This is about hugging a friend in need

18 December 422

Five months. That's how much had passed since I had the chance to genuinely get to return back to the capital.

The charioteer was quiet as he drove the vehicle through the somber streets of the massive city. The entire population was barely wandering around, and I expected this 'odd' behavior to persist for a little more than a few days.

I stared at Hannah as she was sitting in the seat in front of me, the woman having asked to have the opportunity to visit her son considering the circumstances that saw us visiting the castle. Her perplexed stare was distractedly directed at the small window that showed the world outside of the chariot.

I was silently waiting, carefully making sure to not disturb the sleep of both twins. I had decided to bring the boys with me, feeling like I couldn't exactly leave them back home with the fact I had planned to stay there well beyond the planned celebration for Christmas.

Of course the occurrence wasn't defined as such. It would've been odd to explain why this had to be named after an important figure of a religion beyond their current one. So I stuck with the term 'Winter Festival'.

Stealing from Memory Snow but... I couldn't exactly make use of 'Yule' or 'Nativity' to indicate the specific days as the former was directed at the period between the Winter's solstice and the first day of January, while the latter was still regarding the birth of Christ.

While there had been some skepticality over the economic needs of such a celebration, those were scattered away the moment the current numbers of the treasury were unveiled to Orestes. The old man was... surprised. Yes, that term was the best way to describe the brief emotion that he displayed before almost falling unconscious at the coin registered in our 'bank'.

Efforts in Erindor with the process of modernizing and creating a stable and magic-aided industry had resulted in plenty of advancements in various sectors.

From the development of improved mechanic tools, the standardization of a proper 'civil lifestyle' and a few steps that had been made towards a proper legislation to guarantee the workers' right to the introduction of new architectural rules, the implementation of a mandatory Elementary School system and the conception of a decent professional army.

Sweat, blood, and time had been used to fuel the never-ending machine that was moderate innovation, and the things that were slowly spreading among the kingdom were improving general life's conditions. Of course, the diffusion of the new technologies was all possible thanks to various joint operations between my representatives and the royal administrators assigned to this specific kind of situations.

The 'Royal Department for Magic and Science' was quite eager to get their hands on a couple of the inventions arriving from my city, and they were baffled by a few of the 'absurd contraptions' that they were given samples of. The large majority were delighted with this amount of innovative objects, with some skepticism mostly directed to the state of things regarding the military applications of few of the tools presented.

This very issue was moved to the inspectors of the Royal Lugnican Army, and the verdict of further examinations were quite... fair. Anything that hadn't any possible military purpose was competence of the RDMS, while anything else which could be used for War-related situations was to be limited to the RLA and Erindor's own military force.

The agreement had been signed under a tense situation, as two months ago the Vollachian Kingdom had decided to once again intensify their border raids after some issues happening by the Gustekian borders over a mass immigration wave reaching for Erindor.

The resulting situation? Cannons made their baptism of fire by shelling down some of the lines of a small Vollachian Battalion trying to scour and loot a couple of the villages near the border. Diplomatic attempts to secure a 'good peace' were made, and Vollachia was forced to eat a bitter and humiliating defeat with the losses suffered against the forces dispensed by the RLA.

Now, this situation would've generally sparked major irritation from the leadership to try and attack again, this time with more preparation, but the aftermath was incredibly different that one would've imagined. The Emperor himself saw the execution of the officers that 'deceitfully attempted to sour relations with Lugnica' and the event was seen as an attempt to impose an ultimatum to the chaotic army. Order or death, and that message was the clearest possible thanks to the recent defeat and punishment from the government.

I listened to thsee news with mild interest, finding this entire situation kind of fitting considering who was ruling that nation. Vincent Vollachia was someone that was first described in EX Volume 4, and he was described as someone capable of making quick decisions while keeping a calm and observant mind over any circumstance. In a year or so from now Ferris, Reinhard and Julius would end up being sent to escort a diplomatic mission to the 'Sacred Empire', only to be framed for an assassination attempt directed at the Emperor himself.

Hopefully, I will manage to offer to the knightly trio some assistance in the form of 'warnings'. I really didn't want to make bets that canon will keep being... canon. Especially with what had happened in the last few months. With this little parenthesis with Vollachia came to a sudden closure, I found myself drawn away from my thoughts and back to the present.

