| IF Luna | Chapter 5: The Princess Wants More!

 After Rigeld had left the room, Alum and Luna sat on the bed in silence. The two didn't know what to say to each other and kept silent. Luna leaned on Alum a little shyly. Alum didn't mind as he asked, "Are you okay with this?"

 "I…am. It's just that. I worry a little."

 "How so?"

 Luna peered into Alum's eyes. "I don't know," she replied.

 Alum was taken by surprise; he'd expected a sound reason for her being anxious. But to think that Luna herself didn't know why made him a little confused.

 He'd assumed they were very similar, but even so…

 (I suppose I'm only starting to get to know her…)

 Alum wasn't the type to approach others, nor did he look to get to know another. But, it just so happened that he had a change of heart recently. And he was working on it. Analysing a person from their posture, speech, and behaviour was something he always did to quickly learn about them, especially if he planned on using it against them. However…getting to know a person on an individual level… He still found it rather tricky.

 He has been paying close attention to Noel, but each time, he just reaffirmed his assessment of him. That was—Noel was an idiot of sorts.

 Although his assessment could be considered harsh, in truth, Alum did admire his free-spirited nature and wanted to become more like him. Whether he admits it or not is another matter.

 "…what are your thoughts on the matter then?" Luna asked.

 Feeling a little hesitant, Alum replied, "I… Well, for starters, this is a political engagement." He felt as if he'd shot himself in the foot but for some reason. He wanted her to hear. "Sir Rigeld would be able to incorporate me into the military, and since you're the only heir, you'd become The Empress. Since there are four major powers in the Empire, two would be on the same side, and the other two would be forced to work with one another."

 "…you already learned all this?" Luna queried. Her tone was cold, and her gaze was just as.

 "…I just happened to have free time. Besides that, by marrying you, I get to have power, status, and money. I'll be able to lead an army. So, aren't I quite the dangerous individual?"

 "….." Luna didn't utter a word. But…despite having known him for a short while, she couldn't believe he was that kind of person—she still didn't believe it. 

 (Was…I? Too naïve…? No! I'll trust in him, even if it doesn't make any sense!)

 A little teary-eyed, Luna leaned on Alum. "…is that all I am to you…?" she asked with a hoarse voice.

*Sigh…* 

 Alum let out a sigh. "…I wouldn't have agreed were it not you, Luna."

 Luna timidly looked up and stared at Alum. He had an uncomfortable look as if he was guilty. "—because I'm The Imperial Princess…?"

 Alum shook his head. "No, it's because you're my friend."

 Luna's sad expression lit up, and she brightly smiled. "…I see, I'm glad."

 "Besides, I don't really care for wealth, power or fame," Alum coldly said as he looked into the distance.

 "….."

 "Well…it's perhaps naïve to say all of that." 

 Luna giggled a little, hearing his last remark. "I see…" she said. "I think it is naïve, but… It nevertheless makes me glad to hear."

 …

 …..

 …

 Later in the evening, the welcome ceremony was held for the wanderers. Luna, who was used to attending banquets in the past. She finished her formal greetings and went outside to the balcony. 

 She sighed a little. Everyone was talking to the wanderers, asking them questions and whatnot. In the meantime, Alum was dragged away by the oracle and other church members. 

 Thus, Luna was left all by herself, thinking that it would've been fun had Alum been with her. Regardless, her quiet peace didn't last long as people noticed her outside and came to speak with her. 

 She was known to be sophisticated and cold, but people still tried talking to her nonetheless. After a while of trying, they figured that it wasn't going anywhere, as Luna just responded without having any real interest in the conversation. 

—Then, Alum came back. 

 Seeing how he was slowly approaching her, she unconsciously smiled. It was a gentle smile, and for those who saw it… Well, they couldn't believe what they saw. 

 "Welcome back," Luna warmly said. 

 "I'm back..." Alum replied.

 He looked around and saw that many eyes were on them. The atmosphere was slightly awkward between them since it was now known that Alum was her fiancé.

