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dear-mrs-otome · 2 years

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Silvio Ricci - PRETEND LOVER Event - Another Terrible Summary

(Yes, he is blushing. And yes, you'd better get used to his red-faced dumbstruck look because it's happening. Often.)

Here is my absolutely irreverent and chock full of hyperbole, only nominally-guaranteed-accurate rendition of Silvio's event story.

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Please always bear in mind that 1) I claim to be no expert in JP and there are and will be mistakes in this so show mercy on this amateur - and if you see any obvious mistakes, kindly let me know so I can improve 2) I didn't even TRY to make Silvio's dialogue as rude as it is. Always, at all times, assume this man is talking like a foul-mouthed sailor.

Aaaaaand 3) I made this so fucking long. Why did I feel compelled to be so detailed idk - this isn't even really a summary anymore it's just the whole damn event. FML

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So our story starts with Emma walking down the hall and being stopped by a very persistent aristocratic man she’s been dodging for days now - almost a dozen times now whenever she’s found herself alone he’s popped up, ‘coincidentally’, pestering her to have tea or spend time with him.

He tries again today, stating how beautiful it is outside and how she should join him for tea. She tries to make her excuses, apologizing and saying she has a prior engagement, but this stalker says no, he knows that’s not true - she doesn’t have anything on her schedule, he’s already checked with the servants in court.

She’s dismayed and also more than a bit wtf internally, when he presses her and says she doesn’t have any reason to hesitate so they should go. Takes her by the hand, making her skin sort of literally crawl, and tries to pull her off - only to be interrupted by a voice.

“Found you.”

Someone’s hand comes from behind and snags her, hauling her in…and she turns around to find, to her horror, that it’s Silvio there behind her. The tyrant himself, the last person she probably wants to see or have anything to do with because he is patently The Worst.

She can tell already that today is going to be rough.

He’s got his arms around her from behind, caught up too in his fancy schmancy exotic cologne, when he scolds her for making a hassle of herself. She’s one part relieved to be rescued from the creepy aristo guy…and one part full of dread because it’s Silvio that’s saved her and she knows he is far faaaar from a nice man.

He says with a smile how she’d already make a promise to him for the next while, and she’s blankly like….promise??? Prompting him to scowl at her before she’s all OH RIGHT RIIIIGHT THAT PROMISE RIGHT NOW YEP YEP. Realizing that maybe he’s trying to cover for her excuse to the aristocrat earlier.

Silvio’s grinning, but then he turns to the aristocrat and brushes him off, stating he doesn’t know who the guy is but he shouldn’t dare touch someone else’s woman - specifically, this woman is his.

Cue the aristocrat nearly pissing himself with terror, and Emma wondering wtf??

“Isn’t that right, woman?” Silvio prompts, and she’s left scrambling to say that maybe? That might be true??

She’s wondering if this is some attempt at protecting her, but her gut is telling her WARNING WARNING you in danger girl. Silvio’s got a wicked look and is clearly up to no good, but she’s pretty desperate here.

The aristocrat hastily apologizes, saying he had no idea that was the case, before he scampers off like a terrified rabbit.

Silvio scoffs at the guy in his absence, before turning back to Emma and telling her they should go. They have a promise to keep, no? She’s just silent, wary, and he grins.

“Come with me to a negotiation, woman. You certainly can’t refuse the invitation of your benefactor….right?” he presses.

She’s just YEP, had a feeling this was coming…but she forces herself to say it’d be her pleasure, much to Silvio’s great satisfaction.

—---

They end up at a fancy dressmaker’s shop, where the clerk who seems utterly unsurprised to see them sets about bustling Emma into a changing room and dressing her up in clothes and jewelry as if she were some kind of doll, much to her bemusement. Complete with a lavish jeweled necklace that makes her nearly sick at hearing the price.

Silvio points out that he can’t have any woman of his looking poor, and she asks if he’s insisting they stick with that scenario. She’d assumed it was just to put up a front for that aristocrat.

“Just for the day. Consider it an honor - there are countless women out there who would love to be my girl,” Silvio says with a smirk.

“And if I refuse?” she asks.

He threatens to hand her over to that perverted bastard, and she knows he’s talking about that aristocrat from before, so she has no real choice other than to silence her protests. But then something occurs to her and she asks him why, if he’s got alllll these women just throwing themselves at him, why doesn’t he ask one of them to play the role of his lover??

She doesn’t get why, but she has the distinct feeling he was searching for someone to attend this business talk with him in the role of his paramour.

He states too that it doesn’t make any sense if it’s not her.

“Why?” she presses.

