"I see," Giles sighed, his eyes lowered to the stack of papers in front of him as he flipped through the edges. He had requested reports of a duke in Laurelia who had proven to be a potential problem, "so this is all we can find on him?"

"It's the best you're gonna get," Sid smirked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking satisfied with his work. "Trust me, I think you'll find whatcha lookin' for in those papers. Just show those babies to the King of Laurelia and that duke will be arrested."

"If that's the case," Giles brought up his intertwined fingers up to his chin, "then I suppose I can't complain. Thank you for your work, Sid. As always. I'll take care of things from here." Ending their conversation with a grateful nod, he began skimming through the papers. Taking the gracious opportunity, the information dealer strode out of the room.

As he made his way down the embellished corridors, he noticed a large door was ajar. Peering inside, his eyes gaped. It was the princess's office, and it was empty. Slowly creaking the door open, he entered and stood in the middle of the room, taking in all the small details. Nothing had changed since the last time he was in this room.

Inhaling deeply, he took in the faint aroma lingering in the room, the remnants of her jasmine perfume filled his lungs with a nostalgic warmth. Closing his eyes, he could see a perfect image of her in his mind. Her gentle smile and bright eyes struck a cord in his heart. Combined with the fragrance occupying his nostrils, he felt as though he could reach out and touch her.

"What are you doing in here?"

Sid's eyes shot open as he caught his breath; a cold sweat of surprise appeared on his forehead. Standing in front of him was the princess herself. Holding documents to her chest, she stared up at him with an annoyed expression.

'I didn't even hear her come in,' he swallowed a large lump in his throat as his eyes examined her from head to toe, 'how long was I daydreaming?'

"It's not often I catch you speechless," the princess's face softened into a small smile as she walked around to her chair and sat at her desk. Almost instantly ignoring him, she started going through her documents carefully.

"It's not often I find you busy," Sid retorted as his usual smirk spread across his lips, making his way over to her desk, still in awe that she was even the same room as him. "Whatcha got there?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," she spat, flipping the paper up to her face and out of his view to drop the subject. "Is there something you wanted?"

Sitting at the edge of her desk, he gazed down at her before whispering, "I just haven't seen you in a while, that's all."

Nearly caught off guard, her face snapped up to meet his, her expression bordering on grief. Returning her melancholy eyes with his own, he attempted to silently hide the sadness which was slowly creeping up his throat.

"Sid," her voice cracked as she blinked away tears, "we talked about this… I thought we-"

"Manami," interrupting her, he placed his hand on top of her own, squeezing her trembling fingers. Before he could say anything else, the large door to her office swung open, and like repelling magnets, the two shifted away from each other instantly. Sid stood up off the desk and the princess returned her reading, both acting as if nothing transpired.

"Princess Manami," Giles waltzed into the room with a large grin on his face. "It's time for your scheduled appointment with-"

"Yes!" her chair skidded against the hardwood floor as she hastily stood up, her eyes shifting rapidly from Sid and Giles. "I'm ready, thank you!" Quickly smoothing out any wrinkles in her dress, she nearly ran over to Giles who was now waiting by the door to escort her. Turning back to Sid, she offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," she curtsied, "I need to leave, but it was nice to see you." Sid responded with his usual smirk, masking the disappoint he felt.

"Duty calls," he called out, "I get it. Until next time, then."

He waited until their fading footsteps turned into silence before snooping around. Diving into the papers she was just looking at, he was relieved to see that were ordinary border control documents. Curiosity still remaining, he set the papers aside and looked at another stack of documents placed underneath a stack of books. Carefully tugging at them to not disturb the books, his expression grew cold as he recognized the files.

"Man, what a day," Sid sighed as he fell back onto his bed. The lamp dimly lit his room as he stared up at the ceiling, his heart still pounding in his chest each time he thought about Princess Manami. "It's been so long, but I still…"

After only a few months of being princess elect, Sid and Manami had fallen deeply in love. They're relationship went through many obstacles, but it managed to survive through all the strife. The pressure to find a suitable prince consort became stronger as time passed; the king was only getting worse. Both were unsure of how anyone could accept their relationship, so they kept it secret for so long as they got lost in the lust, the romance.

It all came crashing down when Manami finally asked Sid if he would be her prince consort. As much as he regretted it now, he turned her down. The idea of being King of Wysteria terrified him. Of course, he didn't tell her that, instead, he claimed that simply had no interest in becoming king, no interest in ruling the country by her side. How could an information dealer be a good king? The thought was absurd.

