Heya! It’s me, Marina, back again on another lousy day at the Grys Castle! A lot’s happened since the last time we spoke, huh? Since then, we met a mysterious but friendly guy named Issei, who claims to have come from another world (crazy right?) Anyway, he seemed to have some interesting knowledge on him, so I thought I’d introduce him to Lune, y’know, see if they’ll click or something.

To my surprise, the two immediately started working closely together and before long Lune had really fixed himself up in the coming days. After a while, he even converted to a Blue Iro! But geez, how many times is this guy gonna convert in his life? Back when I first met him in Melgam right as we were about to depart to Sibirus, he was a Green Iro, but whenever he would use his Spark and Fireball thingy, his eyes would flash Red for a split second. Weird, I thought, but you meet all kinds of people out in the world.

Even still, he kept changing and changing, flashing between Grey and Red at a moment’s notice, as if he could control it based on the situation that presented itself to him. A person usually changes their eye color once or twice in their lifespan, but this guy’s seriously pushing his boundaries. This is exactly why I wasn’t all too surprised when his Iro turned Brown after we left Sibirus.

He’s an adventurous and open-minded person, so I guess that must be why he changes his life philosophy so much, but in my opinion I think he should just make up his mind! But recently, something really bad happened. After he sold the blueprints for one of his inventions, the Firestarter Pistol, he immediately felt regret once he realized it was going to be used in future wars and possibly bring doom to thousands of people.

I thought he was gonna start running to the Prince and request to give the money back in return for the blueprints, but I severely underestimated Lune’s way of thinking. He’s extremely greedy, so I can imagine that my idea probably never even came to mind in his head. Instead, he chose an option that would benefit him completely, one which would only harm the Prince. That option of course was to steal the blueprints without giving back the money he got from the Prince.

In a way, you could call it karma that this reckless plan sort of backfired, as while he did manage to escape with the blueprints and somehow miraculously not get found out, he also had to kill two guards while in the mansion. This really got to him, since he thought they were innocent or something, and while I do agree that he really messed up, I really doubt those guys didn’t deserve it. After all, those two dimwits would constantly pinch my butt and catcall me, so I’m just happy I can enjoy my time on duty a bit more.

According to what Issei said too, it felt like it was either them or the guards, and Lune probably just moved on instinct in that moment. I’ve seen how he fights, he’s sturdy yet nimble. If I had to describe his fighting style in just a few words, I’d call him a ‘flashy berserker’. He moves on complete impulse, but makes sure to tire out his opponents by dancing around them and taunting them before going in for the strike. He did that against the Minotaurus, and I can imagine he did something similar to the guards, too. I wonder, just who exactly taught him that?

Well, none of that matters, y’wanna know why? ‘Cause another important event happened immediately after that which really makes the prior ones look like absolutely nothing in comparison! That’s right, I’m talking about Lune getting drunk and confessing his truest of feelings to yours truly! Ehe, I guess Adam gifting me that bottle of alcohol was useful for something, after all! In any case, is the power of alcohol really that amazing? He was quite a bit touchier as well, but I guess that’s to be expected when he’s got a cutie like me buzzing around him all the time!

I woke up to him spitting his drink out in sheer surprise after he started piecing together what we had just done that night. He was so cute, fumbling over his words and trying to figure out what to tell his wife. Oh, right, he has a wife… Ugh, I’m the worst! I mean, I thankfully came up with an excuse that he seemed to have accepted quite easily, but I don’t like the idea of being labeled a homewrecker…

Hmm, how do I go about this? It’s such a complicated feeling, I feel both overwhelming joy after finding out that he likes me back, but on the other hand he’s probably facing some harsh internal turmoil about our relationship. Do I just act like none of this ever happened? That’s obviously what’s bound to happen eventually, but I really don’t like that! Ugh, love is a rebellious bird indeed…

“Right, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Lune said as he was putting his pants back on, “Where’s Issei? I’m pretty sure I told him to meet back up with us in the inn.”

“Oh, him? W-Well, he did make it back home last night.”

“So then why isn’t he here now?”

