(You can listen to this later on at the part in the ballroom if you want to immerse yourself fully.)

"Please stop.. stop.." Octavi mumbled through his dry lips, the lack of basic human necessities and medical aid taking a significant toll on both his physical and mental state.

"Octavi, I want you to kill that darned traitor, do you understand?" Eugene yelled at the top of his lungs, causing Octavi to wince painfully. He could feel his life slowly slipping away at this point.

"No.. don't you dare lay a finger on [Name]," Octavi said emotionlessly. He had no energy left to show his emotions, even if he wanted to. He could feel Odette's judging gaze from afar, and could quickly tell that the scene in front of her amused her. Finally, her brother was getting what he deserved. Finally, her brother could feel a part of the excruciating pain she'd been forced to feel.

"Octavi, how do you feel?" Eugene purred into the young man's ear. He had even more scratches and bruises on his body now, and Octavi was whimpering in pain below Eugene's merciless figure. "The only way out of this.. the only way to stop this pain is to join me. Together, you'll never feel pain again." Eugene whispered. Octavi was mumbling incoherent words under his breath, which were unable to form any sentences. The mumbling was spine-chilling, even for Eugene who had now had quite enough.

Octavi had been tortured for hours on end, and at this point, he could only take so much. Octavi couldn't think straight, and his mental state had depleted. He could not make sentences out of his words, as if his mind had gone blank. He could not think for himself, all he could understand was what Eugene had wished for and now demanded of him. Was Eugene his true master? Octavi slumped onto the cold, bloody walls and finally passed out cold at the feet of Eugene.

Odette sat before the cell on a worn chair like she'd done previously, one leg over the other. "Finally, it took a while." Odette sighed, leaning back into the chair and letting her gaze reach the ceiling. Her arms were crossed across her stomach. Just the sound of Eugene's approaching footsteps was enough to make the butterflies in her stomach go wild.

"Indeed, sweetheart. At long last, our plan is coming into action." Eugene stated, approaching Odette. He held her cold, pale hands and caressed them in his clutch. Odette's gaze reverted over to Eugene, and she giggled mildly, feeling delighted by his presence.

"I didn't expect him to be so mentally strong. At least now, he's our little puppet." Odette whispered to Eugene before they both broke out into laughter in unison. They intertwined fingers, feeling each other's warm touch in contrast with the cold, eerie air of the dungeons. They had managed to find these abandoned dungeons and expected nobody to be able to find them. Its presence was so forgotten that it would not even be found on any map whatsoever.

"And I didn't expect the brainwashing to work that well. Sure, it took a while, but I'm sure the results will be revolutionary for the black snake group." Eugene smiled, gently kissing Odette's knuckles, then her ring finger.

"Now that our plan has been put into action, we can finally get married soon," Eugene mumbled, a smile on his lips. He got on his knees and rested his head on Odette's warm lap. She gently ran her slender fingers through his dark locks, sighing dreamily at just the thought of her wedding. The only innocent thing in the room was the golden ring on her finger, shining hopelessly.

Their soft romantic scene was soon interrupted by a tall man stepping in through the door frame. His hair was black and long, flowing in the breeze like dangerous tendrils. His eyes shone a dark, warning red glow into the dark dungeon where they were hiding out. Odette jumped at the sight, unsure who had come in an attempt to foil their plan as their countenance was shielded by the shadows engulfing them. They wore a pitch-black, long-sleeved tunic with matching baggy pants that were held up by a red ribbon at their waist. At the sight of this red ribbon, Odette fell off the seat in fear, dragging Eugene down with her.

"The emperor!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. Eugene's loving gaze turning into a sheer, boiling rage as he metets the red orbs of the man whom he once served so proudly. Quickly, he picked up the long sword that they had left out on the floor, gripping it tightly in his hand before getting up onto his feet in a threatening stance.

"I am simply here to retrieve Sir Kirayo." The emperor said, his voice sending shivers down Odette's spine. He tilted his head at the sight of Octavi's older sister and Eugene. "Ah, I understand the situation now. Sir Kirayo should consider himself lucky that I don't punish him for telling me the cold hard truth. My second assistant is a traitor, and so is his sister. How pathetic." The emperor stated, before flipping his hair over his shoulder.

