Orion was irritated beyond belief. Just as he thought, (Y/n) ran right back to Haru. They had a simple funeral for the brunette's mother, burning the body as was custom. But (Y/n) hadn't taken a single step into the palace, even when the prince sent messenger after messenger. The male begged her to just see him for a bit, the official duties of a soon-to-be king driving him nearly insane. Yet there wasn't even a single word back from her. Well, there was, but he refused to acknowledge the letter since it had the brunette's name in it.

Despite what everyone hoped, the boy was being crushed under the responsibilities of being the future king. He was rushing to take the royal heir's classes while simultaneously juggling his typical duties and the international incident between Umayena, Vethela, and Echal. Then there was the preparation for his subsequent coronation and birthday along with the celebration of the new year the sun god sect reported to him about. In fact, he had burst into tears at multiple points each day, unable to do anything on his own. Even Mica couldn't help him keep pace, the man spending every waking hour in an attempt to support him.

"I-It's impossible!" he cried, hiding under the desk in immense stress, "I can't do it, uncle! I'm not good enough!"

"It's alright, Orion. There's no need to - "

"I-I...I can't be king!"

"What are you talking about? There is no one more fit for the honor than you. You are the precious child of - "

"Zuki could do it! A-And Rei could've! W-Where did he go? Why can't he just take over for me?! H-He can be king and I can just live with (Y/n) and be loved!"

"It has to be you."

"But it's too much! Uncle, it's too much! It's...t-too hard! How did grandmother do it?!"

Mica softened as he stared at the boy. He wasn't even an adult and he had never before even had the opportunity to receive a normal schooling. By no means was he clueless, but saying he was struggling was an understatement, the prince caving under the expectations he faced. Day after day, he didn't even have time to get a full night's rest, let alone focus on his health. Eating had to be done quickly and at the same time as classes, and he wasn't able to get any exercise done, except, perhaps, for the constant pounding of his heart due to the pressure.

But that was what confused Mica. His sister was in a similar position as Orion. Their parents were controlling, enough to limit their classes, even for his sister, who was to inherit the throne. And when they had died, she was only twelve years old, ascending to the throne without a hint of a clue. The people that were supposed to help her only took advantage of her young age. At the same time, she juggled her classes, the duties of the queen, a worldwide recession, and him, her younger brother. Yet she thrived. Why couldn't Orion?

"I understand that it's difficult, but - "

"What would you know, uncle? You never had to be king! You were never sick! No one ever had any expectations for you to live up to."

That was where the boy was wrong. But Mica hadn't quite realized that yet. At that point, he could only agree with the prince. After all, in the face of his sister, no one ever did have expectations for him. On the contrary, they all looked at her. Even Mica had, idolizing the woman beyond everything else and doing everything in his power to keep idolizing her. He even refused to wed, wanting to remain in the palace forever with her.

"I'm sorry," the prince mumbled, hiding his face in his knees, "I didn't want to mean. I-I just..."

"You're scared. It's alright. I'll try my best to help you, and I'll start looking for some aides. Hopefully, we can finish things with Echal soon. A-And I'm sure your mother won't mind handling your coronation and birthday celebrations."

"But - "

"You've already finished the crown, right? How about I hand that off to a jeweler so you can present it to your queen?"

"...Really?"

"Yes. If you marry, your queen is authorized to help you with these things, too. And, I'm sure, Miss Shiratori would help you feel better no matter how stressful it is."

Orion sniffled but he blushed, eager for such a reality to come true. But, again, he thought back to her lingering around Haru. Frowning, he moved to continue with his work. If it were Haru, he would have been able to complete everything in a matter of minutes. Of course, that was a bold-faced lie, but it was one he wholeheartedly believed. Thus, he was motivated to beat whatever view he had of the brunette, albeit with more tears.

At the same time, Mica moved to put everything in place, starting with the coronation. As the boy's mother, Verona was the best choice, but, as was tradition, she was also responsible for the male's crown, along with his father. He found the man first, lingering around with Satoru, as had become unnervingly common. The man just hoped the dirty-blonde-haired man wasn't influencing the actual prince consort in the palace, but that was highly unlikely. Cadmus followed along as the regent requested his assistance, not asking anything else.

The two entered the princess's room, both bowing to her to show their respect. But their respect came in two completely different forms. Whereas Mica lifted himself to hug the woman, giving her many compliments as his niece, Cadmus remained stationary, wishing he had stayed with Satoru. He did not lift himself until the silvery-blue-haired man forcibly guided him to a seat across from her. The Oracle kept his eyes on the ground, hands tightly squeezing his traditional garb.

