Yuu became stiff, eyes widening in shock and bafflement. Oh, hell no. It cannot, is not, the same damn guy that came to my orphanage. I mean, there could be other Ferid Bathorys out there! That name is… hella uncommon. Yeah, it is definitely the same bastard. I am screwed. Yuu backed up closer to the cream-colored wall cautiously.

The prince also seemed to raise his guard around the man, glaring as he attentively observed him, as if he expected for him to perform a suspicious action of some sort. Mikaela turned to his mother, searching for any sign of distrust from her to the general. For now, she seemed to maintain her calm exterior, but the prince was aware that it would dissolve the moment the guests left the room.

"Well, did anything exciting occur while I was gone?" Ferid asked nobody in particular.

The major general, Crowley Eusford, shrugged. "Unfortunately, no."

"Now that I'm here, surely this feast will be less bland, agreed?"

"I guess."

"No need to worry, I will exceed your expectations."

"I look forward to that then." Crowley's tone had a hint of anticipation, for he had appeared quite disinterested the entire meal and seemed to have been awaiting Ferid's arrival the entire time as a remedy for his boredom.

Ferid turned to face the prince. "Hello, Prince Mikaela. Did you miss me?"

He didn't receive any response whatsoever, for the prince ignored him and proceeded to consume his meal.

"You must have inherited that cruel gene from your mother!" He chuckles, yet no one joins him.

"Ferid, please stop disturbing my son. It is quite clear that he is absolutely disgusted with you." Krul interjected in an irritated tone. "Don't worry, Mikaela. I am not quite fond of him either, nor will I try to hide that from our guests."

"What have I done to deserve such hatred from my lovely monarchs? I am such a loyal and dedicated man, and yet this is what I receive." Ferid questioned with a feigned, offended expression.

"You are a nuisance, Ferid Bathory. If you were not as skilled as you currently are at your duty, I would have sent you away long ago."

"What is this pain, this agony I feel? Ah-it is heartbreak. This is how it shall all end for me. Farewell, my comrades. Perhaps I shall reunite with you all in the afterlife." He blew a kiss to his nonexistent spectators before he slumped down in his chair, eyes shut tight. Then, he instantly regained his posture, wearing a playful expression. "Just kidding~"

"Was that what you meant when you said you were going to make this feast less dull?" Crowley sighed, as though he had witnessed that little act countless times before.

"Was it not satisfying enough? If so, then I apologize."

"What would have been plenty more satisfying would be if you had not simply pretended that you had passed away." The queen commented in a harsh tone. "If only… agreed Mikaela?"

The queen was desperately attempting to have the prince participate in the conversation, but to no avail. He persistently remained silent, hoping to complete his meal before the others and then return to his room.

Meanwhile, Yuu was continuing to hyperventilate. Shinoa failed to calm him down and stop him from constantly muttering words along the lines of, "That bitch murdered my fucking family. He will fucking pay with his life."

Yuu was literally vibrating with wrath. Without hesitation, he would've slaughtered that man, if only he had a weapon. It frustrated him that he couldn't do so and that he was smiling so widely, despite being a murderer. What if he called me over to fucking serve him?! He could only envision how outraged he would be if that was to occur. Ha, no way I am gonna let that happen!

"Fuck this shit, I'm out." He waved goodbye to Shinoa.

"Can you even just leave like that? You have to serve these rich bitches. Your prince isn't a bitch, so he's not included in that category, by the way."

"I don't care. What if that bastard calls me over to serve him? I'm fucking leaving before that happens."

"Seriously, you don't need to get into any more trouble than you already have." Shinoa groaned.

"How about you try to imagine someone killing Kimizuki, Yoichi, Mitsuba and I? And then you see that person again and they're acting like the happiest person in the world, as if they completely forgot how much they fucked up your life but you can't fucking kill them. That is exactly how the fuck I am feeling right now."

"Go ahead and sneak away then. I'll see you later at the meeting spot."

Shinoa was aware that Guren would be completely ballistic when he discovered that she had simply allowed for Yuu to stroll away from his duties and attracting even more attention to himself, but she reassured herself that it would be quite entertaining to spectate Guren take out all his fury on Yuu. She watched Yuu as he stomped away, yet he froze as he was about to step out the door. Shinoa raised her eyebrows questionably, but when Yuu backed away, Shinoa instantly understood why he had paused. Horn Skuld was revealed, scowling at the disobedient servant before her.

"Young lady, where do you think you are going? Dinner is not quite finished yet."

"Uh… I need to go get something."

"Would you please specify as to what that something is?" She raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

"A… fork? One of the diners dropped one on the ground and asked me to get a new one."

"Do you take me for a fool? None of these guests are so clumsy as to do such a thing." She glared at him for his idiocy. "Well, I shall permit you to leave, but on one condition."

"Seriously?! Thank you!" Yuu held back the temptation to hug the head maid, overcome by joy.

"Yes. You shall go clean Prince Mikaela's room. I hear that it is quite untidy as of late."

Yuu's eyes widened. "O-oh really? I can just stay, you know-"

"Ah, she would be delighted to do so. She accepts the task!" Shinoa cut in, smirking.