"How did you manage to find us?!" Odette screamed, grabbing a rock on the floor and hurling it towards the emperor at a feeble attempt to shoo him away. He caught the rock with ease and tossed it to the side, smirking slightly. He knew that he was about to have some fun.

"I guess it was just my luck." He shrugged, his smirk growing into a prideful grin: the prideful, sadistic grin that Eugene had hated ever so much since he left the cage that they called a palace. After all, looks were deceiving.

"Shut your darned trap!" Eugene roared at the top of his lungs before lunging himself towards the emperor. He had a short temper, which was one of the many things that the emperor had tried to control. Thankfully, the control over his anger had improved while he was the second assistant due to the emperor's help, but ever since he left, everything just seemed to get worse and worse. The emperor swiftly stepped to the side to readily dodge Eugene's not very well-thought-out attack, causing Eugene to stumble past where he once stood and nearly fall over due to the immense amount of force that he lunged forward with. He grabbed the clothing covering Eugene's back and lifted him off the ground as though he weighed nearly nothing at all.

Eugene struggled in the emperor's grip before finally being thrown into the wall by the emperor. Eugene quickly regained his composure, scrambling to his feet. This time, he had the emperor corned into a wall. With a psychotic grin on his lips, Eugene lunged once again before slashing his sword at the emperor.

The emperor caught the sides of the sword with his fingers before it managed to hit his palm, a small chuckle leaving his figure. "Have you forgotten who I am, Sir Kang? This is the emperor of Intuuin you're trying to attack. The man who owns the whole world." The emperor whispered before grabbing his dagger from his pocket and knocking Eugene on the head with its blunt end.

Eugene let out a whimper before falling onto the floor. Odette gasped and scrambled to Eugene's motionless body. "What have you done!" She cried out, throwing her head up towards the emperor.

"Calm down, traitor. I simply knocked him out. I am here to reclaim my assistant, not kill the black snake group leader's son. If I did that, I would be in more trouble than I hoped for." The emperor hissed at Odette's figure before kicking her in the chest, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor. He towered over her, a curt sigh leaving his lips. "Look what you've done with your life." The emperor asserted confidently as he then entered the cell where Octavi's body rested.

The emperor eased up at the sight of Octavi still breathing and gently hugged his fourth assistant before hauling him over his shoulder. "My palace guards can't get this job done fast enough. If you want something done, you truly just have to do it yourself." The emperor told Octavi's limp body. The emperor then proceeded to carry Octavi over his shoulder out of the dungeons where they were residing, grunting as he moved. Thankfully, he was strong enough to carry Octavi on his own, but his muscles would without a doubt get somewhat tired on the way back to the palace.

"Now, I did this for my [Name] and myself. I don't want to see her cry anymore, and your stupid self is supposed to look after the military. I can't do all these jobs single-handedly. Well, I could, but it would be one heavy workload." The emperor talked to Octavi's feeble body. He walked back to the palace, seeing the sun beginning to rise. "It seems I'll be later than I expected. [Name] might notice I left." The emperor said, his legs walking along the side of the long, muddy path. He trudged along the mud, exhaling a disgusted sigh. "You better recover speedily." The emperor continued marching along the dark road. It was a road several hours away from the palace, and there was barely any light to illuminate his way. He wanted to arrive back to the castle quickly, hopefully before the sun would rise too high and ideally, before you woke up. He wanted to be the first thing you saw when you woke up.

Fuelled by this hope, the emperor picked up the pace and walked faster back to the palace, his strides now longer, and prouder. He made sure to hold Octavi delicately over his shoulder so that the weak man would not have to endure any more pain on his way back to comfort.

"This is no ideal way to spend one's morning." The emperor said, continuing to talk to himself as he walked among the slugs and frogs. The crickets were making an annoying song as they nestled up in their high tree, as if looking down on the man walking on the ground.

The emperor continued on his way for several hours, the landscape same as the one before the next step he took, any change challenging to spot due to the darkness engulfing his frame. Unexpectedly, the red-wine sun slowly began to rise over Intuuin as the palace came into view.

"That cage nearly looks like heaven from here." The emperor muttered, his muscles tired from carrying Octavi over such a long distance for such a long time at that. His shoes and the bottom of his pants were coated with dried mud, and as he approached the palace gates, the guards looked at him suspiciously.

