I struggled to hold back the urge to press it against his mouth and let the cream drop down his chin. He looked at me with glistening eyes, but his prideful mouth remained pressed shut. I looked at him with disappointment and brought the pastry back, placing it on my lips and mocking him.

His teary eyes were begging, but all I felt was some sort of sadistic satisfaction from his response. The sweets were slowly picked off the table, and my belly became full.

Finally, Lucius seemed to be moved to tears when the last pastry was left standing on the center of the tea table. "You said... you said that you brought the sweets for me..." He whispered. My hand moving towards the last pastry on the table froze, and I felt my heart shake. He watched my response and stepped up his approach.

"I... isn't that why you brought it here?" He said. I slowly withdrew my hand, a pang of guilt striking me from his words.

I saw his face, framed by wavy golden locks, with the afternoon sunlight hitting him which made even his skin glisten. It turns out that I'm this weak to beauty... I felt blinded by radiance. He was too shy and unwilling to show affection, so instead, he resorted to seducing me with his blasted face! I was enraged. This is exactly why that puppy-boy Theodore could lie to me for so long!

Despite my stony expression, inwardly, I was hitting my head against a brick wall. He blinked his big, beautiful eyes, and leaned forward with his arms propping his chin up. In defense, I grabbed the last pastry protectively. As the prince approached closer, desperation kicked in, and I took a large bite, savoring the creamy goodness filling my cheeks.

I slowly moved my gaze towards him as soon as I took the bite. A smug smile, a full mouth, and a self-satisfied twinkle in my eye faced the prince. I presented the bitten cream puff to him and asked between mouthfuls, "...you can have some, if you want." The cream slowly seeped out of the fluffy dessert, revealing the delicious aroma of the vanilla. Hah! Serves you right!

Lucius stared at the bitten side of the cream puff blankly. If not for his ears growing hot, I wouldn't have noticed his indignation. Well, what can I say? I'm just this good. I thought. Then, just as I was about to take it back and slowly savor the reward of the victorious war I won, he leaned towards me. My heart quickened. Then, with downcast eyes, he took a bite of the nibbled side of the cream puff, his long eyelashes concealing the expression on his face.

Ah...

I froze. My mind turned blank, and the sight of the handsome prince taking a bite of the pastry filled my vision. He grabbed my wrist and brought my hand to his lips, slowly tasting the confection. I forgot to move my hand away and just kept staring at the alluring sight, captivated.

A soft, wet sensation brushed over the tips of my fingers. I found him subtly licking and sucking on the cream on my hand. Oh... I blushed furiously, finally snapping out of my daze and fumbling away from him.

As he approached, I stepped back, instinctively feeling a sense of danger in his eyes. "Rem..." He uttered hoarsely, pinning me against the wall, his hand cradling my head closer to him. My face grew hotter as soon as I saw his unusually heated eyes. Suddenly, I began to regret my choice of revenge.

----

Since when did that prince get this much courage!

As soon as I saw an opening, I had rushed out of the study and locked myself in the royal guest room. My face was still steaming hot as I tried to process what had happened. I wanted to cry from embarrassment. I thought he was a tsundere! When did he become so daring!

The scene flashed in my mind as soon as I thought those words. My face, which was cooling down, instantly became as red as a tomato. I tried to distract myself and change the subject.

Alright, no, think on the bright side. This is good, this is good! He'll be a good suitor for my sister in the future. I bit my lip and paced around the room. Now, I just have to get him to talk to Aileen, then he'll instantly fall in love with her bright personality.

Nervous laughter escaped my lips. Yes, in the end, he just really likes sweets. A cute, tsundere prince, how could he have any other intentions? I assuaged the unsettling intrusive thoughts in my mind.

Just like that, my first day of summer vacation in the royal palace came to an end.

----

The following day was peaceful. The maid in charge of serving me knocked on the door with a breakfast tray filled with confectionaries. I sat on the eating table, looking at it and immediately losing my appetite when it reminded me of what had happened. I rubbed my temples, trying to shake the image out of my head. I really need to work on my resistance to handsome men...

I stood up and walked into the closet. Flamboyant and expensive clothes greeted my eyes as I flipped through them to find something comfortable to wear. "Do they have t-shirts in this world? Or sweatpants? Ah, how troublesome..." I mumbled.

