Mira rolled around in bed while hugging a very old stuffed rabbit to her chest, too lazy to get up. She was now two weeks into her involuntary stay in the Aizenian Embassy, and she couldn’t deny it anymore.
She was starting to like it here.
Part of it was likely because she met with her family literally a day after that infuriating bastard promised to retrieve them. They were all safe and well, thank goodness. Actually, the extraction went smoothly because her parents agreed to cooperate the moment they were told where she was. It touched her heart, it really did. But she also wished they were a bit more skeptical of people suddenly showing up and claiming to have her prisoner. Their family held a considerable amount of land and properties and her parents just left it. Just like that. Without even trying to verify if the information was true.
Of course, she was glad they loved her so much, but still. Even her uncles and aunts came along with their own families, abandoning everything to stay together.
At the back of her mind though, Mira sometimes wondered if the people she'd met were really her family. That infuriating bastard had some way of transforming into other people without being seen through by silver cloaks, after all. Who was to say that only he could do that? Maybe it was some kind of technique that all of Aizen's knights could use.
What was truly horrifying was the possibility that her entire family was dead, and what she’d talked to were corpses animated in some way.
Well, she'd asked them questions only her real family would know just to make sure, and they did answer everything promptly and correctly. But the doubt was there. Gnawing. Clawing at the inside of her head. Not even sleeping on her unnecessarily comfortable bed made it better.
In any case, her reunion with her family didn’t last long, because they would apparently be sent somewhere to the Aizen Kingdom, where they were promised property to compensate for their losses. It wouldn’t be as expansive as what they lost, but her parents had mentioned that it was a much better deal than everything they owned going up in smoke when the empire invaded from the north—which, Mira mused, was still a doubtful scenario.
She would be damned if she trusted anything that infuriating bastard told her.
All things considered, however, he had made good on his promises. So maybe that infuriating bastard wasn’t that bad.
‘No, no, no. Mira, you can’t fall for it. He’s trying to trick you! Again!’
Mira clenched her teeth and balled up her fists, steeling herself. Everything was confusing and she still hadn’t worked out how she felt about that infuriating bastard. Part of her remembered their time together before the big reveal, but now she was unsure if her memories had any weight at all.
That infuriating bastard said he hadn’t been entirely pretending but he hadn’t elaborated on what parts were real and what parts weren’t. It was, understandably, infuriating. With absolute certainty and without a shred of doubt, Mira was sure that he was being vague on purpose just to make her squirm.
And it was working. Damn him, but it was working.
“Graaaaah!” she screamed, suddenly unable to take it anymore. Rolling out of bed, she got up and momentarily took pleasure in the pleasant texture of the carpet against her feet before looking for the fluffy slippers they’d given her—which she would steal given the chance. It was a really nice pair of slippers and they looked adorable after all.
Still a bit groggy, she lumbered to a nearby dining table, finding a pleasant spread of food waiting for her—none of which was there the last time she’d checked, which was just a couple of seconds ago.
Boop, her favorite fluffy marshmallow in the world, was already waiting for her on an adjacent seat. It had been there since earlier, having figured out that food showed up on the table right around the time she woke up. Really, it only showed off how smart it was when it came to feeding itself.
“I’m glad you like it here.” Mira quipped with a sardonic chuckle as she patted Boop on the head.
It bounced up and down as it flooded her mind with incessant complaints about how she slept too much, but she, like always, told it that she would try to wake up earlier tomorrow—though her success was up for the stars to decide. Sending back feelings of exasperation at her, the part just under its eyes tore open to reveal a gaping mouth that led to what she could only assume was the sun, given how bright it was.
Knowing what it wanted, Mira casually dumped some food into its mouth to shut it up. Hopefully, they wouldn’t charge her for everything she’d eaten thus far, because Boop’s bill would singlehandedly bankrupt her to the point of being sold into slavery. Well, the government called it indentured community service but everyone knew what it really was. There was no use dressing it up in pretty words.
