"Should I change the banner's colour into red?"
"I think it's good as it is."
Royse huffed as he puts down the large equipment. He glances at the students that were currently busy preparing for the academy festival.
He smiles, satisfied by what he did.
2 months ago, Royse had made a suggestion.
He knocks on the door and entered when he hears a reply. Closing the door, he bows and greeted the student council.
"May ask why I was called?"
Everyone smiles at the redhead. William takes a paper from the desk before walking towards Royse and showing it to him.
"This is..." He trails as he read the paper.
The prince nods. "The paper you slipped in the suggestion box."
Royse became confused as he looks up at the older male. "I am quite certain I didn't put a name though..."
Everyone in the room chuckles.
"One of our members saw you. And you're the first who actually used the suggestion box." He explains.
Hearing his words, Royse felt his sweatdrop. Now that he thinks about it, the students here never spared a glance at the suggestion box. He had the gist that the students were satisfied with the academy and didn't find the need to use it.
"Am I called because of it?" He asks.
William nods as he leads him to a chair. He pulls it for Royse to sit which the redhead bowed and thanked the older male.
The members became fascinated at the sight and tried to stop their fawning over the scene. Henry frowned as he tightened his grip over the paper he was holding.
Catherine silently giggles at everyone's reaction.
William returned from his seat with a smile. "After we read your suggestion, we came to an agreement that implementing an academy festival will do good for the students."
Royse mentally rejoiced.
Good heavens, he can finally experience a school festival again!!
"But we're afraid that we are unaware of how an academy festival functions. That is why we called you."
The redhead blinked in surprise. A part of him pitied everyone that they never heard of it before but soon, his eyes burned with determination as he realizes he'll be able to introduce everyone to the concept.
With a smile, he nods his head. "I am more than happy to help everyone. I can share my ideas in regards to this festival I suggested."
Royse smiles at the memory when he fully explained the concept of a school festival. He remembers the students being excited when it was announced. It was the first time a change had happened in the academy after so many years.
Many advisors also liked the idea as it allowed students to have a memorable memory.
Needless to say, Royse once again introduced something mind-boggling to them.
With a smile plastered on his face, he hears a familiar voice speaking to him.
"You went and suggested that huh."
The redhead whips his head at the source and grins. "Of course. It's weird to spend a school year without a school festival."
Amy shook her head as she laughed. "Trust you to say something like that." She crosses her arms as she watched the students as well. "I'm impressed that many liked the idea of working themselves on the decorations."
Royse sighed. "It's nice and all but there're still those that complained. At least the advisors were able to give an option where they're free to leave and not participate in the festival."
"Well they'll miss out on a lot of stuff."
"Oh they will."
Royse and Amy exited the room and walked into the hallway. "Are you inviting your parents?" He asks.
Amy takes something from her pocket and waved it around. "Yep. Got 2 entry tickets for them. How about you?"
The redhead hums as he counts with his finger. "Mom and dad, Andrew and his family, and Mark-san."
"Man, we'll have a lot of guests then. I'm pretty sure almost all the students here will invite not only their family but their relatives as well."
"Yeah, that's why everyone's working hard. Even if the students over here are nobles, they want to make a difference and work for themselves. I'm sure since it's because this is the academy that their parents approve of the decision."
Amy groaned. "Obviously. If it was any other kind of volunteering then their parents would react and disapprove of it. They better appreciate the efforts of their children." She huffs.
Royse laughed. "What will your class be doing?"
Amy grins. "A haunted house."
The redhead looks at her in surprise. "They allowed that?"
She shrugs. "Everyone liked the idea. I have to admit, I'm excited. With being able to use our abilities and all, I wonder how the activities will be."
"I wonder if there'll be a talent show."
"I'm more interested if there will be a roleplay."
"Oh, our class will be holding a play."
Amy looks at Royse. "For real?"
The redhead nods. "Yeah. That's why there was a lot of equipment back in class. Those are going to be used for the props." He explains.
They stopped by in front of an office.
"What are we doing here?" Amy asks.
"I need to get the permit for us to use the auditorium for practice." He knocks on the door and waited for his permission. Upon hearing a reply, the two entered the room and greeted the advisors.
"Ah, Royse and Amy, good to see you both." The advisor turns towards the redhead and smiled. "I take that you're here for the permit?"
Royse nods. "Yes. We would like to practice as soon as possible."
The advisor strode towards his desk and took a paper slip from his drawer. He walks back towards the student and handed him the paper. "I'm looking forward to your class's play." He turns towards the light bearer. "And of course, I am most certainly excited with the haunted house."
