(Y/n) and Haru had spent the entire day together, doing absolutely nothing. She had retreated back to the embassy with the Akahito family, having no reason to stay in the palace anymore. The two were just lying down with one another, playing video games or munching on unhealthy snacks. As such, Sona didn't have much to do. Haru had kicked him out of the room and, as always, the embassy was well taken care of by the Vethelan staff. He had no chores to do because of it. Thus, he had left to find something to do.

He wasn't really all that interested in greenery, so the gardens weren't of much help. Similarly, he wasn't eager to sit down by a lake or pond for no reason. For a while, he was just wandering around, observing things and people passing him by. One such person happened to be the youngest Trewin, the orange-haired boy slumped on the ground next to a heavy rock. He perked up when he noticed the android, standing up quickly and brushing off any dirt on him. The male then beckoned him over, giving a bright smile.

"Good afternoon," he hummed, walking around in a circle before tilting his head, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah! Actually, I was a little curious about something. If you're not busy, can I ask for some help?"

Sona didn't see anything wrong with it. Besides, as was only standard, he was to help any human he could whenever requested. Though Orion didn't really specify what he needed help with, it didn't matter much. It wasn't like he was doing anything anyway, so he wandered behind the male inside the palace. Though he had expected they would be heading to the west wing, since that was where he resided, they went the other direction into the east wing. Sona didn't know much about the east wing, but it looked almost identical to its counterpart. As always, there were a lot of rooms.

To the android's surprise, he entered one of the other prince's rooms. The android then consulted the internet about the different prince's interests. Thus, from the look of it, especially considering the pictures of countless animals, it must have been the third prince's room. As expected, the blue-haired male appeared, along with his elder brother, both of them giving concerned looks. Still, Orion smiled, taking a seat on the beanbag.

"Come sit," he urged, motioning to one of the other childish seats, "I heard you can translate a bunch of languages?"

"Yes. I primarily speak Athainian, but, if you prefer, I can use Vethelan."

"That's okay. Zuki and Ichi are better with Athainian. You know, they've been living there for years now."

"It is a nice country," A pause. "What did you need help with?"

"Well, I was kind of curious if you knew any other languages. How about Nadan? Ichi is doing a big international deal with Pasnad, so, if you could help translate, you could really help."

"Of course. Was this over email? Or would you like me to be present for a conversation?"

Orion blabbed away, talking about the opportunity and praising his older cousin. All the while, Sona focused on him, until a sudden loud buzz was heard and he fell flat on the floor. Frightened, the boy jumped back before smiling. Before they had come back to the country, he had asked his cousins to bring an EMP. They, obviously, were hesitant, but when he kept pleading, they became weak. Still, as the orange-haired male began poking all over the android, they became very concerned as to what he was trying to do.

"What are you trying to do?" Kazuki mumbled, pulling the male back from the android and starting to push his hair out of his face in a motherly manner, "I don't even know who told you what an EMP is."

"I learned."

"From Haru?"

"Kind of. I also learned how to deactivate this thing, so - "

"You're trying to kill it?" Ichiro huffed, "But it's not yours."

"That's why I don't want it around anymore."

The younger of the three wiggled out of the blonde's grasp, moving his hand around the android's neck. The brothers looked at one another in concern before flinching as Orion gave a snicker. He had found the button he was looking for, having had to pull up the teal hair that covered it before the hidden panel revealed itself. Before he was able to pry the panel open, once again, his cousin stopped him, giving a look of guilt.

"But you do realize that you are vandalizing property, right? With the relationship between Echal and Vethela right now, it's not a good idea to touch - "

"I know what I'm doing!" the younger male snapped, tugging his hand away, "Besides, I'm going to be king, so I can do whatever I want."

"At the cost of your people?" Ichiro argued, narrowing his eyes at the sudden selfishness his typically kind cousin was portraying.

"Well - I - I'm doing this for them."

"How?"

Orion, after a long time of struggling to come up with an answer, chose to ignore the accusation of inconsistency entirely. He then returned to prying open the panel, revealing an off button. However, he wasn't interested in that. If he turned Sona off, he could just power back up again. So, instead, he focused his attention on the phone that he had taken from Atlas, of which his cousins were also shocked to see. Though he fumbled with it, clearly not used to the device, he did manage to use it nonetheless, pulling up a diagram. Kazuki grabbed at the phone, staring with disbelief.

"You stole this? And this...diagram...you stole this, too?"

"You don't know that. Haru and I are friends, so - "

"Friends don't steal other friends' androids and try to destroy them by using stolen classified information!"

"What would you know?! You've never had any friends but us!"

The blonde stepped back, a disappointed look on his face. The youngest prince immediately regretted it, timidly apologizing for it. Still, he fiddled nervously, eventually returning to the android and pausing. It wouldn't do him any good for his cousins to get suspicious of him. Sighing, he put on a frown, gawking up at them. Even then, when he was doing something so clearly wrong, they were affected by his innocent stare.