Shocked and hurt by his answer, she broke it off with him, doing what she thought was the right decision for both of them.

"I love you, Sid, so much!… but I love my country, too! I- I have a responsibility that I can't ignore.. I'm sorry, but I need to find a man to rule this country by my side."

Her tearful words echoed in his mind almost every day, haunting him. He didn't argue with her decision to end things, even though he wish he had. It didn't matter who would rule by her side, he would still love her, but he knew she wouldn't betray her king, the man who would then be her husband. She wasn't that kind of person, and he respected and loved that about her.

Days dragged into weeks, weeks melted into months, but no matter how much time had passed, he couldn't move on. Date after date, no woman was like her. Their desire for sex, money, and power was an instant turn off. After Manami, he desired a solid relationship, but he only felt empty.

They could never fill him the way his princess did. Any time she brought her hand to his cheek, it would force a smile to his lips. The bittersweet pain of her fingers digging into his back as he showered her with kisses drove him wild. The warmth he felt when she held him after they had made love was irreplaceable. Losing her was more painful than he had ever anticipated.

It was love, true love that he had never felt before. He missed it, and he wanted it back, longing to hear his name pass her plump lips. He understood what he had to come to terms with, but he wasn't confident that he could follow through. No matter what he decided, he had to act quickly..

Storming through the castle doors, Sid marched towards Manami's chambers full of determination. His stern eyes sent all the servants and maids running.

Gently knocking against the thick door, he felt a nervous bead of sweat slide down his cheek, his heartbeat running laps in his chest. He repeated his lines in his mind as he anxiously waited for the door to peak open, prepared to burst inside at any sign of her.

"She's not there."

Sid whipped around to see Louis Howard leaning against the corridor wall, expressionless. His ice cold eyes locked onto the floor, he held back a smirk as he could sense the disbelief on his face.

"Yah?" Sid scoffed, annoyed that Louis of all people was jabbing at him. "And why would someone like you know that?"

"I simply stopped by to escort her to the dance hall," Louis replied coolly, "but it seems I was never informed of her date with Duke Pillard this morning."

Lighting struck through Sid's chest. 'A date? With William Pillard?!'

"Are you fucking serious?" he cursed as his eyebrows furrowed with rage. Louis said nothing, but the smirk he attempted to hide came forth as he slowly raised his gaze to Sid.

"Seems as though she's finally found a good man," he teased, "one suitable to be a good king and a good husband." Rapidly closing the gap between them, Sid furiously grabbed Louis's collar and raised his fist.

"What would a pompous ass like you know anyways, huh?" Sid growled, his clenched fists shaking. "Now, you're going to tell me where she is if you know what's good for ya!"

"Oh, please," Louis rolled his eyes, the threatening display had zero effect on him. "I'm not her baby sitter, just her dance instructor." Impatient to hear anymore, Sid released Louis's jacket before storming in the direction of Giles's office.

"Duke William Pillard?" Sid quietly mumbled to himself. "That wallflower, of all people?!" Making a turn, he passed in front of the large windows that overlooked a small portion of the gardens. Glancing out for just a moment, he skidded to halt when he spotted the princess and the duke, arm in arm.

Flaming rage filled his cheeks as he watched the young Duke Pillard smile and laugh with the princess, who returned the gestures. At last, they stopped, and the man gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers slowly sliding down her earlobe, caressing her earrings. Sid's knuckles turned white as they clenched against his thighs.

"Better be careful with your next move," his threat was unheard by the duke, but he said it aloud regardless. Manami coyly turned away at his gesture, but Duke Pillard quickly caught her chin and turned her face back towards his, then slowly leaned towards her. Sid's heart stopped as he restrained himself from erupting from the window and leaping down to stop him.

The Princess smiled nervously as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek, preventing him from going any further. Sid's anger morphed into confusion, truly expecting her to accept the duke's kiss. Instead, the man laughed as he pulled Manami into his arms, giggling at her shy nature.

Unable to continue spying, Sid stormed down hall, thoughts running rampant in his mind.

Princess Manami sneaked into her office, quietly shutting the door. Her date with Duke Pillard had gone well, but it took longer than expected. She was hoping to have some time to herself before checking in with Giles. Letting out a relieved sigh, she turned towards her desk only to find that her chair was already preoccupied.

"Sid!" she yelped. The man ignored her has he shuffled through files on her desk, his feet kicked up on the edge of the desk as he relaxed in her chair. "What do you think-"

"Seems you've been busy," he sighed as he tossed down the documents angrily, the papers sliding to the edges of the desk. They were files of possible suitors, files he had gathered for Giles around the time she was announced Princess Elect. Raising his eyes to her, she stood in the middle of the room, bringing her hands up to her chest as she looked away with pink cheeks.

