Nicholas' Note:

Bed Wars is my baby, a great read to paint a smile on your face! :) Enjoy!

Comments are lovely. ^_^

Title: The Gift

It was during dinner when Lady Celi announced her birthday surprise for her only grand daughter.

"My little princess, you still haven't received my birthday gift for you," Lady Celi said in between her giggles. She stood from her chair and placed her arms around Greta, who just finished eating her peach mango dessert. She turned to her gorgeous grandmother with a gleeful face.

"What is it Grandma? Tell me!" Greta begged excitedly. "Oh, I always knew you've got something special for me! What is it? Oh, I can hardly wait!"

Then Greta turned to his blonde father, who was busy playing with his food. He was obviously not eating and he wasn't bothered this time should the others notice and complain about it. His mind was fleeting elsewhere.

"Wolfram, I told you Grandma's got something very special for me! It must really be a big surprise for her to give it in the last minute! Oh!" The fourteen year old stood up to give Lady Celi a tight embrace, while jumping up and down with excitement.

"Show me Grandma! Where is it?"

"Yes darling, but only if Your Majesty and Wolfie will come with us and see," she said mischievously, it was obvious that she was planning something. She looked at the two, who were both surprised being mentioned, and flashed them her usual irresistible smile.

Greta quickly ran towards Yuri and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the direction of Wolfram who was just seating on the next chair.

"Hey, wait!"

Conrad and the maids could only smile as another entertaining moment unfolds before them. Gwendal grumbled at the interruption but did not make any move to impede the fuss that was happening. Greta with her other free hand, took Wolfram's hand and yanked him out of his chair.

"Wait, Greta! What the hell—"

"Come with me you two!" It was then she looked at them with beautiful eyes. "Grandma says she wants you to see it with me. Won't you?"

"But I haven't finished eating yet, Greta," Wolfram said in a disciplinary tone he used to impose on her when she goes beyond the line. "I would certainly come, but remember it isn't polite for you to just grab us like this. You'll have to wait until dinner's over."

"Okay… I'm sorry." Greta apologized but she wasn't humiliated this time. She glanced at Wolfram's plate which was full of toyed food and then smiled back at her fair father. "But you're not even eating, so let's go Wolfram!"

Greta could now pull a stunt like this to her fathers. She didn't just grow mature, she developed physical strength. She was, in fact, very close to looking like Wolfram's age. She was a few inches smaller than him. His blonde father wasn't making any progress except for his hair which had grown quite longer (He wanted to cut them short but since Yuri complimented it to have suited him, he decided to just let it fall down to his shoulders) making him looked more womanly than before. Yuri, on the other hand having the human blood in him, had grown almost a head taller than the blonde. He managed to maintain his wimpy face though his features edged a bit nearly like his brother Shori.

Yuri and Greta never tried to open up to Wolfram about these obvious aging differences with their appearances because the blonde would only get frustrated over it. But if Yuri and the others were to ask, they would prefer to have Wolfram looking this way for more years to come. Yes, it was a selfish thought but him being a pretty boy was just so warm to the eyes, especially now that his bratty attitude had left him though there were times his tantrums come back once limits were crossed.

"But—" Wolfram tried to retort.

"Greta's right, Wolf," Yuri cut short. Then his blank face revealed a slight concern. "Why aren't you eating anyway?"

"It's none of your business, wimp!" Wolfram fired in annoyance.

"Let's stop this slipslop, shall we?" Lady Celi stated before another royal couple bickering occurs. She glided towards the door and gestured for Greta and the two, who were still caught by Greta's grip, to follow her.

The two merely sighed with shoulders falling in defeat, letting themselves be dragged outside the dining room by their daughter. The others in the dining room just smiled (except for Gwendal) as the two powerful people in Shin Makoku were overpowered by the fourteen year old human girl… again.

Lady Celi stopped in front of a door where the maids, Lasagna and Doria stood like sentinels. The two smiled when they arrived.

Greta finally let go of her fathers' hands and run excitedly towards the two girls. The delight in her eyes seemed ceaseless. She then turned to Lady Celi, who was coming closer with poise and overwhelming sexiness.

"Is it in the room, huh, Grandma?" Greta asked her curiously.

Ladi Celi just nodded with an unfaltering smile and glanced at the other two who were still shocked and clueless.

Wolfram already recognized the hallway and he definitely knew the door in front of them. Meanwhile, Yuri was still recalling who owned the room; he had a slight idea having entered it once when Wolfram was sleeping inside it rather than in his majestic chamber.

"Wait just a minute, Hahaure! But that is my room!" Wolfram squealed making Yuri flinch. "What are you planning to do with my room? What did you do?"

Wolfram could not wait for an answer and next second he pushed apart the maids who were blocking the door and then, barged into his room.

"Wolfram!" Yuri, Greta and Lady Celi called after him.

