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Hello, Rando blog. It's been awhile.

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A Moment Under the Stars (Chevalier x F!Reader)

Pairing ~ Chevalier Michel x Female Reader

Word Count ~ 820

Author's Note ~ This fic is for @aquagirl1978 's Route Release Campaign event for the lovely Chevalier! 🩵

He sighed deeply, his platinum locks tickling his cheek as the air from the balcony whistled by. Becoming king had been like second nature to Chevalier; the decision-making, the paperwork, the politics. He had eased into the position with all the grace of the born leader he was - a genius in almost every right.

However, even the great Chevalier Michel had his struggles; namely that which stood before him now in the form of finely dressed nobles shaking in their specially tailored boots. Chevalier’s reputation preceded him, and though the severity of such talk had drastically waned since his marriage, many nobles still feared being pinned by his frigid blue gaze.

“A-As you know, Your Majesty, my territory s-suffers from very harsh winters, and last year, a-although we did our very be-”

“You wish for me to send a surplus of grain this year in advance of the colder months.” Chevalier remarked flatly and sighed when the man's eyes grew bulbous and exceedingly more fearful. The king's brows knitted together in frustration, but before the situation could get much worse, his savior came in the form of a woman in a billowing light blue gown with an elegant crown that matched his perched upon her head.

You.

It was as though you'd sensed his irritation from across the room. He smiled. His preternatural senses were rubbing off on you. “I'm sure we can come to an amicable agreement on how much extra is needed. Please schedule a formal audience with us this week via Sariel.” You interjected smoothly and with all the grace of the position you now held as queen by his side. A smile tugged at Chevalier’s lips, daring to match your own, and the nobles visibly relaxed.

“Thank you, Your Majesty's.” The man hastily bowed to you, then to Chevalier in turn. “You are ever gracious and kind.” He scurried away, leaving several others to talk amongst themselves as Chevalier drew his attention to you.

“You noticed.” He smirked, and you smiled.

“I did.”

“You're learning.”

“I have an excellent teacher.”

“Mm.”

You paused for a moment, letting out a breath and allowing yourself to relax momentarily. “Shall we-” but Chevalier had already begun to move, slipping your arm into his and leading you towards the open balcony. He plucked a glass of sparkling water from a tray on the way past and handed it to you once you both reached the cool night air.

“Drink.” He commanded. “You have exhausted yourself this evening. And remove those shoes.” Chevalier reached for the balcony door and closed it behind you, leaving the two of you at peace, alone.

“Yes, Your Highness.” You chuckled playfully and did as your husband said, knowing he was right. A relieved groan rumbled in your throat when you peeled your heels from your reddening feet and set them aside. “Oh, the cold stone feels incredible.” You said, the lines of tension on the bridge of your nose releasing at last. Chevalier smiled, a soft, warm thing only ever meant for you, and you answered it with a kiss, surging up to your tiptoes to press your lips to his.

His arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you close, and you giggled softly into his mouth, never quite losing that thrill of being held to him. Your husband, your world. He'd learned so much and taught you so much, but it was as though fate had threaded your hearts together from the very beginning: the weaving of a blanket of love that carried you through all the hardships that had passed, and would continue to carry you through those that were to come.

All at once, the music from the ballroom inside shifted to a slow waltz, and you smiled. You would recognize this music anywhere. It was your song; yours and Chevalier’s. It was the first song you'd ever danced to all those many nights ago when you thought he could never be yours, hummed softly into your ear by the prince once made of ice. Wordlessly, he slid the fingers of his right hand down your arm to find yours and link them together, and he pulled you gently into the steps.

You nestled your head onto his shoulder and smiled into the warm skin of his neck as he led you around the balcony to the pulse of the music that had brought you together for the first time. You giggled aloud, unbidden by the need to seem queenly, and let him twirl you around, your bare feet carrying you back to him as soon as they could.

