A/N: I'd like to give a shoutout to a reviewer on ao3 whom I had a fruitful discussion with after the previous chapter. At the end of it, they even poured out their thoughts for me to review if I had managed to convey what I wanted to. Most of it was what I had in mind, but the slight variations don't bother me. With their thoughts, I was able to reflect on what I did right, what was insufficient and what was too much.

Readers having a different image from what the author is perfectly okay in my opinion as long as it's not too off. As with any other reviews, it's just a part of the creative process that I enjoy a lot where the author and readers participate in together as the story flows.

I also have to apologise to the reviewer on ao3 as something I said I planned to have in this chapter did not make it in. I did not even get to the meat of it and the chapter already became too long for my liking. So I decided to split it up and upload part of it first, which is still a chapter by itself. The good news is that this makes the next chapter already half done so hopefully (maybe I should stop being specific if I don't deliver on it again) the next chapter will be out sooner than usual, along with the explanation the reviewer was interested in.

The tranquillity of the room is broken by the doorbell going off. Yet it only rings for a few seconds, leaving the two figures entwined on the bed mostly undisturbed. The blonde's head rustles about on her pillow as her eyes crack open. Apart from their soft breathing, the room goes quiet again. The door creaks open and a Royal Maid tiptoes her way in. A smile breaks open on her face as she sees Finé and Izetta huddled on the bed, confirming their suspicions when the Royal Guards outside reported that Izetta went in last night and never came out.

"Princess," the maid whispers as she gently shakes Finé. "It is morning already. Please wake up."

Finé grumbles a little as her half open eyes flutter open. Now that the morning sun lets her fully take in Izetta's content sleeping face, she can't help but grin. Then she recognises that the voice is coming from the maid. "I'm up," Finé says quietly, "Please leave us for now. I promise I'll be out on time."

"As you wish," the maid complies with a bow. Her footsteps are faint as she goes back out and the door softly clicks behind her.

Finé brings a hand to Izetta's face in its naturally relaxed state, almost touching it. 'She looks so peaceful now. Even compared to last night after she forgave me, I don't think I've seen her this unguarded.' Finé's hand slowly caresses Izetta's cheek, careful not to break the image of serenity before her. 'And she shows no signs of waking up. She must be so exhausted…'

Moments pass as Finé continues to look at the slow rise and fall of Izetta's body with each deep breath. She begins to lose track of time as she forces herself to crane her head to look at the clock. Her eyes widen as she sees that minutes have already passed since the usual time that the maid comes in. 'I'm going to delay everything at this rate, I should really get up now…'

Finé delicately grasps onto the arm Izetta has around her. Lifting it gradually, she frees herself from Izetta's embrace and places Izetta's arm on the space between them. Using both of her arms, she pushes herself up and away from Izetta. As Finé gets off the bed, it bounces ever so slightly.

Izetta's arms shift around but can now only clasp the air instead of Finé. With a groan, Izetta's eyes start to open. "Uugn…?"

Finé stops in her tracks and slowly turns back to face Izetta.

Izetta stares at the empty space in her arms for a few seconds. Then her eyes shift to where Finé is standing, slightly crouched.

"Izetta!" Finé panics in a hushed voice, "I didn't mean to wake you up, you can go back to sleep."

Izetta drags herself to sit up. "Good morning, Princess…" Izetta mumbles as she rubs her eyes. As her vision manages to refocus, her arm drops as she looks at the clock. "It's been over eight hours already… I should get up…"

Finé strides over to sit on the bed and places her hand over Izetta's. "Izetta, how are you feeling?"

"Uh…" Izetta utters as her body begins to slouch.

"You can be honest," Finé soothes as her other hand holds Izetta's cheek. "I know that you've been pushing yourself even harder after becoming the White Agent. You've done more than enough already, it's okay to say that you're tired."

