Hani eyed Keifer grimly as she stepped down from the landing.
Without a word of warning, she slapped the damp dusting cloth right over his mouth. " 'Don't ruin my clothes,' he whines. Quiet now, you haughty fool." She snatched up a stray rag from the floor and shoved it at his chest.
"Tie this 'round your face. I'm giving the orders now, and you're going to do exactly as I say."
Keifer stared at the cloth for a moment, looking as if he had been struck dumb.
Finally, he tied it over his face. "There, it's done," he muttered.
Hani gestured to the floor. "Good. Now, take all this gear scattered on the ground and arrange it neatly in the cabinet.
Anything else that looks like junk, throw it out. Once you're finished with that, take that broom in the corner and sweep the entire room. Do it right, or you'll regret it."
Keifer glared at her with newfound intensity after hearing the list of chores.
"I should never have come," he muttered under his breath before finally getting to work.
As the hours passed and night fell, Prince Shikuza waited on the castle rooftop.
The terrace had been decorated so beautifully it felt as if the stones themselves were eager for the guests to arrive.
Why aren't they here yet? Shikuza wondered silently.
"Ah, Shikuza, you're already here!" Sumin called out from behind him, arriving with Aela at his side.
"Indeed. I've been waiting for you both," the Prince replied.
Aela immediately began to bow. "Greetings, my—"
But the Prince cut her off with a wave of his hand. "No, not tonight. Tonight, I am simply your friend, Shikuza."
She smiled brightly. "Fine, fine. I understand, Shikuza." He gestured for them to take their seats in the chairs nearby.
"When will the others arrive?" the Prince asked.
"I'm not sure. I told Haru to—" Sumin stopped mid-sentence, falling silent.
"What is it, Sumin?" the Prince asked, noticing his hesitation.
"Nothing... they should all be here soon," Sumin replied quickly.
Just then, Hani and Keifer appeared.
Hani was wearing a stunning dress, but the eyes of Sumin and the Prince went straight to Keifer. They stared at him in silence, instantly realizing what had happened.
"Ah, come in, Keifer! We were just talking about you," the Prince said, his voice trailing off.
As Keifer slowly sank into a nearby chair, the Prince leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, "It's alright. These things happen."
Everyone had arrived, yet Haru was still nowhere to be seen. "Where is Haru?" Keifer asked, looking around.
"He'll be here soon," Sumin replied. "Don't worry so much."
Just then, they noticed a shadow behind the rooftop door, as if someone was standing there, hesitating.
"Who's there? Come out!" keifer spoke.
The figure stepped into the light.
"Haru!" Keifer shouted, rushing toward him. "You made it! I've been waiting for you."
Haru looked at the group in a daze, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Keifer led him over to the seating area.
"Come on, let's get started," Keifer urged.
But Haru's gaze shifted toward Sumin. Sumin simply winked at him with a teasing smirk.
"I'm glad you made it back so quickly, Haru," Shikuza said warmly. "Tonight, we will spend time together as friends. It feels as though an eternity has passed since we last sat together like this."
Under the soft glow of the moonlight, they began to relive the memories of their childhood.
Each of them shared stories of the past, laughing over the little things they still remembered. As the conversation flowed and the air filled with their voices.
Haru sat back, watching them all. He observed the scene with such intensity, it was as if he were watching a moment in history being written upon the pages of time.
Just then, the rooftop doors opened, and a group of royal chefs entered carrying trays of food.
One by one, they began to set the table, arranging a grand feast before them.
"We have talked enough for now; let us eat," the Prince said, looking at everyone with a smile.
"Come, a magnificent meal awaits us."
With that, they began to eat. The tension of the day faded away as they all enjoyed the food together, savoring every bite of the delicious spread.
"Is everyone enjoying the meal?" Shikuza asked.
Keifer replied with a look that was somewhere between a happy smile and a sob.
"When a man works as hard as I have today," he said, "anything he's given to eat tastes like a masterpiece."
Sumin sat nearby, biting his lip as he struggled to keep his laughter from breaking out.
Haru began to look at Keifer with questioning eyes.
With a pained expression, Keifer simply pointed a finger toward Hani.
Haru's gaze shifted to her, and Hani gave him a small, awkward smile before turning a sharp look back at Keifer—as if she might strike him at any moment.
"You are a Commander, aren't you?" Hani said, her voice teasing.
"You handle such difficult tasks every day. If you finally lent a girl a hand with some work for once in your life, you haven't exactly performed a miracle, have you?"
Keifer went quiet immediately. "I didn't say that," he muttered, waving it off. "Just let it go and let me eat my meal in peace."
Hani gave a small angry nod and turned her attention back to her plate, finally beginning to eat.
They finished the meal in a comfortable silence.
"Thank you for the feast, Shikuza," Aela said, setting down her utensils. "But honestly, you didn't need to go to all this trouble."
"It was no trouble at all," Shikuza replied, looking at them warmly.
"After all, I would do anything for you all."
Sumin was about to speak when, suddenly, the faint sound of snoring filled the air.
When they looked over, they saw that Keifer had fallen fast asleep right after finishing his meal.
Shikuza couldn't help but laugh.
"Some things never change, do they?"
Sumin let out a small sigh and shook his head. "You really are hopeless, Keifer."
Haru stood up quietly, took off his long coat, and draped it gently over Keifer's shoulders.
Hani let out a long, tired stretch. "I'm exhausted," she admitted.
Aela ran a hand through Hani's hair and said affectionately, "Well, when you haven't cleaned in this long, of course you're going to be tired, right?"
Hani looked at her and puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "Don't you start with me too, Aela!"
Aela laughed softly. "I'm only teasing, Hani."