"The sound of birds chirping filled the peaceful morning air. The sun was rising high, but fluffy clouds softened its heat, making the temperature pleasantly cool—not too cold, not too hot. A perfect day, at least for someone.
Mika stirred beneath the covers, twitching slightly before cracking open his eyes. He covered his mouth with a yawn as he sat up, stretching his body after a restful night. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he shifted to sit at the edge of his bed and gazed out the window, letting out a soft sigh.
'Today is the day... My title as Third Prince becomes official.'
Mika closed his eyes briefly before opening them again—only to spot Louis kneeling on the floor with a deadpan expression.
"…What are you doing?"
Louis looked up at him with deadly seriousness. "I'm punishing myself for my negligence."
Mika sweatdropped. He vaguely remembered Elain mentioning that the Royal Court Magician had picked Louis up at a new mithril hotspot—after Louis had helped an adventurer defeat a Mithril Wolf. Mika had been too tired to wait for their return and had gone to bed early. Maybe Louis thought that meant Mika was angry?
With a soft sigh, Mika looked down at him. "Did you enjoy yourself yesterday?"
Louis looked up, hesitating before giving a small nod. "…I made a friend."
Mika's lips curled into a faint smile as he stood from the bed. "This friend of yours—he's an adventurer, right?" When Louis nodded again, Mika's smile widened. "I'd like to meet him too. It'd be nice to have another bodyguard."
Louis's eyes widened slightly at that. He rose to his feet.
"Mika—"
But Mika only smiled gently and turned to leave, most likely heading to the dressing room Elain had mentioned the day before. Louis stood there in stunned silence for a moment before finally relaxing. Brushing his hair back, he quickly followed after his lord.
"Hmm, Elain said the changing room is here." Mika stopped in front of the door Elain had pointed out yesterday. Louis reached for the handle, but jumped back when someone—or something—rushed past and launched themselves straight at the Third Prince.
"Prince Mika!!"
"Gweeh?!"
Sonya wrapped her arms around Mika's waist and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. Mika gasped, startled, clinging to the Arachne's shoulders to stabilize himself. "Sonya?!"
"Whoa, he's light!" Sonya blinked in disbelief, sliding one hand under Mika's knees. "Wait, I knew you were underweight, but this is too light!"
"Who are you calling underweight?" Mika tapped her forehead in protest. "Put me down before Louis cuts you down."
"Louis…?" Sonya tilted her head—only to freeze as a hand gripped her shoulder from behind.
A heavy, dark aura settled over her.
She turned slowly to find Louis standing directly behind her, face blank, but surrounded by ominous pressure.
"…Ah."
Sonya carefully placed Mika back on the floor and stepped aside. "Who is he?" she asked nervously.
"He's my—"
"I'm Louis. Prince Mika's bodyguard," Louis interrupted, tone flat.
Sonya blinked, stunned. Then she gasped and grabbed Mika by the shoulders. "How much is he paying you?!"
Mika stumbled as she yanked him, confused. Louis, however, had the calm certainty of someone familiar with desperate salary talk.
"Four thousand," he said simply.
"Four?!" Sonya looked like she was about to faint. Just for being a bodyguard? She only made two thousand at the castle. "Did… did he say he'd raise it?"
Louis nodded.
Sonya turned to Mika with an exaggerated sparkle in her eyes. "My prince! Our generous, radiant—"
"No," Mika replied coldly.
"At least hear me out!!" Sonya wailed. "Anything to get me out of this castle, Your Highness!"
Louis placed a hand on her shoulder. "The Queen?"
Sonya nodded solemnly. "That bit—" She slapped a hand over her mouth mid-sentence, realizing she had nearly committed royal blasphemy.
"I-I mean, let's get you dressed!" Sonya quickly changed the subject, pushing Mika into the room. "C'mon! The coronation starts in 45 minutes!"
Louis was about to follow, but Sonya stopped him with a firm hand. "Nu-uh. You stay outside." She slammed the door, leaving the supposed bodyguard standing there like a kicked puppy.
