Of all the people to come and visit me at my apartment, it's Hans! What does he want? It's not like he's here for me, so what is his reason? But after Hans' visit, I'm beginning to piece together the culprit behind my problems...

Contains adaptation of "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations


"Sieg… he thinks that it's best to place some distance between the two of you." Hans tells me.

"Pardon?" I ask.

"But that is in order to protect you." Hans tells me.

I know that much. But when I said we shouldn't see each other again, he totally disagreed with me.

"I will protect you. Just trust me."

His words once again echo through my head about ten times.

A few days later at the shop…

"Sieg thinks it's best to put some distance between the two of you."

Hearing Hans' words repeat over and over in my mind, it's beginning to get to me.

"Carly? Carly?" I hear someone say, and I snap out of my daze.

"Y-Yes?" I ask.

I've been cleaning the kitchen and I've been lost in my own troubles lately. I see Yosef giving me an anxious look.

"You've been distracted lately; is everything okay?" Yosef asks me.

"Sorry…" I say.

"No no, you don't need to apologize. I'm just worried about you," Yosef tells me. "You're usually so bright and cheerful, yet recently you seem downcast."

"Thanks for the concern… But I'm finer than feathers," I say. "I'll keep my focus."

I slap on a smile and Yosef looks a tad relieved.

"Really? Then instead of cleaning, can I ask you to go to the shops? We're running low on raisins." Yosef asks me.

"Leave it to me!" I say, putting down the broom.


After picking up the raisins, I'm running back to the shop with the large, ten-pound sack of raisins.

However, on my way back, I notice there's a large group of people gathered in front of a large TV screen on the corner.

"It's an interview with the princes!" "They said it's about preparations for the Expo."

I see that the princes are fielding questions from reporters while standing in the castle gardens.

It has been some time since I've seen Sieg, but now he seems so far away. The fact that I even talked with him normally seems like a dream. But now I've stopped to watch.

On the screen…

"It must be a lot of hard work?" A reporter asks.

"Yes, but things are going well thanks to the efforts of the government and crew." Prince Hayden replies.

"This is an important Expo for strengthening relations between our countries. We want this to be a success." Prince Kuon adds.

The reporter says, "This is the first time Sacnt Sybil and Shaharazal are participating. Has it been tough for you?"

"Not at all. I'm just focused on fulfilling my role as my kingdom's representative." Ivan replies.

"Everyone's taken good care of us with no problems." Aslan adds.

"Sieg, just as the preparations are coming to a head… you're also rumored to be turning up the heat in your personal life." The reporter says.

I knew they were probably going to spring that one on him…

Sieg hesitates to reply to that.

"We request that you keep all questions related to the Expo." Prince Oliver says.

The reporter ignores Prince Oliver and says, "Prince Sieg, about that girl…"

"Excuse me, but…" Oliver begins, trying to keep the conversation going in the intended direction.

"It's fine, Oliver. This is a good opportunity for me to explain," Sieg says. Oh, now what?! "The girl in question is a talented pastry chef, so I asked her to give me lessons in baking. That day, she was ill and missed our lesson. I went to see how she was. That's all. But I regret that my careless actions stirred up the press. I apologize for the trouble I caused."

Phew… Sieg told the truth.

"You seemed very close in the photos." The reporter comments.

"Those photos were taken to make that appear to be the case." Sieg states.

"So you're saying that this girl is not your lover?" The reporter inquires.

"She's not," Sieg says. "But… She's very important to me."

Say what?! Sieg, that's a little reckless of you to say…

Prince Sieg's words are causing an uproar amongst the reporters and now I'm worried about what else is going to happen…

"Prince Sieg, what do you mean by that…!" One of the reporters asks.

"I'm sorry! This interview is over!" Hans shouts, as he gets between Sieg and the reporters.

"Prince Sieg, just one more word!" Another reporter asks.

Sieg stops as he's walking off, his back to the camera.