"Well then, please hurry on over there." Horn moved out of the way, allowing him to pass. Her face brightened as she made eye contact with Crowley Eusford. "Major General!" she nearly squealed.

Yuu and Shinoa watched unbelievably as she nearly fell after swooning massively. Horn either ignored or didn't notice Crowley's aggravated expression at the sound of her voice. Yuu sighed, then glowered at his friend (he still had no clue as to how they remained friends) as he made his way over to the prince's room.

Mika was eagerly awaiting the final course so he could escape Ferid's presence. He constantly checked on the door, hoping that it would open, servants entering with large platters of food. He was becoming irritated of Ferid's attempts at flirting with the diners, including himself, and even several of the maids. The silver knife and fork laying on his napkin tempted him immensely, causing him to visualize himself gripping them tightly, impaling the general with no hesitation at all. As he glanced at the door once again, he noticed the maid from earlier unwillingly exiting the dining room. He envied her, for being able to flee from Ferid's company.

At last, a flow of servants entered the room, carrying the final course and setting the platters on the extensive table. The prince sighed in relief, reaching out much more hastily than the others towards a dish containing the night's dessert.

"Ah!" Ferid cried out in an excited voice, "poached pears! How delightful, I do enjoy an occasional one every now and then! Want to share one, Crowley?"

The major general eyed the dessert lazily. "Sorry, they're not exactly my favorite."

"But they're all the rage nowadays! Come on, just share one with me!"

"No, thank you."

"Crowley~"

"I'm sorry, General Ferid. I don't-"

The dining hall was silenced as Ferid shoved an entire poached pear into Crowley's mouth. The large fruit fit miraculously into the major general's mouth, who gagged instinctively and spit out the dessert. Ferid giggled playfully and ignored Crowley's murderous gaze, which was paired alongside a pleasant smile. Horn shrieked at Ferid, telling him to go fuck a hobo. The general responded with nothing but an amused smirk.

Mika ducked his head down to keep others from seeing him scrunch his eyes together in absolute embarrassment for the silver-haired asshole.

Yuu desperately craved to punch Shinoa enough for her to get hospitalized. Although, that wasn't anything particularly new. Yuu twitched, slightly nervous, as he headed towards the direction of the prince's room, which had been pointed out to him by a servant he had passed by. I better hurry the fuck up with cleaning his room. I mean, what if he comes back while I'm still cleaning?! That would be embarrassing as hell!

At last, he arrived in front of snow-white double doors that reached from the ground to the ceiling. Yuu nearly kicked the door open in frustration, but held back, instead pushing it open like a civilized human being. The moment the inside of the room came into view, Yuu was baffled as to how anyone would consider this "untidy". It was definitely much more organized than his own room back at the Japanese Imperial Army's headquarters. An extravagant crystal and silver chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and a ring of candles circled around its stem. The bed consisted of a lavish canopy, silver curtains with crimson velvet straps tying them to the bedposts, and a small nightstand with a silver candelabra on top of it. Scarlet and white silk sheets were neatly folded and laid on the bed. Several matching pillows were layered on top of each other. An unlit fireplace was situated across from the bed and a large bookshelf was adjacent to the window. The white, wooden dresser was ornamented with silver knobs, and rose a few inches taller than Yuu.

He had no idea as to where to begin since it was clearly unnecessary. The teen couldn't help but wonder what the standards for clean were at the palace if this was considered to not be so. He awkwardly straightened out the bed sheets and fluffed the pillows, although he wasn't sure if he was doing it properly. Suddenly, the door burst open and Yuu froze, unconsciously holding his breath. He heard footsteps coming closer, but they stopped abruptly.

He slowly turned around and nervously grinned. "Uh, hi?"

Just as he thought, it was the prince. After all, who else would have come into Prince Mikaela's bedroom? His eyes were wide and displayed how startled he was, although he didn't appear upset.

"This surely was not was I was expecting." Mika beamed at him. "What a pleasant surprise. Although, may I ask why you are here?"

"I was assigned to clean here," Yuu mumbled. "But it's already super clean here, so I guess I'll just, um, leave. Bye then."

Yuu scrambled towards the exit, but the prince extended his arm in front of the door, barricading the maid within his room.

"No, please stay here. It would be nice to have some company this evening."

"You gotta be kidding me, right? I'm pretty sure that I'm not very good company."

"Then, you would rather disobey your future king than have a quick chat?"

"Well, if you put it like that, then I don't really have a choice, do I?" Yuu groaned although he had no problem with having a conversation with Prince Mikaela, besides the fact that he would definitely humiliate himself.

Mika wore that irresistible grin of his and Yuu knew that if he had done so at first, that would've saved him a lot more trouble.

"Then, please sit down here." Mika gestured towards a small, wooden, oval-shaped table near the window with a pair of wooden chairs plated with silver that had intricate designs engraved into it, leather cushions and armrests.

Yuu timidly took a seat at the table, trying to look as proper as possible. "So, was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"Not particularly," Mika said with a neutral expression.