"State your name and business, peasant!" The guards shouted at the nearly unrecognisable, messy figure of the emperor. The emperor pushed the hair hugging the frames of his face back, exposing his face to the guards who seemed to jump and nearly faint at sight.

"Open the gate, fools! Who are you calling a peasant! Summon the royal doctor!" He growled, insulted by the guards' comment to him. He looked and felt so tired and unruly that he was nearly past the point beyond recognition.

"My apologies, your majesty! I didn't recognise you there!" The young guard pleaded for mercy before signalling to the others to open the large, golden gilded gates. The monarch entered the palace gates and soon to his aid came several guards.

"We will take care of it, your majesty!" They assured, urging the emperor to place Octavi in their care. The emperor gently placed Octavi in their arms, and they proceeded to place him onto a stretcher before running up the hill and towards the palace, seeking him some medical attention.

He looked up at the sky to see that by now, it was late in the morning. He had arrived back later than he had anticipated and knew for a fact you were not in bed and instead probably having breakfast.

The emperor sighed and returned to the confines of his palace by himself. He snuck back into his bedroom, only to find that you and Eli were gone. He saw a small note on the bedside table written by Eli to inform the emperor that they had gone to have breakfast. The emperor was upset by the fact his wish had not come true. To console himself, he made his way to his bathroom and closed the door behind him before turning on the tap to let the warm water flow into his large ivory bathtub. As he waited, stood up on the matching ivory marble floor, a small knock echoed throughout the bathroom from the door.

"Your majesty, you should have told me to ready your bath." The maid said, upset that she was unable to do her job and afraid that the emperor may reprimand her for it.

"Not to worry, I'll do it myself. You are dismissed." The emperor responded coldly before stripping himself of his clothes and entering his warm, morning bath to clean himself of the sweat and mud.

He sank into his bath, gently grabbing the bowl full of herbs and dumping part of it into the bathtub, causing the room to erupt into a beautiful lavender fragrance. Now, he could truly relax. His tense, tired and worn-out muscles could finally be at ease. He pondered and was excited to see you smile and thank him for bringing Octavi back. Hopefully, you wouldn't spend too much time with Octavi; nevertheless, he wanted to spend just as much time with you as he could. He held you dearly in his heart and was prepared to do anything you wished.

As soon as he felt he'd regained enough energy and was relaxed enough, he hurried over to the dining room where you were most likely having breakfast with Eli, who the emperor had ordered to babysit you before his departure from the palace, much to Eli's dismay since he had to be woken up just to go and look after you. Eli was a very hardworking member of the palace, after all, he did part of the paperwork that belonged to the emperor late into the night. But it was never enough to lighten the emperor's workload as much as the second assistant had.

Meanwhile, you enjoyed breakfast in the dining room with Eli on the opposite side of you. The two of you had decided to eat breakfast without the emperor while he was busy doing paperwork in the early morn, according to Eli. You were enjoying some scrambled eggs, bacon and buttered toast for your breakfast. It was delightful but straightforward, to say the least, as you continued to dig into the delicious meal cooked by some of the best chefs in the nation.

A butler swiftly entered the room as if he was nothing but a ghost and approached Eli. He leaned in and whispered some information into Eli's ear before disappearing once again to resume his daily tasks.

Eli placed down the plain porcelain cup he was sipping his tea from and smiled at you. "It seems as though the royal guards have managed to find Octavi and brought him back here. He is receiving medical care at the moment. Surprisingly, he isn't lethally injured. When he wakes up, he will require some time off of his job, but he will be free to move. It must be a miracle." Eli informed you before taking another sip of the fragrant tea in his hands.

You beamed, sunbeams seeming to escape your figure as you bounced in your seat with joy. "Truly? Is Octavi truly back?" You interrogated Eli. Eli nodded in response as he sipped his tea, only to nearly drop his teacup as you screeched with happiness.

Your happy celebration was cut off as the emperor entered the room. However, you were unable to hold a smile in. "Your majesty, Octavi has returned! The guards managed to find him!" You exclaimed, informing the emperor of the news.

"How lovely." He stated, approaching the table to join the two of you. He sat down beside you and poured himself some tea before the maid can move from the station to do so for him. He then proceeded to pour you some tea as well, earning a confused look from the palace staff. Why was the emperor suddenly so informal and independent around the royal tailor?