"Let me take this opportunity to say that I won't let anyone intimidate her or threaten her livelihood again. I will protect that girl with my life!" Sieg says.

His glare is sharp, and it's burning into the camera. I don't think royals like him would dare look that menacing and hostile.

"He said she's not his lover." "But… wasn't that a confession?" "I'm so jealous!"

Amongst the crowd, I'm staring into space. Sieg, do you know how reckless that was of you to do?! I don't know if he does or not, but now I'm even more worried than usual. Why did he say that?! That idiot… Especially after he said we needed distance to prevent this from getting out of control…

"Hey, doesn't that girl over there look like the one from the photos with Prince Sieg?"

Someone asks, and then I snap back out of my daze. I lower my head and make a speedy run to the bakery.


I soon make it back and then Yosef approaches me.

"Carly! I was just watching TV, and…" Yosef begins.

"I saw it, too…" I say, admitting it.

"You can go home for the day," Yosef tells me. "Prince Sieg's distracted them for now, but the media will probably turn up here soon."

"Point taken. I'm really sorry about this." I say.

"Take care on your way home." Yosef tells me.

I make it home without getting tailed by any reporters or paparazzi. Once I make it to my house, I throw myself onto the bed and a million thoughts are running through my head like a horse derby.

"First he tells me to trust him, then he says we need to make distance, and now he went and said all of that…" I say.

The more I think this over, the less I understand what Sieg feels.

"Is he just messing with me?" I say.

I then start getting into song and I just decide to vent.

"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around?" I sing, as I roll over on my bed in anxiety.

"And then worst of all, (worst of all) he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." I sing, standing up.

"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion."

I then remember the first day he and I met.

"When I was at Nobel Michel, you hit my head quite well with flowers. Was that intentional? (Ba-dah-dah) When we danced that night, you made my temper ignite, that's too true. You angered me the next day, it's not like I had a say at all. What was wrong with you?" I sing, remembering the first dance we had, plus the marriage interview the next day.

"(Hey, hey, hey) Sieg Lieben, can't you be (hey, hey, hey) a little more honest with me? Why is it that I'm always questioning what you do? Hmmm-mmm-mmm-mmm." I sing, as I then go to the window to look to the castle.

"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around?" I sing, before shutting the window.

"And then worst of all (worst of all), he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." I sing, as I go up and get myself a snack.

"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." I sing, as I eat my snack.

"I'm amusing to you, that much is true to me. (bah-dah-dah) All of that I know. No matter what I say, you keep after me each day, why do you tease me so?" I sing, a little upset with Sieg.

"(Hey, hey, hey) Sieg Lieben, can't you be (hey, hey, hey) a little more honest with me? Why is it that I'm always questioning what you do? Hmmm-mmm-mmm-mmm." I sing, as I then go to the window to look to the castle, once again.

"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around." I sing, before shutting the window.

"And then worst of all (worst of all), he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." I sing, as I go up and get myself a glass of lemonade.

"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." I sing, as I drink my lemonade.

"You've been acting this way since the day we first met. You've been like this since day one. Why build me up? (Build me up?) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." I sing as I then put my glass down and start feeling a little better.

I soon hear my doorbell ring, and then I begin to panic.

"Ack!" I scream. Don't tell me those idiots from the media are here? How'd they tail me?

I hesitantly go to the door; I keep my back to the wall next to the hinge of the door and I make a grab for the doorknob.

"Carly? It's Hans. Could you open the door?" Hans asks from outside.

Hans? What is he doing here?

I relax, before opening the door and then I say, "Hans, boy, am I glad to see you."

His face is apologetic and he refuses to talk.

"You here about the interview earlier?" I ask.

"I am," Hans answers. "I thought it might have caused some trouble for you…"

"For the time being, everything's copacetic." I say.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Hans says to me.

"I haven't a clue what Sieg's thinking." I state.

"That's understandable," Hans tells me. "I came because I thought I might be able to explain a bit."

"Okay, then. Come on in." I say, beckoning Hans in, and then I shut and lock the door.

