"Hey there, handsome. Missed me?"

Nozel just looked at her blankly, like always when she was flirty with him. Vanessa giggled. After all those meetings, he still didn't know how to handle her teasing flirts or how to take her compliments and she find that side of him wonderfully adorable.

They met again under Aciers willow in the parc, at the water lily pond. One of Vanessas favourite places to meet up with Nozel, alongside the café.

"Good evening, miss Eno- … Vanessa."

"We're making progress, I see. As much as I love how elegantly you call me miss Enoteca, it's so much nicer to hear you just say Vanessa," she laughed as she sit down right next to him. Maybe closer than she needed to, even for a friend. But Vanessa didn't care, she enjoyed Nozels company way too much. And she loved his subtle lavender scent.

Nozel blushed again, like every time. But instead of looking away, his eyes still rested on her. Which was unusual coming from him.

His glance was more intense on her, but not in a bad way. New, sure, which could made Vanessa uncertain. But so caring and something else she couldn't pinpoint. No one ever looked at her like that and coming from him, it was so welcoming.

What was that strange and new feeling? Was it really new?

Ignoring it, Vanessa asked in a laugh, "So, what's new, stud? Did you got the gift?"

"I did. Thank you, it is really a masterpiece."

"Oh, thanks for the compliment," Vanessa smiled. Now, she was blushing. Which was strange enough to be noted. Usually, she only blushed when she was drunk, which was pretty normal. But right now, she was sober.

It never happened before. Even when she was crushing on Yami or having those dates and flings a long time ago… Vanessa never blushed back then.

But with Nozel, she did. She had no idea what it could mean and wasn't sure she wanted to know why it was with him of all people. Or because she was afraid somehow of that specific truth? It wouldn't be the first time she would ignore something pretty unpleasant she didn't know how to handle.

Like the cage…

Or the memories of the cage…

Chasing away those unpleasant memories, Vanessa asked with a smile, "I hope the colour's fine. Just thought that you needed a little change in your clothing."

"I highly doubt that I would have been happy with a stronger shade of red, like scarlet or crimson. Burgundy is fine."

"Oh, even I wouldn't have been that bold. Besides, darker colour suit you so well. I already thought that at Finrals and Finesses wedding. Why don't wear darker colours more often? Is it a family thing? I tried so often to make Noelle more darker colours as well, but she flooded the whole hideout at every attempt."

"She did?"

"Yes. The only dark thing she's wearing is her Black Bull robe and she claimed that dark colours are unfitting of royalty or that it would make her look like an old lady and take her youth away. Your sister is very talented for ridiculous arguments when she's flustered or when she panics. You at least seem more open for darker clothing."

"I see… The traditional Silva clothes are always white, bright grey and silver, with pastel colours or cold shades like blue or purple as secondary colours."

"Oh, the kind of clothes you were every day?"

"Yes. Royalty has some kind of royal dress code. It was more strict before, each royal family were only allowed to wear their own colours."

"Geez, that sucks. Even peasants have more freedom with clothing than that."

"I guess it's true. The dress code became more flexible over time. Today, the Silvas, the Vermillions and the Kiras still have their traditional colours, most of our clothes are still more or less traditional. But we're not bonded to those colours anymore. The ancient dress code was too contradictory in the first place, which actually made it difficult to follow."

"How can it even be contradictory."

"It's difficult to explain. But in a simple example, Silvas had blue as secondary colour and Kiras had green. So far it was clear. But it never had been specified in which category teal and turquoise had to be put."

"Never? But aren't those just shades of both blue and green?"

"True, but back in old days, no royal wanted to wear the same colours as the other two royal houses. Especially the Kiras, of course. If a Silva dared back then to wear teal or turquoise as a secondary colour, house Kira would have made a state affair out of it."

"Geez, all that just for a so-called secondary colour. Couldn't the Kiras just let it go."

"Sadly no. As the reigning house, they always believed their decisions and choices to be the priority. And of course, it still didn't changed today."

Nozel said it with such a disgusted face, it was really adorable. Just like Noelle when she was upset or disgusted about something.

But the whole problems with the Kiras and such, that was something Vanessa had no idea about and to be honest, she didn't want to know more about it. She didn't need to, it wasn't her world, she had the Black Bulls and her job as a Magic Knight, she didn't need more.

But… It was Nozels world. He dealt with that every day and more than his siblings, since he was the head of house Silva. It probably wasn't easy to deal with.

Maybe she still should learn more about royalty? To help him, to make his burden not as heavy anymore? Vanessa had no idea if she was able to understand the complex of royalty and as such, if she could really be of any help for him. But she wanted to help Nozel, that was certain.

