After dinner, the two left the restaurant, hand in hand, and returned to the palace. By the time they reached the gates, Michael had released his grip from Haruto's. The diplomat was a little sad at the lost contact but he understood. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell Shoko but he had to be honest with her. What he had with Michael was something new.

Haruto didn't date much. In all his life, he'd had two relationships. Both were happy ones, even though they ended eventually. But they were out in the open. His friends knew about them. He couldn't keep this secret for long. Maybe Inuzuka wouldn't be mad. He had wanted Haruto to get close to Michael in the first place. When his hand was let go of, he expected them to go their separate ways but that wasn't the case.

Michael gestured at him to follow and the two went back to the duke's bedroom. Haruto felt himself getting excited thinking about what could happen in this room but he was soon to be disappointed.

"There is something that I want to discuss with you", he began.

"What is it?" It had to be important if Michael didn't want to wait until the next morning. Was it related to what he'd said at the restaurant?"

"You will be returning to JIOR soon. When you go, please take the princess."

"The princess?" She kept coming up. Haruto realized that she was an important person, being royalty. But what exactly was she to Michael? Was she special to him?

"Something is about to happen here. I don't know which side will move first but I want to be certain that she is safe." His expression was so sincere, Haruto didn't think he could deny him anything at the moment.

"I'll make sure of it. We'll take her when we return. But what reason should we give?"

"I will suggest that she make a visit of good will as the Prime Minister's daughter."

Haruto had almost forgot that Shoko was here and did in fact have a part to play in all of this. "Maybe I can even introduce them. Shoko loves making new friends." And she was sort of a princess in her own right.

"Then we're agreed", Michael said, holding out his hand. Haruto looked to it for a second before taking it and kissing the back of it, earning a frown from his lover. "You were supposed to shake it in order to seal our plan."

"If it's a seal we're doing, isn't a kiss more appropriate, considering our relationship?"

Michael looked to the side, as if thinking it over. A kiss would be the most chaste and least incriminating of their activities. He closed the distance between them to press his lips against Haruto's. The other was still taken aback by Michael initiating a kiss, even after all this time, but he never hesitated to reciprocate. Michael pulled away first and licked his lips.

It was enough to make Haruto want to push him down onto the bed and see where a second kiss would take them. But he was almost certain that he could never push Michael down and that would earn him a slap in the least.

"You should return to your room. Good night."

Haruto nodded before finding his voice. "Yeah, good night." He gave Michael a final kiss on the cheek before leaving the room to go to his own. Haruto retired for the night, trying to figure out just who to tell and what about this night. Michael prepared for bed, trying not to think about how much he wanted to pull the other back for more than a kiss.

The next morning came and the moment Haruto left his room to attend breakfast, he was bombarded with Saki, Shoko, and Inuzuka, all trying to talk to him at once.

"All of you please! One at a time! Did something happen?"

"I can't believe you have the audacity to ask us that?", Saki crossed her arms, offended.

"Haruto, I warned you about this. I can't believe you didn't listen to me", Shoko frowned in disapproval.

Inuzuka sighed. "I just can't believe it. I thought you would have been more inconspicuous."

"What are you guys talking about? I can't understand if you don't tell me anything." Haruto's answer was Shoko's phone pushed into his face with a large headline that read 'Intimate Negotiations?' with a video of a young Dorssian reporter.

"An anonymous tip provided us with exclusive pictures of local nobility, Michael Karlstein, having dinner with a currently unknown JIORan diplomat." To her right was a photo of the two of them in the restaurant from last night. You could only see the back of Haruto's head but Michael's face was in clear view. The picture showed Haruto bringing Michael's hand to his lips.

"I'm receiving confirmation on the identity of the diplomat. His name is Haruto Tokishima. He was sighted earlier at a museum with the duke Karlstein during an outing with famous pop star Gil."

Haruto gulped, unable to hide the guilty expression on his face. But why was he guilty? There was nothing illegal about international romance. This was just tabloid news, meant to entertain the masses. That's all it was. Shoko pulled her phone back.

"Do you know what they're saying about you? They think you're working for him. My dad called me earlier to ask about this and I don't know what to tell him!"

"I'm not working for him, I-" He cut himself off, thinking about last night. Michael had opened himself up to Haruto but then asked something of him right after. Was that his intention all along? To use him? Before he could think anymore, one of Michael's friends came down the hall. It was the one with dark hair and glasses.

"I have been ordered to escort you, Mr. Tokishima."

"Escort me where?"

"To the courtroom."

Haruto's eyes widened and he took a step back. "You guys are pressing charges against me? I don't get it. What did I do?"

Yonah's lips tightened and he adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, you are not the one on trial. Michael is."

"I always deliver, don't I fuhrer?", Gil smirked.

The fuhrer rolled his eyes at the boy's arrogance. "You may brag once Karlstein is on our side and the mission is complete."

"But with the trial, he'll be your prisoner and forced to obey you unless he wants the death penalty. Either way, you win."

"He is a valuable asset. I'd rather he be alive. But if he won't comply then it would be too risky."

Gil stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I suppose we have the sweet little JIORan to thank for this. Without him, we would have never caught Michael in a believable scandal. I think I'll go and make my appreciation known."