Amy grins. "Sir likes thrill's huh."
The advisor chuckles at her words. "Of course, it's rare to find such an idea. I'd say many of us are excited about it. And also-" He looks at Royse with a smile. "With Royse's suggestion in implementing a festival within academy grounds, many are very delighted with it. Not only the students, but us advisors also get to unwind and enjoy the activities."
The redhead blinked in surprise.
Rumours already spread about him suggesting it.
Seeing his expression, the adult chuckled. "Royse is quite incredible. From a young age till now, he still suggests and implements many things unknown to us."
Amy grins at her friend. She elbows him to his side. "Lookie here isn't that nice~" She teased.
Royse pushed his friend off him. He smiles towards the advisor and gave a small bow. "Thank you for the compliment."
The adult nods. "It seems I've taken up a bit of your time. The both of you can continue with your task. I'm sure you must be busy."
The two gave their last thanks and finally exited the room. Royse immediately sighed, earning him a laugh from his friend.
"You should know by now that whatever you do will be known throughout the academy, no the kingdom right?" She teased.
Her statement made Royse groan, causing her to let out a boisterous laugh. Amy pats his back. "No need to worry. I'd say you're doing them a favour by introducing all these things." She retracted her hand. "Be happy."
The redhead sighed. "I know."
Amy walked past her friend as she pumps her fist on the air. "YOSH! I feel fired up! Better to work hard! Need to make them see one of the great things back in our world!" She announces in their former language.
A smile slowly crept to his face.
"I better introduce them more stuff while I still have time..." He murmurs.
-------------
The loud boom of a daytime fireworks can be heard. Colourful smokes appeared in the sky, signalling the start of the festival.
The academy grounds were filled with stalls. Many students were bustling with their activities.
Guests also filled the campus grounds as they each take a look at what the festival had to offer.
Treats, souvenirs, entertainment, many were displayed for the folks. Smiles plastered on their face as they see their family member working hard.
Royse smiles from the view.
"Ah, Royse-san, thank you for implementing this event!"
He turns his head at the source and sees a student bowing her thanks. He shakes his head with a smile.
"Please raise your head. I am more than happy that I can suggest something to everyone. Please enjoy the festival."
The girl beams and nods her head before waving off and rushing towards her family.
Another voice of praise can be heard, and soon, students started to give their thanks one by one.
The redhead nervously laughed as he waved his hand all the while walking on the path.
"Royse is still the same as ever."
The redhead beams and turns around. He sees the Stewart family and his standing behind him, all having a smile on their face.
He strode towards them. "I'm glad you guys made it."
Andrew puffed his chest. "Of course! I wouldn't miss the festival that master has implemented." He surveys his surroundings. "This is amazing."
His sibling's nods. "Royse-san is amazing!" One of them states.
Royse chuckles. "Our festival has a lot to offer. There are more activities inside the academy." He takes a paper from his item box and proceeded to distribute it to them one by one. "Here's a map and a pamphlet. The shops are listed there, along with the scheduled performances that will be held in the auditorium."
His mother beams as she reads the content. "Royse's play will be 3rd?"
He nods. "Yes. It will start later so everyone has more than enough time to enjoy what the festival has to offer."
Andrew's younger sibling pulled his sleeve. "Brother, let's check out that game over there. It reminds me of the one back in town!" She exclaims.
The middle child sighed. "Try not to spend all your money over there."
She huffed. "If I can't get it then big sister and big brother will!"
The eldest child of the Stewart family laughed. "You do know we can buy the rewards somewhere in town."
The youngest pouted. "It's not the same! Winning it is different!" She grabbed the 20 years old and 25 years old's wrists and dragged them towards the game stalls.
Their parents chuckled at their children's never-changing antics and gave a bow towards the Frostenden family.
"Thank you Royse for inviting us. We'll be taking our leave first."
"Please enjoy the event with your family."
The Stewart family nods before walking towards where their children went.
"Will mom and dad be checking out the stalls here first?"
Vanessa hummed. "We're not sure but we'll perhaps head inside." She replies. "Where is your sister?" She asks.
Royse blinked. "Oh, she was busy with her class. I don't know if she's here outside now..." He explains before looking around, trying to find the other redhead.
When they hear a voice, they knew who it was. The family turns to the source and saw Rohesia waving her hand with the Emor family beside her.
When they stopped in front of them, both families gave a curt bow.
"It's great to see you, Vanessa, Albert." Anna greeted.