The chariot had finally reached the castle, moving to one of the parking spots still available within the walls. There were large crowds of nobles occupying various bits of the courtyard, this situation not truly a surprise on a normal basis, but since the situation was fairly grave, I didn't have much to say but move hesitantly before a proper convocation from Miklotov. The time had finally come...

The king was dead. The illness had taken him out around the same time it had back in Canon.

And with Randohal now out of the big chair, it was Fourier's time to finally prepare for what was going to be quite the fierce competition. Everything was happened fairly earlier than in the OTL, but the very reason behind the sudden shift of events was the fact that the blond was alive and well. Had he been cursed by Pandora, he would've survived for something close to a full year before giving the opportunity to Miklotov to actually convene the Royal Elections.

With my mind still distracted by these heavy thoughts, I proceeded to wake up the twins. Fritz had fallen asleep while sitting on my lap, while his older brother had settled for the seat beside mine, leaning to the side to use my shoulder as a makeshift pillow.

Both Demi-humans woke up slowly but steadily, letting out some quick yawns as they swiftly dealt with the post-nap sleepiness. Soon we all left the chariot by the same door, letting Hannah walk out first as I took the boys out shortly after. I didn't waste much time in addressing the charioteer, merely letting him known to stay put until I got someone to move the stuff from the rear of the vehicle.

Silently and calmly, I took the lead of the small group, with my main objective being the main doors. Various foreign dignitaries and high-level nobles were almost obstructing the entrance because of their unwillingness to move out of the way from the small space that led inside, but considering how small my entourage was, it proved easy to enter without getting too much attention on me.

Some of these people seemed to recognize me, but none made efforts to actually approach me. I was known to be a close friend to Fourier, and considering the serious mood I was in, my face was just exuding a major dislike for any sudden obstacles along the way. I needed to see how the blond was holding, if he needed support. If he needed a hug.

I sighed at this last thought, genuinely hoping that the situation wasn't as bad as I thought it being. I could easily remember how gloomy things had been when the Prince had learned about his older brother's passing, and now that the last member of his family had perished, I knew that the situation was going to be incredibly bad. Which is why I didn't make any delay in swiftly take a trip to the capital.

My musing was finally brought to an end as I noticed a certain cat-eared knight starting to make his way towards us. Felix looked... okayish. The brunet seemed to be giving a faux smile to hide away the general sadness and discomfort correlated to the main event of today. He gave a nod as he finally stopped in front of us.

"Johnyah, mother..." He paused for a moment, his stare lowering to stare at the two kids occupying each my side. "And I think you're... Fritz and Hans?"

"Y-Yes," Hans muttered, carefully adjusting his glasses while trying his best to not blush at the pretty face staring at him. "A-And you're Ser Felix?"

"Just call me Ferris. Nice to meet nyah two~," He replied with a vibrant tone, enjoying the little title before his name. I sighed drawing his stare up back at me.

"What? Aren't you going to give your mother a hug?" I teased with a snort, making him take a surprised look as he redirected his attention back to the embarrassed woman. Hannah looked ready to lightly protest about this, but her opposition crumbled instantly as her son reached for a good embrace.

"Sorry, mom," Ferris muttered with a muffled voice, making the woman huff as she reached with her hand to pat his scalp.

"There's nothing to apologize, dear. You're a good knight trying to uphold a proper standing and-" The older woman almost eeped as his hold tightened.

"But you're my mom, why shouldn't I hug you when I'm greeting you?" The Demi-human inquired rhetorically. Hannah sighed calmly, conceding to that point as I waited patiently for both to be done with the hug. But just as I hoped to be granted some early answers about the situation, I found myself engulfed in a quick embrace from the young man.

"And I missed you too, Johnyah~!" He sounded excited as he snuggled his face on my chest, prompting me to pat his head.

"Likewise Ferris. You wouldn't believe how much I missed having you around," I muttered back, smiling a little at the close gesture. "But I suppose you're not here just to greet us. Aren't you?"

He huffed, holding me hostage of that embrace a little longer before finally letting me free. "First you say you missed me, then you quickly talk about the serious things."

The cat-boy pouted and I hummed at his expression. "Sorry, Ferris. I didn't mean to sound like a liar. It's just that... I wanted to know how was Fourier."