When the waltz was over, the two of you stilled, his hands on your waist and yours linked behind his neck, and simply appreciated one another. You bumped your nose against his gently and he chuckled lowly.

“I love you, Chevalier.”

“And I, you.”

He kissed you sweetly under the stars, and you were reminded that sometimes, fairytales do come true.

~

Tags for the Lovelies: N/A (no tags since I've been gone for so long. No clue who would want to be tagged in my stuff now or not. 😂)

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Hmmmm... 👀

As most of you who follow me probably know by now, it was announced yesterday that this guy's sequel will be releasing on the 3rd of July. I thought it would be fun to celebrate him with a Route Release Campaign (I've never hosted one of these things for a route release so I'm stealing the name from @yanderepuck)

This will be a one week long event starting on June 25 and ending July 1. This event is open to writers, artists, and everyone in between. Prompts may be posted in any order throughout the event. Feel free to create for as many or as little days as you like.

When posting, simply tag me and state that this work is for this event. If anyone would like to use a banner, I have made one that you are free to use at the bottom of this post.

Now I know not a ton of people write and create for Chevalier (yes, I know he is difficult), so I'm going to add a slight twist to this event to entice more to participate- any works posted during this event do not need to be strictly Chevalier x Reader/Emma. As long as Chevalier is included in some way, these works can be just about anything - family interactions, a day with the foreign affairs faction, a love triangle, Clavis and Cyran digging traps and Chevalier scolds them. This week is about Chevalier - but I know there is more to him than just his relationship with Emma.

This event is SFW only and open to all - you'll notice most of the prompts do not lend themselves to NSFW works.

Works including OCs are allowed and I encourage you to share those creations as well.

Thank you to @chandeliermichel who helped me come up with this prompt list - I've included below some explanations/ideas for each prompt.

Day 1 - Love : Who/what does Chevalier love? what does love mean to him?

Day 2 - Family : This can include past, present, and future interactions with family members. Chevalier as a child, Chevalier as a parent.

Day 3 - Royalty : What does Chevalier's life look like as King? You may include interactions with foreign princes in this prompt (sorry, I don't have a "friend" prompt for that other guy).

Day 4 - Roses : Rhodolite is the Kingdom of Roses. A bit of a free space here.

Day 5 - Library : There's not many things Chevalier loves more than his books. This can include him reading, being gifted a new book, spending time in his library.

Day 6 - Dance : For a guy who doesn't like social interactions, he dances quite a bit in his route. This can include attending a ball.

Day 7 - Simpleton : This is the one day that is only for x Reader/Emma creations - I think this prompt is self-explanatory.

I have created a banner - it is free for anyone to use during this event.

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This is... really fucking good. Omg. 👀 They're all done so beautifully!

IkePri Suitors!

I shaded these quite quickly o.o I just wanted to get this out of my system xDD

But here we are ^^ I tried to color pick the skin colors from the sprites, and well there aren't much diversity here.

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I love him. Thank you, goodnight.

from Forever With You, Epilogue

...so are you.

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This is absolutely stunning, Ana!! <3 I adore the way you drew Jin and your beautiful OC, and I love the cute story, too! It's exactly something Jin would do lolol Bless this flirtatious man.

Happy Birthday Prince 💙💙💙

I made a short story that I'm very excited to share 😆

And 5th March is also my Ikepri Aurora's birthday 💖

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GHOUL YOU PORTRAYED HIM SO BEAUTIFULLY!!! The expression is ABSOLUTELY perfect, oh my God I'm drooling ljskfskfdsk

Happy Birthday Jin!!

(Strike two for late birthday arts >n<)

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𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 💙

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YOU are the delight, my love! <3 Thank you so much, Drac. It came together absolutely beautifully!!

