate me. He's going to hate me and then he's going to yell at me."

"We don't know what will happen."

"I'll just say it before he talks. If I do that, he'll forgive me and I can go back home with you and Bastien and dad. Then things will be normal and we'll be home and normal."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Why not?!"

As Haru snapped, she made a face. He seemed to put it together that she was getting irritated at his attitude. The brunette remembered she didn't like being yelled at, but to verify it, he scrolled through his tablet. His expression turned from one of anger to one of distress as he found that she really didn't like that. Gripping a bit harder onto her, he began tearing up, trying to remain quiet in the hopes that she would forgive him. Even so, he mumbled a faint "sorry" under his breath, knowing she liked hearing the words, too.

"If I stabbed you and then said sorry, it wouldn't be enough," she explained.

"You...want to stab me?"

Haru began sobbing a bit, misunderstanding, as per usual. Of course, the moments she tried to stab him weren't as rare as they should have been. That being said, she tried to console him that time, solely because he didn't do anything wrong enough to be stabbed. She learned early on that the easiest way to cheer him up was to touch him. It didn't usually matter where, except for his hair. As long as she was touching him somewhere, he would calm down or get a little happier, like a dog.

"I'm just trying to say that just apologizing might not be enough. And, even if it is, not everyone will forgive you if you say 'sorry'."

"But he has to! I-I didn't know, so it wasn't my fault!"

"Calm down. I'm sure he will forgive you, but you should show some sincerity. Why don't we go out and get that gift we were talking about earlier?"

The brunette nodded wordlessly and pulled the younger girl to sit on the couch with him. He slumped over and rested his head on her lap, positioning her so he could be at his optimal comfort. Only then did he attempt searching for gifts. Though it was a dubious method, at best, he looked up the prince. Surprisingly, unlike other royal families around the world, the Vethelan royal family had their likes and dislikes extremely public. Though many gifts would not be accepted, the royal family held a monopoly of public perception. It was the reason why modern Vethelan architecture was maturely themed, as per the tastes of the previous queen, along with her religious connotation.

On the sites Haru was visiting, (Y/n) couldn't say how accurate the information really was. That being said, from what she had noticed with the prince, a lot of it was right on the nose. He liked nature, obviously, so he would probably react positively towards flowers. Along with his favorite color being yellow, Orion was also noted to have an interest in foreign cultures, embroidery, and reading.

"What...is something people usually give to say sorry?" the brunette mumbled quietly.

"I don't know. I don't have much experience with it either. But something he likes should work just fine. Why not flowers?"

"Flowers are for wives."

"Sure. That's why you were so happy when I gave you roses a month ago."

"That's...different."

"I think sunflowers suit him well. I can pick some up later. What else should you give him?"

The brunette pouted. He may have felt incredibly guilty about bullying a sick boy, but he didn't think it called for flowers. Either way, since she said it was for the best, he believed her. After pouring through the rest of things that the prince liked, the brunette decided on getting him some books. He knew that being bedridden, books were a great way to pass the time and distract someone from their pain. At least, that was what his mother would say.

Ever since Bastien was born, she had been like that. Her body didn't listen to her and she contracted illness after illness, just barely able to make it through each day. After years of that treatment, she had lost a bit of the spark she used to have. For that reason, the brunette couldn't imagine having lived an entire life locked up in a room, chained to the bed, and told again and again that he would die. At least his mother was healthy for most of her life. Orion hadn't ever had a moment where his body functioned "normally". Haru could relate to that, except that it was his mind that was never "normal"

Although Haru insisted on getting the books himself, even going out on his own, (Y/n) wanted to get a few backups. After all, though he meant well, the brunette didn't really know how other people thought. So, while he went out to show his own oddly wholehearted sincerity, she did the same. Though she wasn't sure where he went, hearing nothing from him, she was occupied with her own errands. Obviously, Sona followed her in order to serve as a bodyguard though he was very quiet the entire day. Perhaps the idea of flowers filled his mind with the strange plant she was given.

Either way, the (h/c) haired girl figured the royal family had more flowers than they knew what to do with, but it wouldn't hurt to give some anyway. The small florist shop she visited made the bouquet quite cute, twine wrapped delicately around it with a burlap bow. It was very rustic, and well made. Though she didn't know if he even liked the flower, his own distinguishing flower being an orchid, she thought, if he would hold any flower, a sunflower would be most suitable for him. It just suited his gentle and pure disposition.

As the girl was rifling through the bouquet, making sure it looked its best, one of the orange-haired male's servants suddenly caught a glimpse of her. He had been in the midst of talking to Presley when he suddenly froze. It wasn't that (Y/n) was particularly famous. A lot of steps were actually taken by the Akahito family to keep the media away from her. However, as someone that worked closely with the prince, it was hard to forget her face. After all, Orion would always welcome her into his room. That was a privilege only very few had. Even some members of the royal family didn't get to enter.

"What happened? I thought you were going to tell me about - "

"It's Miss Shiratori!" the servant enthused, speaking in a half-shout, half-whisper, "W-What do I do?"

"What do you mean? Whether she's there or not, you're still going to get the books."

"But what if she sees me and thinks that I'm following her?"

