HEELS OVER HEAD

Chapter Ten

A ConYuu Fan-fiction

By: Ami

Beta-reader: ProudSnapist a.k.a Sherlockian Slytherin

Alternate Universe. No spoilers.

Standard disclaimers apply.

XXX

After resting in his bed for a few hours, Yuuri could feel that his body had almost fully recovered, but he was still worried about Conrad. He had heard Conrad and Gunter's conversation, and also Gwendal and Cheri's in the morning, but he couldn't have gotten the whole picture. There were still a lot of things he was curious about.

When Yuuri told Murata about his problem, the fairy, who had returned to his tiny form, suggest a brilliant cure for his anxiety.

"Keep this advice in mind, Shibuya. In whichever world or era it is…" Murata flashed him a playful smile, "…Female workers will always be the best source of information."

XXX

"Hopeless."

"Hostile."

"Horrendous."

Yuuri could only blink at the triple-'ho' comments given by the Red-Green-Blue maids when he asked them about how Conrad had carried his task out so far.

"…It's that bad?"

"It most likely is." Chibi Murata chuckled merrily at Yuuri's bewildered expression.

"Oh, Your Majesty, don't tell me that you've forgotten about the first 'thing' he brought home a few months back," the red maid moaned, "Pochi is the most vicious animal I've ever seen! It's bloodcurdling! And it only listens to Cheri-sama!"

"But I personally think that the latest 'thing' he brought is the grossest one. That huge carnivore flower tried to catch and devour a soldier! So scary!" The green maid added.

"Wrong. The giant blue cheese is the most sickening one. I couldn't eat for three days in a row after looking and smelling it." The blue one shivered at the memory, "Well, it also helped me lose weight, but still…"

Yuuri grimaced.

He turned to the small fairy beside him and saw him outright laughing. No wonder Gwendal had been so worried about Conrad's reputation.

The three maids seemed to sense Yuuri's anxiousness and tried to cheer him up.

"But I don't think you have to be concerned this time, Your Majesty." The green maid encouraged, "I heard from Sir Yozak that Sir Conrad had specially gone to Ulrike-sama last night to ask for her advice. I'm sure that she can assist him in finding a better thing. After all, it's his fifth time. There's no way he'll fail again."

"Right. I don't think Sir Conrad will fail again this time. Since Sir Gunter has threatened him with something like that…" The red maid smiled sheepishly, "Oh! I can't believe I'm saying this to His Majesty!"

"What do you think will happen if he fails again today?" Yuuri asked in curiosity.

"Mou! You shouldn't have said that to His Majesty! How are we supposed to explain about it now?" The blue maid scolded her friend, looking just as embarrassed.

"Haven't you been notified about it, Your Majesty?" The green one asked with a naughty glint on her face. Yuuri did feel a bit wary at the way those maids were looking at him. He almost thought of taking the question back.

"Su… sure. Gunter has notified me, but…"

"Don't worry. He's not going to blame you for your decision." Those maids persuaded him, "Sir Conrad loves you so much. Just tell him that you'll do your best and go with all your might, Your Majesty!"

The statement had somehow sent chills down Yuuri's spine. Although it was a bit out-of-character for him, the king decided to withdraw and revert to another topic.

"By the way, have you thrown away the carnivore flower? I've never seen it here before, so…"

XXX

In the beginning, the maids had strongly disagreed to bring Yuuri to the dangerous plant. But as usual, it never took Yuuri too long to convince people to do what he wanted. They finally agreed to take Yuuri to the place, but they begged Yuuri to be extremely careful and not to get too close.

Yuuri lightly accepted the agreement, but he secretly thought that it would be a huge waste not to see those rare things properly at such an opportune moment. Chibi Murata, seeming to read Yuuri's expression, transformed in to big Murata to make sure that he could protect him when it was needed.

After that, Yuuri was taken to the basement, where they placed all the things Conrad had brought (except they had thrown away the giant blue cheese for sanitary reasons).