His animal ears twitched at the mentioning of the prince.

"Are you worried about him?" Felix quickly questioned, offering a sympathetic look before nodding. "Lady Crusch is currently talking to him by his room. She had arrived earlier today and... she had been talking to him since then."

I nodded at that, almost ready to march up to where the blond's room was, only to be interrupted by more words coming from the brunet.

"But I was assigned to have you all report by the living quarters that have been picked for you by Lord Miklotov. Captain Marcus' orders," He mentioned with hum, making me frown at this development.

They had planned the possibility I was going to check on Fourier early on... and set Felix to stop me? It wasn't ideal, but at least I wasn't dealing with either Reinhard or Julius about the whole assignment.

I had more than enough opportunities to experience the rush of climbing off a building through open windows.

"I guess then that we should get going before-"

"Still, I think you could check on his Highness," Ferris interjected quickly, ignoring my words and winking my way. "I will help mom and the kids to find their rooms, and then I will come and check on nyah."

...

"You were barred from entering his room, weren't you?" I quickly asked, making him freeze up in sudden shock.

"How- I mean, that's... that's just ridiculous-"

"You're not a good liar, Ferris~."

He huffed, crossing his arms close to his chest. "Fine, I was forbidden to interrupt lady Crusch and his Highness during their time together- but I just want to help them, nyah!"

"Then I guess I will accept your little offer," I commented happily. "But I want something in return."

The cat-eared knight frowned at the second bit, ready to inquire about it... only to be stopped as my arms wrapped again around him and pulled him in a tighter hug. I ruffled his hair, I scratched carefully at his ears and enjoyed the harmonious purring from the mix of positive petting.

I released him shortly after, the boy's face completely red for what had been quite the awkward gesture.

"That was-"

"I really missed you. And I mean it," I interjected mirthfully before turning to the twins. "Now Ser Felix will help you find where our room is. You will be with Hannah and... I will be back once I'm sure Fourier is fine."

Hans nodded, but Fritz looked a little bit uneasy.

"P-Papa, can you... can you tell Fou that we miss him too?"

My heart disintegrated at the cute words, but I managed to give him a serious nod. "I sure will tell him that. I bet he will be quite happy to know you two are here too."

The final words seemed to finally convince the duo, and soon I found myself wandering alone through the halls and the staircases of the palace. My mind was set, my intentions were clear... and I was ready to dispense the proper hugging for friends in need.

Operation 'Bro Hugger' has now begun!

My little march was mostly uneventful and devoid of any major issues. Guards passing by didn't offer me much of a glance, ignoring my presence to continue with their patrol around the floor. I was glad that I didn't have to deal with anyone else enlisted to stop my friendship crusade, but I soon ended up facing a brief obstacle in the form of a certain noble.

Meckart Karsten, Crusch's father, was patiently and calmly pacing by the corridor that faced Fourier's room.

The man was initially lost in his own thoughts as I took the corner that led to that hallway, but he seemed to spot me quite easily as soon as I was close enough to him. He looked surprised, if not perplexed by my appearance, but instead of merely greeting me and spare a handful of formal words, he proceeded to do something fairly unexpected.

Just as I started to walk towards him, the man's pace picked up to reach me in what looked to be a little rush, swiftly pulling me away from the corridor and back from the corner where I came from. My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden manhandling, but my confusion turned in dread as I was regaled with quite the intense staring from the man.

"Mayor Bukharin," He addressed curtly. "It's a 'pleasure' to make your acquaintance. Please, do let me ask you a couple of questions."

The request didn't sound like one by the way it was... imposed on me. I gulped nervously at the strange turn of this encounter, but I gave him a slow nod.

"Lord Meckart?"

He ignored my confused greeting. "You see, Mayor Bukharin, I'm sure you're aware that my daughter has been sending you letters in the last couple of months. Quite extensively and frequently too."

...Oh no.

I mean, I could see him make that connection with the fact that Crusch and I had been exchanging letters for a long time now, but it was strictly for business affairs correlated to her efforts to improve her territories.

