Aeris woke up with a smirk, stretching her arms as she snickered to herself.

"If I can't escape, then I’ll make his life hell."

The perfect plan.

She chuckled evilly under her breath, already imagining Zephirion’s furious face when she pushed him to his limit.

But then—

She noticed the maids.

They were standing near her bed, staring at her dumbfounded.

Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with confusion.

One of them hesitantly asked, "M-my lady… is everything alright?"

Aeris quickly cleared her throat, schooling her expression into fake innocence.

"Ahem. Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?" She said, stretching again. "I just had a… wonderful dream."

The maids exchanged nervous glances but didn’t dare ask further.

They helped her get ready, fixing her hair, dressing her up beautifully as usual. But today—today was different.

Because today, she was on a mission.

—---

As she made her way downstairs to the dining hall, she spotted him.

Zephirion.

Sitting calmly at the grand table, sipping his morning tea, looking like a king straight out of a fantasy tale.

His long black hair cascaded down his back, his red eyes glowing under the morning light. His jewelry glinted as he moved his hand to pick up a piece of fruit.

Aeris frowned.

"Why does he always look so perfect? It’s annoying."

But not for long.

With a mischievous smirk, she approached the table and, just as she reached her seat—

She 'accidentally' slipped.

CRASH!

Her hand hit the table, and the glass of juice tipped over—

Spilling all over Zephirion’s chest.

Dead silence.

The entire dining hall froze.

The maids gasped.

The knights flinched.

One servant dropped a plate, and another muttered a prayer.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

The head knight, Cedric, whispered in pure horror, "She’s dead."

His junior, Orion, grabbed his arm. "No, WE'RE dead! If he gets angry, we might all get burned alive!"

Another knight, Tobias, looked ready to faint. "Should we run? I think we should run."

Cedric shook his head. "No, idiot! If we move, he might notice us! Stay completely still—maybe he’ll forget we exist!"

The maids, meanwhile, were shaking.

One of them muttered, "Should we… should we bring an ice pack for her swollen face?"

Another maid, looking at Zephirion’s completely drenched black tunic, gulped. "No… bring a coffin."

They all waited.

Aeris waited.

Inside, she was grinning.

"He’s going to explode. I bet he’ll throw the table aside dramatically and roar in rage!"

But instead—

Instead…

Zephirion simply looked down at himself.

Then—

He chuckled.

Aeris froze.

The entire room gasped in disbelief.

One knight pinched himself. "Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

Cedric stared at Zephirion like he had grown two heads. "Did… did His Majesty just… LAUGH?"

Orion, shaking, "I don’t know, but my entire existence feels wrong right now."

Meanwhile, Aeris was staring at Zephirion in pure confusion.

"What?"

Where was the anger? The irritation?

Did he not care?!

How was he not pissed off?!

----

Zephirion knew.

From the moment Aeris had walked into the dining hall with that mischievous glint in her eyes, he knew she was up to something.

And when she ‘accidentally’ slipped, sending a glass of juice spilling all over him, he had to resist the urge to laugh.

Instead, he simply watched.

Watched as the entire hall fell into suffocating silence.

Watched as his knights looked ready to flee for their lives.

Watched as Aeris smirked to herself, thinking she had won some kind of battle.

"Ah… this little blossom."

Zephirion glanced down at his soaked tunic.

Then, he chuckled.

And just as expected—

Aeris’s entire face dropped.

That alone was enough to make this morning entertaining.

But the reactions of his knights and servants?

Priceless.

—---

"Did… did His Majesty just… LAUGH?"

Zephirion heard Cedric, his most loyal knight, whisper in absolute disbelief.

Orion, standing beside him, looked as if he had witnessed a miracle.

"I don’t know, but my entire existence feels wrong right now."

A maid, clutching her chest, whispered, "Am I dreaming? Did someone curse His Majesty? Should we… should we call a priest?"

Another knight, Tobias, muttered in horror, "This is it. He’s lost his mind. The kingdom is doomed."

Zephirion smirked, taking a sip of his tea, completely unbothered.

"It’s alright, little blossom," he said, casually waving a hand.

—---

Silence.

Dead. Silence.

Aeris froze mid-step.

Her brain short-circuited.

"Did… did he just—?"

Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as her entire being screamed in outrage.

"What. Did. You. Just. CALL ME?!"

Zephirion raised a brow, as if completely unaware of the crime he had just committed.

"Little blossom," he repeated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Aeris twitched violently.

"I AM NOT A LITTLE BLOSSOM!"

She was 23! She was not some delicate flower!

But the way he said it, so casually, so arrogantly—

She wanted to throw the entire table at him.

Her eye twitched. "Take. It. Back."

Zephirion rested his chin on his hand, amused. "No."

Aeris felt her soul leave her body.

She turned red with frustration, clenching her fists.

"Then I take back my apology!"

Zephirion only chuckled again, fully entertained by her rage.

Aeris gritted her teeth.

"He’s doing this on purpose!"

—---

"Xavier," Zephirion called out.

His right-hand man, Xavier, had been frozen in place, staring at him as if he had grown two heads.

Zephirion raised a brow. "Are you deaf now?"

Xavier snapped out of it so fast that he nearly tripped over his own feet. "N-no, Your Majesty!"

Zephirion sighed. "Clean this up. Bring me a new set of clothes."

Xavier hesitated for a moment, still clearly processing the insanity of the situation, before bowing deeply. "At once, Your Majesty!"

Zephirion turned his gaze back to Aeris, who was gaping at him like he had just broken every law of the universe.

Then, suddenly—

"Wait a damn second—why aren’t you angry?!"

Zephirion tilted his head, enjoying this far too much.

"Should I be?"

Aeris’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

"YES!" she snapped, her hands clenching into fists. "You’re supposed to be furious! You’re supposed to yell, maybe even throw a fit, punish me, SOMETHING!"

Zephirion leaned back, completely at ease. "It was just juice."

Aeris stared at him, looking utterly betrayed.

"JUST JUICE?! THAT’S NOT THE POINT!"

She slammed her hands on the table, glaring at him like an angry kitten.

"I spent all morning imagining your angry face! Your irritation! And now you’re just sitting there looking— looking—"

She stopped herself.

Zephirion smirked.

"Looking what?"

Aeris huffed, crossing her arms. "—looking annoyingly calm! WHY?!"

Zephirion took another slow sip of his tea before exhaling.

"Is this what’s bothering you, little blossom?"

The way her face twitched made it so worth it.

She gritted her teeth. "You’re messing with me, aren’t you?"

Zephirion smiled.

"Who knows?"

—---

Later that day, as he changed into fresh clothes, he stood near the window, watching.

Down below, in the royal gardens, Aeris was strolling, seemingly lost in thought.

Zephirion had been observing her for a while now.

She always had this determined spark in her eyes, this stubbornness that refused to fade.

At first, when she had asked him to kill her, he had found it…

Curious.

Not fear. Not tears. Not pleading.

She had asked to die.

But now—

Now, she was lively.

Annoyed? Yes. But not lifeless.

Zephirion smirked to himself.

"You’re a strange little thing, little blossom."

And he was going to enjoy this game of hers.

To be continued