"I'm sorry. You're right," he mumbled, tearing up, "But I-I just like Miss Shiratori so much, and I'm really jealous. They're never going to let me leave the palace and she's going to leave. Everyone always leaves me, Zuki!"

"That's not true. We - "

"You two left to go to Athain. And Rei left to travel the world. My father left because he hated me. And grandmother and grandfather left because they died. I'm always the only one left behind."

Guilt washed over the two. He was right. Orion had never been free to live his life because he never really had a life to begin with. Though his actions were questionable, in the face of their own pity for him, they said nothing further. In fact, Ichiro even moved to help him. He then handed the boy the memory card, darting his eyes away. And though the younger male may have felt somewhat bad about preying on their guilt, it wasn't at all a lie. His worst fear was being left behind. At least now they knew that.

"What are you going to do with it?" Kazuki asked quietly.

"I was going to throw it into the sea."

"And...the body?"

"Oh. I don't know. What do you think?"

The blonde took a while to say anything. However, meekly, he finally replied that he would take care of it for him. That left Orion to run off to the other side of the palace, entering an empty room. Instead of destroying the memory card immediately, he used it to get as much information as he could. While most of it was encoded, he stumbled upon just the information he was looking for. While he had managed to grab the information in Haru's wrist tablet, there was obviously more in Sona.

Though it had annoyed him, the android was by the older girl's side pretty much every minute of every day. Thus, he figured there was some great information in there about her. While he scrolled over the data, eventually, he managed to come upon a very fascinating piece of information. Curiously, he read over a contract that was deeply embedded in the android's code, a big smile appearing on his face.

1. By no means is Party A to become the recipient of any kind of harm, including major wounds, abduction, sexual assault/harrassment, starvation, childbirth, and, if preventable, mental harm. Party B is responsible for providing Party A protection that covers these areas. If not, the contract may be terminated immediately.

2. Moreover, no electronic devices will be attached to Party A by Party B without further notice and compliance. If no permission is granted and technology is still placed on the body of Party A, the contract may be terminated immediately.

If both clauses are not broken, Party A is to remain with Party B. This contract must be reviewed and then signed by both parties once every year. If not, the contract may be terminated immediately.

As expected, both the older girl and Haru had signed their names, being Party A and Party B respectively. Suddenly, things began to get a bit more clear. Orion knew they weren't in a normal relationship. But now he knew that it was contractual in nature, and it validated everything he had already assumed. Excited, he pondered over the implications of the contract, particularly where it said "the contract may be terminated immediately". It was promising.

After that, the orange-haired male spent a great deal of time trying to actually break the memory card. Haru had made it, above all else, sturdy. He had to slam it in the door multiple times before it finally peeled apart enough to split in unequal pieces. The male then, without any hesitation, threw it off of the balcony. All the while, he felt a great satisfaction, seeing the memory card fall. Now all he had to do was wipe the backup data on Haru's computer. That would definitely be more tricky, but not at all impossible. Presley would happily do that for him as long as he used his tears.

Before long, the knight had done just that for him. Expectedly, Haru had become paranoid, struggling to get the data back, but it was impossible. Faunus reported to him about how the brunette was doing occasionally. As he heard it, the more time went on, the more he became anxious. Orion felt pretty happy about it, happily dancing around the room, practicing what he had learned from his etiquette classes. He paused in place as an unexpected visitor entered, the male staring at the (h/c) haired girl with awe.

Panicked, he turned to glance at himself in the mirror, giving a deep frown. Immediately, so many things started to bother him. At the same time, he was in his pajamas and his hair was a mess, no doubt making for a poor impression. Worried, he tried to run off to make himself more presentable, only for her to grab him by the collar and hold him back. Shyly, he glanced up, a look of guilt on his features, but, when she began to toy with his unkempt hair, he flared up and leaned into her touch.

"I need to talk to your uncle," she mumbled, the boy furrowing his brows as she continued, "Can you get me a meeting with him?"

"But you came to see me, so you can just talk to me. I'll do my best!"

"And I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I doubt you want me to yell at you."

"What? Why?! Is someone being mean to you?! Tell me, (Y/n). I'll help. I'll help!"

The prince hugged the older girl, wanting nothing more than to take away all of her worries. Though, he also realized being so close to her might land him another kiss. If he could help, she would probably reward him, right? He blushed, grabbing onto the back of her shirt as he nuzzled into her. The male was then met with the gentle touch of her hand playing with his hair, the boy finding himself tamed by her.

"Your palace has the worst security I have ever seen," she huffed, finding herself becoming progressively more mad despite the attempts she made to quell her emotions, "After everything that happened, again, Sona went missing. Except, this time, some bastard deleted all of his backup data. That means, if we don't find his body and recover his memory card..."

"(Y/n)...?"

"If Vethela is still interested in keeping peace with Echal, an investigation needs to be launched immediately. I need someone to send out guards or servants or whatever the fuck - Just - Find Sona. The only one that can help me do that is the regent, so - "

"No!" he objected, clinging onto her further, "I can give the order. I'll do it right now. Presley!"