Wolfram didn't pay attention to them and halted a few steps after entering. His jaw dropped when he saw the setting before him. The room that was normally a plain office of the former prince looked worse than his mother's sitting room! It was full of pink… and flowers… and ribbons… and spirals… and everything girly! Wolfram took in the colors as his face changed instantly into a shade of red.

"HAHAURE!" Wolfram bellowed. Yuri, Greta and the maids were quick to cover their ears. Lady Celi, who seemed very use to his son's shouting, continued to smile with fluttering eye lashes at Wolfram,

"Wolfram, you're gonna break our eardrums!" Yuri said at once, his hands still clasped on his ears. He expected to receive another bark with his comment but the blonde's rage was focused on his giggling mother.

"What did you do to my room?" Wolfram asked heatedly, totally forgetting it was his daughter's birthday.

"Honey, dear, don't be mad. At least let me explain," Lady Celi began as she reached out to Wolfram. Wolfram shoved her hands away when she touched him on the elbow.

"You better have a sound explanation for this," Wolfram fumed. "Or I won't let this pass."

Yuri and Greta looked at the blondes with worry and fear. Sometimes, Wolfram can be worse than the Maou for a simple reason like this. Yuri knew well the formula that had resulted to Wolfram's bad mood today and he felt guilty knowing he was a bit at fault for it.

FLASHBACK

This morning, Yuri and Wolfram were left alone in the majestic chamber because Greta, who was looking forward to the day, was already up before the crack of dawn. Yuri, who was used to having Greta beside him, was awoken by a wheezing scream from the blonde strangled in his arms. He jumped upon realizing what he had been doing to Wolfram and let go as quickly as possible.

"Are you trying to kill me with your bare hands?" Wolfram growled, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry!" Yuri apologized, his face blushing. "I thought… I thought…" He glanced sideways. "Where's Greta?"

"Don't try to change the subject, wimp! Why? Do you always strangle our daughter like this?" Wolf asked in annoyance, his cheeks also in a deep shade of pink.

"No, of course not," Yuri said in incredulity, detesting the allegation. "I was just dreaming—"

"Dreaming of killing me," Wolfram spat as he fixed his frilly pink night gown.

"I would if I could," Yuri retorted, getting annoyed as well. "It's not my fault I dreamed…" He paused to change his reasons. "…I was a Kuala bear…"

Wolfram grabbed him on the collar; Yuri could see the fires dancing in his emerald eyes. "And let me guess, I'm the tree branch?"

"Exactly," Yuri pressed, smirking and wanting to inflict as much irritation to the blonde. Then his face registered a look of lame haughtiness. "It's not my problem you wanted to sleep here so badly."

Yuri thought how unfair Wolfram can be. The blonde was always the one who hits and strangles him whenever they sleep because of his usual bed merry-go-round moves. Yuri never complained and just accepted the fatal blows. But now that he was the one who accidentally did it, and note: for the first time, the blonde was already nagging him full force.

"You…" Wolfram scowled. "Fine… If that's how you put it…" The last words were said more to himself, as if it was like an unforgivable curse, because it was said in a very soft whisper coiled with detestation.

Yuri hated this—this useless ranting and fighting over a simple matter. Wolfram's a bit of a war freak sometimes. Yuri would not let this go on. It was not making any sense. He sighed wearily and heaved the blonde's grip from his collar. Wolfram narrowed his eyes at the double black and crossed his arms.

"You're impossible," Yuri said exasperatingly. He got himself out of bed, leaving the disoriented blonde in abhor.

Wolfram knew Yuri wasn't in the mood to quarrel further, and so he let the silence carry on. Wolfram wasn't heated at what Yuri had done; in fact he was secretly concealing his delight at the physical and a bit intimate contact. His resentment was born of disappointment and frustration; Disappointment that the touch wasn't and would never ever be caused by Yuri's conscious intention and frustration over Yuri's ever-clueless mind.

Wolfram remained on the bed and sulked, covered himself under the blankets and buried his face against the pillows. Yuri saw it and tried his best to hold back a laugh at the motion of defeat. He walked back towards the bed post, wanting to settle the vain argument.

"Wolf, hey," he said in his usual shaky tone as if he had done something terrible and was guilty of it. It was the blonde who always made him act like this, with his hand foolishly messing his uncombed hair even more. "Don't sulk like that, you will kill yourself."

"Leave me alone, wimp," Wolfram mumbled through the pillows.

"Look… I'm sorry, okay?" Yuri tried taxingly.

This time Wolfram didn't answer. Yuri decided not to push further.It's better this way, he thought. Wolfram obviously wanted to stop their worthless squabble as well. Yuri saw Wolfram's back rise up and down in heavy breathing as he lied flat on his stomach under the blankets. What an impossible brat.