"Sir, I-"

"You've also replied with the same frequency. And the more you've written to her, the happier she would get each day," He pressed on, quite unwilling to listen to my weak attempts to deal with the misunderstanding afoot. "While I know for a fact that you're part of the group that rescued my daughter months ago, and that she has spoken highly of you, I can't help but feel like you both are keeping a big secret from me."

"Sir, we're not-"

"I'm confused. My daughter wouldn't certainly harbor feelings for someone she had met a couple of times only and-"

"Sir, the letters weren't about some secret love affair," I quickly snapped, tensing up in the unpleasant grasp his hands had over my shoulders. While he was slimmer and weaker than other men his age, the closeness and the seriousness of his tone were certainly driving me panicky. "It was all about things she wanted to implement within the Duchy, nothing more-"

"Oh, but I'm well-aware of that," Meckart rebuked quickly, looking hardly fazed by my explanation. "Crusch told me so already, and I've seen that she was actually reformed parts of the old rules to better fit with the current times."

Then why are you giving me the 'overprotective father' spiel if that wasn't the problem?! Seriously, I know that he was someone that jumped the gun at the first hint of an awkward situation, but he couldn't be serious about thinking that someone like Crusch was actually thinking of me like that. There were just no hints of that in her letters, and she seemed to keep the usual tones in most of her papers.

"The issue, John Bukharin, is that she has been searching in our libraries for books related to courting right by the same time she had started this exchange of letters with you," He finally answered, giving me more stuff to think about as... this did make for a compelling piece of evidence now that I was introduced to it.

That could easily connect the two events together, but... I was also aware that I had been the one that had started to coax her to abandon any formal restrictions with Fourier. Maybe the frequent exchange of letters had somehow primed her to inquire about any possible romantic relationship with the Prince, especially since he was being incredibly 'visible' with his intentions.

"Sir, I can assure you that while Crusch and I share a friendly relationship, she doesn't harbor any romantic-" I paused a moment as the man pulled out from his pants pocked what looked to be a crumbled letter. "Feelings; what is that?"

"This, John Bukharin, is one of four drafts that were meant to be letters that one of my servants found underneath her bed," He said while offering this new proof to my hands. "I suggest you read it at once."

I blinked at the demand, feeling particularly uneasy at the fact I was being forced to read something that was possibly private. But then again, I knew that whatever was the alternative with someone as influential as Meckart, it wouldn't have been pleasant for me to experience.

Thus I started to read the piece of paper silently, carefully eyeing word by word what Crusch had intended to send me.

14 October 422

Oh? It was quite early in our exchange. About two months since we started with the occurrence if I recall correctly.

To the Esteemed John Bukharin,

First thing first, I wish to formally thank you for your assistance regarding the small errors over the paperwork connected to the alterations to the direct taxation percentage. The new values do fit well with the current system, and I expect already some good result from these calculations.

I can remember reading this is in a letter dedicated to this very situation. But... I could already see something odd about it. Crusch addressed me only by full name and... no title whatsoever. She would usually put 'Mayor' before my full name when starting a letter.

The first half of the letter was pretty much what I remember reading ages ago, which had me frown at the possibility that the reason that saw this one rejected by the girl was just the 'only mistake' I could see on the paper. I wasn't going to rule out that she had thought about trying with something a little less formal and ended up regretting it before sending this one out.

I was truly convinced of this very possibility... up until I saw something incredibly bizarre unfolding by the second half of the letter.

Now that this issue has been addressed, I would also inquire if it would be possible for you to spare a day or two for a visit by my domains. There are some topics that I wish to ask about on a private account, and I feel uneasy at even thinking about bringing these subjects up through our usual letters. Would you be available to consider visiting the Karsten Duchy by the next week?

She had wanted to invite me to her home? I suppose it had to have been awkward to think of a better way to phrase the request, and that was visible by the nervous 'accentuation' in her written words.

I was about to stare up at Meckart to ask about what should seriously get me worried if this was a mere attempt from his daughter to invite a friend at her house, when I stopped at the final bit.

Yours truly,

Crusch Karsten.

...What the heck? No, there was no way she had written something like this...

While such a small detail shouldn't have made for a compelling case for the worries forwarded by the concerned father, I was pretty sure that Crusch would've never used a tone so informal and so... straightforward like the one in that closure.

Now I could see why this paper was something of a proof for what Meckart was talking about. But why? Why would she actually consider me as a good candidate for courting?

