In the backyard of the Aspakeony Academy, three attendants were gathered around the black-haired young man.

“You’re really quitting being the attendant?!”

“But… mister Zoemi…!

The sharp-eyed Inviderie gasped in shock while the young Rothillis clung to Zoemi’s arm, looking up with a pitiful expression.

“I’m sorry, but it’s my final decision. Truth be told… I found myself a couple of sponsors, thanks to whom I can spend the rest of my life in comfort~!”

Zoemi nodded while patting Rothilis’s head and snickered triumphantly.

“ACK! Another man is living my dream life…!”

The tall Lithfreid let out a pained voice while jokingly putting both hands over his head as if he was struck by an offensive spell.

“Well… if you are interested, I know a certain divorced noble lady that recently became even lonelier when her trusted knight left her services to be with his beloved… She could use a caring companion… and she is rich~”

“I’m listening~”

Zoemi joked, but Lithfreid leaned in attentively as his eyes shone with interest.

“Hmm…? Ah! Look at the time! It was good meeting you, Zoemi, but duty calls! Come on, you two!”

Inviderie rolled his eyes at his fellow attendant and checked the time on his pocket watch out of boredom, but seeing what hour it was already, he hurriedly put it away and grabbed Lithfreid and Rothilis, pulling them away from Zoemi and rushing towards the dormitory building.

“Bye-bye, mister Zoemi…!”

“Hold on…! Inviderie, you bastard, let go of me! Zoemi! Send me her information about that noble ladyyyyyy…!”

The two attendants being dragged away called out while Zoemi waved at them with a cheerful smile.

Then he turned towards the pond and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long before he heard the sound of footsteps.

“Kierul and prince Surou~ How are you doing?”

Zoemi turned around and greeted the red-haired girl holding hands with a blue-haired boy.

“Zoemi! What a surprise~!”

“Hmph. What, did you show up to beg me to take you back as my attendant?”

The second prince Surou carrying a picnic basket in one hand cheered out with a smile, but Kierul got grumpy and grumbled at Zoemi while clinging to the blue-haired boy’s arm for support.

“Nah, being the supportive diety for the keeper of the stars, Guide, is a cozy position ~ I am waiting for someone, but I also wanted to greet you while I’m here.”

“…hmph…”

Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and leaned back with a cheeky smirk making Kierul scoff and look away, resting her chin on Surou’s shoulder.

“Please forgive her… she was used to having you, her best friend, around all the time, so now she feels lonely… not that I am complaining about her recent clinginess – her affection is through the roof, and I am loving it!”

*thump*

“SUROU…!”

The second prince betrayed the girl and leaned forward, whispering conspicuously to the grinning black-haired youth, causing the embarrassed red-haired girl to jolt back and smack his arm in anger.

“Sorry about that, and your welcome… We need the situation to calm down a bit before I can show up everywhere, all willy-nilly again. If I spend too much time around the future king’s brother and his fiancee, your father might get the idea to use it as a threat to other nations during the ongoing peace negotiations.”𝓞𝐯𝑳xt.𝚌𝑜𝑀

Zoemi made an apologetic expression and bowed his head to Kierul before winking at Surou and explaining things to him.

“…”

Kierul, who returned to leaning against Surou’s shoulder, glared spitefully at Zoemi, but then she ended up moving her hand so that a shining engagement ring with a sapphire shaped like a flame would enter the black-haired youngster’s vision.

“…if you dare to not show up at the wedding, I will kick your ass…”

She grumbled before looking away again.

“Missing the wedding of my bestie who’s basically my sister? Oh, come on! Do you think I changed that much?!”

“Hmph~”

Zoemi gasped, jokingly taken aback, to which Kierul scoffed – but she sounded more content than angry, so everything was good.

“It was an honor meeting you here. Until next time.”

Surou picked the right moment to show off the picnic basket and motioned to a nice picnic spot next to the pond while showing off the basket.

“Of course~! Sorry for holding you back while you’re on a date~! Have fun!”

Zoemi chuckled in response and waved his hand as the pair walked past him.

“Oh my Guide, they are just as cute as dad and miss Rokiana…!”

Zoemi muttered to himself in excitement while watching the pair take their spot and set up the picnic.

He didn’t want to be a nuisance, so he walked to a different spot and ended up sitting on a bench by the empty training ground.

*rustle*

He was sitting there for a while when suddenly, the decorative shrub behind him moved conspicuously.

“…?”

Zoemi smiled and started turning around…

“WHOA…!” *THUMP*

…and let out a shocked voice and caught a large bag flying straight at his face.

