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Pardon me if I have made any mistakes in my chapters. If you wish to correct any, please do so. Hopefully, I won't take your criticisms too hard. *_*

Nike: Which sister of mine did it, Lolli? :/

Livi: Yeah, I am wondering about that too.

Me: You'll find out. :3

Them: Can't you just say it here?

Me: Nope! *shakes my head* You'll have to read on and find out!

~ Chapter 3 The Flower of Desires ~

The night before...

The Sun King was sitting in his opulent office, performing one of his duties as the ruler of his country. Despite the fact that he merely took a short glance at each official document, his brain was already processing the information quickly and making clever decisions. This was one of his abilities that made his subjects and people recognized him as their king, as evidenced by how he cleansed his kingdom's government of corruption.

He dipped the feather quill pen into an ink jar and wrote his statements down in an elegant calligraphy. When he was done, he set the parchment aside. His eyes went over the mountain piles of documents and a tired sigh escaped from his lips. There were more to go, but he couldn't afford to sleep until he has finished all of them.

The exhausted young king allowed himself a few minutes of rest and stared out of the window. He wondered what Nike was doing now. Was she in her room, preparing to go to bed? Was she complaining to herself how sore her feet were? Or maybe she has jumped into bed without changing and fell into a deep slumber.

He chuckled lightly to himself, imagining her innocent face. Geez, how he wished he could join her.

He went back to drowning himself in work in full concentration. Other than the shuffling of papers, the sound of the quill pen scratching on the parchment papers, the flutters of the curtains when the wind blew and the occasional creaks of the chair, the room was pretty quiet. No one was allowed to enter, except Neil.

A while later, a soft knock on the door interrupted the silence and his butler entered quietly.

"Your Majesty, I've brought tea and snacks."

Neil placed a plate of mouth-watering sandwiches, an ornate teapot and teacup on the marble dining table. He began pouring the hot, steaming tea into the teacup. Livi, never looking up once from his work, mumbled back an 'alright'.

When he was done writing, he placed his pen down and stood up. He walked towards the dining table, where Neil was waiting patiently with a white cloth draped over his right arm, and grabbed a sandwich. "Did Nike's sister settle in well?" he asked him as he took a bite of his food.

"Yes, sir. Although she isn't accustomed to the weather here, she's eager to explore the castle," Neil replied. "Just like Nike-sama, they tend to go off on their own." He pushed his glasses up his nose with an amused but slightly irritated expression, remembering how often he has to search and chase after them.

Livi snorted in agreeement. "Mataku, to show up here suddenly without informing us," he shook his head disapprovingly. "They sure love to surprise people, it runs in their family."

He finished his sandwich and picked up the teacup, bringing it to his lips. After taking a sip, his eyes grew wide in surprise.

"What's this?" he asked. The strange tea was minty and left a chilling sensation on his tongue. He hasn't drank anything like this before.

"Nike's sister brought it for you as a gift. She mentioned that this tea works wonders and reduces fatigue. Her family has always drank it. She wishes to express her gratitude towards you for taking care of Nike-sama well and insisted on having you drink this. It's of the highest quality from her home country."

When he said 'insisted', he actually meant 'threatened'. That ridiculous woman actually shot daggers at him with her murderous eyes. If he didn't accept the gift, he was sure that a bloodbath would soon happen in the castle. He didn't want that horror to occur and hence, he hurriedly accepted it.

"And I've checked it, just in case," Neil continued. "It seems fine."

Livi examined the contents in his cup before taking another sip. "I don't think that they would actually poison me. Nike and I are already wed. Surely they wouldn't murder their daughter's love, unless that old hag wants me dead again."

He finished the tea and Neil stepped forward to pour him another cup. He gulped down the drink, enjoying the cool sensation running down his throat.

"Besides," he spoke happily, "I get to taste what Nike has been drinking ever since she was young."

He finished his supper quickly and went back to finish his work. Neil bowed and left the office quietly after clearing up the dining table. The room went silent once again.

It was only when the tower clock struck midnight that Livi finally placed the last official document on one of the stacks of papers on the table before taking off his glasses and setting it aside. He stretched his body and rubbed his sleepy eyes. Finally, his work was done. He has been stuck in this room ever since early afternoon.

Time for bed.

He left the office and headed to Nike's bedchamber. When he entered her room, he found her sleeping sideways with her knees bent and hands resting close to her face. The covers were lying at the side of the bed, probably kicked off by her in her sleep.

