silverware clattered endlessly on the high quality dishware. (saying forks and knives would be inappropriate due to the fact shin makoku had bizarre forms of utensils). yuuri shibuya spooned the food calmly, even without knowing what he was eating, his past self had already gone through the trouble of getting used to the foreign cuisine.

it's not that the young maou-to-be didn't realize the tense atmosphere; he just couldn't give a rat's ass. he was still facing the prospect of being super careful not to propose to anyone this time. but that became a problem. he realized wolfram, needed yuuri to be his "fiance". the boy shuddered at the thought. yuuri had taken the time to notion that his arrival did wonders on wolfram's personality. but he also knew his refusal to contribute to the one sided love had left the blonde noble in pain. so, yuuri decided with a grateful heart to not betrothe to wolfram. thank freakin god. he was just going to have to find another way to calm the beast.

yuuri's p.o.v

i felt the spongy substance in my mouth and inwardly smiled. its been over fifteen year sinces i have had home cooking. it gave the impression of mashed potatoes, but was actually some form of fried vegetable. conrad chuckled at the other side of the corner. i blushed. it's not my fault if i'm so easily amused by food, now lay off. seeming to understand my body language he calmed and spooned another form of substance i couldn't see. our little exchange unbeknownst to the others.

"i still don't understand why the great one would choose this buffoon to be the next king. lord gwendal would be a much better step up than having an oaf as a leader." ah wolfram, your nasal nagging reminds me of a simpler time. now kindly shut your trap, i am trying to eat food without looking, and it's quite a dangerous procedure. the rebuttal of gunter, and the easy to notice tension of conrad did nothing to calm wolfram. he proceeded to insult my rank as king, my ignorance to customs, fueling the fire, gwendal began to chime in. lady celi sighed in the background, yet it was painless to see that she felt somewhat of guilty agreement. conrad was silent, most likely because he was forced to remain so in the presence of full bloods.

i have to say wolfram you're making it really difficult to remember the times i missed you. i cant tell if buffon is a step up or a step down from wimp. the conversation started to proceed to my family lineage. boy, wolfram was really looking for a way to hurt me. it quite annoyed him that i sat there eating( god knows what) calmly. can't say i didn't get a little childish satisfaction from this. his huffing continued. reminded me of a cat just woken up.

"his mom is probably a cheap hussy! a human with not even an ounce of dignity in her cheap veins." this insult didn't strike a fire in me the way it did the first time. but i still stood mildly aggravated. with my hand cupped around the glass of ,yet to be tasted wine, i swirled it nonchalantly. i pondered my sentence enjoying the way the squabbling hen was now silent. i must have looked cool. i brought the strong smelling liquor to my nose, careful to not let my hair fall in. that would just be shattering the image i was trying so hard to show.

"if that were true then wine must be as equal to you as blood. you treat both as if they are something that can be tainted and spoiled when mixed. and here i thought nobles were suppose to have dignity." i took the wine glass and poured it on top of wolfram's stupid head. i didn't even plan that one. ha! take that! the room was silent. if i could see wolfram, he would be red with shame. i was aware the best way to get a point across was to embarrass the guy. it's just tough love… i turned my attention to where i believe lady celi was situated. "i'm sorry i had to be wasteful, i'll clean it up right now." i blindly grabbed the napkin that was on my chair and led my way to underneath wolfram. dabbing the small amounts of drippage on the carpet (they really shouldn't have carpet where you eat; but i guess they weren't expecting something like this to ever happen) . his fist shook right next to my ear as the ruby liquid made its way down his fingers in strokes.

i heard the clash of silverware on floor. "i've never been so disrespected!" i moved my knee as it was poked by various utensils. i sighed. fight with kindness i guess. i stood up. now facing the temperamental lord. i handed him the soaked cloth. "i cleaned up my mess now clean up yours. or is a lord too prideful to admit when he caused a scene?" i dropped it on his expensive shoes finding my way back to my plate i folded my hands in a japanese matter. "ah! now i can finish eating! this food is really gooood!" i finished my meal as the patrons continued to dumbfoundedly look at me. a smile broke across my face when i heard wolfram pick up his own damn mess. haha sucks to be you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ later that evening~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i held the familiar blue pendant in my unworthy hands. my game of catch went exactly as it did the first time. i fought tears, conrad would just be confused if he saw me crying over a necklace. if only he knew how much this meant to me. his dead corpse flashed across my brain. i shook the memory loss.

"i..i.. can't accept this". i held the item in my hands, although i had meant the sentence my body didn't comply. the blue amulet fit perfectly in my hands. the familiar warmth it gave let me know it still had conrad's shade of blue. "your majesty, when you meant wine and blood are different you do not realize what that meant to alot of people in this kingdom. you helped me realize that you are someone i want to give this too…" conrad cleared his throat, obviously trying to downplay the importance of this. "it's for luck, i mean". i felt sad. i knew he was just trying to return the necklace to julia. i wish i couldn't be this weak, but shino's words gave me a complex.

i'm a selfish jerk. i really wanted to keep it for my own. i let him die and now i am taking it away from him again. i slipped it over my head, flipping my aggravatingly long locks over the string that held conrad's most valuable possession…. valuable possession… hmm…

:"that gives me an idea!" i fished around my wrists till i found it. i undid the bracelet. shori has been begging me to do away with it for quite some time. "close your eyes and open your hands." he smiled at the kiddy like game of surprise but he complied. i rested my closed hand on his large palm. guiltily allowing myself to think of it as indirectly holding hands. i dropped the object in his grasp . "uhh.. i know here it's really meant for girls to wear .. but uhh the ring around it meant alot to a very important person to me too..and you can just do whatever you like i know it's silly." i felt his heartbeat. it sounded happy.

"thank you.. hekkai.."

"yuuri.. it's yuu-rii. you named me after all, you just told me." before i could say anything else i felt a thumb stroke one of the new scars adorning my hands… i heard the clear of his throat. idiot probably has his gear turning full speed with some ridiculous reason behind them.

seeing as to how no one has figure it out i'm just gonna have to tell them myself.

this is gonna be some trouble..

can't i just fight wolfram?