Louis stood silently for a moment before a familiar voice called out.
"Oi, brat~ What're you doing?"
Arthur wrapped an arm around Louis's shoulders and began dragging him away without waiting for a response.
"Let's go. We need to change you."
Louis blinked in confusion, struggling against the captain's grip—but he couldn't pry himself free. "W-wait, change what?" he asked.
"Your clothes. You think we're letting you wear that to the coronation?" Arthur gave Louis a once-over and raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with this?" Louis asked defensively. He was a bodyguard—he didn't have time to worry about fashion.
"So many things. You think Mika can look good if his bodyguard looks like trash?" Arthur's words made Louis click his tongue in annoyance, but he stopped resisting and let himself be dragged away.
The streets were bustling, filled with stalls and chatter. Everyone was heading toward one place: the castle.
Among the crowd, a familiar figure moved—Echo, weaving through the people toward the castle. Beside him walked a dwarf with a long brown beard that reached his stomach. His hair was just as long, framing a pair of pure white eyes that made him look almost blind. The dwarf stared straight ahead, his hand gently holding Echo's, letting the bard lead the way.
"Uwah, there are so many people… I guess everyone's curious about the Third Prince," Echo murmured as he continued leading the dwarf through the crowd. He hadn't expected people to be this excited about the return of the so-called cursed prince. "Koyu, make sure to hold my hand."
The dwarf, Koyu, nodded and gripped Echo's hand tightly. "So, about this human friend of yours," he said in a deep, low voice that somehow cut through the noise around them.
"Louis? I heard he's the Third Prince's bodyguard," Echo replied, scanning the crowd. But something felt off. Instead of heading toward the main castle, everyone seemed to be moving further away. "Eh? We're not going to the throne room?"
"Of course not. The throne room isn't suitable for a coronation," said a familiar voice behind him.
Echo yelped and spun around, eyes widening in surprise. "A-ah! Court Magician?!"
Lana smiled at him, but his expression sharpened when his gaze landed on Koyu. "My, isn't it the Blacksmith Master? It's been a long time since I've seen you, Master Koyu," he said with a tone that was sweet—but clearly fake.
"Ah, it's the elf brat," Koyu spat, his disdain obvious.
Echo looked between the two, confused. He hadn't known Koyu and Lana were acquainted. Lana chuckled at Echo's puzzled expression. "My, didn't Master Koyu tell you about me?"
"Why should I, brat? There's nothing worth telling the boy about you," Koyu scowled.
"Isn't that the Blacksmith Master?!" another voice called out, drawing the group's attention.
Arthur approached with sparkling eyes. "Master Koyu! Long time no see!"
Koyu sighed tiredly and shook his head. "Another brat…" he muttered.
"R-Royal Captain Arthur?!" Echo gasped, pointing at the man. What luck—he'd run into yet another important figure of the kingdom.
"Aww, don't be like that, Master!" Arthur beamed as he stood beside Lana. "Oh? And who's this?"
Echo quickly straightened up and introduced himself. "M-my name is Echo, sir!"
"Echo? Oooh, you're the kid who found the mithril cave with Louis!" Arthur clapped a hand on Echo's shoulder—instantly sending the bard to his knees, clutching his now-throbbing arm.
"Oops." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, realizing he'd forgotten to hold back his strength. "Sorry, kiddo."
"N-no… It's okay…" Echo laughed nervously as he shakily got back to his feet. Luckily, nothing was broken—just bruised.
"Wait, what's your relationship with the Master?" Arthur asked curiously.
"He's my stepdad," Echo replied, still rubbing his shoulder.
Lana and Arthur both blinked—then shouted in unison, "Stepdad?!"
"Damn, Master?! You still got game?!" Arthur pointed at Koyu, eyes wide. "You're blind! How'd you even hit on someone's mom?!"
Koyu scoffed, then smirked. "At least I got one, virgins."
At his words, both Arthur and Lana flinched and took a step back.
"…Damn it, he's not wrong though…" Arthur muttered.
