Stepping back into Vethela was incredible. Orion was very eager to be back home, especially since (Y/n) had come with him. She didn't specify why she wanted to return, but he was hoping it was because she liked the country more than Echal. Though, Sona had come with her, too, which baffled him. As they rode the car back, he felt a lot of joy by watching her gawk at the passing trees. He, like most people in Vethela, took a lot of pride in their scenery. It was unmatched in the world; a paradise unlike any other place on the earth. The male began to rack his brain for what other incredible things he could show her. Now that Haru wasn't lingering around her, he had tons of time with her.

The front gates to the palace opened, allowing them to enter, but, as they moved to transfer to a carriage, Presley and Mica were waiting. It wasn't the kind of scenery Orion particularly wanted (Y/n) to see. Neither of the two looked particularly amused, Orion shrinking as he felt their eyes on him. Shyly, he hid behind the older girl, not knowing what to say. He knew they were mad. Of course they would be. He had gone and vanished before they even knew what was happening. It wasn't like the prince had ever been rebellious. It might have felt like a betrayal to them.

"You went halfway across the world," Mica started, stating the obvious first, "but you couldn't go five feet to tell me you were leaving?"

"...Mother said she would - "

"She did tell us. She told us after we sent out hundreds of royal guards looking for you! Did you enjoy it? Having some reckless independence and watching us run around like chickens with our heads cut off?"

"I didn't mean to make anyone worry," the male sniffled, averting his gaze, "I just wanted to have some fun."

"Did you even look at the news? The entire world is talking all about how you ran away to side with the Akahito family! Did you forget the tension between our countries right now? Or is it because you aren't the one that has to deal with the repercussions?!"

Presley was about to put his hand on the regent's shoulder in order to indirectly tell him to calm down, but, he flinched. He wasn't to touch a royal, especially not Mica after what he had done to Kazuki. So, instead, he used his body language and made eye contact with the regent to achieve the same purpose. Similarly, the young prince was trembling. He had never been scolded before. No one ever yelled at him. It wasn't like he knew what would happen if he left the country. He just wanted to have a bit of fun. He never meant any harm. If he had known, he never would have left in the first place. In fact, he would have stayed to help his great uncle. Then again, it wasn't like he knew how to run a country, so what could he have done?

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, grabbing at the older girl's shirt, "I won't do it again."

"Miss Shiratori, please follow me," the regent sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and pushing his glasses back.

"What? No! It was my fault!"

"It's not what - "

"Everything was my fault, so please punish me! She didn't do anything! S-She was only following along with my selfishness! So, you can't - "

"Orion, I'm telling you - "

"Miss Shiratori has been very, very kind to me! S-So, i-if you don't leave her alone," A pause as the male thought of the most effective threat he could make, "I-I'll hate you, uncle!"

Everyone went silent. Orion thought that it was because he had been too harsh, the prince wondering if he had broken the man's heart. However, as (Y/n) let out a few snickers, he found himself blushing. When he began assessing Presley's reaction, he found something similar. And with Mica, it was always a bit hard to determine his exact emotions. He had built up a political persona in his sister's absence. However, as the man buried his face in his hand, the prince tilted his head, concerned.

"She's not in trouble," the man explained, tapping his foot to let loose some of his pent-up frustration, "I am well aware she only followed Verona's request. It's just that I have some important information to discuss with her."

Orion flared bright red, bursting into embarrassment. Flustered, he began stuttering, trying to formulate a sentence that would take back all of his shame. Still, since there was no such sentence in existence, he only fizzled out, giving a few quiet winces. As if to make it more bearable for himself, he leaned on the older girl, hiding his face. She left him to do so, unbothered by him (not that Sona felt the same). Mica gave a strange look.

"I-I wanna go with," the prince requested bashfully, not wanting to be separated from her.

"I'm afraid not. It's somewhat...private. Besides, you need to get a checkup. Sir Alric will take you."