"I…" Izetta struggles as her eyes drift away and her hand grips the blanket. "I don't want… to get up yet…"

"Then you don't have to," Finé smiles as her arm wraps across Izetta's back. She begins to lean forward, gently lowering Izetta back down to the bed as Izetta's body puts up no resistance. As Izetta's head sinks into the pillow, she hums in satisfaction and her eyes gradually close.

Finé pecks Izetta's forehead, earning a simper and a blush from her. "Sleep as much as you like," Finé murmurs as she tucks her in. After getting up, Finé heads towards the phone. "If you're okay with it, I'll inform the maids that you'll be moving into this room so they won't come in and accidentally disturb you. When you're feeling better, you can call Lotte to help you move your belongings here."

"Mhm… Please…" Izetta croons as she rolls over to her side. Her fingers grasp the soft fabric, her eyes slowly opening and drifting over to Finé. "Princess…" she mumbles.

"Yes?" Finé looks over from the phone.

"Can I…" Izetta feels a lump in her throat as her face turns red. "…Hug your pillow…?" she asks as a hand inches towards the pillow Finé was using.

Finé stifles a giggle. "Of course. The whole bed is yours."

Izetta's hands reach towards the pillow as she tells herself not to overreact. "Thank you…" she whispers as she places the edge of the pillow where Finé's head was near her face. Her arms tighten around the pillow as she takes a deep breath. 'Ah… it still has some of her scent…' she thinks as her eyes start to close.

Finé blinks at how close Izetta is holding the pillow. "Well… don't worry about me if I come back and you're asleep," she assures her, "I can sleep in another room. I wouldn't want to wake you."

"No, wait!" Izetta blurts out as her eyes snap open and she jerks to sit up, her arms releasing the pillow. Seeing Finé tilt her head in confusion, Izetta stammers, "I-I mean… I would prefer to hug… you a lot more… than the pillow… So…" Izetta brings up the blanket to cover part of her steaming face, "Please sleep… with me… I don't mind waking up to you…"

Finé hides her face in one hand as a blush creeps up. "Okay, okay, I get it," she falters as her other hand waves up and down, "Just take it easy and go back to sleep."

As Izetta nods silently and snuggles under the blanket, Finé looks at the clock again. 'Oh crap, I lost track of time there,' she scolds herself as she rushes towards the cupboard to grab a set of clothing. Making haste towards the toilet without stamping her feet, she quickly closes the door and washes up.

A fresh Finé steps out and hurries to the door outside. As she reaches for the doorknob, her head turns to see the clock. 'Well, I barely made it…' Then her body turns towards Izetta who is sleeping soundly. Finé takes in Izetta's completely relaxed face, her slack and curled up form and the slow rise and fall of her chest. Finé can't help but smile. 'It would have been totally worth it even if I was late though…'

Finé exhales audibly. She looks at the lens of the camera in front of her, feeling another drop of cold sweat roll down her temple. Her hand quickly wipes it away while the other straightens out the script on the stand. 'Calm down, you can do this, just like how we just practiced.'

"Princess, we're going live in thirty seconds," the cameraman reports.

"R-Right," Finé clears her throat. She taps the microphones, hearing their feedback resonate throughout the room.

"Finé," her father calls out from behind the camera.

Finé looks up to see his thumb up.

"You can do this, show them why you're the Princess. Even if you do stumble, we will be here to catch you. You have the support of the King and the entire Royal Service."

Finé heaves out in relief and cracks a smile. Her shoulders loosen up, knees ease up and hands rest on the stand. "Thank you," she cherishes as her father nods.

"Three, two, one…" the cameraman counts down.

"Good afternoon, valued people of Eylstadt," Finé booms. "You may be wondering why I've called for this address. I know that there has been some unrest due to the British Prime Minister's plane crashing into the nearby mountain days ago. I am aware that the White Agent, one of the most powerful entities, was sent in to rescue him although our forces had it completely under control. This has lead some of you to question what kind of decisions are being made at the top. Now, allow me to confess that I was the one that practically sent him in."