Ah, right. I grabbed the handbell on the nightstand. There are probably servants outside, right? I rang it gently, and three servants instantly scurried in with their heads bowed. I blinked at the treatment but just decided to shrug it off.

"Hey, uh... do any one of you have some clothes I can borrow?"

----

I ended up walking out of the room with white trousers and a brown leather vest. Two other pairs of servant's clothes lay in the closet, hidden away. I strolled through the palace, trying to stay confident, but the intense gazes of the young maids made me uneasy, as if they knew I was a noble. My heart raced and I hastened my steps.

I explored parts of the palace which I had never seen before with wide eyes. The older, more experienced servants looked at me with amusement, thinking I was a newcomer here. I entered what seemed like the kitchen, the fragrant smells hitting my senses as soon as I opened the door. The chefs didn't look twice at my impromptu appearance.

"Hey." I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked back and saw a middle-aged, lean man. "Did you bring the vegetables?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, you're looking for someone else." I said. I studied him curiously. His countenance seemed strict and rigid. Looking closer, I noticed a small flame dancing brightly on his forefinger. I gazed at it in wonder. He noticed my prying eyes and laughed heartily.

"You must be curious, eh? A commoner, using fire magic, in a kitchen?" He smiled. I nodded in response. "Well, our magic isn't good enough to make us court mages, so most of us end up in the higher-end of the palace hires, cooking for the royals and so on."

I let out an 'oh' and nodded along. So it turns out there are cases like this... I thought. Growing interested, I asked lightheartedly, "Then do you know any spells?"

He shook his head sadly. Some of the other chefs' ears perked up at my question. I raised my eyebrows slightly, but pretended to be ignorant. I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Well, if you want, I can teach you a spell or two."

He widened his eyes and looked at me incredulously. I tilted my head and just laughed it off, grabbing his left hand and pulling him towards the stove. Despite his larger figure, he just followed along with glazed eyes. I flexed his palm and held it outward.

"Listen and repeat." I said. He nodded complacently. "Entrén goûnv, treça orostėï nako ebłist ero Xenith." He coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed, but attempted to repeat it as best he could.

"Push the mana into your left hand, now." I added, "Just think of it as squeezing your body into a small speck." He nodded. Then, something akin to a liquid flame appeared from his palm, as cold as ice.

He stared at the substance in wonder, then looked at me quizzically with euphoric eyes. "How is...?"

I laughed and answered before he finished his sentence. "It's hard to explain." It was developed by me, who knows about different forms of energy and chemical reactions from modern times. No one in this world would understand it.

I scratched my head. "You don't have the water element, though, so don't think you can make ice from your magic." I clarified. I frowned and thought it would be best to offer a warning. "Also, keep in mind... your mana pool is not as large as the nobles, so... don't try anything too big with it."

He flashed a bright smile, clutching my hands with a grip so tight I felt like I was going to lose circulation. "Of course! Thank you, young man. Is there anything you need me to do for you? I can set you up with my granddaughter, she loves you pretty types..."

I was immediately caught off guard at his words and coughed, my face flushed. "U-uh, well... I forgot, I'm actually looking for someone, a knight. Knight Reask?"

His sharp face turned amused. "Oh, that adorable young man. About your age, right? Haha, I remember last time I saw him, he was bumbling around with a flushed face, like he just got his first love." The sharp-looking old chef chortled as he thought back.

"Hmm, you'll probably find him in the knights' quarters, all the way on the east side of the palace." He gestured to the right. "Ah, be careful though. Those youngsters are a rowdy bunch."

I laughed along with him and moved towards the exitway. Before I left, one of the chefs called, "Come by again, young man!"

I nodded complacently and left the kitchen with a beaming smile.

----

In the knights' training area...

I walked through the dusty open courtyard. The loud shouts of training knights sounded, giving the atmosphere a sense of rowdiness. I circled the perimeter, looking for the sleeping quarters but didn't have a clue on how to find it. To be honest, I didn't even know the face of this Knight Reask and was just approaching the situation aimlessly.