"Does it matter? In the first place, you were sent on an errand. Complete the errand and return before his highness wakes up and - "

"Wait! Wait! She's got flowers!"

The servant, Faunus, shouted so loudly in his surprise that Presley dropped the phone. He flinched as the orange-haired prince began rubbing his eyes tiredly. Apologetically, he bowed his head, but Orion rested his eyes on the device. Though the coral-haired man attempted to leave, trying to spare the prince the details of the situation, the moment Faunus began going on and on about "Miss Shiratori" and "flowers", it was unescapable. The prince became extremely curious, perking up and smiling widely.

"What about flowers?" he asked, hugging his pillow and staring innocently at the knight.

"It's nothing, really. Faunus was just trying to get you some more books. You ran out, right? I'll just let him do his job and - "

"B-But he said something...about Miss Shiratori?"

Presley hated how affected he was at the question. Orion really liked the (h/c) haired girl, enough to make him talk about her at least a few times a day. And even if the coral-haired male didn't so much enjoy the girl's company or her existence, he could not help but cave in to anything his prince wanted. And unfortunately, he seemed more enthralled by her than anything else, including his most loyal servant.

"Is that his highness?!" the servant on the other end gleamed, "Your highness, you're not going to believe it! I ran into Miss Shiratori on the way to the bookstore you like, but get this: she's getting flowers. Do you think they are for you?"

"What?"

Orion blushed at the thought. He hadn't done anything to warrant flowers, but that was what made it all the more staggering to him. Stuttering, he tried to put together a sentence. Ultimately, he failed, too overwhelmed at the implications of what flowers could possibly mean. His face had gone red, making Presley rush forward to take his temperature. He was burning up, but it was clearly not because of his illness. The knight bit down on his lip.

"Please don't say things like that," he interjected, using a harsh tone with the attendant, "They'll get his hopes up and - Just be considerate."

"I didn't say anything! But, you know, he took her to see the Lindre flower. She seemed to really like it. Maybe she wants to give him a gift to say thanks. Oh! Now she's walking! She's walking...She's...still walking. Hey, I think she's going to the bookstore!"

"Does she like to read, too? What kind of books is she looking at?" Orion enthusiastically questioned, hugging his pillow a little tighter.

There was a moment of silence as Faunus observed the girl, ignoring the android behind her. She placed the flowers delicately in her bag as she began looking all over the bookstore. Though she didn't seem to have a particular section she looked at, wandering aimlessly in the beginning, she eventually made it to a section of the store the servant couldn't decipher. Groaning, he relayed the information to the prince.

"I think she's in some kind of foreign language section. I can't read it."

"It would have to be Athainian. Is there some kind of picture on the cover? Maybe something that gives what it is away?"

"I can't tell. Oh, she seemed to like it. I think she'll buy it for herself. Now she's heading over to the history...no, now the science section. She's...squinting? I don't think she can read Vethelan."

The servant watched as the girl handed the book to Sona, the android translating the name for her and telling her whatever she wanted to know. Their conversation continued on for a while as she went back and forth on what would be best suited for Orion. It was clear that getting him a romance story would be out of the question, particularly because it could be misconstrued. However, aside from that, she wasn't sure what he would enjoy while cooped up in his room. It was all guesswork.

"Faunus? What happened? You just went quiet."

"Oh, sorry, your highness. She's talking to somebody. I don't think she came here for herself. Do you think she's getting you a present? Maybe someone told her you like to read."

"I told you not to get his hopes up," Presley scolded, being grumpily pushed away by the prince.

"She's just bought a few books and now she's leaving. Do I keep following her? I still need to get your highness some books, too, and since I'm already here..."

"No, I don't need them right now! Can you...see if she's getting anything else?"

Presley flinched, tensing up before instinctively grabbing at the phone and hanging up. Though, in the end, Orion stared at him with a very somber look, he thought it was for the best. It wasn't like the prince knew what he was saying. The emotion was new for him and he clearly wasn't aware of what privacy was, so he couldn't be faulted for that. But, obviously, he was being misled.

If Orion continued thinking she was out on his behalf, buying him gifts - thankful ones or otherwise - he would think she harbored feelings for him. She obviously didn't and that was the problem. The rumors going around about the two of them were in the process of being stifled by the knight, but he could only do so much. It was best to cut off the idea in Orion's head directly, just so he didn't end up with a broken heart.

"Faunus will bring your books back. Don't worry. I'll make sure he picks out the right ones."

"Presley?"

The knight used all of his willpower to ignore the calling of his name from the ill boy. Orion was only asking for him to tell him what was wrong, but there was so much to tell, more than should have been revealed. As a result, he left, closing the door quietly behind him while letting out a shaky breath.

At the same time, the orange-haired male softened his gaze before a feeling of guilt washed over him. He didn't know what he did and he didn't know why Presley seemed so distaken with his actions, but he felt bad nonetheless. Sadly, he buried his face in his pillow, knowing he couldn't even go after him. After all, death was creeping up on him, so quickly that, recently, his legs had become numb. Orion Trewin could no longer walk, putting away all thoughts and hopes of things becoming better or of him becoming normal. He would die. And, for that reason, he began to cry all his grief out, mourning himself, in a way.