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MC sighs as she finishes one of her assignments from her somehow ever-growing pile. It was like a hydra; whenever she thought she was finished with one, three more would appear. How did she manage to fall this far behind?! She hadn’t even missed any class!
Looking over yet another assignment, she groans and rests her head on her desk.
“Milady?” Robin’s paw nudges her cheek. “You have been working for quite a long time…”
“Yeah… I know…” MC lifts her head, gently stroking the cat, “But if I don’t my workload doubles in size every time I turn around.”
“Eh? Really?” Robin’s ears flatten against his head.
“But maybe I do need a break…” MC stretches her arms above her head and stands up from her desk. “I think my reading comprehension is slowly going to disappear if I keep this up. Oh shoot, I missed dinner!” Glancing out the window, she notices the dark, star-filled sky and sighs. “Oh well… I guess I’ll just go down the kitchens and make something then.”
“I shall come with you!” Robin flutters into the air.
“Good evening, Miss MC.” The headmaster’s voice from the doorway startles her into dropping the spoon she was using right into the soup she was stirring.
“Hello.” She waves awkwardly before grabbing another spoon to fish the first out of the pot. Robin peers over the edge of it, his fur raised in alarm.
“What might you be doing at this late hour?” He enters the kitchen and approaches the stove.
Grimacing down her own embarrassment, MC explains, “Well, I was working on my assignments and ended up totally missing dinner, so I figured I should eat something before getting back to work.”
“Oh?” His eye widens in surprise, “Is any part of it unclear?”
“Not really, no.” She shakes her head, “It’s just a matter of getting it all done…”
His brow shifts into a stern, thoughtful expression.
“Uh, headmaster?” She pulls the first spoon out of the soup and rinses it off in the sink, while gently stirring the pot with magic.
“Would you perhaps mind if I joined you?”
“Huh?” Both MC and Robin blink.
“F-For dinner?” Robin asks.
“Yes.” The headmaster nods, a cheerful grin on his face.
MC is very glad she did not say anything. She thought he meant her studies. She wouldn’t have turned him down, but… “Alright. This soup should be almost finished. I just, um, need to add one last thing.”
Robin cheers excitedly as the headmaster softly laughs.
“Is this a recipe from your realm?” The headmaster asks as they all sit down at the table.
“Yeah.” MC nods quickly, “It is actually. It was something I made if I didn’t want to cook for the next week or had a lot of unused bread.”
“Milady would usually let me lick the spoon clean!” Robin adds cheerfully, sitting on the table with his own small bowl of soup.
“Well, there was nothing in it you couldn’t eat and I didn’t want you climbing on the stove to stick your face in it.” She chuckles, scratching her cat’s ears.
The headmaster laughs, lifting his spoon to his mouth.
MC lowers her gaze to her bowl the second she feels she’s been staring too long and wills herself to dip her own spoon in her bowl and eat.
“Delicious.” The headmaster’s praise makes her face feel hot with embarrassment.
“Thank you…” Not like she can really turn down the compliment, considering she really did wing it with the spices and it shows. Robin isn’t saying anything, so maybe it is better than she’s giving herself credit for.
“Miss MC, if you would, could you tell me about these assignments you’ve been doing?” The headmaster’s voice gets her to lift her gaze to his smiling face again.
“Uh, well…” Dropping her eyes to the table, she lifts another spoonful of soup to her lips to give herself time to think. “I’m not really sure what you want me to say… It’s just the usual assignments…”
“Milady spent an overlong time working on them today.” Robin says for her, “It was as if more simply appeared whenever she finished one.”
That same contemplative look falls over his face and MC looks away again.
She must be bright red at this point. Unflatteringly red. Why does his face have to make her heart pound in her ears?
“Would you perhaps mind if I accompanied you back to your chambers to see?” His request almost makes her lose her spoon to the floor.
“Um, well…” Her room is a disaster. She didn’t have time to clean up earlier after all. But if this is about those assignments then maybe it’s fine. It’s not like she meant for it to get as bad as it is. “Sure!”