"May I go see him?" You asked, a smile embracing your lips.

"He's still resting, my little tailor." The emperor said, softly gripping onto his teacup to take a sip from it.

"Nonsense! Your majesty, you promised me a visit to Octavi. Surely you are a man of your word?" You questioned him desperately. You could barely contain yourself from running to the royal infirmary.

"[Name], please. Octavi needs more time to recover before he can meet some guests-" "Do you not care about him at all? He was probably alone for so long! He needs somebody by his side now more than ever. Even if I can't talk to him, I want to see him at the very least. I can't believe you! It's not like you saved Octavi yourself, now did you? All you did was try to win my affections in the absence of him." You hissed at the emperor. You stormed out of the room, leaving the royal staff shocked at the scene you had just performed in front of them.

The emperor dropped his teacup, causing it to shatter across the ground in a million pieces, just like his heart had when you shouted at him. It took the maid several moments to regain her composure before noticing the broken teacup and swiftly cleaning it up as quickly as she could.

The emperor sat there motionless before resuming to eat the breakfast that had been prepared for him. Eli gave a concerned look. Surprisingly, the emperor did not lose his temper or even attempt to chase after the maiden whom he seemed to fall head over heels for. Silent, Eli handed his teacup to the emperor. "Have my tea instead, your majesty," Eli said in a soft voice, comforting his childhood friend. He knew the emperor was hurt deep down, even though he did not show it at all.

You sprinted down the halls and corridors of the maze-like palace in a drastic search for the royal infirmary. If Octavi were not there, he would most likely be in his private living quarters resting in his bed. Hopefully, you would remember the directions. Your [H/C] hair flipped left and right as you took sharp and harsh turns throughout the halls, nearly bumping into several palace staff on the way.

Soon enough, you approached the royal infirmary that had at-least six guards guarding the door. "The emperor has allowed me permission to see Octavi." You declared to the guards. They nodded, allowing you entry. Usually, they wouldn't let anybody in except for the emperor even if they said something of the sort, but the emperor had given them specific instructions to follow any of your wishes.

You entered the room to be met with the sight of Octavi sat up on the bed as white as snow, sheets covering his bottom half as his top half was covered with bandages. He wore an ivory blouse that was only partially buttoned, exposing part of his bandaged chest. His light blue hair was messy and damp, showing that it was just newly washed a while ago, and his purple orbs sparked with happiness as they met your [E/C] ones.

He was already having a speedy recovery due to the fantastic medical skills of the royal doctor and felt better just being in the safe confines of the palace. But after seeing you, he could feel himself become a million times better than he was before.

"[Name]." He spoke in surprise. He did not expect anybody to be allowed into his chambers so early into his arrival back home.

"Octavi!" You exclaimed exultantly before proceeding to approach him and sitting on the edge of his rest bed.

"I'm so glad to see you once again [Name]." Octavi said, laughing slightly at your glowing aura due to his return.

"I never stopped thinking about you while I was gone. I had hope. I knew that I had to hold it out to see you again. I apologise for my delayed return." Octavi added to his previous statement, gently moving his hand over yours to grip it tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright." You confessed, grabbing his hand in return with both of yours. You clasped onto him for comfort, a relieved smile on your lips.

"You are alright, right?" You looked at him for reassurance, earning a nod from the weakened young man. "Yes, I am indeed feeling alright, Lady Fuyomui." He responded in a buttery, charming voice that was weaker than you had remembered, quieter too, most likely due to the hardships he had to endure after being kidnapped. Judging from his bandages, he had to take in a lot of physical and mental torture, and just the sight of those bandages hurt you deep in your heart.

"I believe I promised you a day spent together?" Octavi asked, tilting his head. "I can't quite remember." He appended, cutting off your train of worrisome thought.

"Well, yes- you did. But it is alright; you're still weak." You insisted, beginning to panic as the man moved his legs and placed his bare feet onto the cold floor. He wore matching, baggy white pants that were tight around the waist so they wouldn't fall. It was the usual outfit given to those who were unwell in the palace, so it was exceptionally comfortable.