To get to the room where they kept all the 'treasures', Yuuri had to go through a tunnel. Yuuri had to admit that the passageway looked spooky, but with those terrified ladies behind him, he couldn't possibly withdraw. Besides, since the guards were showing no signs of trying to protect him, he could only assume that he was safe.

"It's so dark…" He muttered as he stepped inside. A guard responded to his complaint by sending two guards to hold the torches in front of them.

"Please be careful with your steps, Your Majesty. We'll guide you to the place." Stated one of the guards.

Yuuri nodded. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this…

XXX

After walking through the dark passageway for several minutes, they finally arrived at a big and empty room. It was relatively brighter than the entrance room, but its sky-scraping ceiling was a bit disturbing. It was even higher than the main hall's ceilings. The room itself connected to several different rooms. Several guards guarded three of the rooms. Yuuri assumed that the three rooms were where they had placed each item.

"What do you want to see first, Your Majesty?" The red maid asked him, "The first room is…"

"Stop! No! Don't tell me! Let me pick randomly!" The king looked quite thrilled about it. Murata only smiled in amusement, thinking how similar Yuuri and his fiancé truly were. They were both easily fascinated by weird things. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why Conrad had brought these weird items home as a wedding symbol.

"Umm… that room!" The king decided after contemplating for a while. He picked the farthest room from the entrance.

"Open the mayo room," commanded the head of the guards.

Yuuri impatiently waited in front of the so-called 'mayo room'. Murata could already guess what's inside, even before he used his eyesight power to see through the door.

As Murata had expected, there was a huge, about twenty feet-tall mayonnaise maker placed in the middle of the room. It looked exactly like a normal mayonnaise maker. Its size was the only thing that was peculiar about it.

"Whoa! How are we supposed to use this monster!" The king gasped, not realizing that a real monster was actually not so far away from him at the moment.

"No, we're not going to use it. Anissina-sama insisted that we keep it for her new invention." The guard explained to him.

"And how did Conrad carry this thing home anyway?" Yuuri asked again.

"He divided the machine in to small parts, then he asked each soldier to carry one part. After we collected all the parts here, the machine was rebuilt and…"

Yuuri imagined a huge squad of soldiers, lining up, each with a part of the mayo-maker instead of a sword.

"…Next room."

XXX

Yuuri could hear the faint sound of a suppressed roar from inside the room, just by standing in front of the door. The maids had refused to go in with him, looking really terrified. It made Yuuri feel a bit wary, but his curiosity won over his fear. He wanted to know what was inside the room.

He turned his head to Murata. He could tell that the fairy definitely knew what was inside. Yuuri tried to read Murata's expression, but as usual, the fairy, just like the real Murata Ken, was incredibly hard to read. He was keeping his usual smile, and didn't show any signs of fear or excitement. It was always easier to look at his holy ring and try to guess what was the meaning of its shade. This time, it was the color Yuuri had never seen before: a blinking dark red. Since red was a sign of anger, could it be a sign of danger?

But Yuuri didn't exactly have enough time to think. It would be less complicated to just enter the room and see it.

The fact that puddles of water were scattered around the floor was the first thing that passed Yuuri's mind as he stepped inside. The answer was just a few feet away from him. Just as he made another step ahead…

SPLASH!

The guards weren't quick enough to save Yuuri from another downpour from above.

Yuuri was temporarily paralyzed by the huge aquarium in front of him and the smirking monster inside of it, when Cheri suddenly entered the room and quickly approached him.

"Pochi! How could you do that to His Majesty! You'd better be prepared for a punishment!" The ex-Maou scolded the animal, still embracing the immobile young king tightly.

The interesting actuality was that the spine-chilling monster was actually listening to her. It even wiggled its tail for its beautiful mistress, causing more water to spill out of the aquarium.

"Oh, Your Majesty, please forgive Pochi. Maybe he's just shy…"

Yuuri had never seen such an animal in his life before. Just like its name, 'sea-bear', the ten-foot monster looked like a mermaid-bear; a bear with a fish tail replacing the half bottom-part of its body. Actually, the tail looked a bit too small for its chubby upper body.