 Even though they didn't hold romantic feelings for one another, neither of them saw it as a setback. Rather, it's doubtful that they understood what they felt—especially Luna.

 Alum, as said, didn't mind. Perhaps because he didn't think too deeply about it. But Luna, on the other hand, felt relieved that she could spend time with Alum without keeping appearances.

 Though, even if they weren't engaged, she didn't think that their relationship would change. They'd still be around one another, although they'd be perhaps a bit more mindful about their distance. But even then, other aristocrats would point out these flaws and say that she should act properly as The Princess.

 Since this engagement was out of nowhere, Luna did wonder what her uncle was thinking. Well…since his judgment was rarely wrong, she trusted that there was a reason.

 Luna hadn't fully understood her own feelings, but even so, she felt warm and fuzzy when she was with Alum. Regardless of what these feelings were, she was willing to fall into it.   

 …

 …..

 …

 The day after, when Luna was in charge of training the recruits and the wanderers, she noticed them to be very tense in comparison to the day before at the ceremony. 

 Among the nervous wanderers and recruits, Luna found Alum to be indifferent as always. Their eyes met, and he softly smiled at her. 

 "…" 

 Luna was still in her work mode. Hence, she cooly pretended not to notice and said, "My name is Luna Ilifel. I'll be your instructor henceforth. First, I need to assess your abilities with my own eyes. That way, I'll be able to determine your skill level. Any questions?" 

 Nobody seemed to have a question. Rather, most of them probably felt a little intimidated by Luna and her demeanour. 

 As they made their way to a training facility, Luna would occasionally glance at Alum. She'd noticed Alum speaking to a female wanderer and got slightly annoyed for whatever reason. She didn't understand it herself, but it felt murky, and her chest tightened because of it. 

 But as she kept glaring, she noticed that Alum and the girl looked oddly similar; they both had jet-black hair and golden eyes, so… She figured that they might be a relative. 

 (Is she perhaps…his sister? Or…) 

 As the thought crossed her mind, she gradually began to calm down. So, even when they were engaged, she still found it difficult to approach him. But it mostly has to do with her being in work mode. 

—Then, a male wanderer began to speak to Alum. 

 (…you said that you didn't have any friends… Look at you…) 

 The male wanderer named Noel was getting chummy with Alum, and Luna envied him for it. He was carefree and casually spoke with him. 

 In turn, everyone started to feel a little chilly. It wasn't like she tried to hide it—rather, she was blatantly staring. 

 Even so, people who'd previously met Luna they knew of her cold attitude, but it was never to the extent that they'd start shivering from the cold atmosphere.

 When they arrived at the facility, Luna activated all the tools they'd need. There were sparring weapons and training dummies. 

 "Pick a weapon of your choice. A Divine weapon is prohibited to call forth during these early stages; do keep that in mind." 

 Having received instructions, everyone started to chat a little with one another and went to pick something that was similar to their Divine weapon or something that they were comfortable with. 

 All the wanderers, except for Alum, had a divine weapon. More than half the recruits possess one; thus, about ten individuals didn't possess one. And based on their choice now or what they find comfortable later, a Magi-Tech weapon would be distributed. 

 When Alum went to pick a weapon, Luna followed and walked beside him. 

 "….." 

 "What?" 

 "No…well. I thought you were mad at me or something…" 

 "I'm not mad." 

 "….." 

"…what are you going to pick?" Luna asked. 

 Alum looked around and didn't know what to pick. There were different kinds of weapons. The sword seemed to be the preferable weapon. 

 "The sword, perhaps?" Alum replied. 

 "I see. I thought you were going to respond with something such as, "I don't need a weapon," or something along those lines." 

 "….." Alum quietly looked at the other weapons, not replying to her remark. 

 "Second thoughts?" Luna playfully teased. 

 "…Luna, you're surprisingly playful," Alum gently said. 

 "….." 

 Being with Alum made Luna sort of forget that she was supposed to be in work mode. Realising that she wasn't acting herself, Luna began to blush a little and distanced herself. 