'No more games,' he thought as he got up from the chair and made wide strides to reach her quickly. 'I want answers now.' Manami took a few steps back as he approached, nervous as to what he was going to do next. Terrified to make eye contact, she kept her gaze on the floor.

"Sid," her voice trembled, "it's not what you think."

"How so?" he wondered, his expression unchanging. His heart thundered in his chest as he realized this was the closest he had been to her in months, making it difficult to remain focused.

"You know how Giles is," she mustered the strength to look up into his sapphire eyes, nearly drowning in them, "he's practically twisting my arm."

"Yeah? What about Duke William Pillard?" Sid's hands balled into fists once again as he remembered the way the duke touched her, the way she smiled at him.

"What about him?"

The "playing innocent" act wasn't going to fly with him today. He placed his hands on her arms, softly stroking her shoulders with his thumbs as he lost himself in her eyes, eyes that were on the brink of tears.

"I saw you with him in the garden," he grimaced, "you two seem to get along swimmingly." Manami was confused at first, but then she smiled as she reached up and placed a loving hand on his cheek, the back of her fingers caressing his cheekbone.

"William is charming," she smiled, small streams of tears rolled down her face as she became desperate to reach out to him, desperate to make him understand, "but he's not you…"

Sid felt his heart beat against his ribs as he pulled her into an electrifying kiss. Immediately parting her lips, her tongue welcomed his as he wrapped his arms around her, locking her in place. Being pressed against his body felt natural despite how long it had been.

"Sid!" she protested. "We can't- not here!"

"I don't care," he ignored her plea for he had already relapsed into his addiction; her. The taste of her lips was sweeter than candy and her moans sent shivers down his body. She didn't fight him; he knew she wanted this as much as he did. Her body was screaming over her protests.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The princess whipped around and out of Sid's arms, but before she could run over to the door, it swung open.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, attempting to catch her breath. "William!" Duke Pillard entered the room with a bright smile, his face lighting up at the very sight of her.

"Forgive the intrusion," Duke Pillard apologized as he approached her. "Do you have a moment, Princess?" Manami turned to face Sid, but he was no longer in sight. Quickly examining the room, she couldn't see any sign of him. Puzzled, she turned back to Duke Pillard with a professional smile.

"Uh, of course!" she replied, smoothing out her hair. "What can I help you with?"

"Actually, I just wanted to see you."

"Oh?"

"I had a wonderful time, Your Majesty. You're quite delightful to be around."

"Thank you so much, William. That's really sweet of you to say."

"I was hoping," Duke Pillard brought up a gentle hand to her cheek, stroking her cheek with his fingertips, "you could tell me if you've made a decision on Prince Consort yet."

"Not quite," Manami shrugged away his hand politely, "but I will surely keep you in mind. Now, I hate to be rude, but I was just in the middle of something really important."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness," the Duke bowed apologetically before he turned to open the door. "I hope to hear from you shortly." With that, he closed the door behind him. Instantly, Manami hunted for Sid.

"Sid, where did you go?" she whispered, hearing a loud knock from her desk. Walking around to her chair, she giggled as she found him squished in the small space underneath the wooden desk. "That was your best idea?"

"I'd like to see you do better in a pinch," Sid snickered, "I don't exactly make an excellent bear rug."

"No," she crouched down to his level, "but behind the curtain would've been a better option. I can't imagine you'd like if I hadn't noticed you and kicked you as I sat down here."

"What can I say," he smirked as he crawled from under the desk, "I like being between your legs, Princess." Her face turned tomato red as she avoided his gaze.

"Is now really the time to be making jokes like that?" she asked solemnly.

"Sorry," sitting next to her, Sid grabbed her chin and brought her face back to his, greeting her with a smile. "but it's true."

"Why are you here, Sid?" grabbing his hand from her face, she held it close to her heart as her eyes pleaded with him to be serious.

"I miss you," he confessed, his voice rumbled down a few octaves as he inched closer to her. "I can't get ya out of my head."

"I've missed you, too," she responded as she felt her heart speed up from his tone, "but, Sid…"

"Manami, I've given it a lot of thought. I can't be apart from you, and I'm done running. If it means becoming king, hell, I'll be the best damn king just for you."

"Sid, you don't have to do this for me."