*CHA-CHING*

The bag untied, and a few coins fell out of it, revealing that the whole bag was full of them…!

“…oho…!”

*RUSTLE*

Zoemi raised his brows and let out a content gasp – looking up at the shrub just in time to witness a short brown-haired girl launching herself at him.

*thump*

He caught her but still let the force behind the impact push him off the bench, so he ended up landing on his back with the heavy-breathing girl on top of him.

*chuuuuuuuuuuuu*

The brown-haired girl wasted no time, grabbed the young man’s collar, and kissed him passionately for as long as she could hold her breath.

“Pu-huah…! Aaaahhhhh~!”

After an impressively long time, she pulled away and breathed out with a blissful expression while resting her hands on Zoemi’s chest.

“Teofee~ You got your memories back, didn’t you? Why are you still trying to pay me for affection?”

Zoemi hummed, patiently laying on his back and moving his hands alongside Teofee’s thighs until reaching her waist.

“Ehehehe~ It adds the spicy sense of imorality~ It’s as if I’m doing something bad~”

Teofee nodded and giggled, biting her lip while gazing lovingly at the young man under her.

“Naughy~”

Zoemi smirked devilishly as Teofee leaned down for another kiss.

——-

In the headmaster’s office in the Academy’s main building, a gray-haired girl in a revealing nightgown was sitting by the desk, working on some documents.

There was a comfortable armchair there, but she wasn’t sitting directly in it.

There was something – or rather someone – between her and the soft cushion.

The black-haired young man hugging her from behind with a content expression.

“Haaaaaaaaa… can’t the old king just retire already? He is pushing all those unreasonable demands on the Barbariacca nation and the alliance led by the Atreterve nation as if half of our kingdom was destroyed. It’s okay to milk the victory, but if we try to squeeze them too hard, they will start plotting against us again?! Just give the crown to young Horeo already, stupid kid!”

Suddenly the girl pushed the papers away and leaned into the young man’s embrace, letting out a huge sigh and gritting her teeth in annoyance.

“He is foolish enough to believe that you weren’t serious about cutting off ties with Bellcephora kingdom and thinks we’re invincible now.”

Aspakeony complained.

“Well, I do love the kingdom you helped create, but I will not stop it from self-destructing by the hand of an incapable ruler. Sorry, it’s against the rules that are binding me.”

Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and scoffed while gently massaging Asapekony’s stomach.

“I know that, but that stupid kid doesn’t! His son, young Horeo, understands the situation too! He should be crowned already!”

The gray-haired girl fidgeted and groaned angrily.

“Ah~ A-and speaking of which. Did you know that the young Horeo got punched in the face?”

“Huh?! The first prince?! By whom?!”

She suddenly flinched and said in an almost flustered voice, intriguing Zoemi who kept massaging her.

“Yes, the older of the Tallaran twins – Leveo – did it. Apparently, she got fed up with the prince’s behavior during the King’s Guard training they had together, so he decked him and told him to start acting like an adult! Nnnh…!”

Aspeakony nodded while leaning more and more against Zoemi while climbing on her tiptoes and letting out a sweet voice.

“Ooohhh.. so the current first prince got pissed off and ran to her mommy?”

Zoemi smirked devilishly and asked, whispering into Aspakeony’s ear.

“N-no… he appears to actually got his things together… he also seems to grow very fond of young miss Leveo.”

The girl trembled and looked up at the young man’s face with misty eyes.

“Huh… that must be annoying for his fiancee.”

Zoemi raised his brow and snickered in amusement.

“N-not really… nnnh… The other day the Victureo family canceled Ehmi and Horeo’s engagement. I’ve heard they want to try and push her on you instead… nnnh-nngh…!”

Aspekaony bit her lips and gasped, getting all hot and bothered.

“No thank you. I’m not too fond of the idea and that list is already closed. Miriette is already at her limit with jealousy even though I can be in multiple places at once, and everyone gets me exclusively for them.”

Zoemi shook his head, decisively pointing out, but then…

“Zo-mi…! You… you know that you aren’t helping me relax, right…? Nnnnh…! You might think that the spot on my belly that you chose is completely innocent, but…! Nnnnh-ahn…!”

Aspakeony grabbed Zoemi’s wrist, trying to stop the massage, and cried out in a sweet voice.

“Oh, I know what I’m doing~ It’s just a little payback for all the times you were teasing me in the past timeline~”

*chuu*

“Nnnh…!”

The black-haired young man chuckled and kissed the gray-haired girl’s neck, making her squirm adorably.