Regarding the meals they served her, she’d initially found them ridiculously delicious the first time around—which was warranted, given how they were prepared by a chef who was apparently very experienced, using top-grade ingredients brought over from the kingdom.
But after the novelty wore off, she realized that it was better than anything she’d ever tasted, but not by that much. Arkhanian cuisine matched her palette more, she felt. The kingdom seemed to prefer sweeter flavors and it took a bit of getting accustomed to.
Now, their deserts, on the other hand, were godly. Part of why Mira was starting to consider a somewhat long-term stay here was the eternally stocked five-layered display of various pastries in the room. No matter how much she took, it would restock the moment she looked away. It was the best thing ever. Every household needed one of these in every room.
It’d make her fat, but who cared about her appearance at this point? She certainly didn’t. If that infuriating bastard kicked her out because she got chubby, then so be it. No skin off her back.
After her breakfast, she headed for her room’s attached bathroom for a bath, once again marveling at all the artifacts filling it. There was some sort of bottle that turned water into a liquid version of soap, a tub that instantly filled with water, a literal knob that instantly adjusted the heat or coldness of all the water in it, and all manner of things.
‘If I stripped down this bathroom and sold off all the stuff I take, I could probably buy a few buildings in Vel Ayala. Maybe a small property in the Upper City, even.’
Artifacts, after all, were different than the magitech stuff that was prevalent in Arkhan.
The former would, depending on the artificer’s skill, last a certain amount of time before it turned into junk. On the other hand, the latter would also turn into junk after a while—the only difference being that it needed fuel to function while artifacts did not.
Well, magitech was easier to mass-produce, so it had that going for it. You didn’t have to practice for years, risking death by explosion, just to make a glowing bauble that would lose its effect in a few days. Just grab a set of engraver’s tools, follow an outlined procedure, and work with relatively steady hands… then bam, you have a magitech item of questionable quality and a limited lifespan. It was why most households, even relatively poorer ones, had magitech appliances to aid in daily life.
That said, extremely skilled artificers could apparently make artifacts that lasted in perpetuity, so Mira was honestly undecided on the subject of which was superior. Something told her every artifact she came in contact with in the past two weeks was the kind that could be used forever.
‘Speaking of…’
Mira languidly observed a luminescent orb embedded into the nearest wall, feeling something getting sucked into it and disappearing. She could only feel the something during the short instant just before it was absorbed.
Presumably, it was to power the artifact, but that “something” was a mystery to her. Was it magic power? If so, where was it getting it? In the air? How did that even make sense? Why would there be magic power in the air and why couldn’t she feel as if it was magic power?
So many questions. The same questions that had popped into her head when she was just a little bit younger. She’d noticed it by coincidence when her father showed her an artifact that turned water into ice instantly.
It was what sparked her desire to study abroad. She wanted to go there to satisfy her curiosity.
Because Mira loved lazing about. And whenever she got curious about something, she couldn’t laze about properly. As such, satisfying said curiosity was, understandably, a very important matter to her. Her plans had gone up in smoke though, so she just went with her backup plan of entering the Spirit Tower to become a battlemage.
The tests were pretty easy, despite what a lot of people said. So she aced it and got in, with the intention of making it big and retiring at some point after saving up to bribe some knight to let her into the damned kingdom. She didn’t even intend to stick around for too long, just enough to find out how artifacts worked.
Of course, she had also wanted to do some good for Arkhan when she decided to become a battlemage. In fact, she would have shared her findings if she’d actually been allowed into Aizen, ultimately benefiting the republic.
But alas, plans had gone awry.
“Must be nice, not having to use fuel to power stuff…” Mira muttered as she sunk deeper into the tub full of warm water, Boop held closely to her chest. It didn’t need to breathe, so there were no problems even when it was fully submerged. Vacantly, she watched the bubbles it blew with its half-open mouth rise up to the surface.
