I stood in front of an opulent summons room in the palace, my face frozen with terror..

Summons from the King. I thought. The King, the King! What did I do?

I wanted to cry. I was reincarnated into this world, and the immediate primary objective I gave myself was to be a background character! No interactions with the capture targets, no affiliation with any sort of big figure, and no effect on the plotline! That was what I determined!

And yet, just last night, I realized I had become friends with capture target no. 4 unknowingly. And now, today, I'm going to meet with the biggest figure in the kingdom, the King of Vires...

I eventually brought myself to knock on the wooden door with a downtrodden expression. My mind wandered off as I waited. Maybe I'm a bit more dense than I thought... to be tricked so easily by a simple alias, now I'm going to have to deal with the puppy-boy ikemen, a duke's son, a trickster... what have I done to deserve this...

The doors swung open, with two servants holding it open with a servile expression. "Please come in, Young Lord."

I nodded hesitantly and walked in with heavy steps. My sight immediately set on the center of the room.

"Your Royal Highness," I spoke as I kept my head down and my eyes focused on the royal red carpet beneath me.

"Lift your head." The King ordered. His voice was soft and fond, yet somehow, the voice gave me even more chills. It's like he's talking to a future in-law... I shivered and promptly threw the chilling thought out of my head.

"You may be wondering why I called you in here today." He gestured for me to come closer. I shuffled forward and nodded my head.

His smile grew wider after seeing my obedience. I could see the slight appeasement in his eyes, like he was relieved that I was this way. I didn't like that look in his eyes. It seemed like a foreshadowing to something horrible. I gulped with trepidation and simply stood there, choosing not to reply.

"Congratulations. You have been chosen as the Head Aide for the crown prince!" He clapped his hands and laughed cheerily.

My eyes almost dropped out of its sockets.

"At first, I was a bit doubtful about the madam's choice. However, I heard about your responsible and considerate way of dealing with the, ahem... crying crown prince that day, in the archives." He looked away and covered his face in embarrassment. "Hahhh... I'm glad my son will have an aide like you in the future. Please take care of him for me, will you?"

I stood in front of the chortling king, in a daze, wanting to drop to my knees in despair. My eyes glazed over as I tried to cope.

So, you're telling me...

That the reason I've been elected for the position I've been persistently trying to avoid...

Is all because I was stood up by that lying capture target?!

----

I stood in the center of the bathroom, my hand wedged inside my clothes and my pants put down, in a mindless daze. The hazy steam of the hot bathwater created a dreamy, untouchable atmosphere.

Three knocks sounded from the doorway on the other side of the guest room. I turned my gaze blankly to the hallway.

Someone's coming... I thought, pulling up my pants and mechanically moving one foot in front of the other to the door.

Another two knocks sounded. I could hear the person outside getting impatient. I grabbed the door handle subconsciously and swung it open.

Just before the door opened fully, I saw a familiar tuft of blonde hair stick out from behind the wooden entryway. I slammed the door as quickly as a running fawn fled.

After a few seconds of silence, I hastily opened the door again and reluctantly faced the muddled-faced prince.

I tried to brush it off and said, "Prince, what brings you here?"

His ears perked up. "Ah... I'm here because Madam Rosé ordered us to meet at the ballroom..." His face became inexplicably redder as he said the words. "I didn't come here because I wanted to!"

I stood there, woodenly, with deadpan eyes. "Right. I thought our etiquette classes were over?"

His blush spread to his neck as soon as I said those words. I felt an inexplicable feeling drop to my gut as I saw his overtly bashful reaction. Why do I feel he's more tsundere than usual today?

"Well... ahem, now that you're mine..." he covered his mouth with his hands shyly, "I guess we have to spend more time together."

I gazed at him incredulously. "What?"

"I-I mean, now that you're my aide."

"...oh." Must be a slip of the tongue, then.

I sighed and scratched my head with an annoyed frown, walking towards the bathroom. "Alright, give me a moment."

The prince looked into the bedroom and closed the door softly. As soon as the footsteps faded, a small, content smile crept onto his face. He rubbed the lavish doors incomprehensibly, an appeased and jubilant feeling spilling into his heart.

Why am I feeling so happy today...? He wondered.

----

I grabbed the satchel from the sink top and stuffed it into my vest pocket, rushing out of the room. The prince stood outside, waiting, his eyes cast downward.

"Let's go," I said.

He flinched, snapping out of his reverie, and hurriedly placed his hand over his racing heart. "R-right, let's go."

I looked at him with a questioning gaze. What was he thinking about?

I waited for the prince to walk forward and moved a half-step behind him. We walked into the ballroom and saw the madam. A slight smile graced her sharp, white face. I paled and stepped away subconsciously.

"Congratulations, Young Lord Xenith, for your success in the aide selection." She said.

"Ahahaha... yes, thank you..." I chuckled with reluctance, shifting a step forward.

Her smile spread inexplicably wider when she saw me tuck myself behind the blonde prince. "Well. I plan to help you and the crown prince get along better. In preparation for the future, of course."

I gawked at her words. The crown prince stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you, Madam Rosé."

My smile grew stiff.

"Ahahaha... yes, thank you..."

----

The speeding carriage came to a halt with a loud screech. I lurched forward. The prince quickly extended his arm and moved me back onto the seat. I thanked him, but he turned his head away and didn't respond unfathomably.

The knights on either side signaled to each other, moving forward to open the carriage door.

I walked out and stepped to the side, holding out my hand for the crown prince. His eyes held a strange happiness as he crouched down and took it, descending the stairs at a leisurely pace.

Madam Rosé came out last. She opened her umbrella and gave it to me to hold. "Serve the prince." She ordered curtly.

I nodded and moved the umbrella over the prince, eying him with suspicion all the while. He's rather quiet. Usually he's blushing red and fuming over something I said.

I soon shrugged it off and lifted my head drearily. After so many shocks the past few days, I didn't want to dwell on something that would probably make my life more troublesome.

I lifted my head and looked around. Where are we? It's strange, the madam didn't tell us where we were going. I looked towards the large, cut plains of grass to one side, and the evergreen trees rippling gently along the wind to the other. Then, to the far left, I saw a grand, beautifully furnished mansion.

Is this where the madam lives? I wondered in awe.

I looked towards my right and observed the prince's reaction. Unlike me, his eyes were narrowed into thin slits and his face turned dark with annoyance. I was befuddled at his reaction.

We passed the front gates. The madam strode ahead, leaving me be with the prince, and knocked on the front gates soundly. My confusion grew with her gesture. It must not be her house, then. So who...?

The doors swung open, revealing two figures standing on the spiral staircase: a cheerful, well-dressed young woman and...

My face turned grim, and I averted my gaze, avoiding eye contact.

Zier.

Why did she bring us to the Audovár manor?