"Anyway!! I'm here for both of you!" Arthur announced cheerfully. "The king will be excited to see you again, Master. And Echo, you still need to receive your royal reward for the discovery. C'mon, I'll take you to Louis."
At the mention of Louis, Echo lit up with excitement. He couldn't wait to see his friend again.
"L-lead the way, sir!"
"Great. I'll bring you there," Lana said, snapping his fingers.
In an instant, they were no longer outside the castle—they stood inside a grand building.
"Where… are we?" Echo looked around, confused.
"Truth Hall," Lana replied, flicking his hair elegantly. "It's separate from the main castle. This building is reserved for royal events like coronations."
"Echo?"
Echo turned quickly at the sound of his name—and saw Louis standing nearby. But his appearance was completely different from yesterday. His hair was styled in neat braids, with his bangs framing his handsome face. His outfit had changed too: a high-neck black shirt with long sleeves and finger loops, layered with a sheer red silk robe that bunched around his elbows. He wore fitted trousers and knee-high boots.
"…What are you wearing?" Echo asked, baffled.
Louis coughed awkwardly and shot Arthur a sharp look. "Someone forced me to wear this."
Arthur just laughed at the glare. "Hey, you need to look fashionable too! Don't tell me it's uncomfortable—Sonya worked hard on your and Mika's outfits."
Louis sighed. "Well… I can still fight in it…"
"Enough talking~ The event starts in four minutes," Lana chimed in brightly. "Arthur, bring Echo and Louis to the ceremony room. Master Koyu, you're coming with me."
Lana grabbed Koyu's beard and began leading the dwarf away.
"Brat, I'll cut your hair," Koyu growled—but he didn't resist, following Lana with a scowl.
"C'mon." Arthur wrapped his arms around both Louis and Echo's shoulders, pulling them along without giving either a chance to argue. He led them into a room that looked like an exact replica of the throne room, already filled with many of the kingdom's most important figures.
Arthur released them and pointed to an empty table near where the royal children sat. "That's our seat. Since Louis is Mika's bodyguard, he'll sit with me. And I've got one empty seat left—Echo, that'll be yours."
"Eh? I can sit with you guys?" Echo asked in surprise.
"Obviously. You're Louis's friend," Arthur said, patting the bard's head before leading them toward the table.
As they walked, someone bumped into Louis. The swordsman instinctively reached out to steady them.
"A-ah, I'm sorry~" came a sickly sweet, high-pitched voice. Louis's brows furrowed. The person he'd caught was a young woman, likely around Mika's age. She was shorter than him—about 5'1"—with soft curves draped in a white robe. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was decorated with bows and cute animal accessories.
Louis narrowed his eyes slightly when she pressed herself closer to him, her chest brushing against his arm. Irritated, he pulled away.
"Ah—" the woman looked up at him with a pitiful expression. But what caught Louis's attention were her eyes: one gold, one emerald, framed by thick blonde lashes.
She batted her eyelashes, clearly waiting for a reaction. Louis met her gaze with a cold expression.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue and turned away. 'What's with that look? Like she wants to crawl into my bed.' He'd seen it too many times before—and it disgusted him.
"E-eh?! W-wait!!" the woman called out, stomping her foot in frustration.
Louis clenched his fists and glanced over his shoulder. "What?" he asked coldly.
She looked confused for a moment, then smiled sweetly. "Ah, did you not recognize me?" she said, cupping her cheek and furrowing her brows.
"Do I look like a damn book? I don't play guessing games," Louis replied, clearly annoyed.
"W-what? T-that's not right…" she muttered, confused. She stepped forward, reaching for his hand. "Y-you see, I'm really impor—"
Louis yanked his hand away before she could touch him.
"Look, I don't care. Today's about the prince. He's more important than you." Louis turned and walked away, leaving the woman gaping in disbelief.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Arthur asked when he saw Louis's frown.
"Nothing. Just some woman bothering me," Louis replied, sitting down beside him.
"Oho~ Someone's popular," Arthur chuckled, but didn't tease further when he saw the irritation on Louis's face.