Long time no see! This is my piece I made for the loveliest of lovelies @randonauticrap! I chose to make a piece of a character I don't usually see much of, Jin. Hope Lenore likes the personalized chocolates. <3

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OH MY GOD, DRACH THIS IS STUNNING

Oh my God, the shading, the colors, JIN'S FACE??? LSJFKSDLFK And Lenore looks lasjks Oh she looks beautiful. Thank you SO MUCH!! How do you draw hair like this?! Omg, it's so realistic and lovely. Thank you so muc, Drachonia. It's absolutely perfect. <3

Long time no see! This is my piece I made for the loveliest of lovelies @randonauticrap! I chose to make a piece of a character I don't usually see much of, Jin. Hope Lenore likes the personalized chocolates. <3

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Silent Letters to My Beloved

Pairing ~ Rio Ortiz x GN Reader

Word Count ~ 1.5k

Author's Note ~ This fic is my gift for the lovely @eli-chika in @ikemenlibrary's "My Ikemen Valentine" Gift Exchange! I truly loved being able to write this fic for you. It's been awhile since I've written for Ikemen, and even longer since I've written for Rio, but I hope I did him justice for you and I hope you enjoy! <3

(Ps. I also totally made up the dates because I have zero clue when ikepri is meant to take place lol)

Darling Love,                                                                                     11-08-32 

My sweetest dear one,

My heart,

When you rescued me, my world stood still. Who I was before the moment your hands touched mine was of no consequence anymore. I was yours, heart, body, and soul. Through the years, you taught me how to open up again; how to learn and take in the beauty of the world again. I learned how to love from you. The man who feared losing everything came to realize that he had never even known of "everything" until he knew you. 

I don't know why I'm confessing here, in this letter you will never read. I must seem quite foolish to you. Here you are, a bright and shining light, surrounded by those who shine almost as brightly as you do. The princes of Rhodolite are noble and kind - well, most of them - and you even outshine them at the center of it all. I can't even hope to hold a candle's worth of light to the beauty you radiate. Perhaps my purpose in this life is to stand behind you, just out of sight, and make sure you never suffer a single inconvenience. Honestly, it doesn't sound like too terrible of a fate: getting to stand close to you wherever you are, basking in the loveliness that is you. 

Sometimes I just wish…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My sweet,                                                                                             11-17-32

I see the way they admire you, the curiosity and interest in their eyes. It shouldn't bother me. I should be able to keep myself contained as your butler and your… friend. But the way you smile back at them is enough to cast a shadow on even my brightest of days, and will tie my heart in uncomfortable, messy knots without any effort. I am not a man worthy of your affection, I know this. However, I can’t seem to force these feelings away. I saw Prince Leon taking your hand today, and leading you to the training grounds. He looked so happy to have your hand in his; I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t find otherworldly joy in it, so at least he responded appropriately. The pleased blush that spread across your face when his hand closed around yours pained me with the heartbreaking guilt of a man who loves you, but also desperately wants you to be happy - whether he is the one to make you so or not. 

This jealousy is proof I can never deserve you. You are better off with a man like Prince Leon at your side. I will stand behind you to make sure you stay smiling throughout your journey. I swear it, to you and to myself, I will only cry where you cannot see it. You will never know my heartbreak. You deserve better than that.

~ Rio

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My friend,                                                                                            12-10-32

You look so beautiful in the red outfit Prince Leon gifted you. It falls so beautifully around your frame and compliments you well. You will look so regal by his side that no one will question your place there! I know you worry; I see it in your eyes and the way a near-permanent crease sits between your lovely eyes, but you don’t need to. Just carry yourself the way you do in town, and in the bookstore. You’re so confident and sure of yourself there; at home. I miss when you seemed at home, when you were comfortable… when we were-

“Rio!” 

The call from the door, along with hurried knocks had him jumping from his seat like he’d been stung and running to open it for them. “MC!” he yelped, his journal so visible and open on the table behind him filling him with so much momentary panic that he didn’t realize they were crying at first. But at the first sniffle, his attention snapped to their face where tears were falling in crystal tandem onto their lovely clothes. “MC, what’s wrong? Come in, sit down, I’ll get you a cloth! Was it Prince Leon? I don’t care if he’s a prince of Rhodolite or not, I’ll have his head if he hurt you-!”