My brain burned a little at the complex thought as I was fairly certain that Fourier should've been the one to easily swoon her to his side. He was her childhood friend, he knew what she likes, and he knew how to make her laugh.

Those were the most excellent elements a man could strive to achieve to be loved by a woman. And yet she had picked me, someone that had spared with her just a couple of discussions and some business-related letters.

...Why?

...

Unless-!

I frowned inwardly at the possibility, but then again it was something that made incredible sense considering the circumstances.

Crusch Karsten was a young Duchess, with just two individuals she considered trustworthy (excluding me), and both were young men around her age:

1) Ferris was a close friend, someone that cared a lot for the young woman since she was the one that freed him from his father's abuse. While the cat-boy preferred feminine clothes, this flair matched perfectly with Crusch's own interest in keeping a masculine fashion style (pants before skirts);

2) Fourier was the youngest Prince in this kingdom. The two have known each other since early childhood when the girl had first visited the castle. Once again, the boy knew her well enough to crack at her dense shell more than once by having her laugh or even flutter in awe at his determination;

3) Then there was me. I was... a friend to her. We spared just some words, the rest was an exchange of written papers and... and yet I had something that the two previous cases couldn't exactly offer to interest the young woman's attention. I could relate to Crusch on a personal level. And no, it wasn't just because I had knowledge of her actions and personality through the lore.

When first I gave a look at the series, Crusch struck me way more than any other character. I could see a large part of my 'former' self represented in that mix of bravery and mind hiding away a degree of uneasiness and awkwardness of the unfair world around her.

Sure, the girl was by far one of the strongest characters in the show, both in terms of skills and mind, yet there was just something about her MO, something about her 'unknown' reasoning (that I didn't know about before the publications of the Ex Volumes) that just reminded me of... me.

The general lack of social skills that were perfectly denied by the inner push from her part to interact with people. Her bravery was twice, if not thrice than the one she had back before Fourier had died in the OTL. The lack of ambition? Filled with the hopes and dreams of someone she cared about. The unwillingness to waddle too much in politics? Erased by the need of fulfilling Fourier's desire to 'save the kingdom'.

While this sounds like nothing new, these details are important to understand something that just clicked with my personality. It would be a lie to say that... I had never changed since I had first seen Re:Zero. I was still stuck in High School, procrastinating over the annoyances forwarded by various issues rising up during that part of my life.

Time-skip to years later, when I was ultimately done with this kind of struggle and left to think about what I really wanted to make of my life. It wasn't a single event that sparked everything, but a process that led me to become what I was right now. I had my own desires... and my own dreams.

Without Fourier's death, Crusch was stuck right to the point where she was still aimless and in need of something to change the monotony. She didn't hate the routine, but she wanted more. She wanted to give a proper purpose in her life.

And I was someone that had managed to achieve that. It was subtle, yet since it wasn't something related to love, her denseness hadn't prevented her to pick that instance quickly and quietly. The fact I had sounded so trustworthy, so helpful and, most of it all, incredibly correct in many situations, made her see me as a model to follow. And more.

Which was why, probably, she thought courting to be the best way to properly approach me. But to say for certain if it was out of friendship or really something more... I didn't know. I was a moron in love in the past, and I didn't improve much after years spent trying to make sense about it.

Complicated things were still complicated.

But just as I allowd that realization to unravel on a deeper scale, the man decided to speak more about the matter.

"This was the first draft. The other three follow a similar pattern, if not for some differences of words at the beginning and at the end," The former Duke added. "Which is why I'm certain that she might be feeling something a little more than mere friendship. And the reason why I want to know what you think about this."

"It's the first time that I hear about th-"

"Oh, I also know about that too. In fact, I spared some looking through your own letters for anything that might allude to your knowledge of this matter." He commented with a serious tone. "But from the way you kept the discussion always focused on her requests, only digressing when talking about Fourier and Ferris, and by the way you're reacting to all of this right now... I think you're clueless about the matter. Well, you were clueless about it."

I nodded at his deductive skill, making me frown at the surprising extent he had gone to make sure that his daughter wasn't engaged in some-sort of secret affairs with someone the father didn't know much about of.

"You want to know what I will do now that I know about this... right?"