Robin seems just as nervous as she is at the idea. His fur raises as his ears stick straight up, “Um… I shall leave now. I shall see you when you return Milady.” He zooms towards the women’s dorms.
“Oh.” The headmaster blinks in surprise at this reaction.
Oh no, now it’s just the two of them! Sitting across from each other…! Eating food she made…! Help!
“…I apologize.” He sighs. When MC looks up again, she sees him frowning at his bowl. “You were hoping to enjoy a peaceful meal and my presence appears to have interfered with that…”
“No no no! It’s fine!” She answers quickly. Very quickly. Maybe too quickly… “I’m glad to have the company.”
That brings a small smile back to his face, his pale blue eye shining brightly as he directs his gaze at her. It’s so pretty.
Realizing she’s staring, MC drops her gaze quickly. Her face feels as though it might as well be on fire and—in hopes to avoid more awkward tension—she shoves another spoonful of soup in her mouth.
After finishing their soup, MC walks beside the headmaster back to her chambers. She wasn’t sure if it was giddy excitement or screaming terror churning in her stomach, but something was making her feel sick.
Reaching her door, she reluctantly pushes it open and almost audibly sighs in relief when she sees the clumsy job Robin had done cleaning up. “Well, here we are…!” Awkwardly leading the way inside she leaves the door open for the headmaster.
Hopefully no one was getting the wrong idea from this… Hopefully no one saw it at all.
He picks up one of the papers on the desk and solemnly nods, “That does explain it…”
“Explain what?” How stupid should she feel?
“I’m afraid someone has spelled your homework so that every time you finish a page, it removes the ink from it and duplicates the page.”
Very stupid. MC pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, hissing between her teeth, “You have got to be kidding me.” She could probably guess exactly who had done it. A group of girls had purposefully tripped her when she was carrying it all back to her room, it would’ve given them the opportunity to.
“I do apologize that someone had enough malice towards you to do such a thing, and that you have spent so much time on futile work.” He frowns. “I shall look into the matter of which students did this.”
“Oh, no. It’s ok! You don’t have to do that!” MC shakes her head quickly, “I’d just like to be able to actually do my assignments…”
He smiles, but it seems almost less than sincere, “Very well. But I believe I can do you more service than that.” He waves his hand and the stacks of pages on the desk shifts back into a familiarly small pile of completed assignments.
“No way!” She gasps.
“You had completed each assignment at least once, so I have simply reversed the spell's effects, including the removal of your work on each.”
“Thank you so much!” She could cry. He’s too nice for words.
“Not at all.” His own smile brightens at the sight of hers. “You have already put in more than enough effort.”
“Still, thank you. I probably would’ve been up all night and still not realize it.”
“Then I am grateful to have spared you the grief.” He steps towards the door, “Goodnight, Miss MC.”
“Goodnight L- Headmaster.” She waves, her face flushing red again at the embarrassment of almost using his first name. They’re not that close, as much as it hurts to admit.
He closes the door behind him and MC sighs out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Sitting on the bed, she stares absentmindedly out the window at the red Salignan moon. “I am so in love…”
“Milady?!” Robin’s voice beside her startles her and she yells out in shock as she throws herself up the bed.
“Sherry, Violet, I need help!” MC practically slams open Sherry’s door.
Today was a long awaited girl’s night and rather than going out, Sherry had suggested they all meet in her room. Now that it was time to meet up, MC was going to spare not a second to anything but devise a way to confess her feelings to Lou.
“Why is Fenn here?” MC stops as soon as she takes in everyone in the room.
Sherry and Violet were both present, yes, but Fenn had squeezed himself in between them.
“Alas…” Fenn sighs dramatically, “Unfortunately my usual drinking companions were otherwise occupied today, and I found myself wishing to spend time in Letty’s company. But I am quite glad to see you as well, treasure.” He winks.
“…Did he do something?” She turns to Violet.
“Truly the question is when hasn’t he…” The Luxurean valet sighs.