After soaking enough, she climbed out and left Boop there because it wanted to float around on the water for a bit more. Then she dressed herself into the simple Arkhanian garbs she’d been given and stepped out of her room to get some exercise in.
Her laziness would have protested, but being forced into confinement during her first week there inevitably made going outside a lot more appealing.
Besides, if she was lucky, she’d make it in time for some entertainment.
Mira walked briskly through the halls, still not entirely used to having the freedom to roam the embassy—whose interior was built how she imagined a palace would be. Given how it was still temperate despite windows being open here and there, she assumed the building itself was somehow enchanted to maintain comfortable temperatures. It interested her greatly, but she instead tried to distract herself with the pleasantly warm rays of sunlight that caressed her skin every time she passed by.
Eventually, she made it to a balcony overlooking an indoor courtyard that was currently acting as the stage for a fight.
The moment she peered down from the balcony, the people below stopped what they were doing and gazed toward her. She hadn’t been particularly noisy, but it was like they sensed her from so far away. Freaky. However she'd gotten used to it after the third time it happened.
“Here again?” That infuriating bastard smirked up at her, sweeping back his somewhat sweaty ash-colored hair.
Right next to him was a blonde beauty whose vibrant emerald eyes focused Mira down only for a moment before disinterestedly returning to the infuriating bastard. She then spoke in English Mira could just barely understand after being exposed to so much of the language lately. “Your Highness, should we stop?”
“Hm? Ah, no. We’ll continue. Seems she’s here to see me get beaten up. May as well give her what she wants.”
The infuriating bastard chuckled sheepishly before some strange variation of a spear appeared in his hand. Mira didn’t know what it was called, but the spearhead didn’t look like it would be very good for thrusting. Rather, it looked like it was meant for chopping off large animals.
The infuriating bastard gazed at her briefly, calling out in Arkhanian. “Glaive. This is called a glaive.”
Mira stiffened, but quickly fired back. “I didn’t ask.”
“But you were wondering what it was called, no?”
“I wasn’t.”
Strangely, her answer seemed to amuse the infuriating bastard, his annoying grin widening before he winked at her. Then he looked back to the blonde beauty. “Polearms only, Gwen. I’ve been using swords too much these past few days and it’s not good for me.”
The blonde beauty nodded, summoning a glaive of her own. “Understood.”
Mira then groaned as both of them vanished. The incessant clangs of metal colliding and the growing number of cracks in the courtyard’s stone floor told her the two were still there, just fighting at speeds she couldn’t follow.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Sometimes, however, they would flicker back into existence. But they would quickly disappear right after. Even from afar, their violent clashes was deafening. And at some point, the scent of blood wafted into her nose. She could literally feel the shockwaves produced by the fight on her skin.
Eventually, the battle ended and the infuriating bastard was sent flying with a black eye, a loose right arm, and a left foot that seemed about ready to fall off if it weren’t for the few strands of muscle and bits of his boot keeping it attached.
Mira’s body twitched, almost springing into movement to help. But she managed to stop herself in time. That infuriating bastard wasn’t the man she’d known and he also didn’t need any help.
“Damn, I’m really rusty…” That infuriating bastard griped as his injuries visibly healed right before her very eyes. The bruise in his eye returned to a healthy color, his arm snapped back into place, and his foot was reattached.
His boot seemed beyond saving, however, as he kicked it aside to opt for being barefoot. He then tossed something at the blonde beauty, who then tossed that something into her mouth.
Mira hadn’t noticed it earlier, given how the infuriating bastard drew her attention, but the blonde also had a few gashes on her face and a left arm that was bent in the wrong direction. The injuries healed rapidly, similar to what happened to the infuriating bastard who’d inflicted them.
Despite having sustained such grievous injuries, the two looked like such things were perfectly normal. Then they started fighting again. And again. And Again.
Watching that infuriating bastard get the crap beaten out of him by whoever he happened to be sparring against that day was a cathartic experience for Mira when things didn’t go too far, but at the back of her mind, she was starting to realize something.
