When it was officially announced that Orion would be succeeding the throne, the entire nation spent their time celebrating. In the streets, parades were held in his honor, organized by the citizens, and lots of reports were made on the male. The vast majority of the news was about him, people praising his name and uttering their utter anticipation for his rule. And after so long of believing the precious prince would die, it was even more exciting. To think, his coronation was in half a month!

However, for some, it was conflicting. For instance, Meridian, the boy's aunt, was none too happy about his ascension. Her whole life, she had been hedging her bets on herself, if not her child. Still, when the child she had preened for the throne mysteriously disappeared, she had no choice but to turn her focus to another child. She had put all of her eggs in one basket. And yet, she was finding it difficult to convince her firstborn to stay in the running for the throne.

Similarly, Apostol was uncertain about the announcement, if only because Mica was more likely to side with her than Orion. And, sure, the latter was easier to manipulate and hopeless in the face of politics, but he had immense support. Moreover, it was in her best interest for Vethela to remain politically convoluted. If no one had any absolute power, things were a lot slower to get done, such as completely cutting off Umayena.

Then, obviously, the Akahito family was distraught. Haru had been devastated when the (h/c) haired girl figured out what he had done. And, obviously, with everything else going on, he was not taking it well. In fact, it was best to say he was losing his mind. Anyone that tried to go into his room was met with a gun to their face. He only paused to see if it was anyone in his family. If not, the gun went off.

So, obviously, Kazuya had no recourse but to visit (Y/n). It wasn't necessarily to make an appeal nor was he asking her to forgive the brunette. But she was more than just Haru's sweetheart to him. At that point, she was much, much more to him. It was for that reason that he needed to see her. He just wanted to see that she was alright, because he knew for a fact that she often let anger and fear cloud the rest of her life. Thus, he sat in front of her, eyes filled with paternal concern while he bounced Bastien on his lap.

"I'm really just resting. I'm not doing much at all. There's no need to worry."

"I'm glad then. I was going to mention it before. You just had so much on your plate. But you need to rest a lot before you decide to come back to the company. Only when you're ready. I will check, you know."

"Kazuya," A pause. "I turned in my resignation."

"Yes, I'm aware. But I'm going to keep the job open for you. I'll have someone cover for you until then."

"You can't. So many people have their eye on it. It's not fair to - "

"It's not. But I'm not necessarily a fair man. I might play nice as much as I can, but this is important to me. So I will put my foot down. Is anybody going to tell me otherwise?"

"Um, the shareholders."

"But I own the vast majority. What are the other ten percent going to do? They're members of the family anyway, so they have to listen to me whether they like it or not. I don't mind waiting. That job is yours, even if you don't want it."

The girl gave a huff. She wasn't sure if it was one of disbelief or one of anger, but it lightened her heart. The man valued her. It was so strange. He was willing to look like a fool if it meant she had a little more security. Normally, someone would have expected something in return, too, but no, not Kazuya. The way he treated her was so foreign. If she hadn't been actively trying to suppress it, she would have started crying. And yet, despite that, he noticed.

"I'm not going to run back to Haru just because of this."

"I'm not asking you to. I may have been biased in giving the job to you because of him, but, in truth, you've made me proud past that. You never took anything for granted and your results were incredible. I'd always wanted to do the same with Haru, but I'm glad it was you, instead."

"What kind of...How could you...Kazuya..."

"I will say, I am disappointed with what happened with Haru. He knew better. But I was looking forward to the wedding. It was going to be an excuse to call you my daughter."

At that, tears came rushing forward. That sounded so strange; so unbelievably fake. And yet, since it was Kazuya, somehow, someway, she could believe it. In fact, she could believe it so much so that she felt a great happiness bubble up within her. The words she couldn't say were expressed by her tears instead. Bastien was confused, making grabby hands at the girl, but the man knew. When it came to her, he knew so easily.

"May I still refer to you as such?"

The girl rushed over to hug the man, a bittersweet feeling inside of her. She should have been mad. Usually, she would have attributed Haru's betrayal as one of the rest of his family. But it was Kazuya. So he was special to her; an exception to the rest of the cautious rule. Bastien leaned over to be a part of the hug, mumbling something about how her sadness was making him cry, too.

"You do not have to come back. To the company, to Haru, or even to Echal. But I will always be on your side."

"Thank you," she eked out, clinging onto him.

"It's nothing to thank me for. This is a kind of selfish love. Then again, I suppose all love is. But selfishness to one person can be kindness to another."