“It just doesn’t,” he insists.

She points out that that’s not an answer, and he’s clearly getting frustrated, telling her to just quit her yammering - she can keep the clothes and the finery, just come with him. In a panic she tells him she can’t accept that, thinking to herself in horror how much money it is worth and how she’d have to work for years and years to make that much to pay him back.

She’s shaking her head when Silvio, his expression all a sour frown, grabs her chin and leans in. “Then I’ll buy you at whatever price you name.”

She’s flailing now because GORGEOUS MAN TOO CLoSE she’s gotta look away from those pretty pretty ocean eyes as she tells him it’s not a matter of money. “You helped me out today, so I’m going along with you as a way of saying thanks. So I don’t need to be paid for it.”

He just stops to stare at her all wide-eyed and wordless, and she starts to wonder why he looks so stunned.

Finally, she asks him to let go of her face…and he bitches that she shouldn’t try to order him around but he does so immediately anyways.

Moving on, he asks if she’s ready to go with him then and when she says yes he scolds her to smile then - she looks so glum she doesn’t exactly look like his lover. She feels a little bad she made it so obvious, and she promises to try her best - but despite that promise, he still looks displeased.

—---

They end up at the home of a prominent merchant in the Rhodolite jewelry business, the head of one of the largest and most famous in the country. Silvio and the merchant exchange business pleasantries, catching up on the past few years since they’ve met, and Emma sits silently and listens - realizing he was being legit, it really is just a business meeting.

The merchant expresses thanks for Silvio introducing them to many trade channels, even those outside of Benitoite, and he tells the man his good are so quality it’d be a shame for them to never make it out of this small country.

He’s there today to discuss a new opportunity with the merchant, one the man is very eager for since he claims it’s certain to be a success if Silvio is involved. But the man first makes note of how rare it is for Silvio to bring a woman along with him to a business endeavor, turning his attention to Emma.

He seems impressed that any particular ‘lovely flower’ of Rhodolite has caught Silvio’s eye, and Emma knows that is an oblique way of referring to a mistress in Rhodolite. She realizes she’s meant to act more as his mistress or arm candy than a true girlfriend, but she hides all those complicated feels behind a pretty smile.

But at that moment she hears something crash and everyone looks at the doorway to the room where Emma sees a woman standing, her face in her hands looking as if she were on the verge of crying.

“Ah, you’re up, woman,” Silvio prompts Emma.

She’s not sure what he means by that, looking back and forth between a frowning Silvio and the woman starting to cry. There are broken tea cups and such around the woman’s feet, a tea set she’d clearly been bringing them, and brushing aside whatever Silvio seems to want from her she turns to the teary woman.

“Are you hurt?” she asks, running over to her, and through her sobs the woman declares that she was serious about Silvio.

It all finally makes sense to Emma, who looks back at him and sees him scowling, though he’s as haughty as ever, as she says his name.

He insists he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, they had a meal and he gave her a little gift - clearly he doesn’t think it was any big deal. But Emma realizes there might have been a misunderstanding.

“Prince Silvio, is that woman really your paramour?” the woman asks him.

“That’s right,” he says. “You heard me, didn’t you?”

The woman is stammering denials and clearly distraught, and Emma realizes she seemed to have really liked Silvio, as she succumbs to her tears at last.

Emma tries to hold her up as she sags, but the woman shakes her off, and her heart is breaking at the sight - wondering if she can confess it’s all a lie and fake. She doesn’t know what Silvio’s up to here, but she doesn’t want any part of stomping all over some woman’s love. “Please, don’t worry. I’m -”

But that’s as far as she gets before her words are cut off by Silvio clapping a hand over her mouth and offering that if she doesn’t like being his mistress, he’ll bump her up to full-fledged lover. He’s smiling but clearly pissed, though that makes two of them - she tries to claw his hand off her but he holds on tighter.

“What, you’re that pleased?” he asks, to her muffled noise of protests. “Don’t worry, I’ve decided that the only woman in Rhodolite for me is you. I’m not in the mood to play the field much now.”

She’s incensed, raging to herself over how much of a skeezy lowlife this man is, flailing and fighting as he holds her even tighter still, pressing them even closer together. (Hon hon hon 😉)

Until with a wail, overcome at last, the poor woman runs away in tears without Emma ever getting the chance to set her straight.

“Don’t go running your mouth, stupid,” Silvio hisses in her ear as soon as she’s gone, finally letting her go.

She rounds on him, catching her breath. “Go after her and apologize right now!”