“Well…” I explained last night’s events chronologically, “He knocked on the door, but then he kinda… saw the two of us.”

After hearing this, Lune quickly got what I was trying to tell him and buried his face in his shirt out of embarrassment.

“Uuuuugh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” He said, “But wait, that still doesn’t explain where he is currently.”

“Well, once he saw the two of us going at it like animals on the living room table…”

“T-The table?!”

“Yep, once he saw us doing it there, he just kinda gestured that he’ll leave us to it and motioned that he’ll be in that bar you two frequent.”

O-Oh, Lune thought, well at least he had the decency to leave us be… But really now, the living room table? Just what was going through his mind when he saw that…

“So what happened next?” Lune asked.

“Well, after the table, we tried to move to the bed, but you were still quite vigorous with your thrusti-”

“Not that!” Lune yelled out with a flushed expression, “Ugh, I’m gonna go find Issei! You should probably get ready for your job now, you don’t want to be late after what happened yesterday, do you?”

While he was leaving through the front door, I decided now was as good a time as any to tease him a little.

“Hmm, but I can barely walk after last night. It’s gonna be a lot tougher to go about my normal workday because of you~!”

He stopped for a split second, but his anxiety was showing on him. Without even mustering up the courage to turn around and face me, his ears lightly blushed and with a sheepish tone he murmured, “S-Sorry…”

***

Of course, that thing I said about barely being able to walk was just a friendly prank. I’m still as spiffy and active as ever! If anything, I’d say this really helped ease the stress by a fair amount, even if the relationship doesn’t work out, we should really think about making it a habit to do this kinda stuff. Y’know, make it a casual sort of experience, slap on the title of ‘stress relief’ and then everything will be easily justified! Nice one, me! Heh, sometimes my genius is… it’s almost frightening!

“Good day, Mariabelle.” Erie the Head Maid approached me as I entered the castle halls, “Please get dressed quickly, a lot of things happened last night and the Prince is in quite the foul mood.”

Ehh, come on dude, I get you got got, but are you really gonna whine about getting a lousy scrap of paper stolen from you? Lune even made a point not to steal anything else but the blueprints because you two are friends! Geez, Adam’s even more of a crybaby than Lune…

“Good day, My Prince! Did you sleep well last night?”

“Mariabelle…” Adam menacingly walked up to me, “I’m at my wit’s end.”

Whoa, he’s in an even worse shape than I could have ever imagined. His eyes shone a brighter Yellow than usual, indicating he was REALLY eager to bring balance back into the situation. Well, I’m glad he’s getting his act up thanks to this, at least.

Usually, the brighter an Iro shines, the more that person believes in their philosophy. So say for example a Green Iro is really really curious, then their eyes would shine a really bright Green. Or for example a Blue Iro really wants to make something, it’s that kind of thing. Well, Adam was born into the Royal Family, one which has a special trait to their bloodline, in that they’re all born with a Yellow Iro.

The idea of being born with a Yellow Iro isn’t anything special, since someone with a Yellow Iro can only possess that one color. They are born with it, and they’ll never convert from it. But the births of Yellow Iros are few and far between, so having an entire bloodline exclusively give birth to them has got to be some kind of blessing, hence why they of all people are considered The Royal Family.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like they’re undeserving of the title, since their Iro naturally prepares them for leading an entire nation. Even still, Adam was always somewhat of a black sheep in the royal family. He’s nervous, weak, and a sore loser. None of the traits are fitting for a leader at all, so despite his age and lineage, he seemed to have all but accepted his good-for-nothing way of living. This is exactly why it’s so unusual to see him like this.

“I’m getting crowned soon. I’m gonna be a King…”

“That’s… incredible news, My Prince! Or should I say, My King!”

Adam gave me another sad look while he sighed, “Wrong, I’m unfit to lead, and a King can’t exist without his Queen.”

Is that how it worked? Geez, the laws of this continent are really wacky sometimes, but that’s tradition I guess. Even still, I fail to realize how any of this can be considered an issue. I doubt any girl would decline being the King’s bride.