 It didn't go unnoticed by anyone, though, as they already knew about their engagement. Still, they thought it was a more political reason, but it seemed that there was more to it than that. At least based on Luna's and Alum's interaction. 

 Luna looked to the onlookers and said, "A-Anyhow, before you start training, you demonstrate your magical capabilities." 

 She turned her attention to the training dummy and blasted it to bits by lightning before anyone realised what had happened. Luna was one of the faster spellcasters in the military; thus, she barely needed to channel her mana. 

 Everyone naturally gulped at the sight and nervously looked at one another. Alum stood there, surprised as well. 

 "Any questions?" Luna asked. 

 Everyone shook their heads, and one after the other would take turns to demonstrate. The recruits were considered elites from where they graduated, so Luna had expectations at the very least. 

 And as to be expected. The recruits channelled mana, and their spells went off without much effort. The average cast time was around two seconds, which wasn't bad at all. 

 It was now the wanderers' turn. They were still new to all this magic stuff, but they all had potential. So, to nobody's surprise. among them, there were a few who stood out.

 Emely was one of them. She was revealed to be Alum's cousin. She also had one of the rarer magic attributes, which was shadow magic. And it seemed like she was able to utilise it pretty well. She essentially created a physical manifestation of the target's shadow and destroyed the target with spikes made of dark, crystalised mana. She was also able to utilise the lightning element. 

 Luna also found Noel to be quite interesting as well. He'd combined his elements to make a pressurised heat bomb which exploded into flames. He was also capable of using the light element, which was very rare. 

 On that note, Oliver seemed interesting as well since there were not many humans who possessed the element of nature, though, in Luna's opinion, he should work on being more creative with his spells since it was a very flexible element. 

 Next up was Miu. Luna found her to be…very pretty. Not only that, she seemed somewhat close to Alum for whatever reason. She wasn't his cousin, just a classmate. And Luna found it strange that Alum, of all people, would be that close to her. 

 As far as her magical capability goes, Miu was also quite impressive. She made blades of ice, which vibrated. She also used wind magic to enhance the speed of the projectile further. And like Noel, she could use light magic. And she, along with Noel, was able to destroy parts of the dummy. 

 When it was Alum's turn, Luna's heart pounded, and she nervously and intensely looked at him. 

 (Even if it turned out that Uncle was wrong, and Alum isn't as capable as he thought he was, then… I would still like him to be by my side…) 

 But, no matter how hard Alum seemed to try, he didn't seem to be able to cast any spells. Everyone had a look of pity, and they sighed. Seeing the disapproval from some of them, Luna coldly glared at them and walked toward Alum. 

 "…Alum, what's wrong?" Luna gently asked. 

 Of course, this didn't fly well with some of the wanderers and recruits. Seeing Luna all gentle and all made the illusion they had of her shatter. 

"I'm not sure," Alum replied. 

 He didn't seem to care all that much for someone who was supposedly being pressured to perform. 

"….." 

 Luna felt a little sad that they wouldn't be able to be together if this didn't work. After all, he'd be forced to move to another sector. 

She gently grabbed his shirt and leaned on his chest. It was then she noticed something stiff. Something gem-like, like… 

 (A pendant?) 

 Luna sighed and softly smiled. When she looked up and saw Alum's slightly troubled face, she puffed her cheeks a little. "Geez, Alum, you dummy," she said. 

 Surprised, Alum asked, "…why am I…a dummy?" in a sulky tone. 

 Luna giggled, saying, "You have an anti-magic pendant." She then remarked, "Dummy~," again in a playful tone. 

 Not only her distance but her cute smile… It was the first time that anyone had seen her smile this preciously. Some hearts throbbed, some were envious, and some were supportive of whatever they saw. 

 Questions like: "What is the relationship between them?" spread amongst the crowd. 

 While they all knew there was something more than political reasons for their engagement, it was doubtful that Luna or Alum could ever develop feelings for someone. 

 But to everyone's dismay, it was now clear that Luna was in love with Alum; whether Alum felt the same or not, they weren't sure. 

