Finé and Izetta arrive at the King's room. The sun had set some time ago, so the hallways are illuminated by the lights. When Finé told her father that she had something personal to discuss, he told them to come at night. Taking a breath, Finé presses the doorbell.

A guard opens the door to let Finé enter with Izetta shuffling in behind. The King eyes them before signalling to the others in the room, telling them to leave. The nurses and guards comply and file out of the room, but Izetta notices that there is a machine with an arm near the king.

"Father," Finé starts, "About that personal thing I wanted to tell you…"

"The two of you are dating," he states.

Izetta looks away as Finé's head jerks a little. Their cheeks start to burn red. Although they were preparing to tell him about it, they are still embarrassed by how obvious they were actually being and how he could just say it outright.

Finé's father sighs. "Finé, I may be bedridden, but I'm not dumb. I can see how different you've been behaving after Izetta moved into your room. You should have told me about your feelings at least."

"A-Actually," Izetta pipes up, "T-That was my fault. I asked the Princess… not to tell anybody yet… I didn't feel ready yet… Sorry…"

His eyes narrow ever so slightly at Izetta. "Izetta, come over here. Sit at the machine beside me."

"Father, what is this about?" Finé questions as Izetta looks at Finé from the corner of her eye. When the silence drags on, Izetta hesitantly steps towards the machine.

"Are you…" Finé realises, "Perhaps, against it?"

"Izetta, hold the arm like you would when arm wrestling. This will decide if you can date Finé."

"Father!" Finé raises her voice. "Don't ignore me. Why should Izetta have to do any kind of test to date me? Or are you just going in a roundabout way to say that you don't want me to date her? I want to be with her out of my own free will. Shouldn't that be enough for you?!"

"Finé, calm yourself down," her father asserts. "I am talking to Izetta now."

The father and daughter glare at each other.

Izetta looks down at her hands and her body. She then sits down and grips the mechanical arm. "Please don't fight," she says quietly, "I'll do it."

"Izetta, you don't have to listen to him," Finé protests. "Dating you is my choice. I may want him to approve of you but not like this. We'll try again some other day."

"Princess," Izetta looks back with a smile. "It's okay, really. Let me try to convince him his way first."

Finé exhales but loosens her posture. "Okay, fine. But only since you want to."

Izetta nods before looking to Finé's father. "So, how do I go about this?"

"Whenever you're ready, start arm wrestling. The machine will automatically detect that the match has started and push back. And no, the machine is not set to an impossible level. I have it set to Bianca's profile."

Izetta swallows. 'Bianca definitely has more raw strength than me. But if I want to let the Princess date me without worry, I'll just have to give it everything I have now.'

Izetta's arm flexes as her muscles exert themselves. The machine loses a little ground due to the initial burst, but its whirling soon turns into strength and stabilises the situation. Izetta's face scrunches up as she tries to summon more strength. Her hand shakes in place, neither side gaining an inch now.

Then the machine puts in more strength, overpowering Izetta gradually. Slowly but surely, Izetta's hand approaches the table. Her eyes widen, willing herself to push back. Despite everything, her hand does not stop going towards the table. Izetta closes her eyes as she accepts defeat and the sound of her hand thumping the table follows.

"Do you want a rematch?" the king asks. "I know about your magic and that you're the White Agent. You'll win easily if you bring it out."

"No, I won't do that," Izetta answers. "There would be no point." She turns and bows to the king, "Please let me prove myself another way. These few days with the Princess have been the best days of my life. Even if my feelings for her won't convince you, please believe in your daughter's. She's always looking after my wellbeing. She keeps accommodating to me, so that even when I'm unsure, we still have a good time together. But most of all, she does it all without expecting me to do anything in return, because she's just so happy to be with me. Not the White Agent, but me, as myself."

Izetta sucks in a large amount of air as she bows even deeper. With her eyes watering, her voice cracks, "So please, allow us be together. This is all I'll ever ask for. Please, let me be with Finé."

"Izetta!" Finé cries. "You don't have to plead with him like this!" Finé strides over to stroke Izetta's back, willing her to raise her head.

Yet Izetta remains firm and does not move.

Trying to hold back a seethe, Finé whips back to her father. "Father, what is even the problem here? You haven't said why you're making Izetta go through all this." Clenching her hands, Finé breathes out, "If this is about succeeding the throne, do know that scientific advancements are close to allowing two women to have a child. Even if that doesn't come to fruition when we are of age, we can discuss can adopting a child. If the country is against somebody who does not have royal blood, I am prepared to get impregnated by a sperm donor, as long as Izetta is okay with it."