He’s totally baffled, frowning as he insists he doesn’t have anything to apologize for, but Emma is furious as she tells him he DOES, for what happened just now. Silvio just insists he doesn’t get what she’s saying, and she’s about to let him have it again when he stops her mouth again.

“More like, you’ve got some nerve talking to me that way, don’t you?” he sneers. He’s not hurting her but her mouth is blocked again, his stupidly handsome face leaning in to give her a once-over. “And don’t give me that defiant look. You’re doing this to thank me, right?”

She’s thinking how she did want to thank him for helping her out of the blue, but she’s got lines she can’t cross. Rather, she grips his hand over her mouth hard - knowing she’s not gonna win any strength contests against a man but wanting to make it very clear to him she was defiant.

He scoffs that she’s not being cute and they’re glaring at each other, sparks practically flying in the air, when they’re finally interrupted by the poor merchant who’s still there just….UHHHH SCUSE ME…?

Silvio apologizes for the fuss, and the man apologizes in return for his daughter’s behavior, Emma realizing the tearful woman must be the merchant’s own daughter. They go back to their discussions as if nothing’s happened - she’s still got PLENTY to say to him, but can’t interrupt now.

—---

The moment they’ve left the meeting, she’s pouncing on him again, saying how awful that was. She still feels wretched and wracked with guilt. Silvio asks if she's STILL going on about that, and tells her to forget it - he’d brought her here to get put an end to all this from the start.

She had a feeling that had been his purpose all along. “Do you have no heart at all?”

Even if he can’t return a woman’s feelings, there has to be SOME better way to turn them down than what he did here, she feels. But the way he took that woman’s heart and crumpled it up and tossed it aside, like trash into a wastebasket, infuriates her beyond reason.

“A heart? That’s got nothing to do with business,” he says, to her further outrage.

“Besides, I don’t act like that towards every woman.” He says that profitable ones are worth paying for, but not that particular woman - and he had to find some way to break things off without being rude because she’s the daughter of a business partner.

“You had to treat her with consideration, so you set me up as your lover and tried to get her to give up?” Emma rephrases.

“Yeah…so what the hell’s with the attitude just now?” he demands, warning her that he’s not going to just let it slide the next time she puts him in an uncomfortable position.

He literally doesn’t think he did anything wrong here, she realizes. She’s never thought of him as some kind of saint or anything but she didn’t think he was bad enough to just walk all over other people indiscriminately. “I see, it’s all very clear now.”

He turning around when he realizes she’d stopped a few steps back and asks what’s with the sudden honesty.

“It’s all very clear now - that you are the scum of the earth, the sort of person who stomps all over other people’s hearts!” she accuses furiously.

Angrily he asks if she’s looking for a fight and she retorts he’s already gotten himself one, taking him aback.

“Do you honestly think you can do whatever you want to something that doesn’t make you a profit?” she asks.

He says that it’s just a hassle and a waste of time that could be better spent elsewhere. “If it’s not worth money, it’s not worth the care.”

It’s a fundamental different of opinion, she realizes. “Money isn’t everything.” She reiterates to him that that woman seemed to really like him, regardless of money or anything like that, but he counters that he’s not buying that - there’s plenty of women who are underhanded gold-diggers.

She vehemently denies that that was the case here, thinking to herself that nobody cries the way that woman had over money, and asks how he doesn’t seem to get that.

Silvio still maintains he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

“You must lack some basic part of humanity.” She knows she’s being outrageously disrespectful to the prince of a foreign country but she’s too far gone to care right now, not with the memory of that woman’s tears still seared in her mind. “If you keep thinking like that…I don’t think anyone could ever love you.”

She’s half ranting when she suddenly senses the change in the air.

“You….”

CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER ENDING HERE: Premium

Silvio’s got a thunderous frown as he closes the gap between them and grabs ahold of her hand, dragging her to a nearby alley. “I can't stand women like you.”

“What a coincidence, the feeling is mutual,” she fires back.

He half scoffs, saying she’s got cajones to take on the prince from another country, and she retorts that just being a prince isn’t any excuse for stepping all over other people’s hearts. He tells her that he can alway fix things with money, and she starts to protest -

Only for it to be cut off before she’s barely started by his hand hitting the wall beside her with a loud bang, his handsome face close enough that their breath is mingling as he offers to just buy her, at whatever her asking price.

She realizes this is all pointless…nothing she says is going to get through to him. “No thank you!” She shoves at his chest and he doesn’t fight her as she pushes him away - but he still grabs ahold of her hand.

Irritated, he says they’ve wasted enough time here and they’ll be late for his next appointment, insisting that he’s not done with her yet despite her protests that she has zero interest in going anywhere else. “Denied. No matter what you say, you’re my woman for the day.”