That thought just came so simply it surprised Vanessa. She cared about people, true, but this… it felt so different and deeper when it was about Nozel.

"Thank goodness that royal dress code became more flexible," Vanessa continued their conversation, holding her thoughts for herself. "Maybe I should have try a dark blue-green shade for your shoulder cape, but I didn't have any fabric in that colour."

"I'm sorry. Should I have taken more rolls of fabric?"

"Goodness, Nozel! No, you didn't need to. You already gave me so much with that new sewing box and all those fabrics! You were so thoughtful, it's one of the greatest gift I ever got, if not the greatest!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

Nozel blushed again slightly, but still didn't looked away. This intense glance again… Vanessa decided that it would be a crime to look away. She already knew that his eyes were gorgeous, but never had it been more obvious than right now, in this very moment. His eyes were purple just like hers, but a different shade. They had some silvery highlights depending on the light, making the purple more metallic. Which made sense, he had magic with a metal affinity.

He was handsome, that she couldn't deny. His profile was perfect in her books, an elegant jawline, soft traits but he still looked imposing. He wasn't buff, but not a bean pole either. When he crossed his arms and the fabric of his clothes went tight over them, she could his muscles who were mostly hidden under those layers of clothing. Fine, softly chiselled muscles, not obvious, but here still. Often, Vanessa wished she could see more of it, without all those layers.

Come to think of it, this was probably the first time she was truly and deeply attracted to someone. How ironic. Since Yami, she only wanted to be attracted to buff men like him, while most of the time, she really wasn't that much. And the first time it really happened to her, it was someone who wasn't buff, who's muscles weren't that present but still there and more… elegant, in a way.

It was fascinating. He was fascinating.

Vanessa just had been curious about him since their talk in Spade. But now, she was fascinated and she didn't if it was sudden or if it grew slowly step by step without she even realized it.

But… was it attraction?

Because even though Vanessa was unable to ignore how handsome Nozel was, her curiosity and now fascination was now pointed towards who Nozel Silva really was behind his cold mask. And the glimpses she got since they got to meet each other made her care for him even more.

Did she like him now? Or did she actually…

"That gift was very welcoming," Nozel said suddenly, looking away, interrupting Vanessas thoughts and breaking… whatever was between them right now. "I… had a difficult day. So, it was comforting to get it."

"You're welcome," Vanessa simply replied. She couldn't help but worry about him again. Nozel never often told if something was bothering him or making him worry, so Vanessa needed to push him sometimes a bit in order to make him spill the beans. If he was saying that he had a difficult day without any push, it must have been really hard for him.

"What… happened? If I may ask."

"Well… I got nobles trying to bother me. At the Silver Eagles headquarters, despite the common knowledge that I DON'T treat the affairs of nobles and house Silva together with affairs concerning my squad. They weren't that bold before Spade. And then, a problem with one of my knights."

"Lucinda Sandler, Linus Gem or Samuel Évantail?"

Nozel looked at her, completely stunned. Vanessa almost gasped in awe at this sight of his. He was almost cuter than Noelle when she was surprised.

"How… how do you…"

"Know that those are some of the knights you have the most problems with? Well, remember the first time we got to your mums favourite café? Just before we went, you were upset about Lucinda and Linus. As for Samuel, you even mentioned him to me directly, so…"

Actually, it was surprising that she remembered those three specific names exactly. Was she more interested about Nozel and his world than she imagined?

"So, which one of the three?"

"Samuel. Lucinda and Linus are never there to begin with. To make it short, Samuel had been on a mission with Rob, Alysanne and Grenadine."

Vanessa quickly made a mental note to herself. Alysanne? Didn't ring a bell, she certainly never met that Silver Eagle. Grenadine was the nice Silver Eagle rookie she met the day Nozel and her went together to the café for the first time. Rob also made a bell ring, wasn't he the one that lost to Luck during the Royal Knights Selection Exam? That was a while ago…

"While Rob, Alysanne and Grenadine did their duty and fulfilled the mission, Samuel went away for the whole time and only came back when everything was over. But for some reason, he believed that he deserved a star as well, just because he's from high nobility and from a very old, renown noble house. He refuse to see that without actions and doing his job, he has no chance to gain a star."

"What a prick. And he dared to complain about that? Geez, that audacity. You're his captain and by that, his superior. He should know better than demanding you something like that."

"He should. But he doesn't. Not to mention he insults everyone he considers less, like his bastard half-sister or even my vice-captain."

"What, really? Can't you kick him out."