Unclenching her hands, Finé whispers in a barely audible voice, "If all else fails, my cousin can have the throne. I can still serve as the Princess. I will not give up on being with Izetta."

"P-Princess…" Izetta gasps as she slightly turns to Finé.

"Enough," Finé's father calmly interjects. "The two of you can be at ease. I'm sorry."

Finé and Izetta look at each other for a bit. Then they stand upright and relax.

"First of all, I didn't say that Izetta had to win against the machine. It was a test yes, but the actual outcome of the match didn't matter. I actually wanted to see how Finé would react."

"O-Oh…" the two girls utter at the revelation.

"Finé, although you are repentant, I wanted to make sure that you would treat Izetta properly. If you had asked her to use magic to solve any problem that came up, I would have rejected this relationship." He turns to Izetta with a nod, "Not because of you, but because my daughter would not be worthy of you."

"Y-Yes…" Finé agrees while tucking some hair behind her ear. "I made a mistake and humbly learnt from it. Although I will always be amazed by the feats Izetta can pull off, they will never be the reason for my attention for her. I love Izetta as a person. Her being the White Agent has nothing to do with it. Even if she suddenly lost her powers, I will still continue to treasure and care for her."

"P-Princess…" Izetta mumbles as she looks away, her cheeks burning bright red.

"Yes, your fierce defence shows that very well," Finé's father smiles. "And as for you, Izetta," he pauses to lick his lips as Izetta's head whips back to face him. "I was going to be much more lenient with you, since the power is yours. If you had used your magic, I would have still approved of your relationship. However, I would have wanted to have a serious talk with you. A relationship goes both ways. I don't want you to think that you have to keep using magic to hold the relationship together. But I see now that you're very responsible and that you have a lot figured out."

"T-Thank you," Izetta appreciates with a slight bow though her cheeks are still flushed.

"I do have a piece of advice for you though," the King offers and Izetta's ears perk up. "Try to be more confident in yourself. If you ever doubt yourself, just remember that out of the billions of people in the world, Finé wants to be with you."

"I-I see. I will try," Izetta promises fondly.

"Furthermore, you can see that Finé is very serious about you." With a chuckle, he reminds them, "The two of you aren't even near the end of your teens yet and she's already thinking about how to start a family with you. Or at the very least, how to spend your adult lives together."

Finé and Izetta feel steam gushing out of their ears as they are unable to look at each other.

"F-Father, please," Finé chokes out. "I was just thinking of… contingencies… that's all…"

"Finé, you don't have to worry about the succession line," her father calms her. "When you do become Queen, lead the country with the knowledge that they will support you for the greater good. If there is something that prevents people who love each other to be together, then our rules and regulations should change. Do it not just for yourselves, but for others that may not have a voice and for the future generations."

Finé reaches to hold Izetta's hand, rubbing the back of it with her fingers. "I understand, thank you."

Finé's father gives a smile before turning to Izetta. "Izetta, there is one thing that I want to ask of you."

Willing her heart to calm down, Izetta turns to look at the king.

With a slow bow, he implores, "Please, take care of my daughter."

Izetta is taken aback with a gasp. Then her hand tightens around Finé's and with a nod, affirms with conviction, "I will."

Izetta comes out from the bathroom just having brushed her teeth. As she gets close to the bed, Finé stops her, "Izetta, wait right there, please."

"Huh?" Izetta blinks. She sees Finé get off the bed, turn off the lights and walk behind her. "P-Princess?"

Finé leans in to embrace Izetta from behind. "Izetta…" Finé mumbles as she rests her head on Izetta's shoulder.

"Y-Yes?" Izetta stammers with her arms slightly raised over Finé's, unsure of what to do.

"I'm so happy that we got through that, together."

Izetta relaxes into the hug and places her arms on Finé's. "Yes… so am I… I'm not afraid anymore… of letting others know that we're girlfriends…"

Finé shifts her arms, feeling more of Izetta. "Then, can you do something for me?"

"Yes, anything."

"Call me by my name."

Izetta startles as her body jumps in place. Blood rushes to her face as she looks away from Finé. "W-What? I… I…"

"You just did it earlier, then you reverted back to Princess immediately."