 After Alum removed the pendant, a massive surge of mana nobody was expecting sent a shiver down their spines. And looking all satisfied, Luna happily smiled without even realising it. 

 "Alum, do your best," Luna heartfully said. 

 Feeling the urge to pat Luna on the head—rather, he just patted her head and said, "Watch me," with a confident look. 

 Alum turned his attention to the dummy; his eyes gleamed blue, and there was a spark of lightning in his hand. The next instant, before anyone could pay the dummy any attention, it blew up and was incinerated to ashes. 

 Alum seemed quite satisfied with the results if he had to say so himself. However, Luna was repeatedly hitting his arm in a playful manner. 

 "Dummy! Dummy! Dummy!" Luna complained. "You had me worried…you know?" 

  Alum chuckled, asking, "What did you think?" 

"…too inefficient and unrefined," Luna somewhat harshly replied. 

 She was actually really surprised and tried to hide some of her excitement. Even so, everyone could tell how happy she seemed, and they noticed that the two had created a little world of their own. 

 Alum sulked a little. "Shouldn't you praise me or anything…?" he inquired. He let out a sigh and looked sad. "I tried my best, you know? It was my first attempt as well…" 

 Seeing Alum like that, Luna could tell it was an act, but even so, it did seem like Alum felt a little disappointed that she didn't praise him. 

"…you did good," Luna shyly said while turning her head to the side. 

 She'd never praised a person like this before and was feeling awkward about it. And it only got worse as Alum's dumbfounded expression turned into that of a grin. 

 Luna's face was turning rosy, and she could feel her whole body heat up again. She pouted and lightly hit Alum's chest over and over again. 

 Everyone just stared at them wordlessly, unsure of what kind of comment was appropriate. Or rather… should they talk about how Alum just obliterated a highly magic-resistant target or the fact that the two were openly flirting? 

 …

 …..

 …

 It has now been about two weeks since the wanderers arrived in The Capital. They were doing quite well for themselves and proved that they were talented enough to be training with the elite recruits. 

 Sitting in his office and reading all the documents that had come, he saw a rather odd one. 

 (The hero wants to instruct them personally…? Well, it's not too odd, considering she was the one who determined them to be capable. But…) 

 The document underneath was just straight-up bizarre. 

 'Saint Amethely…' Rigeld mumbled. 

 He felt a little conflicted about this, but regardless, they needed more personnel, and while looking out the window, a small phoenix landed on his shoulder and tilted its head. 

"Now then, things are getting interesting…" 

 …

 …..

 … 

 Early in the morning, Alum found himself under a pile of books. He had apparently fallen asleep with a book covering his face. He'd felt exhausted after staying up two days soaking in the information. 

 (I haven't done this in a while…) 

 Alum was used to staying awake for days, but it had been a while, and his limit seemed to be two days. 

 Removing the book covering his face, he noticed Luna sitting next to him while curiously looking at his face. 

 "…had a good night's sleep?" Luna asked. 

 "…sorry, I fell asleep." 

 Luna giggled a little. "You were only asleep for a few minutes," she replied. 

 "How…come you seem fine?" Alum, somewhat meekly asked. 

 In response, Luna rested her head on Alum's chest. "I'm used to it," she said. 

 Her cold, indifferent demeanour was nowhere to be found. It wasn't sweet per se, but her inexpressive look had a certain charm to it—it was an innocent look. 

 "And that's why you're this short," Alum remarked. 

 "….." 

 "….." 

 "Meanie," Luna sulked. 

 Alum chuckled a little and moved her bang to the side. "I'm not being mean," he said. "Back in my world, it's scientifically proved that a lack of sleep hinders growth in many aspects." 

 Not having a proper comeback, Luna said, 'It's a well-known fact here as well…' while pouting. 

 Despite the way they act and their engagement, the two don't consider themselves to be lovers. Rather, they consider themselves friends more than anything. 

 Everyone else may consider them lovers, though, but only a few knew that this engagement hadn't been properly signed, and it remained a verbal promise between the parties. Hence, neither of them considered the other to be a lover. 

