It was a normal school day—or so it seemed.
Ren leaned back against his chair, arms crossed, as the teacher cleared her throat.
"We have a new transfer student joining us today. Please come in."
The door slid open, and in stepped a tall boy with silver hair, sharp eyes, and an aura that screamed "mystery." But instead of looking around awkwardly, his eyes locked directly onto Ren.
"Yo… it's been a while, Your—Ren," the new guy said smoothly, correcting himself just in time.
Lilia, who sat beside Ren, blinked. Wait, what was that?
Ren tensed, not enough for others to notice, but Lilia caught the subtle movement. His fingers curled around his desk, just slightly.
The teacher, oblivious, smiled. "This is Riku. He transferred from… quite a distance. Be nice to him!"
Ren and Riku exchanged a long glance before Riku took the empty seat behind him. Class resumed, but Lilia's mind raced. That wasn't just a friend's reunion.
At lunch, Kaito dragged Lilia to the rooftop, leaving Ren and Riku alone.
"So," Ren muttered as he leaned on the railing, "what's going on?"
"You're not gonna like it," Riku said, tone low. "The crisis has passed. The hidden forces have been purged. It's time for you to return… Your Highness."
Ren's jaw clenched. "Don't call me that here."
Lilia had forgotten her bento. Quietly, she climbed the stairs to get it from her classroom—but the voices stopped her halfway.
She stood frozen just behind the stairwell door.
"You think I can just go back like nothing happened?" Ren hissed.
Riku was calm. "You're the prince of the lost kingdom, Ren. You can't keep hiding like this. Your people need you."
Lilia's heart dropped. Prince…? Ren…?
"I didn't ask to be born into that. I don't care about the throne. I'm living my life now."
"You have responsibilities."
"…You sound just like Sayaka."
Lilia's mind went blank. Sayaka too…?
That night, Lilia sat in the living room in silence. The TV played some comedy show, but her eyes didn't move. Her thoughts swirled like a storm.
Ren—her Ren—was a prince? And Sayaka knew?
She clenched the cushion in her arms. Why didn't he tell her? Why did it feel like a lie—even though it wasn't?
The door opened behind her. Ren stepped in, carrying two drinks. "Hey. You didn't touch your food."
She didn't answer.
"…Lilia?"
"…You're a prince?"
The can dropped from Ren's hand.
"Who told you—?"
"I heard you. On the rooftop," she said quietly. "Everything."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"You lied to me…" she whispered.
"I didn't lie. I just…" He couldn't finish.
She stood, eyes shimmering. "You saved me. I trusted you. And you were hiding something this big all along?"
Before he could respond, she turned and rushed to her room, the door clicking shut behind her.
After that,
The school festival buzzed through the air like a fading dream, but Ren's mind was somewhere else entirely. Things had been... different lately. Lilia had been acting quieter than usual. Not her usual clumsy, overly energetic self—just quiet. Distant. And Ren didn't like it one bit.
It had been hours since school ended, but Lilia hadn't returned home.
Ren sat on the edge of the couch, phone in hand, staring at the last message he'd sent: Where are you? You okay?
No reply.
He stood up suddenly. "Screw this." He grabbed his jacket and slammed the door behind him.
Lilia sat on a swing at a small, forgotten park near the alley where everything began. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silver light that made her golden hair shimmer like fire. Her emerald eyes stared at nothing in particular.
She remembered every word. Every truth.
Ren… a prince?
Sayaka… not just a classmate but someone from his past?
And the new transfer student… not a stranger but his loyal butler?
Her heart twisted.
"Why… Why didn't he tell me?"
Just as the wind picked up, she heard footsteps behind her.
"...So this is where you've been."
She didn't turn around. "Shouldn't you be with Sayaka? Or your loyal butler?"
Ren walked closer. "You overheard everything, didn't you?"
Lilia looked up slowly. "So it's true."
He nodded. "Yeah. It's true."
She stood from the swing, facing him now. "Then… what was I to you? Some charity case? Just a burden you had to carry?"
Ren's expression darkened. "Don't say that."
"You lied to me. From the start."
"I didn't lie. I just... didn't say anything." His voice was calm, but his eyes showed guilt.
There was a long silence between them. The same alley where they first met was just steps away. It felt like a strange kind of fate.
"Then tell me now," Lilia said softly. "Tell me who you really are."
Ren took a deep breath. "I'm Ren Kaizen. The only son of the fallen Kingdom of Kaelvar. After it collapsed, my parents went into hiding. They couldn't take me with them, so they left me here, with a new identity... and enough money to survive."
"And the transfer student?"
"His name is Allen. He's my butler... and my last connection to the kingdom. He came to check on me when he found out the situation in our land might be settling."
Lilia's voice trembled. "So all this time… we were both hiding."
He nodded. "We were."
She wiped her eyes and chuckled bitterly. "Guess we're not so different after all."
Ren stepped closer. "I didn't tell you because... I didn't want you to think of me as someone else. I just wanted to be the guy who helped you that night. Who shared his home with you. Who argued over laundry and got flustered when you tried to cook."
Lilia blinked.
"I don't know what we are yet... but you're not just anyone to me, Lilia."
She looked up at him, surprised.
"And if I'm being honest," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck, "being around you makes it really hard to keep pretending I don't feel anything."
Her cheeks flushed. "D-Don't say things like that so casually…"
Ren looked away, flustered. "I'm not confessing or anything! I'm just... saying."
They both stood silently for a moment, awkward tension swirling around them. Then Lilia giggled.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just... even now, you're still the awkward loner who took in a crazy runaway princess."
He smiled slightly. "And you're still the princess who nearly burned down my kitchen."
They both laughed.
Ren finally held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go home."
Lilia hesitated, then took his hand, fingers gently intertwining with his.
As they walked side by side down the familiar alleyway, a peaceful calm settled between them.
Ren glanced at her, then up at the night sky.
Let this night go on a bit more longer... Ren said
It's just a matter of time... before I fall for her completely.