(Y/n) had come to visit Orion. It was not because she felt pity for him. Rather, if only to spite Presley, she entered the prince's room, sending him a glare. The knight - she discovered last night - had someone tailing her. Granted, she usually had a knack for knowing when anyone was following her, so his little spy didn't last long. Though, she wasn't so fond of an uninterested stranger trying to pry into all of her deepest, darkest secrets.

Haru wouldn't have noticed anything if she hadn't pointed it out, but, once she did, he had no qualms about getting rid of the issue for her. He was terrible at cleaning up after himself, but, luckily, Sona had skills in that department. In just one night, the spy was disposed of and she didn't have to lift a finger. Of course, now that she had no more worries about it, she more so had her mind on getting back at the knight.

"Good morning, Sir Alvaro," she beamed, giving the most sickeningly sweet smile she could, "I'm very well rested, but it looks like you're worse for the wear. Something happen?"

"It's Count Alvaric. And, unlike you, I have a lot of responsibilities on my plate. If I'm not sleeping, I'm using my time to benefit my country. It's a habit of mine to put others before myself. I guess you wouldn't know anything about that."

"I guess not, but, then again, you'll be here standing guard and I'll be inside, corrupting your precious little prince."

(Y/n) was teasing him and mocking his views on her. Obviously, it was not appreciated by the knight, mostly because he wholeheartedly believed she was some kind of evil being. He couldn't exactly describe how else Orion fell for all of her little tricks. Mica and Verona had also gotten pulled into it, and now that the fourth prince had returned, no doubt he would be drawn in, too. The knight narrowed his eyes, trying to control his temper and adhere to what the first princess had demanded of him.

"No matter how many powerful people you have on your side, you will never get away with harming his royal highness. So, I suggest you keep your corruption to a minimum."

"I wonder if there's actually anything going on up there, you know," she huffed, pointing to his head, "What do you think I'm doing to the little doll anyway?"

"Doll?" the knight mimicked, raising a brow at the term only for her to scoff at him, "I can only imagine the selfish things you're planning on using him for. Though, out of the risk of helping you, I would probably recommend switching your target. At most...you'll get two weeks out of him."

The younger girl narrowed her eyes at the comment, wondering just what kind of affection Presley actually held for Orion. At many times, she doubted he cherished him, simply because of his word choices. She guessed there was the extra element of speaking for him, but, if she was giving him the benefit of the doubt (which she preferred not to do), it could have just been because he knew him so well. Either way, if she were in the prince's shoes, she would have stabbed the knight a thousand times over for his affection.

"How kind of you to let me know, but I'm actually visiting just to fuck with you."

"Cursing has no place in palace etiquette. Keep that kind of language far away from his highness."

"You're stiff everywhere except the place it counts, huh?"

The coral-haired man thought. He thought and thought, trying to wrap his head around what she was trying to say. It was not that he had a poor grasp on the Athainian language. On the contrary, he was just quite a bit more innocent than the girl had given him credit for. Though, in her eyes, it made a lot of sense. There was no use sleeping with an uptight workaholic who criticizes anything and everything that moves near the prince.

"Well, if you don't know, you don't know," she shrugged, holding up a picnic basket only for the man to rifle through the vegetables she packed, "I don't suppose I could bring these with me?"

"Poisoned?"

"That wasn't really the kind of corrupting I had in mind for his highness."

"I'd be oh-so grateful if you could share your plans for him then, so I can make sure to remove all of your evil influence."

"Sure. Honestly, I've been thinking about it a lot lately, so I'm glad to finally be able to share with someone. Orion's really cute, so I definitely want to make him cry. Don't get me wrong, I'm not purely evil. I'd just like him to start crying because he's feeling too good and can't handle it. Overstimulation would suit him really well, but if he really wants it, I guess I could make him cry from pain, too. Then, obviously, dressing him up in something might be fun, even more if he starts getting embarrassed. And toys are a must, so - "

"I'm afraid you've lost me."

"Yeah, I figured. Question. I don't know a lot about Viasti, but is it frowned upon to have premarital 'relations', or is it a 'we'll burn you at the stake' kind of thing?"

