(A/N: Zier's POV.)
"It's so nice to see you again, Duke Audovár, after such a long time." The king smiled and shook the duke's hand with merry pleasure. Zier followed the two figures with a diplomatic smile, taking a seat on the edge of the sofa next to his father.
The king turned his head to face Zier and grinned. "You've grown."
Zier laughed politely. "Yes, your majesty. I'm honored you remember me."
The king threw up his hands and chortled. "Of course I remember you! A prodigy, this one is." His creased eyes twinkled and his gray hair shined. Despite his age, he seemed to be as lively as he was in his twenties.
"I'm flattered, your majesty." Zier raised the brittle teacup in his hand and took a sip of the freshly brewed tea.
"No, no, I remember when you were just seven or eight. I found you in the palace garden reading a textbook on ancient mathematics and its applications in modern society."
The duke chuckled gleefully at the praise. "Your majesty, you're too kind. It is true my son is quite academic."
The king's expression turned slightly regretful as he continued. "However, when I brought my firstborn son over to show him, you had already left! It's a pity, really. Perhaps if you two had met earlier, you would have joined that Xenith boy and my prince for their lessons these days."
Zier's relaxed smile faltered, and he froze. "...your majesty, the prince and who?"
The king laughed heartily and answered, "Ah, the sheltered Young Master of the Xenith family. Remis Alchean Xenith. It seems my son has taken quite a shine to him. They're always together lately. Though, I suppose it is fitting, considering he will be the closest person to my son in the future."
Zier's hands tightened in his lap, and his smile faded. "The closest person, your majesty says?"
"Well, it seems that Madam Rosé is quite adamant on this new aide pairing of hers. Her family has been serving Vires for generations, and her eyes are good. However..." the king turned his head away awkwardly, "she does tend to have some strange tendencies at times. Hah, with her actions, I wouldn't be surprised if my foolish son ends up courting that young boy..."
Zier gnashed his teeth. The crown prince... courting Rem? His brows furrowed, and his gaze fell downward. Alone, together, all the time...
The king clapped his hands and turned his head to the dishes in front of him. "Ah, what am I saying, rambling to the duke's son about my son's silly attitude. Let's eat, let's eat!"
Zier waved off the subject with a forced smile. "No, please, Your Majesty, I find it fascinating to learn about the prince's life."
He leaned forward with his eyes gleaming. "Say, your majesty... could I possibly join the prince and Lord Remis for today's class?"
----
(A/N: Remis' POV.)
"You must know that just etiquette is not enough. One's impression of you additionally depends on your personality as well as the way they view you." Madam Rosé smiled and stepped forward. I shivered and withdrew further, moving closer to the tsundere to get away from the lurking presence the madam had.
She looked down at the prince with keen, mischievous eyes. "Seduction can bring anyone down, even a king." She whispered slyly.
I choked and twisted my head up with absolute shock.
"Young Lord, you will be seducing the prince."
Her words fell heavy and hit me in the head like a sack of bricks.
I immediately felt the proximity of the prince prickle my skin. Since when did seduction become a part of etiquette class? I wanted to cry. The feeling of self-pity intensified as I caught sight of the prince's flushed face and downcast eyes.
"I'm not going to seduce the Crown Prince!" I protested indignantly, hot smoke billowing out of my ears.
I tried to run off in a fit of anger and humiliation. My footsteps were loud and clear, I got further and further from the pond, but in the end, I wasn't able to get away. Madam Rosé's claw-like hand grabbed the collar of my shirt and flung me straight at the sitting prince.
I hit my head onto his back with a thud. Rubbing the spot sorely, I worked up the nerve to glare at the perpetrator.
"Madam, you're being unreasonable! This must be some form of treason, disrespecting the crown! I'm not allowed to do this in the first place! Prince—!" I huffed.
I'm starting to remember. In the otome, the prince had a first love before the heroine came. There's no way he's willing! I glanced at Lucius with an expectant gaze.
However, the golden-haired boy was staring at the pond in front of him, deliberately ignoring me.
"Prince!" I implored, my voice filled with desperation.
I could feel his back muscles twitch and he slowly turned his head.
"...you know, I don't really care..." he whispered, just enough for the madam to huff in triumph.
My jaw dropped wide open.
----
"Young Lord, rest your chin on the prince's shoulder, with your eyes facing his neck and your mouth close to his ear."
"The prince doesn't feel comfortable!" I interjected.
"...I don't really care..." He turned away.
I shot him a withering glare but could only reluctantly scoot closer to his body. I placed my chin carefully on his shoulder with a grouchy expression and brought my lips closer to his ear. His gaze remained fixed forward, his hands folded rigidly in his lap.
