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chikadzuku na to kuroi jounetsu no hate made
Don't approach the dark passion's end
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Supper was shaping up to be a rather tense affair. Gwendal was still somewhat disgruntled at his youngest brother's rather high-handed handling of the engagement. Gunter, having realized that Wolfram had essentially bullied Yuuri into agreeing to both the tax exemption and the year-long delay, was sulking on behalf of his king. Murata, once he re-joined the group, was introverted and thoughtful, looking nothing like either his benignly amused usual self or his smug 'I just won and you don't even realize I was playing' self. Yuuri seemed annoyed and short-tempered, likely from the extra paperwork. Wolfram, sensing that he was the target for most of the tension, glowered at the table in front of him, refusing to make eye contact. Lieven, feeling like he was the cause of the tension sat silently next to Wolfram.

They sat in silence broken only by irritated fidgeting and the occasional sound of the serving maid's hustle and bustle as they finished preparations until Conrad walked in. He took in the atmosphere and plastered a smile on his face as he sat down, as prepared for the inevitable verbal bickering that would follow as he could be without knowing the cause. Gwendal was the only one who acknowledged his presence, grunting slightly as he took the seat next to him.

Fortunately, Conrad's pacifying presence decreased the overall tension of the room, as it tended to. Enough, at least, that when Anissina, Cheri, and Greta walked in, only Cheri seemed to pick up the general vibe. Greta, oblivious and happy to see her parents, bounded up to her Yuuri demanding a hug, which he was only too happy to provide.

"Ne, Yuuri…" Greta whispered as he released her from the embrace, "who's that?"

"Oh!" Sometimes Yuuri forgot that, as he was the highest ranking person in the room, it was his duty to perform the introductions. In his defence, people were usually being introduced to him. "Greta, this is Lieven Von Grantz. Lieven, this is my – that is, our daughter, Greta. Er, mine and Wolfram's. Heheh." Smooth.

Greta, somewhat more graceful than her father, curtsied cutely and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieven-kaka."

Yuuri nearly burst with pride. His little girl was every bit as dignified as a practiced politician! Wait, maybe that wasn't such a great thing. But she was so cute!

Before Lieven could answer with an equally standard salute, Cheri squealed and rushed over to bestow her own customary greeting to Lieven. "Li-chan~ it's been so long! I had no idea you were coming! Did you have any trouble getting here? The weather's been nice lately, so I'm sure everything was fine. Are you here to see Wolfram?"

"Mffgnf," Lieven answered from between Cheri's breasts, looking not one bit displeased to be there.

Wolfram looked at first horrified, then angry, his silent gloom forgotten. His eyes darted from his mother to his… friend. Finally, he yanked Lieven out of his mother's hold by his ponytail. "Mother!"

"Ara, Wolfie, be more gentle with Li-chan. We wouldn't want to damage him," Cheri scolded.

As Wolfram released him, grumbling about inappropriate greetings and age differences, Lieven smiled up at Cheri, looking comfortable for the first time since arriving at the castle.

"Cheri-onee-sama! You're more beautiful than ever! It's such a pleasure to see you in more vibrant colours, although you looked simply stunning in your traditional dress." Indeed, Cheri was wearing her bright red dress with the side slits and ample cleavage exposure. She brought one hand up to coyly cover the corner of her mouth as she laughed lightly and called Lieven a flatterer. Yuuri was a little perturbed by Lieven calling his potential future mother-in-law 'onee-sama', but considering this was Cheri-sama, it actually made perfect sense.

Lieven pulled out a chair and gestured for Cheri to sit next to him. She did and engaged him in the cheerful gossip and flattery of two nobles who were fond of each other and hadn't seen each other in some time. Wolfram, now too distracted by the verbal by-play to brood, occasionally added his own views, leaving the rest of the table to talk about him behind his back.

Always one to take an opportunity when one presented itself, Conrad leaned closer to Gwendal to within whispering distance. "Gwendal, not that I'm complaining, but what is Lieven doing here?"

"Waltorana has been playing matchmaker," Gwendal answered sourly.

Conrad's eyebrows arched up in surprise. "Lieven and Wolfram?"

"Lieven and Wolfram," Gwendal confirmed. "Next time you meet Adelbert, don't hold back." He sighed and glanced at Murata who was sitting next to Wolfram and watching him pensively. "His Majesty agreed to release Wolfram from the engagement, but Daikenja-sama negotiated a further year in return for forgiving Grantz's taxes this year."

"Huh." Conrad leaned back in his chair, his normal smile back in place but his eyes slightly unfocused in thought. "I understand why you'd be upset at the loss of revenue," actually, peace and fortunate weather had brought two years of nearly unprecedented wealth to Shin Makoku, and Gwendal didn't begrudge the loss of income at all, "but isn't this overall a good thing?"

