Izetta cannot remember the last time her belly was this stuffed or when her tastebuds danced so much. With a sigh of bliss, she sits back in the chair with her arms limp.

"Lady Izetta, would you like more?" Lotte offers as she stacks the empty plates, cups and utensils.

"No, no, I think I just ate too much…" Izetta looks down at her stomach. "All I did today was sleep and eat…"

"Not at all, you deserve to just take it easy for as long as you want to," Lotte assures her. "Once you feel ready to move, could you go to your new room? If you have nothing else planned, of course."

"Oh, right. Yes, we can unpack my things immediately," Izetta affirms as she begins to stand up.

"There's that, but the Princess wanted you to watch something. There's no rush at all though, so just let your stomach rest for a bit."

"O-Okay…" Izetta stutters as she sits back down. 'I wonder what the Princess wants me to watch… It should be very important, right?'

Lotte picks up the stacks. "Alright, I'll return these in the meantime. Be right back."

Lotte returns in about a minute. Izetta sits in silence as she tries to calm her thoughts about what Finé wants her to watch. She soon starts squirming in the chair.

"Lotte, do you know what the Princess wants me to watch?"

"Yes, but she told me not to tell you what it's about."

"That doesn't help…" Izetta utters as she stands up. "Now I really want to see it, so can we please go to the room?"

Lotte sighs in resignation. She is glad that she did not bring it up earlier as Izetta is acting how Finé said she would. "Very well, Lady Izetta."

Izetta and Lotte enter the room and Lotte closes the door behind them. "Lady Izetta, please sit on the bed while I turn on the TV."

Izetta looks around the room as she makes her way to the bed. Her luggage and laundry bags are in the corner and there is another wardrobe which she looks up and down at. 'They really work fast and hard…' she ponders as she climbs on the bed to sit facing the television.

Lotte uses the remote to scroll through the options on the television to get to a video site. As she enters in the search terms, Izetta's eyes go wide. Selecting the first video uploaded by the Eylstadt official channel, the screen loads in the video player and changes to full screen as it pauses.

"The Princess made a global address?" Izetta squawks, "When was this?"

"While you were sleeping," Lotte answers which leaves Izetta taken aback. "Now then, I will play the video and leave you to watch it yourself. You can adjust the volume with these buttons here. I will come back when it ends."

"O-Okay… thank you…"

Lotte hits play and places the remote near Izetta. With a bow, she leaves the room and closes the door behind her.

Izetta half consciously grabs the pillow Finé was sleeping on and hugs it, resting her chin on it. "Welcome back from the break," the narrator greets, "We will now continue with Eylstadt's Princess, Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt's global address."

Finé bows towards the camera. "People of the world, I'm sure many of you have heard about the White Agent."

Izetta's grip tightens on the pillow.

"The one who singlehandedly infiltrated and then stormed a fortress to rescue a group of royal children, including me. There are many other feats the White Agent has performed that it would be an understatement to call him a saviour of the world. But I am not here just to sing his praises. Rather, I want to focus on the horrible mistake I made with regards to him."

Izetta shuffles closer to the television.

"This is related to the incident where the British Prime Minister's plane crashed into a mountain near Eylstadt. I will not be going through the details of the incident itself, but what happened behind the scenes."

Finé sucks a little of her upper lip for a brief moment. "Before the incident occurred, the White Agent was spotted at the edges of Eylstadt. However, he was not in public and was only found because I asked my Royal Service to keep an eye out for me. I'm sure that many of you share the sentiment that we have to thank him in person for everything that he has done. However, I took it too far.

"I told the Service to stop him, along with showing a video feed of me trying to convince him as I made my way there. He could have easily outmanoeuvred them and be on his way, but he patiently waited there. When I arrived, I showed my appreciation and he humbly accepted. But no matter how I thanked him, it is no excuse for how unreasonable I was, especially with what happened next.

"As I finished and he was about to leave, I got the notification about the plane crash. On the spot, I came up with the idea that the White Agent was here for something. I promised him if it was in Eylstadt, I could give him whatever it was and more if he could help secure the Prime Minister. My guards tried to tell me that the Eylstadt air force was already on it, but I was too caught up with the White Agent's power to listen. Somehow, he agreed to go and even turned down the reward, saying that he was free anyway."

Izetta gasps and bends forward.

"It is with great regret that I only realised my folly recently. I got a message from the superiors of the White Agent, informing me that this is why they turned down all other offers in his stead, with his knowledge of course. I'm sure that other countries have tried to thank him in person as well but they were always turned down. By an unfortunate stroke of luck, I managed to catch him outside in person and he is just too kind-hearted to turn down a request made face to face.