“Rio!” they cried louder and he silenced, looking helplessly at them. They sniffled again. His heart clenched at the sound - the worst sound in the world, he thought, the sound of their pain. “I embarrassed myself.” sniff “The whole ballroom turned to judge me. They’re still talking about me, I’m certain.” sniff “I can’t show my face in that room again!” 

“No matter what happened, if they judged you, they’re the ones who should be ashamed!” Rio flamed, his hands coming up to frame their shaking shoulders. “Where is prince Leon? Did he not follow you?” he asked, despite himself. 

“I don’t want prince Leon.” they huffed. “He’s nice, and sweet, but-” sniff “He isn’t you, and I want you.” Rio’s heart stuttered into a wild rhythm at the possible implication of their words, but he shoved his hope to the pit of his stomach where it belonged; this wasn’t about him, it was about them. And he would be anything they needed him to be. So he put on his best face and nodded, pulling them into his embrace where they easily fell and curled around him. ‘It feels like coming home.’ he thought as he backed them both up enough to gently shut the door behind them and wrap his arm back around them, his hand finding their soft locks and stroking them tenderly. They wetted the shoulder of his undershirt with their tears, but he didn’t care. What was a shirt in comparison to them? The shirt was made better by having touched them, if anything. 

“Want to sit down?” he whispered into their hair and they nodded after several seconds more of sniffling, so he maneuvered them towards the short couch next to the fireplace in his room and made to ease them down into the seat gently, but they tugged on his arm, pulling him down with them. He let out a gasp of surprise as they settled sideways on to the couch and pulled him over top of them. 

“Please, Rio. Just- just hold me.” they whispered into his neck as he lowered himself gingerly down on top of them, hovering just above them to keep from possibly hurting them. However, they wrapped their arms firmly around his back and drew him close, rendering his efforts futile as he was forced to relax against them. He felt them sigh and relax into him, their nails beginning to scratch up and down his back, sending electric shivers through his entire body. 

“Are you sure I’m not going to hurt you?! I’d never forgive myself if-”

“Rio, it’s fine.” they murmured, stopping him short. Their voice was subdued now, a comfortable haze enveloping them in warmth, and Rio let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, letting himself nuzzle into their neck. “I love having you close.” they whispered softly. “You feel like home.”

His breath caught again, this time full of the words he was too much of a coward to say, so he propped up on his elbow instead to look down at them, hoping the love in his eyes was enough to get the message across. Something must have reached them, thankfully, because they met his eyes with the same ardor echoed back to him and he swore his heart stopped beating. “You do too.” he finally croaked out, shocked that any words could form on his lips at all. They brought their hand up to his cheek, letting their fingers brush against his soft skin, the tiny blond hairs there tickling their fingertips as they followed the path of his cheekbone back to his ear and then to his fine blond locks. Their eyes followed the path of their fingers until they were out of sight, lost in his hair, then traveled back to lock with his. 

“Rio,” they muttered breathlessly.

“Y-yes?” he said, hardly trusting his own voice to work the way it should. 

“Kiss me.” 

.

.

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Dearest Fiance,                                                                            5-25-33

You grow more exquisite as each day passes, and I can’t believe I get to be the man to stand by your side. My proposal was so swift after we became lovers, I worried you wouldn’t say yes. But I couldn’t bear to wait any longer, and my heart is far too full knowing you feel the same! I know you enjoyed your time at the palace, but I’m so glad we’re back at the bookstore, home. Although, I know for certain that wherever you go would be home enough for me. If one day you decide to travel across the sea, I’ll be there beside you, ready to take on the world as your husband. With you, my love, I can take on anything. Thank you for loving me, I will never believe I deserve it, no matter the number of times you tell me. And I cannot wait to fill this journal with our adventures together. No more heartbreak, only love. Forever love. 