A smile grew on his lips as he watched his wife slept peacefully and adorably. He unbuttoned his clothes and stripped naked. He was certain that she would throw a fit the first thing in the morning, but it was alright. He would no doubt survive like always.

The mattress squeaked beneath him when he climbed into bed beside her, but Nike remained fast asleep. He adjusted the covers properly before lying down and nestling close to her. His fingers swept her silky, orange hair away from her right cheek. She was so beautiful that he couldn't help but inched closer and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

He used to take sleeping pills, but now there was no need for them anymore.

She was his sleeping pill.

Goodnight, my love.

~ oOo ~

"Good morning, my beautiful Nike-chan!"

Bardouin greeted Nike happily and rushed towards her with his arms wide open as soon as she stepped into the dining room. She sidestepped instinctively and the charismatic blond man ran past her and tripped, falling flat on his face.

He got up quickly, as though nothing happened, and attempted to give her a hug again. However, he was blocked by another person this time.

"Take your hands off my wife!"

A tall figure stepped in between Nike and Bardouin. He swatted away the hands of the Prime Minister and wrapped an arm around the princess's shoulder. An irritated look crossed his face as he glared at the blond man.

It infuriated him greatly to see men harassing and flirting with his woman. Didn't they know it was treason to even set their eyes on the king's wife?

Jealousy burnt in his chest and he tightened his hold on Nike as he continued glaring at his flirty uncle. He remembered how the carefree man tried to seduce her and how he found both of them lying on bed together. Anger boiled up within him at that memory.

He wasn't aware that the princess was very still and holding her breath. Heat rose in her cheeks as she stared at how extremely close they were. She didn't know what was happening to her. Ever since she saw Livi as a grown man, her heart was acting weird.

Meanwhile, Livi's uncle was dumbfounded by the whole situation.

"W-what?" he stammered. "W-w-who are you?"

He staggered backwards in extreme shock, tripping over his own feet in the process. His butt landed hard on the ground. However, he was shaken up by the familiar voice yet unfamiliar body of the person standing before him that he didn't realize that he was on the floor.

Livi's face erupted into a triumphant smile. For the first time in his life, he was able to wipe that flirty smile off Bardouin's face. This feeling of satisfaction was beyond words and he was glad that he was in his adult body.

"If you dare to touch even a single strand of hair on my woman again, I swear that you'll spend the rest of your life living in a prison cell," he threatened. He glowered at Bardouin, who in return just stared open-mouthed at him.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. And Bardouin-sama, please control yourself." Neil berated the both of them. He had entered the room after Livi and witnessed the entire scene.

Nike, too, joined in. "That's right, you guys. Stop fighting!" She tugged on Livi's white shirt to get him to stop. He looked down towards a worried-looking Nike and relaxed himself.

"Sorry for being late," he smiled at her. "I couldn't wear my clothes in this state and had to take a new set of measurements for new clothes."

Surprised by his words, Nike just stared at him. It was like the fight with Bardouin never happened.

"I-it's okay," she replied, flashing him a demure smile. Gosh, what was wrong with her?

Smooth fingers reached out to her face. His handsome smile was still in place as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. A blush was creeping its way to her cheeks again and she looked down to hide it.

Livi opened his mouth and was about to say something when a loud high-pitched squeal from the door took them away from their own world and back to reality.

"OH. MY. GOSH." The voice belonged to a gorgeous lady who greatly resembled Nike. She dashed towards Livi and threw her arms around him.

"Oh my, aren't you the hottest guy ever?" She gave him a squeeze, pressing her large breasts to his chest on purpose. "You changed from a cute boy to a hot man! Yum! Why didn't I marry you?"

"Oh no, take your hands away!" Livi cried out in horror. He tried to pry her hands off him.

"Mira onee-chan! Let him go! You're killing him," Nike exclaimed at her sister.

Mira let go of the poor king and turned to giggle at her, using one hand to cover her mouth.

"Jealous much? My cute little Imouto-chan?"

"H-huh? No way!" Nike denied, but her face betrayed her. Livi glanced at her and a charming smile appeared on his face, realizing that she was indeed jealous. Flustered, she tried to change the subject of the conversation.

"Are you responsible for Livi's change? If you are, explain yourself clearly."

Mira held up both her hands to stop her. "I'll explain everything, but let's sit down first. Aren't you guys hungry? Because I am." She approached the long dining table and sat down on one of the chairs.