"Sadly, it's not that easy, as much as I wish it was. The Silver Eagles is an old squad and a royal one at that. We have century old agreements with different noble houses, including the Évantails, to take one of their members as a knight. I could exchange him, but most Évantails are true jerks and lazy, not caring about the true meanings of being a knight. I would certainly exchange one useless knight for another if I go that road."

"That's a stupid agreement. It's like there for nobles to use your squad as a trash bin for family members they don't know what to do with."

Nozel chuckled a bit. "That's a very true description. Honestly, if Samuel continues with this horrible attitude, all I can do is to report to the Wizard King. He's very aware of the problems those century old agreements have for the squads. The Grey Deers, now Aqua Deers, have those too, but not as much as the Silver Eagles. But it takes a lot to change this kind of system, especially since nobles refuse to let go of agreements which arrange only them."

Vanessa pouted. Nobles, really. Why were most of them such jerks? It was really pissing her off. Especially since Nozel had to deal with them, as captain of the Silver Eagles and as head of house Silva. No wonder he worked a lot, in order to navigate his squad and his family. Not with always much success, but dealing with that for almost seventeen years… It had to take a lot of inner strength.

"But that wasn't the worst."

"Really? What could be more of a pain than jerky nobles?"

"I got a letter from my father."

"Oh…"

Vanessa knew instinctively that this should be more painful for him than dealing with standard noble jerks. While Nozel was always sad but also happy when talked about his mother, his father was completely a different story. He didn't say much about that man, but when he was, there wasn't any happiness in his eyes. It was easy to assume he didn't have any happy memories with his father.

From what Vanessa could tell, the father of the Silva siblings did married into royalty, was pretty absent for most of them and when he had been at home, he might have been rude, distant and even frustrated with his children.

It wasn't much, she'll admit. But since her talk with Nozel back in Spade, Vanessa learned that behind the appearances, the truth could be more complex and anything but simply black or white.

"Weren't he out of the country for years? At least, you told me that."

"He still is. I mean, he loves his diplomatic missions and he always took them as an excuse to not come back home. Among other reasons. He wasn't even there when my mother passed away or at the funeral."

"Excuse me, what? He wasn't at the funeral? But that was his wife! I mean… I suppose it was an arranged marriage, but still! It should have been… decent or polite or whatever, to show up at her funeral!"

Vanessa found herself flinch when she realized what this implied. It would mean that this man left his four children alone on one of the most difficult days in their lives, the funeral of their mother. No father to be there for them, just Nozel, a too young, grieving teenager who didn't even had his grimoire yet and was burdened with a task too big for his age, Nebra and Solid, two little children who must have been confused and sad and maybe didn't even understood what was going on, and Noelle, a little baby who had completely no idea she just lost her mother.

For a man she never met and hopefully never will, Vanessa felt so terribly angry towards the father of the Silva siblings. Not only because of Noelle, but also Nozel, who needed a father back then. Heck, she even felt angry for the sakes of Nebra and Solid.

"Like you said, it was an arranged marriage," Nozel replied, his voice terribly bitter. "For him, it was just a stepping stone towards his goal, whatever this might be. He never loved my mother. All this years of her trying to be there for him, to hopelessly love him and he just… didn't care, throwing in the mud what my mother gave him."

He was more talking to herself than to her, his eyes pointed at the pool with the water lilies, but his glance so far away. Nozel loved his mother dearly, he must have hurt him as well that she had been treated like this by her own husband.

What he just said, it reminded Vanessa of something. Didn't Nozel told her something similar in Spade? About a woman who had an arranged marriage, fell in love with her husband but who didn't loved her back…

Vanessa internally gasped when she realized that Nozel most certainly was talking about his mother back then! Had it been the first time he told anyone about his parents marriage? And he did told her that in an attempt to comfort her about her realization that she didn't love Yami, even though the situations weren't quite the same.

He told her about a topic that surely wasn't easy for him, in order to comfort her. Vanessa looked at him with a new glance, as if she just saw another crack in his cold mask, showing a new side of him, more vulnerable and still strong.

Nozel surely didn't appeared like it at first glance, but his heart was definitely at the right place. Maybe he just never got the occasion to show it.

In an attempt to comfort him, Vanessa placed her hand on his. It was a soft touch, but she still saw Nozel flinched. He still wasn't used to kindness towards him, wasn't he?

"Will… will your father come back to Clover?"

"No, thankfully not. This is the only good news I got with his letter. Except the fact that he subtly insulted me again, he… he wanted to have a word about… my potential future marriage."