"Those of you who followed the incident will also know that the rescue did not need somebody of his calibre at all. The Eylstadt air force had the situation completely under control, but I was corrupted by the White Agent's power and became blind. Although I did not know at the time, I will not make excuses nor blame anybody else. There is no sugar-coating it."

Finé straightens up. "I took advantage of the White Agent," she spits out as her voice begins to raise and crack. "He was the person who saved me after years of torture and this is how I repay him for crying out loud! I should have realised that he was just out there trying to relax, maybe find a private spot to change and enjoy himself, but no! I just had to go and rip him out of his private time to go do something that's so trivial for him like he's just some tool!"

"No… no…" Izetta sniffs, "Princess…"

Finé heaves for moments before taking a deep breath. "The blame for this falls solely on my shoulders. If anybody saw what happened with the White Agent and this crash incident before and thinks that they can get him to do whatever they want, please seriously reconsider it. I implore you to learn from my mistake. He already has such a heavy burden from helping the world, any time he can get to himself should be spent however he wants to. As powerful as he is, he is still another human just like you and me. Please empathise with him and do not commit the same mistake as I did in exploiting him."

Finé looks directly at the camera. "To the White Agent, if you are watching this, please know that I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I know that no apology will be sufficient for what I did to you after everything you've done for the world. I am not asking you to forgive me immediately, but please," Finé pleads as she bows and keeps her head low, "Someday, let me have a chance to make it up to you somehow."

Seconds pass before Finé rises back up. "Thank you all for listening," she ends solemnly.

The video continues with narration and soon changes scenes, but Izetta has stopped paying attention. She has buried her face into the pillow. Izetta does not even react to the doorbell buzzing soon afterwards.

Lotte opens the door slightly, just enough that she can talk to Izetta. "Lady Izetta, can I come in?" When there's no response, Lotte slowly opens the door to reveal Izetta sobbing into the pillow. Lotte deftly enters, closes the door and goes to rub Izetta's back. "Lady Izetta, are you okay?"

"Mmm…" Izetta sucks in air, dropping the pillow to wipe her face with her hands. "Sorry… It's just…"

"Don't worry, take your time. Do you want me to leave you alone for a while?"

"…No," Izetta mumbles as she looks up at the stopped video. "Do you know why the Princess did all that…? I already said I forgave her yesterday… Why is she blaming herself so much…?"

Lotte smiles to herself. "She told us that she wants to protect you from others that would try to take advantage of you, intentionally or not. She also doesn't want her mistake to be forgotten so easily, not when it hurt you so much. She can only pay lip service for now, but she is completely serious about letting you enjoy yourself to the fullest. With this global address about how she mistreated you, she also wanted to aggregate support for you as well, to show you how appreciative the world is towards you."

Izetta wipes the remainder of her tears away as Lotte scrolls through the comments. Izetta reads them in silence, getting bits where people commend Finé for admitting her mistake like that, as well as a trickle of criticism against her. But Lotte slows down at some comments, letting Izetta see how her deeds have touched people individually, how they say that she deserves a break to find her own happiness, or even just a simple thank you to her. 'The Princess cares so much for me… I thought I was the luckiest person in the world to even get her love, but this is…'

"Judging from the comments, the world shares similar sentiments with those of us here, which includes the Princess. Even though you've become more accepting, you're still so reserved when you want something, and hesitant when you're receiving. You truly are our hero, Lady Izetta, so please let us take care of you when we can."

Izetta hugs her legs as a smile forms on her lips. "Lotte," Izetta speaks softly, "I'm going to wash up and take a shower. When I'm done, can you bring me to do that hair treatment thing we talked about earlier?"

"Of course, just press the same button as before to call me when you're ready. I'll leave the room, so please take your time."

"I will. Thank you, all of you, for everything."

Lotte turns around at the door. "Not at all," she assures with a bow, "It is our honour to serve somebody as legendary as you, Lady Izetta."

Finé approaches her room to hear some talking. As the guards greet her and make way, she sees the open door. Knocking while poking her head in, she calls out, "Izetta, are you in here? Are you busy?"

Lotte and Izetta look over from the open wardrobe. "Ah, Princess, please come in! We were just unpacking my things."

"Well then, if there's nothing else you need from me, I'll let the two of you be alone," Lotte offers with a bow as Finé comes over.

"Yes, thank you, Lotte," Izetta appreciates with a small bow of her own.