 Still, the promise remained to be a leeway of sorts in case things don't actually work out as intended. But either The Emperor or Empress has to worry since, for the last two weeks, the two have been getting along. 

 Even so, if Luna or Alum had a change of heart, it would be difficult to break things off, even if it was a verbal promise—because… Luna was a princess. 

"Alum," Luna suddenly called his name. 

"Yes, Luna?" Alum replied. 

"…it's a little embarrassing, your hand is placed on my head…" Luna shyly said. 

 Even though she was shy, her expression didn't change that much, but to Alum, it was noticeable as her face was a little flushed. 

 "Your hair's in the way, so…" 

"….." 

 Luna reached out her hand and moved his bang, then resting her palm on his cheek. And seeing how Alum blushed a little yet not saying a word, they ended up locking their gaze on one another. 

 Luna didn't know why she did all these things, but she did know for a fact that it was embarrassing, yet calming, but also…on impulse. 

 "I heard some fantastic news from Uncle," Luna suddenly said. 

 "Oh? From Uncle Rig?" 

 "Mmm, The Saint and Hero will help me out from now on." 

 "Is that so?" Alum indifferently replied. 

 Luna stared at Alum's indifference and pouted. "I'm…very eager at least…" 

 Alum's eyes widened. "Huh?" 

"I…admire The Saint. Of course, I'm eager!" 

 Ever since Luna first saw Saint Amethely at the academy, she admired her from afar. It wasn't because she was a saint, rather… She wasn't one at the time. 

 Amethely was known for having a lack of talent when it came to magic. However, she was also known as a hard worker, which was admirable. She wasn't a slacker when it came to the blade, either. 

 Hence, she had many people who admired her before she became a saint. Beside that… She's a beauty who caught the eyes of everyone around her. And even after becoming a saint, she was still known as a researcher. 

 "You're not excited to work with The Hero?" Alum asked. 

 "…she's a little difficult for me to handle…" Luna replied. 

 "Difficult?" Alum queried. 

 "…she's like an overly friendly older sister when she gets to know one well…" Luna replied with a somewhat defeated look. 

 "…overly friendly?" 

From Alum's perspective, Chely seemed like the strict type who does everything on her own. Perhaps his impression of her wasn't the best, but still. 

 (She had that side to her, huh?) 

 Their conversation came to a halt when they heard a knock on the door. Both got up, and Luna went to open the door while Alum cleaned up the mess. 

 When she slid the door open, she found Noel with a bright smile. "Yo," he said. 

 "….." 

 Luna closed the door, and as she did, Noel banged on the door. She let out a small sigh and opened the door again.

 "…what?" Luna coldly asked. 

 Not taken aback by her cold demeanour, Noel stepped into the room whilst receiving Luna's cold glare. In turn, Noel brightly smiled and stared back at her as if it was a competition. 

 Alum, who was cleaning up the books, noticed that the two just stood there, not saying anything as they stared at one another. There was a clear and strange rivalry going on, Alum thought. 

 Breaking in between them, Alum asked, "What brings you here, Noel?" 

 "Hm? Nah, none much," Noel nonchalantly replied. "Anyhow, do you want to eat out with Miu and me? Of course, you're welcome too, Princess." 

 "…just call me Luna already! Why the snarky 'Princess'," Luna retorted. 

"Ahahaha," Noel laughed. "Because it's fun," he said while warmly grinning. 

 "….." 

 "Anyways, what about it, you two?" 

 "Sure," Alum replied. He then turned to Luna. 

 In response, she sighed and nodded. She glared at Noel again and sulked a little. 

Noel smiled. His eyes were saying, (Sorry, Princess, you've hogged him to yourself almost every day now~.) 

 (Hmph. I'm his fiancé. It isn't strange for me to be by his side,) Luna replied. 

 Her reply got Noel slightly agitated. (Yeah, right! In name only. You two don't even like each other romantically!" 

 (I see no issues with that.) 

 (Well, I see a lot!) 