Kazuya lingered around for a bit. There wasn't much else said, but they did enjoy one another's company. Bastien continued smiling, too, just happy to be around people. Apparently, Eloise had found it in her to go to one of Valiende's animal sanctuaries with him. He had finally gotten to see a koala, of which had put him in an even better mood despite the somber atmosphere of the embassy.

And though the two left soon enough, nonetheless, the smile on her face remained. If she could not talk more with Kazuya, she wanted to share her happiness with someone else, a rare desire for her. Thus, she made her way down the hallway to find Orion. He was overjoyed to see her, dropping the origami bird he was folding before skittering over to her. Giving a big smile, he tilted his head ever so slightly, glancing up at her coyly. To his surprise and making him gasp, she placed her hand on his cheek and stared into his eyes.

"You're so cute," she confessed, simply admiring him to his bewilderment, "I just felt like telling you that."

Atlas tried shushing the other servants as they gawked, only for the girl to glance over at them. The head servant chuckled nervously, bowing at the waist and having the others do the same. He apologized for the interruption before shoving everyone out of the room. They all protested, but when Orion gave a conflicted gaze, they all rushed out for his sake. Though, before he left, Atlas gave the boy a wink before tapping his lips a few times and giving him a thumbs up. The boy tensed up and blushed, directing his gaze back to the older girl.

"Well," he stuttered, flushing as she remained in close proximity to him, "I think that you are cute, too, (Y/n), so - "

"Why don't you call me Miss Shiratori again? I always thought it was precious, so I've been missing it."

The prince took a shaky step back, averting his eyes, only for her to, again, get close to him. She was almost flush against him, very much enjoying the timid reaction. That must have been the case since she started blowing on his ear, chuckling when he squirmed. In an effort to escape, he murmured the name, only for her to encourage him to say it again. When he did, she slowly trapped him between her arms, the boy having nowhere to go.

His bottom lip was beginning to quiver, the male desperately trying to hide his nervousness. Though he attempted to do so by raising his hand to his mouth, she very gently took it and started kissing at his wrist, watching him melt. With his nerves and innate desire to flee came shifty eyes. He made it so obvious that he wanted to watch her kiss his wrist but that he was conflicted about how shameful it was. Thus, he kept darting his gaze back at the sight. It was also the reason he jumped when she moved to kiss his cheek instead.

"Ah!" he shivered, tensing up like she was going to eat him, "You can't tease me! I-I know it's easy, but - I...I'll die if this keeps up. My heart is..."

The male's whining prompted her to smirk and chuckle. She then began smothering him in kisses, the prince getting more bashful with each one. At some point, she had gotten so close that he had instinctively grabbed onto her shirt and shivered. And then, when she kept kissing him, he even started closing his eyes tightly and pushing her away. It almost looked like he was resisting her advances.

"(Y/n)...! Please, I told you! It-It's beating too quickly. Like it'll pop! It's not going to pop, right?! The doctors! We need to - "

"Don't you worry. I'll take good care of you!"

"L-Like this?! Ah, really! I'm not lying! My heart really does feel wrong!"

"Oh, but I know how to make it feel better. Will you let me try?"

"Really? Then - "

Orion was once again kissed, but, this time, she had chosen to attack his lips. He sucked in a deep breath, panicking when she had surprised him to a point where he couldn't breath. She only released him momentarily to tell him he could breathe. Afterwards, she quickly reattached herself to him, lifting his chin to get better access. He was still tense, eyes shaking in bewilderment, and yet, beyond that, he looked like he had gotten lost in the stars. The boy couldn't help but gawk at her in awe while she kissed him. And when she parted, he remained that way, a small, distraught expression placed on his face at the separation.

"I'm glad," (Y/n) murmured, brushing a lock of his hair out of his face, "You're a very bad kisser."

"What?!" he panicked, both embarrassed and in distress about her displeasure, "No, I can do better! Really, I promise!"

"You're misunderstanding. If you're bad, it means you haven't been kissing anyone else. Did I take your first?"

"Ah - That's...Yes...," A pause. "But I really will get better! I can even practice, so - "

"What are you going to practice with?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm sure Presley will know what to do. Just - I'll do it, so...don't kiss anyone else...okay?"

The older girl locked him in another kiss, this time, teaching him what to do. He was extremely sensitive, the poor thing twitching and gasping at the smallest of touches. She couldn't imagine his heart would survive anything more exciting than a kiss. Though, considering how he had been living thus far, it was highly possible he didn't know there were more strenuous things. Then again, there was a look in his eyes that told her differently.