Vanessa flinched again. Another thing she remembered from Spade and which she just couldn't forget. The fact that Nozel would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for an arranged marriage, so that his siblings would be free to choose their partners.

She didn't liked that thought back then, that for Noelles happiness, her older brothers happiness has to be the price.

Today, she disliked that thought even more. Of course she didn't knew everything, but at least Vanessa knew that Nozel went through a lot since he lost his mother and even with his past mistakes, she was convinced that he deserved happiness. His own happiness. He couldn't have that in an arranged marriage, even more if his jerk of a father wanted to meddle as well.

And… she personally wouldn't be able to bear it to see him married and sacrificed, living a marital hell. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted to be part of his happiness!

Did she… did she just thought that? That she wanted to be part of his happiness? Wouldn't that mean…

"You won't let your father decide on that."

"Never. He would marry me off for his own scheme and I refuse to be a chess piece in his game. This still should be my decision."

"It should be. But… I still hope that you won't be in an arranged marriage. Your siblings wouldn't be happy to know you're unhappy for their sakes. At least Noelle certainly wouldn't like it. Nebra probably too. And I… I wouldn't like it either."

He didn't answered. He just looked at her. Surprise, shock, somehow gratitude danced in his eyes, as if he couldn't handle those emotions very well. There was also something else in his mesmerizing purple orbs, something she couldn't name and somehow, that mysterious emotion relieved her.

Nozel opened his mouth, probably about to protest. But Vanessa didn't let him. She didn't want to hear that he didn't deserved kindness. Because he did. She just hoped one day he would realize it and be able to forgive himself. She surely did.

"I'm glad my gift helped you to feel better after a difficult day, especially with your father. It's just… all I ask right now is to not dwell on that letter and your other worries. Just for this moment. I… care about you, since we meet up and talk almost every day. Seeing you worried and unhappy worries me. Just like with the Black Bulls. So, as I do with them, I wanna make sure you're able to rest from your worries."

Nozel still had the same look in his eyes, but now he was blushing too. Vanessa giggled as he let her push him softly back, so that he was laying and resting on the grass.

"And don't you dare protest. No one can say no to a witch and live to tell the tale. Just ask my squadmates, especially your sister. Noelle has quite a few examples to share."

Nozel still looked at her, stunned and with that mysterious feeling in his eyes. Vanessa could almost hear the gears turning in his mind, trying to search for an objection. But of course he couldn't find one. Maybe he didn't want to find one.

He finally relaxed, lie down on the grass and closed his eyes. How peaceful he looked that way. So much more handsome than he already was.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome, sugar."

Of course Nozel blushed again at the nickname. He blushed quite easily, just like his little sister. Must be a family thing. But unlike Noelle, Nozel just blushed slightly, nothing more than a pale pink on his cheeks. For him it was certainly a lot, but Vanessa wondered how much it would take to make him blush in a stronger way.

It was so calm right now, the evening sun shining on the pond and through the leaves of the willow, giving everything a subtle golden touch. The water lilies, the grass and him… She wished that it could be more often this way.

That Nozel could feel more often this way. It suited him so well to be without any worries for a while.

Vanessa smiled, as she looked at him. She still didn't know a lot about Nozel Silva yet, but so much more since their talk in Spade. The more she learned about him, the more she cared about him, the more she was longing to spend time with him and…

I love him…

It almost sounded so random, but not to Vanessa. Actually, it made perfectly sense, with everything that happened. Not only that, Vanessa just knew that it was true.

It was so different compared to the time she had a crush on Yami. This right here wasn't a crush, it was deeper, truer. She wasn't blinded by gratitude and admiration, she was well aware of Nozels flaws and cracks. And she embraced all of them.

Vanessa had feared that because of her past crush, she wouldn't be able to recognize if she would fall in love or not. She was able to see it for other people, but herself? She'd been a bit afraid to be dense.

But she wasn't. She fell truly in love for the first time and was able to recognize it. So simply even.

It was way better than everything she ever imagined before.

Still, a soft but sad smile appeared on her lips.

Because… what would happen now?

Vanessa had been convinced that she'll never care for her partner's status, rank and anything and that said partner wouldn't care either. But that had been at the time when Nozel wasn't part of her life yet. Just a presence far away in the background, as another squad captain and Noelles distant older brother, nothing else.

But he wasn't in the background anymore. Almost four months since Spade and in this period of time, he became such an important part of her life. She didn't even realized it, it just… happened.

With everything new she learned about him, with every moment they spent together, even their talk right now… Vanessa couldn't help but care more about status and duties and all those complex details she thought to never deal with in her life.