 Their back and forth lasted a few seconds. Alum always found it a little strange that Noel, who usually was so friendly, always turned a little more aggressive when it came to Luna. Vise versa, Luna, who's normally calm and inexpressive, gets pretty…lively? 

 "…it has been a little while since I saw Miss Miu and Miss Emely. Hence, I'll join you." 

 Luna wasn't being quite honest, but she was a little fond of Miu and Emely compared to everyone else. Well, whether she admitted it or not, she did get along with Noel. 

 "You saw her yesterday in the cafeteria," Noel remarked. 

 "Ten laps without magic enchantment," Luna said. 

 "…huh?" 

 "I was referring to you, be prepared." 

 "Hey! That's an abuse of authority!" Noel retorted. 

 Luna shrugged. "Well, I am a Princess," she calmly stated. 

 "Dammit… I object!" 

 "Right… As if you have a say in it." 

 "….." 

 Watching the two, Alum chuckled. He felt relieved that they got along. However, his reaction made the two stop their little spat, and they then headed out to eat. 

 …

 …..

 …

 Starting the next day, Luna was in front of the recruits and wanderers alongside The Hero and Saint. 

 Still, Luna hadn't seen Saint Amethely in person for a while, and it made her heart pound a little when she saw how much prettier she'd gotten—even though she already was prior to this… 

 As for Hero Chely, she was a bit intimidating, but her mature and beautiful aura was captivating, nonetheless. Chely was more of the cool type, while Amethely was more of an elegant type. And standing beside the two, Luna started to feel a little conscious about herself. 

 Amethely stepped up and gently smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Amethely Ilis, and I will be assisting Princess Luna from now on. Although I'm unable to perform magic at the moment, I will do my best!" 

  Amethely had introduced herself elegantly, but for whatever reason, her introduction was met with silence as her new students stared at her in a daze. 

 (…huh? D-Did I say something strange!?") 

 However, unlike what Amethely was thinking, the students were actually taken aback by how pretty and elegant she was. Thus, they stared for much longer than intended. 

*Clap, clap, clap* 

 Suddenly, a clap echoed throughout the room, and the source of the noise was none other than Alum. 

 "Don't you think it's rude just silently to stare?" Alum inquired in a relaxed yet indifferent tone. 

 Everyone was surprised, even Luna. However, it seemed like Miu and Noel were the only ones not surprised by this at all. Then again… Alum wasn't the kind of person to care if he was being rude or not. Hence, many found his words hypocritical. 

 Still, the one who was most surprised was Amethely. She just froze up on the spot, and her eyes were locked to Alum's. This didn't go unnoticed, however. Chely, who was right beside, saw how Amethely turned slightly flushed. 

 But that wasn't all. Her eyes were still locked with Alum's, and everyone could somewhat tell that, for whatever reason, they were staring at one another for longer than needed. 

 Seeing this, Luna felt a murky and dark feeling inside her chest. Her heart throbbed in pain, and she hated the feeling. 

 She clapped her hands once and brought attention to herself. "Well then, as Mister Aum said, it is rude to stare at The Saint silently; hence…" Luna coldly stared at Alum. "Refrain from staring too much." 

 Hearing that, Amethely twitched a little and glanced at Chely with an awkward smile. 'Sis, you should introduce yourself too,' she whispered. 

 "…my name is Chely Ilis. As you can probably guess, Ame is my little sister. Don't get any weird ideas because she's nice." 

 "S-Sis!?" Amethely became flustered when she heard that and protested. 'Geez…' she mumbled. 

 Everyone in the room just blanked out. This time, it wasn't because they admired Chely's beauty; rather… it was out of fear since some of them did want to get close to Amethely—they probably had a change of heart now, though. 

 And why wouldn't they? Chely was literally the definition of power in The Empire and has been known to have unrivalled combat prowess since she was young. Not only that, but her special Eclipse Flames also scorched Materia itself. Though, it has one major drawback if she uses it to its fullest extent. Basically, it was an apocalyptic flame that could set the world ablaze were she not careful. 