"W-Well… that's… I was just… overwhelmed…"

Finé nuzzles into Izetta's shoulder. "Please?"

"…P-Princess… Finé…"

"Drop the title," Finé soothes as she kisses Izetta's neck. "We're girlfriends."

Izetta's lips quiver. "Fi… Finé…"

"Don't mumble it." Finé whispers into Izetta's ear.

"…Finé…"

Finé pecks Izetta' cheek. "Yes, just like that."

"Finé," Izetta calls out as she turns her head. She looks into Finé's dreamy eyes, getting mesmerised by them all over again.

"Izetta," Finé hums, loosening her arms a little. Izetta quickly turns the rest of her body as well, so that her arms can hold Finé close to her.

"Finé!" Izetta's head bobs in exhilaration.

Finé brings her hands up and leans in to kiss Izetta. Izetta quickly relaxes into the kiss, closing her eyes as well. The two of them bask in the ever consuming bliss that pours out, their feelings only having gotten stronger than before.

Izetta's body loses strength for a second, resulting in her slightly pulling away. Finé feels the shift in Izetta's lips and moves back as well. The two of them catch their breath, but don't break eye contact nor let go of each other as they pant.

"Finé…!" Izetta savours at how it rolls off her tongue. "Finé!"

"Izetta…" Finé lulls as she lowers their intertwined bodies onto the bed. Their lips find each other again, hungrily reconnecting with the sweetness of each other. Their arms roam about, cuddling each other tightly and relishing the touch of their lover.

"Mmm…" a soft moan escapes Izetta.

Finé begins to feel lightheaded as well and slowly pulls back. As she does so, she looks down at her glowing girlfriend.

Izetta's chest is heaving and her arms have fallen off Finé. "Finé… I'm so… happy right now…" she gasps between breaths with her most radiant smile yet.

'Izetta just beat the entire Royal Guard without breaking a sweat earlier, yet now she's totally out of breath… because of me…' Finé's already haphazard breathing gets more intense. "Izetta… I'm going to kiss more of you." With that little warning, she dives in and plants her lips onto Izetta's neck.

"A-Ah…" Izetta twitches. Yet she does not resist and lets the sensation flow. "F-Fine…" she mutters as her arms go to wrap around Finé again. "A-A-Aah…"

Finé stops sucking and looks at Izetta. "Do you want me to stop? I won't do it if it makes you uncomfortable."

Izetta shakes her head with glazed eyes. Bringing Finé closer to her, she murmurs, "Don't stop, Finé…"

Finé smiles as she goes in again. "I love you so much, Izetta…"

Izetta groggily opens her eyes. She blinks a few times before the image of Finé's sleeping face refocuses right in front of her. Letting out a content sigh, she snuggles into Finé more and closes her eyes again.

Minutes later, Izetta opens her eyes again. She feels the slightest itch around her neck and it keeps her awake. Exhaling a little, she gently removes herself from Finé's embrace and gets up to use the mirror in the washroom.

"Waaaaahhhhhhhh?!" Izetta shrieks as she sees her reflection.

"Huh?!" Finé jumps out from her slumber. Realizing that Izetta isn't in bed, Finé rushes to the washroom. "Izetta?! What's wrong?!"

"W-W-What are these?!" Izetta sputters as her finger erratically hovers around her neck.

Finé's vision clears up as she comes into the room. She looks at Izetta at disbelief, turns to the mirror to see the same marks, then turns back to Izetta. Around Izetta's neck where Finé passionately kissed her last night, are hickeys now.

"U-Uh…" Finé tries to think. "Let me try to find out. How about you try washing up first?"

"O-Okay…" Izetta stammers as she goes to turn on the tap.

Finé closes the door behind her and goes to get her phone. As she inputs multiple search terms about what the marks look like and where they are, the sounds of Izetta splashing water over her neck can be heard. Finé reads some articles and her face begins to heat up, now going back to search based on what she did to Izetta last night. Meanwhile, Izetta has put some soap on her neck and tries scrubbing them away.

Eventually, a downcast Izetta comes out. "…They didn't come off… I even let some soap stay on me as I brushed my teeth, but even then washing them didn't even make them fade…"

Hiding her face from Izetta, Finé hands her phone over. "Izetta… read this…"

As Izetta reads the article about hickeys, her face blushes immensely.

