Archive of Our Own

At the age of twenty-two, Kaedehara Kazuha transmigrated into an Otome game world.

Although rather than calling this transmigration, it was more like reincarnation. Ironically, like any typical isekai story, he died after getting hit by a truck. Kazuha had wondered why it was always a truck but now that he experienced it firsthand, perhaps there was more to it behind this trend.

Whatever it is though, it didn’t matter to him.

He didn’t know what others would do in his situation, but Kazuha has no desire to return to his old world.

Kazuha’s life until getting struck by a truck could only be considered the life of a retired old man. His mother passed away giving birth to him while his father died when he was only twelve. Due to his overly sensitive senses, he couldn’t live in the city, so he stayed in the countryside where his family home was.

Kazuha had only a handful of friends during school time, but these friends all left to seek bigger opportunities in the cities. Only old folks lived in the rural village with Kazuha being the only exception. He worked as a freelance musician—having composed music for the gaming and anime industry. With his talent in music, it didn’t take long for him to make a name in this field.

Outside of work, he would clean the house, and take a stroll around the neighbourhood…

It was a good life, but it was not the life Kazuha wanted.

Kazuha didn’t like staying in one place. He always dreamed of seeing different parts of the world—to go on a travel. Unfortunately, he could not handle the thick smell of pollution in the cities nor could he stand the sound and smell inside an airplane. Even riding a car makes his stomach turn at the machine noises and gasoline.

So when Kazuha woke in this world, he has never felt more alive.

At first, He hadn’t known that he was in the world of a game he once composed music for. It was only when he learned the name of the nation he was in that he realized. The land of ice and snow he was in was called Snezhnaya. This was one of the seven nations in an otome game called Tears of Genshin.

Kazuha remembered this game because it was the first game he worked on. To better understand the music needed, he worked closely with the writer and the design department to better understand the world within the game. 

Once the game was out, he played it to see how the final product looked. He didn’t care much for the characters, but he greatly enjoyed the fantasy world and the different nations. It was a pity these settings were wasted since this game only takes place in Mondstadt—a country in the game inspired by Germany.

Like all otome games, there were different male characters the player could choose with each of them having their own stories and endings. For this game, there were five capture targets for the player to choose from and one of them was Kazuha.

Kazuha didn’t know why, but the writer for the game got inspired after meeting him while he was working for the company. Kazuha didn’t mind, so he gave her his permission and she recreated one of the five male leads after him.

The Kaedehara Kazuha in the game was an orphan from Inazuma who was found by the Fatui and shipped into Snezhnaya. There, he trained with other children to become soldiers to serve the wintry nation.

Life in Snezhnaya could only be described as hell. Kazuha trained and fought relentlessly day by day, year by year until he eventually rose in ranks and became the youngest Fatui Harbinger. In Kaedehara Kazuha’s route, the player will have to explore his past and free him from his shackles.

In the end, he will rebel against the Tsaritsa, overthrow her and become the new ruler. Together with the Heroine, they will change Snezhnaya and will have a pair of twins.

For the first sixteen years of his isekai life, Kazuha lived through what the in-game Kaedehara Kazuha lived through. However, unlike his in-game character, he was neither traumatized nor was he shackled by the Fatui.

In the game, everything was one-dimensional, where the story of Fatui was only told from the character Kazuha’s perspective. For the real Kazuha who has travelled through the snowstorms and seen the people that lived there, he could see why this nation was the way it was.

Life was simply too harsh for them.

To live, they must become strong.

The Fatui may be evil in the eyes of other nations, but to the people who lived here, they were their strength and hope. The Tsaritsa was not heartless to her people either. She too was thinking of the survival of this land. As for the Fatui, they were dedicated warriors working to bring honour to their nation. For the sake of their nation, they will take on any task—even if they knew they would be walking to their death.

The Harbingers, on the other hand, Kazuha found them hard to read.

They were an unpredictable bunch—though the other Harbingers may say the same about Kazuha. There was no trust between all eleven of them. If one of them suddenly decided to turn around and stab another, no one would be surprised.

They were only comrades in name. Behind their masks, each of them had their own ambitions. However, regardless of what their goal was, their actions ultimately helped push this nation forward.

The Tsaritsa knew that well, which was why Harbingers held the highest power second to her. Kazuha found this gentle and cold queen admirable, but unfortunately, Kazuha did not feel any responsibility for this land he grew up in. People always called him kind, but Kazuha would disagree. He has no desire to play in politics, nor did he think he was special enough to save an entire nation.

His only wish was to put down his uniform and set off on a journey. As an ordinary member of the Fatui, he couldn’t quit. Only by becoming a Harbinger could he have an audience with Her Majesty and tell her his request.

Kazuha knew the Tsaritsa would no doubt approve of him leaving. The only reason he hadn’t done so yet was that he needed to become stronger. This world was vast and there were many unknowns. Dangers were all around so to be able to travel freely, Kazuha needed power. He also needed to properly educate himself about this world.

Shortly after he turned sixteen, he received his first oversea mission, which was to attend the Royal Academy in Mondstadt as a show of goodwill between the two nations.

In Snezhnaya where blood doesn’t rule the throne, the next ruler would always be chosen from one of the eleven Harbingers. So Kazuha’s status in the eye of the other nations would be akin to a prince.

Kazuha knew this was a sign that the game story was starting. While he had no interest in getting involved, he did want to see Mondstadt so he packed his bag and set off.

Mondstadt was a beautiful nation—more so than he ever imagined.

He had lived in the winter land for so long that he forgot how warm the sun can feel. The first thing he did when he arrived at the Academy was to pick a nice open spot and lay on the soft grass.

Since the new school year has yet to start, there weren’t many people around. Occasionally, some students who also arrived early would pass by the garden and see the youngest Harbinger lying there. Many were curious about the handsome boy, but the moment they saw the Snezhnaya uniform, they scurried away like frightened squirrels.

Thanked to that, Kazuha had a peaceful nap for the entire day.

When the sun began to set and the sky was dyed in a gorgeous red hue, Kazuha finally opened his eyes. He stared at the purple clouds drifting over his head and heard the sound of footsteps closing in on him. Just when he was about to sit up, a girl came tumbling out from the bushes beside him, tripping over his outstretched leg and falling face first toward the ground.

“Uwaaah!”

Kazuha lifted a finger and a burst of wind shot out, catching the petite girl and pushing her back onto her feet.

“Wha—?!” The girl stumbled a little and stared at her kimono that was waving to the swirling wind. 

“Are you alright?” Kazuha asked and the girl let out a startled squeak. Kazuha couldn’t help but eyed the clothes this girl was wearing. It had been a long time since he had seen a kimono. This kimono wasn’t colourful nor did it have any vibrant design, but Kazuha could tell with a simple glance that it was expensive with the quality of the fabric. While the kimono was simple, it matched very well with the girl’s beautiful purple hair that flowed down her back.

“You’re—!!” When the purple-haired girl whirled around, her eyes widened in shock upon seeing Kazuha’s face.

Kazuha was stunned as well, but unlike the girl, he was able to control his expression and smiled at her gently.

“…Have we met before?” He asked, tilting his head to the side quizzically while inspecting the girl’s face.

Purple hair, a face more beautiful than any girl Kazuha has ever met, Inazuman clothes…

There was no doubt about it.

This person was…

“N-no, of course not! How could we have possibly met?” The girl laughed awkwardly.

“I see,” Kazuha nodded. “You were looking at me with such a strange expression that I thought perhaps you know me. My apologies.”

“No! I’m the one who should be sorry!” She bowed her head and missed the surprised look on Kazuha’s face. Kazuha blinked his maple-red eyes a couple of times, stunned by the apologies he was getting.

Was his memory wrong?

Was this person not the one he was thinking of?

But that couldn’t be. Kazuha was certain there was only one character with such a description, but this personality was a bit…

“W-well then, I’m in a hurry so—”

“Please wait,” Kazuha called out to her.

The girl stopped, hesitating a little before she turned with an extremely nervous look on her face.

Before Kazuha could get out another word, he saw a flicker of light from the corner of his eyes. He took a small step back as a tall boy with black hair and red eyes shoved himself between them and pointed his blade at the Harbinger’s throat.

“Don’t touch her,” he growled.

“Luke?!” The Inazuman girl shouted in surprise. She tried to step out from behind her protector but was shoved back.

“It would appear there is a misunderstanding. I did not touch the lady,” Kazuha said, not the slightest bit fazed by the weapon pointed at him nor did he make any move to draw his own. He didn’t understand how him standing there got interpreted as him touching the girl. He didn’t even try to reach out for her since grabbing another person to stop them from leaving was beyond rude and inappropriate. If the girl had chosen to keep on running, Kazuha wouldn’t be able to do anything and would have left.

“I simply wanted to ask a question. If my action towards the lady was disrespectful, then I wholeheartedly apologize for my rudeness.”

Kazuha placed a hand over his chest and dipped his head in apologies. His eyes were on the girl when he spoke—completely ignoring the boy between them. Perhaps it was his dismissive behaviour towards the black-haired boy or perhaps it was because he was looking directly at the girl…whichever it was, the boy got angrier. It showed with how he tightened his grip on his sword.

“Luke! Stop that!” The girl shouted. “He wasn’t doing anything to me!”

“You’re too defenceless, Kunikuzushi.”

Hearing that name confirmed Kazuha’s suspicion, but now he got more questions.

Raiden Kunikuzushi.

In the game, this character was the firstborn child of the Raiden Shogun who reigned over Inazuma.

And he was a hundred percent a male—making him a prince.

In the prince of Mondstadt, Henry’s route, Kunikuzushi was the main antagonist. He was a tragic villain, but also a hateful villain that became twisted by the desire of being loved.

Despite being the firstborn child, Kunikuzushi was destined never to succeed the throne because he was too weak. The Raiden Shogun did not believe he was capable of leading the nation, so the seat of the throne was reserved for the secondborn—a princess who was every bit like her mother.