He merely nodded, keeping quiet as I sighed at this.

"I don't want to hurt Crusch-"

"Which I'm quite glad about as I'm aware you care for those close to you from the way Ferris depicted you as," Meckart interjected smoothly. "But I hope you understand that dealing with such a dilemma isn't an easy task, especially since a maiden's heart is at stake about this matter."

I nodded, understanding perfectly what he was trying to ask from me.

"I wish for Crusch to have a happy life. One which she can find comfort and genuine peace with the decisions she will have to make," I answered as cautiously as possible. "Which wouldn't be one with me. I'm... I'm not good with this kind of stuff, and there would be so many complicated things that would just make a peaceful life difficult."

The man snorted. "If only- I will tell you this, young man, since the situation warrants it, and I feel like this little tale can make you understand how really complicated things are," The former Duke countered. "When I first met with my wife, my dear Helena, and we both fell in love for each other, I was unsure about how we were supposed to marry before the fact we were Count and Countess of two distant fiefs. To this very day I don't know how she managed to accomplished the task, but it took her a couple of months to acquire various territories that helped to connect our regions together. In fact, she's the reason that saw the Karsten become the leaders of a strong Duchy."

...What?!

"If my daughter is shown any obstacles to the path that she thinks will lead her to happiness... she will move mountains and seas to succeed against those," Meckart added. "I know she has a good-heart and that she will restrain herself from trying anything horrible, but I know for sure that, just like her mother, she will make miracles happen for the sake of winning the ultimate challenge that is love."

And... now I was feeling incredibly uneasy at this thought. Up until now, I knew very little about Helena Karsten. But the fact that she was the one that literally made the Karsten as powerful as they were right now? Surprising and... somewhat worrying considering to what this tale was trying to warn me about.

If the concerns were true- if Crusch was indeed crushing on me... then things were going to be much more difficult than anything I had faced up until now. I wasn't exactly ready to deal with that possibility.

Especially because Fourier was currently going through Hell now that his family was gone!

Still, with these warnings and assurances exchanged, I was finally set free from approaching back to the door that led into Fourier's room.

Gulping nervously at the thought that I was supposed to balance a downtrodden prince and a woman that was interested in me with more than mere friendship at the same time, I mustered up plenty of my usual bravery and ventured inside the dragon's lair.

The first strange thing I noticed as I entered the room was that the illumination was rather... dim. The curtains were lowered down to three fourths, letting in just enough light to give a perception over the presence of objects and persons within the enclosed place.

I could see Crusch, the young woman's attention was directed to the prince, or rather what I imagined being Fourier trying to stay in bed, cloaked in some sheets... despite it being close to lunchtime.

Frowning at the scene, I advanced towards the bed. My footsteps alerted the green-haired woman, the Duchess quickly giving me some attention by looking right up at me. Her eyes widened, but her tension vanished instantly as she recognized me. I held a finger close to my lips, gesturing her to keep quiet as I studied the situation a little closer than before.

Yep, that mass of angsty and sheets was the one and only Fourier. Now... how the fuck was I supposed to approach it?

There was the stealth way, which implied me sneaking around the bed and reaching for the side which the young man was currently procrastinating by.

There was the Randy Orton method, but then again Wrestling wasn't famous (just yet) in Lugnica.

Finally, the way of the bro. But that was... too divine. I needed to give it a try tho.

A mix of stealth and Randy Orton, I carefully walked by the edge of the bed, keeping myself away from the dull red-eyed stare directed at the wall in front of the young man and... proceeded to yank him by his feet. The effect was immediate, with the blond yelping as he panicked at the sudden pull, struggling away from my holding while also forcing himself to stand up on the mattress and stare down at me with immense confusion.

"What- Wait, you-"

Ladies and Gentleman, I think I crashed Fourier Dot Exe!

He stared at me with a mix of shock, anger, surprise and confusion. Then he gave a full confused look to Crush, the stare staying briefly on the girl before turning back at me.

"You're here," He muttered in a skeptical tone. "Or are you?"

I frowned at that curious reaction. Really? Thinking I'm an hallucination despite Crusch greeting me? Either the situation was that bad or he was just yanking back at me.