"This might be overstepping my bounds as a butler, but I'm here today as someone who cares about Prince Sieg." Hans tells me.

"You mean to tell me…" I begin, getting an idea of what happened. "Don't tell me that Sieg doesn't know you've snuck off."

Sheesh… For a butler, Hans sure knows how to meddle.

"Yes. It was my own decision to come here," Hans tells me. "I've left Sieg in someone else's hands for now. But he's probably aware by now."

I don't say anything as I pour some lemonade for Hans. I decided to have some mise en place for tea just in case.

"Before I talk about Sieg, allow me to start from the beginning of the story." Hans tells me.

"Shoot." I say, with a nod.

"The truth is, while Sieg's been out of contact with you, he's been investigating the grudge against your store." Hans explains.

"Really?" I ask, quite surprised.

"At first, he was just investigating the situation to protect you. But it was strange how far they went to fuel this media attack. Sieg thinks it's not just a matter of a simple gossip scandal." Hans says.

"I figured that was probably the case," I say. "I really suspect someone's actually behind this scandal because the suppliers shut us out, too."

"Yes, you are right. Someone bigger than a mere reporter is behind it." Hans replies to me.

"I thought so, but who?" I say with a nod.

"It's not my place to say." Hans admits.

I don't know why, but something in the back of my mind is coming forward… Something Sieg mentioned before… But what? Or who?

"I'm sorry…" Hans says; his expression is grave. I can tell that this is quite serious. "Anyway, you're a victim in all this. When he learned this, Sieg didn't know what to do. To protect you, he didn't know if he should completely cut ties with you or if he should keep you beside him."

"So when he said we needed distance the way he did…" I begin, but I decide to let Hans finish.

"He was torn between those two options." Hans says.

That explains everything. He's been worried about me the whole time?

"I was thinking that Sieg was just messing with me, flipping the script the way he did. Now I'm regretting that I even thought that." I say.

"No… anyone would have felt like that," Hans says to me. "When it comes to expressing his feelings, Sieg can be rather awkward. Though it may be unprofessional of me to speak on behalf of my master, I couldn't stand the thought of you misunderstanding Sieg's actions."

"Oh, Hans…" I say, feeling a bit better. "You're not unprofessional at all. I'm certain Sieg is happy to have you as his butler."

"Really?" Hans says, with a relieved smile. "Miss Carly…"

"Yes?" I inquire.

"I think that Sieg decided toady which way he was going to go about protecting you. And he gave that answer at today's press conference." Hans explains.

"Oh…" I say.

"How you respond is, of course, entirely up to you…" Hans says.

The corners of his eyes crinkle affectionately as he watches me sit here in surprise.


Later that night, Hans had left and I try to get to bed. But I'm incapable of falling asleep right now.

What is Hans saying? That Sieg wants to be with me? But… That makes no sense to me. Does Sieg want me at his side as his friend, or what? I don't know… But I can't cause any more issues for the store.

As for that 'someone bigger', I don't know why, but I feel like I may already know the answer to that.

I myself look at the clock and it's already 3 AM.

"What is it that I want?" I ask myself as I get out of bed.

I go to the window to get some night breezes, but… As I'm looking out the window, I see a silhouette of someone slipping towards my apartment.

I get a little worried; on the other hand, it could be one of the tenants that came home late due to work. One of the tenants is a doctor, and I tend to say that a doctor's work is never done.

However, I hear a quiet knock at my door. Who the heck is it at this hour?

I open the door and I see that of all people, it's Sieg. I let him in quietly, shut the door, and turn off the floor. Obviously, our eyes need a few seconds to adjust to the sudden light shift.

"Sorry to drop by unexpectedly." Sieg tells me.

"Sieg…" I say, a little nervous.

I start feeling my heart pounding like a drum now that he's right here in front of me. I can't even make eye contact with him.

"So Hans came to speak with you." Sieg says, breaking the ice.

"He told you?" I ask.

"More like I forced it out of him." Sieg says with a chuckle.