“But nevermind him.” Sherry motions MC inside the room, “Come, have some tea—Grayson brought a number of pastries earlier as well—and tell us of the reason you need aid.”
“Right right.” MC claims her usual chair and pauses to think, “Now I feel awkward bringing this up.”
“Simply pretend I am not here.” Fenn laughs.
MC rolls her eyes, “You’re not the problem and honestly that’s a lot harder than you think.”
“No please, MC,” Sherry grins over her teacup, “do tell. You cannot simply leave us all in suspense.”
“Ok… so… um…” She struggles to begin, feeling her face go red. “I’m… very in love with someone and I don’t know what to do.”
A collective gasp makes the room feel tense and awkward as the princess, prince, and valet’s jaws drop in unison.
“I am quite glad I am here for this!” Fenn laughs.
“Shut—!” MC buries her face in her hands.
“Who might it be that has captured your lovely heart?” Violet asks, giggling with delight alongside Sherry.
MC shakes her head, still hiding her face behind her hands. Admitting she is madly in love with someone is one thing, admitting it’s the headmaster is another.
“How unfair of you to keep us guessing!” Sherry grins. “But what is it you need help with?”
“I…” MC lifts her very red face, “I want to convey my feelings… but just being in their presence makes it feel like my heart is exploding.”
“My my,” Fenn’s eyes widen, “so you are quite serious about this person.”
MC nods timidly, grabbing a cookie to nibble on in hopes of somewhat masking her very obvious embarrassment.
“I don’t see what you would have a problem with.” Violet smiles, “You are too lovely for words.”
“I don’t think they’ve ever shown any interest in me—romantically that is—so I don’t know if they think that.” She responds quickly, grimacing awkwardly.
Sherry huffs (angry on MC’s behalf), “How could they not when you are most charming?”
“Truly.” Violet shakes her head, “You have nothing to worry about in that regard.”
“But then… what do I do to try and figure out if they have any interest in me without just confessing?” MC nibbles her cookie and averts her gaze from the group.
“Oh, that will be easy!” Fenn laughs, “You will simply have to seduce them!”
MC stares at him in disbelief, “You’re…. You’re joking, right? I’m about as seductive as a cabbage.”
“That is one lovely cabbage.” Violet lifts her teacup, merrily laughing at the comparison, “Do ignore my troublesome master’s advice. He does not understand the hearts of women.” She sips her tea.
“But what he suggests does have some merit.” Sherry shrugs, taking a cookie for herself, “Should you imply that you mean to be romantic with them, if they are searching for the same thing, they are bound to notice.”
“Ok, but can we go back to the part where I said that I can’t be near them without turning into an embarrassed disaster.” MC finishes her first cookie and grabs a second. “Not doing something stupid because of that is bound to be harder than seducing them if what you’re saying is true.”
“Oh MC.” Sherry giggles, “That is part of your charm.”
MC sputters, breaking her cookie between her hands as her entire face goes red. The other three burst out laughing.
Now armed with a sufficient “plan”, it was up to MC to put it in motion. But how to do it was the real question…
“Milady?” Robin nudges her with his paw. “You’ve looked most distraught for quite some time…”
MC lifts her head from her desk. “I’m sorry Robin. I’m just thinking about stuff.”
“Does this have to do with your…” He frowns (she had asked him not to mention it directly), “what you said the other day?”
“Yeah…” MC sighs, “I talked to my friends about it, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to follow through with the plan we made…” She rests her head back on the desk, turned to face her cat. Rather than look at him, she stares at the fingers she drums along the wood surface.
“Why?” Robin raises his ears in surprise.
“Because it doesn’t seem like a good idea the more I think about it…” She frowns, sliding her hand down to just rest her fingertips on the edge of her desk.
“I would like to assist in any way I can.” He declares, puffing up his chest in a show of determination.
“Robin…!” She reaches up and scratches his ears gently, “Thank you.”
Robin giggles as he cuddles closer to her face, “Is there anything I can help you with, Milady?”
