I collapsed onto the bed tiredly, my eyes fluttering shut as I tried to throw away the stress of the day. All three men seemed to latch onto me like fleas to a wolf, hounding away until I could barely stand. I groaned in exasperation. I thought that as soon as I introduced them to Aileen and shut the door, everything would jump back into place. It wasn't the case. I mumbled a curse and flopped onto my back, sprawl-eagled.

Well, at least I can sleep peacefully tonight. The small consolation made my mood brighten. I snuggled into the soft pillow and grinned. Plus, they're only going to be here for a few days. How hard can it be?

A few knocks on the door disrupted my train of thought.

"Brother." Aileen said, her voice muffled through the wood. Ruffling my hair, I rubbed my eyes and trudged over to the corridor, half-hazardly grabbing the cold handle and flinging it open.

"Yes, Sister?" I mumbled softly, my weight pressing against the worn, dark wood, causing my posture to slump. I caught the sound of her stifled laughter and shifted my glare to her, only to be met with an unexpected sight behind that left me speechless. "What the... what's going on?"

A bed was held up by servants, while a blushing prince stood next to Aileen with a kitten-like scowl. His eyes flitted here and there as soon as I fixed my eyes on him questioningly.

"The prince will sleep with you for the duration of his stay." Aileen smiled and pushed me aside, walking into the room languidly with the prince shuffling behind.

My eyes widened, and a sense of grievance washed over me like a sudden chill. I hurried over to her and gripped her shoulder. "B-but why?" I stammered. I had finally found some respite, only to have my own room occupied by a prince? How could I possibly relax now? The more my thoughts roamed, the more wronged I felt.

Aileen turned back and flashed a diplomatic business smile. "Why? Because I said so."

I was left speechless by her shamelessness.

----

I did my best to maintain my composure. After the servants had set up the full-sized bed neighboring mine, the door closed and the prince shuffled a bit closer, standing awkwardly in front of the beds right next to me.

"I'm only here because your sister said so! Don't get any weird ideas." His face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly averted his gaze. Without the other two men with him, the prince seemed to recover his tsundere disposition. I wanted to roll my eyes at his vain excuse, but chose to remain quiet and just emitted a half-hearted grunt.

I furrowed my brow, and slumped onto the bed in utter resignation. I needed a place to regroup. I waved my hand carelessly, pointing to the two beds. "That one's yours. You can make yourself at home." I drawled. Anyway, the prince wanted me to be informal with him anyway, so what was the point of keeping up appearances. "I'm gonna go shower. Don't go into the bathroom, alright?"

With that, I marched out of the bedroom with a heavy heart. It turns out that my sister was so capitalistic... I didn't expect her to be so ruthless. Gripping the handrail, I entered the bath, shedding my clothes. The moment my body immersed in the warm, soothing water, it felt as if I'd turned into jelly. The gentle currents in the tub made my skin tingle like the surface of a serene lake, and I let out a long sigh, feeling all my stress melt away.

Closing my eyes, I let my thoughts drift. Lucius, Cyrus, and Theodore were going to be here for three days. The objective was to introduce them to Aileen. I mused. I expected it to be much easier than this. After all, it was their destiny, controlled by the world.

I gritted my teeth, my determination waning. I was an aberration which caused a disruption in the original plotline, so I needed to be the one to fix it. But what was I supposed to do? I groaned and slumped back into the lukewarm bathwater, emitting another wave of magic-generated heat from my body to heat the water again. Then, an idea struck me.

My eyes lit up, and I gleefully slapped my palm on the water's surface. In every classic scenario, a capture target falls for the heroine when they are alone, in the forest, gazing into each other's eyes... That's why a simple parlor room wouldn't cut, because they weren't alone.

I felt a spark of inspiration light up in my heart. All I have to do is get them alone. The East Garden is a nice place, right, that's sure to do it! If I'm able to get them there, none of them will bother me anymore!

I wasn't sure when my objective's incentive had changed from 'reforming the game's plotline' to 'get them away so I can sleep', but it nonetheless fueled my competitive spirit. With that, I stood up with blazing eyes and dried myself off.

----

The sliding double doors squeaked open. My newly lit passion hadn't faded, and I seemed to march out of the bathroom like a soldier would after a victorious battle. The towel wrapped loosely around my waist seemed to dance with my jubilance.

In my elation, I had completely forgotten about the prince, who had been quietly observing everything from just a few feet away. His voice stammered as he pointed at me from the bed, his face a mix of shock and accusation. "Y-you...!" he blurted out, "You're shameless!"