The same question from the previous room reappeared in his mind. How had Conrad managed to catch and carry this home, anyway?

"You can't compare dreams with reality," Murata answered his mental question, "Nothing is impossible here. Even if you try to ask, you'll definitely not get a logical answer."

Yuuri nodded and sighed. Right. It was a dream. How could he have forgotten about that anyway?

Because it feels too real… He answered himself, looking down at his drenched clothes. He probably needed to replace his underwear too.

This is a bit too wet for a dream…

Yuuri sneezed.

"Oh, no! His Majesty caught a cold!" Cheri quickly ordered the guard to get a towel for him, "Bad Pochi! I'm going to feed you coffee beans for three days in a row!"

Yuuri sneezed again, three times.

XXX

After taking a bath and getting some medicine from Gisela, Yuuri was once more sent to his bed and was being treated like a baby. Lunch and supper were delivered to his room. Gunter, Gwendal, Cheri, Wolfram, and Anissina came to visit him at least once each.

Gunter's visit mainly consisted of sobs, moans, and hugs. Gwendal was acting as stiff as usual. He warned Yuuri to take better care of himself, and also reminded him of his responsibility as a king. Cheri's visit was considerably shorter than Yuuri had expected. She only stopped by to deliver supper and tell Yuuri that she had punished Pochi for causing the ruckus. Anissina, unlike usual, didn't bring any of her new inventions. Instead, she brought several of her bestseller novels and suggested Yuuri read them to kill the time in bed. Yuuri was slightly intrigued when he read the synopsis, but as he flipped to the cover page and saw the picture of Gunter and Gwendal in a compromising position, he immediately placed the book back at its place.

So far, Wolfram, the one who was assigned to keep him company almost all the time, made the nicest companion. He even ate lunch with him in his room, and talked about a lot of random interesting things to keep him entertained.

"Do you still keep the dolls?" Wolfram asked in the middle of their conversation.

"Yeah, sure. I keep them… somewhere in this room." Yuuri couldn't possibly admit that he had completely forgotten about the dolls. He turned to Murata for an explanation, but the fairy avoided his eyes, whistling innocently.

"Good. You'd better keep them properly. You have no idea how difficult it was to get them." The blond was still smiling, but he sounded somehow threatening, "I was very sleepy when you bombarded me with your questions this morning. But if you need to know how to operate the dolls better, I can explain it to you now."

The young king cringed, "No, thanks. I like silent dolls."

"By the way, you just got knocked down by Pochi, right? I can never understand why mother insisted to keep that horrible monster here…" Wolfram said with an exasperated tone, "Brother too. He shouldn't have brought it here in the first place. It's causing too much trouble for us, and now it even attacked you…"

Yuuri remained silent. Murata noticed his change of attitude right away.

"The mayo-maker is not that much of a trouble, but the carnivore flower is!" Wolfram resumed, "It attacked one soldier from my squad just a few minutes after it came here! Can you imagine that? It picked him up by his belt and kept him hanging up there until he stopped struggling, and then it tossed him into the air and prepared to seize him with its big mouth…"

"Did he make it?" Yuuri asked nervously.

"Of course he did. After all, I am his squad leader. I wouldn't let that fiend hurt my man." The blond looked proud, "My strategy worked well. We learned its method to eat its prey from Gisela-san, then we decided to let it toss him into the air before…"

Suddenly, a knock was heard. Even before the messenger entered the room and said a word, Wolfram seemed to know that it would be from Gwendal, asking for his presence rightaway.

"I'll be back in a moment," Wolfram excused himself, "Are you okay by yourself?"

Yuuri nodded. It was different than his first morning.

"Then, I'm off. Wait for me, wimp." Wolfram threw him a smile before turning around and walking out of the room.

Although Yuuri had expected the sudden silence after his disappearance, he couldn't help feeling a bit lonely. It was bad. He had been used to Wolfram's company all the time in the real world.

