Eiji's apartment
The alarm didn't even get the chance to buzz.
Eiji's eyes fluttered open on their own, body already aching from a sleep that never really sank deep. The ceiling above him was boring and plain, but the image that flashed in his mind wasn't.
Seraphina.
Last night. Her voice was unusually soft. Her gaze avoided his like it was dangerous.
"What do you think of me?"
He groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "Uuuugh… what the hell was that…"
He rolled over, burying his face in the pillow like it could smother the memory out of him. It didn't work. He could still feel her eyes. The tension. Her lips curved into a smile, even though her voice trembled.
"Am I pretty…?"
He bolted upright.
"What were you doing, you fool…!" he muttered to himself, hair sticking out in every direction like his guilt was trying to escape his scalp. "You could've just gone with the flow! I just said something cooler. I've done something! Anything!"
He stood, still muttering, stumbling toward the sink.
"Why didn't I do it… Why didn't I—ugh, I'm such a coward."
Click. Water on. Toothbrush in hand.
Staring at his reflection as the foam gathered in his mouth, he paused.
After he got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, while brushing his teeth, the weight in his chest came back.
"Well, I couldn't have done anything after watching her trembling and shaking, As it would have made me feel guilty ."
The brush slowed. His eyes softened.
"She was shaking…"
He leaned forward slightly, pressing his palms to the sink edge.
"What was she trying to do?" he whispered, foam still in his mouth. "Why did she look like she was about to cry... but smiled anyway?"
He spat, rinsed, and just stood there for a moment.
Then a Voice Came from Outside. of the Bathroom
Eiji Breakfast Ready comes Quickly, or it will get cold
it was Amane's Voice, soft and Carrying; he replied, " Oh Yeah, I will Be there in a second."
Breakfast with Amane was tranquil. She noticed.
"You okay?" she asked between bites of toast, giving him a sideways glance.
"Huh? Yeah. Just... tired," he replied, forcing a smile.
"Liar. You don't eat like that when you're tired.' You're are watching your food like your first time seeing it ." he Replied
"Oh, is that so? I didn't know that myself." Then
she said, " Are you okay? You look like you are considering something serious." Eiji Replied No, There is nothing
She took a sigh, then took a long sip of juice. "Well, Whatever happened, you'll be fine. You resolve it one way or another, Just like how you saved ."
"…That was the worst pep talk I've ever heard."
Eiji blushed a Little after hearing her kind Words
They walked to school together. There were no big moments—just the soft rhythm of shoes on pavement and occasional, comfortable silence.
At the gate, they split.
"Later, Eiji ."
"Yeah, later, Amane ."
In the hallway, Eiji spotted Hiro and Taka near the lockers. Taka waved him over.
"Yo! Are you alive, man? You didn't message us at all last night."
Eiji scratched his neck, glancing off. "Yeah, sorry. Just… had something weird happen Last Night ."
"Oho?" Hiro grinned. "Do tell."
Eiji leaned against the locker. "A friend of mine ended up with a girl who showed up outta nowhere. Said some stuff. Kind of... messed me up."
Taka raised a brow. "Like 'confession' stuff? Or like, that ----stuff?"
"…Somewhere in between."
They laughed, but Eiji's eyes drifted.
A part of him still replayed that moment.
Then Taka said
"Your friend's a dickhead". He should have just gone with it, and here we are, struggling to hold a girl's hand, Bro."
After that, they went to their class, and the school lecture began
At 16:30
The final bell echoed like a sigh of freedom through the halls.
Eiji stretched his arms above his head, slinging his bag lazily over one shoulder. "Finally. I thought that math lecture was gonna kill me."
"You said that yesterday," Amane deadpanned beside him.
"No or Maybe,"
Amane smirked. Then Eiji asked a Question
"Hey, Golden Week is coming soon. Do you have any plans for that?"
"Well, I don't have any plans for now. What about you?"
"Who me? Of course, I already made sacred pilgrimage plans… "
Amane got curious. "Oh? Where to?"
Eiji is grinning like an idiot
"The Holy Land of Culture and Cleavage—Akihabara's Legendary Maid Café."
Amane blinked a little
"to a Maid cafe.?"
Eiji looked dead serious and said
"Yep. Triple-tiered maid hierarchy. There's a Dark Lord Maid at the top. I heard she serves omurice while stepping on your pride and whispering curses in French. I need that energy in my life."
Amane said
"Do you mind if I tag along? I have never been to a maid cafe before."
Eiji replied
"…Yes, of course."
Their footsteps padded down the hall toward the History Club room. Familiar. Routine. Eiji even started humming a tune he couldn't remember the lyrics to.
But the moment he slid open the door—everything froze.
Literally.
The air inside the room felt... colder. Not just cool. Icy. As if the windows had been left open in the middle of winter. Sunlight streamed in, but it couldn't warm the room.
Amane stopped behind him. "...What the hell?"
Inside, Seraphina and Ayaka were already there. But they weren't lounging or chatting like usual.
They were standing—rigid, sharp—and in front of them stood someone neither Eiji nor Amane had seen before.
A tall woman. No, not a student. Older. Elegant silver-lilac hair flowed down her back, braided at the sides like she belonged to a different century. Her pale skin caught the light just enough to seem almost ethereal, and her maid uniform was so pristine that it looked custom-made for a goddess's butler.
She stood dead center in the room, straight-backed, arms crossed lightly, chin raised just enough to radiate authority.