As Presley connected the dots, realizing the girl was talking about a different kind of "corruption", he flared red. The color was brought on primarily out of shame, but also anger. She must have realized that the things she said bordered on blasphemy, but, obviously, she didn't care. The girl had no shame either. And though she knew full well she only entertained the thought humorously and had no plans of actually doing any of those things, Presley did not. He was livid, so, as a result, (Y/n) was elated.

"Well?" she pried, pushing him a bit more, "I'm taking an active interest in your culture. Please enlighten me."

"For you to disgrace his highness in such a shameless way - "

"Should I ask him instead?"

"You're an evil woman!" the knight shouted, his hand going straight for his sword's hilt, "But if you must know, taking advantage of his highness results in the death penalty!"

"Well, obviously. That should just be a given for everyone. I meant more so in a consensual way, if you could go on."

In truth, Viasti was a very complicated religion. To start, they had many gods, and every time a new ruler ascended, based on the years, date, and time of their birth, the hierarchy of the gods shifted. It was another reason choosing an heir was so important. The wealthy often made high-risk, high-return investments when there was the possibility of a new heir or ruler. They would bet on the characteristics of their birth season's god.

For instance, the previous queen was born in the season of summer, meaning the major deity for the past sixty-three years of her reign was Toleiv, the goddess of maturity. As a result, the economy, politics, and even social expectations were all changed to encapsulate "maturity". Focus was more so on the elderly than the young within the household, for instance. Advertising also went for the style, minimalistic colors such as black and white being especially popular choices of marketing. And though there were differences in the social belief of whether one should spend or save, the economy was nonetheless influenced to sway towards things that increased world views.

Since the queen was a firstborn with silvery-blue hair, the wealthy set in motion plans to capture these trends. The current wealthiest nobles that thrived from this investment primarily came from the fashion industry, the education industry, and the health industry. However, those that proffited the most were from already well-established companies with loyal customers, so-titled "mature firms". And, should the mature firm have fallen under fashion, education, or health, the amount of wealth gained was enormous. For instance, a good example was the Vaeweth Marquis family, who had a hand in both education and health and a brand name spanning centuries. They were currently the richest noble family in the country, or so it was reported.

Either way, the details of premarital relations were also based on the seasonal god. For instance, with the spring deity, Lyven, the god of innocence, such a thing was extremely frowned upon. And though it was a case by case basis, one could absolutely be executed for adultery or premarital relations. The fall deity, Raniu, the goddess of frugality, also frowned upon it, but there was typically no punishment for doing it. It was more so socially enforced than criminally. The winter deity, Cusna, the god of extravagance, did not frown upon it. In fact, its influence encouraged experimentation with one's lover to ensure compatibility. Lastly, the previous major deity, Toliev, the goddess of maturity, also encouraged it, but it was also expected that things must be civil and responsible.

There was no easy way to explain the (h/c) haired girl's question. In fact, in the state Vethela was in now, it was currently struggling with the influence of the summer, fall, and winter deities. Because the previous queen had died, the next major deity should have been chosen along with the next ruler. However, Vethela didn't know who would rule next. While Orion, who had been born in winter, had the most right to the throne, he was weak and not many expected him to succeed. As a result, Mica, who had been born in fall, acted as regent. And though the orange-haired male's cousins, born in winter, had a right to the throne, the eldest of the two did not want it and the middle child had no support. As a result, overlapping with the still persisting previous major deity's influence, Rei, also born in summer, was the next choice.

So, Presley thought, whether she would be offed for having premarital relations with the prince would depend on who was really going to be the next king. If it was Mica, no, but she wouldn't be killed. If it was Rei, yes, but she would need to see him as more than a plaything and go through proper procedures. If it was Orion, yes, simply put. The only way she would be killed for it was, if, by some miracle, the second princess, born in spring, managed to somehow secure the throne despite her having been forced to abdicate and lacking the peoples' and nobles' support.

"Well, in case it is bad, I'll just make sure it's kept a secret," (Y/n) chuckled, snatching her basket back from the knight and moving to open the door, only to pause, "Oh, but before I go inside, does Orion already have lingerie, or should I get some for him?"

"You - "

Before the coral-haired man could properly shout at the girl, she had already opened the door. Plopped on the floor, Orion's face was bright red, the poor boy being fanned by his chief attendant. Atlas averted his eyes, his head moving with them, so he could spare himself the embarrassment from looking at the girl who had said such shameless things. It seemed someone had been eavesdropping. The girl began to frown at the sight, only for Atlas to speak up first, trying to hide the prince's spying.

"I-I told his highness there was talking outside the door! H-He walked over just now to invite M-Miss Shiratori in, b-b-but he felt very faint and collapsed! Apologies for worrying you!"

(Y/n) didn't believe that for a second. There was a lot of proof that something else had happened, including the fact that the boy hadn't been able to walk on his own for quite some time. He also had clearly fallen out of his wheelchair in shock, the thing on the ground behind him. However, what most tipped her off was his behavior. His face still red, though she tried, he would not make eye contact with her. No matter if she looked from the left or from the right, he looked away, the male even grabbing at his blanket. It was one of his habits she had gotten to know, and, more often than not, when he was playing with it, it meant he was nervous.

Presley moved forward to place the male back in his wheelchair before taking him back to his bed. He then began to check up on him, asking him multiple questions about how he was feeling. In the end, he concluded a doctor was needed, but, as the orange-haired male began to panic about his time with (Y/n) being interrupted, Atlas stepped in again. He lied poorly that he would fetch one instead, Orion giving a relieved look before both stepped out so they could have privacy. The head of his personal staff sure was reliable.

"For the record," the girl started to hum, taking a seat by the boy's bed, "I know you were listening."

"N-No, I-I didn't mean to!"

"I'll also advise you not to lie to me. They're not just a pet peeve, so, if you don't want to see how mad I can get, I would stick to the truth."

"I'm sorry! I'm just...embarrassed. No one's ever said that kind of stuff..."

"It's a side effect from being around Haru for so long. I don't have a filter anymore."

"So you just said what you were thinking? You were really...thinking that...kind of stuff...about...m-me...?"

As Orion flushed more, even trying to hide his body from her as if she would pounce on him, she tried to figure out if she wanted to laugh or roll her eyes. The prince was innocent and protected from a lot, but he didn't seem to get sarcasm or detect lies. That last part was especially odd for what she thought he was. However, she couldn't deny it was cute, so she ended up shrugging.

"I just said that stuff to mess with your guard, you know."

"Oh...," A pause, followed by the male suddenly losing all tenseness in his body, "Do you two...not get along?"

"I'd get along with him fine if he didn't have a stick up his...butt," she decided on saying, sparing the prince from foul language, "In fact, I don't get along with him so much that I snuck these past him just to spite him."

The (h/c) haired girl showed the male the basket she brought, of which Orion gleamed at the sight of the vegetables inside. She then placed them in the boy's lap before revealing a hidden compartment. Very slyly, she removed the desserts inside. Knowing how strict they were with the boy before about the ramen, she made sure to go the extra mile to hide them. As she pulled out a few desserts, she suddenly paused, gawking at the prince.

He had noticed the desserts, but found much more enjoyment in the vegetables she brought. In particular, he seemed most excited by the celery and the cucumber. Wasting no time, he began taking tiny bites of the cucumber, chewing thoroughly and slowly in between each bite. Then, like a chipmunk, he would take another bite and give a big smile. Even when she waved around the desserts a little more, he only wanted to eat the veggies. Still, he didn't end up eating a lot.

"You don't want these instead? I brought them for you, so you can...you know, have some," she mumbled, extremely confused by his choice in food, "I mean, it's sugar!"

"But you brought the veggies, too! I love veggies! Thank you!"

(Y/n) held out for the possibility that the male might have been merely suppressing his desire for sweets. She knew some cultures thought eating sweets took away from masculinity. This could have been a reason why he did that. Another could have been that, like her, he wanted to hide a very noticeable facet of what they were. However, even as she began eating the desserts herself, trying to tempt him with them, he was only content with the vegetables, or, so it seemed. She gave a frown as he stopped eating.

"I haven't eaten anything but soup for the past few days, so this was really nice of you, Miss Shiratori."

"Are you done? You only had ten bites or something like that."