 Of course, only a few people knew of this—Luna included. Even though Amethely was fully capable herself, she wasn't as efficient or potent as Chely in combat. Her incinerating light and her control over celestial magic were admirable, but it was nothing compared to the world-ending flames of Chely's…

 Everyone had finished introducing themselves, and when it became Alum's turn, Amethely eyes sparked in anticipation. It…wasn't difficult for Chely or Luna to notice that she'd taken an interest in him. 

 The same goes for Alum. He wasn't sure why he felt so drawn to her, but he feigned the feeling as Luna's sad face came to mind. 

 Luna, who noticed that Alum tried not to care, got in a slightly bad mood. It was as if her heart had been stabbed. (…why do I feel this way?) she asked herself while her heart ached in pain. 

 …

 …..

 …

 Everyone had gathered in the training facility, and the warmup was more intense than usual. And as Luna promised. Noel had to run an extra ten laps without any enhancements. 

—though… for some reason, Alum didn't expect that he'd be doing the same. 

 "How come you're running as well?" Noel teasingly asked. 

Compared to Alum, Noel was more athletic and wasn't struggling as much as Alum. Though Alum wasn't very active for a long time, he did keep up relatively well. 

 "Haa…h…how…am I…supposed…to know?" Alum exhaustedly panted as he replied. 

 The previous exercise was basically at Alum's limit, and now he had to do surprise laps with Noel? It was just too much for him. 

 "Could it be that Luna got jealous? Was it because you stared at The Saint too much?" 

 "...that's not how it is," Alum replied. "Besides, Luna is my fiancé…thus…I can't look at other…girls…despite not having feelings…for her…yet…" 

 "Man…you're dying…" Noel remarked.

 Though, as Noel said that, he received a resentful glare. But he just shrugged it off. Still, it did come as a surprise to him when Alum said that. 

 (He's serious about her…? But does he even like her that way?) 

 Letting out a sigh, Noel said, "You know. You mentioned it to be a verbal promise, and. Nothing's really stopping either of you from falling for someone else. It's perhaps naïve to think this, but. Perhaps…they did that out of consideration?" 

 "…You're talking nonsense," Alum replied. He glanced over towards Luna and found her anxious face. Hit with a sharp pain, he said, "I'm not changing my mind either way." 

 "Stubborn as always," Noel remarked. He then grinned and said, "You're very romantic, aren't you?" 

 "…wh-whatever…" Alum sulked and increased his run speed. 

   …

 …..

 …

 In the evening, Alum could feel his whole body ache from pain. Though… it wasn't Luna's doing this time… Rather, the culprit of this was, in fact, Chely. 

 However, it could also be said that he wasn't the only one aching from muscle pain. 

 Unable to move, he just lay in bed until he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Even though he didn't feel like getting up, he had a feeling it was Luna who knocked. 

 Taking a deep breath, he got up and walked toward the door. Unexpectedly, Miu and Emely—with Luna behind them… 

 Since the three of them have been getting along as of late, Luna has consulted about her feelings regarding Alum. Though they sort of figured it out without having her tell them, they still waited for her to realise herself. 

 And when she eventually found out—today, that is. Emely and Miu congratulated her and gave her a bunch of advice. 

— A few hours ago — 

 "Listen well, Luna," Emely said. "Despite his cold look and domineering personality, he's actually quite shy. Hence, you'll need to initiate! Be aggressive and make him lower his guard!" 

 "I-Initiate!?" 

 "…Professor…I think Luna is quite shy as well, don't you think?" Miu commented. 

 "Miu," Emely said with a serious tone. "What would you like your boyfriend to do for you when you feel down?" 

 "I-I don't  have someone like that…" 

 ""How surprising…"" Both Emely and Luna said. 

Emely cleared her throat. "A-Anyways, what if you had one?" she inquired. 

 "I…I'd like him to embrace me and stroke my hair…and…I-I'd lean on his chest listening to his heartbeats, I'd fee—" 

 "Okay, I think that's enough… Now, what if he was as dense as Al?" 