"Hey, Murata," he called after a moment of silence. He had been waiting for the fairy to talk. "Are you still there?"

"Yes." Chibi Murata suddenly appeared right in front of his nose, smiling. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"…How to say this…" Yuuri looked hesitant.

"You know, you're basically my master. You can ask me to do almost anything, as long as it doesn't break the rules." Murata tried to convince him to speak his mind, spinning his magic wand and creating an artificial cloudy sky above his head. It wasn't the first time Yuuri had seen Murata's sky, but it was still as captivating as the first time he had seen it. The situation of the sky varied every time. One time, it was a beautiful sunset, the other time it was a sunny one, and sometimes it was rainy or snowy. Anyhow, Murata's handmade skies always looked beautiful to Yuuri. When Yuuri had asked him why and how he had made it, Murata had told him that it had just been something he had always done when he had been bored.

As Murata poof-ed the artificial sky away, Yuuri took one deep breath, looking convinced already, "…I want you… to leave me and follow Conrad and make sure that he's doing okay."

The fairy looked puzzled, "…You know the consequences, don't you? I can't leave you for too long."

"Sure, I do. I've experienced it twice and it was terrible. But I can't let Conrad fail again this time." The king remarked steadfastly, "It's almost dinnertime. Conrad should be home in a few hours. I'll be okay if I stay in bed."

Murata's expression didn't change. He just looked straight into Yuuri's eyes, making sure that he really meant his words.

"…Okay. I'll be back as soon as possible." He finally said as he transformed back in to big traveler Murata, "While you still have the energy, get everything you need and put it close to you. Don't forget your mug and the medicine. Place some pillows under your feet; it'll make you feel better. And the blanket…"

"I understand! I understand! Just leave!" Yuuri laughed, "I'm big enough to take care of myself!"

Murata flashed him a smile, "You'd better be."

With those words, Murata disappeared in to thin air.

"Don't worry," although his form could no longer be seen, Yuuri could still hear his voice, "I'll make sure that he brings something nice for you."

Yuuri smiled in relief.

XXX

The real torture for Yuuri was probably lying in his bed with a growing ache in his body and without being able to sleep or having someone to talk to. While anxiously waiting for Wolfram (who had said that he would have returned soon, but hadn't shown any signs of coming back), Yuuri tried to distract himself from falling asleep by looking around his room, counting the number of people who had been passing by the garden, and even playing jankenpon with both of his hands. None of them seemed to work. He was still feeling bored.

"I'm getting out of this," Yuuri muttered to himself as he slowly climbed down the bed, ignoring the slight numbness he had started to feel in both of his feet.

XXX

"Eh? What are you doing here, Your Majesty?"

Yuuri silently regretted that he had taken the left path instead of the right on. If only he had taken the opposite path, he might not have met Gisela, who would surely push him back to his room, by force if needed.

"Err… I was… feeling better… so… I want to look around for fresh air, you know, it's needed for better health and circulation…"

Gisela's face softened at his explanation. Yuuri was glad for that. It seemed that she was not going to do the thing he feared.

"It's okay. But you have to return to your bedroom when you feel tired." She remarked with a smile, "If your condition gets worse after this, I'll…"

Yuuri gulped as he noticed that the pen Gisela had been holding was cracking.

"…I'll… treat you more carefully." The girl continued, still smiling, "Well then, excuse me. I'll come back in the evening to check on your temperature."

Yuuri made sure that the doctor had really gone before resuming his steps. They were getting shorter and shorter along with the increasing numbness lingering in his limbs. The time when he had been crawling to avoid Conrad was an unpleasant memory, and he didn't intend to repeat the event. He just wanted to find someone whom he could talk to and return to his room with.

Yuuri held back a girlie gasp as he felt a pair of hands covering up his eyes.

"What… who is it?"

"Guess." A feminine voice replied from behind him. Yuuri didn't even need his eyes to determine his answer.