"Can I leave then?"

"I'm sure we will be able to figure out something to converse about," Mika stated thoughtfully. "Well, how has working at the palace been so far? Hopefully, it wasn't too distressing."

"Don't tell anyone that I said this, but Horn Skuld is a bitch," Yuu whispered.

Mika chuckled. "I can assure you that you are not the only servant to think so."

"Yeah, I figured. I mean, who wouldn't hate her? Besides my friend, Yoichi, probably. He doesn't hate anyone, although I have no idea as to how that's even possible."

The prince's expression darkened for a split second before he asked, "Is your friend also working in the palace?"

"Yeah, he's working in the gardens."

"I see." Mika feigned a smile so sweet, it was more than obvious that it wasn't authentic.

Yuu, being the oblivious idiot he is, didn't seem to acknowledge Mika's alteration in mood and continued to rant about his friends.

"I have some other friends working here too. Like, Shinoa-otherwise known as Satan-and I should really stop being friends with. And Kimizuki is also a fucking asshole and is always calling me an idiot. And Mitsuba always teams up with Shinoa to tease the hell out of me. Damn, why am I friends with such bitches? The only one who isn't is Yoichi." Yuu paused, realizing that to Mika, it probably seemed that he was spouting. "Hey, do you have any friends?"

"Well, not any in particular. Unless you would like to include those that are merely interested in my power. Besides them, I have no genuine friends." Mika wore a distant expression as he glimpsed out the window. "Would you mind being my first friend?"

"Uh, do you even know my name?" Yuu questioned, baffled.

"Now that I'm reflecting on that time we met, no. We have not properly introduced ourselves. Although, I'm quite confident that you are aware as to who I am." The prince contemplated.

"Who doesn't know who you are? You're the fucking heir to Sanguinem! On the other hand, I'm just some random peasant, a damn servant at the castle."

"Indeed, but a servant that stands out much more than the other servants and who's been acknowledged by that certain heir to Sanguinem. So then, would you please inform me of your name?"

"I'm Yu...i. Yui." He said cautiously, eyes filled with uncertainty and agitation, paired with his flushed cheeks that he failed to conceal.

"That name is quite nostalgic…. It sounds similar to the name belonging to someone I met at the masquerade ball that recently passed. I thought he was a woman at first, for he was wearing a gown and a wig, so I was quite surprised when he revealed his true gender." Mika's eyes seemed to glitter from the light of the setting sun streaming into the room as he recalled that night.

Yuu became tense, unsure as to how to respond. "W-what do you think about this person, for tricking you into thinking they were a girl? Do you hate him?"

"That would be quite preposterous to loathe him for such a minor thing. Now that it has crossed my mind, may I ask if you attended the masquerade ball?"

"U-uh, yeah. It was one of my first days as a maid." Yuu felt slightly guilty for lying, although the part about him going to the ball was true.

"Then you must be aware that there were a few members of the Imperial Demon Army present."

Yuu nodded, since he felt as though he had become mute.

"And that the man I am talking about was one of those rebels." Mika avoided eye contact, ashamed of himself that he even was mentioning about the group revolting against his mother. "I should detest him, shouldn't I? After all, he is my mother's enemy. However, my feelings towards him are far from hatred."

"Are you saying that you...like him? As in, I-would-elope-with-him-any-day like?" Yuu stammered with disbelief.

"I am not certain, for I have never fallen in love before. But I believe that I love him in that manner."

"W-why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I feel as though I can trust you. After all, we are friends, correct?"

"Y-yeah, sure."

"Then, I can inform you of any sort of secret, correct?"

"Well yeah, I guess that's what friends do."

"If you would like to inform me of anything, I would be glad to listen. It is the most I can do in exchange for you hearing me out."

"How about you start talking more casually? The way you talk is so annoying."

"If that is what you request, then of course."

"See? This is what I'm talking about. Just say, 'Sure'. It's as simple as that."

"S-sure." Mika hesitated, feeling as though his current speech was unnatural.

"There you go! That's so much better." Yuu beamed at him.

"It is getting quite late, isn't it? The sun has nearly set." Mika commented.
"You're reverting back to your other way of talking," Yuu complained, without processing what Mika was actually saying. "Wait, it's that late already?! Shit, I have other stuff to do!"

"Must you leave? I'm sure if you inform the head maid that I was to blame, it shall be fine." Mika protested determinedly.

"Fucking Horn Skuld hates me enough, so I better go," Yuu grumbled in irritation.

"Then promise me that you will return here tomorrow."

"I guess...if I have time."

"How about after dinner? Do you think that would be a suitable time?"

"That depends on that slut with dumb, drill-shaped hair."

"Thanks, Yui." Mika beamed at his new, and first, friend.

Yuu stood up and pushed in his chair before rushing out the door, doing his best not to look back and show the prince his blush. Once he had stepped out the door, he shrieked quietly, overjoyed after his conversation with the prince. He skipped towards the meeting spot, practically radiating sunshine and gay ass rainbows. I better fucking be able to see Mika tomorrow. Or else a certain blonde bitch is going to hell.