"He said he thought you'd catch on." I say with a smirk.

"He's terrible at hiding things from me." Sieg replies.

He chuckles a bit before taking my hands into his own.

"I'm sorry for confusing you." Sieg says to me.

"No…" I say, shaking my head.

"I couldn't decide whether or not I should involve you anymore. I tried to cut ties with you so many times. But the more I tried to distance myself, the more I ended up thinking about you," Sieg admits. "You're a real nuisance."

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I think this is a perfect example. I certainly apply here; I couldn't forget about him, he couldn't cut ties with me.

"I don't know whether or not saying I'm a nuisance should be taken nicely or not." I say.

"I really tried," Sieg says, letting go of my hands, and then he slowly strokes my cheek. "It means you're that important to me…"

"Sieg…" I say, feeling tears come up to my eyes.

"I won't lie to you or hide things from you again. I want to be with you." Sieg confesses to me.

It's like I'm drowning in his blue eyes; they're so dark that they're almost purple.

"I… I can't break ties with you either…" I confess. So this is what's been in my heart.

"Does that mean you want to be with me, too?" Sieg asks me.

I can't help it, so… I speak up.

"Yes." I say.

"Okay… then… Pack your bags." He says unexpectedly.

"Say what?" I ask. "Why?"

"Why? Because we're going out." Sieg replies.

"That's too vague!" I say.

"Hurry up. If you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you." Sieg says to me, before pulling out my drawers.

"Hey! That's…!" I begin, but then I clamp my mouth shut. Not my underwear…

"What, is there something you don't want me seeing?" Sieg asks me.

"Darn tootin'! It's very unexpected to just go through a girl's drawers!" I shout, my face redder than an apple.

"Then get ready!" Sieg says to me.

"The least you could do is tell me where we're headed!" I say.

"I want you to come home to DresVan with me." Sieg tells me.

"Pardon?" I ask. "To DresVan?"

"Yeah." SIeg says with a nod.

"What's the reason for DresVan as our destination?" I ask.

I see that his expression hardens and then he speaks.

"That gossip article was set up by someone in DresVan." Sieg explains.

"What…?" I begin, and then as I say it, something in my mind is starting to come forth. A name that I put in the back of my brain for a while, and it's finally coming to form. "Who?"

"Do you remember the name Ulrich?" Sieg asks me.

That's when it dawns on me: Ulrich was the one who set up that gossip scandal and now I know what was coming up from my mind earlier.

"He's that cockroach who's been by your father's side recently, right?" I ask.

"Yeah." Sieg says.

"That reporter, Jake, did say something about someone telling him about our relationship." I mention.

"The reporter who chased you? I hear about that from Hans. And when I investigated him, it turns out he received money from Ulrich." Sieg tells me.

"That cockroach… But why…?" I inquire.

"I still don't know what his purpose is. Maybe he wanted to create a scandal so the King would lose faith in me. Or maybe he just wanted to hurt me by destroying my relationship with you." Sieg states.

"How cruel…" I say, getting angry.

"It was also Ulrich who blackballed your store." Sieg informs me.

"That explains why the suppliers stopped selling to us." I say, crossing my arms.

"Anyway, now that I know he's up to something, I've decided to return in secret." Sieg explains.

"But why take me?" I ask.

"Ulrich has information on you. If you were left here alone, you'd be in danger," Sieg informs me. "I told you I would protect you."

"Sieg…" I say.

"During the TV interview, I made two decisions. I made up my mind about you and I made a declaration of war with Ulrich." Sieg tells me.

Now that I think of it, Sieg's expression on the TV was really fierce.

"Will you come with me?" Sieg asks me.

I want to be able to back Sieg up when he needs me. I don't just want him to protect me or defend my honor.

"I'll go to DresVan with you." I say to Sieg.


Sieg and I are on our way to DresVan Kingdom in secret, but something goes wrong on the train and I end up meeting that cockroach, Ulrich, face-to-face! What's his deal?!