"Okay Yozak, things like that don't apply twice." Yuuri laughed as the man finally released him. "Do you always have to do that every time we meet?"

"I can't remember the last time we met, Your Majesty, since you've been spending your time in bed a lot lately." Yozak replied with his usual casual tone, placing both hands on his hips, smiling playfully. He was probably one of the few people in the castle who didn't treat him like some divine thing. Yuuri liked his presence for that reason.

"Sorry for that, but I'm really not feeling well lately." Yuuri was unsure if he was telling the truth or not, but even if it was considered a lie, it was a white one.

"I suppose that you're walking around to soothe your nerves down while waiting for your beloved Sir Weller Conrad?" Yozak winked at him, and smiled victoriously at his flushing cheeks, "I knew it. I understand that you're anxious. After all, that fool has made you wait for so long…"

Yuuri assumed that Yozak was referring to marriage. "I don't mind waiting." He quickly remarked, "I'm just concerned about the consequences he would have to bear if he fails again this time…"

The wide, altered smirk in Yozak's face really did cause Yuuri a shiver. What could that man be thinking about? Had he said something wrong?

"Be tough! You're a man too! Don't you think that it's a good chance? Show him a good time and maybe it'll be a constant arrangement!" The redhead's encouragement didn't really sound sincere, and it gave Yuuri the same feeling as what the maids had said before. Major shiver.

As he felt a sting of pain in his head, Yuuri realized that he didn't have that much time. He had to return to his room soon, or he'd be ended up either crawling or being carried 'bridal-style' by Yozak.

"Are you free of duty now?" he asked hopefully.

"No. As usual, that oh-so-protective Sir Weller of yours liberated me from other important tasks and asked me to look after you." Yozak crossed his arms, still smiling over his previous amusement.

"Can you keep me company in my room? I mean, not in that way, but… I'm bored, I'm ill, I have to stay in bed, but I have nobody to talk to."

Yozak stopped smiling and glanced at him cautiously, making Yuuri feel a bit nervous.

"No problem. After all, I'm assigned to keep you company when you want me to." He finally replied, his smile returned, "But if you don't mind, please give me a second. Return to your bedroom now. I'll catch up soon."

Yuuri nodded.

XXX

After waiting for several minutes, Yozak finally came as he promised. He came to Yuuri's room, holding a plate of some mysterious food in his hand.

"Look what I've brought for you!" the redhead cheerfully approached the bewildered king and placed the plate on his lap. "Give it a taste. I'm not sure if you've ever eaten it, but I'm sure that you'll like it."

Yuuri nodded and looked down at the food. The slices of fruit resembled apples, but it didn't exactly look like it either. It looked softer and more reddish. It also looked sweet. Yuuri didn't waste more time contemplating. He just used his fork to pick up a slice and throw it in to his mouth.

"Sweet!" He commented delightfully, still munching on his first slice, "And very soft!"

"Told you, you'd like it!" Yozak looked satisfied with his reaction, "Sir Weller and I used to have this fruit when we caught a cold back when we were small. It's sweet and soft, besides, it gives you the energy to recuperate."

"I see," Yuuri smiled and picked up another slice, "It's indeed delicious. Thank you very much, Yozak."

For a moment, Yozak looked like his mind was up in some clouds, staring at the king with an astonished look.

"Is something wrong?" Yuuri asked, still holding onto his fork, "You've been staring at me with that strange look… somehow it makes me feel uncomfortable. When you're wearing men's clothes, I would appreciate it if you would try to keep you feminine side from acting out."

The redheaded soldier recovered from his catatonic state soon, before bursting out laughing. It was Yuuri's turn to look at him in bewilderment.

"Is something wrong with my words?"

"Oh, I can't stand this anymore!" Yozak replied in between his laughter, "Stop imitating Sir Weller! It doesn't suit you at all!"

"What do you…?" Yuuri felt a sudden thump in his chest. He? Imitating Conrad? But how? He didn't feel it at all.