These people were nutjobs. All of the knights were, probably. And Arkhan was right next to a country full of nutjobs like these.
Additionally, if what that infuriating bastard said was true, then it seemed war would erupt between the three nations of Sentorale once again.
‘Crazy. Isn’t that a bad idea?’
Mira was of the opinion that while her laziness wasn’t something to be emulated, wars were the result of people being too diligent. Couldn’t they just stay in their homes, wrap themselves in a blanket, and enjoy a lazy afternoon every day?
Hers was a minority opinion though. Everybody seemed to think that everybody else was out to get them.
With a sigh, Mira turned around to return to her room. Her gentle heart could only take so much violence. Yes, that infuriating bastard was endlessly irritating and she cheered when he got punched in the face, but getting cut up was a little too much. That annoyed her even more though, because it was conclusive proof she still held some attachment to him.
‘Stupid bastard… Why’d you have to be fake!’
Every day had been fun. She’d sleep in, get scolded by her juniors, apologize sheepishly, and then be forgiven. Aldimir was hilarious, Inaria was a doll, Alini was adorable, Kantor was pitifully endearing… And Clover had been… Well, he was annoying at times, but spending time with him was fun.
She still didn’t understand what love was and wasn’t sure if that was what she started to feel for him, but she liked being with him, grew anxious when he wasn’t in her sights because of his history of womanizing, and looked forward to their outings even though she tried to seem aloof about them.
Was that love? She didn’t know. Maybe she was just horny? Perhaps she was just unexpectedly giddy about meeting someone she could get along with so well? Or maybe she liked him, but just not that much.
In any case, whatever it was had lost its meaning with the revelation that the man she’d felt those emotions for wasn’t real.
Maybe, if things had progressed a bit more, she could have truly fallen in love. Maybe she’d have a firmer opinion about the revelation. Or maybe she’d be more devastated and confused?
Mira didn’t know anymore. She wasn't sure of anything anymore, after everything that happened. Thinking was hard and she honestly just wanted this whole affair with Aizen to be over so she could think it over with her family. Her parents were so in love that it was sickening sometimes—especially when they went too far while she was in the general vicinity—so perhaps they could offer advice on what she was supposed to feel now.
“Oh? If it isn’t Miss Serandina. Good morning.”
“Ah?” Mira dumbly snapped out of her vacant thoughts to notice that a relatively familiar figure stood in her way.
It was a white-haired young woman with an extra pair of ears atop her head—cat ears, to be exact.
“Princess Jiji…” she muttered nervously. “Good morning to you as well.”
They hadn’t run into each other often, given how Mira only started taking walks outside three days ago. But on the first day, she’d seen this girl sparring with the infuriating bastard in place of the blonde beauty.
And so, Mira was sure that despite the princess’ youthful appearance, her form held a tremendous capacity for violence. She could take punishment and dish it out.
‘She doesn’t like me… Like, at all.’
It was very obvious. Mira likened the princess’ cold gaze to how delusional women looked at her when they thought Mira was out to steal their man.
‘Eh… But aren’t they siblings though? Ah, but they’re adopted… But still…’
Yet another subject that confused her, but prying struck her as incredibly unwise. Mira was somehow convinced that the infuriating bastard wasn’t out to get her, given how well she was treated. But this absurdly beautiful princess wasn’t so inclined to be kind.
Mira would probably be kept alive because the kingdom needed her as bait. But there were an endless number of ways to make her miserable without killing her—and she had an inkling that the princess knew every single one and probably a few more.
“You seem to be enjoying your freedom.” Princess Jiji giggled, covering her mouth with a fan. It was then that Mira realized the princess was speaking fluent Arkhanian, just like the infuriating bastard. “I daresay, a stroll here and there is nice, hm?”
“Yes…” Mira unconsciously shrunk into herself, withering under the princess’ gaze. She just couldn’t look into those feral golden eyes of hers. “I was simply stretching my legs… I hope I didn’t inconvenience anyone.”