"Let us take a walk [Name]," Octavi said, a small smile on his lips as he stood up. He stumbled, giving you a heart attack before he stood up straight. He looked at you blankly before extending his arm, signalling for you to hook your arm with his. Your heart skipped a beat and you accepted his offer to do so before he led the two of you out of the infirmary.

"Sir Kirayo-" "Don't say a word." Octavi cut off the guard's concerned words and continued to walk down the hallway with you. He was in good enough health to go on a simple walk. However, you noticed his strides were smaller and less broad and confident than they once were.

"[Name], I'm so happy to be able to spend time with you once again. Overjoyed, in fact." Octavi stated in his usual smooth, formal tone. You smiled at just the sound of his voice and nodded your head in agreement, "I couldn't agree more, Octavi. I'm happy that you arrived back safe and sound. I was worried sick. After all, you were my first friend in this palace." You responded gratefully, paying no attention to the beautiful decor that surrounded the two of you, neither the priceless artefacts as all you were focused on was the most precious and priceless artefact of all - Octavi Kirayo. He seemed slightly different in demeanour due to his poor health, though it still appeared to be the Octavi you knew and loved.

Octavi halted in his tracks before of the grandest doors you had seen yet in the palace. There seemed to be a whole story gilded upon the magnificent door that towered over your figures, and the colours were extravagant, to say the least. The guards on either side opened the pair of doors to reveal a breathtaking ballroom. It glowed with gold in nearly every corner, and flowers were painted upon the walls, ceilings and floors in a beautiful array of colour. The floor was polished to perfection, as if this place was new, and upon the stage in front of the large, stain glass windows were four thrones. This was fairly confusing, granted that there was only one emperor.

"Why are there four thrones?" You inquired, wondering whether or not Octavi would know the answer to your question as the two of you ventured into the beautiful ballroom.

"One for the emperor, his mother, his father and his grandmother," Octavi said before leading you towards the right, where there was a second stage, slightly lower down with a golden, grand piano. It took your breath away, and you felt like you had just entered through the gates of heaven to come face to face with the most beautiful - and expensive - room that you had ever laid your eyes upon during your lifetime.

"However, his mother and father passed away, and his grandmother spends most of the day resting in her private quarters. She usually has several friends over, so she's never alone. In fact, she's nearly more popular than the emperor. She never is bored." Octavi explained to you. Before you could feel any sort of pity for the emperor, Octavi let go of your arm and approached the piano.

He sat at the piano, and carefully played several notes and an arpeggio before sprouting these notes into a beautiful song. The music bloomed throughout the air, the petals of his feelings hitting your face as you heard the beautiful sound of music fill the large room. You stood there star stuck by the performance unfolding before you.

"I made this song for you [Name]. I was meant to give it to you that day we went for breakfast, however, I was unable to due to the whole dilemma. And the dilemma after that, of course." He said, a sad look upon his soft features as he played. You smiled, endeared by the fact he had written a song especially for you.

He continued to play the lovely song that he had composed just for you, each key sending shivers down your spine. The whole scene was so enchanting; you could feel goosebumps forming upon your [S/C] skin.

"I shall hopefully write to you many more songs to come," Octavi said through the song he was playing on the piano, as if his voice was a song itself. You finally felt at peace. Was this what happily ever after felt like? You could finally rest steady, knowing Octavi was safe. And you could finally feel his feelings, embracing you with the power of his music.

"I have so many ideas; you truly are the source of my inspiration [Name]." He admitted, his soul melting into the monochrome keys of the piano.

"I wish I could play like you, Octavi. It sounds wonderful." You responded cheerfully. You were genuinely treasuring this moment you were able to share with Octavi; these precious times were not something you could easily forget.

Finally, at long last, your heart could be in peace as Octavi was finally within your reach and could rest in comfort.

Soon enough, the song ended with a rich sound and silence soon began to ring in your ears. Octavi silently turned to you and smiled.

"I love you, [Name]." He susurred to you in his usual sweet satiny voice, but loud enough that the echo of his loving words throughout the ballroom could be heard again and again - causing your heart rate to dramatically increase, as though he was whispering those three words repeatedly to you. Who had expected such a vast array of emotions today? It had not even struck afternoon yet. You were truly excited to spend the rest of the day with Octavi, especially after he had muttered those words to you. You nearly wished to hear them again, at least a million times over.