"That speech…" Yozak explained after regaining his composure, "And that stance… the way you ate… I can certainly say that you can imitate him better than anybody else! You even said the same thing he always says to me! 'When you're wearing men's clothes, I would appreciate it if you would try to keep your feminine side from acting out', that's what he always says to me whenever I wink at him!"

Yuuri smiled in amusement. Conrad most likely was the one who suffered with Yozak's feminine side a lot. He really wanted to see what kind of scene those two must make. It had to be hilarious.

………

……………

Shouldn't be he cringing at this moment? He had smiled long enough that his face hurt. Why couldn't he stop? And why would he want to see Yozak winking at Conrad?

"Okay, okay, let's not get carried away with the joke. Now," Yozak helped Yuuri to remove the plate from his lap, "tell me, how do you do that? Did Sir Weller teach you? What a kinky couple you are…"

Yuuri knew that he should say something to stop Yozak's pervy imagination, but no words came out from his mouth, and the smile wouldn't come off. What was happening with him?

"No, the relationship between Conrad and I is not like what you think. Don't say something like that about Conrad."

Yozak laughed even more, "Oh yes, Sir Weller said something like that about you numerous times to me; with the same tone too! Keep up the good job, Your Majesty!"

Yuuri could feel the panic growing in his chest, but he suddenly lost his capability to express it. He couldn't take off the calm face and the steady tone kept flooding out of his mouth. He had no control of his facial muscles anymore!

Then a thought struck Yuuri. Murata had left him for almost an hour. If his deduction was true, that he was being influenced with his mental illness, it meant that he was not being himself!

"Yozak, please listen to me and stop laughing. This is serious." Yuuri was glad that he could finally stop smiling, "I know I don't look like myself at this moment, but it's out of my control. It doesn't feel very funny to me, so if you keep laughing, it will seriously offend me."

Yozak's expression made Yuuri feel like he had shown the redhead a very frightening face. He regretted it, but like what he had said, it was out of his control.

"Actually, I have something to ask you. Will you promise me to answer each question honestly?"

Yozak nodded, still seeming bewildered.

"From what I've heard from the people in this castle, it sounds like Conrad has bothered so many people. I've also heard many complaints regarding the things he has brought home. It concerns me if Conrad has really lost his reputation among the people. Can you honestly tell me how you feel about this?"

Yozak was quite curious at Yuuri's sudden change of attitude, but the young king's eyes signaled him to comply without unnecessary comments. They looked a lot like Conrad's eyes when he was annoyed at him.

"…Sir Weller hasn't lost a single bit of his good reputation." Yozak replied, "Well, people were laughing at him for his failure, but it's in good humor. They also encourage him to do better on his next trip."

Yuuri could feel sudden warmth flowing into his chest. It appeared that he had finally spoken the exact thing that he had been worried about all this time. He could feel his lips curving up at the remark.

"I see… I've been so worried."

"Yeah, and I was so freaked out. I thought you transformed in to the Maou again." Yozak looked relieved too. "I was wondering what was the 'serious' thing going to be , but you just wanted to ask me about that?"

"Sorry for giving you the creeps. I hadn't intended to." The words just came out of his mouth. Yuuri realized the change in his behavior, but the news about Conrad had calmed him down so he decided to ignore the problem for the moment. Besides, this new personality was better than its two predecessors. It was not girlie, or harsh. It was calm, steady, polite, a set mind that could handle any problem cool-headedly. Perhaps it was the personality Yuuri had secretly adored and admired.

Could it be…

The mirth of the thought made Yuuri feel so warm inside.

XXX

Murata was mostly surprised to find Yuuri with Anissina's novel when he got home. The young king looked so occupied with the story that he hadn't noticed his presence yet.

Smiling in amusement, the fairy slowly approached the bed and took a glance at the title of the novel: MISTRESS CHERRY. The cover page was a picture of Cheri, wearing a mask, posing with a whip and a melting candle in her other hand. Murata couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Oh, you're here." Yuuri immediately spotted him and put down the novel.