Nozel was captain of a royal squad, but also the head of house Silva. He was dealing with nobles who looked upon him like starving vultures, he needed to face the other royal house head who probably didn't respected him. He had to take care of Nebra, Solid and Noelle, helping securing their future within royalty. He had so many issues, was trying to make amends, especially with Noelle, was probably still grieving his mother and probably was harsher on himself than anyone.

And his reasons to agree to an arranged marriage wasn't even for his status or house Silva. It was for his siblings, for them to be free. Did Nozel even allowed himself to be in love, to love anyone romantically?

He probably thought he was unworthy of it.

Vanessa sighed. She wanted to help him, so much. But she had no idea how she could help for the bigger picture. Small relaxing moments like right now, that was easy to provide and Nozel couldn't protest long. But what about the more complex issues?

To be fair, the royal system was very intimidating. No wonder Vanessa ignored it in the past. But Nozel was part of it and he was now part of her life.

Vanessa sighed. She had no idea how royalty works as a whole, she doubted she would fit in. But Nozel…

She refused to let her fears be stronger than her love for him.

And yet, she still had no idea what to do next. And adding a more classical fear, Vanessa had no idea if Nozel would ever love her back.

Damn, since when was she so timid?

Vanessa looked down at Nozel, mesmerized by how peaceful he looked like this. Then, slowly, she lied down beside him on the grass, nearer to him than was probably proper for even for siblings.

Slowly, almost shy, she touched his hand. Nozel moved his, just as slowly, and taking hers in his. Even interwinding their fingers.

Vanessa turned her head towards him, but Nozel wasn't looking at her. His eyes were still closed, there was still a little blush on his cheeks. But he was slightly smiling, so soft that you needed to look closely to see it.

Now, Vanessa felt herself blushing. But still, she smiled as she hold his hands just a bit more tightly and closed her eyes.

She has no idea what the future had prepared, for him and for her. She still wasn't sure if Nozel would love romantically one day. But at least Vanessa knew that she meant something for him. If their time spent together wasn't enough proof, this simple hold of her hand surely told her so.

That wasn't what Vanessa imagined when she decided to put her love life onto a new path, but despite all that uncertainty, she was glad it went that way.

She just won't be bold on this topic and take it slow. She loved Nozel and since he was so much like a bird, she didn't want to take any risk and scare him away.

"And I have to say that even though it was slightly unfair to kick me out of the Silver Eagles, I have to admit that living as Magic Knight was really not as wonderful as young people think it is. Even in a royal squad your title is respected and if you don't… work, ugh, you have no chance to actually stand out and climb the ranks. I regret that gaining ranks isn't based anymore on how long you're part of the squad and from which noble house you are. Now, you can only gain star to your work and your actions. All in the line of duty. Well, it seems that duty and work are overrated things and the glory of Magic Knights as well, don't you think, lady Charlotte?"

Said the ex-knight to the squad captain.

Charlotte fought the urge to roll her eyes and instead, replied as politely as she could, "You forgot that I'm a Magic Knight and even a captain, lord Aquarius."

"Ah, yes, of course, of course," her discussion partner replied, flicking his hand, clearly not caring about her point. "Which means that you're one of the only Magic Knights who doesn't have to work. Please, could you tell me which kind of relations you used to get that poste? After all, earning the captains place through work only sounds really ridiculous, don't you think? I mean, a foreigner and a legitimated bastard became squad captains, only because lord Julius took a liking to them."

Charlotte did her best to not spill her drink into lord Aquarius' face. He had no idea. Even though Yami and William were indeed Julius' proteges, but if they hadn't earned merits already as Grey Deers, none of them would have been become captain in the first place.

"You're not a Magic Knight anymore, lord Aquarius, so I doubt that this kind of knowledge would be of any use to you," she simply said instead, in the coldest way possible.

"Well, true. It would have been surely quite the privilege to have my own Magic Knight Squad, though."

And the kingdom should be grateful that you're not a squad captain, Charlotte thought, but of course, she still had enough policy and endurance to not tell those words out loud.

She sighed, wondering again what she was doing here. Except attending a soirée organized by her mother, her aunt Florence and her aunt Rosamund and trying to not flee this golden hell. The official reason for this was to strengthen the bonds within relatives and noble houses the Roseleis are mostly in terms with.

But the unofficial reason for this hell of a soirée was of course to find a potential future wife or husband for some Roseleis. Mostly her, of course. Charlotte wasn't stupid, as she noticed that a lot of her potential suitors had been invited. Heck, it was why she currently had to politely had to do small talk with lord Aquarius Seashell right now. Even lord Reginald Évantail was present, with all of his children. There were many Évantails present today. Of course.