"Likewise." Vanessa replied.
Anna turns towards Royse and smiles. "Thank you Royse for this day."
The redhead blinked and bowed. "I am more than happy to provide ideas." The usual words rolled off his tongue easily, already used at the compliments thrown his way.
Everyone chuckled. "We probably shouldn't be surprised if Royse continuously gives his ideas." Catherine comments.
"Indeed." Vanessa turns towards the other couple. "Will Anna and Cedric be attending the play?" She asks.
"We will. I'm excited to see Royse's play. For now, we'll head over to the flower arrangement section. I'm thinking of spending my time with Cedric." Anna blushed.
Vanessa giggles as she hooks her arm towards her husband. "I thought the same. It's been a while since we've given the luxury to spend it together." She states as she looks up towards Albert.
Albert looks away and coughed. His ears were red at his wife's words. Cedric on the other hand intertwined his fingers with his wife and smiles.
Royse held a teasing look at the adults.
In his peripheral vision, he also sees Rohesia and Catherine linking their pinky together.
This time, Royse became nervous.
"Ah, will big sister be spending the day with the other seniors?" He asks.
Rohesia blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh, Catherine-sama and I will be checking out the other classes." She replies with a blush. She looks at the blonde lady beside her with a smile.
Catherine chuckles and nods.
Royse felt sorry towards a certain friend of his.
"We'll be heading first." The Emor couple bowed. Later on, the Frostenden couple also bid their farewell towards the 3 and continued with their plan.
Catherine and Rohesia also followed after, leaving Royse alone. Standing in the middle of the path.
"Being single sure is lonely huh..." He murmurs in his former language.
Realizing what he said, he shakes off his words as he reminds himself. He mentally slaps his cheeks.
Remember, no partner. Focus on future events.
Recalling his sister and Catherines exchange made him think of Amy.
He heaves out a sigh. "Ah, the two of us will be single. At least there's someone to share the suffering with..." He states.
Royse looks around and wondered how he should spend his day. Sure he was happy that there was now a school festival but something felt missing.
He remembers he spent it with his club members back in his former world.
Ah, so that's why.
He was lonely.
Royse cursed as he realized.
This sucks.
A light bulb lit over his head. "What about Amelie and Elsie?" Remembering he had other friends, Royse hummed as he starts making his way towards his 2 friends.
Ah, good thing he still has them.
He tried not to collapse on his knees.
Taking in the sight, he sees Elsie feeding Amelie inside a class cafe. The blonde blushed at her friend's action but abided by and ate the treat. Seeing Elsie's smile made her happy from what she did.
Royse ruffles his hair and sighed.
He turns his back, deciding not to disturb the two.
He pumps his fist.
Carl will have to do.
"Carl-sama!!"
"Please check out our cafe!"
"Carl-sama, would you like to spend the day with me?"
The pink-eyed male chuckled. "Oh, I'd love to spend it with all of you. But maybe one by one, I wouldn't want to have a divided attention."
Everyone squealed and did their best not to faint.
The flowers and hearts bounced off his head as Royse watched the scene with an unimpressed gaze.
He remembers that Carl and Amy were the same, meaning there were 2 Kashima's in the academy.
He turns his back immediately and hurries off the place.
Nope.
He ain't spending his time with someone whose fans would just trail behind them, watching their every move.
He'd be just wasting his day if he did!
He grits his teeth.
Amy, you better be free!
Sweat trickled down her cheeks as she grins. She stances the gun and prepares to shoot another target.
Milivoj does the same as he also positioned himself to shoot.
Both hit the largest target and snarled with each other.
"I hit it first!" She exclaims.
"You are blind! It was me who did!" He refuted.
The audience whispered at the scene.
Royse stood by the side. He glances at the number of rewards that lay on Amy and Milivoj's side.
"Can't you see I have more rewards than you!?"
"You're mistaken, I have more!"
Once again, Royse turns his back, escaping from the scene.
As he walked down the hallway, he sighed.
Everyone was busy.
The twin princes' were out of the option when he saw them busy supervising the council and the people assigned to keeping everything in control.
Royse decided to head towards an art gallery. He examines every painting and found himself unable to focus.
The thought of spending the festival alone irked him.
"This sucks! Everyone here is with someone! Aneki and Catherine are a couple. Elsie and Amelie are a couple. Carl is with his fans. Amy and Milivoj are busy with their rivalry." Royse huffed. "If I knew any better, Amy should just date Milivoj if they're like this." Royse greeted his teeth, speaking his thoughts out loud. Seeing he was the only one inside the room, he didn't need to mind his words.