"Is that interesting?" Murata asked, smiling playfully, "I thought you refused to read any of the novels."

"Well, apart from the cover page, it's quite well-written." Yuuri replied calmly, "And don't be tricked by its title. It's actually the story of a heroine named Cherry who protects the town with her magical power. The 'super whip' and 'healing candle' are her main weapons. But there're also 'wonderful cuffs', a 'holy gag' and 'high-heels of justice'."

"Sounds interesting." Murata laughed.

"You're late. It's past dinnertime. How's Conrad doing?" Yuuri asked, signaling the fairy to sit next to him on the bed.

"I have two types of news. Do you want to hear the good, or the bad one first?"

Yuuri made a thinking face, "Umm… the good one."

"Okay," Murata started, "The good one, I have made sure that he brought home something nice."

Yuuri's face beamed, "That's good! What about the bad one?"

"The bad one… he hasn't had any chance to look for the thing at all, since the owner of the antique shop was confining him to his workshop. He has just been released a short while ago."

The young king could only blink in bafflement at the news.

"Wait a minute… I don't get it at all… he didn't get a chance to look for it, but he actually is coming home with something nice?"

Murata nodded, smiling mysteriously, "But I won't explain more to you. You'll have to hear it from his own mouth. So let's just wait for him."

Yuuri had never felt so curious in his life, but he knew that once Murata had said something, he would never take his statement back. It was the best decision to comply with him.

"By the way, I have good news." Yuuri suddenly remembered about what he wanted to say to Murata, "Guess whose personality I suffered this time?"

Murata looked clueless.

"It was Conrad." Yuuri's eyes glinted in happiness, "I'm sure that it was him! I could feel it in my mind! It was Conrad! He's still alive, and he might still be waiting for me right now! Can you believe it?"

The fairy's smile bloomed. It was the first time he saw such a bright face on the king during his time in this world.

"I knew it. He's still alive… Sir Conrad…"

Yuuri was even happier to see the delight on the fairy's face, and the silver glow of his holy ring. He knew that Murata had lied to him before when he had said that Conrad had still been alive, but it didn't matter anymore to him. He had made sure that Conrad was still alive. It made him want to get home as soon as possible. He wanted to see that smile once more, in real life.

Smiling merrily, Yuuri slowly climbed down his bed. The pain was still there, but he barely felt it. He was too happy to think about anything else.

"Let's wait for Conrad outside. Now I can't wait to see what he has brought for me."

XXX

After having a short argument with the guards, Yuuri finally managed to make them replace one of the guards watching over the front gate. The replaced guard didn't seem very thankful, though, since he knew that Gunter was going to reprimand him for it later. But he really had no choice, since the king he idolized had clapped his hands in front of him and begged with sincere eyes.

"Lend me your hat and your coat too, so I'll look more like a guard." Yuuri said, still with his ultimate puppy-eyes, "Please?"

In the end, aside from a new guard uniform set obtained by the blushing guard, Yuuri had also gotten himself another loyal devotee.

"It suits you," Murata commented as Yuuri put the clothes on, "makes you look a bit manlier."

"I am a man." Yuuri replied with a grin, showing no sign of being offended at all. He was sure that Conrad would be really surprised to find him waiting for him at the gate with this uniform. The thought alone could make him smile.

As Yuuri stepped to the front gate, every guard looked nervous and bowed their heads down to their king. As Yuuri looked up, he saw that a special space had been reserved for him, with a cushioned seat and a small table next to it.

Yuuri looked bewildered.

"Umm… I appreciate your consideration by setting up the space for me… but… uh… you see, I want to be treated like a common guard." Yuuri tried to explain, but the guards didn't seem to get him. Perhaps they were all too nervous that the king they usually saw from faraway had suddenly come right before their eyes, and had even asked them to treat him like a common guard.

"I'm afraid that it won't do, Your Majesty." The head of the guards stepped forward, "We can't possibly do that to you. We'll let you wait here with us, but please, accept our special treatment."