“I don’t think so. Not at the moment.” MC sits up and shakes her head. Thinking it over, she takes a deep breath, strengthening her resolve, “Alright. If I’m going to go through with this, I’ll need a strategy. I’ll ask Sherry and Violet if they’ll go shopping with me for whatever I need, so why don’t we brainstorm ideas for how to conveniently be alone with him.”
Robin nods quickly and just like that the planning begins.
Unfortunately, things did not go quite as she planned them to…
“Oh, hello headmaster.” Sherry greets him while the three women are out shopping.
MC almost swears loudly as she catches sight of the man Sherry was talking to. It was indeed Lou, but he was wearing an outfit vastly different from his normal clothes—a simple shirt with a jacket and pants. She didn’t even know he owned anything other than that large white robe he wears all the time! It looks so nice on him.
Violet glances from MC to the headmaster and giggles to herself. MC smacks her arm softly in an effort to shut her up.
“Hello Miss Sherry.” He’s smiling, but there’s something very stiff about him. “What a pleasant surprise running into the three of you here.”
“Indeed.” Sherry nods, “What brings you here?”
Violet pushes a tube of pale pink lipstick she had bought earlier into MC’s hands, “You’ll need this.” The lipstick itself was enchanted so that the wearer would seem more kissable.
“Wha…?” MC gasps in horror at the implication as she glances back at Sherry.
“Would I… perhaps be able to borrow Miss MC?” Lou asks, effectively sealing her fate.
Sherry glances at MC’s wide eye expression and smirks before turning back to the headmaster with a bright smile, “Of course, we will leave her in your hands.”
So both Sherry and Violet figured out who she has a huge crush on without her having to tell them… not off to a great start of the afternoon. Adding to it is the fact that she is about to be left alone with him. This can only go badly.
“Wonderful!” The headmaster beams as he shifts his gaze to MC.
She hastily shoves the lipstick in her pocket and out of sight. Grimacing she attempts to hear over her internal screaming and heart pounding in her ears. How did they converse before she realized she had a huge crush on him? Where has her ability to speak suddenly disappeared to?
“We shall see you back at the Academy.” Sherry waves goodbye as she and Violet walk away. Traitors.
Now alone with the headmaster in the street, she turns to him hoping she’s not blushing as hard as she thinks she is. “…So…” That’s all she can manage before taking a deep breath to steady herself, “What can I help you with?”
That childish, excited smile remains on his face as he answers, “I was hoping you would accompany me to a new restaurant that has recently opened not far from here.”
“Oh. Ok.” Wait. Is this a date? Is he asking her on a date? She isn’t ready for that! “Lead the way!”
Grinning all the while, he guides her through the crowd (careful to not lose her) to a rather nice looking restaurant.
“Wow…” She’d heard good things about this place, but unfortunately she couldn’t go the day Sherry invited her due to the duplicating assignments incident. “I feel a bit underdressed for this…”
“I apologize for the suddenness of my invitation…” The headmaster—frowns, averting his gaze. “Would another day be a better time?”
“Umm…” She’d probably get cold feet if she turned this down. “No, it's fine. I mean… we’re already here.”
“Wonderful.” He opens the door, “After you then.”
Stepping inside, it became even more apparent that MC was indeed underdressed, but beside the headmaster in his very casual looking apparel it made her feel less like she stuck out.
Taking in the walls of the nice restaurant, it barely registered to her that when he spoke to the waiter he spoke about a reservation for two. He planned this? Is this a date?
“Right this way.” The waiter leads them off into a private room with a beautiful window overlooking the port and sea.
“Woah!” MC gasps, staring out at the waves sparkling with sunlight. “What a beautiful view.” She takes her seat across from him.
“Indeed.” He says, but his eyes are fixed on her.
Her face flushes (her blush had been dying down now that she was used to suddenly being in his company). That was unfairly smooth. She’s the one who’s supposed to be trying to inadvertently find out if he’s interested in her! Not the other way around!
He opens his menu, which hides his face from view and she quickly does the same.