As Lotte leaves the room and closes the door, Finé scans the wardrobe. Izetta's gaze wanders to Finé in her elegant dress. It takes a few additional seconds, but Izetta's brain finally realises what Finé is looking at.

"Does it still look bad…?" Izetta mumbles while her eyes drift to what Finé is looking at.

"Huh?" Finé blinks to look at Izetta.

"My wardrobe…" Izetta rubs her hands. "I only have plain T-shirts and shorts with a few long-sleeved shirts and pants for farm work, nothing compared to what you have… And they didn't even take up half of the wardrobe at first, so I had to ask Lotte to help me make it look less pathetic…"

"What? No, no," Finé denies as she turns to Izetta to hold her hands, noticing a slight shine in her hair. Izetta looks back at her. "I was just seeing what my girlfriend likes to wear."

Izetta's cheeks slightly colour at the word. "O-Oh… But it's not like I really like them, they were just the most practical for me..."

"Well, you said that they took up less than half the space, right? Then you can go into town someday and buy whatever you'd like to wear."

"Uh…" Izetta hesitates as she looks towards the floor. "I… don't know where or how… to do that… Everything I have is from street stalls my grandma and I passed by…"

'Oh, right,' Finé scolds herself, 'She has been away from Eylstadt for years and her time here has just been in the palace. I could always send some maids to help her and I was thinking of how to ask her to the party, but… Since this opportunity presented itself…' Finé smiles as a plan forms in her mind.

Rubbing Izetta's hands, Finé suggests, "How about we go together then? Give me a few days to clear my schedule, and then we can plan a day to go and have fun in town. The guards will still want to be close enough if something happens, but it should be just the two of us for the most part, just like the old days."

Izetta's hands curl up but not in apprehension. Her eyes twinkle with excitement. "Yes, I'd love to!"

"Great, now let me go and take a shower," Finé says as she goes to take a nightgown from her wardrobe.

"Okay, take your time," Izetta replies as she watches Finé enter the bathroom.

"Mhm," Finé hums as she closes the door.

Finé exits the bathroom with steam still pouring out behind her. She looks over to see Izetta sitting on her own side of the bed.

"Princess, you must be tired after such a day. How about you lie down?" Izetta offers as she pats the bed.

Finé smiles to herself as she lets out a breath of relief. "I take it you saw the video?" she asks as she climbs in.

"Yes… I was very touched… You were also so gallant, being able to talk about your mistake like that in front of a global audience…"

Finé chuckles as she lays her head on the pillow, "You should have seen me after the camera stopped rolling. My legs gave out under me and then I blanked out for a while. When I became aware again, my breathing was erratic and I couldn't talk properly. They were even getting ready to send me to the infirmary until I signed to them that I just wanted to sit by myself for a bit." Finé's eyes close as she rustles on the bed, "Even during the speech, my heart was thundering in my chest. Talking to such a big audience was already bad enough. The additional worries about how they would take it didn't help at all…"

Izetta clenches her hand as she looks at Finé's still figure. 'She was suffering so much, but she soldiered on for me… When I was putting on a front, she knew exactly how to comfort me and what I wanted to hear… It's my turn to do the same for her… so…'

Finé opens her eyes as the silence holds. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rant about that." When nothing else happens, she looks towards Izetta. "Izetta?"

Izetta pushes herself forward, embracing Finé tightly whose eyes widen. "You were so, so incredible, Princess. You must have studied and practised so hard to give such a perfect speech when you've only been back for a few weeks. It's just the two of us here now, so you can let it all out."

Finé's eyes water as her hands grab onto Izetta. "Thank you, Izetta. I've gotten over the worst of it, I promise," her voice hitches, "But knowing that you support me so much even after what I did to you makes me so… very happy…"

"I've already completely forgiven you," Izetta reassures her. "You don't have to worry so much, because I… I love you."

Finé rolls over so the two of them are holding each other while on their sides. "I know. But I wanted to make sure that I engrave it into my mind." She puts a hand to Izetta's cheek, taking in her slight blush. "So that I never hurt the one I love ever again."

"I know you won't anymore. I believe in you."

The two of them bring each other even closer, savouring the touch of the other. Izetta strokes Finé's back, feeling the tension in it slowly dissipate. Finé closes her eyes as her arms embrace Izetta's strong but soft body. Their legs entangle with each other, hungry to feel more of each other. A smile forms as Finé lets herself be spoiled by Izetta, who moves from stroking Finé's back to her head.

