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Ryōsuke's just finished lunch when one of the household servants approaches him to tell him that Hoshino Ophelia had decided to pay him a rather unexpected visit.

The news almost shatters the mature, professional mask he's perfected over the years in an instant, but he manages to catch himself before it can. Ophelia was here? Now? If she had wanted to visit, could she have at least let him know beforehand?! His father's mansion was not a mess by any means─the man wouldn't allow such a thing, given their name. Still, though, a warning would have served nicely so that the chefs could prepare some pastries to eat, and the maids would have had time to prepare the playroom further to ensure prime entertainment for their special guest.

Ryōsuke inhales deeply through his nose and stands still as a butler nearby comes over to pat his clothes down and tidy his hair. Even if he himself was sure that he looked perfectly fine to be presentable, it's not like there was a problem with double checking to be completely sure.

This is fine, he thinks as he's led to the front of the house, where Ophelia awaits. I am Ryōsuke Haruhiko. I am a servant to a Hoshino. There is nothing that I can not handle. I have been trained for this my whole life.

Ryōsuke takes another deep breath through his nose and then paints a smile upon his lips. Everything is okay. I am fine.

Before him, the two large doors that seperate him from the little princess standing on the other side open, and there she stands: bathed in the light of the sun shining down upon her from the glass stained windows his father had been so proud of upon their completion and installment.

Ophelia meets his gaze. He continues to smile, his hands poised behind his back, and as always, the girl doesn't hesitate to smile back.

"My parents gave me permission to leave the house to see you, Ryō." She draws closer and wraps her arms around his neck before he can even blink, trapping him in what he thinks, for a moment, may have been the warmest embrace he's ever recieved in his entire life.

"I'm really happy to see you," she says, as if she wasn't still trapped; as if she didn't realize this was merely an extension of her parents' cage, now more enforced with her loyal knight by her side.

Ophelia is smarter than most believe, though, and that's why Ryōsuke feels his polite smile turn into something realer when he slowly hugs her back and responds, "Me, too, princess."

* * * * *

When the maids offer to lead the two children to the playroom, Ophelia surprises them (she was on a roll today, really) by saying that she would prefer it if they took her and Ryōsuke to the ballroom, please.

Albeit confused, the little girl is still a Hoshino, so whatever she wants, she gets, and soon enough Ryōsuke's following two maids down the long corridor that leads to his father's ballroom with Ophelia's hand casually clasped within his.

"So ..." he begins, watching her carefully, "is there a reason you'd like for us to go to my father's ballroom, or ...?"

Ophelia giggles into her free hand and then smiles at him as though that action alone wasn't enough to make him feel more alive than he's ever felt in his own home. "I've been taking lessons, recently, and just finished watching some Disney princess movies," she says, and then adds, after Ryōsuke's nods for her to continue: "It would make me really happy to dance with you like they do in the movies, Ryō!"

(In the future, when prompted enough, Ophelia will reveal that her knight had nearly stumbled over his feet after she'd said that, that day, and laugh at the memory, her cheeks pink with mirth.

And from behind her, her knight will huff and say that he doesn't recall that happening at all, but his words only serve to make his princess laugh louder than before.)

And thus, after what felt too much like a blur, Ryōsuke found himself standing with Ophelia in the middle of his father's ballroom: him, shuffling from one foot to the other nervously (although he'd never admit to such a feeling), and Ophelia practically beaming with the same kind of joy that was preserved for her beloved older cousin, Imai, once upon a time.

From one of the darker parts of the room, the two maids that had escorted the two children into the room stand on opposite sides of a small table, which holds an elegant music box atop of it.

"Well, princess," Ryōsuke fixes his stoic mask and holds his hand out to the girl before him for her to take, "are you ready?" he asks in what Ophelia likes to call his 'really, super serious' voice.

Ophelia giggles, looking at Ryōsuke with far too much amusement for his liking, before offering the boy a small nod and placing her slightly smaller hand into his.

"Ever since I got here, Ryō," she answers, tone almost teasing.

(No, Ryōsuke's cheeks do not go rosy. Absolutely not. He is a professional, after all, thank you very much.)

With her confirmation, Ryōsuke nods to the maids awaiting his command, and with a nod back to him, one of them starts the music box, and a gentle-almost haunting-melody begins to play about the room and echo from its farthest depths.

Ryōsuke, being the gentleman he was taught to be since the moment he learned to walk, easily takes the lead and carefully pulls Ophelia closer to him before beginning to slowly twirl her around. She follows his lead easily, and doesn't hesitate to rest her free hand on his shoulder once they finally begin to move.

The moment is ... peaceful, Ryōsuke thinks. Almost soft in a way, actually, and the thought makes the corners of his mouth twitch upwards slightly.

'Soft'. Ryōsuke wants to laugh. Only you could make me remember such a word even exists, Ophelia.

Too caught up in his thoughts, Ryōsuke fails to hide his small smile in time for Ophelia to not notice, and the wide grin she gives him is enough to return him to reality and have his face go almost as red as the apples the two like to pick from the gardens out back.

Seeing his red face only causes Ophelia's grin to widen, and then, to Ryōsuke's absolute terror, she completely forgets about their current position and instead opts to wrap both her arms around his neck and step closer. The action alone is enough to make every thought in his head go rigid, but even then, his body still acts on instinct and sends his arms to copy Ophelia's movements by having them wrap around her waist.

"Thank you for doing this with me, Ryō," his princess says, her voice-even at the volume of a whisper-being the only thing to catch his ears. "It makes me really happy, you know, to be with you."

Ryōsuke blinks, his mouth hanging open like a fish (to which he would only realize later, to his utter embarrassment) and only moving every once in a while everytime he tries to say something, only for all the words to get caught up in his throat. The cycle repeats for only a couple of seconds, but even then, it's enough to make Ophelia giggle before leaning forward and resting her head against his shoulder.

It is then, in that quiet moment, remembered only by the servants of the household through the sound of a music box, that Ryōsuke comes to the realization that Ophelia has pulled him into her warm embrace once again. Only this time, there was music involved.

Rather being hit with the near silent embarrassment that he had felt in what felt like hours ago, though, Ryōsuke instead finds himself smiling wider than he had before, and-against what would have been his 'better' judgment-he holds his princess tighter in an embrace he hopes she finds just as comforting as hers.

Ryōsuke will always be cold and thrive in the moonlight like the rest of his family, yes, but only the sun that was his Ophelia could be enough to sway him from the tides.

That, he knows, is a fact that will never change.

──────⊱◈◈◈⊰──────

Ophelia belongs to Me
Ryōsuke belongs to allythesimp

further notes?
took me longer than it should've to finish
this lmaooo. was gonna proof read it but yk what i live life on the edge whatever mistakes were made i will go down with them aha :D (they will haunt me for the rest of my life)