"Seriously, why didn't they ask me or anything?! At least send me a message or invite to spend the day with them!"
He crosses his arms. Glaring at the painting in front of him. Directing his anger towards the poor object.
"If they knew I suggested the whole festival idea, then wouldn't it make sense if they were to ask me out???"
"Indeed."
"Right!? Here I am now alone! Everyone's paired up while there's me!" Royse huffed. "Even mom and dad and the Emor couple are on a date!"
"Date?"
"That's right, if I knew this would happen, I should have just joined with the Stewart family!"
"Do you want to spend it with someone?"
"Obviously! Being single sucks even if I refuse to enter a-"
He blinks in surprise as he became silent.
Royse whips his head as he realizes he was actually talking with someone.
Eyes-wide, he sees the familiar figure standing behind him.
There, the light blue-haired male gazed at him.
Again, he was unable to sense the others' presence.
He stutters. "J-Juli-senpai, I didn't notice you..." Royse regained his composure and nervously laughed.
"May I ask how long you've been here in the room?" He asks with a forced smile. His sweat trickled down his forehead as he waited for the response.
The older male looks at the area absent-mindedly. "When you said 'This sucks. Everyone here is with someone.'" Juli states monotonous and with a straight face.
Royse covered his face with both of his hands.
HE WAS HERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!!!
Red reached his ears. He's going to add what happened today to his embarrassing montage.
"Please forget what you heard just now." Royse groaned.
Juli tilted his head. "Is Royse not feeling well?" He asks with a frown, walking closer to check his condition.
The redhead flailed his hands and shook his head. "No, I'm fine, just embarrassed that Juli-senpai heard my monologue..."
Hearing his words, the older male breathes out a laugh. "I see. No worries, I do not mind hearing your complaints." He averted his gaze, looking down as he rubs his nape.
Royse noticed how the other male seemed to consider over something.
"So, I..." He finally looks at Royse. "Would you like to join me at the festival?" He asks as he retracts his hand to his side.
That took the redhead by surprise. "Is it perhaps because of my words a while ago?"
Juli shook his head frantically and stuttered. "No, it's not out of pity. It's..." He halts as he considered his words. "I had thought of inviting you since before..."
Royse became silent.
Hearing no reply, the older male nervously laughed as he returns his hand over his nape.
"I apologize for eavesdropping. I thought I could use this as a chance." He sadly smiles towards the younger male. "It's fine if Royse rejects it. I'm sure you'll be busy later on."
Royse took the males other hand and looks up with glistening eyes. "I'm more than happy to!"
Juli widened his eyes and nodded. "Is there any place you'd like to go?"
Removing his hold, the redhead hummed as he thinks of the places. He takes a pamphlet from his item box and checked out which places they should visit.
With a smile, he points his index finger towards a location while showing the pamphlet to the older male. "What do you think of starting here and then proceeding to follow this path?" He asks.
Juli hums. "I don't mind."
Royse grins. "Well then, let's not waste our time."
The two exited the room and proceeded with their plan. "We can first register for the stamp marathon and as we proceed, we can check out the shops that follow its path." Royse states as he reads the pamphlet.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.
A student greeted them and of course, gave their thanks to Royse. "Are you two signing up for the marathon?"
The two nod in sync.
The student chuckles as they take a sticker and handed it over to them. "The rules are simple. You will need to get all stamps and for you to get them, a challenge will be issued. The challenge locations will be located on the map." They explain.
The two thanked the student before proceeding with their plan.
"First challenge is located a few rooms from here." Royse looks at the other male with a smile. "There're some shops that we'll pass by while we make our way towards the challenge room, do you want to check the shops out?" He asks.
Juli nods as he surveys his surroundings. The redhead chuckles at the older male's expression.
It reminded him of a child excitedly looking around a park.
They went inside through different shops. Juli became fascinated and enjoyed the things the festival offered.
Royse became amused with each of the older male's actions.
"This is..." Juli murmurs as he takes a circle object. He shakes it and sees snow swirling inside the glass object.
"That is a snowglobe."
Royse was impressed that this was sold here in the academy. It's not everyday you find something like this.
Now that he thinks about it, students here also decided to use the festival to their advantage to promote their family's business.
Smart.
Juli stared at the object before putting it back on the display. He looks around, checking out the different items.
He ended up buying a weird-looking keychain.
"Is it a gift?" Royse asks as he peers besides the older male.