Charlotte was at least relieved that Nozel and Fuegoleon declined the invitation. That whole situation would have been awkward to the three of them. The only royals invited were half a dozen Vermillions Charlotte didn't know and a bunch of Kiras. Or maybe also just members of secondary branches to the Kiras, it was never clear with this royal house.

There weren't many Silvas present. Of course not, there were only four Silvas left and no secondary branches. In fact, the only Silva present was Solid and he already fell asleep on a couch, next to two chattering old ladies. Charlotte pitied him, maybe she could wake him up later and allow him to leave early.

Charlotte had been a bit surprised that Nebra Silva didn't come, as she was the Silva who dealt the best with the nobles. But she probably also was in the radar of suitors who were desperate to marry into royalty and certainly wanted to avoid this. Charlotte couldn't blame Nebra for this. Hopefully, she found herself a far better occupation than a noble soirée.

"But as I said, lady Charlotte, I'm actually glad to not be a Magic Knight anymore. And a Silver Eagle. Lord Nozel has no real respect for nobles titles. And honesty, now I have more time to go the club and um, well, spend my money in a much better way."

"You mean, gamble and risk to lose more than you have on the gaming tables? Isn't that one of the reasons you search for a wife who happens to have a very large dowry?"

The words fell out of her mouth before Charlotte could even think straight. But honestly, she was on edge since the start of this soirée and was right now pushing past her limits. How long before she will actually lose it and leave this suffocating salon?

Lord Aquarius looked genuinely shocked by her words. Maybe because he didn't expected that anyone would actually be aware of that specific reason about his search for a wife.

Or maybe he was shocked because Charlotte Roselei, captain of the Blue Rose Squad, called by many the Beauty of the Clover kingdom and most renown party on the marital market would actually snap at him so coldly.

Well, in fact it was more a scolding, but within nobility, those two terms were pretty often considered as synonyms.

Another unwritten noble golden rule.

Charlotte nodded to lord Aquarius as a goodbye and left the stunned and stupid man where he was. She noticed that some young girls immediately went towards him with heart eyes. Well, lord Aquarius was quite handsome with his long lilac hair and dark red eyes. But that was honestly the only good thing about him.

Leaving that idiot with his admirers, Charlotte walked through the Roselei salon, with anywhere specific to go. She saw her father talking and laughing with a bunch of nobles his age, as if everything was perfectly fine.

Charlotte quickly clenched her fist as she saw her father having undeserved fun. As if he never cheated on her mother, as if he never got a poor girl from the Common Realm pregnant before leaving her without a word, as if he never denied help to that girl and his bastard son, chasing them away.

Did he forgot he had another child beside her? Was he even aware that his son was also a Magic Knight? And even a Black Bull… the very squad lord Fidel Roselei claimed that none of his blood would accept to become a member. What an irony, really.

Charlotte sighed. She was still dealing with that new knowledge. That Luck Voltia, the cheery berserker of the Black Bulls and by that, a knight of the man she was hopelessly in love with, was actually her long lost half-brother.

All this time, she wondered what his fate would have been, where he could be… And all this time, he had actually been more or less near to her.

Did Luck knew anything about who his father was? Did he even care? According to Yami, the answer to both questions was no, but since Luck was rather special within his mind, no one could be sure.

Yami had been such a good help and support while she was dealing with this news. Well, he was shocked himself and even blamed himself a bit for not connecting the dots.

I mean, it should have been obvious. Your eye colour is just the same as his and even the fricking blonde shade of your hair is similar. Heck, the two elves that possessed you back then were even bro and sis! The elves who took over Gauche and his lil' sister were also siblings, it makes fucking sense!

Except the cursing words, Charlotte definitely agreed with him. Yami also suggested that she should gave her some time before deciding what their next steps are going to be.

Honestly, Charlotte had absolutely no idea what to do now. Did she even have the right to barge into Lucks life like that, after their father did to him and his mother, and by that, what house Roselei practically did to them? Not to mention, Luck has a family with the Black Bulls and he was happy with them. Would he really need an older sister who only learned about him very recently, who was a complete stranger to him?

On the other hand… Yami told her that Luck also deserved to know. Which was true. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to take Luck from the Black Bulls. Haven't Yami told her as well that her being Lucks sister by blood didn't meant less for the Bulls, but more Luck?

Charlotte sighed again. Yami hadn't teased her one bit since they went to visit Grace Voltias grave. It was unusual for him and while Charlotte suspected that it was also mostly due to the shock of the revelation, her inner feelings that something else was also bothering him.