“I see you’re still confused about what I’m worrying about.” Adam calmly elaborated, “Last night we were stolen from. Two guards were brutally murdered, but thankfully my nephew was spared. We found him sleeping in my bed, tucked under the sheets, but he was quite shaken up.”

“Oh, Halley’s safe? That kid’s awesome, I’d really hate it if those gosh darned thieves did anything to him.” I tried to sound as honest as possible to him.

“Right, in any case,” Adam continued his explanation, “What I’m basically saying is, if I can’t even protect the people in the castle, then how could I ever hope to be a good leader for the people of Cardina?”

Ah, so that’s what this is about. Well, it’s a reasonable worry, I’d say, but it’s also a worry that’s easily fixed!

“Remember what you said to that one thief last night?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me…” He pinched the top part of his nose between his eyes as if trying to forcibly forget his words from then.

“No no, I understand you’re a bit ashamed of saying all those things about ‘becoming a man’ and everything, but I don’t see why you shouldn’t go forth with that.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh, y’know, stop acting all prim and proper, maybe lift some weights once in a while, grow your beard out, that kinda thing. Take a look at the numerous portraits of your ancestors and seek inspiration from their appearances. It might actually help you feel better about becoming King.”

This offhanded banter of mine was nothing more than random thoughts that first came to mind in the heat of the moment, but he seemed to really like them. Man, first Lune and now this guy? Whoa, I’m really good at motivating people! I should start a business in listening to people’s worries and giving them advice! …Actually no, I doubt a job like that exists.

“Hmm, so you’re saying I should live more truthfully from now on? Face the challenges presented to me head on instead of hiding from them like a coward?”

“Uh, yeah sure.”

“Alright!” He immediately switched gears, “Then let’s go, there’s a lot of stuff to do around the castle after those thieves intruded last night! Make haste!”

Well, looks like I put some additional workload on myself accidentally… damn it. Eh, as long as this guy’s feeling chipper, then my work here can continue, and that means I can still earn my paychecks! Okay, first on the agenda, the two guards’ funerals. Those two bozos were actually taken in from the slums, so they have no family to bury them. I guess you could say that we, the castle’s residents, could kind of be considered their family, but really no one cared.

“Uhh, today we celebrate not the death of these two, but rather their lives.” Erie tried to sound emotional during her speech, “I understand that these two have been taking care of the castle their whole lives, so it’s no surprise that they’d pass away in the very halls they protected. Now as I have nothing else to say, I ask of Prince Adam to give them a final sendoff.”

Adam nonchalantly walked up to the caskets with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face… and then proceeded to spit in both caskets. Utter shock befell the venue, to which he immediately shut everyone up with a single strong yell.

“These two did nothing! Their lives meant nothing to anyone!” He yelled, “The only thing they could ever be remembered by is the various cases of sexual harassment of the female workers here!”

At these words, most of us girls agreed with his sentiment. The butlers and other guards were quite confused on the other hand. Looks like they didn’t know that their fellow colleagues were perverts.

“I have now spit on their caskets!” Adam continued his speech, “And I’ll continue to do so every day from now on! And if you don’t want to end up like these disgusting pigs, then prove to me that you’re working here not for the salary, but for the glory of your Prince, your future King, Adam Grys!”

Suddenly, the entire venue lit up and everyone started chanting and praising Adam. Hold on, since when was he this… cool? The Adam I know would probably cry for the two guards for no other reason other than fearing what the other people at the venue would think of him if he didn’t. Is this sudden change in acting because of what I said earlier? D-Did I just create a monster?

“Now come, Mariabelle! Next on the agenda is cleaning the entire castle! A King must keep his castle spiffy clean, so I’ll help you out!”

Yep, definitely a monster…

“…Actually, Mariabelle, are you feeling alright yourself?” Adam stopped to ask.

“Yeah, why would you think to ask?”

“Maybe I’ve been putting too much pressure on you as a newbie maid here. You’ve been walking kind of weird ever since last night, after all.”

Eh heh, m-maybe what I told Lune wasn’t a lie after all, hahaa…