Finé licks her lips and gulps. At the corner of her eye, she sees the live chat breaks out in shock. After giving a few seconds to let them calm down, she clarifies, "But I am not going to talk about him now. I will talk about that later on, which is why the second half of this broadcast will be public for the world. For now, I will be addressing an issue of great importance for Eylstadt. My poor decision making has caused our morale to fall. I take full responsibility for this and apologise deeply." Finé takes a slow bow as her eyes close, holding her head in silence for moments.

Finé gradually rises to look at the camera directly. "I understand the frustration completely. For our men and women to have put in their blood, sweat and tears into serving Eylstadt, what I have done is akin to a slap in the face. You have trained long and hard to prepare for anything that might befall Eylstadt. When it was your time to shine, to show the fruits of your labour, I snatched that chance right out of your hands. I will not make excuses. You have every right to be vexed at the ignorant decision I made.

"But!" Finé emphasises as she bows with more force, causing some of her hair to spill over her fringe. "Please be aware that I am looking to make amends. I know that I have nothing to show for it now, but I solemnly promise, to you, my people, my country, my honour… That I am learning to do better. I made a mistake, so please allow me to grow from it and become better for you."

Finé raises her head. "I am not asking for forgiveness, but for a chance to prove myself. Please continue to lend Eylstadt your strength, so that the country will continue to prosper. Your hard work was not for naught. Eylstadt would be nothing without all of you doing your best day after day. If there is ever a day I become worthy enough to lead this charge, I want all of you to decide when that day is."

With another gentler bow, Finé concludes, "Thank you for listening."

"That was Princess Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt's national address," a narrator announces. "We will be taking a short break until the scheduled timing for the global address. If you have any doubts or concerns, please do not hesitate to send them in. We will collate your valued feedback to get the issues addressed in a satisfactory manner. Thank you."

The camera's lens turn dim. "We're off the air now, Princess."

Finé lets out a huge breath as her shoulders sag. A Royal Maid quickly brings over a chair to her. With a brief, "Thank you," she flops onto the chair.

Her father comes over with another Royal Maid pushing his wheelchair. "That was a magnificent speech."

"Wow… I…" Finé pants as she feels her heart thunder. "I don't know… how you do this, father… I couldn't even see their faces yet that was so nerve wracking!"

He chuckles, "Experience. Tons of experience. I still get nervous when making big announcements, believe me, but I've just gotten used to it. You may not feel like it now, but you handled that like a pro. People watching the stream wouldn't be able to tell how nervous you actually are."

A maid comes in with a glass of water that Finé chugs gratefully. Taking in a few more deep breaths, she sits up in the chair. "…How are they taking it though?" she asks as the fingers fiddle with the glass, "Did I manage to calm them down a little…?"

"You did, don't worry. After the climax of your speech, the chat went wild again, this time with their support for you. Some people even apologised for doubting you at the start."

"There's even still overwhelming support now during the break," a Royal Guard reports from her tablet.

"See, Finé? You were marvellous," her father assures her by rubbing her shoulders. "I'm sure you know this already, but this is still only a step forward. You now have to prove that you were not just giving out empty promises. The advisors and I will help, but are you prepared?"

"I am," Finé nods resolutely, "And now, here comes the hard part." Taking a deep breath, Finé hops off the chair and goes back to the stand. As the maid takes the chair away, Finé shuffles the papers around to place the ones about the White Agent on top. She scans through them again, refreshing her memory on the topic.

Closing her eyes to take in everything again, Finé sucks in more air. She slowly exhales and opens her eyes. She sees her father being wheeled backwards with a smile on his face. The maids and guards around her show various signs of approval. She turns to the camera as the cameraman does a time check. The image of Izetta's peaceful smile as she sleeps flashes through Finé's mind. 'But I can do this, for her.'

Izetta stirs ever so slightly. Her eyes remain closed, yet she barely becomes aware. The room is dim, quiet and still. Her body rustles, feeling the softness of the bed, blanket and pillows continuing to envelope her with every small movement. With a content sigh, her eyes crack open to a blur. She remains on her side as her vision begins to clear up, along with more coherent thoughts in her mind. 'Oh, I'm still here, on the Princess' bed, hugging the pillow her head was on…' With a giggle, Izetta buries her face into the pillow.