The rest followed suit, even Bardouin recovered from his fall and sat down quickly. He was eager and curious to know what on earth was happening. He casted quick glances at the adult Livi every few seconds, his eyes were still in absolute disbelief at how much his nephew has changed overnight.

Neil ordered the servants to serve breakfast immediately. When they entered the room, they nearly tripped and dropped the plates of food they were carrying at the sight of their king. However, they quickly masked their looks of surprise and served the food normally.

Clearly, the kitchen was going to be full of chattering later on.

Once the servants left, Nike turned to her sister. "So, would you begin explaining now?" she asked, getting a little impatient.

Mira took a bite of her fluffy pancakes and chewed slowly, as if delaying herself on purpose. She knew the suspense was killing the other four people on the table and obviously, she was enjoying it.

Once she swallowed her food, she placed her fork down. She leaned forward, as though she was about to tell a secret, and spoke in a whisper.

"I've found the Flower of Desires." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

The rest were confused. "The what?" they asked in unison.

"The Flower of Desires. It's in our legends." She glanced at her frowning sister.

"Why didn't I hear of this before?" Nike scratched her head in confusion.

Mira smiled in response. "Because I dug up some old stuff in the library to see if I could find out more about this flower. You see, I happened to come across the Flower of Desires while I was hiking the mountains and looking for herbs."

It was deep in the mountains, where she found the magical flower. She remembered herself noticing a small golden color at the corner of her eye while digging some wild gravel roots. It struck her as peculiar then and she walked curiously towards the spot where she had seen it. The flower was hidden in between two large boulders, as though awaiting for someone to discover its existence.

Eyebrows raised, Nike shot her a curious look.

"So what did you find out?"

"If one were to consume the Flower of Desires, he would be granted a wish of his, one that he subconsciously wishes for." Mira smiled and leaned back into her chair.

"So, I figured that it would be the perfect gift to present to my little brother-in-law. And now we know that deep down in his heart, our Sun King here desired to be his future self-"

She leaned towards Nike and spoke in a low voice so that no one could hear.

"-considering the number of rivals he has who are fighting over a certain someone." She smiled widely at her, seeming proud of herself. Nike felt her cheeks flushing red as she understood her sister's words.

"Will he stay like this forever!?"

An exasperated Bardouin inquired, suddenly standing up and banging his fist on the table. His mind was starting to harbour thoughts that ladies in the castle and town would soon cast him aside and flock to the gorgeous king. A dread of horror in him threatened to surface.

Livi cocked his head to the side while watching his uncle. He wanted to ask the same exact question, but apparently, someone beat him to it. He noticed beads of sweat appearing on an anxious Bardouin's forehead and knew exactly what was running through his mind.

Tsk, that womanizer... I ought to smash that head of his. He's forever turning my castle into a brothel.

"Unfortunately, he won't stay like that forever." Mira's words interrupted his thoughts. She shook her head with a sad smile. Livi's head snapped back to her and a disappointed look crossed his face.

Damn... And just when things are staring to get interesting... His eyes flickered to Nike, whose bewildered eyes were fixed on her sister as she listened to her words.

"How long?" he asked Mira quietly. There was a glimmer of hope in him wishing that he could stay like this for at least a few months or longer.

She turned to look at the captivating young man and gave him an apologetic answer.

"Three days. That's all you get."

His jaw dropped. THREE DAYS!? That was way too short!

"Can't we just brew the tea again?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head again. "That's impossible. The Flower of Desires blooms once every ten years."

Upon hearing her words, Bardouin relaxed in his seat with a relieved and overjoyed look on his face. Nike's face was still stuck in a frown. Neil was relieved, clearly afraid that his King was going to have an abnormal growth.

But a wave of disapoointment washed over Livi. He didn't really want to go back to his child-like body, not when he has the perfect body and looks. He wanted Nike to look at nobody else, but him.

Mira sensed his distress and leaned towards him, using a hand to cover her mouth so that no one could lip-read her. She whispered encouragingly into his ear.

"After all the trouble I went through to get this flower, don't waste the golden opportunity that I've given you. Just enjoy yourself with Nike for these three days."

A blush tinted across his cheeks as he realized Mira's true intentions. For once, they were both on the same page and he was starting to appreciate her crazy plan.

Amusement glinting in her eyes, she gave him a hard supportive smack on his back.

"Seduce her, my little brother-in-law!"

Translation:

Mataku - Come on already

Chapters are getting progressively longer, if you guys noticed. Please review, it really means a lot to me. :)