"Yes, I do. I just told you, I can't stay away from you. You're stuck with me, and if that means you've gotta whip me into kingly shape, then so be it. I'll do it for you because nobody else is worth it."

Without giving her the chance to respond, he placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her closer to him. Locking her lips with his once again, she moaned as she wrapped her arms around him. Lowering her to the floor, his lips traveled down her neck as his hands explored her body; her curves fit his hands so perfectly.

"That's good to know," she panted as his gentle caresses crescendoed , "I was going to choose Duke Pillard if you didn't come around soon." Her joke reeled him back from play-mode as he hovered over her.

"Don't tell me you were seriously going to choose that wallflower?" he quipped as his lips pursed. "That loser's got nothin' on me." His princess giggled beneath him.

"Jealous, are we?" she teased. Her alluring smile struck a fire in his pelvis and he leaned in closer to her face.

"Let's call it territorial," his husky voice sent goosebumps all over her body. "because you're mine."

"I know," she returned his husky tone, "I always have been." He pulled at the ribbons of her dress, revealing her plump breasts. Excitement grew at his touch as she brought up her leg up his side. "Sid, would you care to take this to a more- ahem- private setting?"

"Not a bad idea, Princess," he chuckled, "I'd sure hate to be interrupted again."

Locking the slammed door behind them, the couple practically ran over to the princess's bed located in her chamber. Along the way, Sid tossed his jacket and shirt onto the couch, his belt helplessly lost the fight as it dropped his pants to the floor. Manami whipped the ribbons off, her dress falling to the floor. As he pinned her to the bed, his lips claimed various parts of her body.

"This is mine," he would claim in a raspy tone after each kiss; her leg, her stomach, her chest. "This is mine. These are definitely mine!" Laughing after each conquest, she felt the flames in her core grow hotter, slicker.

"You don't have to claim anything," she whispered sweetly, "I surrendered myself to you a long time ago, remember?"

"Of course, I do," his voice only increased her flames as his soft lips tickled her skin, "but I need to mark my territory so hungry dogs stay away."

"Oh, Sid!" she called out, his kisses transformed into nips and nibbles, turning up the already fiery heat. Placing himself at the edge of the bed, he lifted up her leg and placed kisses starting at her ankle and journeyed up her shin, then her thigh, only to find his treasure was guarded by silky blue lace.

"This is no good," his hot breath caressed her sensitive skin as he confronted her fashionable fortress. Letting out a small moan, she prepared herself for the tsunami of was pleasure he was planning to unleash. Snapping his teeth on the edge of the fabric, he slowly pulled her panties down her smooth legs until she kicked them off her ankles.

"Sid," she gasped helplessly, "I love you- ooh!" He responded with his fiery tongue against her hot, slick folds. Curling her toes and clutching the sheets, she threw her head back against the bed as he worked his beautiful, swirling magic.

"Damn, you're so wet," his hands held down her thighs after her hips had bucked into him. 'Do you want me that badly?'

"Mmm! Sid!" Manami's peeked ecstasy was now running down her leg as her chest heaved up and down, bouncing her breasts. Wiping his mouth, he placed a knee next to her side and positioned himself. Taking satisfaction with his work, he gave her a loving grin.

"I'm going to show you how much I've missed you," he snarled as his rock hard member easily entered her without warning. Gasping at the sudden sensation, her body jolted as her eyes shot open. Arching her back gave him easy access to her breasts as the tip of tongue danced around her perky nipples.

Each hard thrust was euphoric as their heavy breaths and moans filled the room. Sweat beaded their bodies as they moved together until his body tensed up before collapsing on top of her, the heat of her core still throbbing around him.

"Manami," he gasped for air as he smelled her jasmine perfume against her sweaty chest. Wrapping her weak arms around him, she held him close to her, unwilling to let go. Heartbeats thrummed against their bodies as their breathing synced, easing them into relaxation.

The next morning, Manami had finished getting dressed and was fixing her hair as she sat at her vanity, watching Sid getting ready in her mirror.

"You're sure about this?" she asked, finding his eyes in her mirror. "I mean, before, you wanted nothing to do with being king, and now you're all for it?"

"I already told ya," Sid replied as he pulled his pants up and buckled them in place, "I gave it a lot of thought. Being king will be a hell of a lot easier than watching my woman be in the arms of another man for the rest of my life."

"That's really sweet, but…"

"I'm serious. They whipped you into shape, I'm sure they can do the same to me."

"I'm happy to hear that, Sid. I love you."

"I love you, too. Oh, and next time I see Duke Willy Pilly, I'm punching him in the face."

"Sid…"