It is minutes before Izetta processes her surroundings. With wide eyes, she spins towards the windows. The sun has already begun to set. Forcing herself up, she sluggishly gets out of bed to get a closer look at the clock. 'It's already evening?! I didn't think that I would sleep for that much longer!' Placing her hands on the table, she hangs her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots her phone that she left there last night.

'Oh no, did I sleep through an alert…?' Cold sweat starts to form on Izetta's brow as her hand reaches towards the phone. 'Is it out of battery since I didn't plug it in…?'

As Izetta's finger touches the button, the screen flashes to life and shows no notifications with the battery still high. A sigh of relief escapes Izetta as she picks it up. As she reaches for the charger, her thoughts flare back up. 'What if it's broken? I haven't actually received any calls from Command now that I think about it… I should make sure…'

Izetta's fingers pick up the pace as she unlocks the phone and scrolls through the numbers. Going to the secure section, her fingerprint grants her entry to the numbers of the Secret Service. As she is about to press on Command's number, her finger hangs in the air. With a gulp, she presses down.

"Command here," the reply comes almost instantly, causing Izetta to jump. "Please confirm your identity."

"…White Agent. I, uh, just wanted to check…" Izetta fumbles as she starts to regret making the call.

"Well," the voice softens, "We take it that it's not an emergency?"

"…No, I just wanted to check if the phone line was working," Izetta lets out in a breath. She looks around the room, not really focusing on anything in particular. "Sorry, I just never got a call from you, I was worried it might be broken or something…"

Izetta thinks that she can hear a sigh from the voice but she isn't sure and decides not to pay any attention to it.

"You don't have to worry about that. It wouldn't be much of an emergency line if we didn't know when it stops working. We wouldn't give you a phone that would break so easily either. Besides, you're still near the Royal Service of Eylstadt, right? We could contact them to get you if there really was something wrong with the phone."

Izetta's eyes fall to the floor. "Right… Sorry, this was a waste of time…"

"Hang on," the voice stops her with a trace of mirth in it. "Usually there isn't time for this, but it has been quieter than usual and it's very rare that you're not just asking for more work. Do you mind if we just talk?"

Izetta blinks as she raises her head. "O-Oh, okay. What do you want to talk to me about though?"

"The first thing is how wound up you've been."

"Uh… I…" Izetta swallows.

"It's okay, you don't have to say why you kept asking for more missions. But with the purpose of your call, we feel that we need to make something clear to you. If we had to rely on you so often, the world would have much bigger problems. It would mean that humanity has become unable to take care of itself."

"Oh… I never really thought about it… I just wanted to help…"

"Don't get us wrong. It's great that you helped with the really difficult missions. In addition to allowing resources to be rerouted elsewhere, you gained valuable experience in the field as well. But you kept going at it without much rest that we were afraid you would crash and burn. In fact, we were preparing to have this talk with you if you kept it up."

Izetta's eyes wander to the bed where she had just slept for almost a day. "I see…"

"You may not know this, but you have already accomplished your goal. The world isn't completely sunshine and roses yet, but international crime is at an all-time low which is why we can have this impromptu talk. In the perfect world, we would never have to call you again but do know that your deeds have already changed the world for the better."

"…Yeah…" Izetta breathes out. "The Princess told me that as well. Since you're saying the same thing, maybe I should accept it. It's just… I feel… uncomfortable if I don't do anything."

"If you really want to go on missions, we won't stop you as long as you have ample rest in between. You're still just a teenager, so take your time to relax and have fun. Maybe you just haven't found something else you enjoy. The Princess should be able to help you with that."

Izetta flushes at those words. Her mind plays back the moment where Finé kissed her. Then to them snuggling in bed. "W-What d-do you m-mean?"

"Huh? She's the same age as you, right? Even if she is a Princess, she should be doing something to unwind in her downtime. You can try what she does and if it doesn't suit you, she can still suggest other things since she's your childhood friend."