“Oh, no worries. You were an inconvenience even before coming here.”
The sharp remark made Mira quiver, only to be startled by a hand appearing on her shoulder.
Right next to her stood Prince Reivan, who was sighing in exasperation. “Didn’t I tell you not to bully her?”
Princess Jiji snorted as she averted her gaze. “You may have said something along those lines.”
“I did say something along those lines. Literally last night. Three times, over dinner.”
“Ah, yes. I remember now.”
“Uh-huh.”
Despite the reprimand, the princess didn’t seem the least bit remorseful, fixing Mira with a sharp glare before scoffing at the way she flinched. “I don’t see why you want to keep her around. She doesn’t look anything special, Yani.”
Prince Reivan stepped forward and, to Mira’s surprise, wordlessly pinched both sides of the princess’ cheeks.
Princess Jiji merely stared at him in annoyance, not particularly struggling to break free. “Let go.”
“Why are you so cranky this morning?”
“I’m not cranky. Let go.”
“That’s a lie. You weren’t even trying to hide it.”
The adopted siblings stared each other down before the younger one turned into a formless cloud of white mist that flew past Prince Reivan, rematerializing behind him to walk in the direction of the previous courtyard. “Let’s spar. I need a break from all the paperwork. Full-contact. Let’s armor up.”
Prince Reivan’s eyes shot up. “Gwen just finished fixing the courtyard…”
“Just ask her to fix it again! Get over here!”
“Man, she’s really in a mood today…” he muttered to himself, then clicked his tongue. Only when the princess was out of sight did he smile at Mira. “Don’t worry about her. She’s usually not… uh, catty like that.”
Mira looked away from him, feeling a pang of pain in her chest. He talked just like him. The voice was different, but everything else felt the same as how he talked when they were alone.
And it confused her even more.
Prince Reivan cleared her throat. “Well, I have to go deal with her. But I’ll come over for lunch later.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Don’t say that…” Prince Reivan gently grabbed her hand, and it annoyed her how she didn’t instinctively pull back instead of just letting him. “What we have... is not without mending. Let’s fix this, hm?”
Perhaps on a whim, or perhaps because of the sincerity she felt in his words, Mira turned to face him. His golden eyes, the same shade of molten gold as the princess earlier, were gentle yet intense—just like his eyes had been. They were a different color now, but the person behind them was the same.
This. This man before her was him. A different name and a different personality. But they were the same.
“Do you love me?” Mira squeezed out, trying hard not to look away as she watched for any signs of dishonesty—or hesitation.
But there was no such thing as he shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.”
She bit her lip as her chest tightened. “Then there’s nothing to fix.”
His grip tightened as she made to leave, stepping in to block her path. “A bad choice of words on my part.”
“What do you…”
“Let’s build something then.”
Mira frowned, not quite understanding what he meant. And really, he was a little too close and it was making her a little lightheaded—which was something he didn’t know could happen to her just by being close to someone.
Thankfully, the prince elaborated. “Look, I… I didn’t love you. And I still don’t think I do. You don’t either, do you?”
“I don’t know…”
“Right? We don’t know,” he repeated as he took a step forward. “We aren’t sure because we didn’t really have much time to work things out. But we had something. And I don’t think we should ignore it.”
“O-okay, but you’re kind of close…” Mira placed a hand on his chest to try to stop him from going any more forward. She was momentarily distracted by how hard his chest was and how immovable he was despite her effort.
“So let’s try.” Prince Reivan brought his face close, making her squeal. “Let’s just try to see if we can make something of what’s already there. I’m curious too.”
“You’re too close, you bastard! Shove off!”
“It’s intentional. C’mon, you know you like it.”
“Damn you! I do not…!”
For some reason, his eyes widened in surprise before his grin widened even more.
‘Wh-what’s wrong with him now…’
It annoyed her how the first thing to pop into her mind was how adorably boyish he was when he did—only then did she wonder why he was surprised. Did he somehow find out that she was lying? Her heart was drumming in her ears and she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to hear him if he said anything now.
