Davian woke with a start finding himself in his room, in his own bed. He looked down at himself finding himself in the dress shirt and pants that he had worn the last evening.

Moreover, his head was pounding and eyes burned. He groaned softly cradling his head.

"Hangover?" He flinched when he heard a voice and looked up to see Queen Miera sitting in an armchair in his room with her legs crossed one over the other.

She was dressed in a simple deep yellow gown with her hair flowing loosely over her shoulders.

"How was the party at your friend’s place?" She asked with a smile and Davian sighed, feeling the pounding in his head growing unbearable.

"I’m uh..." He tried to put his thoughts into words but failed.

Miri shook her head and then pointed at the bowl on the table where there was a badin filled with water.

"Wash your face and have some hangover soup." She said making Davian drag himself out of the bed.

Miri watched as he splashed the cool water over his face and then grab the fluffy towel to wipe himself.

"Do you even remember what you were doing last night?" She asked and he paused.

He slowly removed the towel from his face and looked at her, expecting her to answer as his brain was completely blank except the pounding headache.

Miri noticed the expression and chuckled.

"You almost confessed about your love for Master Ocean and Reina in front of your friends." She equipped making his eyes go wide.

"I had to drag you back," she added making him gulp.

"I..." His throat was dry enough that he couldn’t speak anything now.

He was at Count Erkens’s mansion for the little celebration and had drank quite a bit but he didn’t remember almost spilling his secret before the three Lords.

Davian felt for the chair beside him before he plopped down.

"I... I don’t know what I-"

"Oh, there’s more." She said making him look at her.

"What?"

"Apparently, after I dropped you here, you went somewhere else." She said, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes as she leaned ahead.

"And I’m ready to bet anything that you went to Reina and not Master Ocean." She said making the color drain from his face faster than his brain could process.

"Wha-What?!" He gasped rising to his feet and she smiled, enjoying his reaction.

"Now, I was not there to save you from embarassing yourself so, I don’t know what you did there." She shrugged and Davian ran a hand through his face.

But then he frowned as he realised something and he looked at Miri.

"How... do you know that I love... Miss Reina and Master Ocean? Master aside but I never told you about Miss Reina." He asked and she tilted her head with a smile before bringing up a little piece of paper, held between her fingers.

"You didn’t tell me but I have different ways of knowing, what do you think of me?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Besides, this one was a confirmation." She said waving the little piece of paper.

"What is it?" He asked as he walked up to her and she handed the paper to him.

"I don’t know when you returned but there was this note which said you should have a hangover soup in the morning and had the initials. R. A. If I’m not wrong, Reina Aurelius." Miri said making Davian forget about his hangover and everything else.

"I’m doomed." He breathed as he realised he couldn’t remember anything about what he did last night after drinking.

"Y-Your Majesty... What do I do? What if I misbehaved or made her angry?!" He asked looking at her with pleading eyes.

Miri was amused.

"I don’t know, but considering the message, I don’t think you did anything too embarassing." She said but Davian was starting to panic.

"What do I do? What do I do? I don’t remember anything!"

He paced around his room and Miri watched him, amused but also finding his state pitiful. He was truly helpless on his own in this matter.

"Don’t panic." She said.

"How could I not? What if I ended up telling her everything? What would she think of me? She would think that I’m a lecherous man!" He shouted.

Miri sighed, "No, she won’t."

"How do you know? I might have told her that I like her and that I also like Master... I’m doomed, I’ve lost the love of my life!" He almost fell to his knees hitting the perfect pose of a Shakespearean tragic character.

Miri watched him, the amusement slowly dwindling as she placed her elbow over the armrest resting her head on the tips of her fingers.

"You are a fool," she said and he looked at her with teary eyes.

"But I guess that’s what would make them like you." She added making him tilt his head.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Exactly what it means, if you were smarter, you would be a partner and not a love interest." She said and he frowned a little, still confused.

His violet eyes were hazy- wide, liquid, unfocused - and his flushed cheeks reflected the warm light like he was glowing from within.

"I really don’t-"

"Listen to me, Davian," she said and he straightened up, "Keep pretending to be a fool around them both and get them to have a soft spot for you."

"What?"

He tilted his head just a little, his hair falling over his forehead in a soft, messy strand. His lips parted in confusion — not wide enough to speak, just enough to make him look accidentally endearing. His brows pinched together in a tiny, helpless crease.

Miri almost snorted. He did not need to act cute.

He was the definition of it.

"Reina and Master are soft towards those who are vulnerable. So, be like that and you’ll be forgiven for every mishap that you do, do you understand?"

Davian looked down at his hands, thinking very, very hard. His lower lip protruded just a fraction - not intentionally, not dramatically, but like a boy deep in sincere contemplation. After a long pause, he nodded with the solemnity of someone agreeing to a lifelong oath.

"And what about the mishap that I did now?"

"Apologize," she shrugged and he nodded.

"And... what if she doesn’t forgive me?"

That question came out so small, so genuine, that Miri was momentarily struck silent. His expression was tragically sweet - wide-eyed, uncertain, cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, like a child who’d broken a vase and was ready to cry over it. His pupils trembled slightly, desperate for reassurance he barely knew he was asking for.

"Then act cute," Miri said, unable to hold back a tiny smirk.

Davian nodded - obedient, trusting, utterly unaware that he was already doing exactly that.

"How do I do that?" He asked, blinking up at her with confused innocence.

Miri just stared.

He was hopeless. And somehow... painfully endearing. No wonder, Ocean/Reina had a soft spot for him already - Miri thought.

"Just act like you always do around them and you’ll be fine, just cry if you think they are not listening, it’ll do the deed." She said, waving her hand.

Davian nodded and she sighed shaking her head with a small smile on her face. She had only known Davian only for a while and his mother, Dahlia for a couple of months but while living with them she couldn’t deny the warm feeling of belonging. Her family was murdered when she was young and she had grown among the revolutionary people who were not her family but her army that wanted to restablish the order and put her on the throne.

Dahlia had been with her for the time being but their relationship was just as stiff.

But now that she was here she was happier, she felt at home with this family though it wasn’t hers and she couldn’t stay long.

Davian felt like a little brother that she never had. It was amusing, endearing and fun to be here.

All of this was because of one person’s interference, if it wasn’t for Ocean/Reina coming to Mordino then nothing of this sort would have ever become their future.

Davian stood up and walked over to get his hangover soup as he was starting to feel the headache coming again.

"Besides, did you visit Ryujin mansion last night?" He asked and Miri cleared her throat.

"Yes, I did. I even got to sleep in Master Ocean’s bed." She grinned making him stare at her.

She chuckled watching his reaction but then he snapped out of it and smiled, "Well, it’s not that bad. Even I’ve slept in Master’s bed."

Miri simply shook her head before heading towards the door.

"Make sure to apologize." She reminded him before she stepped out.

Davian watched her leave while eating his soup, he was calm for a moment before his face went beet red.

He remembered what he did the other night.