~ Your loving fiance, Rio

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Mitsuhide Akechi

Aaaand I'm back after a break with one of the many Otome Game husbandos!

Japan's #1 traitor from Cybird's Ikemen Sengoku! What a sweet tease x)

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I miss seeing you around pls take care ❤❤

Awwwww thank you my darling!! <3

I have taken a step away from this fandom due to some continued passive aggressiveness and hate in my inbox, as well as just an undercurrent of drama within this fandom that has sort of been bothering me for awhile. I injured my back as well, and I just haven't really been in the place to deal with all of that lately. But I do miss this place and all of the wonderful people in it. <3 Thank you for reaching out, my love.

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My girl is back!!

I missed you so so much, my dear friend, and I think I can speak for a lot of us when I say that your light here in this fandom was also very missed, and it's good to have the warmth of your glow back. <3

Hey everyone!

Marie here!

I am so so sorry for going MIA for a few months(?), I just really needed the space and some time to focus on myself, my mental health and life outside of tumblr :,)

I missed the fandom though! And I missed writing for you all!

Can't promise I'll be on here as often or writing as often, because I have a lot going on at the moment but I want to make a steady come back into the ikemen fandom <3

Thank you so much for being here and for sending your thoughts! And for staying on this blog while my sorry ass was away <3

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You gave me permission when it was your BIRTHDAY, that's when. hehehe

OMG Aqua it's not my birthday! lmao

I'm glad you loved it. <3

Love

Pairing ~ Chevalier Michel x F!Reader (Chevalier POV)

Word Count ~ 534

Author's Note ~ Happy birthday to my dear friend @aquagirl1978 !

Love. For someone like me, it was a pointless emotion; something royals should not - could not - possess or indulge in. Love toppled kingdoms and ripped apart the very fabric of what a monarchy existed to do: keep its country safe and prosperous. Difficult decisions had to be made in order to achieve this ideal, and love was far too flimsy a notion to entertain in the face of edicts resulting in death. So why, then, was she so important to me? Why did it matter where she was at any given hour of the day? Why did it matter what books she read, or how often she took glances at my foolish brother? Why did it matter that she came to see me in my private library? Why did it matter when she stood by my decisions? They were obviously the best decisions in the room, of course anyone with half a mind inclined to reason would listen. But for some reason, I felt a puff of air in my chest when she agreed without hesitation. Perhaps it is because she would never do so out of fear or subjugation. When she felt differently, she would fight me on it, and despite myself, I would smile when she did. 

Love. It was something I didn’t believe in. I didn’t believe in it, nor did I understand it. It was a mystery veiled within the yellowed pages of my dearest novels, flipped through once, twice, thrice before I would set it down in frustration, only to pick it back up again within the hour. It was something that held no purpose for me, no semblance of necessity to validate its existence. And yet, it did exist. My older brother was proof. The endless recounted tales of ardor in the scrolls that littered my library were proof. This vexing woman that captivated my every minute morsel of attention was proof; far more proof than I had ever bargained for, and something I didn’t expect. It appeared right before my eyes in the tender visage of a woman that by all rights I should disregard without a second glance. So why didn’t I? Why didn’t I leave her behind? 

Love. It was something I had no choice but to succumb to. Before she could even prove its value, it had me in its clutches; having stalked me from the shadows more expertly than any trained assassin, taking its chance to pounce upon me and claim me for its own in the form of tender smiles, light touches, and her presence in every room. Where before there was only ice, only solitude, only duty, she supplemented warmth, companionship, and meaning. My heart began to beat for the first time since I very first opened my eyes, and it beat solely for her. My vocabulary for love was wide, but the language itself had evaded me for so long that my proclamations were often lost in translation. But she understood me anyway. She remained by my side despite any justification she could give for abandoning me, a mere beast in the guise of a lover.

Love. It was you. And because it was you, it is now also me.