She knew him now for ten years and now, after spending almost a month on their common investigation, she'd liked to think that she even got to know him more. It was a selfish thought, she knew. But she still liked to think that she came to know Yami a bit better.

What a situation, really. Not only Charlotte had no idea what do to next concerning her almost found little brother, but her love for Yami went deeper every passing day. Spending so much time together for their investigation had as consequences that she longed so terribly for him when they were apart.

That was so pathetic, they weren't even together yet and Yami still had absolutely no idea about how she truly felt for him. Each next step was blurry and if the longing wasn't enough already, she now even had… dreams about Yami. Very specific dreams, in ways she never did before who were unproper for a noble lady to even think about, especially when she wasn't married.

"Screw nobility," Charlotte mumbled, considering if she should get drunk for once or not.

"Captain Charlotte?"

She turned around and managed a smile as she recognized Églantine, one of her girls and one of the rare nice Évantails out there.

"Églantine, nice to see you. The first pleasant guest I meet this evening."

"Thanks, captain," Églantine replied with a giggle, playing with one corkscrew curl of her azure hair. "Actually, basically everyone who isn't either sick or on Magic Knight duty is here today. Which sucks, for once I would have liked to take a night shift."

"I'm sorry. If I knew, I would have arranged it that way."

"Don't be, captain, you couldn't know. Besides, I only learned about this soirée like since… one and a half hour? Something like that, certainly. My great-grandmother wanted our presence and well, no is never an option with her on this topics."

Églantine made a face and Charlotte also made one in return, although for different reasons. Lady Bianca, the head of house Évantail, also happened to be Églantines great-grandmother and she was still more energic than many young people out there. Not to mention that the family tree of the Évantails was thanks to that also a pretty mess.

"So, I might have overheard lady Rosamund talk to one of my aunts just a minute ago. Or cousins, whatever. Is it true that my great-uncle Reginald is trying to court you and make you his sixth wife?"

Charlotte nodded. She would have preferred if her knights wouldn't hear about her family trying to find a match for her, but the one thing nobility and the Blue Roses had in common were the fast gossip.

"Yes, sadly. And for some strange reason, aunt Rosamund seems very determined to make this marriage a reality."

"Don't accept, captain Charlotte!"

"I won't, don't worry."

"I don't worry about that, you're not that easy to manipulate. It's just," Églantine cut herself, looking around which made her azure ringlets dance around her, before whispering, "what about the captain of the Black Bulls?"

Ah, yes, the never ending project of the Blue Rose knights, even after Spade. Charlotte couldn't help but smile. As flustered it made her, it was so nice to have the support of her girls concerning Yami.

"That is one of the reason I don't want to be wed off, you know. But… we're still not together and I don't know if he ever realized what I feel for him."

"Well, Puli said that he is on the stupid and dense side. But don't worry, captain Yami has a good heart, one day he will realize and I'm sure he would never allow that anyone marries you off against your will."

Charlotte just nodded. It was true that Yami would not let her get trapped into an arranged marriage. But… ah, why did her love for him made everything look simple and complex at the same time?

"I'm actually glad that I met you, captain Charlotte. You're far better company than my older brother. He couldn't stop but complaining about a star he neither got nor deserved and that was really getting on my nerves."

"Oh, which brother?"

"Samuel, the one who's with the Silver Eagles. Well, he had a mission lately and of course, he disappeared until everything was over, but he's still upset that he didn't got a star like the other knight who were on that mission. Even worse for him, our half-sister Grenadine got a star."

"My goodness, you brother has quite the audacity," Charlotte said in a sigh. "And you, are you happy for Grenadine?"

"Yes, because from what I heard, she deserved it. Gosh, I wish I could already use fan magic like she does. My family of course doesn't allow it, but I hope to soon be on better terms with my sister."

"Which won't happen, Églantine. You shouldn't wish to get along with the shame of our house."

Both Blue Roses turned around to the newcomer. Prudence Évantail, one of Églantines many relatives and the second daughter of lord Reginald, also known as one of Charlottes unwanted suitors. So, if Rosamund would succeed, Prudence would be Charlottes stepdaughter, despite the two of them being around the same age.

Prudence was a true beauty with her long, straight pale pink hair and the typical turquoise coloured eyes of the Évantails. But that was honestly the only positive thing Charlotte knew about her.

"You and your little brother Candid are really naïve," Prudence continued, taking Églantines arm slowly but still firmly. "Grenadine shouldn't be considered as your sister. After all, she is just a bastard. It was wrong of lord Nozel to make a Silver Eagle out of her. We Évantails are standing strong and we don't get desperate about scandals. Unlike some other… noble families."