Yuuri sighed. At this point, he couldn't possibly resist. He also knew the difficulties of their situation. Forcing them to obey him would have been very selfish of him.

"Yooooooouuuuuuuuur Maaaaaaaaaaaajeeeeeeeeeestyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

The young king gulped at the familiar voice. As he turned around, he realized that his bad feeling had come true. Gunter was running towards him, looking really infuriated.

"Oh! Your Majesty! What are you doing in this place? Why are you dressing up like that? Please get back inside at once!" The silver-haired mazoku turned to the horrified guards angrily, "How could you all let His Majesty do something like this! You're supposed to protect him!"

"Err… listen, Gunter… it's not their fault. If you want to blame someone, you can blame me." Yuuri explained, "I came here and wore this uniform willingly. I intend to wait and surprise Conrad here."

Gunter's face softened, "But it's dangerous to stay here, Your Majesty. It's late. You can wait for him inside."

"No, thanks. I'll wait for him here. I want to surprise him with this uniform." Yuuri smiled, looking determined, "I'll be okay. I promise."

The broken look on Gunter's face made Yuuri feel a bit guilty. But it wasn't strong enough to make him change his mind.

"…All right… if you insist, Your Majesty… you can stay here." It seemed that Gunter had made up his mind, "But please let me keep you company and protect you here."

"Okay," Yuuri replied lightly, ignoring Murata's amused look at his decision, "But you'll distract him. How about changing in to a uniform too?"

XXX

A moment later, Gunter was ready with his own uniform. Yuuri had to admit that he looked quite cool with it. Although he had been complaining a lot about the texture of the uniform, Gunter looked satisfied that he had been allowed to stay by his king's side.

Not long after Gunter had joined, another person came out of the castle, looking just as annoyed.

"Wimp! I've heard it from the maids! What do you think you're doing here! You're supposed to be waiting for me in your room!" Wolfram's yell could already be heard even though he was still many feet away from them.

"Sorry, Wolfram." Yuuri smiled at him apologetically, "I want to wait for Conrad here and make sure that he's brought the right thing."

Wolfram scowled, "Then you should have told me about that. I'm staying here with you."

Yuuri only threw him a playful smile as he gave a signal to the guard to get him another uniform.

XXX

Cheri followed right after Wolfram. As she saw Yuuri, Wolfram and Gunter in uniform, she excitedly said that she wanted to try on the 'cute' uniform and play as a guard too. She joined the group.

Not long after Cheri's appearance, Gwendal also came out of the castle. It seemed that he had heard about the ruckus the group had caused, and he came to tell them all to return inside. But after being persuaded by his mother and Yuuri, he finally decided to let them stay and waited there with them. It seemed that he was also anxious about the next thing that Conrad would be bringing home. He had refused to wear the uniform at first, but in the end, Cheri had managed to put it on him.

Soon, Gisela and Anissina also showed up. Gisela spent a few minutes checking on Yuuri's temperature before leaving, but Anissina decided to stay and to also wear a uniform.

"It'd be good if he brings home another machine." She commented when Yuuri asked her what the reason for her stay was.

"I'm just hoping that he uses his head this time and brings something decent." Gwendal snorted.

"Oh Shin Maou, please brighten his mind!" Gunter started another prayer.

"You must be very nervous, right, wimp?" Wolfram smirked.

"Ooh, he'll definitely be very surprised to find us here! He'll feel so loved!" Cheri looked the most excited of all.

Yuuri glanced at his 'family' warmly, and was silently thankful that he had been blessed with such affectionate companions. Although he was far away from home, they could always make him feel as though he was home.

"It's not so bad to be here, is it?" Murata whispered to him, smiling meaningfully.

Yuuri returned his smile and nodded.

"…What are you all doing here?"

All the nobles immediately stopped talking as the familiar voice rang in their ears.

Yuuri looked up and beamed.

Conrad had returned.

XXX

TBC