How should she put this plan into motion? It seems like an impossible task. Now that he’s right in front of her there’s no way she can go through with it. She could try the lipstick. It’s still in her pocket.
“What might you be ordering, Miss MC?” His voice snaps her back to the reality of the situation.
“Uh…” Glancing over the menu in front of her face she finds that her nerves are making her have trouble processing what any of it says. “I’m not sure… Everything sounds delicious.” Pushing her current romantic problems from her mind, she attempts to focus all her attention on reading the various dishes and ingredients.
“I quite agree. It is difficult to choose just one.” The headmaster hums thoughtfully.
“Oh, this looks good.” She spies one that looks exactly like something she’d like at the moment, “I think I’ll get this.” She sets down her menu, but keeps her eyes trained on its pages.
“That does look delicious…” He says thoughtfully, “Oh, it looks like they make a soup quite similar to the one you made the other day.”
“Oh, yeah. I saw that. I considered getting it, but oh well.” MC shrugs.
“Then I shall order it in your stead.”
“You don’t have to do that if there’s something else you’d rather order.” She shakes her head, smiling shyly.
“I find I enjoy things more when they remind me of you.”
“O-Oh?” She blinks, surprised by this declaration. “Well, you’ll have to tell me how it compares.”
“I believe I shall.” He sets his own menu down, revealing his bright smile.
MC had almost forgotten her plan by the time the food arrived. Getting over the initial pounding of her heart at every tiny action he made had been the hard part. Now that she was used to the sensation of it fluttering like a very aggravated bird in a cage, talking to him was much easier.
“Mmm! The food here is amazing.” She says between bites.
“I concur.” He nods, dipping his spoon back in his soup. “I am not surprised this restaurant has become so popular, considering how difficult it was to narrow down choices on the menu.”
“I guess that just means we’ll have to come back here again.” MC chuckles, shrugging sheepishly.
The headmaster pauses for a good long second, staring at her. He only comes back to reality when his spoon almost slips from his hands. Dropping his gaze to his soup, his expression softens.
Only then does she realize she basically just asked him on a second date. Dropping her own eyes, she feels her face heat up as her heart starts racing. Plan accidentally started. What does she say now?!
If this silence continues on like this much longer it might be too hard to break, but she doesn’t have anything prepared to say! What is she supposed to do?!
“Umm…”
“Er…”
She tried to continue the conversation at the exact moment he opened his mouth to speak as well.
“You first.” She chuckles awkwardly.
“If you have something to say then by all means continue.” He tilts his head with a smile.
“No, you- you first.” She shakes her head. Hopefully she can think of a good thing to say before she needs to break any long silence again.
“I was curious if you had any more… unsavory encounters with other students since the incident with your assignments.” The headmaster averts his gaze, speaking like he too was struggling to come up with a conversation topic.
The short, honest answer is yes. The princes’ fanclubs are ruthless to her. Just yesterday Toa had had to catch a book they had spelled to fly away from MC whenever she touched it. But she doesn’t want to worry the headmaster with such silly bullying. “Uh, not really. Nothing as bad as making me unable to do my assignments.” She shrugs and laughs it off, which she immediately recognizes as a bad way to half lie. She hastily adds, “It’s nothing I can’t handle. Just the S ranks’ fanclubs thinking I’m trying to become paramours with all of them…”
He lowers his gaze to his bowl and frowns, “I see…” His shoulders tense, but then he lifts his head with a smile, “And what are your feelings towards the S ranks, if I may be so bold?”
“Definitely not romantic, that’s for sure.” MC shakes her head and rolls her eyes, trying to suppress a smile. This is the perfect time for a romantic line! Don’t screw it up! DON’T SCREW IT UP! “I know exactly who I’d want to be my paramour. I only hope he feels the same way.” Her grin stretches across her face, filling her insides with frantic butterflies. Was that too obvious?
His mouth faintly falls open in surprise before he smiles himself. “From the way you say such things, it sounds as though you are flirting with me.”