The male wanted to debate. That being said, he was far too embarrassed. Moreover, he was scared of putting more shame on himself. Thus, as Presley gave him a small push forward, he entered a separate carriage, still recovering from the outburst. As the door was closed, the coral-haired man made sure to send the (h/c) haired girl a glare, to which she gave him the middle finger. Mica looked fascinated at the gesture before he showed (Y/n) to a separate carriage, headed for the eastern part of the palace, instead of the western part, where Orion was headed.

The man told her to make herself comfortable in his study. Apparently, he did not use the monarch's study. He felt like it was not rightfully his, and that he should not be eligible to use it; that it still belonged to his sister. Nevertheless, she took a seat on the couch across from him, being served a cup of tea. Though, she had never liked tea, so she left it there, gazing up, instead, at the man for an explanation, Sona doing the same. The last time she had talked with him, she did not find it incredibly pleasant, so she was determined to leave the conversation as soon as possible.

"Before we begin our talk, please accept my apologies," the regent sighed, bowing at the waist respectfully, "I swear the royal family will pay you back for everything you've done for Orion. It is deeply appreciated. That is why I'm all the more ashamed to say that, because of your patience with our prince, some fools have started running their mouths. That is to say - "

"Gossip. I'm well aware. I have been keeping up with the news."

"I will correct the rumors. I swear. However, I would like to selfishly ask that you continue to indulge my great nephew. The royal family will compensate you a great deal, but - "

"I'm...mostly here for Verona."

Mica looked baffled. He, of course, adored all of the children that came from his beloved sister, but it was surprising to hear a kind of affection for Verona, in particular. Meridian had supporters. She had few, but she did have them. But the copper-haired woman was not so easy to like. Still, he couldn't help but smile at the (h/c) haired girl's interest in Verona. Even he found it difficult to admit his fondness for the two princesses, if only because his sister came to despise them.

"Speaking of her, she has requested a room to be prepared for you. We thought it might be odd to remain in the embassy without President Akahito. Moreover, it would be more comfortable, and a nice gesture for the royal family to make, after everything you've done. Does that sound agreeable?"

"Where is the room located?" Sona interjected, wanting to know exactly how safe it would be for her, "Will there be guards? Maids? How about a lock?"

"A fair question, I suppose," the man mumbled as he tipped the cup of tea to his lips, seemingly distant with the android, "The room Verona had in mind is a hallway over from Orion. It is on the second floor in the western wing. I was planning to assign two royal knights to stand guard at a time, but I can always arrange for more, if you would prefer. Maids are a given. Verona actually said she had some in mind. As for the lock...truthfully, as a safety concern, most rooms do not have them. We want to ensure the guards can enter in the case of an emergency, but, again, if need be, one can be arranged. Is that all?"

"Will I be allowed?"

"Do you have weapons?"

"Physically, my whole body is a weapon, but I do not have a gun on me."

"Hm."

A lengthy pause followed, the man thoroughly considering it. Truthfully, Mica was averse to the idea of an android staying inside the main palace. He barely tolerated one being on palace grounds, even in the embassies. It was just not something that Vethela saw in a positive light. Rather, technology, especially an android, which mimicked the sacred body humans were given, was mostly despised. He would rather have seen the android returned to Echal.

"I would feel much safer with him around," the (h/c) haired girl mentioned, prompting the man to hum again, "If I have to stay on the outskirts of the palace, I would prefer to do so with him. Even a hotel would be - "

"He may stay. If anyone raises a fuss, we'll consider him a personal object. Anything else?"

"No, that will be all."

"Excellent. Then, I'll have Aurora escort you to the room."

The woman standing behind the regent bowed before motioning to the younger girl. She had a hyacinth pin on her chest, just like all of the other personal servants that attended to the man. Oddly enough, unlike everyone else in the royal family, whose personal servants were the same gender as them, Mica had mostly women. Perhaps that was another effect of the idolization of his sister. He might have just come to see women as more gentle and loving people, perhaps more comfortable with them, too. Though it didn't matter much, the woman bowing when she finished taking the girl to the room and showed her around.