 "…I'd actively let him know and seek his comfort?

 Hearing Miu's reply, Emely smirked and glanced at Luna. "Now, what would you like Al to do? Luna?" 

 (I…I would…) 

— Current time — 

 "Why are you all here?" Alum asked. 

 "Nothing much, just here to escort The Princess. She wants to speak with you, Alum," Miu said with a wide grin. 

 Noticing how Miu has been acting as of late, Alum concluded that she was fine. (Perhaps I worried for nothing.) 

 Emely then went behind Luna and lushed her into Alum's arms. She looked at Alum while smirking. "Well then, take care, you two?" 

 After all of that was said and done, Alum and Luna were left alone. They didn't utter a single word as they remained in one another's embrace. 

 ""…..""

 Both of them wordlessly let go as they went into the room. Alum was about to go get some sweets for the two of them but was stopped by Luna, who was meekly holding onto his fingers. 

 Alum looked at her and was about to ask if there was something she was going to request. However… 

 Luna jumped straight into his back, and it was so sudden that he felt oddly nervous. The mood was strange, and all the things leading up to this was just odd to him. But…he felt nervous and anxious. 

 "L-Luna…? What's wrong?" 

 Luna didn't respond and kept hugging him like this. Alum started to feel very conscious, and it was the first time that Luna had been this bold. Even though people say, Alum was dense. He wasn't. He knew her intentions very well and that she was pushing her chest onto his back on purpose. 

 "Al," she called out to him. 

 It was the first time she'd used his nickname. Though… it was mostly Emely who used that. But… Luna thought that it would be fine since they were going to be family at one point. 

 "I want to be pampered," Luna innocently requested. 

 Alum didn't know what sort of expression Luna made, but…it couldn't possibly be worse than his. Alum was burning up, and his face was completely red. 

 He broke out of her embrace and just looked at her. For whatever reason, his heart pounded, and Luna was just way more adorable than before. Seeing her innocent look after having heard her request. His heart pounded, and he felt a sudden urge to embrace her tightly. 

 But since Alum had forcibly freed himself, Luna's heart was shattered, and she was on the verge of tears. She'd never felt so hurt before, even when she was betrayed so many times. This pain was…unbearable. 

 Seeing her in that state, Alum got closer and hugged her. He was being very careful despite wanting to use all of his strength. 

 Alum's sudden action made Luna stunned as she began to calm down after listening to Alum's beating heart. She rubbed her face against his chest—similarly to a cat. 

 Her gesture made Alum more confused, but it didn't feel bad, as Luna had been close like this before. But…it was never affectionate like how it was now. She was behaving like an adorable animal. He couldn't resist but pat her hair. 

 In doing that, Luna felt happier and squeezed Alum even tighter. The two would stay like that for a while longer—rather, they didn't know how it lasted. But, eventually, Luna dropped a massive bombshell. 

 "I…I think I'm in love with you, Al." 

  Luna peered into Alum's eyes. He was frozen in place more than before, and his already flushed face became more crimson. 

 "…I-I see…" 

 Unsure of how to reply to such a confession, the conversation with Noel popped up in his head. He was unsure if he liked her that way or not—rather… Having never been in love. He couldn't understand. 

 Their eyes were still locked, and Luna's lips, eyes, and…

*Chu* 

 Alum kissed Luna on the forehead and quickly turned away. "I…don't really understand it myself. So I can't give you a proper reply… But…if you're fine with that…I would want to be with you… No matter." 

 Luna was so shocked that the tears she'd been holding in started to flood. She gently smiled and said, "I…I'm greedy." Luna sobbed and with a determined look. "I'll make you say you're in love with me too." 

"….." 

"But…I'm okay with this." Luna said as she pulled him closer and kissed him on the cheek. "For now." 

A/N 

IF Luna Rewrite is dooone! 

This chapter got waaay long, lol, also, new scenes, hope you like them :3 

Also, I may have a keyboard addiction. 

Also also, IF Luna next chapter will be after volume 2. 

:Keyboard addiction: