Nicol Ascart - (Hachiman) son of the prime minister.

Katarina Claes - (reincarnator) daughter of the Claes, fiancée of prince Gerald

Gerald Stuart - third prince, twin of Alan

Alan Stuart - fourth prince. Official fiancé of Mary

Sophia Ascart - Nicol's little sister, albino

Mary Hunt - good with plants, confessed to Katarina and got turned down

Keith Claes - the Orsted of earth magic, adopted by the Claes

Sirius Dieke - student council president, dark mage

Anne - Katarina's maid

Maria Campbell - canon heroine of the otome game from the hamefura side. Peasant and most powerful light mage in the world

Dan Ascart - Prime Minister, married into the Ascart

Radea Ascart - wife of Dan, carries the Ascart name

Teresa Campbell - Peasant, Maria's mother and doesn't have a canon name. Doesn't carry magic (afaik)

There were a few ways things could unfold, as far as Mary could tell. Her intuition, however, told her that something was missing. That, in spite of her mind racing to piece the hints and events together to form a bigger picture she was missing a key element that would make the seemingly nonsensical pieces fall all in place.

Mary stopped, breathed in slow and deep and released the air as slowly as her lungs allowed her. When it didn't make her thoughts slow down, she tried again.

Calm. Composed. Such has always been the way of the lady. And it was going to be the way Mary was figuring all this out. She needed to prioritize, and as things were everyone's safety came first and foremost.

Since the Ascart matriarch didn't seem to hold any ill will -for now- Mary went ahead and went to work. Even with the new threat hanging overhead, Mary still felt the most conflicted about that woman. Her apparent harmlessness confused Mary, aside from her unwillingness to cooperate in any significant fashion, as if her child's fate wasn't anything that could be helped. Mary even suspected the woman's advice of getting Nicol-sama healed, but that made no sense in and of itself. Which confused the young lady the most.

Was she being deceived or confused? Mary couldn't be sure at present, yet no matter how she saw it. The advice was sound, even if it was mere precaution. Unless Nicol-sama reacted violently towards light magic like the twin princes had. In which case it'd probably be disastrous, as Mary wasn't sure fighting inside the Claes state was a good idea.

However, Alan-sama had come back to his senses. Could Mary trust that Nicol-sama would doubt his own mind?

No, probably not.

Could she trust that he would not actually attack any of them even under the influence of the dark powers?

…

Yes.

Mary leaned on one of the statues adorning the corridor. The form of a woman cradling something between her arms was sculpted in marble, though the Claes had repurposed it to hold a vase full of tastefully selected flowers. Undoubtedly fresh, though Mary could see they would die soon, if they weren't dead already.

It didn't matter. She pushed to the side and allowed the -no doubt expensive- colorful piece of art to fall to the carpet and crash loudly, sending fragments all over the place and spilling water all around her.

She let herself slide down, leaning on the statue for support to lay comfortably on the floor while one of the servants screamed and ran away when they noticed.

"Mary?!" Alan-sama was the first to get to her. Almost tripping over the fragments and wet carpet in his haste to get to her "Are you alright?! Are you hurt? What happened?"

It wasn't as if she was expecting anything less from the prince, but he was already cured. And one could only pretend to trip so many times before it became obvious they were doing it on purpose.

"I'm unhurt." Mary slowly stated, breathing heavily and unfocusing her eyes to keep the prince out of the loop "Just a bit…"

"Okay, it's fine. Maria-san is here. You'll be fine in no time." The prince looked her up and down several times, almost as if he would eventually find the clue that would tell him Mary was dying then and there "It'll just take…"

"Alan, calm down." Nicol-sama dug his fingers on Alan-sama's shoulders. Enough to get the prince out of his stupor, but Mary guessed not enough to actually hurt him "Campbell is right behind you."

"Yes, I'm here." Came the blonde light mage's immediate response "Mary-sama, give me your hand and…"

"I'm fine." Mary smiled weakly "I just feel dizzy. If I can rest for a bit…"

"Nonsense! I will heal you, everything will be alright" Maria-san insisted.

The problem was… Mary wasn't sure if the light magic diffused symptoms and or sickness. So Maria-san would be able to tell and ruin Mary's plan.

Mary stared straight at Alan-sama. Her gaze so piercing the guy actually felt bothered by it. In his haste, he couldn't think straight but was still very much interested in Mary's well-being.

He didn't get it.

Mary sighed inwards. She took Maria's hand and felt the energizing power bounce uselessly off her body. As there was nothing wrong with her, except perhaps the angle one of her ankles rested on.

No matter. She was still not out of the fight yet.

"Now is Mary-sama feeling?" Maria-san's worried tone would have moved her if Mary hadn't intended to direct it to begin with. She sighed, and moved her head slowly as if to test out her condition.

"I feel better." Mary answered plainly but softly.

"You should still rest, though." Alan-sama didn't let anyone interject, as he crouched to the other side of Mary. Heedless of the sharp pieces still scattered on the floor.

"That… Might be for the best." Mary smiled a bit more, making the prince wince at the difference with her usual energy "Help me stand."

"Nonsense. Here, let me get you." The prince extended his arms, inviting Mary to embrace him so he could bring her up.

As expected of Alan-sama. A gentleman no matter what.

"I couldn't…"

"Child." The Claes matriarch interjected, eyeing them both from behind the startled Ascart and Campbell matriarchs "No one faints out of the blue. Let Alan-sama carry you."

"Maybe she's thinking she's too heavy for him…" Mary snapped her attention to Sophia, who was hiding behind Katarina-sama's arm.

That little…!

"I can carry her!" Katarina-sama offered. The girl, ever the gallant lady, couldn't let Mary fend off for herself alone. Mary would have been moved…

But she saw how Katarina-sama almost dropped Sophia back at the Academy. Hardly a fair comparison, but Mary suspected she would actually grow dizzy if Katarina-sama rushed to get her to… To bed…

"You'll make her puke." Nicol-sama sighed, fixing his sleeves to bring them up "I'll help."

If she wasn't faking an illness, Mary would have challenged his provocation. But as things stood, she could only bite her tongue and ignore him.

Wait…

"I… I don't feel so bad…" Mary's heart started beating faster. It was one thing to be carried by Alan-sama. But, just as with Katarina-sama, the idea of having Nicol-sama so close to her bothered her a lot.

Alan-sama was fine. Their relationship was close like that, but she couldn't say the same for the Ascart heir. Their relationship was a lot more impersonal, following a back and forth that bordered in their own unique etiquette. She minded his closeness, she minded it a lot once she was reminded of how unfairly beautiful he became when he wasn't busy being insufferable.

So she stiffened when the black haired noble got his arms under her and helped Alan-sama lift her. Both of their chests at either side of her, sandwiching between two sets of fashion.

…

On second thought, she was surprisingly okay with that. She could even enjoy herself, surrounded by two beautiful young men like that. It filled her heart in a spot similar to the one Nicol-sama's smile did.

Which was dangerous. She could get used to this far too easily. Mary couldn't help fear she would become a no-good girl that only cared about beautiful men.

She sneakily checked if she had drooled while her helpers carried her up the stairs and into one of the many guest rooms.

"Is she okay?" Katarina-sama asked while the guys put Mary down on the bed in the center of the room.

A part of her was dying inside, the memory of Katarina-sama's lips burned on her own like a spell that did not disappear no matter how much Mary tried to ignore it. The other, cleverer one, was already thinking how she could bring Maria-san to heal Nicol-sama again. Though admittedly, Mary was thinking slower than usual.

"Well, yes." Alan-sama gave Mary a look. A raised eyebrow that told her he suspected she was just messing with them.

She didn't move a finger in answer.

"Probably just needs to rest." Nicol-sama added.

Mary took both of their hands, before they could get too far away. As Maria-san was taking a bit too long to follow.

"Dizzy…" Mary whispered, stopping the boys from complaining.

"Nicol, I think Maria-san should use a bit more of her magic." Alan-sama held Mary's hand tighter, not paying much attention to anything else.

"Right." Nicol-sama tried to go, but had to shake Mary's hand off when she didn't let go immediately.

He glared at her, Mary gave him as innocent a smile as she could.

"Yeah, she'll be alright." Nicol-sama scoffed but something of a smile peeked on the corner of her lips. He nodded to Katarina-sama, who sighed but stayed in the room.

That might just be problematic.

"Alright, explain." Alan-sama, though, was done with everyone running in circles "What was that about?"

"What are you talking about?" Katarina-sama, as usual, paid attention when it would have been best if she was in her own world.

"I suspect this girl is faking feeling ill." Alan-sama crossed his arms.

"But why? I mean, I didn't break it this time. So I won't be scolded but…" This time? Well, Mary wasn't surprised.

"It's something dumb." Mary stated, making the prince perk up instantly "I apologize for making a ruckus. I will, of course, pay for what I broke."

"It's alright!" Katarina-sama assured her "It's just really weird, y'know."

"Yeah." Alan-sama nodded, his tone of voice as flat as… Someone Mary knows "Why did you do that?"

He knew. Or more or less understood the message.

Mary suppressed a smile. She could always count on Alan-sama like this. They had known each other for a long time, and now Mary was just glad she wasn't alone.

"I thought it'd be funny if Nicol-sama went on overprotective mode in front of everyone." Mary stated carefully.

"That's going too far!" Katarina-sama's overreaction was like a breath of fresh air. Though Mary couldn't get distracted. As she needed the prince to get the message across.

"This is ridiculous…" Alan-sama sighed "Let's wait until Maria-san is here."

He got it!

"You won't tell him?" Katarina-sama looked puzzled, as if she didn't expect this side of Alan-sama.

The prince simply grinned.

"Absolutely no. He'll be seething. Why would I pass on that?"

"Pass on what?" The little Ascart sister opened the door and led her brother and Maria-san inside. Doubt written all over her face.

"Oh, nothing." Alan-sama walked up to Nicol-sama and whispered something in his ear.

The black haired guy blinked, and his expression shifted several times.

Then he planted his palm on his face.

"I hate you all." He stated, confusing the light mage before spinning on his heel and walking out of the room.

"Huh?"

"Sorry Maria-san. It was a joke." Alan-sama said with a big grin of his face "Could you fetch him back? I'd go, but he'll probably punch me."

"I… See?" The blonde girl didn't actually look like she understood "Why, though?"

"Well, Mary here doesn't know how to convey her feelings properly." Wait… "And only knows how to tease Nicol."

"It's not like that!" Mary protested, heat growing on her face as she switched between the two looking at her, and Katarina-sama further away "It really isn't!"

"Eh… It can't be, right?" Katarina-sama's expression was tamer than usual, which made Mary panic a lot more. As she was probably brewing a wilder idea.

Alan-sama used the opportunity to signal Maria-san to go after Nicol-sama. Sophia moved a bit, as if to block Alan-sama partially from Katarina-sama's vision.

Good.

"Ah…" Katarina-sama's sudden mood change startled everyone. As she didn't make any other noise, the ex-student council grew more restless. It wasn't like her, it wasn't like her and… "I'll go get him. I need to tell him something."

"No need Katarina-sama." Maria-san interjected immediately "I'll go."

"No, no. I can do it myself." The brunette insisted.

"Katarina-sama." Sophia moved again and blocked the lady's path "Please stay. Mary-sama may need your company."

Katarina-sama looked at Mary, who smiled at her. She quickly averted her eyes and looked at the rest of her friends.

They never quite knew what she was thinking, but they could clearly see her mood souring.

"I see…" She got closer to Mary, and sat on the edge of bed.

She was looking in Mary's direction, but her mind was elsewhere. The lady's liveliness was nowhere to be found.