Yuri smiled as he watched; the anger in him was dissipating as quickly as it built inside him. But beyond the fascinating entertainment before him, he recalled the thing he said about the Kuala. It was an absolute lie he preferred to keep to himself to grin at. He perfectly remembered what he was really holding onto in his dream, and it was definitely not a tree branch. It was the same creature in his arms that was warming and… screaming.

End of flashback XD

"Hahaure! You murdered my room!" Wolfram screeched.

"I did not, Wolfie dear. In fact, I had it renovated, refurnished and decorated," Lady Celi boasted with one hand on her waist and gesturing a no-no finger at her son. She was obviously disregarding Wolfram throwing tantrums at her.

Before Wolfram could respond, she continued instantaneously, "You see… I realized the three of you had been sharing the same room for years and Greta is getting bigger and is too mature to be sleeping with her fathers… And so, I thought it's time to make some necessary changes. This is why I decided to give Greta her own new room."

Greta giggled with excitement when her Grandma's real plan became clearer to her. Meanwhile, Yuri was tensely watching Wolfram's face reddening even more. He looked no different from the Maoh imposing judgment.

"Of all rooms, why mine? You could have chosen one of the many vacant rooms in the castle! Why do you have to do this to me?" Wolfram's voice grew dark and was laced in pain now.

For an instant, Yuri felt sorry for the blonde while admiring at the same time Lady Celi's audacity to do this to her youngest son when she was totally aware of his character. He was really Wolfram's mother, Yuri thought, rash and bold.

"Simply because I want you to stay sleeping in His Majesty's room!" Lady Celi declared confidently. Yuri let out a 'Nay!' and had goose bumps all at once; he and Wolfram blushed at her candid answer and neither looked at each other. Greta and the maids sniggered with glee. "You always bury here whenever you and His Majesty had a row. And I don't like that. That's why I've decided to give this room to Greta instead."

The flushed-face couple could only stare at the former Maoh in disbelief and bafflement. Wolfram, who was slowly realizing the advantage of his mother's decision, closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Even still, deep inside him, he didn't like the idea that his room was robbed of him suddenly without his consent.

"But… Lady Celi!" Yuri blurted, distracting the contemplating blonde.

Oh yes… Of course the wimp wouldn't want this. He would object to it. I just knew it.

But the next words made his jaw dropped again.

"Um… I think this is a good idea, but…" Yuri's voice trailed off. He stole a nervous glance at Wolfram, who was listening intently but not looking at him, before continuing, "… I think it would have been better if you had asked Wolf's permission first. I'm sure he'll understand. Because if I were in his position… I'd also feel bad…" Lady Celi looked at Yuri with understanding yet a frown was fighting its form on her face. "But I think it's a fine idea for a gift, anyway."

Yuri sighed timidly as he finished his point without any interruption from the blonde and turned to Greta with a smile. He wondered why he had been stuck in such a position, where he had to choose his words carefully that would be in favor of the two beautiful blondes before him. He didn't want Wolfram to get angrier at him but he couldn't afford to dishearten and upset the ever-cheerful Lady Celi.

Lady Celi clapped her hands and she smiled ear to ear at the Maou.

"Then it's settled with Yuri Heika," she said readily. "How about you, my dear?"

Greta had been silently watching the three straightening out the matter and seeing that things were starting to go okay and Wolfram's mood had somehow lightened, seized her chance to use her daughter-charm on her blonde father.

"Please Wolfram!" Greta pleaded with beautiful eyes and her heart-melting smile. "I've always wanted to have my own room and for me… having the room that once belonged to a very special person to me… was one of best gifts I could ever have."

Wolfram's resentment had ultimately vanished. He sighed in defeat and gave Greta a warm motherly smile. Yuri caught sight of it and something inside him twitched and next second, he was blushing again. He pretended to rub his nose to cover the pinkish shade, as if that was easy when he couldn't even take his intent look off the blonde. The dancing fires of loath in the emerald eyes were suddenly transformed into perfect windows of happiness and love— revealing at the moment the pure and kind heart that was kept well-masked.

"I guess it can't be helped," Wolfram said with a shrug, "If that's what would make my beloved daughter happy… I guess it wasn't a bad idea after all…" He paused and opened his arms out for Greta. "Come, give me a hug."

Yuri was surprised that such an informal request in the culture of Shin Makoku would come out of the very refined soldier. He smiled at the perfect picture of a family before him. Wait! Did I just think it was a perfect picture of a family? My family? Greta continued hugging Wolfram tightly as the grateful receiver gently patted her back.

"So I guess I have to endure the wimp's strangling," Wolfram whispered to himself when he was already watching her mother touring Greta around the room. His plans to sleep tonight in his old room was ruined and seemed to never happen again. But something inside him was very glad of how things turned out. Little did he know his fiancé felt the very same way.