Mira groaned, her knees buckling until she collapsed. He caught her in time, however, softly laying her on the ground and letting her sit against the wall. “Go away… You perverted bastard…”
Squatting right in front of her, Prince Reivan snickered before he apologized in an obviously unapologetic manner. “My sincerest apologies.”
“Why don’t you shove your apology up your—”
He placed a finger on her mouth, stopping her from talking but presenting her with the opportunity to bite his finger. She did, but he didn’t even grace her with a wince for her trouble.
Prince Reivan pried his finger out from between her pearly whites, chuckling as he stood up. “You sure are hard-headed for someone who kept on gushing about me. I remember you even fantasized about meeting me on the train...”
Mira immediately felt her face burn in embarrassment. The worst part was how she couldn’t even deny it—she had gushed about her half-serious aspirations of living a life mooching off Aizen’s second prince. Naturally, she wasn’t delusional, so it had been said in jest. But in her mind, she had believed that with enough luck, maybe she would be successful. At the very least, there was no harm in hoping.
She never would have expected to actually snag the prince. Well, he wasn’t snagged by any means, but it was close enough.
Still, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of getting her to admit to anything. “Shut up.”
“Hm…” Prince Reivan hummed in amusement, kneeling on one knee to meet her gaze. “Well, what do you think? You only saw me from afar, but you said you really liked my face, no? How is it? Is it better up close? C’mon, you can come closer if you want a good look.”
Mira’s brows shot up as she hugged her knees and hid her face in them. “Shut up.”
“You’re not denying it?”
“Fuck off!”
“Goodness.” He sighed. “Please refrain from uttering such foul language in front of royalty. I could have you executed for that, you know?”
“Do it, then.”
“You know I can’t.”
“That’s what I thought.” She peeked out from her knees, trying to look smug. But went back to hiding before he could do anything else. “Now go away. Princess is waiting.”
Reivan grunted. “You’re right… Well, expect me later. Let’s have lunch, hm?”
“I don’t want to…”
“...Okay then.”
Mira peeked out again, watching him stand up. Maybe it was guilt. Or maybe it was how she really felt, but she cleared her throat. “If you bring Dippy to play with Boop, then maybe I’ll have lunch with you…”
Reivan grinned, nodded, and then offered a hand to help her up. She took him up on his offer and for a moment, hesitated to let go. Noticing that, he squeezed hers softly. “When everything’s over… Ah, never mind.”
She frowned. “What?”
“No, I felt like I was going to raise a fla—I mean, I was just about to jinx us. Good thing I stopped in time.”
‘What the hell is he talking about now…? Is it a kingdom thing?’
The next thing she knew, he had his hands on her shoulders. Which was fine, but he was slowly bringing his face closer again. “Wh-what are you doing now!?”
“Picking up where we left off at the cave.”
“The cave…” Mira echoed, blushing when she realized they’d been talking about how she was fine with slightly advancing their relationship even without meeting her parents.
‘Ah, technically, he’s already met them… Wait, that’s not important right now!’
“W-We’re doing it now…?” she asked, anxious but strangely not against the idea. Her heart was once again beating rapidly. Dizziness overcame her from all the blood pumping into her head, but she tried to steady herself.
“Close your eyes,” he said, his voice deep and commanding.
Mira did as told, shutting her eyes and waiting… and waiting… and waiting…
Until she cracked her eyes open to see what was taking so long. Then she realized that he was gone.
“H-He…” Mira, realizing she’d been tricked, clenched her trembling fists in a mixture of anger and shame. “You bastard…!”
‘I can’t believe it! He did it again! That’s two times now! He better not think I’ll still play nice with him at lunch...!’
Despite her righteous indignation, however, Prince Reivan still came over for lunch with the black blob named Dippy resting atop his head.
Boop and Dippy finally got to play together, all while the infuriating bastard annoyed her to death.