Back at the palace, Jun walked down the long hallway toward the king’s office. His shoes clicked sharply against the marble floor as he moved forward, hands in his pockets. His gaze shifted from the gilded mirrors to the paintings lining the walls.

Kaizen followed, his footsteps matching Jun’s as they echoed through the quiet corridor.

“Think he’s in the mood to throw something today?”

Jun glanced back, smirking.

Kaizen didn’t answer.

Jun chuckled.

Jun stopped in front of the heavy double doors and tilted his head. “Do you think he’s already holding it, or is he still deciding?”

Kaizen’s silence said enough.

Jun grinned.

Without hesitation, he pushed the doors open.

A porcelain vase shot toward him almost immediately, cutting through the air.

Jun dodged it effortlessly, the vase crashing into the wall behind him and shattering. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he waved his hand casually.

“Good to see you too, Father.”

The king stood behind his massive desk, face flushed. One hand hovered over another vase, as if considering whether to throw it.

Jun stepped further inside, his eyes flicking briefly to the shattered remains. 

“Looks like you’re busy. Should I come back later?”

The king slammed his hand onto the desk, his voice booming.

“Jun Aldenhurst!”

Jun strolled forward with his hands still in his pockets.

“You don’t have to yell. I can hear just fine.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

Jun tilted his head. “Let’s see… letting you take your anger out on me?”

“You missed an important meeting with the Etiodor embassy delegation! Do you know how much effort went into arranging that?”

Jun shrugged. “They were rude. I didn’t feel like wasting my time.”

The king clutched his chest, his face torn between outrage and disbelief. Behind him, the butler moved silently, pouring tea into a porcelain cup and setting the pot down without a sound.

The king didn’t touch the cup.

“You are still only the Crown Prince of Altea! You can’t just decide who’s worth your time!”

Jun leaned against the desk.

“I have no intention of becoming friends with rude people.”

The king’s nostrils flared.

“This is not a joke, Jun!”

Jun sighed and rolled his eyes. “What do you actually want? I assume this isn’t just about me skipping one meeting.”

The king took a deep breath and sank into his chair. His hand reached for the teacup.

“Hrm.”

The king lifted his tea and took a small sip before setting it back onto its saucer.

"How did the tea ceremony go yesterday? With Sho Ai. Did you make progress? Where does the relationship stand?"

"It’s handled. Don’t worry about it."

The king’s composure shattered. His voice shot up again, the calm from moments earlier completely gone.

"Every time you say that, it ends in disaster! You think I can trust you to handle anything properly?"

Jun shrugged, his shoulders lifting briefly before he turned toward the door.

“Don’t give me anything to handle, then. I’d rather go on a movie date with Roen.”

“You imbecile!” 

The king slammed his fist onto the desk, the sound reverberating through the room. 

“You should be proud of your title and take your responsibilities seriously!”

Jun didn’t stop walking. He reached the door and lifted one hand in a lazy wave, his steps remaining steady as he opened it.

“See you at dinner.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the king standing rigidly behind his desk, his hand still pressed against the polished wood.

The butler stepped forward, quietly gathering the tea tray.

The king’s voice was quieter now, but no less firm.

"We should proceed as planned. I don’t intend to wait any longer."

The butler’s hand paused briefly before setting the tray back down.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

The king leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the door Jun had just exited. 

The massive apartment on the eighth floor felt eerily empty after Jun and Kaizen left. Roen stood near the couch, still holding the key card, the edges pressing into his palm. His phone vibrated against his fingers, and before he could think, his grip tightened.

[AnnoyingGuyNONEEDTOANSWER]

His thumb moved automatically, sliding over the reject button. The screen dimmed, only to light up again with another call. Then another. He hovered over the block button, debating, but a new message popped up.

[AnnoyingGuyNONEEDTOANSWER] Hey, answer your phone.
[AnnoyingGuyNONEEDTOANSWER] Come meet me. I have a surprise for you.
[AnnoyingGuyNONEEDTOANSWER] Come onnn… I met a really important person by chance.

A photo appeared below the chat.

Roen tapped it open, his stomach twisting the second the image loaded. The background was a café, the table neatly set with two drinks. Eugene sat on one side, grinning. On his left, sat someone else. The lighting cast a soft glow over delicate features, capturing an expression that was calm, composed, and impossible to mistake.

Roen’s grip locked around the phone.

The key card slipped into his pocket as he grabbed his jacket. Ignoring Eugene had been easy before. Now, it was no longer an option.

The bell above the café door chimed as Roen stepped inside. The warmth from the heaters wrapped around him, a sharp contrast to the cold air outside. His gaze swept over the tables, landing on a familiar face near the window.