"Hey, you there!" A booming voice called from across the courtyard. I looked around with bewilderment but didn't find the man calling me. Then a large silhouette jumped in front of me and stopped me in my tracks, startling me.

I looked up at the towering figure and plastered a smile on my face, trying to hide my palpitating heart. "Ah... may I help you?"

The scar-faced knight looked down, brushing off the dust on his leather training armor, and shook his head. "You're not supposed to be here during training, didn't you hear? Who sent you?" He lowered his tone of voice to try and make himself more approachable.

"Oh, I didn't know you guys were training." I chuckled awkwardly and looked away. Crap, what should I say? "Uh, one of the higher-ups sent me."

The knight stared at me with suspicion. I felt a trail of cold sweat run down my back. "Which noble, specifically?" He frowned and asked.

My heart started jumping out of my body. Oh, shit. My brain was racing with countless considerations. In a flurry, I blurted, "Wh-which noble? Young Lord Xenith, of course!"

The knight's narrowed eyes instantly turned mischievous, and a beguiling smile crept onto his face. "Oh, Lord Xenith! Well, why didn't you say so! Come along, this way, I'll take you right to Reask." He grabbed my wrist with his sweaty palm and dragged me along the dirt path.

I panicked. I just realized that I had left my face completely exposed. What if the King finds out I've been walking around in a servant's attire! Shit, I forgot! "Uh, would you mind fetching a mask for me before we get there? I seem to be a bit allergic to the dust."

He seemed impatient, and just took out the handkerchief in his pocket to hand to me. "Just use this." I wrapped it around my head to cover my nose and mouth and thanked him.

As we hurried across the courtyard, a sense of puzzlement lingered in my mind. I couldn't help but notice that the muscular man had an unexpectedly positive reaction the moment I mentioned 'Xenith'. Hmm... With a narrowed gaze, I kept my eyes fixed on him for the entire trip.

He led me into the knights' quarters, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Look who we have here, everyone! It's Young Lord Xenith's errand boy who came over personally to visit our Reask!"

The previously bustling knights abruptly stopped and turned to us. I felt tens of eyes fixed on me like I was prey. In a split second, they all immediately bolted towards me as fast as they could with devilish smiles.

"Oh, is that so~" One of the knights patted me on the back. I felt like if the scar-faced knight didn't keep his hold on my wrist, I would have been sent flying by the force.

"Ah, nice to see you, Lord Xenith's boy." Another knight chimed in.

"Hmm, I'm so glad that Lord Xenith thought of our young Reask, heh." The third one chortled, grabbing my shoulder.

Hmm...? I looked from one face to another with bewilderment. Why are they acting so... strange?

"Alright, enough talking, guys. I'm bringing him to Reask." The scar-faced knight pushed through the crowd with his eager eyes set on the door on the far end of the corridor.

"Ah, I'm coming too!"

"And me, I want some entertainment!"

"Wait for me!"

I was dragged all the way to the communal shower. As soon as the shower door opened7, a rush of steam hit my face. I blinked, disoriented, and as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the sight of a bare naked, tanned man, with his arms extended to pull his damp t-shirt over his head.

I yelped and jumped back, reaching up to cover my eyes. The man was also taken off-guard. He screamed and sent the scar-faced knight a withering glare, hurriedly covering his lower organ. "What the hell, Gree! I'm showering! Close the door!" He hollered.

The scar-faced knight, now identified as Gree, just let out a snide simper in response. "Hey, little Reask," He waved with his free hand. I dropped the hand covering my eyes and saw the half-dressed Reask scrambling to close the door.

Gree couldn't resist taunting Reask further. "The Young Lord you've been raving about for an entire day sent someone to visit you today! Isn't that nice?" he exclaimed before the embarrassed knight could reach the handle.

Reask froze and slowly turned his eyes towards me. He immediately realized the situation and started panicking. "You- you're... ah, this... he's just joking, I never..." He stammered.

One of the nosy knights who had been spectating behind us chimed in, "Oh, come on, Reask. You've been talking about him non-stop since you went to the carriage yesterday. Just admit it, you—" Before the nosy knight could finish her sentence, Reask dashed to the meddling knight and slapped his hand over the woman's mouth.

I raised my brows with bemusement. What on earth is going on here?