"If you want, I can start tell some secrets of yours out-loud," I suggested with a flat tone, his eyes widening at the verbal input. "Like when you and Ferris first bathed together and you-"

"N-No, there's no need for that!" The blond interrupted quickly, blushing a storm at the mere allusion to quite the fun story between him and the cat-boy. "Still- you're here!"

I gave him a nod, expecting him to just stare at the void a little longer instead of acting at my responses. My expectations were shattered when I saw the young man leap towards me, soar through the air, and successfully tackle me down to the floor in what turned into a desperate hugging session.

My back exploded in pain and I groaned as I felt his arms wrap tightly and quite painfully around my neck. I blinked at the silence, offering a mere nod to the shocked Crusch as I tried to defuse the current embrace of death I had been set up to experience.

"Fourier-"

"I missed you."

I sighed. "I missed you too but-"

"And now you're here."

"You know that you're hurting me if you hold me so tightly?"

"Sorry," He apologized quickly, making me groan.

I waited a little while, hoping for the situation to defuse... but then my nose picked up a particularly familiar stench coming from Fourier.

"Fourier," I started with an incredibly calm voice. "Did you forget to bathe yesterday?" The last part was whispered as to keep the prince's love interest completely unaware of the little issue going on with the now-tense blond.

"...Sorry?"

"Sorry will not do, buddy," I said before actually lift myself and the particularly light young man up. "And I think it's about time you get prepared for the ceremony."

"I don't want to go," He tried to refuse, but I wasn't in the mood to take that kind of 'nos' from him.

"Welp, that shucks. I guess you're going to be disappointed since I'm not taking any rejections about that."

He groaned, but didn't make much resistance as I proceeded to walk towards the small door that connected the bedroom to the large bathroom with the massive bath. I stopped just moments later going to open it, turning towards Crusch as I knew I still needed to talk to her despite my inner uneasiness over recent discoveries.

"Crusch, I'm sorry that the situation took this kind of turn," I started with a sigh. "But I need to get His Highness prepared for the ceremony before he screw things up and... I hope we can share some discussion once I'm done here."

She gave a calm nod. "I understand. His Highness had been rather reluctant to go through the usual routine," The girl conceded with a small smile. "And... sure, a talk sounds nice, John."

I held myself back from shivering at her earnest use of my name... but her restraint in calling Fourier by name despite the previous discussions we had shared over the matter. More evidence? I really hoped not.

"Also if Felix pass by, please do tell him that I will probably need his help too to get His Highness ready."

At the mention of 'Felix' and 'Bath' when he was going to be in it too, the blonde tensed up and struggled a little... but the very hug he had used to constrict me had turned in his very prison.

The girl nodded, tensing herself a little at the thought of Felix joining in with the arduous task, and I moved inside the bathroom with Fourier...

If only Fourier had actually gone to bathe earlier, things wouldn't have gotten... spicey so suddenly.

Afterthoughts: I... I did something with this chapter. It might be a big thing, it might be a false alarm...

Also, time-skip. I've announced it early on, I just didn't mentiong how lengthy it was. No, the 'monologue' in the first section didn't describe everything that happened. In the next chapter there will be a little more words about Priscilla, Sphinx, Edna, Satella... and the Witch of Envy?

Omake 7: The 'Torture' Pt.2

The water was just warm enough to ease down my muscles and my nerves.

Fourier was moping about at the fact that he was literally being helped around by both me and Ferris.

The cat-boy was... ecstatic about the fact he was sharing such a monumental event with the two of us, yet his enthusiasm was dampened by the very reason that allowed this to happen.

I was quiet about the matter, unsure how to exactly tackle down the serious topic without getting the blond to actually lash out at us. I was sure that, despite the calm exuding from the red-eyed dummy, the prince could've seriously retaliated at any wrongful mention of his deceased father.

Thus I focused on the present rather than to the near future. There would've been plenty of moments to properly discuss about this important matter, and neither Ferris nor I were willing to try to do something as stupid as that.

Which is why we were trying something 'silly' rather than stupid by teasing a slightly sleepy Fourier out of his angsty-nap self. The process was long and difficult, but the presence of warm water that helped in cleaning the sweat off from his back while the young man himself focused on his frontal self.

Felix hummed happily as he helped me clean my own back while I focused on the Prince. The blond huffed, but there wasn't much to do as I carefully avoided creating any discomfort where I was directing the soapy water.