"Ah...I can't eat very much. Oh, but it was gift from you. I can try to eat a little more, so - "

"No, no," she tsked, taking away the cucumber from him so he wouldn't push himself, "You ate all the ramen last time."

"I...actually ended up...throwing it up. But it really was delicious. I'd like to have some more sometime."

"How much do you eat in a day?"

"Hm? Well, I have a piece of soft bread for breakfast and I have soup for lunch and dinner. Sometimes, I can have some juice. But I don't usually finish anything. Everyone's worried, but I just...can't eat any more."

Orion's health was really coming into question now. She didn't expect he wouldn't be able to even eat a proper meal. It made sense why he was weak, but, obviously, if he didn't eat, his body wouldn't be able to recover. In the first place, she didn't know what kind of illness he had, but it was likely he would die of starvation first. Looking at him then, he definitely looked like a skeleton. At many points along his body, she could see his skin clinging to his bones. He was too skinny for his own good.

"I-I've made you feel bad now, huh?" the male smiled somberly, great guilt encompassing him for worrying her, "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, this is the most at a time I've eaten in a week. It tastes better if it's a gift!"

(Y/n) chose to ignore that. Instead, changing the topic, she took out some paper she had brought for him. He seemed interested in other cultures, but, since she only knew Athainian culture well enough, it was all she had to offer at the moment. The boy began to gawk at all the colorful pieces of paper, even holding up a reflective one, fascinated at it. He didn't know there were other colors of paper, let alone ones that looked like metal.

"I thought you might want something to do while you're cooped up here. When I was little, I would fold paper to make little animals. I didn't have any toys, so I made them from scraps of newspaper left on the ground. Though, I got you much nicer paper. Your knight might actually try to kill me for giving you paper like I had."

"It's really pretty. How do you - "

The male quieted down to watch her begin to fold a boring white colored square. She didn't pick any of the prettier colors, just the white one. And as she made fold after fold, his eyes softened in curiosity and interest. She made the animal so delicately. Her movements were graceful, too, mimicking the animal she chose to create. Orion brought one of his pillows to his chest, hugging it gently as he watched patiently, relaxing himself at the soothing atmosphere of the craft. Even as she rushed to show him the small bird she had managed to create, he felt at ease.

Taking the swan, his eyes sparkled. It was a bird he was able to see from his window. They liked to congregate in the pond at the center of the labyrinth, though he hadn't been able to see them as of late. If not for his health or for the season of winter, he might gotten to see them. He was told they were a mean type of bird, but they were always very loving and gentle to him, so, how could he not reciprocate that affection?

"Can you teach me how to make one?" he hummed, the tips of his ears becoming pink.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here today. It's not easy to have hope. I know that much from my own experiences, and, personally, I think hope is stupid. Wishing for things to get better while staying put does nothing but bring you disappointment. But, I think, for you, it might actually help."

"Presley thinks I need it, too, but...you're right. It's hard to hope when I can't do anything about...well, dying."

"What if you could do something?"

Orion tilted his head. If it were anyone else, he would have dismissed that as just another way to set him up for disappointment. But, from her, who had also been hurt in a way he couldn't understand just yet, it meant a lot. After all, she and Haru already gave him a bit of hope in that he would wait everyday just for the chance to see them. So, he listened wholeheartedly. The girl then took his hand and placed a piece of paper in it, beginning to teach him the steps of how to fold the bird himself.

"If you make one of these, it doesn't matter. If you're only holding onto one of them, it's worthless. But, if you keep holding onto them, they start to add up. Then you can actually do something with them. For example, in Athain, there's a myth that, if you fold a thousand of these, you'll get a wish."

"A wish. Like a wish that my body could be...normal?"

"If that's your wish."

"I see."

Orion gained a visible glint in his eyes. There was another little hope he had. Soon enough, she would see each little speck of hope multiply in his eyes. And, somewhere along the way, hopefully, he would gain a sort of light in them he didn't have before. This was a strange act of kindness she wanted to give him. Verona inspired it, her words about hatred and changing for the better making her think deeply about things. And though the (h/c) haired girl's dreams were far less noble than the royals, she still wanted to hold onto them.