Her eyes were half-lidded. Calm.
But something was chilling in that calm.
Even her presence seemed to mute the atmosphere.
"…This is unbecoming of the Falcor name," the maid said, voice crisp as snowfall.
Seraphina's arms were folded tight, her jaw set.
"And who gave you the right to judge it?"
The words weren't shouted. But they hit like blades.
Ayaka said nothing. She just stood to the side, arms crossed, watching like she was caught between a bomb and a landmine.
Eiji blinked. Once. Twice.
Then Seraphina Noticed Eiji and Amane, the president, and said, "Oh, when did you two come."
Eiji Replied, "Just now."
and he Asked a Question
"Uh, President?" he ventured, voice carefully casual. "Who exactly is that person in the Maid cosplay ?"
Seraphina said allow me to introduce her.
"This is Lunethia Lucivelle," she said at last. "Personal maid of House Falcor."
"I am Lunethia Lucivelle of the Lucivelle House. In service to Lady Seraphina since her childhood. I act under the command of the Falcor bloodline and the oaths that bind me. I do not answer to students. But I acknowledge your presence, for now ."
Eiji Whisper, in his mind
The way she said her name—why do I feel like she was looking down on me? But Before that, I couldn't believe it. I am seeing a real maid in real life first as Eiji continued his perverted fantasies in his mind.
Lunethia had already turned back to Seraphina.
Ayaka stayed still, arms crossed, silent as a shadow.
The room felt tighter. Like even the air didn't want to interrupt what was about to happen.
Eiji was caught between royalty and a cold front in human form, and he wasn't sure if he should stay or say something.
But something told him—this was just the beginning.
A frostbite tension spread in the silence that followed. No one moved. Not even Amane.
Silence reigned after Lunethia's formal self-introduction. Her presence filled the room like a judge who had passed a sentence but was too polite to say it outright.
Seraphina's posture was perfect—but tension coiled around her fingers, which clutched the hem of her skirt like it might unravel if she let go.
"I am here under direct orders," Lunethia said, turning slightly toward Seraphina without fully facing her. "Lady Ashley Falcor has instructed me to ensure that you do not forget the obligations set forth by the Household.
The way she said it—obligations—carried the weight of centuries, tradition, and the unseen iron bars of noble bloodlines.
Eiji raised an eyebrow, but Amane's whisper slid past his shoulder before he could open his mouth.
"...Marriage. She's talking about marriage."
Eiji blinked. His voice caught in his throat. He glanced sideways at Seraphina.
She didn't deny it. Her jaw was tight. Her fingers were white-knuckled.
Ayaka took a quiet breath through her nose but remained silent, unmoving.
Lunethia didn't pause. "Lord Zephyrion expects his younger sister to act by the wishes of House Falcor."
She looked directly at Seraphina now, her tone unchanged. Lord Zephyrion—would be most displeased with this behavior."
The name landed like a dropped chandelier. Cracks echoed through the atmosphere.
Everyone froze.
Even Ayaka's stare faltered.
Eiji's mouth moved before his brain finished processing. "Wait… Lord Zephyrion?
Seraphina didn't answer.
But before the silence could stretch further—
A pulse of heat rippled through the room.
A magic circle ignited midair—flames curling in geometric formation, casting golden-red light across every wall.
Everyone instinctively took a step back.
Ayaka raised a hand defensively. Amane's eyes narrowed.
Eiji's voice dropped. "The hell…?"
From the swirling inferno stepped a tall, poised figure. His aura burned—but it wasn't wild. It was regal. Controlled.
Reignar Ignidrath.
His boots clicked against the clubroom floor like royalty entering court. His coat shimmered with flame-lined embroidery, and a noble crest marked his chest: a flame dragon entwined with a crown.
Behind him, the magic circle widened—flames unfurling like petals—as five female figures entered perfect formation—his peerage.
Each girl radiated power and grace. One had wings of pure fire. Another wore armor with molten veins. All bore the Ignidrath crest. All knelt in unison behind him.
Reignar scanned the room. His eyes, ember-gold, flicked to Seraphina.
He smiled.
"I believe I've arrived at a most delicate moment."
No one spoke.
He straightened his collar with casual precision.
"Lady Seraphina Falcor," he said smoothly, "I believe I have a bride to examine."
And the temperature in the room rose like a brewing storm.
Night had begun to fall outside, but the clubroom glowed with the residual heat of Reignar's arrival.
He sat now on the couch—like a king on a throne—his peerage, which included the entire group of women flanking the walls behind him, silent but ever-watchful.
Seraphina hadn't spoken since his appearance.
Lunethia stood still, unreadable.
Ayaka finally broke the silence.
"We weren't expecting you until next week."
Reignar tilted his head. "The stars change, and so must flames. I had a feeling this moment… needed me."
Eiji crossed his arms. "You got a weird sense of timing."
Reignar's eyes glinted. "Oh? And you are?"
"Eiji Kuroryuu. History Research Club Member and Seraphina's Pawn."
Reignar's smirk widened. "Interesting."
"A Mere pawn dares to speak to me with such familiarity."
He turned back to Seraphina. "Don't worry. I don't intend to drag you into the engagement like a prisoner. I'm here… for observation."
Seraphina finally looked up.
And said nothing.
But her eyes burned—not with fear, with something else.
And the fire in the room began to feel less confident.
End of The Chapter