The last words were subtly pointed towards Charlotte, that much was clear. But even though she had no idea what Prudence was exactly implying, Charlotte had no intention to be intimidated.

"Those are some high words from you, lady Prudence. You shouldn't underestimate Grenadine. She might be a bastard, but I'm certain that won't stop her to be a great asset for the Silver Eagles and the Magic Knights in general."

"Oh, lady Charlotte, we all know the Magic Knights aren't as trustworthy as- Ouch!"

"You're not very prudent, Prudence."

Églantine just punched her distant cousin with the elbow and was now looking at her in a way that should have killed Prudence, if glares could kill.

The pink haired Évantail tried to search for a venomous reply, but still decided against, before turning towards Charlotte, "Friendly advice, don't try to hide your families scandals."

"Lady Prudence, if you think that I excuse every mistake the members of my house are doing, then you're not as smart as you think you are."

Prudence blinked, but was still clever enough to not reply. She just went away and pulled Églantine with her, who gave her captain a sorry smile.

Charlotte took a deep breath, before putting her still full glass on a small table and left the salon.

She clearly had enough of this nonsense. Dealing with those unwanted suitors was the last thing she wanted. What she wished was to think calmly about what she could do with Luck, how she could be a good sister to him if possible and… well, the thing she wanted the most was to be with Yami, to stop being so uncertain with him, to be in his strong arms and… to finally live everything that made romantic love the way it was.

That wasn't for soon, she perfectly knew that and the only one she had to blame for her impatience was herself. If only she had told Yami what she felt all those years ago.

But maybe she could still call him and talk? Hearing his voice, even Yami would be teasing, even if he was getting on her nerves again, this seemed so much better than nothing for Charlotte.

But just as she started climbing the stairs to get to her room, she heard her mother calling her.

"Charlotte my dear, where are you going? The Soirée is not over yet."

"For me, it is," Charlotte replied, not hiding anymore that she was exhausted and done with all of this nonsense.

"Oh, sweetie, I know it's difficult, but you have to consider-"

"No, mother, I won't consider any potential suitors. I don't want to get wed off, I don't want to be the victim to an arranged marriage. It's just… I can't do this, okay? I… want to marry out of love, that's the only reason for me to consider a wedding. I don't care even if it's with someone out of my circle! I know that you at least still consider my happiness, but what about the other Roseleis? What about father, what about aunt Rosamund, what about all the other Roseleis? You and I both know that they don't want my happiness, but reaching whatever their goals are. I am not a chess piece, mother! I'm a Magic Knight, a squad captain and I overcome many threats and danger along with others. Marrying someone I don't love, to fulfil the ambition of someone else entirely… that's not me. It will never be me. And I think you understand that already."

Charlotte looked back at her mother, actually awaiting to get scolded, to have her mother's anger fall upon her.

Which didn't happened.

Lady Orchidea just looked at her daughter, shocked, somehow hurt and sad, but… was there also some understanding in her green eyes?

Charlotte sighed deeply, before she said exhausted, "I love you very much, mother. You're probably one of the rare ones in our family for whom I truly care for. But what you do, trying to marry me against my will… it hurts. It hurts because I love you. I respect your choices and wishes, but please, don't marry me of. Also don't fight me if I fall in love with someone who could be considered unworthy for a Roselei."

That last sentence wasn't probably needed, but Charlotte still had the urge to say it out loud. She still stood still a few seconds, hoping her mother would say something.

But Orchidea remained quiet, frozen. As if that declaration was too much for her to handle.

"Sorry to hurt you," Charlotte whispered, before turning away and run towards her bedroom. She didn't know if her mother heard her apology, but she didn't care. It was just too much emotion right now to handle.

She needed Yami right now. To call him. Oh, Charlotte wanted more from him, more with him, by him. But that wasn't possible, since all of the things she wanted were only possible in a relationship and they weren't a couple. For now.

But calling him, that was something she would have immediately. Her beloved knight of darkness, hearing his deep, rough voice…

Charlotte reached for her communication device and immediately called him.

"Who dares to call me while I'm taking a shi-"

"Yami? It's me."

"Prickly Queen? Gosh, you sound ugly. Something happened at that stickass party?

"Well, it was too much for me to handle and as you know, I had other things in mind."

"D'you wanna talk about Luck."

"Eventually, but not yet. I'm exhausted and not calm enough for that. I just… would you please just talk to me? About anything."

"As you wish, Prickly Queen."

For the first time today, Charlotte had a genuine smile on her lips.