Juli looks at the object. "No. I simply thought it looked adorable." He explains as he gazed at the dangling keychain.
Adorable?
It was a weird dragon keychain with a sword in its mouth.
It reminded Royse of the meme of a dog.
Looking at it closely, it did look adorable in some way.
He laughs and nods. He drags the older male, removing him from his trance.
Checking out each shop, they finally arrived at the 1st challenge.
"Oh, hello! Welcome to the first challenge." The student gestures towards a target area. "Here we have a ping pong challenge. Each participant will have 10 tries to deflect the ball that will be sent towards them. They need to succeed with a minimum of 5 attempts to pass the challenge."
Royse smiles. This was a piece of cake.
He went to the middle and grabbed the paddle. He fixes his stance and prepares for the target.
"And, begin." The student signalled.
Immediately, a ball was thrown towards him.
Thanks to his reflex, he easily deflected it and sent it flying elsewhere. Students who watched on the side clapped at his action.
He fixes his grip. It was a lot faster than he anticipated. He prepares for the incoming object once again and deflected it smoothly compared to the first try.
It didn't take long for him to finish his 10 attempts.
Bystanders were awed at his spotless score. Juli claps his hand with sparkling eyes.
Royse smiles and strode towards the older male. "It's Juli-senpai's turn." He states as he handed over the paddle to Juli.
The older male simply nods as he takes the object and does his challenge.
He changes his stance, similar to Royse. The redhead could see the confidence and smiles.
It seems the older male was a lot capable than he thought.
The ball was sent flying towards the bluehead's way.
Juli prepares to hit it.
Royse nods proudly. He was sure the ball would be deflected.
Pang!
Everyone blinked in surprise when the ball went straight to the older male's forehead.
Juli stood still and saw the ball fall on the floor. He remained unfazed, seemingly late to realize that he missed and was hit by the ball.
Royse rushes towards the older male. "Senpai, are you ok?" He asks as he feels his sweatdrop.
Juli turns towards the redhead and nods.
Royse did his best to not laugh when he sees a red circular mark over the older male's forehead.
He opted to sigh instead. "Senpai, the target's are a lot faster, please be more careful." He advises.
Juli nods and thanked the younger male.
This time, Juli was able to hit all remaining targets.
"Congratulations on passing the first challenge!" The student stamps over their sticker. "Please follow the map for the next challenge area."
The two nod and exits the room.
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" Royse asks the older male.
Juli smiles. "Yes, I'm sorry to worry you."
Royse breathes a laugh. "Ok then."
The next shops they stumbled upon were cafes and such. With a limited time, they bought treats and ate them on the way.
Juli's eyes sparkled at the taste.
Seeing how Royse was asked to judge every class's menu, the redhead was confident that the food the academy stalls has to offer had a decent taste.
He chuckles when a cream smeared on the older male's lips. He takes his handkerchief and offered it to the older male.
Juli thanks Royse and accepted it, wiping his mouth.
The redhead watched how the older male remained his child-like eyes and was amused.
Though it was tiring when Juli would wander off out of curiosity, making him drag the older male back to their plan.
Royse realizes that the older male gets distracted easily.
At this point, Royse imagined that he was walking an energetic dog, trying to escape his leash to catch the birds in the park.
It took them a little longer to arrive in the second challenge area.
"The second challenge will be matching the symbols to one another!" The student gestures towards the glowing floor. "You will be given a minute to memorise all symbols before its glow disappear. But be careful! If you make a mistake, the floor will switch and you will have to memorise the new symbols again!"
The challenge started and Royse looked at the floor. It was a lot of symbols, making him realize that this would be difficult.
He glances towards Juli and sees him focused on his task.
Royse asks the student. "Do we do this solo or are we to help one another?"
"This can be team play, depending on the contestants' preferences."
The redhead nods before turning towards the older male. "Juli-senpai, it seems we can do this as a team. Do you prefer doing this alone or with me?" He asks.
Juli hums. "I don't mind. If we are to finish this quicker, we'll be able to continue visiting the shops right?" He asks with glistening eyes.
Royse felt his sweatdrop.
The older male's focus was solely on the shops they would pass by.
He grins and nods. "If Juli-senpai works hard, then we'll have more time to check them out."
That made the older male determined and memorise the symbols immediately.
Royse huffs in amusement upon seeing Juli.
One minute passed and the floors lost their glow. Royse took the first step. The floor beneath his feet glowed and revealed a symbol.
He surveys on the other floor and found its pair.
Juli also took a step and paired the other symbols.