My arms trembled as I leaned on them for support, unwilling to sit any closer.
The madam noticed my subtle twitches and immediately narrowed her eyes in disapproval. Then, her eyes suspiciously lit up, like a villainess once they saw the heroine fall down a flight of stairs.
"You know, Young Lord Xenith... if you do well on seducing the prince, I may grant you permission to my family's private archives. You know very well that my family line is well versed in mana and sorcery studies. Even the royal family doesn't have access to it." She pointed her sharp gaze at me. I gulped and perked up my ears.
"Ancient tomes with relic spells that haven't been seen in hundreds of years... seventh-circle, eighth-circle spells that have been personally created by the Great Mages themselves."
I choked and shot up. "So, all I have to do is flirt a bit...?"
The madam laughed. "Well, it depends how well you flirt, I suppose."
I hesitated for a moment, glancing from Madam Rosé to the prince, who seemed uncomfortably flustered. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all, I thought. Besides, he already has a first love, so he won't take it seriously. I benefit from this situation.
Summoning my courage, I subtly leaned my waist against him. I started to move closer and breathing on his neck languidly.
I rested my head on his lap, my eyes wandering over his chest while wearing a coquettish smile. "Crown prince, you're quite handsome today," I purred. He instantly stiffened and turned beet red.
Snuggling further into his legs coquettishly, I continued. "Would it be okay if we spent just a little more time together?"
As long as I have no shame, he'll be the one to suffer!
----
Moving behind him, I hugged him tightly from behind, resting my head against his back and nuzzling my nose against his clothes. The prince's face was beet red, from anger, I'm sure. I felt a strange sense of satisfaction rise. You know, maybe seduction isn't that bad. I thought and fiddled with the prince's steaming hot ear with a blank stare.
"Good, good." The madam's voice rose with approval. Her back was turned so I couldn't see her face, and her pen was furiously scribbling on her notebook.
My eyes gleamed with newfound confidence. Placing my hand on his inner thigh, I declared, "I'll make sure to use seduction in the future!"
The excessively sparkling mood around the prince instantly turned dark.
I glanced confusedly at him. What's the issue now? I tried to decipher his sudden change in demeanor. "I'll even seduce the king of Nyiel if our country calls for it!" I clarified, hoping to ease the misunderstanding he had.
His mood turned infinitely darker. The prince's scowl deepened, and his eyes narrowed as he turned to face me. With a glare, he asked, "You'll what?"
Growing even more confused by his reaction, I repeated myself, "I'll seduce kings! I'll make them fall for me!" My words seemed to strike a nerve, and his expression darkened further.
The prince spun around and narrowed his eyes. His lips pursed and he pulled me to his chest. I felt his strangely sporadic heartbeat as he softly said, "No." He pouted. "I won't let you."
Visible question marks appeared above my head. "Why? Do you want me to seduce you, instead?"
He turned his head away, but his grip on me remained firm. His heartbeat grew faster and faster, like it was bursting out of his chest. "...I'd be fine with it."
My perplexed expression grew more and more confused. As my eyes aimlessly wandered, a sudden realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. Gradually, I began to understand peculiar reactions and behavior. Ah, I see...
He's a tsundere! Of course he's doing the opposite of his true thoughts! Of course he doesn't want me to seduce him. My god, I thought I missed something for a second. I laughed and patted his head assuredly. "Yeah, yeah, sure."
The moment was interrupted with the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. I turned my head in curiosity.
"Rem? Why are you patting his head?" A familiar voice sounded.
I saw Zier towering in front of me with an angelic, puppyish smile on his face. I beamed and asked, "what are you doing here?"
I laughed happily and stood to face him. The prince glowered, displeased, and shot daggers at Zier with narrowed eyes.
"I wanted to see you, so I came." Zier blushed. I could almost imagine his tail wagging behind him and his endearing puppy ears popping out of his soft hair. It felt as though an imaginary arrow shot through my chest.
"You're adorable~" I exclaimed, unable to resist the urge to reach up on my tiptoes and pat his fluffy, wavy hair.
I was aware of Lucius's increasingly intense glare at Zier, but respectfully chose to ignore it.
Suddenly, I felt a strong pull at my waist from behind, causing me to yelp and flail my arms. I tried to brace myself for an impending fall, but instead, I found myself enveloped in the warmth of a familiar body.
The prince, who had been acting rather strangely, leaned his chin on my head and pouted. He sulked and whispered, "...I'm adorable, too."