~

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Love

Pairing ~ Chevalier Michel x F!Reader (Chevalier POV)

Word Count ~ 534

Author's Note ~ Happy birthday to my dear friend @aquagirl1978 !

Love. For someone like me, it was a pointless emotion; something royals should not - could not - possess or indulge in. Love toppled kingdoms and ripped apart the very fabric of what a monarchy existed to do: keep its country safe and prosperous. Difficult decisions had to be made in order to achieve this ideal, and love was far too flimsy a notion to entertain in the face of edicts resulting in death. So why, then, was she so important to me? Why did it matter where she was at any given hour of the day? Why did it matter what books she read, or how often she took glances at my foolish brother? Why did it matter that she came to see me in my private library? Why did it matter when she stood by my decisions? They were obviously the best decisions in the room, of course anyone with half a mind inclined to reason would listen. But for some reason, I felt a puff of air in my chest when she agreed without hesitation. Perhaps it is because she would never do so out of fear or subjugation. When she felt differently, she would fight me on it, and despite myself, I would smile when she did. 

Love. It was something I didn’t believe in. I didn’t believe in it, nor did I understand it. It was a mystery veiled within the yellowed pages of my dearest novels, flipped through once, twice, thrice before I would set it down in frustration, only to pick it back up again within the hour. It was something that held no purpose for me, no semblance of necessity to validate its existence. And yet, it did exist. My older brother was proof. The endless recounted tales of ardor in the scrolls that littered my library were proof. This vexing woman that captivated my every minute morsel of attention was proof; far more proof than I had ever bargained for, and something I didn’t expect. It appeared right before my eyes in the tender visage of a woman that by all rights I should disregard without a second glance. So why didn’t I? Why didn’t I leave her behind? 

Love. It was something I had no choice but to succumb to. Before she could even prove its value, it had me in its clutches; having stalked me from the shadows more expertly than any trained assassin, taking its chance to pounce upon me and claim me for its own in the form of tender smiles, light touches, and her presence in every room. Where before there was only ice, only solitude, only duty, she supplemented warmth, companionship, and meaning. My heart began to beat for the first time since I very first opened my eyes, and it beat solely for her. My vocabulary for love was wide, but the language itself had evaded me for so long that my proclamations were often lost in translation. But she understood me anyway. She remained by my side despite any justification she could give for abandoning me, a mere beast in the guise of a lover.

Love. It was you. And because it was you, it is now also me.

~

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This is absolutely so precious and I definitely think that Chevalier would look out for Emma, no matter who she was with. I love the way you wrote out Jin's trauma here, because it's really accurate to the way he ends up coping - he's not right with her; he's separated, distracting himself from what it is that's really bothering him, deflecting until it's absolutely not possible anymore, etc.

You wrote them really really well, and I love it OP! <3

A Promise Between Brothers.

Jin and Chevalier have a conversation one night that ends with an emotional promise. This is from an idea I had awhile back and I just finally got around to writing it out. I wanted to explore the relationship between Jin and Chevalier a bit more as throughout the routes they seem to have an interesting relationship with eachother. Not exactly close but not one of hatred or fear like practically everyone else seems to have with Chevalier. WC approx 1050 and shoutout to @aquagirl1978 for helping me out with my question.

Prince Chevalier was done with work for the day and headed for his private library. When he opened the door he was greeted by what had become a familiar sight this past week.

“You're here again?”

Emma jumped a bit at Chevalier's voice and quickly looked around her. Clearly she had lost track of time while reading.

“I'm so sorry Prince Chevalier I didn't realize it was so late!”

“Obviously.”

“I'll just put this away and then…”

“There's no need. Your presence is not completely intolerable.”

“Thank you, I think.”

Emma returned her attention to the book in her lap and Chevalier walked over to the shelves choosing a book at random. Chevalier had intended to leave however he paused momentarily, it was clear Emma's thoughts were now distracted and he stared at her briefly before speaking.