"...a lot!" he exclaimed, breaking away from the kiss and breathing heavily, "It's a lot! Y-You've never...this much before."

"I just wanted some love. I prefer it to come with kisses. Unless that's a deal breaker for you?"

Orion's eyes lit up for a second before he forced himself to give a suspicious look. He then appeared to pout, thinking deeply. Occasionally, he would glance up at her before jolting and darting his eyes away. Shy, he held his sleeve up, hiding his bashful expression. And though she let him get away with covering up the gorgeous sight, at some point, she couldn't take any more. In order to make sure he couldn't run away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him to her in a hug. He did not hesitate to hold her softly, too, smooshing his cheek against her shoulder.

"Um, these kisses...it's a lot. I can't handle too many. I might really die."

"What if I limit myself to two kisses a day?"

"Or...well, I could let you have as many as you want, but," A pause as he hid his face from her, "I would need something in return, too."

She scoffed. It seemed the king-to-be was finally getting the hang of negotiating. It was a risky choice to try it with her, since she was an expert in the subject and he was but a beginner, but she wanted very much to encourage him. Thus, she played along, deciding not to use her usual tricks.

"And what would you want?"

"Well, if you want kisses and hugs" he trailed off, as if she would be the only one benefitting from the acts of affection, "I can let you have as many kisses as you want. In return...I...Um..."

"Don't be shy. I can't make a deal if I don't know what you want."

"I know. It's just embarrassing," A lengthy pause before he quickly blurted out, "I want to be your lover. Officially!"

"I don't know. It doesn't sound fair to me. I just get kisses and you get the honor of being my boyfriend? How presumptuous."

Again, Orion did not know how to handle or understand sarcasm. Instead, as he listened to her obvious teasing, his face distorted in great disappointment. Then he hung his head, considering what she had said as if it were completely true. To him, she was completely right. It was such a biased offer. Panicking, he tried to keep it, remembering what his great uncle had taught him (except of course for the poker face he neglected to keep on).

"But the kisses! You want kisses, and I-I'm offering, so - "

"Right, but Atlas offered a better deal. He'll give me as many kisses as I want and, in return, all he asked for were flowers."

"What?! But - No, he - He's not supposed to - He said he wouldn't - "

At that point, the orange-haired male was completely fooled. In fact, he was heartbroken that his closest servant would betray him like that when he knew full well how he felt about the (h/c) haired girl. Orion let tears slip, his bottom lip trembling in sorrow before she decided it was time to immediately end the joke.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Nothing like that happened!"

"You're so horrible!" he sobbed, punching her arm weakly while trying to calm himself down.

"Well? Aren't you going to keep trying to convince me to make you my lover? This is still a negotiation right? Just because you're crying doesn't mean I'll cave in and give you whatever you want."

"I...can give you as many hugs as you want, too."

"Alright. That sounds like we're getting somewhere. What else?"

"W-What else?"

"Of course. I think I deserve more than that. What if you let me take you out on a date every week? I'll only be satisfied with that."

"Yes! Oh, no, wait. Let me...," A pause as the male put on a poker face and the meanest tone he could muster up. "I-If you want that, you'll have to throw in...a nickname. One only you call me. N-No one else."

"Then, it's a deal, sunshine."

The prince flared red at the name, more than happy to indulge her in the kisses and hugs she wanted. He didn't at all mind the burst of affection she had, nor did he dissuade her from doing whatever she wanted. Obviously, he benefitted the most out of their agreement, so he wasn't going to complain. Finally, he had her to himself. Though, perhaps the best thing to come out of it was that she proved he was desirable to her. The thought kept him up all night. It also kept two others up.

"Sunshine," Apostol repeated to the (h/c) haired girl with a patronizing smile, "It suits him."

"To be able to sneak in spies near the crown prince's room is incredible. How do you do it?"

"I am here only to remind. Vethelan prince is happy. He will do whatever Ms. Shiratori says. I hope Ms. Shiratori gives good word about Umayena. If no, this is last chance."

"You do know that he's put six king's guards on me now, right? Even if you sent your best people, you wouldn't be able to abduct me. You'd only have the slightest chance to kill me, but that serves you no purpose."

"This is understood. But plan is changed. Answer is...?"

"No. I'm not going to help. So, try your best."

The ravenette's smile faltered as a flicker of some foreign emotion came over her. She then bowed her head before leaving wordlessly. And though, at the time, (Y/n) had no doubts about the Vethelan guards' ability to protect her, she should have felt something was wrong. Apostol didn't necessarily say it would be her that would be kidnapped this time.