Man, you ever get hit with that moment when someone uses a name you haven't heard in ages and it totally throws you off? That's exactly what happened when Alepou heard Yuki call Prince Gabrielle "Taiyo."
Alepou squinted like she was trying to piece together a damn puzzle. "Taiyo? Seriously?" she muttered, arms folded and frowning like she'd just caught a massive slip-up. For her, that wasn't just any name—it was personal. Her little brother, Taiyo, used to go on and on about Yuki, practically putting her on a pedestal.
"Yuki, come on—why are you calling him Taiyo?" Alepou snapped, a mix of annoyance and curiosity lacing her tone. "That's my brother's name, you know."
Yuki's face went blank for a split second, like her brain short-circuited. "Uh… it's just a nickname," she mumbled, trying to laugh it off. "I thought it sounded cool—like he's got that sunny vibe."
Alepou shook her head slowly, disbelief written all over her face. "No, seriously. My bro always talked about you, but he was in a whole different world. You two weren't even in the same class."
Yuki blinked hard. "Wait, he wasn't in my class? But he always acted like he was… I never really caught on to that."
Meanwhile, Prince Gabrielle—standing there like a deer caught in headlights—shifted uncomfortably. "Um… are we talking about me or someone else?" he managed, his cheeks turning every shade of red imaginable.
Alepou fixed him with a hard stare. "We're talking about my brother, Taiyo. But now I'm starting to wonder… what if this isn't just a random nickname slip?"
Yuki's heart pounded as she glanced between them. "Wait, what do you mean—?" she started, but Alepou cut her off with a firm nod.
"Exactly," Alepou said in a low, serious tone. "Think about it: my brother wasn't even in your class, yet he always seemed to know everything about you. And now, here you are—and something's just not adding up."
Gabrielle's face burned even more. "I…I don't know what you mean," he stammered, clearly rattled.
Alepou leaned in, her voice slicing through the tension. "You better start explaining—and fast. If you're not straight with us, trust me, things will get messy."
There was a long, heavy silence as Yuki's mind raced. Was Gabrielle hiding something big? And if he really had any connection to all this Taiyo talk, why had he been so damn quiet about it?
"Alright," Yuki finally said, voice steady but tense, "if you're really part of this mess, you need to come clean—no more beating around the bush."
Gabrielle exhaled shakily. "Okay, okay… I'll explain. Just… let's all cool it for a minute."
Alepou shot him one last piercing look. "You'd better, because if you're lying, I swear, it's going to blow up in our faces."
So, what just went down?
Alepou's little brother, Taiyo, was always head-over-heels about Yuki—something she never really noticed until now.
Yuki's trying to wrap her head around this whole mix-up.
And as for Gabrielle? He might not be who he says he is.
Secrets are stirring, and if Gabrielle doesn't set things straight soon, things are about to get ugly.
Stick around—this mess is just getting started.