At the sound of the male shouting, the knight came into the room in a rush. And though he made a face at how close the two were standing together, he said nothing. On the contrary, he merely followed the prince's orders and organized a group of knights to look for the android. Orion hoped the coral-haired man would fail in his efforts. For certain, they would never find the memory card, but the body was another matter altogether. He didn't really know what his cousin had done with it. He just promised to get rid of it for him.

Trying to focus on enjoying the older girl's presence, the male beamed, only for his smile to fall again. She seemed really concerned. He guessed it made sense though he wasn't at all happy to admit it, pouting as he hugged her a little tighter. For some reason, she had made a contract with Haru for protection, and, obviously, the brunette had created Sona to fulfill a large part of that role. Though the android was not human, it probably acted a lot like a close friend to her. He'd never considered she'd be sad. A small whine escaped him.

"Thank you," she murmured, giving a far-away look out of the window, "We were worrying all day. Haru's still panicking, and I'm a bit freaked out, too."

"If it's about your safety," the male paused, glancing up innocently at her, "I can give you a knight or two. They're all strictly trained and really strong."

"That's sweet of you, but I won't trouble you. I'm sure Haru will - "

"You're not troubling me, (Y/n). You never do. Besides - ," Another pause, the male blushing as he moved to hold her hand. "You know how I feel about you, so this much is nothing. It's only right I keep you safe. Won't you at least try it?"

"It's not that I don't appreciate it. I'm just not comfortable with people guarding me."

The prince sighed. He didn't see what difference it made. Whether an android was guarding her or a highly trained knight, she was going to be protected. In fact, at least the knight wouldn't go wandering off. Still, though he was sad about his offer being refused, he didn't push it, if only to stop himself from scaring her off. Maybe he could suggest it some other time when the whole thing with Sona blew over. Once she knew he was gone and wasn't coming back, she'd have to look for other options. He could be patient.

Just as he thought, no one ended up salvaging Sona's data. They didn't find his body either, but it was written off as the work of VLATO once more. Mica, in his attempts to once again rush an apology to Echal, captured the head of the organization along with a few others, including the person that had previously cost Haru his eye. For the first time in more than two decades, a public execution took place in front of the palace. It became international news when the event was suddenly announced.

Orion had been dressed up and made to sit on a throne next to the Akahito family (minus Bastien). Since the orange-haired male was now in the midst of his successor training, Mica, as regent, no longer had the power to sentence people to death. As a result, the prince was forced to give the order, of which he hesitated greatly. People watched as he trembled, facing the citizens. Their hearts broke for him. The poor male had to be the one to send a group of people to their deaths, so, obviously, he was very much pitied.

"For the crime of treason which has been committed twice with malice aforethought," A pause, the male turning to his eldest cousin and grabbing his hand shyly, "I sentence Andromeda Eliades, the leader of the extremist organization VLATO...to death. For the same crime, Farah Kyat, Utra Odalis, and Delan Fasani will also receive the same sentence. I also sentence Kailn Ailbe to death for the crimes of treason, aggravated assault, and evading justice."

Orion almost fainted after he finished his last sentence, hiding himself in his cousin's chest. Peeking over at the scene, he watched as all five of them were placed on their knees, forced to lay their head on a block of wood. They were all in tears, subject to public humiliation and the looming threat of their nearing deaths. The worst part was that they were not going to die painlessly.

Despite other countries managing to find relatively painless ways for their death row criminals to perish, Vethela was different. Echal had the electric chair, Athain had lethal injection, and even a place like Umayena had death by shooting. But Vethela, who strictly regulated electricity, who refused to study the effects of chemical death, and who valued tradition greatly, chose none of those things. On the contrary, adhering to their long-standing traditions, the country of Vethela killed those on death row by beheading. It was far from painless, at many points requiring two or three more swings down on the head. But that was the point.

The executioner stepped up to take their place next to Andromeda first, readying the heavy weapon. Then he swung down. She was lucky. Her head was severed on the first try, though her head lived shortly after it fell to the ground, her eyes moving in horror before they became as still as stone. The next person was just as lucky. But, by the time the third person rolled around, four chops were required, all the while, they screamed in agony. It was ironic, then, that they wished so deeply for the simple death technology might bring to them. The same went for the next.

When it came time to Kailn Ailbe's death, the man, in his fear, began pouring out apology after apology. He had even jolted his head up to stare directly into Haru's eyes, pleading with him to be spared. At once, Kazuya and Eloise both placed one hand each onto the boy's eyes, sparing him from the sight of his assaulter. But, when Kailn began struggling as the executioner placed his head back on the block, Eloise's hand fell as she began to cough violently.

When the axe came down on the brunette's assaulter, there were only two people that felt satisfaction. (Y/n) was relieved to finally see the bastard punished for what he had done to Haru. She hid her smile behind her hand when his head rolled. Orion was also satisfied, hiding his smile by continuing to lean into his cousin. With the last swing of the axe, he had gotten away with pinning the blame on the deceased loyalists. And the best part? Now he was free to use them to do one last thing. After all, it wasn't like they were going to say otherwise, huh?