"You know, it's kind of odd that you're actually keeping quiet about this situation," I commented with a confused tone. "I mean, I know that the situation isn't the usual, but I would've expected you a little bit more... interested."

He stared back at me with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"Weren't you the one that lamented how I would say no to bathing together?" I inquired back, making his frown lessen up to an awkward stare.

"I'm just... not feeling it," Fourier admitted, turning back forward and sighing while staring down at the floor. "Kind of... odd. I know that myself but... meh."

"And you don't 'meh'," I pressed on with a panicked tone. "You aren't allowed to 'meh'!"

... "Why?"

"Because that sounds quite... un-Fourier," Ferris piped in with some wise words. "In fact, I can see why Johnyah is worried about. You shouldn't fall this much."

He sighed. "My father died-"

"And we're not asking you to forget about it," I interjected politely. "But while you should keep at mind and heart about this matter, I think it would be wrong to let this drag you down."

"I- I don't have any family... anymore."

"Hmm," I hummed back at him, causing him to turn again.

"What? I thought that you respected my father-"

"I do respect him even now. But that doesn't mean I can just stand the fact that you're going to brood about so suddenly and so intensely, while motivating all of this over the fact he died," I rebuked quickly. "In fact, I can say for certain that he wouldn't want you to behave like this."

Fourier sighed. "He would want a proper heir."

"And you are one, Hi- Fourier," Felix finally addressed the prince by name. "We all believe that."

"I'm not."

"By what definition you aren't a proper successor, Fourier?" I asked with some disbelief.

"By my own thoughts. I'm... not the best at administrating a country, I'm not ready for anything. Period."

"Bah, you're underestimating yourself too much!" I muttered, getting a nod from Ferris.

"I think you're more than that, Fourier. Even Crusch believe so!"

He tensed up at the mentioning of his love interest. "She- She probably got a mistaken idea of me. I'm not-"

"Fourier, with due respect, don't blurt out all the offensive crap you can muster up at first thought," I interrupted with an annoyed tone. Ignoring the shocked red eyes now staring at me, I continued. "You're going to be a good monarch, I can assure you of that."

"Miklotov said I wasn't ready. The sages wanted the election to happen."

"Miklotov thought I was a nobody, yet first I was taken aside for that talk with your father and the sages and now I'm going to be his apprentice once the Election is formally started," I continued without hesitation. "Expectations, especially from those that don't know who you truly are, aren't the best ones to follow. Trust me on that."

"Still... even though you're both saying the truth, I can't help but feel..."

"How about a sleepover for tonight?" The cat-boy suggested. "We could've Lady Crusch- there's also the twins, Fritz and Hans too!"

That last bit got a surprised look from the blond. "Really? You bring them here too?" He asked while looking back at me, which I nodded to.

"It would be... nice! Even more now that we're all together."

"You just want to hug people, especially beneath a warm sheet and a nighttime so that you can nap on them" I retorted softly, smiling as I saw the demihuman's expression freeze up at the thought. It was just blatant at this point, and I did perceive this very interesting cat-like attitude quite early on during our first encounters. "You thought I hadn't noticed after so long that you just love hugs, Ferris? That you want to be hold in a warm embrace, to get your head patted, your ears scratched-"

"I'm- I'm not like that," The cat-boy weakly protested. "I mean, I wouldn't mind a hug but-"

I moved in, suddenly turning around and scooping him in an embrace. "Really~?"

"N-No- M-Mroow~!" It was too late! He was already vibrating at the intimate gesture.

... "Is... Is Felix purring?"

I nodded, turning back to stare at the curious look on Fourier's face. "Yep. And I bet you want a piece of this entertainment."

"N-No~~!" The cat-boy couldn't hold back any of his purring, the endearing sight just being far stronger than anything I had experienced. And it was strong enough to get Fourier moving. He joined the hug, grasping around Ferris' chin and scratching below there. The sudden action making the brunet's eyelids flutter to almost close, the purring intensifying at the renewed efforts.

I snorted, the prince smiled in utter amusement and... Felix looked to be experiencing true heaven thanks to our ministrations.

And while the noises suggested quite the obscene scene unfolding, the situation was much lighter and... entertaining.