Since then, Kunikuzushi became the forgotten prince who simply exists but has no other use. There was hardly any news about him in Inazuma and he never makes public appearances, so people didn’t even know if he was a prince or a princess. All they knew was that the eldest child of the Raiden Shogun was born with unparalleled beauty but a frail body.

Throughout his life, he was mostly confined in the palace, unable to interact with anyone in the outside world. He was supposed to rot away like that, but Inazuma and Mondstadt signed a new contract to become allies.

To tighten the bond of the two nations, an arranged marriage was necessary.

However, the Raiden Shogun only had two children. With the youngest one needing to succeed the throne, there was no choice but to send out Kunikuzushi.

With a magical ring given by the High Priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Kunikuzushi was able to change his body into a girl. However, this magic was only temporary and the moment the ring was taken off, Kunikuzushi will turn back into a man.

The Raiden Shogun wasn’t worried about breaching the contract because she was already sending out her people to find a sacred fruit in Teyvat that has the power to reconstruct a person’s body.

In this world, permanently altering a human’s gender wasn’t an issue.

Kunikuzushi accepted his new task. He went out into the world and like a newly born chick seeing its mother for the first time, Kunikuzushi fell in love with Henry. He so dearly desired to be loved that he cling to him and wanted nothing but Henry’s attention. He filled his empty heart with him and held onto him like a lifeline. He would write letters every day, hoping to get a response and wanting to meet him again.

Although confined, Kunikuzushi never lacked anything and was well taken care of in the palace. Due to that, he was very entitled and spoiled. He was sharp with words, selfish, and above all, a narcissist. He grew jealous of the heroine for having Henry’s attention so he harassed her at every opportunity.

When his real identity as a male got exposed, the prince finally had a reason to annul their marriage. The situation quickly escalated into a matter between nations, as Inazuma had lied and breached the contract.

Too ashamed to go back to Inazuma and fueled by jealousy, Kunikuzushi went crazy and joined the Abyss Order—an organization of monsters, to overthrow Mondstadt.

In the end, he was killed by the hands of the prince he loved and in his dying moment, he witnessed Henry and the heroine embracing each other and leaving the depth of the Abyss.

That was the story…

That should have been the story…

But now, that Kunikuzushi’s personality wasn’t close to anything to the game and he was hanging around Luke—the marquess and the future Duke of the North. He was one of the five male leads.

“It is clear that I am not welcome, so I will take my leave. Have a good day,” Kazuha said, paying the blade against his neck no mind as he turned to leave. Seeing that if he didn’t withdraw his blade he would slice the Harbinger’s neck, Luke was forced to retract his sword.

His blood-red eyes narrowed as he watched Kazuha walk away.

Kazuha knew he was being watched so he acted natural and kept on going until he was completely out of their sight. He only stopped after he deemed the distance was safe enough. He didn’t know how good the marquess’ senses were, but he was certain that with this much distance, he wouldn’t be able to feel his presence. From there, listened to the two’s conversations and trailed after their scents that lingered in the air. 

Luke escorted Kunikuzushi to the girl’s dormitory before they were forced to part ways. Kazuha waited until the marquess was gone before he followed Kunikuzushi and eavesdropped on her. It didn’t take long for Kazuha to find out the reason behind the drastic change in the antagonist’s personality.

Kunikuzushi has a bad habit of mumbling to herself—to the point where she was spilling her entire life story for Kazuha to hear. Kazuha felt guilty listening to it and many times, he wondered if he should leave but ended up staying anyways.

As he suspected, Kunikuzushi was not the real Kunikuzushi.

The soul inside that body belonged to a twenty-five years old woman who worked as an ordinary office lady in her past life. She was not a fan of Tears of Genshin, but she played the game just to see what the hype was about.

One day, she got hit by a truck when crossing the road and woke up in the body of a five-year-old Kunikuzushi. When she realized she was in the body of a villain and on top of that a boy, she fainted from the shock.

Since then, she began working to avoid the death flags. She vowed not to get close to the male leads and support the heroine, only to fail miserably and have the male leads flock to her.

Now, she got a possessive future Duke of the North, a future captain of the Royal Knight whose mouth got no filters, a future king who wouldn’t cancel their engagement, and a future High Priest who hides his dark nature behind angelic smiles.

When Kazuha heard her prayers of not meeting him again because she doesn’t want to deal with another one, Kazuha went through his memory and realized that yes, his in-game character was quite obsessive. Unfortunately for Kazuha, the writer turned him into a puppy-type character always trailing behind the heroine.

With his questions answered, Kazuha went back to his dorm to sleep. He had no intention of meeting with Kunikuzushi nor did he plan on telling her that he was also from another world. In his view, the past was the past. Perhaps there was a way back, but that got nothing to do with him and he didn’t want to take part in it. In that case, there was no need to spill each other’s secrets, as it would do them no good in adapting to this world.

The lady was twenty-five when she died—a full-grown adult. She was older than him when she died so there was no reason for Kazuha to interfere with how she decided to live her life…

Or so he thought.

“I saw it!”

Kazuha stared at the finger pointing at his nose.

“He stole the mora! I saw this Fatuu bastard sneaking around during that time!”

Kazuha was not new to harassment or bullying. Being from the most hated nation brings a lot of problems to his daily life, but they were trivial matters.

“Then tell us, where were you this morning at ten?!”

Kazuha didn’t bother to give them any explanation because he knew that was not what these people wanted. They simply wanted to frame him, that was all. The easiest way Kazuha could think of to resolve this was to pull out his bankbook. With his income as a Harbinger, there was no reason for him to steal what was pocket changes compared to his salary. But before he could do that, someone else jumped in front of him.

“He didn’t steal your money!” Kazuha stared at the back of the Inazuma princess. “I saw him reading in the back garden during that time.”

“The garden? Why would he be in the garden?!” The second prince of Mondstadt sneered. “Who are you to meddle in this, or are you his accomplice?”

“William, watch your mouth,” a tall boy with blond hair and blue eyes spoke from the doorway. This boy has a slight resemblance to the second prince, but he was much more handsome and radiates with authority as he came to stand between the second prince and Kunikuzushi.

“Brother…” the second prince had a frustrated look when he stared up at his half-brother who was always superior to him in every way.

“Kaedehara Kazuha is a diplomat from Snezhnaya and Kunikuzushi is my fiancée. You’ll do well to remember your respect when speaking to them.”

“…Tch!” The second prince knew he couldn’t win, so he turned and stomped off with his goons.

Kazuha watched them go, then looked at the two in front of him. Prince Henry had a loving look on his face when he looked down on Kunikuzushi, but the girl was completely oblivious to it, giving him a small thanks before looking back at Kazuha.

“Are you alright?” She asked him with a worried look on her face.

“Yes,” Kazuha answered politely. “But next time, you need not interfere.”

“Kunikuzushi saved you.” Henry frowned at Kazuha’s response. “Is this how you thank your saviour?”

“Saviour is quite the exaggeration,” Kazuha replied calmly, meeting the prince’s gaze. “They would not be able to do anything to me even if they found ways to prove I had committed theft. It was nothing but a childish ploy to make me look bad. Although I suggest Your Highness to exercise some caution.”

"What do you mean?" Henry's frown dropped even more, but Kazuha wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Kunikuzushi. 

Kunikuzushi fidgeted under Kazuha's gaze and looked over her shoulder, but didn't see anyone. 

"By Your Highness…are you talking to me?" She asked, pointing to herself and Kazuha responded with a small nod. 

"Of course, Your Highness." 

Henry took a small step to shield Kunikuzushi behind him and Kazuha couldn't help but find this posture weird. Both he and Luke did the same thing. Did they think this was some sort of protective gesture? This did nothing but put a target on the person they're so blatantly trying to protect.

If Kazuha has any intention of attacking them, it would be arrogant of them to believe they could fight him while using their back to protect their loved ones. This gesture would only make their loved ones face greater danger because their views were being obstructed, hence they cannot see any incoming attacks towards them. 

"Prince Henry seems rather hostile towards me."

"Should I not be?" Henry asked back. He smiled, but it was an empty smile that didn't reach his eyes. 

Kazuha ignored him and looked over to Kunikuzushi who was peeking her head out from behind Henry. 

“Your Highness should not nose dive into a problem that you know nothing of—especially one that involves the royalties. The wisest course of action would be to call a teacher. The worst thing you could have done was to make up a lie for another person, which was what you did. I was in the city during that time, so you could not have seen me. You have no way of knowing if I was the real culprit, yet you still made a false alibi for me. That is very inappropriate, considering your status.”

“I know you didn’t steal it, that’s why I—”

“No, you don't,” Kazuha cut her off, but he did so in a gentle tone. He knew she meant well, so he didn’t want to come off as scolding her. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you do not know me, so how can you say so certainly?”

“That is enough, Kazuha,” Henry cut back into the conversation, his blue eyes looking coldly at Kazuha. “Kunikuzushi helped you out of the kindness of her heart, not only did you not thank her, you are now reprimanding her?”

“You are correct, that responsibility should have been her fiancé's,” Kazuha responded and the prince looked like Kazuha had slapped him across the face.

“You—!”

“Wait, Henry!” Kunikuzushi scrambled to get around Henry and jumped between the two men, stopping her fiancé from going up to Kazuha.

“A word of advice for you, Your Highness. Life is precious and chances don’t come by often. You should live your own life instead of pleasing others.”

“…What?”

Kunikuzushi stared at Kazuha, dumbfounded. When Kazuha saw that look on her, he automatically looked away because of how unnatural that expression looked. It was like the girl in front of her was wearing a mask over her face…

It didn’t fit at all.

“Ignore him. That’s how these Fatui are,” Henry said as he wrapped an arm around Kunikuzushi’s waist and pulled her close. Kazuha took in that sight before he turned and walked out of the classroom.

Kazuha tried to stay clear of Kunikuzushi since then, but they had a few classes with each other so completely avoiding her was impossible. While Kunikzushi stopped meddling in Kazuha’s affair, she did not stop for other people.

Every day, Kazuha would watch her run around like an errand girl and talk happily with her friends. But more than that, Kazuha witnessed plenty of moments she had with these male leads.

He had seen Prince Henry carrying her bridal style into the classroom because she twisted her ankle.

He saw the way the swordsman Leon grabbed her by her wrist, pulled her onto his horse (into his arms) and rode off into the forest of Wolvendom.

He saw Adam—the priest apprentice—helping Kunikuzushi deliver some documents for the teacher while walking so close that their bodies were literally touching.

He came across the marquess, Luke, performing a flawless wall slam to trap Kunikuzushi against the wall and asking “who was that man?”

Kazuha started to wonder if his fellow transmigrator was doing this on purpose. Everything about that woman was contradictory. She was smart. She proved that with her top grades, yet at the strangest times, she would make the most basic mistake that even the dumbest person couldn’t make.

However, after assessing her again, Kazuha confirmed that she wasn’t doing any of that on purpose.

Kunikuzushi was truly that dense.

After discovering such frightening talent, Kazuha put more effort into avoiding her. Anytime he was off from class, he would go into the city to relax and take his mind off the game story.

Unlike the game where there were only a few NPCs, the City of Freedom was bustling with people.

Kazuha took his time exploring and learning about this wonderful city.

One of his favourite places to visit was the taverns. He loved to sit in the corner, taking in the cheerful atmosphere and listening to the bards’ performance. These bards always have many interesting stories to share and gossips were also easy to get with his keen hearings.

The most interesting thing Kazuha found was the tavern owner of Angel’s Share, Diluc.

Not only was this tavern owner a person blessed by the gods, but he also discovered the man would go out during the night to fight against monsters trying to invade the city. He was strong, so much so that Kazuha was tempted to ask for a chance to spar with him to witness his swordsmanship up close.

The Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya, was another person Kazuha came to know in this tavern. Despite his best to stay out of people’s sight, that knight captain would often seek him out to talk to him.

Kazuha welcomed his company and they would often talk late into the night. However, despite their friendly atmosphere, Kazuha knew this man was watching him as well as Diluc. He couldn’t blame them since he was indeed a Harbinger. It would be stupid of them to not have their guards up around him.

After hanging around the tavern until midnight with Kaeya and performing a few songs for the audience, Kazuha was finally kicked out by Diluc. Regardless of his status, he was still a minor so Diluc told him to go back to his school.

Despite not liking the Fatui, Diluc was very kind and generous towards Kazuha. Perhaps the fact that he was a child also made Diluc unable to be fully hostile toward him. If he was not a Harbinger, Kazuha was certain that he would get along well with the two brothers. It was truly a pity.

With a heavy sigh, Kazuha walked down the lonely street and towards the academy. The night was cool and the crisp night air brought great peace to him.

But then, he caught some commotions within the wind…

“Let me go!!”

“Shut up, stupid bitch!”

Recognizing that voice, Kazuha summoned a burst of wind and leaped onto a building. He jumped from roof to roof, his footsteps quiet until he landed near where the sound was coming from.

When Kazuha peered over the roof, he saw two large men dragging the petite Kunikuzushi into the alleyway.

“Really…” Kazuha wondered why every time he sees her, that girl would be in some sort of trouble. He raised a finger, gathering a ball of condensed wind before he fired them at the two men—hitting them in the temple.

Without the chance to make any sound, they crumbled onto the ground—knocked out cold.

Kazuha took a step back to avoid being seen as he listened to Kunikuzushi fumbling around before running out of the alleyway. At the end of the street, a panicking marquess could be seen rushing over with his guards and Leon following close behind.

“Kunikuzushi!”

“L-Luke…! Leon!”

Seeing that Kunikuzushi was safe, Kazuha turned and quietly left. What he didn’t know was that the moment he turned around, Kunikuzushi looked behind her and saw the tip of his scarf disappearing behind the roof.

The very next day, Kazuha was greeted by Kunikuzushi waiting for him at the doorway of their classroom. She held out a box of her handmade cookies and began thanking him for saving her. Kazuha stared at the cookie and noticed the priest apprentice at the end of the hallway. The other boy was staring at him with a smile, but Kazuha could see malicious intentions swirling within those darkened eyes.

“I don’t know why Your Highness suddenly wanted to give me these gifts, but I will politely decline.”

“I know it was you. You saved—”

“Class is about to being, please excuse me.” Kazuha walked around her and into the classroom.

Kunikuzushi went after him a few more times after that, adamant that it was he who saved her. In response, Kazuha continued to pretend he has no idea what she was saying and made himself harder for her to find. During this time when she was pestering him, he noticed that all the other male leads were now looking at him like he was their sworn enemy.

In the end, these male leads worked together in keeping Kunikuzushi away from him, returning Kazuha his peace and quiet.

Like this, half a year passed and finally, the heroine arrived.

The heroine was called Caroline with long brown hair and soft chocolate-brown eyes. From the moment Kazuha met her, he knew that she too was another person who transmigrated into this world. He learned of this by overhearing her calling people who didn’t appear in the game as mobs while those who did as NPCs.

Oh, and that she was hit by a truck.

Her attitude towards this world was that this was a game where everything exists for the heroine—who was her. She instantly set off on her conquest by going after the male leads and trying to score points with them.

Caroline was a good actor and a huge fan of the game. With her knowing all the male leads like the back of her hand, she knew what to do and what not to do. She also knew that as a commoner without any background, she got no chance in approaching the male leads due to their higher status.

To approach them and not look out of place, she decided to use a third person and that person was Kunikuzushi.

With how different her personality was, Caroline instantly knew that Kunikuzushi was also a transmigrator. Caroline instantly developed a hatred towards Kunikuzushi, thinking that she was stealing away her harem.

On the other hand, Kunikuzushi immediately sucked up to Caroline and fawned over her. She desperately wanted her happy ending, but she also thought Caroline was a very sweet and cute girl she must protect. She also knew that Caroline was meant to be with the first prince since that was the true route, so she introduced the newly transferred girl to her fiancé.

Ever since Kazuha discovered Caroline’s identity and ambition, he was careful to never appear in front of her. He knew with a simple glance that she wasn’t someone who can accept the word no so rather than confronting her, he decided to not appear at all. Caroline had actively tried to seek him out, but each time Kazuha would disappear before she could get close.

Since Kazuha was rather hated in school, no one else could tell Caroline anything about him. Without any luck in finding Kazuha let alone getting close to him, Caroline turned to Kunikuzushi for help.

Kunikuzushi was hesitant at first, but she agreed after Caroline gave her the teary eyes.

Kazuha knew Kunikuzushi was only trying to be kind and help out a friend, but this kindness of hers was nothing but meddling in his perspective. Thanks to that, Kazuha had to jump out of the classroom window to escape from his stalker.

Time slowly ticked by and Kazuha watched Caroline’s relationships with the male leads grow. Through their interactions, the male leads also changed from their initial indifference to being slightly friendlier until Kazuha began seeing Caroline interacting with them without Kunikuzushi around.

Before, the male leads were only interested in talking to her because of Kunikuzushi but soon, an actual bond was established and Kunikuzushi was no longer needed as the middle person.

Then, strange things started to happen.

They were small things at the beginning, such as Caroline’s backpack getting soaked, some of her pencils gone missing, her textbook had a page torn out…

These were very small and petty things without any clues to the perpetrator. This lasted for a while before things escalated a little…then another little…

It continued until it became so bad that Caroline was suffering new injuries almost every single day. When asked what happened, she would only show her pure smile and said that everything was fine. She never changed how she interacted with the male leads or Kunikuzushi.

As time passed, rumours began to surface of how someone saw Kunikuzushi raising a hand against Caroline. Initially, no one took it seriously. They were rumours without any proof, and Caroline could be seen smiling with Kunikuzushi. However, as more and more of those rumours accumulated, people’s opinions began to sway.

After all, the person Caroline interacted with the most was Kunikuzushi. The two of them were almost inseparable, so how else could Caroline suffer these injuries if not inflicted by the Inazuman girl?

The male leads on the other hand were firm in their beliefs that Kunikuzushi was innocent. They knew how kind and gentle Kunikuzushi was, so it was unthinkable for them that Kunikuzushi would do anything bad.

But then, Caroline started to show her claws in front of Kunikuzushi when they were alone. She showed her real expression, revealing her true identity and behaved like a maniac—saying things like how she will kill everyone Kunikuzushi loved.

Kunikuzushi was naturally frightened yet without any evidence, she couldn’t say anything. The only thing she could do was to tell the male leads to watch out for Caroline, but she never gave them the reason why. She didn’t want them going near the other transmigrator, fearing Caroline will do something crazy.

This backfired on her, just like Caroline planned. Caroline had been nothing but sweet to all of them and was constantly singing Kunikuzushi’s praises. She made herself Kunikuzushi’s best friend in the eyes of other people so when Kunikuzushi talked badly behind her back, the four male leads’ views started to shift.

The first to change was the knight Leon. He was a straightforward person who hated underhanded tactics, so the moment Kunikuzushi talked behind Caroline’s back, he immediately disagreed with her. He tried to convince Kunikuzushi that she was overthinking and how wrong she was about Caroline, but Kunikuzushi didn’t listen to him.

As for Henry, Luke, and Adam…they thought Kunikuzushi was jealous.

They thought Kunikuzushi didn’t want them paying attention to other girls and found it endearing. They started interacting more with Caroline to see Kunikuzushi get jealous even more. However, when rumours worsen, Henry thought things were getting out of hand so he began telling Kunikuzushi to stop.

Step by step, Kunikuzushi was driven away from her friends and potential lovers—until she became the target of bullying by the rest of the school for her treatment of Caroline. The students who used to fawn over Kunikuzushi now fawned over Caroline. Instead of Caroline, Kunikuzushi became the one suffering injuries every day, but those bruises were all hidden under her uniform.

One night, Kazuha woke to someone knocking on his door. He knew who it was from the sound, but he decided to open the door.

He was greeted by Kunikuzushi who was wearing only a white dress shirt with the school’s standard short skirt. Her entire body was soaked in dirty water that smelled of garbage, making her shirt transparent and allowing Kazuha to see the pink bra she was wearing underneath. Her left cheek was bruised and her beautiful long purple hair was now very choppy and only reaching to her neck.

“Please, Kazuha…” Kunikuzushi cried, her entire body shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. “You’re the only one I can go to…I don’t know where else to go…”

“Come in.” Kazuha stepped aside to let her in. “Take a shower and warm up. I’ll get you some clothes you can wear.”

Unable to turn away a person in need of help, Kazuha showed her to the bathroom and handed her some of his clean clothes. After that, he warmed up the leftovers he had and began changing the bedsheet and pillowcase.

After Kunikuzushi came out, Kazuha set the food in front of her and told her to eat.

He sat on the other side of the table, reading a book while sipping on a cup of hot tea. When he noticed Kunikuzushi stopped eating halfway, he looked up to see her staring at him.

“…Thank you,” Kunikuzushi said, looking down shyly when their gaze met.

Once again, Kazuha took notice of how awkward that expression was on her face. With a beautiful face like Kunikuzushi’s, one would think that the owner would hold their head up high in confidence, not shy away.

“Do you…hate me?”

“Why do you ask?” Kazuha asked, wondering if she was asking about him avoiding her.

"You never call me by my name."

Kazuha's brows raised at this and a small frown tugged on his lips.

"Your Highness…you are a princess," he reminded her.

"But we're all students here and you're my classmate! You can call me by my name."

Kazuha stared at her for the longest time before he let out a small sigh and shook his head. "With all due respect, I must decline, Your Highness." 

Kunikuzushi looked more down than before, but Kazuha ignored her and resumed reading his book.

“The rumours…you’ve heard it too, right?” Kunikuzushi asked after another long moment of silence. Kazuha looked back up and saw tears welling up in her eyes.

“I know you’re not the one behind it.”

“Eh?” Her head snapped up in surprise.

“I have good hearings,” he informed her. “I know you didn’t do any of what the rumours claimed you did.”

At this, Kunikuzushi finally burst into tears. She cried her heart out, glad that she finally found someone on her side.

“Luke, Henry, Leon, everyone…no one was listening to me! No one believed me when I said it wasn’t me,” she sobbed.

Kazuha handed her some tissues and let her cry out her pain. After she was done, her eyes were red and he knew they would swell up tomorrow morning.

“You can sleep on my bed,” Kazuha said, gesturing to his bed. “I’ve already changed the sheets. I will sleep elsewhere so you can have this room to yourself for the night.”

“No, you don’t have to do that!” Kunikuzushi said while frantically wiping away her tears. “I’ll go back to—”

“If you are caught wearing my clothes on your way back, you will get in trouble and more rumours will be spread,” Kazuha told her, though that was only what will come afterward. When he saw the state Kunikuzushi was in, he knew she was attacked in her own dorm by the other girls.

If she was smart, then she would bring the issue to the teachers and inform them of what was happening.

If not…

“T-then…the floor is fine. I can sleep on the floor, you don’t have to go. This is your room, after all.”

Kazuha couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't know where her confidence was coming from, or perhaps she was naturally born with zero sense of danger and common sense. He didn’t want to say anything cruel when she was down like this, but he felt like she needed to know.

“This attitude of yours…you best change it.”

“What do you mean?” Kunikuzushi blinked, not understanding a thing he said.

“His Highness the first prince, the marquess, the swordsman, the priest apprentice. Were you aware of their affection towards you?”

“Huh?”

Kazuha observed Kunikuzushi’s reaction and it was genuine shock.

“As I thought, you did not realize."

“I don't know what you're thinking, but we're just friends!” Kunikuzushi immediately denied it, not even giving it a moment of thought.

“That is the attitude, Your Highness,” Kazuha pointed out. “I am unable to understand how they look in your eyes, but to everyone else, their intentions towards you are as clear as the water of Cider Lake.

“I’m telling you, that’s—”

“There is a fine line between being kind and being foolish. In my eyes, you crossed that line long ago. Kindness does not require you to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm. You not only lit yourself on fire, you also doused yourself in oil to burn brighter.”

“Are you…are you saying it’s all my fault?” Kunikuzushi asked, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

“No,” Kazuha shook his head. “You are not at fault, but you need to have more self-awareness. Even a kind person has to be mindful of their actions and how they interact with people. Your Highness, you seemed unaware of this but you have the unhealthy habit of leading people on.”

“Leading? What leading?”

“You allow other men to easily approach you and touch you. You let them dominate you and let them do whatever they want with you. Certainly the fault is on them for crossing the line, but you also bear the fault of not showing or telling them where that line is. Would that not be sending them the wrong message? On top of that, you are engaged and have a fiancé who is the first prince.”

“That’s—! They just did it, I couldn’t do anything to stop them!”

“Is that so?” Kazuha tapped his finger against the table and recalled one of the scenes he came across. “Three months ago, I saw you with your attendant buying flowers at Floral Whisper. The plaza was then swarmed with Barbara fans who spotted her in the district and the entire place became chaotic. Do you recall that?”

“Yeah…you were there too?” Kunikuzushi asked, remembering that time vividly.

“You were pushed by the wave of people when Leon grabbed your hand and pulled you aside. Instead of bringing you back to your attendant, he dragged you off into an alleyway. Was that him forcing you to go with him?”

“Yes…well, no…he was helping me.”

“By pulling you into an alleyway?”

“He thought I was scared so he brought me to the nearby café to help me calm down. Why are you asking me all this?”

Kazuha’s brows raised at that. He could hardly believe that there was someone in this world that was this dense.

“He thought you were frightened, so instead of bringing you back to your attendant who serves you and will bring you to somewhere safe, he decided to drag away you into an alleyway—where you two will be alone—then to a café. Just the two of you.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Kunikuzushi asked, starting to get a little defensive with how Kazuha was almost interrogating her.

“This is what I mean about sending the wrong message. And you still don’t understand how your action could affect this?”

“I know him, so I went along! Even if I didn’t want to, what else am I supposed to do?”

“Scream,” Kazuha answered simply. “Either scream out of anger at his rudeness towards you or scream out of fear. If you had cried out, the people around you will come to your rescue. There were also many knights already at the scene trying to control the crowd. Even if they did not hear your cry for help, the people around you will certainly alert them of your situation.”

“I told you, he was saving me!”

“And I am saying that he saved you with an ulterior motive in mind. If he truly was trying to save you, he would bring you back to your attendant. You allowed and even encouraged his inappropriate action toward you. Do you not understand how dangerous that is, Your Highness?”

“I’m telling you it’s not like that!” Kunikuzushi raised her voice a little. “This has nothing to do with you!”

“…You’re right,” Kazuha stood up, walking over to the sink and opened the tap to wash his cup. “It has nothing to do with me, so I will shall not further discuss it. Although there is one more thing I still must say.”

After putting his cup onto the drying rack, he then put his book back onto his shelf.

“Even now, you are sending a mixed signal to me. You came to me—a man—in the middle of the night completely soaked and showing your undergarment. I am not your friend. I would not call our relationship acquaintances either. We are strangers at best. If I was any less of a man—no, any less of a human, I would have attacked you. Do you still not see the problem?”

“I know you wouldn’t do that—”

“How do you know?”

“That’s because—!!” Kunikuzushi snapped her mouth shut at the last moment but Kazuha knew what she wanted to say.

She didn’t believe Kazuha would do something like that because the Kazuha in the game was not that type of character.

“Even now, you are blinded by your beliefs,” Kazuha sighed. She was so confident in her understanding of these characters that she forgot this was how she landed in this situation. He already said this much so if this woman still didn’t get it, then there was nothing more he could do.

“Have a good night.” Kazuha left his dorm—making sure to flick the lock on his way out since he couldn't trust her to have the awareness to do so. The moment he stepped into the hallway, he was met with a black-haired man leaning against the wall in front of him. His arms were crossed and his blood-red eyes glared murderously at Kazuha.

“Marquess,” Kazuha greeted the man who took three wide strides and came to tower over Kazuha.

“What did you do?” He spoke through gritted teeth, but Kazuha only blinked innocently.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Don’t play me for a fool. Open the door, I'm here to get Kunikuzushi.”

“Pardon?”

“I said open the door!” The marquess took another step closer and Kazuha could feel his breath on his face. “Kunikuzushi’s—”

“Marquess, this is the male’s dormitory,” Kazuha reminded him and his eyes narrowed coldly. The pressure that was rolling off the youngest Harbinger wasn't any less than the black-haired boy. “Surely you are not suggesting a girl is here—in the middle of the night no less?”

“Hand her over. I won’t repeat myself a third time.”

“Then please do not make me repeat either,” Kazuha countered back. “Leave before I summon the teachers.”

“You’re telling me to leave?!”

“You do not live in the dormitory therefore you are a trespasser. Even if you are the future duke, you do not have any power here.”

Luke glared at Kazuha. He moved to walk around the Harbinger but in a blink of an eye, Kazuha summoned his sword and held it in front of the man—stopping him in his path.

Despite the windows being closed, wind began to pick up in the hallway while lightning sparked from Luke’s body.

The green and purple Visions on their bodies began to glow as they stared at each other, neither one of them was budging.

BAM!

Luke jumped at the sudden loud noise.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

The loud noises repeated, echoing down the hallway as strong blasts of wind repeatedly slammed into the doors around them.

“SHUT UP! IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!”

“WE’RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!!”

"I GOT A TEST TOMORROW!!!"

“WHO THE FUCK’S BANGING ON THE DOOR?!!”

Angry screams echoed from behind the doors, followed by noises as the boys began getting out of their beds.

“You…!!” Luke turned back to Kazuha whose sword was now gone from his hand. The Harbinger was leaning against his door and looking up at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

Luke looked like he was about to burst a vein, but there was nothing he could do as Electro wrapped around his body.

“If you dare to touch even one hair on her body, I’ll kill you in the most painful ways!” In a flicker of light, he was gone and the male students came into the hallway to see what was going on.

"To speak of killing so easily…and they say Snezhnaya is paved by blood,” Kazuha mumbled as he walked through the confused students and left. Now that the entire dormitory was awake, he was certain that Luke will not risk coming back.

When Kazuha returned to his dorm in the morning, Kunikuzushi had already left. Since then, Kazuha did not talk to her. Kunikuzushi tried to approach him a few times, but he avoided all her attempts. She could not even find the opportunity to return the clothes he lent her and Kazuha had no interest in taking those back.

Time continued to pass with the situation playing into Caroline’s hands.

Nothing had changed.

As the school year came to a close, they were at the end of the school year party.

Naturally, this came the inevitable scene where the prince annuls the marriage in front of the entire school. But instead of finding out the truth about Kunikuzushi’s gender, Prince Henry was accusing his fiancée of the bullying done to Caroline.

He wanted Kunikuzushi to apologize and admit to those crimes. When Kunikuzushi tried to explain she didn’t do anything, no one listened. She looked around, having a lost look in her eyes as everyone looked down at her.

Then, her eyes fell onto Kazuha.

Kazuha met her gaze, but he made no move to step up and speak for her.

Kunikuzushi let out a bitter laugh and dropped her head. Kazuha frowned at how she seemed to have given up. He wondered if she still remembered whose body she was occupying. She was a princess—or prince. Even if she was unfavoured by the Raiden Shogun, she still held power over most of these students.

Yet time and time again, she did not use this power.

She tried to be headstrong and resolved problems on her own, but reality only further beat her down. At any point, if she stopped enduring and stop being headstrong—if she had told someone with authority what was happening to her, then the entire situation would have easily flipped around.

She has background, wealth, and power, but she didn’t know how to use any of them.

She behaved like a common girl for so long that she lost the respect people would show to a royalty.

“Kunikuzushi…” Henry softened his voice. “I only wanted you to admit your wrongdoing so we can work together to fix it.”

“But I really…didn’t do anything…I-I really…” Kunikuzushi was crying so hard that her words were becoming inaudible.

Kazuha looked over these four male leads and saw how all of them had a pained expression upon seeing her tears.

Henry looked like he was using every muscle in his body to stop himself from running to her.

Leon’s hands rolled into tight fists before he ultimately turned his head away so he wouldn’t look at her.

Adam was frowning—though Kazuha caught the way the corner of his lips almost quirked upward a couple of times.

Unable to watch, Luke stepped forward. He wrapped his black cape around Kunikuzushi and stood in front of her.

“Enough, Your Highness. Can’t you talk to Kunikuzushi in private?”

Kazuha keenly caught the way Luke phrased his words…

“Yes,” Caroline nodded, tugging at Henry’s shirt. “Please, Prince Henry…this is enough.”

“But…”

“Kunikuzushi!” Caroline ran up to Kunikuzushi and grabbed her hands, holding them tightly in her own. "It's alright, I don't blame you at all. Let's go, okay? Let's get out of here."

She then leaned in and whispered something. She spoke with a sweet smile on her face, but Kazuha could clearly hear what she said.

"Do you think they will look at you when you’re a disgusting man?”

“NOOO!!” Kunikuzushi pushed Caroline away. Caroline let out a yelp, her fingers grabbing tightly onto Kunikuzushi’s ring and pulled while pretending to fall backward. With her other hand, she reached out and fisted Kunikuzushi’s top. Kunikuzushi was wearing a strapless ball gown so the top was easily ripped off at the same time as her ring left her finger.

In a blink of an eye, her—his bountiful chest was gone, becoming completely flat with the pink bra hanging there.

Gasps echoed throughout the room as Kunikuzushi stared down at her body in horror.

“N-no, this isn’t what it looks like! Luke—” Kunikuzushi reached out to Luke who was the closest to her, but the marquess was still in shock and couldn’t react. Kunikuzushi then looked to Leon, Adam and Henry—all of them having the same look of shock on their faces.

“I’m not…I’m not…!!” Kunikuzushi began to hyperventilate, unable to deal with everything that was happening. She clutched onto her chest and bent over, curling into a fatal position as the whispers around her grew louder and louder.

Finally snapping out of shock and seeing Kunikuzushi curled up, Luke knelt down in front of her. He reached out his hands—about to pull her into his arms only to be slapped away with so much force that the back of his hands turned into a bright shade of red.

Kazuha’s eyes widened when he caught a dangerous smell, followed by the air that was beginning to move within this closed space. Kazuha wasn’t moving this wind and there was no other Anemo Vision holder in this room so where…?

“Hey what’s that?”

“Something’s shining…”

Whisper travelled through the crowd as bright green light shone from Kunikuzushi. When Kunikuzushi sat up and held out his hands, everyone saw the Anemo Vision lying in his palm.

“A Vision?!” Caroline gasped in shock.

“Kuni—” Luke was about to reach for Kunikuzushi again, but Kunikuzushi cocked his head and a blast of wind slammed into him, throwing him across the room and smashing him into the banquet table. The crowd screamed and everyone stumbled back in a mixture of surprise and fear.

“Pfft…”

Kazuha’s eyes widened. The aura around Kunikuzushi has completely changed.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Kunikuzushi threw his head back, letting out a burst of maniacal laughter that left the entire ballroom stunned.

“Finally! After eleven fucking years!” Kunikuzushi slowly stood up and clutched the Vision tightly in his hand. When he noticed the bra hanging on his chest, his face twisted in disgust and ripped it off. He looked down at the dress, then swept his eyes across the room before finding his attendant.

The man was standing against the wall, never once speaking up when his master was being cornered by these people.

“Hey, get my clothes.”

“H-huh?” The attendant looked around before realizing Kunikuzushi was talking to him.

In a blink of an eye, Kunikuzushi appeared in front of this man. He grabbed him by the neck before a gust of wind lifted them into the air until they were hovering two meters off the ground.

“Hurk!! Ugh!!” The attendant choked, scratching at Kunikuzushi’s hands while his feet kicked helplessly.

“What the heck was that response? When I tell you to get my clothes, you fetch them. Are you deaf, or did a mere servant like you forgotten your identity?”

Kunikuzushi didn’t wait for a response before letting go, dropping the man onto his butt.

“Oh, and I meant my personal clothes, not those ugly uniforms. You have ten minutes before I gouge out your eyeballs and shove them down your throat.”

“Y-yes…!” The man whimpered, holding down his pain as he scrambled onto his feet and ran off.

Kunikuzushi clicked his teeth at how pathetic the servant was. He was useless, just like the fool who had her way with his body. The servant truly takes after the master.

“K-Kunikuzushi?”

Kunikuzushi looked over his shoulder to see Henry staring at him with wide eyes.

“That’s right…you asked if I admit to any of my crimes, didn’t you?” Kunikuzushi drawled. A smile lifted his lips, but it wasn’t that pure, innocent smile so many people fell in love with. It was a sarcastic, mocking smile yet this kind of devilish smile fitted his face perfectly, making him look all the more alluring.

At this moment, Kunikuzushi was like a rose that finally came into full bloom…except this rose’s thorns were coated in the deadest poison.

“Yes, I admit to everything!”

Once more, the entire ballroom was silenced by that response.

“What’s wrong? I’m admitting to my crimes,” Kunikuzushi said, walking forward with his heels clicking against the marble tiles.

“I’ve slapped this bitch,” Kunikuzushi smiled as he came to stand in front of Caroline.

SLAP!

Caroline fell to the ground after the powerful blow she received to her cheek.

“I’ve stepped on her,” Kunikuzushi added, stomping on her hand with his thin heel and making her scream.

“It’s hilarious, watching how hard she tried smiling at me while I beat her into the ground like this. I even fed her mud and cockroaches. You should remember that when you kiss her filthy mouth.”

“Kunikuzushi!” Leon shouted with anger twisting his face. “How could you do this?!”

“What, this?” Kunikuzushi twisted his heel, making Caroline cry out even more.

“That is enough!!” Henry yelled. “Let Caroline go! Kunikuzushi, how did you become like this?!”

“I’ve always been like this. Don’t blame me when you were too blind to see it.”

Kunikuzushi gave another stomp on Caroline’s hand.

“AAAAAAAH!!”

“KUNIKUZUSHI!!” Leon charged forward, unable to watch anymore. He grabbed Kunikuzushi’s shoulder and forcefully pulled him off Caroline. When he opened his mouth—no doubt to scream at the prince, Kunikuzushi whirled around with his hand slicing through the air.

SLAP!

Leon’s head snapped to the side before a powerful wind followed and threw him into the other side of the ballroom. Kunikuzushi then turned back to Caroline and thrust his foot into her gut, kicking her toward Henry who was running to them.

Seeing Caroline flying his way, Henry raised his arms, catching the brunette and breaking her fall.

“Caroline!” Henry gasped when Caroline choked out a mouthful of blood, meaning her internal organs got damaged in that kick.

“P-prince…L-Leon…” Caroline gasped with tears flooding down her eyes.

“Get the medic!” Henry shouted and the staff immediately ran off to get help. After that, he turned and glared at Kunikuzushi so hard that Kunikuzushi let out a laugh.

“Hey now, have you forgotten who your real fiancé is?”

“Kunikuzushi, as of right now, I will terminate our engagement! I will not have a fiancé as wicked as you!”

“Should have said so sooner,” Kunikuzushi muttered and noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned to see that useless servant of his trying to squeeze his way through the crowd.

“P-princess—I mean, prince!” His attendant tumbled to a stop in front of him and held out the dark purple kimono and wooden sandals.

Kunikuzushi frowned at the yukata that was clearly for a woman, but it was still better than a ballgown. With one swift movement, he put on the kimono and removed the gown. Rather than dressing up formally like how the imposter always had, Kunikuzushi tied the obi low and loose around his waist with his kimono parting widely to show off his very flat chest.