She’s half dragged back out into the streets proper - but if he wants to be like that, she decides, he’s given her an idea.

—---

Next they find themselves at a nobleman’s mansion, and Emma can’t miss the woman on their way in who’s clearly thrilled to see Silvio, realizing it’s set to be the same scenario all over again. Silvio reminds her warily that she’s she’s just gotta keep quiet and sit next to him, nothing else unless she wants him to get back at her.

They’re cooling their heels, waiting for this business partner of his to show up, and she decides it’s now or never if she’s going to put her plan into action. As they’re seated, taking their tea, she waits until Silvio’s set his teacup back down after taking a sip, and the moment he does she tosses any shame aside and hugs his arm as tightly as she can.

He’s startled, and she launches into her attack. “It’s so lonely just sitting here in silence, Prince Silvio,” she pouts, and demands that he pay attention to her and not his business deal, or else she’ll never let go. Dredging up the recollection of a wicked woman she’d read about in one of her book and assuming the role, shoving aside embarrassment as she wriggles and clings to him even harder.

She figured, if she made herself enough of an annoyance, he’d kick her out of the meeting. But in actuality…

He’s completely nonresponsive, no reaction whatsoever. She’s been braced for him to chew her out but all she’s getting is crickets and she wonders - did she piss him off SO MUCH that he can’t even form words??

She lifts her head with all sorts of trepidation to peek up at him…and is completely gobsmacked to see his wickedly handsome face is just awash in flaming red.

“...Prince Silvio?” It doesn’t seem like he’s red in the face because he’s angry, and she’s just thinking NO NO WAY HE’D BE ALL SHY, pfft not Silvio -

“...Let go of me, you idiot!” he sputters as he comes back to himself, trying to pull his arm free of her grasp when he freezes all over again and his face somehow manages to turn redder and redder.

Totally baffled, she’s asking what’s wrong as he accuses her of doing this on PURPOSE, but she’s just echoing that in bemusement. He’s half shouting she IS, before he covers his face with his free hand and heaves the world’s biggest sigh, then glances down at her.

Or more accurately, down at his arm, as he manages (still blushing furiously) to point out that she’s touching him. She’s just ??? before it finally clicks, to her horror.

He’s talking about her tiddies, mashed onto his arm as she’s hugging it so tightly.

She lets go in a bigass hurry, just stammering. “N-n-no, I didn’t mean to do that!!”

He’s still totally silent, eyes closed and face still en fuego as she keeps flailing and insisting she didn’t do it on purpose.

When they're rescued (?) by the nobleman coming in apologizing for keeping him waiting. And in an instant 180 Silvio’s recovered, cool as a cucumber, his blush gone so fast as he greets the man that she half wonders if the whole thing was some kinda illusion…but she has the recollection of it seared into her brain.

No WAY….she’s thinking, trying to wrap her brain around what just happened. So stunned she can do little but sit there the entire rest of the meeting.

—---

Afterwards, they're sitting in the carriage in WORLD'S AWKWARDEST SILENCE. Silvio's seated himself diagonally across from her, as far away as he can possibly get in the carriage, and she wonders if he’s still on edge because USUALLY Silvio’s got no problem with them casually touching but he’s clearly making an effort to be out of reach.

She starts to say his name but he cuts her off. “You say one more word, you’re gonna get it.” He’s still got his arm propped in the window, staring out it all moody, refusing to make eye contact with her.

She’s just OHOHO how fascinating…and she gets up all casually and takes a seat next to him, watching him flinch when she does. She can’t help but laugh a little at the sight.

“You…” he warns.

She manages to get out an apology, still amused, and says it’s just too much of a surprise. “Maybe you’re actually terrible with women?”

“No, no way,” he insists, and turns to wrap his arms around her waist suddenly. She realizes though it seems he’s fine with it when HE’S the one instigating the touching, and she’s surprised by the fact that her heart pounds a little with his fancy cologne surrounding her.

Back to his usual cocky self he grins and offers to take her right here and now if she wants.

“Dream on, you gaudy sleaze,” she scoffs.

Still smirking he says he’s going to remember that - and he’s going to make her pay for that, plus the stuff she said to him earlier that day. It seems he’s back in fine tyrant form, she realizes.

He undoes one of the buttons on her blouse, and she’s reminded that she’s got a beast that doesn’t understand the first thing about hearts on her hands here. She’s flailing in disbelief that he was actually serious, and she says his name all alarmed.

She grabs his face to stop him - only to find he’s immediately red again, looking flustered and uncomfortable, frozen in place again at the touch of her hands.

