Outside the banquet hall, Ray and Nino were walking by the exterior corridor as the moon casted a soft glow over the two. They walked in silence, one step following another, their hands linked between them. The world seemed to quiet itself — even the wind hushed as if not to disturb them. Their fingers tightened for a heartbeat, and though neither spoke; every heartbeat between them seemed to whisper the words they didn't need to say. Ray's expression was hard to be seen from behind, but Nino noticed the slightly red ears of his as a soft smile formed on her lips. Looking down to their locked hands, feeling the faint warmth of Ray's hand, the rhythm of their footsteps, the glow of the moon — it all melted into a kind of peace she never wanted to end.
When they finally stopped, Ray turned back, and their eyes met — soft, uncertain, but pulled together by something warm. The space between them faded, little by little. Nino's breath caught; as Ray's hand lifted just slightly, as if unsure whether to hold her closer or not.
But then—
"Ah, your highness!"
Both of Ray and Nino jumped.
A familiar voice echoed from the shadows — Lala's, cheerful and completely unaware of what she'd just interrupted.
"Someone was looking for you, your highness!" she said, slowly through corridor, along with another figure walking behind her.
But on the other side was a panic. Nino quickly stepped back, nearly tripping on her own foot. While Ray cleared his throat, pretending to examine the completely uninteresting patch of floor near his shoes.
"O–oh, really? Uh, thanks!" he blurted, his voice cracking halfway.
"Yeah, and here he is. I brought him with me while looking for you." Saying so, she gestured to her right as Fenn walked out from behind Lala, a bit shy as he bowed down to Ray.
"G–Greetings, your highness. I apo–apologize for suddenly coming up… w–when there's a party going on in the palace…"
Nervous as usual, Fenn greeted Ray while looking to his side at Lala; making sure he had a proper distance from her. And when Ray noticed Fenn, a friendly smile formed on his lips as he said it wasn't any issue that he came tonight. After a brief chat, Ray learned yesterday was Fenn's last day working in the Marquis household; and is now here to work as Ray's aide in the academy.
"Fenn, how about… you enjoy the banquet for now? Lala can show you around for the time being, and later we can discuss about your work!"
Ray suggested, while Fenn in front of him got flustered. Stammering as he asked if it will be trouble for Lala to show him around. But Lala denied it, saying she would be very happy to show him around and walk around the palace. The two slowly came to a mutual agreement, where Lala would show Fenn around. But then, Fenn noticed Nino's figure behind Ray; as he quickly bowed once again and greeted her. Nino greeted him back, with a soft chuckle saying he shouldn't be so formal since no one's around.
"But, why are you two standing in the dark like that?"
Lala asked.
"Just… uh… enjoying the night air," the Nino mumbled, her cheeks burning red as she looked away from the two in front. Both Lala and Fenn nodded, clearly not suspecting a thing, before waving and walking off as Lala took Fenn to the banquet first.
For a few seconds, silence fell once more — except this time, it was filled with two racing hearts.
"We, uh… should probably go," Ray said, rubbing the back of his neck. But hearing him say so, a slight hint of disappointment was seen in Nino's eyes.
"...Okay," Nino murmured, barely above a whisper. There was this faintly disappointed voice in her tone.
But luckily, Ray was able to make the difference. He glanced at Nino. She was staring at the ground, fingers lightly twirling against each other, tracing invisible circles — small, nervous, almost shy movements.
And just then, a flash of memory stirred in his mind. Kai's teasing voice echoed faintly:
"You know, whenever a girl fidgets with her fingers like that, it means she's hoping for something soft — like a kiss. But most guys are too dense to notice, you see?"
He blinked, the realization settling in, his heart suddenly pounding louder than before.
Nino was still there beside him, quiet and warm under the moonlight, unaware that his mind had just gone into complete chaos.
He took a slow breath, smiled a little — awkward, but genuine — and said softly,
"...Actually, maybe we shouldn't go just yet." And as his words left his mouth, Nino slightly blushes; slowly taking Ray's hand to her, tightly as a quiet silence fell over the two.
The scene faded from the two to Kai. On the staircase, he was moving lazily upward, eating a few of the sweets from the tray he took earlier. "Ray's probably panicking right about now," he muttered with a grin.
At the first floor, he stopped before a polished wooden door; Mono's chamber and knocked twice.
But before he could say a word, a voice from inside called out, quick and flustered, "Come in already! I need help with my dress!"
He froze mid-knock, blinking once. Then the corner of his mouth curved upward. "Oh?" The tray of sweets quickly disappeared in thin air.
Pushing the door open just enough to slip in, he slides quietly inside. The room was bathed in warm light; as Mono stood near a mirror, her back turned, struggling to tie the ribbons of her gown.