“He is not upset for why you believe he is, not really.”

“Oh..”

Chevalier watched the different thoughts playing out across Emma's face and he sighed in agitation. He turned and left his private library behind walking through the halls until he came to a stop in front of a door he rarely entered.

******

Jin sat at the desk in their faction office going over yet another stack of paperwork. He'd never been the biggest fan of paperwork and since he'd been crowned king there was even more of it. Lately though he found himself not minding it so much, it gave him an excuse to be by himself and think and drink.

Jin had just poured himself another glass of whiskey and picked up an agricultural report when the office door swung open.

“Chevalier? Don't see you around here much.”

Jin watched as Chevalier closed the door and strode up to the front of the desk.

“Must be something big to bring you here, I know you don't like to waste time so what's up.”

“She was in my library again.”

“Sorry Emma's been disturbing you, I can talk to her about…”

“Her presence in my library is not the issue but a consequence of it.”

“Then what is the issue?”

Jin picked up his whiskey glass taking a small sip while Chevalier just studied him in silence.

“Unlike our brother I am not a fool. It's clear your impending departure and the recent news of her being with child has gotten the better of you."

Jin blinked at Chevalier then rubbed the back of his neck while sighing.

“I should have guessed you'd have figured out what was going on, do me a favor and don't say anything alright.”

“Indeed?”

Jin leaned forward resting his elbows on the desk and bringing his forehead to his clasped hands.

“History was already repeating itself but now... Our wedding is eleven weeks out, Leon and Clavis are leaving in a week for Jade and a few days after Nokto and I are heading to Benitoite and none of us will be back for almost a month. I had planned to take Emma with me but I can't now.”

Jin picked up his glass of whiskey and downed it in one go before pouring himself another one.

“Given what happened in the past and the current circumstances it is not foolish for you to be concerned.”

“If I'm being honest it's way past concern at this point.”

Jin absently twirled his glass looking off into the distance.

“I used to have bad dreams a lot. They were all from my past, mostly about before I came to the palace. The worst ones were about how my mom used to struggle and when she was sick and I couldn't afford to get her the medicine she needed. I hadn't had any though in a long time but they started up again the night Emma told me she was carrying our child.”

Jin took a big sip of whiskey.

“This time though instead of me and my mom it's Emma and our child in the dreams. It's her I see worrying about having enough of everything, of skipping meals so our child can eat of her getting sick and dying and our kid being so full of anger and sadness like I used to be. I was so sure I was careful too but I guess my luck finally ran out after all these years. I just wish it could have held out until the wedding, once we're married that's it she's protected as my wife and as queen. Instead though I have to leave her here alone and defenseless and it scares the hell out of me."

“That is where your miscalculation is, she is not alone or defenseless. Do you truly believe any of us are that useless or incompetent?”

Jin just stared at Chevalier in silence.

“When the previous King was gone the responsibility of protecting your mother should have been taken over by his useless brothers, however they decided to forgo the duty they had to their King and brother in that matter. They lacked the basic awareness and intellect to assess the likely outcomes of the situation and caused harm through it.

Our uncles may have been house broken beasts who failed to support their brother and let the court ministers order them around but we are not. Four eyes would never let it get to that point to begin with but if the ministers tried to work around him the rest of us would not hesitate to bare our fangs at them. Jin, myself and the others will keep her safe until you have returned. In fact watching over her will be a simple task.”

Jin was overcome with emotion, not that he'd admit it. He had never had the same issues with Chevalier that their brothers did not really but that didn't mean they were close either. Hearing him use his name wasn't even what mattered, it was his declaration that he would protect Emma for him. As Chevalier turned to leave, Jin called after him.

“Well your private library is certainly big enough to keep her entertained while I'm gone. Thanks Chevalier.”

“If you truly wish to thank me you and Black can procure some rare books for me while you are gone.”

Jin shook his head and chuckled.

“Just give Luke a list for us and we'll get it done.”