Minutes pass before Finé opens her eyes to look at Izetta's smile of her own. Finé leans in, using a hand to support Izetta's head. Izetta recognises the motion, bringing her hand from Finé's head to her back and pulling her in closer. Their eyes close as their lips touch and they are whisked to their own world.

Eventually, they pull away to end the kiss but as they open their eyes, they become mesmerised again by each other. "To be with you like this, it made all the heart attacks earlier all worth it," Finé whispers, "I even feel like I can do more of them now…"

Izetta giggles. "Just don't push yourself too hard. I'm not one to talk, but I know that now."

Finé laughs as they separate a little. "Speaking of which, how was your day?"

"Uh, actually…" Izetta looks away as her cheeks colour. "…I spent most of it sleeping. I only got up a few hours ago."

"Huh?" Finé sits up slightly. "Izetta, I don't mind if you just want to laze around all day, but you slept all the way through after I left?" Despite feeling Izetta's body so close to her already, concern takes over the logical part of Finé's brain. Bringing a hand to Izetta's forehead, she checks, "Are you sick? I can go and call a doctor to come here right now."

"Wait, I'm fine, really!" Izetta squirms to settle Finé down. "It was just as I said, I was pushing myself too much so when I finally stopped forcing my body to keep going, I guess it just gave out completely. I feel much better now though, and I should be at a hundred percent tomorrow."

"Oh, that's a relief," Finé breathes out as she lays back down into Izetta's arms. "Do you want to sleep now then? It's a little too early for me, but I can do something somewhere else for a bit."

"Mmm, no. I'm not that tired yet," Izetta declines. "But Princess, they didn't tell you? About how I can't ever get sick?"

"Mgmm…" Finé drones as she jogs her memory. "Sorry, I don't remember anything about that. Did you tell the Royal Service something when you came back?"

"Oh, I wasn't referring to them. I was talking about the researchers, from much further back. It was…" Izetta swallows, "It was the first success of the project… Why I was even picked… to get magic in the first place…"

Finé feels Izetta's body stiffen and rubs her back. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she soothes.

"No… I want you to know…" Izetta takes a deep breath while Finé patiently waits in silence. "…When I was born, I was diagnosed with uncurable cancer. My birth parents abandoned me, understandably so, at the hospital. At the same time, the project had repeatedly failed to inject magic into human volunteers. So they wanted to try with a baby, one that the body would grow alongside with the magic. But a baby could not volunteer themselves and nobody would dare subject their child to that.

"Then there I was, a baby that was going to die and had no parents to object to it. They pulled some strings and got me into the lab. According to my grandma, the donor of the magic, witches are immune to any viruses. They could only become ill when their magic dried up. So the researchers went ahead and pulled off the experiment successfully, granting me magic which cured my cancer immediately.

"Of course, I had no idea all that happened at first. But I overheard bits and pieces when people were arguing with my adoptive parents because I was unable to produce tangible results. When I asked my parents to explain it to me, they refused at first. But I kept bringing it up and involved my grandma as well, so eventually they relented."

Izetta pauses for a moment to sniff. "There you have it. I'll never fall sick as long as magic still courses within me. But if it wasn't for it, I would have died… soon after I was born…"

Finé holds Izetta's head close to her. "I'm sorry."

"I'm okay, it's just that I always felt I was living on borrowed time, as if I was never meant to live."

"Is that why you're always so hard on yourself?" Finé whispers as her fingers slip into Izetta's hair. "Why you kept pushing yourself to do more and more?"

"Mhmm," Izetta murmurs as she nuzzles against Finé. "After my grandma passed away, I began to think that if I didn't keep using my powers, this life that was never meant to be would lose what little value it had. But Princess, you made me see that although I haven't done anything for days, I'm still appreciated, cared for and…" Izetta's arms embrace Finé's body tightly, "Still loved by somebody, and by the one I always adored no less. Despite everything that happened, I'm so happy to be alive now. I want to enjoy more of it, the life that was granted to me but is still mine."

"Which you will," Finé promises with a peck on Izetta's forehead. "I will definitely make you happy."

"And I will make you happy too," Izetta giggles.

Finé continues to stroke Izetta's head, feeling Izetta's hair that is just short of Izetta's shoulder. Izetta rubs Finé's back, feeling Finé's hair that flows all the way to Finé's lower back.

"Izetta," Finé calls out as she relaxes her hand on Izetta's head which allows Izetta to look up at her. "Did you already go to the treatment room? I noticed it a little earlier, but it definitely feels different from yesterday."

"Yes… I didn't want you to feel my rough hair while we hug, so I asked Lotte to treat my hair." With a slight blush, Izetta asks, "Do you like it?"