Without a word, he reached out and caught the loose ends, pulling them gently into place. The movement made her straighten in surprise.
"That was fast, Setz—" she began as she turned around, only for the words to catch in her throat.
It wasn't Setz, but Kai. Right behind her with a innocent smile playing on his lips.
"Y-you—!"
Before she could raise her voice, he placed a finger lightly against her lips, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Shh… we're already engaged," he said with a playful tilt of his head. "No need to be shy about a little help with your dress, right?"
Her face turned bright red as she swatted his hand away. "Th-that's not the point!"
He laughed softly, stepping back with his hands raised in mock surrender. She crossed her arms, trying to look stern as she tried to have the tough look, though her cheeks were still pink. Kai, meanwhile, only smiled — the kind of smile that usually meant he was up to something.
"Alright, alright," he said softly, "how about a peace offering?"
With a flick of his hand, a shimmer of light bloomed behind him — and from the swirl of magic, a silver tray appeared, perfectly balanced, filled with delicate sweets and colorful desserts that gave off a faint, sugary aroma.
"Tada~," he said, holding it up proudly. "Bought these for you. So don't stay mad, okay?"
Her eyes instantly betrayed her. No matter how much she tried to keep her expression cold, her gaze kept drifting toward the tray — to the cakes, the macarons, and the neat little chocolate rolls lined in perfect rows.
"You're… unbelievable," she murmured, but her tone had softened.
Finally, she reached out and took a small piece of cake. One bite — and her lips curved into a reluctant smile.
"Happy now?" Kai teased, tilting his head.
"Maybe," Mono said, still chewing. "But why bring them here? I was about to come downstairs anyway."
"Oh, that's because…" — he reached closer, sliding the tray gently into her hands — "we're not going downstairs. It's too boring."
"Wait— what?"
Before Mono could ask again, Kai leaned in, his arms slipping around her. In one smooth motion, he lifted her off the floor — princess-style.
"H-Hey! What are you doing!?" she yelped, her legs flailing instinctively.
He chuckled, completely unfazed. "Careful! Move too much, and those lovely desserts might take flight before we do."
She froze instantly, clutching the tray to her chest as if guarding sacred treasure. "…Where are we going?" Still with a pouty look, she asked, her voice smaller now, part nervous, part thrilled.
He glanced at her, eyes glinting under the glow of the magic lanterns. "Somewhere better than a crowded hall."
The window shimmered open at his gesture, as the night breeze slipped in, cool and gentle.
"We're going," he said softly, stepping into the moonlight, "to our night date."
Her breath caught — whether from the surprise date plan, the height, or the way he said it, even she wasn't sure. Her heart kept beating fast as she looked up at his face. For a slight moment, she was lost in his eyes. Her clear emerald gaze shimmered, deepening into a calm, ocean-blue glow before returning to normal — just as he leapt out.
The sudden motion pulled her back from her daze, but as the lights of the starlit sky spread over her, she couldn't help but smile warmly. Resting her head gently against his shoulder, she whispered,
"You're impossible."
Back to Ray and Nino, the two sat on carved wooden chairs inside a pergola adorned draped in white vines and tiny blossoms. The garden shimmered under a soft moonlight, petals drifting through the calm air as he and she stepped into the pergola entwined with blooming white vines.
They sat close—so close that even the air between them felt warm. The faint scent of jasmine lingered, mixing with the nervous rhythm of two hearts beating just a bit too fast.
Nino kept looking away, pretending to admire the flowers. But Ray smiled faintly, watching her fidget with the hem of her sleeve.
"You're doing it again," he murmured.
"Doing what?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"Looking away." He leaned slightly closer, his tone dropping to a whisper. "If you keep turning your eyes from me… how will I kiss you?"
Her breath caught—her cheeks instantly flushed a shade of crimson. "W-what?" she stammered, whipping her gaze back to him. "Since when did you— you talk like that?"
He grinned, confident now, though his heart was racing. "Maybe since I realized I couldn't stop thinking about finishing what I couldn't, back in the corridor."
Her eyes widened. "Y-you mean—"
He gently lifted his hand, brushing his thumb against her reddened cheek. "It's hard not to, you know? The night's beautiful… the air's sweet… and even the music sounds perfect."
"M-Music?" she blinked. "What music—"
Then both of them froze. Why? Because there was actually music. A soft, romantic melody floated down from above, played skillfully, almost dreamily, like the soundtrack of a perfect confession scene.
Ray frowned, slowly standing. Nino followed him quietly, peeking curiously outside the pergola.