Bystanders were tranced when they see the two manoeuvres. Royse and Juli seemed as if they were dancing, synchronized with each of their steps. It was surprising to see them not bump with each other with how focused they were.
Royse finally took his final step and searched for its pair. He whips his head in every direction.
Sweat trickled the side of his head as he realizes that the final remaining pairs had looked similar to another pair.
"Which is it?" He whispers.
As he was about to decide which platform, he loses his footing and realizes his centre of gravity was shifting.
Royse gritted his teeth as he glances down. He was going to take his chances and step on either of the remaining platforms.
"It's fine, that's the correct one." Juli whispers.
An arm hooks on his waist, catching his fall. At the same time, Royse places his hand over the older male's shoulder and steps on the platform with Juli stepping on the other one beside it.
All matching symbols were finally paired.
The floor glowed as particles floated around them.
Royse breathes out a relieved sigh and blinks in surprise when he realizes their position.
He looks up at the older male and sees the proximity of their face.
Juli smiles at him with dilated eyes, holding full of warmth.
"Are you ok?"
Royse blushed as he removes his hand from the other's shoulder and regained his balance.
He steps back and nods, nervously laughing. "Yeah, thank you for catching me."
"Congratulations! You are the first to finish the challenge this quick!"
They finally receive the second stamp.
Royse shook off what happened moments ago and decided to focus on the older male's wandering.
Each challenge became even more difficult. Royse was even more focused as not to make a mistake like the one earlier.
When they finally finished the last challenge, confetti fell from the ceiling. Students clap their hands announcing their congratulations for the two.
"We have our winner!" A student walks towards them with a box in their hand. "Here is your prize."
There inside the box laid two gold tickets.
The both of them takes it. Royse quirked his brow as he asked about the item.
The student smiles. "That is a ticket to the concert of a famous band that will be visiting here."
Oh, Royse had heard of it. Although the band will visit in the later future, with how famous they were, tickets needed to be bought at an earlier date.
Though he isn't much of a music person, he could give the ticket to his sister considering how she liked some of the bands' pieces.
"Royse!"
Both Juli and the said male turns towards the source.
There Elsie was panting as if she had just run a marathon. She stood at the entrance and looked at the redhead.
"Royse, the play!"
"Ah-"
He remembers the schedule and looked at the clock in the room. It was already time for the play!
He stuffed the ticket inside his pocket before turning towards the older male. "Juli-senpai, I'll be going ahead. Please excuse me."
Not giving the other male to reply, Royse rushes out of the room with Elsie in tow.
"We were looking all over for you!" Elsie exclaims.
"Apologies, I was spending my time with a friend."
It didn't take long for them to arrive in the auditorium staff area. Royse's costume was handed to him as the makeup group stood by the side, waiting for Royse to change so they could start their work.
Royse went to the changing area and wore his attire. When he exits the room, his classmates start fixing his hair and face.
"Where's the prop?"
"I'm sure it's inside the box over there."
"Have you seen the ladder?"
It was hectic. Many were currently fixing the stage, preparing it for the first scene.
Royse sat still as he lets his classmates finish his look. He closes his eyes as they applied his eyeshadow. His lips parted as a gloss was applied. He hears someone tapping a brush and then felt it across his cheeks. It must be the blush, he deduced.
His hair was pulled and felt it being combed and styled.
"We're done." Someone announced.
Royse opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
People inside the room blushed as a series of gasps can be heard.
The redhead became surprised by his appearance. The makeup job was incredible. If he knew any better, his classmates did a better job than the maids back in his home.
"Royse looks so pretty!" One student comments.
"Royse should be in Estrela's weekly fashion news!"
"Do you think we should have gone for a bolder look?"
"Nonsense! A simple yet dignified look suits him more."
Royse stood from his seat and checked himself in the body mirror. He was currently dressed as a prince. He wore a dark pink suit, embellished with golden threads. Gems were placed, glistening under the light. His beautiful white cape fluttered as he twirled.
"The costume group truly outdid themselves." He comments. He was sure this would be expensive. Well, considering they were nobles, acquiring this was easy.
"Royse looks so beautiful!" Elsie exclaims.
The redhead looks at his friend and sees her also changed into her costume.
"The outfit suits you Elsie."
The brunette giggled. "Thank you."
With them done, they exited the staff room and headed backstage. The both of them peaked behind the curtains and checked the audience.
Royse sees his family, the main cast and Andrews family seating in the same row.
Elsie was surprised at the number and felt herself becoming nervous.