She points out that if this is how it’s going to play out, she doesn’t think he has to force himself to threaten her (she’s clearly about ZERO PERCENT THREATENED hahaha)

He’s just grumpy scowling again. “Quiet - don’t you get the situation you’re in?”

“Yeah. I’m quite certain you can’t do anything more than undo that button,” she challenges, and he’s left to just stare at her wide eyed.

“Bullseye, right?” she crows.

“It’s just that the mood’s been killed,” he blusters, shoving them apart.

He’d totally denied being bad with women, but she’s beginning to wonder - is THAT the reason he’s so dense when it comes to their hearts? He’s got a certain sensitivity that’s completely contrary to his outer appearance, and she realizes she might have accused him without understanding the whole picture. Clearly it’s a shitty thing what he did to those women that loved him but she can’t quit thinking about his whole mindset that ‘money solves everything’.

There must be some reason why he got that idea in the first place, she figures.

And without understanding the why, she regrets having said something like the fact that he would never be loved by anyone.

Silvio's moaning and groaning about how everything is The Worst and he needs a drink - and she offers that if so, she knows a good bar near here.

“You drink?” he asks, and she says she enjoys it somewhat, and he’s back to his usual arrogant grinning self as he tells her to come with him then. “It’s your fault I feel this crappy anyways.”

But she notices he’s put distance between them again, even though there’s not much room to escape each other ina small carriage no matter how much he seems he might want to. It’d be easy to write him off, just tell herself she’d never understand him…but she finds she doesn’t want to. And those sudden feelings confuse her a little.

Meanwhile, Silvio’s in his corner of the carriage grumbling that this wasn’t worth it - not even getting to see Rio’s expression will put this whole fiasco back in the black. (Sir plz just admit you're pissy beyond belief she's got the dirt on you now) But when she asks him what he’d said just now, he brushes it off as nothing and turns away without saying anything else.

Today was a rough day, but in the end she’s glad she got to know the real face of this man. And now that she knows the SQUEEEISHY UNDERBELLY OF SILVIO, that impression she’s always had that he’d be hard to get to know has begun to fade.

THE END (if you made it this far, bless you)

The Sweet Ending can be found here.

The AU epilogue can be found here.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri silvio #spoiler #spoilers #ikemen prince spoilers #ikepri spoilers #it says summary up top but it is a lie #in which mrs o shows herself to be a masochist in probably more ways than one #if you ever wanted the ultimate 'arguing counts as flirting right?' couple than boy do i have a pair for you #they're gonna either fight or fck it just depends if they both live long enough for the latter #seriously guys this is so long make sure you have water and provisions before you sit down to it

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caffedrine · 1 month

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Ikemen Prince Act 4 Prologue Summary

I pretty much have no idea what I’m doing. I don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t either. This summary is not guaranteed to be accurate, it’s mostly written for myself to follow along with all the lore that was just dropped.

Emma has had a recurring dream where she finds a book in a beautiful rose garden and reads it. Unfortunately, the book is unfinished, and leaves her feeling unsatisfied. We then get a summary of Acts 1 and 2 - Emma was chosen as Belle, the woman to choose the next king of Rhodolite from a selection of 8 princes. She also has to go undercover due to the visit of 3 foreign princes. Ultimately, she gets through her trials, chooses a good king, doesn’t get entangled with anyone, and avoids being chained up in Gilbert’s love dungeon. This should count as a happy ending to the story, but it leaves Emma feeling unfulfilled. She wants to have her own adventures, learn more things, meet new people, and maybe fall in love with someone.

Emma eventually wakes up from her flashback nap only to find that she is still in the bookstore, having fallen asleep while reading a book. Just as she starts to get up to close the shop, she realizes she’s not alone.

The shop’s owner and her adopted ‘too young to be a dad’ not-father has returned. He often travels the world, purchasing and selling rare books, and is back from his last year-long trip.

Though he is not a native to Rhodolite, and still wears the beautiful, eye-catching clothes from his native home in Ruby, he has set up a permanent shop in Rhodolite’s capital city. And, he has taken care of Emma since she was a child.

Akatsuki, the shop owner, reveals that he knows all about Emma’s time as Belle, as Sariel had been sending him regular letters. He had hurried home when he heard that pipsqueak from Obsidian had also shown up, but it looks like Emma got through that ordeal just fine without him.

Emma assures Akatsuki that nothing major had happened during her time as Belle, and she had actually enjoyed it. It had given her a new perspective and opened up new avenues of interest for her.

Akatsuki points at the book Emma had been napping on and asks if that’s why she’s changed from romance novels to studying continental history.