It was now Gwendal's turn to be surprised. True, he'd heard the rumours surrounding the close relationship between Conrad and Yuuri, but he'd seen with his own eyes the way Conrad acted around the young king and it was exactly the same way he acted around Wolfram – gentle, protective, supportive, and somewhat mocking on occasion. If there was a love triangle between the three young men, Gwendal would have laid even odds that Wolfram would have been at the centre. Conrad had always held something of a brother complex.

This was the first time Gwendal actually considered that Conrad might have feelings other than devotion and loyalty to the point of suicidal foolishness for Yuuri. It was a somewhat uncomfortable thought for a man who thought he knew his king and his brother better than that. And if it was true, he certainly owed Wolfram several apologies for calling him a spoiled paranoid brat for even contemplating the possibility. Of course, he could just be leaping to conclusions. Gwendal decided to tread carefully.

"How exactly would this be a 'good thing'?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Well, you know…" Conrad shrugged, "Wolfram has been getting more and more frustrated over the past year. And, while he hasn't been precisely slacking off, he's been doing 'secret training' with his men away from the castle – possibly to avoid His Majesty. And His Majesty certainly hasn't seemed to warm up to Wolfram's advances, even if he still hasn't rejected him. I think getting away from the castle could be the best solution for Wolfram."

Gwendal didn't know whether to be reassured or worried by Conrad's reasoning. There wasn't the romantic angle he feared, but there was support for essentially evicting their youngest brother, something Gwendal was very uncomfortable with. "A vacation would work just as well for that. There's no need to marry him off to the first boy of noble blood who'd have him."

"That's unfair." Conrad's voice was still quiet, but held a firmness that he rarely used with his older brother. "Wolfram never lacked for suitors. If he's chosen Lieven, I'm sure there's a good reason."

"Perhaps," Gwendal conceded grudgingly. On one hand, his instincts as eldest brother told him to protect his younger siblings from painful situations, and there was every indication that this situation was potentially painful for Wolfram. On the other hand, romance was an area he knew very little about, and so far his input seemed to only increase the stress of the situation for Wolfram. Perhaps Conrad had a point, maybe this was the time to trust Wolfram to make his own decisions.

Conrad, having won a small victory, decided not to push his point. In any case, they had a year before anything needed to be decided. He hoped this year wouldn't be too difficult for Wolfram – as fiancé to a king who didn't want him, he already was in a difficult position. As he was now, in effect, on probation, with a fiancé who didn't want him, and an arranged marriage waiting for him at the end of that year, he'd be seen simply as an obstruction to gaining the king's favour. Conrad decided to talk to Wolfram later about increasing the amount of duties that would take him from the castle and away from prying eyes and whispering tongues. Although Wolfram had been doing that himself for quite a while now.

"No, you mustn't!" Cheri's voice rang out over the gathering, interrupting everyone's conversations as they turned her way.

"My apologies, but I can't stay longer than two days. Originally, I had planned to leave tomorrow morning, but I forgot how much I missed you all." Lieven smiled charmingly.

"Pretty words." Cheri pouted, completely unaffected. She turned to Yuuri. "Heika, order Li-chan to stay for at least a week. This is highly improper. He hasn't even had time to play with Wolfram yet."

Wolfram dropped his face into his open palms. "Mother, we're not children." His voice was embarrassed and faintly muffled.

Yuuri patted Wolfram on the back in sympathy, knowing full well the experience of being humiliated by your own mother. He smiled hopefully at Lieven. "We have plenty of room here, it's not like you'd be a bother or anything."

Lieven looked up from where Yuuri's hand rested on Wolfram's shoulder to meet the king's smile with an even brighter one. "Your hospitality does you credit, Yuuri, even though I'm sure more than a few people here would be more than happy to see me leave." Indeed, even the servants were looking at Lieven askance now, shocked that he would address the Maou so casually. "Unfortunately, hunting is one of the few remaining stable sources of food and income, and my party has some of the best hunters in Grantz. We really do need to return in a few days."

"Fair enough." Yuuri shrugged affably.

"Ne, what are you visiting for?" Greta asked Lieven innocently.

Before Lieven could answer, Wolfram stopped him with a hand on his arm. "He just came to talk to me about something, Greta. It's nothing particularly interesting."

Yuuri frowned at Wolfram. This was the first time he'd heard Wolfram lie. Even though it technically wasn't a lie, just withholding information. Greta looked wide-eyed at Wolfram and bit her lip in thought. Wolfram returned her look steadily. She shrugged. "Oh. Okay."

In the slightly awkward silence that followed, Lieven coughed lightly to bring Wolfram's attention back to him. "I was hoping to spend some time with you tomorrow. If you can fit me in."

Wolfram rolled his eyes. "It's late notice, but I'll manage."

"Great!" Lieven beamed. "What shall we play?"

Cheri's amused laughter drowned out Wolfram's outraged squawk. Fortunately, they were distracted by the servants serving dessert before Wolfram could do any serious damage.