After that, he slipped his feet into the sandals, glad to finally be rid of those heels. Other than being decent weapons, Kunikuzushi didn't see why women like to wear these things.

“Kunikuzushi!” Kunikuzushi turned to see Luke coming back after recovering from the attack. “What happened to you?”

“Isn’t this how I always am in you people’s eyes?” Kunikuzushi asked back.

Luke opened his mouth, but he couldn’t say anything. Kunikuzushi smirked at this. He walked forward until their bodies were almost pressing against each other. Kunikuzushi reached up a hand, watching the way the man’s face turned redder and redder.

Just as Luke brought his hands up to hold onto Kunikuzushi, Kunikuzushi snatched what was in the man’s breast pocket and jumped back. He landed next to a table and picked up the glass of red wine that was left there by someone. 

“Kunikuzushi—”

Kunikuzushi’s lips split open in a wide smirk and unfolded the papers he took from Luke. His eyes quickly scanned through the content while swirling the wine around and around in the cabernet glasses. Once he was done, he tossed the papers into the air and sharp blades made out of wind began slicing the pages over and over until it was reduced to dust.

“Kunikuzushi!” Luke was shocked by his beloved’s action. “Why did you—that would have cleared your name!”

SPLASH!

Luke stood there, his face and shirt soaked by the wine Kunikuzushi had splashed on him.

“I’m in a good mood right now, so don't spoil my fun,” Kunikuzushi told him and set the empty glass back onto the table. He walked away from Luke, his eyes sweeping over the audience until he found Kazuha.

“Why don’t you come over here?” He called and all eyes in the room fell onto Kazuha. “We already spent the night together, surely you’re not planning to act like we’re strangers?”

Kazuha didn’t care about his reputation which was sure to plummet even further, but he was curious as to what this real Kunikuzushi wanted. He walked out of the crowd and stopped before Kunikuzushi. He looked down at the Anemo Vision Kunikuzushi in the other boy’s hand and tilted his head in curiosity.

“Did this manifest the moment you took over?”

“I knew it,” Kunikuzushi smirked and twirled his Vision between his fingers. “You know my identity. Who are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. It might work on that idiot but it won’t work on me. You’re an outlander like her, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Kazuha answered, not hiding anything. “What happened to the lady?”

“Lady?” Kunikuzushi laughed like he was told something funny. “What part of that fool looked like a lady? But I suppose I should thank her for being such a moron. If her spirit didn’t get weakened so much, it would take me a little longer to reclaim my body.”

“And the lady?”

“Gone,” Kunikuzushi looked into Kazuha’s eyes tauntingly. “I tore her soul apart, ground it into pieces until nothing is left. What will you do? Are you going to avenge your comrade?”

“While I pity her, she is not my comrade. Everyone chooses how to live their lives. I have no obligation to look after her,” Kazuha answered.

“You don’t look like it, but you’re quite cold-blooded.” Kunkuzushi raised a brow and began looking at Kazuha in a new light.

“While you act like you’re cold-blooded, you’re kind at heart.”

This made the prince’s small smirk drop into a deep scowl.

“What do you know about me?”

“I know nothing,” Kazuha admitted. “But I do know that you did not kill the lady.”

“Oh? And how would you know?”

“I could tell from the sound of your heartbeat. You lied.”

“My heartbeat?” Kunikuzushi looked at Kazuha incredulously. However, when Kazuha calmly met his gaze, Kunikuzushi became certain that this man wasn’t pulling his leg.

He was serious.

“Heh…” The prince let out a small laugh. “You’re right, I didn’t kill her—though I wanted to. Unfortunately, her soul got pushed out of my body the moment I took over. Who knows where—”

“KUNIKUZUSHI!!”

Kunikuzushi clicked his teeth and his mood soured once more. He tilted his head up to see Henry coming over to him. Before Henry could open his mouth again, Kunikuzushi raised a hand and slapped him across the face.

“Your Highness!” A servant shouted, followed by gasps echoing throughout the room.

Everyone was staring at Kunikuzushi in disbelief. Sure he already attacked three people, but the highest status of the three was Luke who was only a marquess.

Henry—on the other hand—was a prince!

How could he slap the first prince of this nation?!

“Kunikuzushi, you—!!”

“SILENCE!!” Kunikuzushi shouted and in an instant, the entire ballroom turned quiet. “I was planning on letting things go because I’m in a good mood, but your stupidities are really testing my patience. Did you idiots forget who I am?”

Kunikuzushi glanced around the room and saw the confusion on these idiots’ faces.

“I am Raiden Kunikuzushi, the prince of Inazuma!" He announced with his head held proudly and his back straight. "How dare worms like you talk down to me?”

The crowd stared at Kunikuzushi, stunned by his declaration.

Yes, they had forgotten. Kunikuzushi had been so ordinary and behaved so much like a peasant that they forgot he was royalty. Even if they remembered, they would only view Kunikuzushi as a worthless princess—prince—who was discarded by the Shogun. After all, a true prince would never behave so unsightly and uneducated. Adding on top of the fact that Kunikuzushi has never used his authority, they believed he had none.

Eventually, people just turned a blind eye to his title and treated him like a commoner.

“Kunikuzushi,” Henry swallowed, seeming to be more careful with his words now.

“That’s prince to you,” Kunikuzushi corrected. “In case the first prince forgotten, you broke the engagement. Right now, I am not here as your fiancé, but as a member of the Shogunate representing Inazuma. Unless you want to start a war, you should watch that mouth of yours.”

“Prince Kunikuzushi,” Henry said seriously. “For raising your hand against me and hiding your true gender, I will report everything to my father. I hope Inazuma is prepared for the consequence.”

“Big words for a cheater.”

“Wha—?!”

“Go ahead. You publicly shamed another nation’s royalty so I decided to take the place of your parents and slap some sense into you. Tattle me to your daddy all you want and let's see who will win in the end.”

With that, he turned and walked off with his kimono fluttering around him.

Knowing he was already roped into this, Kazuha followed. The attendant also tried to come along, but Kunikuzushi simply gave him a dismissive wave.

“You’re fired. Get out of my sight.”

The attendant fell onto the floor, unable to wipe the shocked look from his face.

“Hey,” Kunikuzushi glanced over to Kazuha. “Got any food in your dorm?”

“If Your Highness can make do with leftovers, then yes, I do.”

“Are leftovers the only thing you have?”

“I wasn’t expecting a guest. If you are looking for a full-course meal, I do know of a lovely tavern. The food there is delicious and they have talented bards if Your Highness is interested.”

“Oh?” That did indeed spark Kunikuzushi’s interest. Having been trapped in his own body for so long, there were a lot of things he wanted to do once he regained his freedom.

The two left the ballroom and were walking down the quiet hallway lit only by the moonlight.

“You didn’t strike me as someone who will let go of people who offended you. I thought you'd take revenge against them,” Kazuha said, looking down at the prince’s ethereal face bathed in the moonlight.

“Revenge?” Kunikuzushi laughed. “Why would I get revenge? I'm rather grateful to them for giving me the chance to take my body back. As thanks, I need to make sure they live a looong life~”

“So you were aware of the situation.”

“You mean that other pathetic outlander of your world, or do you mean the four useless scums that can only think with their dicks?” Kunikuzushi cackled. “I might not have control over my body, but I can still see. Their plans are so obvious that only a blind moron wouldn't know what they’re up to.”

Kazuha nodded.

Yes…in reality, the only people who had fallen for Caroline’s lie were two men, not four.

The two were Henry and Leon.

Leon was a hot-blooded and straightforward man that like to talk with fists instead of mouth. Despite his lack of manners and his delinquent appearance, Leon got a strong sense of justice. It was because of this that he fell in love with the pure and ever-so-kind Kunikuzushi who didn’t get frightened by the scar on his face or his loud voice. When he became convinced that Kunikuzushi was evil, he turned his back on her.

Prince Henry believed that Kunikuzushi had changed, so he wanted her to come clean. He still loved Kunikuzushi, which was why he wanted to fix the issue so they could mend their relationship.

Kazuha was certain he tried talking to Kunikuzushi in private many times, but Kunikuzushi never gave him the answer he wanted to hear. He didn’t trust the person he loved and by doing so, he forced her into the corner. He ended up using the worst method possible and brought it up at a public event. He thought that putting pressure on her with people around will make her admit to her crimes, but that was nothing but public humiliation at drove Kunikuzushi into despair.

Luke was deeply in love with Kunikuzushi and didn’t believe the rumours for a second.

When the rumours worsen, he pretended to be close to Caroline to gather information. He wanted to find proof that Kunikuzushi didn’t do anything wrong. He chose to not tell Kunikuzushi anything while he gather these proofs and protect her from the shadows.

Perhaps in Luke’s mind, he was protecting Kunikuzushi, but that was not how reality worked. By not telling her anything, Kunikuzushi suffered immense betrayal and loneliness. Luke may have thought everything would be alright and when the truth comes out and Kunikuzushi will be happy again, but he never considered her feelings during the times she was kept in the dark.

The way he wanted to single-handedly solve the issue was already a bad move in Kazuha’s eyes, but there was another, much bigger issue. At the end of the day, Luke’s love for Kunikuzushi didn’t exceed his love for himself.

He loved Kunikuzushi but Kunikuzushi was engaged to the prince. He may be able to get close to her, but so could other men. Every day, these men were waging war against each other while the object of their affection remained oblivious. He realized that if he didn’t do something, nothing will change.

The prince was clearly in love with Kunikuzushi, so there was no reason he would break off the engagement. Kunikuzushi didn’t take any action either, believing the prince and heroine would fall in love and she’ll simply step aside when the time comes.

When Luke got the evidence that could turn Kunikuzushi’s life around, he did not take them out. As a marquess, he has no power to interfere with marriage in the royal family so he waited. He waited for the misunderstanding to grow deeper and purposely set up the prince so he would meet up with Caroline more often.

For the sake of his grand plan, he turned a blind eye to everything—including Kunikuzushi’s sufferings.

His chance came at the party.