This segues into Emma admitting that she feels trapped in a small world since her last experiences and wants to travel the world just like Akatsuki does. Akatsuki offers to take her with him on his next trip.

Emma is excited, and Akatsuki tells her that as his valued employee, it’s time for her to learn how to purchase books as well.

Akatsuki unfurls a map and sits with Emma. While not usually a problem, these days things are a lot more dangerous than they were. Emma asks if it’s the 3-country alliance between Tanzanite, Ruby, and Acroite. She heard about it briefly during her time as Belle.

And yes, that’s exactly the problem. Right now, the countries are not hostile, but this could be the calm before the storm. Akatsuki asks if, despite knowing of the danger, will Emma leave the relative safety of Rhodolite and travel to these countries with him.

If this had been before her time as Belle, Emma probably would have refused. But now, after meeting the princes of Rhodolite, Emma agrees without hesitation.

So, the next step is to choose the country. Each has its own dangers, but it is how Akatsuki will get his rare books. Notably, Akatsuki is somewhat hesitant about going to Ruby.

Since this is her training trip, Akatsuki generously lets Emma choose their destination. To help her decide, Emma asks Akatsuki to tell her about each country.

Tanzanite

Tanzanite is the land of divination and illusion. Everything is determined by the living god.

The living god is a person born with silver hair and silver eyes. But - it’s not just his appearance that is unique - he is clairvoyant beyond anyone in recorded history, each of his prophesies/predictions has come true. He is considered a miracle bestowed upon Tanzanite by god.

Meanwhile, in Tanzanite

In the Tanzanite throne room, filled with people bristling with excitement, a huge moon shines down as if protecting the people.

With one word, the living god Azel is able to silence the entire vast room of people. With a benevolent visage, Azel tells the crow that god has this spoken and tells them to develop the policies to follow the divine will. Or don’t, it’s their choice whether or not to follow divine will. Just don’t make a choice that they will regret. The heavens will be watching.

Finished, Azel stands up and simultaneously the crowd falls to their knees, their heads pressed against the floor. Among the crowd, the King of Tanzanite tells Azel that there is a banquet being held in his honor and asks him to attend. Azel politely declines - he can’t imagine anyone would enjoy their meal if god were to attend. He’ll just quietly return home, no need to see him off. He bids everyone a farewell, praying that god will bless them.

As he leaves the group, Azel finds himself alone in a quiet hallway lit only by the moon, the night's natural calm returning. Or almost alone.

A woman is waiting for him, dressed in provocative dancer’s garb. She is carrying a variety of dishes and asks if he’s in a good mood. Azel thanks her for her consideration, but he must decline. The woman points out that he already declined the banquet held by the king, but after that divination, he must be hungry. At this, Azel’s traitorous stomach growls. Again, Azel thanks her and declines, mentioning that he is actually in a hurry, and could she get out of his way?

The woman moves to block his path completely as Azel tries to brush past her. Azel loses it, calling her stupid and refusing to understand him no matter what he says. He trips the woman over his foot, and she falls to the ground, dropping all the food.

Azel feels so sorry . . . For the wasted food. His eyes full of compassion, he laughs and asks the woman to lick up the food. She is stunned, and Azel explains that it goes against his morals to waste food. He gesture at an upturned bowl of soup and tells her to crawl to it like a dog and lick it up so it isn’t wasted.

Of course, Azel isn’t a tyrannical monster, he’s not forcing the woman to do anything. It’s her freedom to choose to follow the living god’s will or not.

The woman hesitates, but in the end, she brings her face down to the soup and licks it up. Soon, her body grows hot and her gaze clouds with lust, and she looks up at Azel. Azel surmises the soup must have been laced with an aphrodisiac- he guesses the poor woman’s fortune isn’t good at all today.

Or rather, she is extremely fortunate. The living god, Azel, will keep this a secret between them and won’t tell anyone about her misdeeds.

Azel walks past the woman and calls over his shoulder that she can feel free to take care of herself, or any other option she might have available to her. He will take his leave now.

The woman reaches out to try to cling to his legs and tells him that she loves him. She would do anything, give up anything for their living god. She asks Azel if these feelings she has for him truly is a sin?

(Azel does not appreciate his almost-rapist declaring love)

Azel turns around and tells her that god doesn’t love anyone, since it doesn’t give him any advantage. Well, maybe if she gave him the same amount of money Silvio does, he would consider it. But as she is, she has nothing he wants.

Azel thinks the woman still doesn’t understand, so he will say it plainer. Get out of his sight, he can’t stand her. The woman gasps as the compassion drains from Azel’s face. His eyes are as cold as a desert night, and he looks down on her as if she is an insect.

