For the first time in weeks…
Peace existed.
No assassins.No hidden princes.No dramatic revelations under fireworks.
Just silence.
Which was exactly why Ren knew something bad was about to happen.
He sat at the kitchen table early in the morning, lazily drinking coffee while scrolling through his phone. The apartment was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
"…Lilia?" he called.
No response.
His eyes narrowed.
Usually by now she'd either:
steal his breakfast, complain about waking up, or somehow nearly burn the kitchen down.
Ren slowly stood up and walked toward the hallway.
The bathroom door suddenly slammed open.
"REN!!"
He turned just in time for Lilia to rush out in panic, wet hair flying everywhere.
"There's a spider in there!"
Ren blinked once.
"…That's it?"
"It was HUGE!"
"It was probably this small." He held up two fingers.
"It looked at me with murderous intent!"
"You're a literal runaway princess who survived assassins."
"And yet THIS is where I die!"
Ren sighed the sigh of a man who had accepted his fate long ago.
Ten minutes later, Ren stood in the bathroom staring at the tiniest spider imaginable.
"…Lilia."
"Yes?"
"It's dead."
"Thank you for your sacrifice."
"You're unbelievable."
When he walked back out, she was sitting on the couch hugging a pillow dramatically.
"You laughed at me, didn't you?"
"A little."
"That hurts."
"You'll survive."
"…Emotionally? No."
Ren smirked slightly.
And Lilia froze.
"…Wait."
"What?"
"You smiled."
"I didn't."
"You did!"
"I absolutely did not."
Lilia pointed at him like she'd discovered a new species. "The grumpy prince smiled! Historic moment!"
Ren immediately looked away. "You're imagining things."
School that day was chaos as usual.
Kaito was loudly eating chips during class.
Sayaka was trying not to murder anyone.
And Leo—the so-called transfer student but actually Ren's absurdly capable butler—was somehow answering every question before the teacher even finished asking.
"Perfect score again?" Kaito whispered in horror. "Are you even human?"
Leo smiled politely. "I was educated under royal standards."
"…That sounded suspiciously rich."
Ren immediately kicked Leo under the desk.
"Ow."
Sayaka noticed the interaction instantly.
Her eyes narrowed.
Something about Ren, Leo, and their strange understanding still bothered her. She'd known Ren longer than almost anyone at school, yet recently it felt like there was a whole world around him she'd never seen before.
And she hated that feeling.
Lunch break arrived.
Lilia happily sat beside Ren on the rooftop while eating homemade sandwiches.
Well…
"Homemade."
"These are burnt," Ren deadpanned.
"They're artisan."
"They're charcoal."
"Love was included in the recipe."
"That explains why it hurts."
Lilia puffed her cheeks. "You're mean."
Still, Ren kept eating them.
Because somehow… even burnt sandwiches tasted okay when she made them.
Kaito suddenly appeared carrying juice boxes.
"Yo lovebirds!"
"We're not—" Ren started.
"You've said that like fifty times," Kaito interrupted. "At this point even the teachers think you're dating."
Lilia nearly inhaled her sandwich.
Ren coughed violently.
From behind them, Sayaka appeared carrying documents.
"…Dating?" she repeated calmly.
The air temperature dropped instantly.
Kaito slowly backed away. "I suddenly remembered I have somewhere else to be."
Traitor.
Sayaka sat beside Ren with terrifying elegance.
"So," she said sweetly, "you and Lilia seem close lately."
Lilia smiled innocently. "We sleep together every night."
Complete silence.
Ren died internally.
Sayaka's glasses flashed ominously.
Kaito fell down the stairs somewhere in the distance.
Lilia blinked. "…Wait, that sounded wrong."
"Because it WAS wrong!" Ren exploded, face completely red. "We share one futon because the apartment's small!"
Sayaka stared at him.
Then at Lilia.
Then back at him.
"…I see."
Which somehow sounded worse.
After school, the group stopped by the shopping district.
Lilia wandered excitedly between stores while Ren followed behind carrying bags.
"How did I become luggage support?"
"Because you're tall and reliable."
"That's not a real reason."
"It is in princess law."
Leo walked beside Ren calmly. "You spoil her too much."
"I do not."
"You carried six bags without complaint."
"…Shut up."
Ahead of them, Lilia suddenly stopped at a claw machine.
Inside was a small white cat plushie.
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
Ren noticed.
And sighed.
Five minutes later…
Ten failed attempts.
Kaito was crying from laughter.
"Bro's fighting for his life against a toy machine!"
Sayaka crossed her arms. "You're terrible at this."
Ren glared at the machine like it had insulted his bloodline.
Then finally—
Clunk.
The plushie dropped.
Lilia gasped.
"You got it!!"
Before Ren could react, she grabbed his arm excitedly and leaned against him.
"You're amazing!"
The nearby boys stared at Ren with pure jealousy.
Meanwhile girls whispered aggressively among themselves.
"Why does he always look cool accidentally?"
"Who even IS that blonde girl?!"
Sayaka silently adjusted her glasses.
Crack.
"…Did your glasses just break?" Kaito asked nervously.
"No."
They absolutely did.
As evening approached, the group split up.
Kaito dragged Sayaka away for student council work while Leo mysteriously disappeared somewhere again.
That left Ren and Lilia walking home alone beneath the orange sunset.
For once…
It was quiet.
Comfortably quiet.
Lilia walked beside him swinging the plushie gently.
"…Ren?"
"Hm?"
"Do you regret helping me that night?"
He answered instantly.
"No."
She looked surprised.
Ren shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly. "You're annoying. Loud. Reckless. Half the problems in my life started because of you."
"Wow. How romantic."
"But…" he continued quietly, "things are less empty now."
Lilia slowed slightly.
The wind moved through her golden hair.
"…You really say dangerous things casually sometimes."
Ren blinked. "What dangerous things?"
She smiled softly. "Never mind."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then suddenly—
A loud motorcycle engine echoed nearby.
Ren's expression instantly sharpened.
At the end of the street stood three unfamiliar men watching them.
Not ordinary people.
Their eyes were too focused.
Too cold.
Lilia noticed Ren subtly move in front of her.
"…Ren?"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Stay behind me."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The peaceful evening cracked apart.
And from the shadows nearby…
Leo quietly appeared, his usually calm expression now serious.
"…Young master," he said softly, "it seems they found us sooner than expected."
Ren clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Of course they did."
The men slowly stepped forward.
And for the first time in days—
The calm was over.