Uh! Well about that! “Maybe I am.” She chuckles to hide the anxiety screaming in her gut. “Is it working?”
He stares at her with an expression that might as well be carved from stone. His eyes are wide with shock, but it just makes the fact that his cheeks are turning pink more obvious.
Oh no. This is going badly… Should she say something else? Feeling her own face heat up, she scrambles for something else to say and her mouth opens before her brain processes her choice of words, “You have a hot face.”
What. What?! WHAT WAS THAT?! This was going so well and if she hadn’t screwed it up before, she definitely has now! Mission failed! Time to run!
Feeling heat all through her face, she stands, “I-I should go.”
She refuses to even look at him as she speed walks to the exit and hurries outside. Then she breaks into a run to flee the scene.
Passing by Rio and Thoma in the crowd, the prince calls out to her.
“MC? Where are you going?”
“To die of shame!” She stops and turns back to yell before running off again.
Finally reaching the path back to the Academy, she slows down to breathe.
Well that was a disaster. It felt like it was going so well too… Why did she have to screw it up!
Groaning in annoyance, she digs her nails into her scalp. She’ll never be able to face him again after that. Not for at least a few centuries.
“Halloa treasure!” Fenn greets her with enthusiasm as he, Jasper, and Lance are headed the other way.
She looks up, “Oh. Hey…”
“Miss MC? What has you looking so distraught?” Jasper examines her face with surprise.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” She shakes her head, lowering her gaze to the ground.
“Oh no.” Fenn frowns, “Did your love not return your feelings?”
Lance sighs, “Dragon’s teeth.” He continues walking down the path.
“That is unfortunate.” Jasper frown’s sympathetically.
“Indeed.” Fenn nods sadly, “Well, treasure, you’re welcome to come grab a drink with us. Nothing soothes a broken heart quite like some good spirits.”
“Excuse me!”
“Headmaster?” Fenn and Jasper gasp.
“I’m afraid I need to borrow Miss MC.”
Suddenly there’s a very tight hold around her waist.
“Good day!”
“What?” She tries to turn right as they depart into the sky. “AAAH!”
Lou’s other hand catches her chin and turns her head towards him. “Please do not be frightened. I will not let you fall.”
“Yeah, uh… easier said than done.” She keeps her eyes on the very large distance between them and the ground.
There’s an awkward pause as the wind blows around them.
Chancing a glance at him, MC spies the placid smile on Lou’s face as he studies her own. Her cheeks flush as she averts her gaze again.
“There is no need to be shy.” He chuckles. “I wished to speak with you regarding what you said earlier.”
Oh no. No no no! This is bad. She can’t escape. The most she manages is turning her face away again. “Oh.” She grimaces at the ground she wishes was swallowing her whole from where she is high above it.
“Your flirting has been quite effective.” He cheers happily.
“Wait what?” She snaps her head around to look at his bright smile.
He nods, “I am afraid you have made me quite enamored with you. Too enamored to simply leave things as they are.”
Her voice comes out as a shaky breath, “What…?”
Carefully rotating her to face him, he holds her chin between two fingers as he gazes softly into her eyes, “Miss MC, I wish to be your paramour.”
She blinks, processing his words. This must be some sort of dream. Clearly she ran into a wall during her escape and this is a dream her concussed brain made up.
He averts his eyes from her stunned expression. “Have I misinterpreted your sentiments…?”
“No!” She blurts out. “I just don’t know what to say. I never thought this far ahead.”
Lou laughs at her honest confession. “Then perhaps this will suffice.” He carefully joins their lips together.
That’s when it fully registers in MC’s mind that this is indeed real. She throws her arms around him and presses herself harder against him.
When he pulls away her internal fangirl squealing slips out her mouth and echoes into the sky.
“Oh.” He jolts in surprise, “Have I overstepped…?”
“No! I’m just…!” What are words? How do they work? She sputters as she fails to understand her own incoherent thoughts.
“Miss MC,” He smiles, hugging her against him, “would you mind doing something for me?”