Yuuri poked at his pudding for a moment. Something seemed off, not quite right. He tapped the shoulder of the nearest servant. She whirled around, momentarily terrified before remembering that this was Yuuri-heika and he only got angry at evil people. And, occasionally, Wolfram. "Y-yes, Heika? Is there a problem?"

"Not really," Yuuri assured her, smiling reassuringly, "I was just wondering if something had changed with the dessert. Is, um… Eve-san okay?"

"Oh, yes!" The girl answered readily, impressed and humbled that the Maou had bothered to learn his servant's name. "Eve is fine, she just had to leave for a family issue yesterday. This was made by Lasagna. Is it no good?"

"It's delicious!" Yuuri answered despite not having tasted it. "But, a family issue. That sounds serious. Is there anything I can do?"

The servant bowed and returned Yuuri's smile, charmed by his generosity. "Thank you, Heika, but it's nothing bad. She should be back in a few days."

"Oh, good. This is lovely, but Eve-chan's desserts are very special, right Greta?"

"Right!" Greta smiled brightly up at her father, but cast worried glances at Wolfram who was eating his pudding as if nothing was happening.

The servant bowed again and retreated to the kitchen to giggle and brag about her conversation with the king.

Greta finished her dessert as fast as she could, barely tasting it. As soon as she was done, she pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. "Wolfram, will you tuck me in tonight?"

Wolfram looked up from his half-finished pudding and shrugged. "Of course, I'll be right there." He folded his napkin beside his plate and excused himself, politely bowing slightly to Yuuri who just looked confused.

Lieven stood when Wolfram did, although he was the only one. Protocol when not entertaining foreign dignitaries had become far more casual since Yuuri had become Maou. Before Wolfram left, Lieven placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Wolfram nodded. "I'm looking forward to it. Sleep well."

Lieven nodded. "You too."

As Wolfram escorted Greta out, Cheri's eyes followed her youngest son contemplatively.

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Wolfram smiled as he sat down at Greta's bedside. "What story do you want tonight?"

Greta sighed. "I'm getting too old for bedtime stories, Wolfram. What I want is for you to tell me what's going on."

"What do you mean?" Wolfram asked somewhat apprehensively.

"I mean what's going on with you and Lieven-kaka," Greta said. Wolfram didn't answer right away, so she continued. "I'll tell you what I think. I think he wants something that Gwendal and Gunter don't want him to have. I think that whatever he wants made you and Yuuri all awkward. And I think you don't want me to worry. Am I missing anything?"

She was really becoming more and more like Anissina, Wolfram thought. He decided not to voice that, but made a mental note to talk to the inventress about what was and wasn't appropriate to teach a twelve-year-old girl. "You've got the basic gist, even if you're missing the details," he conceded. "Do you really want me to tell you everything?"

There was a thoughtful pause as Greta considered her options. Finally, she shook her head. "I want you to tell me what you're comfortable with me knowing. I trust you."

Ouch. Wolfram ran his fingers though Greta's hair comfortingly. "I'm grateful for that trust. I never wanted to abuse it, but I didn't want to hurt you either." He sighed. "The truth is, Lieven and I plan to be married in about a year's time."

"Oh." Greta frowned. "What about Yuuri?"

Wolfram smiled, more gently this time. "He'll be free to find you a mother."

"I always wanted a mother," Greta said, watching Wolfram closely. "But not as much as I want my Wolfram."

Wolfram's smile became a little more genuine. "Thank you, Greta." He brushed his thumb over her cheek. "I'll still be your Wolfram. I'll visit as much as possible and I still plan to help you if you decide to reclaim your kingdom of Zoracia. You'll make a wonderful queen when the time comes."

"It's not the same!" Greta exclaimed, grabbing Wolfram's wrist and holding it in place against her face. "It was okay that Yuuri kept going back to his Earth, because you were always here with me. Now what am I supposed to do? Everyone keeps leaving Greta!"

Greta hadn't referred to herself in the third person for over a year. This was really affecting her. Wolfram embraced his human daughter, albeit rather awkwardly since she was still holding onto one of his wrists. "You still have Anissina and Gwendal and Gunter and Mother. And Yuuri and I will spend as much time as possible with you. We love you, we will always love you." Wolfram stroked Greta's hair as he kept repeating reassurances. "I'm not leaving you, I'll be less than a day's travel away. If there's anything you need, I will see to it that you have it. I love you. You will always be my precious daughter."

Greta never cried. She just lay in bed, clutching at Wolfram and breathing unsteadily as Wolfram soothed her. Eventually, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. Wolfram stayed by her side for a few minutes, watching her sleeping face. Then he lightly kissed her forehead and slipped out of her room as quietly as he could.

He stood in the hallway outside Greta's room for a moment, gathering his bearings. To the left was the room he'd shared with Yuuri over the past two years. To the right was his old room which he'd only rarely used in those two years.

He took a deep breath, tried to erase Greta's worried face from his mind, and turned right.

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Yuuri woke up the next morning more rested than he'd felt for months.