Most of the time, it’s not love that people like her feel, it’s greed drowning stupid women like her. Under the moonlight, Azel laughs coldly and without any sense of compassion.

Everyone in this country protected by god is living a happy dream. On the day the dream crumbles away, Azel wonders when people will get over the shock and laugh with him.

Acroite

The country is built on a steep mountain range where it snows year-round. Everyone follows strict laws, making it the safest country on the continent. The laws are enforced by the Keepers of the Laws, people who can set aside their humanity and rule everything fair and balanced.

Recently, the penalties for lawbreaking have become harsher and more severe, but the country is extremely stable and orderly. If someone commits a crime, the Keepers of the Laws will make you pay.

Meanwhile, in Acroite

Snowflakes, large enough to be mistaken for flower petals, flutter down on the houses, coating everything in a white winter wonderland scene.

The lamp-lit street is bustling and full of people, but unlike other cities, there are groups of people missing. There are no beggars, drunks, or youths itching for a fight. It is because in this country, those activities are illegal, and one can expect to be swiftly arrested.

However, there is a corner where a large group of women have gathered, all jockeying for position. One woman after another asks Matthias to join them at a party, or for dinner. Matthias politely thanks them and explains that he doesn’t want to be late for work.

Matthias Osbrink, the First Prince of Acroite, the Keeper of the Law. He has blond hair the color of the fading rays of twilight and sad eyes the color of snow in shadow. While he has a stiff demeanor- he is still considered very appealing. The women around him gaze at him with enchanted expressions.

He combs back his hair with a sigh, to the delight of the women watching, and hurries away. A fellow judge walks next to him, patting him on the back sympathetically. He teases Matthias for being so popular with the ladies.

Matthias complains that his coworker didn’t help him at all, after all, Matthias is famous for not being good at dealing with women.

The coworker agrees that he knows that, but unfortunately, he is too busy being envious of Matthias’ luck with women to help him out. If anything, he wanted to switch places.

Matthias asks if his coworker noticed the look in those women’s eyes. They were the eyes of a warrior, determined to annihilate the enemy.

The coworker is taken aback, he was certain they were just lovely women.

Matthias complains that he doesn’t care if they are beautiful or not, the problem is that they are not his soulmate.

His ideal woman is someone who doesn’t venerate him, nor does she look at him like she’s preparing for war. In fact, she’s the type of person who would kiss him goodbye in the morning while adjusting his tie. Afterward, she would smile gently as she waved goodbye and . . .

Yes, yes, this isn’t the first time Matthias’ coworker has heard this fantasy. Honestly, he would say it is starting to get embarrassing, but they passed that mark a long time ago.

Quietly, Matthias’ coworker asks if he’s okay. Matthias points out that he’s spent the past ten minutes explaining how he’s not okay and needs to be rescued from these warrior women.

That’s not what Mathias’ coworker meant. The defendant for today’s trial is Matthias’ friend.

Matthias summarizes his relationship with the defendant. They were roommates at the Royal Academy, and when they joined the National Guard together, they were in the same unit. Matthias recalls him as being a good person, with a cheerful personality, smart, and witty. And, unlike Matthias’s coworker, was good with handling women and could help Matthias out of the situation before.

(Conflict of interest? What is that?)

Matthias sees no problem with handling the trial. After all, he is a member of the Osbrink family.

The seat of the country’s justice, the royal court, was filled with a solemn crowd of defendants, lawyers, state officials, investigators, and a large number of citizens. The five judges, the Keepers of Law, sit high above with everyone watching them.

Matthias summons the defendant, accused of selling secret Acroite military information, forward to testify. While the defendant looks haggard, there is a gleam of hope in his eye. It is well known that the defendant was friends with the Keeper of Law, Matthias.

After the testimony, Matthias rules that there is no reason to exonerate the defendant from his crimes. The defendant disagrees, he made a mistake, yes, but death is too heavy a punishment for it. Matthias disagrees, the law is the law, and as a citizen of Acroite, the defendant must abide by the sentence. The execution will take place in five days at noon.

The defendant collapses, and Matthias watches him being taken away with snow-shadow eyes. With that, Matthias ends the trial and closes the court.

After everyone leaves, Matthias remains behind in the empty courtroom. In the same emotionless voice, he used when he proclaimed the sentence, Matthias mutters that he did the right thing just now. He’s the Crown Prince of Acroite, the land of snow and laws. It’s his duty to condemn and punish all evil.