“Anything.” Her voice is shaky as she declares this wholeheartedly.
He grins, “Would you mind returning that lipstick to Miss Violet, and telling her that your paramour finds you lovely and kissable enough without it?”
She… She didn’t even use it. How did he know? “Ok.”
Lou cheers happily, hugging her even tighter. “I do not wish to be parted from you yet.”
MC’s mind was still running in circles at the fact that this was real. He was hugging her against his chest, happily between her own arms, and they just kissed. They kissed. Oh wow. Is she positive she didn’t run into a wall?
“Unfortunately, I only made a reservation for lunch…” He continues.
Wait. Did he call himself her paramour? Aww, and he said she was lovely! Wait, paramour? She has a boyfriend now?! Haha! Mission failed successfully!
She cuddles closer to him, no longer minding the fact that they are several hundred feet in the air.
“Miss MC?” Lou’s surprise loosens his hold around her, but he carefully corrects it before she slips.
“I’m so happy to have such a sweet, charming paramour.” She looks up at his face. “Lou.”
His expression stiffens as his cheeks turn red again, “It is you who is charming beyond words.”
“I doubt that…” she shakes her head, “I’ve been a total romantic disaster since I saw you today.”
He lifts her higher in his arms so she is on eye level with him, “I noticed. I believe it is one of the many things that drew me to you.”
“Lou!”
The next day made everything feel like it had fallen into place.
For one, the girls from the princes’ fanclubs apologized for the misunderstanding and said they would not be bothering MC again. Even better was how quickly it felt like she got her assignments done because of the lack of needing to nail any textbooks to the desk or do several parts of it more than once.
Somewhat startled by the sheer amount of free time she had, MC uses it to search for Violet to return the unused lipstick.
She was a bit at a loss for where the Luxurean valet would be at this time of day. Busy with valet things most likely.
Wandering to the anterior courtyard, she sits down on a bench to think.
“Treasure!” Fenn’s arm snakes around her and pulls her close to him, “What are you doing out here on your lonesome?”
“Oh! Hi Fenn. Do you know where Violet is?” MC greets him cheerfully. Maybe he can help her.
“Alas, I have just escaped Letty’s clutches and fled here to you.” Fenn sighs, “Whyever do you ask?”
“I need to return something to her.”
“Well in that case it is most likely faster to wait here for her to find us.” He laughs, “Perhaps we could occupy our time with each other’s company until then.”
“Uh… I think I’ll just go find her.” MC stands up.
“Fenn!” Violet comes running over to them both and pulls MC to her chest, “Just what are you doing to the poor dear?”
Oh boy…
“I have done nothing.” The prince says with a smile, “Treasure was actually searching for you.”
“Were you?” Violet looks down at struggling MC.
Released from Violet’s clutches, MC takes a deep breath and retrieves the lipstick from her pocket. “I wanted to return this.”
“Oh?” Both Luxureans stare at the tube.
“Is it unopened?” Violet asks with wide eyes.
“Yep.” MC nods. “I didn’t need it.”
“Then does that mean your date yesterday went poorly?”
“Well… define ‘poorly’…”
“Date?” Fenn snags the lipstick from MC’s hand and laughs, “Is that why Lou absconded with you?”
“It is.” Lou’s voice behind the three of them draws all their attention. “And to answer your question, Miss Violet, it went very well.”
MC gasps and spins around, “Lou!”
“Hello Miss MC.” He smiles, “I was searching for you.”
“Oh?” Fenn glances between MC and Lou, “Don’t tell me Lou is the one who has captured your heart treasure.”
“Ok. I won’t tell you.” She chuckles and shuffles over to Lou’s side.
“We shall take our leave now. Good day.” Lou turns to MC with a joyous expression as she snags his hand in hers. With that they walk away together.
“I look forward to hearing about your date later!” Violet calls after them.
“You won’t!” MC yells back.
Lou chuckles, squeezing her hand, “I had a moment to spare and wondered if you would like to take tea with me.”
“Absolutely.”