"O-O-Oh," Izetta stammers as she wills her heart to slow down.

"Well, that's it from us. Is there anything else you want to bring up?"

"…No, thank you for your time. And I'm sorry for any inconveniences I've caused so far."

"No worries, we are very thankful for your service. Command out." The line goes silent.

Izetta exhales in relief as she puts the phone back down on the table. Realizing how dry her mouth feels, she leaves the room.

"Lady Izetta," Lotte calls out while knocking on the open door.

Izetta opens the bathroom's door with her toothbrush still in her mouth. "Lotte," she muffles, "I didn't think you would get here this fast."

"Please take your time. My other duties are near this room so that I can attend to you as soon as possible. You want me to help you pack, right?"

"Yes, please," Izetta stifles as she goes back to the sink, closing the door again.

Minutes later, Izetta opens the bathroom's door. She has changed from the training set the Royal Guards lent her yesterday to the set that she wore yesterday during her run. Earlier when she came into the room, it was folded neatly on her bed so she took it instead of searching for another set to wear. "Lotte, could you come over here please?"

"Sure, Lady Izetta," Lotte chirps as she comes over. "What can I help you with?"

Izetta goes to a rack filled with soaps, lotions, shampoos and packets. "Do…" Izetta stops to clear her throat, "Do you know which of these the Princess… uses to wash her hair?"

"Eh?" Lotte blinks in confusion.

"Ah, sorry! That was a weird question, please forget I asked!" Izetta yelps as she waves her hands.

"Oh, no no. I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting it." Lotte looks upwards in thought. "I guess I could ask the maids that attend to her room which of the toiletries get replaced the most often and we could narrow it down from there, but wouldn't it be best to just ask her directly?"

Izetta diverts her gaze. "You already acted like that… It would be so much more embarrassing if I asked the Princess that and she gave me the same look…"

"No, really, it just caught me off guard," Lotte giggles. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing with you which soaps she likes. Maybe if you start by explaining why you want to know first, it would help to ease into the question."

"Well…" Izetta fumbles around with her hands. "…Her hair feels so… smooth… and silky…" Izetta rubs the back of her head with one hand. "…While mine feels so rough compared to hers…" Izetta's mouth opens to say more, but she decides to stop as her heart speeds up. 'I can't tell Lotte that I want the Princess to enjoy stroking my hair as I do for hers!'

"Oh, then I'm sure she'll be glad to share with you some beauty tips. You know, standard girls talk." Seeing Izetta tilt her head slightly, Lotte sighs with a wave. "Okay, forget that. Just know that she'll be happy to talk about that with you. But if I may, I believe that it is mainly due to the hair treatments we do for her every few days."

"Huh? What kind of treatment?"

"Hmm, we basically wash her head for her as she sits back with her head over the sink. It's a much longer and thorough process than if she were to wash her own hair in the shower but it's very relaxing. It's done in a separate room where we do other treatments for her and the King as well. If you'd like, we can treat your hair afterwards as well as anything else you'd like to try."

"Um… then I'll try just the hair one later. Thank you." Izetta picks up the clothes on the sink. "We can go back out now," she says as she steps towards the door, prompting Lotte to leave the bathroom before her.

"Lady Izetta, I've checked the room. There was nothing to pack. Is everything else in your luggage already?"

"Ah, I only really needed your help with the soap and laundry bags," Izetta explains as she puts the attire the Royal Guard lent to her into the bag. "Sorry, I said I would unpack yesterday but I got caught up… with things…"

"No need to apologise, I'm just delighted that Princess Finé made up with you. I'll get other maids to move your luggage to your new room and take care of the laundry. You can head to the dining hall in the meantime."

"But I should at least carry my own-" Izetta is interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. Her arms go to her stomach as she looks away.

Lotte giggles. "You haven't had anything to eat since last night, right? I've already informed the chefs to prepare a full course meal for you so let's get you ready for your feast."

"Okay… Thank you…"