"Oh," Finé blinks. "I actually don't mind either way, I just wanted you to know that you could go there to try different treatments if you didn't know about it. It doesn't matter how rough or soft your hair is, I like to stroke your hair. If you like the treatment, go for it. If not, then don't. What matters is what you want to do."

"Oh…" Izetta mumbles. "Are you sure though? I want you to enjoy… holding me… as much I do… holding you…"

"Certainly. I'm already very happy to be holding my girlfriend so close. I don't mind how rough your hair is or how tough your skin is. I'm cuddling with you, and that's plenty for me. Come, open your palm like this," Finé invites Izetta with a hand hovering over the small space between them.

Izetta moves her hand to mimic Finé. As their palms get closer, Izetta becomes conscious of how calloused her hands are compared to Finé's smooth hands. 'Uuu… How did I not notice before…' Izetta mentally scolds herself.

Izetta stops her palm in hesitation but Finé continues, pressing her palm against Izetta's. Then her fingers shift slightly, intertwining themselves into the gaps of Izetta's hand while Izetta's fingers remain outstretched. Finé smiles as her fingers rub Izetta's hand.

"See? I love holding your hand, even if it feels different from mine. Unless, you'd rather I become buff like you?" Finé jokes.

"N-No!" Izetta raises her voice as her fingers clasp down onto Finé's hand. Looking away in embarrassment, Izetta mutters, "I also… love holding your hand… no matter how it feels…"

"We're the same then," Finé chuckles.

Izetta's face breaks out into a smile. "Thank you, Princess. I think I'll try more treatments tomorrow, the hair one did feel nice…"

"Speaking of which," Finé leads into as she sits up, prompting Izetta to do the same. "I've been invited to a party at the grand opening of the tallest tower in Eylstadt tomorrow. If you're feeling better in the evening, would you like to join me? The maids can give you the full treatment course and then you can enjoy the party afterwards."

"Yes, I should be well rested by then, and I'd like to, but…" Izetta trails off as she looks down at her clothes. "Princess, you may not mind how I'm dressed, but it sounds like the party is a very high-class event… There's no way I can go like this and my long-sleeved clothing is no better, everybody would just be staring at me…"

Finé laughs. "Of course I wouldn't bring my girlfriend there to make you uncomfortable. I've asked the maids to prepare an assortment of clothing from the palace storage for you to choose from. Let me call them to bring it in and you can try them on to see which you like," Finé says as she gets off the bed and heads towards the phone. "They can also make adjustments as well so you don't need to worry about the size and can ask for alterations to suit your tastes more."

"Okay… Thank you…" Izetta murmurs as Finé picks up the phone. As Finé talks on the phone, Izetta's hand clenches the bedsheet. Finé soon ends the call and clanks the phone back into the table charger, jolting Izetta out of her thoughts.

"Princess, there's something else I want to ask…" Izetta swallows as Finé looks at her. "Are you going to… introduce me as your girlfriend there…?"

"I was going to start by telling my father tomorrow, with your permission of course." Seeing Izetta's face tense up, Finé hurries back to put her hand over Izetta's. "Do you not want others to know?"

"I… I know you love me… And I love you, really… And I don't want to burden you with a secret relationship… but…" Izetta's lip quivers as her gaze drifts away.

Finé rubs Izetta's hand. "It's okay. You can be open with me. We're in this together."

Izetta takes a deep breath. "I… I'm not ready to be known as… the girlfriend of the Princess of Eylstadt yet. I know some people will wonder why a simple girl like me would be in a relationship with you, and I'm bracing myself to ignore them, but the thought of the onslaught of questions they'll have in person is daunting… Not to mention getting your father's approval…" Izetta breathes out, "I just need a few days to prepare. I'll let you know as soon as I'm comfortable and ready, so can you not tell anybody else yet…?"

"Sure, a few days won't hurt," Finé assures her with a smile. "In the meantime, we can start with the story that you're my childhood friend who's training to join the Royal Service. That way it explains why we're so close and you can say what you do is confidential if anybody asks."

"Oh… I see. Yes, I'm okay with that." Izetta looks deeply into Finé's eyes. "You're doing so much for me, Princess. I can't thank you enough."

"You don't have to," Finé soothes as she settles on the bed and places her forearms on Izetta's shoulders, her fingers interlocking behind Izetta's hair. "I'll do anything for you, unconditionally."

Izetta wraps her arms around Finé's torso. As she leans in so their foreheads are touching, Izetta coos, "As will I."