Eugene sat on the left side of the booth, grinning as he waved him over.

On Eugene’s left sat a woman.

The woman sat with her hands folded neatly on the table, her posture perfectly straight. Her dark eyes remained steady, watching Roen without shifting. The sunlight from the window illuminated her face, highlighting the smooth curve of her cheekbones and the sharp line of her jaw. She blinked once, slowly, before lifting her teacup and bringing it to her lips. The movement was precise, not a single unnecessary motion. She set the cup back onto the saucer without making a sound.

Roen knew who she was before Eugene could even speak.

His fingers clenched around the strap of his bag.

“Roen! Finally!” 

Eugene beamed, completely unaware of the tension curling in Roen’s stomach. 

Roen had known Eugene for years. Their families had been close, and despite Roen’s usual indifference to most people, Eugene had stuck around—persistent, loud, and annoyingly genuine. Even after going abroad for university, Eugene had kept in touch, messaging him every few months, demanding to meet every time he came back to the Altea.

It had been two years since they last saw each other.

“Man, you’re impossible to reach. I had to practically harass you to get you here.”

Roen approached the table but didn’t sit.

Eugene blinked, then let out a short laugh.

“Oh, right! Look who I met!”

He gestured between them, excitement spilling into his voice.

“Roen, this is Sho Ai. Sho Ai, this is Roen—my best friend from high school.”

Sho Ai gave a small nod.

“It’s a pleasure.”

“Can you believe this? I ran into Sho Ai by pure chance. And guess what? She’s engaged to the Crown Prince!”

Eugene leaned back, crossing his arms with a proud grin. 

“The Sho family, man. The Sho family. I can’t believe I get to call myself part of royalty soon.” 

Sho Ai glanced at Roen with an unreadable expression. 

“Eugene told me you were close with him. When he showed me your picture, I thought it might be interesting to meet.”

Eugene slid out of the booth, stretching his arms above his head. 

“Alright, I’m gonna grab something for you. Caramel macchiato, extra drizzle, extra whipped cream—because you have zero self-control when it comes to sugar. And, of course, pistachio macarons, right? Surprised I still remember your favorite?”

Roen didn’t react. Eugene left anyway.

Roen hesitated for a fraction of a second before lowering himself into the seat across from her. The air between them stretched, silent.

She waited until Eugene was gone before speaking.

“I’m glad we could meet.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to talk to you before… you know.”

Roen had no idea what Sho Ai was talking about, but he kept to himself and waited for her to continue.

“I know about your relationship with the prince.”

His stomach turned. 

Sho Ai kept her voice steady. 

“No matter what, this engagement needs to happen. I wanted to meet you in person to say—I’m sorry. But I’ll make sure I won’t disturb your relationship with him.”

The apology barely registered. His chest felt tight, breath lodged somewhere between his ribs.

Sho Ai folded her hands on the table. 

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll do it. As long as the engagement can be made public.”

The words didn’t register. His chest felt tight, like the air had been knocked out of him.

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” 

Why was she acting as if he had any say in this? As if he had any power over something between her and Jun.

“I am sorry, um, Miss Sho Ai, but I don’t…"

"Even though he agreed to hold the engagement party next month, I still felt I needed your approval. Or at least a conversation with you."

The world tilted.

Next month.

Roen’s grip locked stronger around the strap, his knuckles turning white.

Just this morning, Jun had handed him a key card to an apartment. An apartment for the two of them. Now, Jun’s fiancée was sitting across from him, apologizing for an engagement that had already been decided.

Was this what Jun had wanted to talk about? Was the apartment just a setup for this conversation?

Living together? Yeah, right.

None of it made sense.

Sho Ai glanced at him.

"I don’t want to take anything away from you. I just need this engagement. You can stay as his lover, but I need the official title as the crown princess. I am… so sorry."

Sho Ai bowed a little toward Roen.

But Roen didn’t hear anything else after "hold the engagement party next month."

Jun had agreed.

Roen could barely breathe.

His chest felt hollow, like something was caving in.

Sho Ai’s voice stayed soft.

"I-I know this isn’t fair. That’s why—if you want anything from me, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes, as long as the engagement isn’t disrupted."

Roen’s pulse pounded loudly in his head.

Sho Ai was still half-bowing. Her hands curled against her lap, eyes tightly shut, waiting for something. A remark. A slap. A drink splashing across the table. That was why she had ordered a cold tea instead of a hot one.

But nothing happened.

A chair scraped against the floor.

Sho Ai didn’t move. She braced herself before finally looking up.

The seat in front of her was empty.

The café doorbell rang.

Sho Ai turned, just in time to see the prince’s lover running away.