Up above—sitting cross-legged on the pergola roof—was Kai, strumming a guitar that shimmered faintly with magic. Beside him, sat Mono who was smiling, eating the sweets Kai got her and excitedly whispered to Kai. About how thrilled she was, spying on Ray and Nino as she watched him play the guitar and smile along-side her.
"...Of course," Ray muttered, facepalming. In front of him stood Nino, a part of her surprised; another amused on seeing Kai and Mono on the roof.
Noticing the movement, Mono looked down, stunned. Kai too stopped playing mid-note' seeing Ray and Nino looking back at them and sighed dramatically. "What's this? I set the perfect mood for you two—moonlight, flowers, music—and then you come out to ruin it?"
Kai turned to Mono, complaining about his inner turmoil. "I even played the soft notes during his line—you heard the timing, right? It was flawless!"
But Ray and Nino below stood frozen, caught between laughter and embarrassment. Nino covered her mouth, stifling a giggle, while Ray just groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"Shoo! Shoo! You two go back inside quickly," Kai called out cheerfully with a gesture of his hand to move back in. "I promise I won't peek~"
"You literally are peeking right now," Ray shot back. But Kai countered, as the two began to argue back and forth; while Nino and Mono began to laugh heartfully to them.
Around then, Lala was showing Fenn around the second floor where Ray's room was. They spoke softly about the working as an aide and Lala's guide on what Fenn needs to make notes of for Ray.
"Th—Thank you so much… miss Lala. Bu—But, will I have… to meet the emperor and empress as well…?" Fenn asked, glancing around nervously. But Lala laughed it off; "Please, just call me Lala. We will be working together after all. And I don't think you will be meeting—"
But just then a stumble cut her off. In front stood Lorant, reeking of liquor and slurring his words, lurched out from the corner. He was unsteady, eyes glassy, but when they fell on the Lala, a cruel light entered them. He lurched forward as if pulled by a magnet.
"Oh… it's her," he mumbled, and before either of them could move, he shoved past Fenn and grabbed at Lala's arm. The shove sent Fenn sideways; while Lala struggled with Lorant's grip on her hand. At first, she tried to question sense into Lorant as a noble prince; but his hands were rough and determined as none of her words passed through him.
"L-let go of me!" she hissed, wrenching free. In the scuffle, Fenn quickly came back up. Taking Lala's hand off Lorant's as he positioned himself between Lala and Lorant; saying that Lorant is drunk right now, and he should go back to his room.
"Ple—Please, your highness… Or—Or else… I'll have to re—report to the Archduke, that you were—harassing his staff…"
Lorant froze where he stood, staring at Fenn. Rage, older and deeper than his intoxication, flashed across his face. He spat something that sounded like a curse and began to rant, voice ragged:
"You! Did you just say Archduke — Hiro Hamada?" He clenched his first, old wounds reopening slowly from the morning. His memory resurfaced to the slap he got from Kai in the throne hall.
Lorant lunged forward again, shoving Fenn out to the side with renewed force. He quickly grabbed Lala's hand with a stronger grip, while she kept struggling to free herself. In the chaos, Lorant shoved her to the side and a glancing blow sent her head against the cold wall. For a beat she swayed — then went still, unconscious, collapsing into the floor.
Lorant's face split into a sneer as he took a step closer, about to move on.
But then something long and black slipped out of the shadows — like ink spilling through the air. It coiled around Lorant's wrists and shoulders with slow, deliberate strength.
"W-what—?" he croaked, panic cutting through his drunken haze. He thrashed, but the tendrils only tightened, lifting him off balance and pressing him flat against the cold floor. Sobriety came crashing back as fear replaced fury.
And then he saw him.
From the shadowed end of the hallway, Fenn stepped forward — the same Fenn who'd seemed weak just moments ago. Now his posture was steady, taller somehow, and his eyes glimmered with something distant and dark. The air around him seemed to hum; in response, the tendrils constricted further.
His gaze dropped to Lala — her forehead bleeding, her body still — and then shifted back to the bound man. A faint, cold smile curved his lips.
"You made things easier for me when you knocked her out," he said softly, voice calm but chilling. "Now I don't have to worry about her seeing this side of me."
Lorant's eyes widened with a terror he couldn't disguise.
Fenn stepped closer and crouched beside Lala, pressing two fingers gently to her neck. Her pulse was faint, but steady. For a long moment, he didn't move — just stared at her face, his eyes shadowed by something unreadable, part sorrow, part guilt.
Then he reached out, tracing his thumb across her wounded forehead. As he touched it, the blood shimmered faintly and drew toward his skin, absorbed like smoke in a vacuum. The wound sealed itself in an instant with a faint, dark glow.