"O-Oh…"

"I-I'm sorry…" Finé slightly turns, showing her red ears.

"I-It's o-okay…" Izetta mumbles. "I got carried away as well… It'll just be… really embarrassing… if others see it…"

"Do you have clothing that covers your neck…? Maybe like a turtleneck?"

"No…" Izetta rubs her hands together. Then her face lights up and she goes to her cupboard. "Actually, I have something else."

Finé turns to see Izetta grab another set of T-shirt and shorts before going back into the bathroom. Soon after, the White Agent comes out holding the old set that got damp from Izetta's constant washing.

As Izetta puts the old clothes into the wash basket, she speaks to Command through her helmet. "Yes, I really want a mission right now. No, nothing happened, it's just been a while since I appeared, right? Uh… I'll have breakfast on site, it is still a little early. Understood, thank you."

Izetta ends the call and faces Finé. "Then, I'll be off for a while."

"Wait," Finé worries, "You're not going to push yourself, right? Are you going to keep going on missions until the marks disappear?"

Izetta steps forward to hold Finé's hands. "Don't worry, I'm not going to overwork myself. I won't make you worry about me. If they don't go away by night-time, I'll just come home to you, Princess." Izetta presses a button on her helmet, retracting the visor. "I-I mean, Finé. A-After all, these marks are because of your love for me, m-maybe it won't be that bad… for others to see…"

"Oh Izetta…" Finé coos. She goes in for a quick peck on Izetta's lips. "I'll get some clothes for you while you're gone. Good luck, I'll be waiting for you."

Izetta's face flushes with a smile. "Thank you. I'll be back, Finé," she assures as she retriggers the visor back on and turns to open the door.

"I see," the Royal Counsellor jolts down on her notes. "Next topic then. How are things going with your girlfriend?"

Finé's cheeks redden as she remembers the hickeys she left on Izetta. "…It's perfect. She's been opening up more as well. We just confirmed that we were going out yesterday only though, is the news already spreading like wildfire? I don't think I saw any reports about it in the news though."

"Your father informed me, seeing as I do need to assess your overall state of mind. And I did notice how smitten you were when talking about Lady Izetta before."

"Yes… I see that that's a trend…"

"Speaking of which, does she know that you've been having sessions here?"

"No, I haven't told her," Finé drums her fingers on the seat rest. "She's got a lot on her plate as well, so I don't want to burden her with more. That's also why I've been rescheduling the sessions to when I know that she's away, just like now when she's on a mission."

"Hmm, are you worried that she'll see you as troublesome?"

"H-Huh?" Finé jumps a little at the question. "I… don't think I've thought of it that way… But when I see how hard she's been working, I just don't want to give her even more to worry about. She did say that I was worrying too much about her though… so maybe I should tell her…?"

"It's up to you. Although couples are meant to share pains and joys, you don't have to put absolutely everything out in the open. Since your relationship is going strong, you can go at your own pace. Though, you may have even recovered completely already so there's nothing to talk about with her."

Finé looks at the counsellor for a moment. "You don't think that I'm affected by it anymore? But I'm still restless when I think of how much everybody in the country has achieved while I was stuck there. And they're still progressing even more. How am I supposed to lead them…?"

"Yes, you did bring this up before. I think it's fine though. Everybody has worries about something, that will never go away. But as long as it doesn't hinder you, it's okay to think about your worries. It may even serve as a source of power to do better as you reflect upon yourself."

"I just… lack so much already… All because I was taken away… I can't…"

"You're much stronger than you think. You've been part of multiple conferences and you've already given several public speeches to wide audiences. Even when you were trapped in that elevator with explosions going off, you managed to keep your cool," the counsellor recalls from the reports from the guards that were with Finé and Izetta. "There was fear, but it's normal to be scared in that situation. Just because you're the Princess doesn't mean that you have to be a fearless leader. You're human as well."

Finé gives a small smile. "Thank you."

"Well, if it still weighs on your mind, you can always come and talk to me. Or somebody else like your father or girlfriend, whoever you're comfortable sharing with. But I don't see any problems with letting you go out without supervision so just relax and enjoy yourself on your date that's coming in a few days."

"Huh? Date? I just said that I wanted to bring Izetta out to have fun."

"That's what you do with your girlfriend on a date."

Finé flushes as she looks away, remembering that practically everybody in the palace knows that Izetta and her are girlfriends.