"That's why, I'd like you to take the reins on the coronation, Verona," the older man explained, the princess giving a nod, "Obviously, you know him best, so I fully trust your decisions. But I would keep in mind he plans to marry Miss Shiratori. I'm not sure when he plans on the marriage, but - "

"I'm sure he'll keep me updated. There's no need to worry."

"I see. At the very least, keep a seat for her. I think it should be proper to allow her a seat among the royal family. Considering blood relations and Orion's new position as king...perhaps it would have to be between you and Cadmus. But splitting you two up is ominous, so - "

"No," the woman chuckled nervously, averting her gaze, "I think it would be best that way. But, as for Cadmus being seated to Miss Shiratori...Well, he might be uncomfo - "

The woman trailed off as she noted the orange-haired man lost in his own little world. He had a small, little smile on his lips, presumably pleased by the conversation. And he was. The man had come to really admire the (h/c) haired girl, especially since she was the reason he had been able to finally connect with his son. And though he still worried she was cruel underneath, he desperately wanted to believe she wouldn't hurt the boy, enough to instill him with a kind of faith. He would have been happy to see her marry Orion.

"Oh...," Verona grinned, relieved, "Then, I'll keep that seating as is."

"Perfect. Also, for the coronation, as I'm sure you're aware, Orion will need a crown. As per tradition, his mother and father should be the ones to design it. It will need to be done within the week before it is taken to the jeweler."

Cadmus tensed up, suddenly yanked out from his happy fantasy of his son and the new daughter he would be getting. Instead of the content look on his face, he suddenly gave one of utter terror, staring down at the floor and shivering. His palms had become sweaty, his heart had dropped to his stomach, and, worse of all, he was on the verge of fainting. The man did all he could not to do such a thing, but that was probably what made it all the more painful for him to sit through.

"I-I'm not so sure -," the woman started, only for her uncle to interrupt.

"It is tradition. And Orion expressed his excitement for his parents to create something monumental for him. I hope you won't disappoint him."

"Oh, but - Mica!"

The man left the two, off to do other errands for the prince. But Verona remained stationary, wondering if she could look at the man in front of her. Meanwhile, Cadmus sat, fearing that she would do such a thing. Either way, they sat in silence for the longest time. She kept wanting to say something, anything, and everything, but how could she? The woman was certain anything that came out of her throat would merely terrorize him. And she was not wrong.

"You...," she paused, scooting her chair a bit further back, "You don't need to help with the crown, you know."

Cadmus gawked up in horror. He had dissected her words as a threat; as if he could not, in fact, design his precious son's crown. The man thought she was taking it away from him. And though he was powerless to stop any decision she made, he nonetheless felt great pain from the sentiment. He even started to cry, the woman unable to formulate a sentence for the longest time before it suddenly leaped out of her mouth.

"No, that's not what I meant!" she shouted, the man wincing before she hurriedly covered her mouth and lowered her voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...shout. A-And I didn't mean you couldn't - I just...It would be hard for us to work together. I know Orion wants it, but...he doesn't know...the truth. B-But I would be happy to do it separately. I'm sure we could both design something and have the jeweler merge both of them into one crown. Right?"

Cadmus wished he could have agreed, but he did not. After all, his son wanted the two of them to create a singular crown together for him to wear while he ruled. That was made very clear to him, the boy mumbling about how he would cherish it dearly. When he was that excited about it, he could not be deceitful. Even if it pained him, he would push through it for the smile on his baby's face. (The man thought of him as such, even if that baby was no longer an infant).

"T-Then...maybe we could each design a small part at a time before the other one does the same? We don't have to see each other. No?"

The woman looked down dejectedly, wondering just how she could remedy the situation. She was only thankful that Satoru, like always, was creeping around. As the man came into the room, he put a new kind of life in Cadmus, enough to help him straighten his posture and look up from the ground. Verona gave a grateful smile at the dirty-blonde-haired man for his support, but he only returned her a glare. She understood why, so she resignedly accepted it, nodding her head to affirm it to herself.

"You'd think he'd pick up a hint," the older man huffed, sitting in between Verona and Cadmus.

"Who? Mica? Or Orion?"

"Both, but the latter I understand. The other just sees what he wants to see. Anyway, how are you going to do this? He can't be in the same room as you."

"Yes. That's the problem. But, if I may make an observation," the woman mumbled, watching as Satoru very purposefully positioned himself in front of Cadmus, making sure she wasn't "observing" him, "He seems much more at ease with you."

"Well, that's because I don't take advantage of him, your highness."

"I'm grateful."

"With all due respect (that'll be none, by the way), I don't want your gratitude for that. What are you trying to say anyway?"

"If you would be willing - "

"That's a first. A Vethelan princess asking if a man is willing, I mean."