"I had expected a lot will come, but this many..." She trails. When she notices the journalist and reporters sitting outside, she paled even more. "Did someone invite them??" Elsie asks.
"I think so. Considering this is the first time that the academy has established a festival, it's not weird to consider them being invited."
Elsie gulped as she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.
Royse pats his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, if you think of the audience as vegetables, it will help."
Elsie registered his words and laughed. "Royse has a weird way of calming."
The redhead chuckles. "But it's effective right?"
The brunette nods, feeling her nervousness subsiding.
A bell echoed within the hall. They hear their classmate, who was assigned as the narrator speaking in the intercom.
"The play will soon begin in 5 minutes. For the time being, please enjoy the music that we have prepared."
As soon as the narrator finished speaking, the music group starts playing their composed piece.
Elsie and Royse went towards the rest of their classmates that stood in the middle of the stage.
"After a month of practice, the day has arrived for us to perform. Let us awe the audience with our efforts!" The director of the play exclaims.
Everyone smiled and became motivated by the words.
"Now places everybody!"
They scattered and went to their designated location. Royse stood by the side as he watches the cast for the first scene fix their outfit one last time.
The same bell rang and the narrator spoke. "Thank you for waiting, the play will now begin."
Lights dimmed inside the auditorium. The curtains slowly pulled up, revealing the stage.
As the stage came into view, lights opened towards it, showing the cast.
The play finally starts.
There once was a kingdom in a faraway land. It was ruled by a loving king and queen who provided the best for it.
Despite how peaceful the land was, there was something else the couple truly wished for.
To have a child.
But sadly, the queen had difficulties. Unable to carry a child.
Saddened by the revelation, the king did his best to find a way. One day, the king had received news of a flower that was capable of fulfilling one's wish.
The king used everything of his power to get his hands on the treasure.
When they have gotten ahold of it, the king spoke his wish.
"My wife, allow her to carry a child."
The flower wilted as it used its power. His wish was granted, for the next week, the queen was pregnant.
When the queen had given birth to a prince, the Kingdom rejoiced and celebrated.
"Ah, our lovely child. You are a blessing from the heavens." The queen cradled her child in her arms.
"My dear, for our first child, let us invite all species to our land to celebrate alongside us for this joyful day."
The queen was delighted with the idea. Soon, invitations were sent throughout all the lands.
Kings, Queens, Princes' and Princesses all attended. They sent their gifts and congratulations to the couple, wishing them happiness.
Yet on a joyful occasion, a witch came uninvited.
Screams filled the hall. Black smoke appeared as the witch stood in the middle. She gazed at the people with a wicked smile plastered on her face.
"Guards! Seize her!"
Before the witch could be apprehended, she announces.
"I curse your child! You have taken my treasure, and now, I shall take yours!"
With a wave of her wand, a smoke was directed towards the newborn.
The queen screamed as the witched laughed.
"The young prince will die on the day of his coming of age!"
Those were the last words of the witch before disappearing.
The queen cradled her child as her tears streamed down her cheeks. All became saddened at the future of the child.
"Your majesty, perhaps there is a way to stop the curse!" Spoke an individual.
"Speak."
"Defeat the great demon! For the elixir of life is hidden inside his lair!"
"But only a hero is capable of defeating the great demon!"
"There is a prophecy. A hero, belonging to a village will awaken. He will be the hero who will slay the great demon."
The king was angered but knew he held no other choice but to put his hopes in the prophecy.
As the prince grew up, he was pampered by the people, knowing that he had a limited time.
The redheaded prince made his way and greeted the queen.
"Mother, you called."
"My child, you have grown."
The queen hugged her child as she sadly smiled. She cups his face, examining his features. "The hero will visit the castle soon. He will be the person to save you."
"Yes, but mother, I cannot allow myself to simply stay here and let the hero do the work. I would like to join his adventure!"
With a fiery gaze, the queen reluctantly agreed.
The king heard of his decision and ordered his knights to protect the prince in his journey.
When the hero appeared, he vowed to slay the great demon and save the prince from his curse.
Weeks turned into months. Their continuous adventure strengthened their bonds, making the hero further determined to save the young prince.
"If we are done, will you still stay by my side?" The prince asks.
The hero smiles and nods. "Of course. Wherever you are, I will be there."
The great demon was no easy opponent.
They fought to their limits.
Sweat trickled their foreheads as their now dirtied outfit stretched from their movements.
The hero shouts his attacks.
The prince provided assistance as he fought alongside the hero.
Together, they defeated the great demon.