Verona entered soon after, giving the girl a big hug and welcoming her back. Behind her were a few different women in palace uniforms, all with daisy pins on their chests. One was dressed more elaborately than the rest, probably the head maid. It was the same with Atlas. Dressed nicer, they served as confidantes to their masters, given a higher social status in return, along with their salaries and benefits. Maybe that was why they seemed so much more amiable than the others.

"I'm so glad to see you've accepted our offer," the princess giggled, motioning to the maids behind her, "And I hope you'll accept this offer, too. While you stay, I'd like you to have at least one of my ladies in waiting take care of you."

"But I'm not - "

"Pretty please?"

Verona placed her finger to her cheek in a cutesy manner, sticking her tongue out. (Y/n) laughed but immediately placed her hand over her mouth, giving a stern expression. However, the woman knew she was only covering it up in front of other people. She was glad the girl laughed in the first place. The princess began to introduce her maids, using descriptive language to make each and every one of them seem particularly useful. Eventually, the younger girl ended up accepting one of them, but only to make the princess stop talking and to get them to go away.

"Perfect!" Verona giggled, dismissing the maids for the time being, "You'll like Calliope! She is quiet. I know you like that in your servants."

Sona looked from the left to the right, tilting his head curiously when he noticed the princess was looking at him. She gave a grin, but it was somewhat emotionless. The android pondered why that was, but he didn't know exactly, so he could only give the same kind of grin back. The woman stopped smiling then, turning instead to the (h/c) haired girl and asking how her trip was. They discussed Orion, the amusement park, and even the surprise spa trip she had decided to take him on. Verona gave a more genuine smile to that. Sona narrowed his eyes.

"Sounds like you had fun," the princess murmured, having the intonation of a question rather than a statement.

"I...think so."

"Mm?"

"Well, fine. It was fun. Relaxing, too. Even strangely productive."

"And, still, you came back. I didn't think you would."

(Y/n) blushed and turned her head away. Yet she still placed her hand on Verona's, asking for affection. The woman obliged, taking her hand and squeezing it playfully before she made herself chuckle. The younger girl held back her giggles, but as the woman turned her head, she watched as her face flared red. And all because she saw her smile. There was something just so cute about the girl.

"I did come back. It's just been a while since I've been home. I wanted to stay a bit longer."

"You're welcome to."

"Also...to be completely honest, I thought about what you said about this place's 'secrets'. I don't know that many of them have to do with me, but if there's some connection to my...to Etisian, I need to know. More so if - "

"Your sister is involved?"

"...Yes."

"Because you want to kill her."

"...Yes."

The woman hummed. She supposed there wasn't much wrong with the (h/c) haired girl exploring the palace. Of course, she might need to steer her away from certain areas, but, for the most part, she was welcome to explore. Perhaps she should have taken Celith just to be certain. After all, if he was around her, powerful beings would leave her alone. Everyone knew he was the precious child a certain someone held dear.

"Where would you like to start?" the princess inquired, petting the girl's head.

"Tia. I'd like to meet him."

"Tia?! But - "

"I met Emi. She told me some things about him that - Well, I just suspect he knows something important."

Verona could have argued. She could have tried to talk her out of it, but she didn't. No matter what she said, (Y/n) would not change her mind. She was as stubborn as she was curious, which was often a lethal combination. So, the only way that princess could get her to stop was to sate that curiosity before stubbornness took hold. Luckily, Tia was quite used to her barging into his home, so showing the younger girl the way was not too difficult.

The princess smiled and nodded, but motioned to Sona. Hesitant, the girl considered her options. She desperately wanted the android, if only for protection against the being with uncertain motives. However, Verona was defenseless, too, and though she seemed to have been meeting with the being on a regular basis, she was unscathed. Still, it was difficult to make the choice, but ultimately, she ended up walking behind the android and quickly shutting him off. She then texted Haru. An alert was sent to him whenever Sona was turned off, so he needed to know she did it intentionally. He didn't respond.