A breath later, a thin line of blood formed on Fenn's own forehead — mirroring hers exactly.
Above them, the night held its breath. The hallway fell into an eerie stillness, the kind that felt heavy with warning — as if something dreadful was only just beginning to awaken.
Fenn rose slowly, the shadows rippling around him as if alive. His gaze locked on Lorant's, unblinking and cold.
He took one measured step, then another, until his boots echoed faintly in the silence. The air thickened. Darkness began to curl along his right arm — veins etching across his skin like black fire, fingers stretching into clawed, demonic shapes. A low hum filled the hall, the kind that made breath catch in the chest.
His aura swelled, heavy and suffocating. Rage and power twined together in the same heartbeat.
Lorant could only stare. For a moment, disbelief fought with terror. Then his gaze fell on the transformed arm, and something in his face broke.
"...Diark," he breathed — the word half memory, half horror.
Fenn's expression hardened. In a blur of motion, he swung his arm forward — dark claws cutting through the air like a strike meant to erase everything in their path. The tendrils around Lorant pulled taut, pinning him as the strike descended.
But before the blow could land, a sharp sound cracked through the air — a single, clean motion. Fenn's wrist stopped mid-swing; his clawed hand frozen in place. Another hand held it effortlessly.
Fenn's pupils widened. He hadn't even sensed the presence beside him until now.
"What—" he started, but the voice beside him was quiet, steady, and far too close.
"That's far enough."
His world tilted. The air seemed to ripple once, and everything went black. Fenn collapsed soundlessly, the shadow-arm fading as his body hit the floor.
The figure who had appeared lowered his hand — the same one that had struck the back of Fenn's neck in a single, precise movement. He looked down at the unconscious young man for a moment, expression unreadable.
The one stood there was there none other than Kai; calm and composed as he dusted off imaginary dust of his clothes. He sighed deeply, "Man… maybe I should have just let Fenn do the work?"
Then, turning toward Lorant, he walked forward slowly. Each step was deliberate, almost casual.
Lorant, now free of Fenn's grasp, crawled backward, gasping. His body trembled, his voice barely finding form. Kai then crouched down to Lorant's level, a faint smile curving his lips — not kind, not cruel, but knowing.
"You should thank me," he said softly. "Had I arrived a second later, he would've erased you."
Lorant tried to speak, but his throat locked under the weight of the man's gaze. Lots of questions running in his mind; as his eyes kept drifting to Kai's legs being settled on the floor.
"Still," Kai continued, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. A small spark of blue light formed between them, crackling quietly. "That doesn't mean you're off the hook."
He pressed his fingertips lightly against Lorant's neck. A faint surge of current passed through him — not burning, not searing, but deep, resonant, leaving a trace of shimmer beneath the skin like a glowing mark.
Lorant gasped, clutching his throat, but no sound followed. His voice… was gone.
"Don't struggle," Kai said calmly, rising to his feet. "This isn't punishment — it's silence."
He glanced once more at the unconscious Fenn and to Lala, then back at Lorant with that same small, cryptic smile.
"Rest easy, prince Lorant. This night is just the beginning of what you owe."
But then Kai's calm smile faded as faint footsteps echoed down the corridor behind him. He turned his head slightly — the sound of hurried boots and multiple voices rising.
It was Nino's, Ray's and Mono's voice which he identified — and more followed behind, likely Maximus, Hiro and the rest. Kai exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as he weighed the situation.
"I told him to take his time… but he came too early," he muttered.
With a casual motion, he reached for Lorant — gripping him by the collar with one hand and lifting him effortlessly off the ground. Lorant's feet dangled, his face twisted in terror as he struggled to breathe.
Kai's gaze sharpened. "You really don't know when to stay quiet." He began to levitate in air, as the cape did its work.
His right hand curled into a fist. The air cracked.
The blow landed square across Lorant's jaw — a sound like a thunderclap in the narrow hallway. The impact lifted him sideways, snapping his head back as a spray of blood and shattered teeth burst into the air.
Five pearly fragments hit the ground one after another — the sound of clinking and rolling to a stop right at the boots of the onlookers who had just turned the corner.
The group froze. Gasps rippled through them, the sudden silence hanging heavy. There was Maximus, Hiro, Sakura, Celestina; along with Ray, Nino and Mono by the side. Behind were a few other nobles, with knights accompanying them.
Between them — Justin peeked from the back as he first looked at Kai, levitating in air with the beat up, unconscious Lorant held by the collar, and then down to the five tooths — muttering in disbelief, his voice trembling through the hush.
"...One tooth in the morning…" he whispered. "And now… five by night?"
-To be Continued