Henry annulled his engagement and Luke could finally come out with the evidence, proving once and for all that Kunikuzushi was innocent. After that, he most likely would ask Kunikuzushi for her hand in marriage and whisk her away to the Northern land governed by the duke.

It was a plan that was nothing but selfish.

Calling something like this love would be too revolting, but no matter how disgusting Luke’s action may be, it was still better than Adam’s. Despite being a priest, he was the worst offender because the rumours of Kunikuzushi bullying Caroline came from none other than him.

Caroline may have plotted well, but a commoner like her wouldn’t be able to influence the entire school and brainwash some bullies to gang up on a princess. She also wouldn't be able to fool Henry and Leon by acting alone.

Therefore, the true mastermind behind this entire thing was Adam.

As for the reason, it was similar to Luke. The only difference was that Luke wanted to marry Kunikuzushi, while Adam wanted to conquer Kunikuzushi. He wanted to isolate her, to make her fall into despair then appear before her like a saviour to take her hand. His goal was to make Kunikuzushi believe that no one in this world would help her like he did—that no one would ever love her like him.

It was an abusive and manipulative tactic for him to get Kunikuzushi.

Kuniuzushi may have thought she lost everyone the moment she was revealed to be a man, but that was not true. When these men saw Kunikuzushi’s masculine body, they only expressed shock, not disgust.

Had Kunikuzushi hung on just a little longer, either Luke or Adam would have run up to her and comforted her. If that happens, then the poor woman would fall directly into their hands. These men may think it would only be momentary pain for Kunikuzushi and that after it passed, everything will go back to how it was.

Unfortunately for them, that will never happen.

None of these guys could have ever imagined that the Kunikuzushi they knew was not the real Kunikuzushi. They wouldn’t have known the real one was lurking inside the body, waiting for the perfect chance to regain control.

The real Kunikuzushi easily saw through their shameless plans. These worked perfectly for him, so he destroyed the evidence Luke prepared so that the farce could continue.

“I always wondered what expression would suit that face of yours,” Kazuha said, looking at Kunikuzushi with a small smile. “I finally found the answer.”

“My beauty isn’t a free show. It will cost you.”

“I’m already treating you to a meal, aren’t I?”

“You think a meal can pay for admiring my face up close?” Kunikuzushi snorted.

Kazuha let out a small chuckle as they left the school gate and into the rowdy street.

For a moment, Kunikuzushi was dazzled by the sight, but he swiftly gathered himself and followed Kazuha. Kazuha noticed his curious glances and how he ran his palm over a street lamp as though to properly feel it with his skin.

“What are your plans now?” Kazuha asked curiously.

“Who knows,” Kunikuzushi answered, his gaze roaming over the people around him before finally looking back to Kazuha.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“You don’t strike me as the type to be in the Fatui.”

“You are not wrong…” Kazuha hummed and glanced at the shops they walked by. “I suppose for me, it is time to start my dream.”

“Your dream?”

“My wish is to become a traveller,” Kazuha replied. “A year has been long enough for me in this land. I will be returning to Snezhnaya and will leave the Fatui.”

“So you’re just going to become a vagabond?”

“Why not?” Kazuha asked, looking back at Kunikuzushi. “Would that not be better than being bound by your status and position?”

Kunikuzushi fell silent at that. He stared at Kazuha for a long time before he stared at the stars above them and a small smile lifted his lips.

“I suppose…that’s not a bad idea.”

With the termination of the engagement between Kunikuzushi and Henry, the relationships between Mondstadt and Inazuma became tense. Kunikuzushi was immediately taken back to Inazuma while Kazuha boarded his ship to Snezhnaya.

The king of Mondstadt accused Inazuma of lying to them sending them a male to be wed to their prince. Inazuma responded by showing the fruit they acquired that could permanently turn Kunikuzushi into a woman. They claimed that they were going to give it to Kunikuzushi the day before the wedding as proof that Kunikuzushi remained pure and fateful to his future spouse. This was Inazuma’s way of showing their respect for the peace between the two nations.

Inazuma then countered back by wanting to be compensated for the damages Prince Henry had caused Kunikuzushi. Not only did he publicly shame Inazuma’s prince, but he also broke an engagement without discussing it with the rulers of Mondstadt and Inazuma.

The relationship between the two nations became a mess and it dragged on for a long time.

In the third year of the Academy, the Abyss Order invaded Mondstadt city but was fended off by the Knights of Favonius. In the end, it was Henry, Adam, Leon, Luke, and Caroline who defeated the ruler of the Abyss—ending the war once and for all.

With their achievement, Henry formally became the crown prince and married Caroline who became the crown princess.

Leon became a knight in the royal palace and swore his loyalty to Caroline, becoming her personal knight.

As for Luke…with his contribution, Luke wanted to have Kunikuzushi’s hand in marriage. Despite the matter between Kunikuzushi and Henry having been settled, the two nations were not on friendly terms anymore. Even if they were, there was no way they could ask another nation's prince to marry a mere duke! That was the same as asking for a war so the king firmly rejected his request.

Not being granted the wish he wanted, Luke took a ship and sailed to Inazuma where he asked for an audience with the Raiden Shogun. Naturally, the Raiden Shogun wouldn't meet with a lowly duke and when he tried to meet Kunikuzushi, he was told that the moment Kunikuzushi returned two years ago, he renounced his title and became a commoner.

No matter who Luke asked, no one in Inazuma knew where Kunikuzushi went. There wasn’t anyone close enough to Kunikuzushi to guess where he could have gone to either. The man couldn’t accept the answers he was given and in the end, he had to be escorted out of the nation by the Tenryou Commission.

After returning to Mondstadt, Luke had no choice but to return to the north where he officially became the duke. Unfortunately for the people who lived there, their leader became a drunkard. As a duke, he was still capable of taking care of the dukedom, but every night, he would drink until he passed out. He would use the resources he have to send out people to track down where Kunikuzushi had gone so he could bring him home.

Adam’s actions weren’t that much different than the duke, just a different approach.

After graduation, he became the high priest in the Church of Favonius. However, behind his holy smiles, he was secretly working with the Treasure Hoarders. He provided them with the church’s money so they could locate Kunikuzushi. Unfortunately for him, the Knights of Favonius received an anonymous tip regarding this matter and immediately went into action.

After gathering the proof that the priest was embezzling the church’s funds and colluding with criminals, Adam was arrested. His title was stripped away and now he was now behind bars awaiting his trial date.

Unknown to Luke and Adam, they wouldn’t find Kunikuzushi no matter how much mora or people they put into it. That was because their power and influences were only within the borders of Mondstadt. On top of that, their connections paled in comparison to those who were used to working with information and being involved in the underground world.

All a certain former Harbinger needed to do was to make sure the news never reach the outside with the help of experts in this field. It just so happens that Mondstadt got two of such hidden experts he was on good terms with—a pair of estranged brothers, in fact.

Even if Luke or Adam’s men made it outside, the former Harbinger got more than enough connections to make sure they won’t even catch a glimpse of Kunikuzushi's shadow…

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

In a land far away from Mondstadt, a certain tavern on the edge of a city was filled with excitement and cheers.

A purple-haired youth danced on the second floor, dressed in blue garments with fabrics mostly transparent made for dancers. His pale, bare feet danced across the carpet floor with the golden accessories that decorated his being jingling to his movement.

Sitting on the rug behind him was a young musician dressed in kimono with maple leaf patterns on the dark sleeves. His eyes were closed as he sat cross-legged with a lute on his lap. His fingers were expertly gliding across the strings, creating a beautiful melody that guided the dancer.

When the performance came to an end, the audience in the tavern let out roaring cheers. The waitresses were busy running around refilling drinks and taking down new orders. With a bow, the dancer and musician left. They went downstairs and sat at a less conspicuous table by the corner of the tavern.

Not long after they sat down, the tavern owner—Lambad, came over with two dishes in his hands.

“Lambad Fish Roll for two!” He said and set the plates on the table. “I bet you’re hungry after all that, eat up!”

“Thank you, Mr. Lambad,” the pale-haired young man thanked with a warm smile.

“I should be the one saying that,” Lambad laughed. “The people at the bar had a blast thanks to your performances. I didn’t expect you two to get so good in just a week. Kazuha was already familiar with instruments but Kunikuzushi never danced before this, right? I've never seen anyone learn so quickly. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were an expert.”

“Just because other people can't do it doesn't mean I can't,” Kunikuzushi snorted, picking up his food and began to eat.

“You flatter us too much,” Kazuha gave the man a modest smile.

“Are you sure about leaving tomorrow?” Lambad asked. “I don’t mind you two staying a bit longer. I’m sure my guests will miss your performances.”

“We have intruded on your generosity long enough. You not only gave us a place to stay in but also provided us with food.”

“Nonsense! You two worked for all of that. You were great help around the tavern. Ever since you two came here, I don’t have a speck of dust in this place. Maybe I should start hiring people with Anemo Vision for cleaning!” The tavern owner joked.

“As if there would be any Vision holders willing to come to this dirty little place to clean up,” Kunikuzushi retorted.

“You’re here though, aren’t you?” Lambad asked, looking at Kunikuzushi whose eyebrows twitched. “In any case, since you two are so adamant about leaving, I won’t stop you. I got a friend in Aaru Village so if you need anywhere to stay, hit him up.”

Lambad pulled out a piece of paper, writing down a name and address before handing it to Kazuha.

“Thank you,” Kazuha thanked him sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

“No worries! Eat your fill and take a good break when you’re done. No need to tidy up the shop for tonight. You should get ready for your journey tomorrow.”

With that, Lambad left the two alone and went back to the kitchen to prepare the food.

“We should finish and get some rest. Like Mr. Lambad said, the journey will be quite long. We also need to make sure we’ve stocked up enough to cross the desert.”

“How much mora do we have?”

“We saved up quite a lot during our stay here,” Kazuha said as he weighed the pouch of coins in his hands. “We have enough to last until we get to the next big city.”