"...Yes," A regretful sigh. "It's just, if you could be here, I think we could manage to work together on the crown. Obviously, no more than thirty minutes at a time. And if he needs breaks, too - "

"I don't need you pretending to be a good person now. You lost the chance to recover the title when you tried to force your sister's firstborn to become a miscarriage. And it certainly damned you when you put your hands on this kid."

Verona looked away in sorrow. She knew her past was not pretty. After all of the things she had done to her sister, she had been called a villainess. And though her sister shared the title for the wave of things she'd done, too, it didn't make either one of them morally superior. Still, even if it was because of her mother turning them against one another, it didn't make it alright. The same went for what she had done to Cadmus. She had never stopped regretting what she had done to him.

It was then that the orange-haired man leaned over to Satoru. He whispered his concerns for Orion and his desperate wish to fulfill the boy's wants. Sighing dramatically, the older man scolded him for his good heart. However, his words were clearly full of a love - a kind that, no matter what, Verona was never able to give him. She was so relieved to see the two had formed a close relationship despite the painful circumstances of their bonding. But she knew the sentiment would come off as patronizing, so she kept it to herself.

"Fine. But no touching. No talking about anything other than the crown. And don't look at him. Plus, I want wine."

"Thank you."

"It's not for you. It's for Bambi," the man huffed, petting the head of "Bambi" to the younger man's joy.

"Then," A pause. "Can I...talk to you for a moment?"

"Why? I don't want anything to do with you."

"That's why. I also...find it quite easy for me to think the same."

"I'm not going to praise you for having empathy."

"I wouldn't ask that of you. But...I feel it is necessary to ask for a favor relating to that."

Satoru lifted a brow in disbelief. Of course, Meridian had already tempered his hatred for the princesses, but Cadmus sealed it. Nonetheless, the woman had an interesting look on her face, one that made him curious about her "favor". Cadmus, reasonably, stretched out his hand to stop the man, shaking his head as a warning, but the older of the two only patted his head again and murmured he would not hesitate to push her out of a window if she tried anything. Though it was meant to be humorous, the Oracle found no comedy in it, remaining silently at the table.

"So?" the older man questioned as they moved into a separate room of hers.

"I...understand you are digging around for paperwork relating to your children."

The man devolved into anger immediately. In the first place, he had been doing everything silently to ensure neither one of the princesses nor Mica would catch word of his plan. At that point, he very seriously considered throwing her out of the window, if only to keep it secret. But she lowered her head submissively, a very strange sight to see in a royal of Vethela, especially her.

"Please, don't be alarmed. I don't plan on using this against you, I just - "

"What?! You're just making sure I don't get to touch them?! My own flesh and blood?!"

"That's not it. I understand that, too. Having Orion...changed a lot of my views. I am - by no means - a good person. I am a monster. I realize that. I regret that. That's why I feel for you. That contract...I had thought it was just assurance for us; that you two wouldn't steal a royal. But - I'm so sorry. I-I am so, so sorry."

"You are a monster. I don't need your pity. After everything you've done, how could you ever be forgiven?!"

"I don't expect to be! It is nowhere my right to expect or hope for that. But it is my resolution to make this right. I want to help you get your children back. And I want Cadmus to have the same."

"That's easier said than done."

"I know. But I can help. You're planning on bringing it up on Orion's birthday, right? I will get it televised. I will make sure no one interrupts you. I will keep Meridian away from you. And I will back up your statements."

"All of them?"

"Yes. Every single one."

"Even if I don't plan on just using the contracts for the kids? If I plan on exposing what Meridian's contract was for me? "

"Yes. In fact, please do. Meridian needs to receive her just desserts. But, may I ask if Cadmus will do the same?"

"...No," A pause. "He refused. You must be happy."

"Actually...this is the favor. Please, make Cadmus bring me to justice, too. I wish to pay for what I've done. If you have to convince him, if you have to bribe him, or if you even have to surprise him on the day of...please ensure he is the one to bring me down. Please."

Satoru stared at the woman in shock. It was not a grateful kind of shock. What she was doing was arguably noble, but, for him, it was anything but. It was what was to be expected. For her to feel guilt and want to be punished should be natural, but he understood very, very few ever felt remorse for it. Thus, he only glared at her. She could have at least made it easy to hate her for what she had done. Truth be told, he still did, but now it was just a pinch harder.

"You will lose all royal standing."

"Yes."

"All of your assets will be seized."

"Yes."

"Your crimes will be announced publicly as per the law."

"Yes."

"You will be erased from any and all history books. You will not be granted a tombstone. You will not go to whatever bullshit afterlife you believe in."

"Yes."

"Verona," A pause. "You will die for this."

"Yes."

"...Why?"

"I owe Cadmus at least this much. So, please. It needs to be him that brings me down. Please."

A long pause followed before the man sighed "okay".