Ruby

The last country on the list of options is Ruby, the land of Cherry Blossoms and Turbulent Times. The situation is complicated, the country is in a 3-way civil war, each with foreign backing. In theory, there is a royal family, but they’re all on opposite sides.

There is, however, a safe area, in Kagari-Yaksha’s territory.

Yaksha? Emma asks Akatsuki to explain that.

It’s a title of sorts given to one of the faction leaders, a true battle fanatic who has never lost a fight. If they go under his protection, they’ll be safe. For now. As long as he doesn’t decide that they’re his enemies.

Meanwhile, in Ruby

A group of men run through the forest, hoods low over their heads and swords hanging from their belts. When they near a red-tiled castle illuminated by lanterns, they halt and gather to strategize.

A voice begins counting them, 100, 200, at least less than 400. The men all start and grab at their swords, searching the darkness for the voice.

Without a sound, a man with fiery red hair and green eyes appears before them. He asks if they were planning on launching a night attack with so many worthless people. Honestly, they’re barely even worth killing. Compared to all the other factions, these people are barely more than half-trained children. The man asks if they are still planning on going through with their attack. If they give up and turn around now, he’ll let them leave.

One of the attackers notes his hair and eyes and identifies him as Kagari, the Yaksha. Another attacker laughs, explaining that from the rumors, he was expecting a beast of a man, but instead its just some pretty guy. It’s not bad to be disappointed from time to time. Besides, even if he is the warrior of rumor, he is but one man against –

Another hooded attacker recoils as the speaker’s head falls to the ground. Kagari apologizes, he grew bored of waiting for the speaker to finish talking. He tells the men that he’s kind of busy, so rather than killing them one by one, he would prefer it if they just all came at him at once. Hey, even weaklings like them might give him some entertainment if they work together. When one of the attackers protests, Kagari tells him not to get angry, he’s just telling them the truth.

The difference in their ability was obvious.

Kagari notes that this is what it’s like to be weak. Even if they never met him, these men would have still died young. He dodges their attack like a wildcat, his movements quick and efficient. With each stab of his sword, a vital area is struck, and bright red droplets dance like cherry blossoms in the wind. The final attacker tries to run, but Kagari throws his sword, striking the man. Kagari bemoans how heartless people are these days, leaving their comrades to die alone.

The final attacker explains that they’re not comrades, he’s a mercenary who was just hired to do a job with them. He begs Kagari for mercy.

In this country the strong are good and the weak are evil. Therefore, a weak person like this mercenary has no place in Ruby. If he dies here and now, he doesn’t have to go through life being a weak coward who hates himself. Really, Kagari is doing him a favor.

He kills the man quickly, and then disappointedly notes that everyone else is dead.

The quiet night is interrupted again by the sound of approaching footsteps. Kagari’s subordinates arrive, and he orders them to send the bodies back to their employer. The subordinates complain that Kagari went off without them again. Kagari asks if they want to be killed along with the attackers. The subordinates grow pale and Kagari tells them that he was just joking. Mostly.

Kagari sheathes his sword, and the atmosphere lightens. He tells his subordinates that he’s fine on his own, and if they’re useless in a fight, they’ll just get in his way. But even he understands strategy enough to know that the more pieces one has, the better.

No one chases after the Yaksha when he walks away.

With an unsteady step, Kagari settles beneath a cherry tree, and notes that there is a full moon tonight. He watches some of the petals fall in front of him.

(Some days you just wanna take a nap)

The bushes next to him rustle though there is no wind. Kagari asks if they’ve come again.

A cat pops out of the bush and meows at Kagari. Kagari meows in reply and tells the cat he’s especially bloody tonight, so they should stay away. The cat doesn’t heed his warning and approaches Kagari, tail held high.

Kagari muses that if the cat lives in this country, they’re probably used to the smell of blood by now. He lies down, using his sword as a makeshift pillow. The cat trots over to his side and when he strokes under their chin, they begin to fall asleep.

Kagari complains that the cat is too small, too fragile, and too forgetful to survive. They’re going to die soon. Then again, the cat is choosing to sleep next to the Yaksha, a good choice to live a long life.

A shadow flickers in Kagari’s eyes and he pulls his sword close to himself. He wonders when the next battle will be. Tomorrow, the day after?

Unfortunately fighting doesn’t put food on the table. If things continue, he may starve to death. He needs to hurry up before that happens, and then everything will be easier.

Rhodolite

Finished talking about the four countries, Akatsuki turns to Emma and asks which country she has chosen.

Emma thinks that all the countries are interesting, and any one of them would be a good choice. After listening to Akatsuki, Emma chooses.

#ikemen prince #ikepri

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