I yelped as my face grew hot, my heart leaping to my throat as soon as I recognized the familiar flustered voice. I cursed inwardly. I turned my head and locked eyes with him, watching as his gaze widened with every passing moment. How could I have let this slip my mind? Lucius was still there.

"Don't look then, goddamn it! Turn away!" I grumbled a curse and stepped back. This fucking tsundere, I swear... Lucius gulped and turned away as soon as I spoke. I moved to the walk-in-closet and shut the door with a bang, grabbing a shirt and pants randomly and slipping it on. Fuck you, Aileen! I'll make sure to get you alone with these capture targets, starting with this blasted prince! You'll regret doing this to me! I kicked the edge of the drawer and clenched my fist with blazing eyes.

You'll regret everything!

----

(Lucius' POV.)

Remis stepped out of the closet, his face dark. The prince was still in a state of shock, his back pressed to the headboard, the flush on his face unfading. Remis waved his hand. "We're going to bed!" He announced, small specks of red light diffusing from his extended fingertips. It flew to the chandelier, deactivating the magic-powered ceiling light as soon as it entered. With that, he jumped into the covers and slept with his back facing Lucius.

Lucius' face helplessly became a shade redder as soon as Remis turned the lights off. His mind was still filled with the earlier sight. What's wrong with him? How shameless can he be? He thought, his eyes wide as he pressed his face to the pillow. As his thoughts ran circles around his head, he snuck a quick glance at the conjoining bed, and seeing the back turned to him innocently, he felt an unwarranted sense of guilt, like he had done something wrong.

The prince didn't know why he had demanded to stay in his aide's room. He didn't know why he had offered to set up a partnership out of the blue just to sleep in the same room with someone. It must be his magic... Lucius thought. What other explanation could there be for the strange, pervasive feelings he had? His mind turned to mush as soon as he remembered Remis would sleep right next to him tonight.

Yes, it must be magic. Some sort of spell, Lucius thought, turning to the other side and fixing his eyes on Remis' back, rising and falling to his light breathing. Or else, why would I...

The prince bit his bottom lip in helpless frustration. He struggled to suppress the urge to climb into the other's covers, to feel his body heat, to go closer.

It was a sleepless night.

----

(A/N: Remi's POV.)

The next day...

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Surprisingly, I had fallen asleep as soon as I climbed into bed and slept quite nicely. I yawned and rubbed my eyes sluggishly, propping my elbow up and pushing my body up. The sun shone brightly in my eyes. I let out a satisfied smile.

Then a leg wrapped around my waist. I felt my heart jump to my chest and swung my head to the side and saw a head of blonde hair sticking out of the thick blankets. My eyes were about to pop out of my sockets as I felt the leg pulling me closer to him.

What's going on? Since when did he... I wanted to scream, but could only tamp down my frustration and instead just tentatively touch his shoulder. Lucius mumbled something under his breath and pushed his upper body closer to my spine, his arm fumbling around under the covers trying to block the disturbance of his sleep from touching him again.

My attempts to shake out of his hold were futile. I grew more distressed and slapped his shoulder harder with an exasperating glare. "Wake up!" I hissed. "Why are you even in my bed in the first place, for crying out loud..."

My complaints seemed to enter his ears, and he muttered something else under his breath. He yawned, dragging his face out of the comfort of the pillows. "Wha-wha... hmm...?" He rubbed his eyes, blinking slowly. Then his eyes widened, and he immediately realized the situation he was in.

"Y-you! What are you trying to do!" His voice was raspier than usual, making him seem particularly embarrassed. His pointed finger shook slightly as he quaked on the bed, yet his leg wrapped around my waist seemed to be planted, unmoving. I glared at his leg and gritted my teeth.

"Me? You're the one that crawled into my bed! I should be the one who's angry!" I seethed. "Do you think I'm the one who put your leg here?!" I dragged the covers off the bed and pointed firmly at it. He grew flustered.

"B-but I didn't– I don't remember moving to–" His eyes flitted around unceasingly, his memory failing. I could just sigh and move on.

"Does it really matter now?" I grumbled. "Never mind, it's not like it-"

"Remi~ I'm here!" But before I could finish my futile reassurance, my words were abruptly cut off as the door burst open. Cyrus entered, holding a small box in his left hand. His gaze immediately locked onto the two individuals engaged in their struggle on the bed. His superficial smirk vanished, replaced by a menacing smile.

I gulped. At that moment, I wanted to curse the goddess for forsaking me.

"Oh? What's going on here?" Cyrus seemed to teleport to the edge of the bed, his shadow looming over mine like a reaper.

Well, fuck me.

(A/N: I didn't edit this chapter well, because school was rough. I'll do it later.)