When they attained the elixir of life, the prince didn't waste a second and drinks it.
He was finally free from the curse.
Yet, he was not.
The moment he drank the elixir, his curse sped up.
For it was not an elixir.
It was a poison the witch had bribed with the great demon.
The prince loses his balance as the colour of his skin pales. The hero catches the prince, confused at what was happening.
He cradles him in his arms, realizing what happened. The hero searched for any trace of life.
"NO!"
He shakes the figure, yet no response can be seen.
The hero wailed, tears escaping his eyes. Disbelief and denial were etched on his face.
Unable to bear the sorrow, the hero takes his sword.
Pointing it over his chest, he smiles.
"I have failed my vow. My prince, I shall follow you, just as I promised.
Just like that, the hero died after.
---------------
Royse sighed, tired from the play. He finally changed into his uniform and was removing his makeup.
The play ended in success.
The audience made a round of applause, even giving a standing ovation with the amount of effort they put.
He's sure the play will be featured in the news tomorrow.
Done with his task, he exits the staff room first and bowed his thanks to the students that passed by, each complimenting him with his acting.
When he arrived in the main corridor, he was greeted by the view of Juli.
Right, he left him abruptly.
"Juli-senpai I apologize for leaving you suddenly." He bows, hoping the male would understand his action.
The older male remained quiet.
Examining him, Royse realized the older male seemed sad.
The redhead feels his sweatdrop.
Was he actually hurt by his leave?
"I'm sure Juli-senpai must be offended by it. Uh, perhaps you'd like to spend the rest of the day together?" He asks, hoping it would brighten up the male.
Juli gazed at him and opened his mouth.
"The play..."
Royse tilted his head in confusion. "Ah, did Juli-senpai watch it?" He grins. "Did you enjoy it?"
Juli gazed below, his bangs covering his eyes.
"I..."
Royse waited for the response.
"I didn't like the sight of you dying..." He comments.
That took the redhead by surprise. Of all answers, he didn't expect to hear this.
When Juli looks up, Royse was filled with guilt. The smile on his face disappeared as he took in the older male's appearance.
His expression looked hurt. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. His mouth trembled as he took laboured breaths.
Royse's body moved on its own. He grabs the older male's hand, rubbing it assuringly.
"It's ok, I'm here."
When Juli saw his smile, he nods, calming down.
"Thank you..."
--------------
"Where did that dude go. How rude of him to not find me."
Amy huffed as she surveys the crowd, searching for Royse. When she sees a different redhead, she beams.
Waving her hand, she rushes towards the figure.
"Rohes-"
She halts as she watches the scene.
Her hand slowly retreated to her side.
There in front of her stood Rohesia and Catherine.
Both their hands were intertwined as they walked around the campus.
Smiling as they speak. Laughing at their jokes. Eyes holding so much love with one another.
"Oh my, is that Catherine-sama and Rohesia-sama?"
A student spoke.
"Ah, they've been together lately. They sure are a couple." The other voice giggled.
Amy bites her lip.
She marches away, escaping from the place.
She feels her head go numb and her eyes burning from the tears.
Driven by her emotions, she failed to sense the person in front of her.
She bumped into the person and gritted her teeth.
"Watch it!" She snarls.
Her eyes widened. She looks away when she realizes it was none other than Milivoj. The taller male frowned as he saw her expression.
"You're in the way..." She murmurs before walking past the male. Not sparing another glance.
A strong hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her from her tracks. Amy refused to look at her friend.
"You're always like this. It wouldn't hurt for you to tell me something." He states.
Amy furrowed her brow and turns towards the male, angered by his words.
But as soon as she saw Milivoj's sincere expression, her anger diminished.
She sighs. "You're really stubborn." She comments.
"It seems we are two peas in a pod." He refuted.
Milivoj dragged Amy. The ombre-haired girl didn't find the energy to pull away from the male.
"And where are you kidnapping me to?"
"We haven't settled who won the most rewards."
Amy saw them nearing the game booths.
"Yeah... I guess we haven't..." She trailed.
When she looks at the male, she was surprised to see Milivoj sport a frustrated expression.
As if feeling her gaze, the male spoke. "Just focus on us. If you're distracted, I'll beat you up."
She finally smiles. The scene from a while ago slowly disappeared in her mind.
"As if I'll let you."
--------
Author-dono just took a booster vaccine and has been collapsed on the bed for the past few days.
Author-dono can still work but for a limited time so you may notice how this chapter seemed rushed.
But despite that, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! (' ω '♡)