“Look at us here scraping for coins,” Kunikuzushi groaned, unable to laugh at the irony. “Why didn’t you bring any mora when you left the Fatui?”

“Why did you not take any mora when you left the Shogunate?” Kazuha asked back with a knowing smile. His smile was infectious because soon, Kunikuzushi was smiling as well.

The answer was simple…because they didn’t want anything to do with them.

Kazuha did not want any attachment to the Fatui, so he left his wealth behind.

Kunikuzushi hated his mother, so he didn’t take a single mora and walked out of that place with only the clothes on his body. 

So here they were, two people who once had high status were now living off the streets.

Though broke as they may be, neither of them was unhappy. They have never felt freer. Even without a single mora, they would be fine. They could easily survive in the wilderness and hunt for their food. If they ever needed money, getting a job wasn’t an issue either. Vision holders were always high in demand within any field so earning some quick cash was easy.

After finishing his fish roll, Kunikuzushi let out a small yawn. The entire day had been nothing but running around the city and stocking up their supplies so Kunikuzushi was naturally worn out. Seeing this, Kazuha quickly finished his meal and the two returned to their room in the tavern that Lambad lent them.

It was a small room with a single bed, but it was enough for Kazuha and Kunikuzushi.

“That’s right,” Kazuha said when he noticed the newspaper sitting on the nightstand. “This is today’s newspaper. I forgot to give it to you.”

“Oh?” Kunikuzushi’s eyes sparkled with interest and he looked a little more awake now. He plopped down onto the bed and began flipping through the Steambird newspaper.

Kazuha was sitting on the carpet as he began packing their bags and sorting out everything they bought. He was inspecting some of the spices to make sure it didn’t grow mold in the humid weather when Kunikuzushi’s laughter came from the bed.

When he looked back, Kunikuzushi was lying on his side and clenching his stomach from laughing too hard.

“What happened this time?” Kazuha asked curiously.

Kunikuzushi jumped onto his feet, still snickering as he came and sat down next to Kazuha. Instead of replying, he handed Kazuha the newspaper before he wrapped his arms around Kazuha and leaned against him like a content cat.

“See for yourself,” he whispered into his ear before resting his sharp chin on his shoulder.

Kazuha wrapped an arm around Kunikuzushi’s waist, pulling him close while he looked down at the article that Kunikuzushi has been following for the past weeks. After he skimmed through the content, he heaved out a sigh.

This article that was called the Daily Life of Prince and Princess. The moment it came out, it was a massive hit. As the name suggested, this was a gossip section about a certain crown prince and princess of Mondstadt. Ever since this was first published, Kunikuzushi has been reading it as his weekly entertainment.

The article was about the latest drama revolving around the two couple’s relationship.

Civilians naturally enjoyed dramas amongst the aristocracy and the publisher of this column was known for having reliable sources. This author only publishes the truth, meaning they were somehow able to get inside news.

As much as the king and queen of Mondstadt wanted to stop this from being published, they couldn’t. The Steambird was a newspaper company from Fontaine, not Mondstadt, so they had no power over them. The only thing the king and queen could do was to do a thorough check on all the staff to see if they could locate who was leaking information to the newspaper. Seeing as these articles were still being published, it was obvious that they failed.

Long story short, the crown prince and princess were not doing well at all.

Kazuha had seen this coming long ago. Be it the lady who took over Kunikuzushi’s body or Caroline, they were both ordinary people. Back on Earth, perhaps their lives were to go to work, then go home. It was a very simple life where the only responsibilities they have were to themselves and their families—if they had any.

Perhaps Caroline could have led a similar lifestyle as her past life if she had lived like a civilian, but she had to take the path of royalty. Even if the woman in Kunikuzushi’s body didn’t disappear and she ended up together with Henry, the same result would happen.

Dating as students and as working adults were two very different things.

While in school, they were children. They had no responsibilities other than to do well in school and have fun with their school life. After finishing their homework, they were free to spend time around the people they like.

However, after reaching adulthood, their world took a drastic change.

It was then that Caroline finally realized what being a princess really meant.

A princess’ duty was not to enjoy a lavish, pampered lifestyle.

A princess’ duty was to her nation and the people.

The world they live in was a magical one, but also a cruel one. This world may have magic, but they don’t have advanced technologies that could improve people’s lifestyles. Every day, conflicts were happening within the land and people were dying.

People will starve in a drought.

People will die in the long winter.

They can die from something as simple as a small cut that got infected.

That was reality.

Not only do the rulers have to govern the land and protect their people to ensure the nation as a whole could strive, they also must watch out for the nobles around them in case any of them started plotting against them.

Then there were trades and relationships with other nations…

The works of a king and queen—as well as the princes and princesses—were never-ending. On top of that, they must always preserve their images and act with elegance. The crown princess was essentially the future queen, so she represents the entire nation’s future. The smallest mistake could lead to a national flaw and being uncultured reflects the state of the royal family.

After leaving school, Caroline continued her advanced lessons within the palace walls. Her life in the palace every day was learning, learning, and more learning. There was no break for her because there was no time.

Girls born in royalty or noble families began their training the moment they began talking. For princesses, it is so that they will one day become queens and manage their nation alongside their husbands. For noble ladies, it was so that they will one day take over their household or their husband’s household.

With Caroline who was already nineteen years old, she was extremely late in taking these kinds of education. To get her up to speed, her schedule was always packed and she was only able to take food and bathroom breaks in between.

Caroline’s dream of living in luxury was shattered by reality. She didn’t think being a princess required her to learn and work from morning to night without any breaks. She couldn’t handle the stress and was having mental breakdowns almost every day. But even when she was crying, the professors did not go easy on her. If anything, their attitude only became harsher.

To make matters worse, the crowned prince had his own work so he couldn’t always be next to her like he did when they were in school. Every day, he had meetings and needed to head out to inspect the land. There were times when he ended up sleeping in his office for a few nights straight with all the paperwork he had to deal with.

This made Caroline break down further, believing the prince was purposely distancing himself from her.

In this week’s article, it was about Caroline accusing Henry of cheating on her. Her reason was that she hadn’t seen him for over a week and he never returned to their bedroom during the night, therefore he must be seeing another woman

Caroline threw a huge tantrum when the prince just left without arguing with her and ruined their bedroom in her frustration. She then wanted to go outside, but guards were there to stop her, leading to more screaming on her part. This reminded Kazuha that Caroline was technically confined. In last week's article, they learned that Caroline had gone outside with her guards only to give them a slip and ran off. She had been cooped up in the palace for so long that she wanted to go out and play. This poor decision led to her being kidnapped by street thugs for ransom and the Knights of Favonius were sent out to find her.

In the end, it was the Cavalry Captain who rescued her and brought her back. Since then, the prince decided it would be safer for his fiancée to stay in the castle, but Caroline saw that as imprisonment. Ever since she was forbidden to go outside, Caroline completely lost it. The people thought Caroline had some mental illness, but from Kazuha's point of view, she was simply revealing her true self. She began saying dramatic things and purposely talking out loud as though afraid the servants around her wouldn't be able to hear. She started comparing herself to a caged bird and behaving like a tragic heroine.

Back to this week—the servants overheard her accusing the prince of still liking Kunikuzushi.

According to many eyewitnesses, Caroline was seen running to her personal knight many times over the days. The two would always be alone together (or so they thought) and she was crying in Leon’s arms, claiming how lonely she was. The crowned prince found this out and reassigned Leon—which the two ended up having a huge fight over. In the end, Leon’s title as a knight was stripped away from him for disobeying orders and assaulting the prince. He was banished from Mondstadt and could never step foot into the nation ever again.

This made the crown princess crazier and the pair were now going at each other's throats every time they meet.

“I didn’t think that girl could get any dumber, but she keep finding ways to prove me wrong.” Kunikuzushi snickered as he lifted his head a little to read that article again. “Are you sure you’re not a special breed in your world?”

“…I can only say the culture between our worlds is too different and she cannot become accustomed to here.”

“That’s just a nicer way of calling her a moron,” the former Inazuma prince huffed. “Want to bet how long it’ll take for that idiot prince to get rid of her?”

“I heard the current king and queen are already looking for a more suitable crown princess candidate,” Kazuha replied, folding the newspaper up and setting it aside. “The prince is fully aware and is not making any argument against it.”

“Oh?” Kunikuzushi rested his head back down on Kazuha’s shoulder and let out a tiny yawn. “Looks like I can get more entertainment out of this for a few more weeks.”

“I’m sure you will, but for now, you need some sleep.” Kazuha slipped his other arm under Kunikuzushi’s slender legs, picking him up and setting him on their bed.

“Only that?” Kunikuzushi asked, looking up at Kazuha with half-lidded eyes. “I thought you’d be interested in something more…intimate.”

As he said that, Kunikuzushi raised a leg and pressed the back of his foot against the soft bulge between Kazuha’s legs, making him flinch.

“I saw the way you’ve been sneaking glances at me when I danced for the past few days,” Kunikuzushi smirked, looping his arms around Kazuha’s neck and pulling him down until their faces were only inches apart. "Now that I don't need to wear this stupid getup, you can leave marks all you want~"

“Hn…!” Kazuha groaned, grabbing Kunikuzushi’s foot and pushing it back onto the bed. “Kuni—”

“Kazuha~” Kunikuzushi moaned sweetly into Kazuha’s ear and nipped his earlobe. “I want you—ah~!”

Kunikuzushi sucked in a sharp breath when Kazuha dipped his head and bit him on the side of his delicate neck.

“I can never win against you,” Kazuha murmured against his skin. He began kissing his way up the beautiful curve of his lover’s neck and captured those petal soft lips.

A gust of wind swirled around the room, blowing out the candles and covering everything with a blanket of darkness. From within this dark space, soft moans and cries echoed throughout the entire night.

The very next morning, the two Inazuman travellers set off on their journey. They walked with their hands tightly laced and took their time admiring the scenery around them.

Where their adventure will lead them, they don’t know nor did they care.

They have all the time in the world and their lives have only just begun.

As long as they got each other, everything will be fine.