The clattering of billiard balls echoed behind June and November's conversation.
Huit only watched the conversation before pulling out all his textbooks and homework. He sighed and complained, "There's too much freaking homework. All the teachers are rushing because of the festival. Don't they understand that there's no way for a normal person to finish all this reading in just a few days?"
"Speaking of the Festival," June stroked his beard, "We're going to have to teach you how to summon your own Dream before that happens."
November blinked, didn't they already teach summoning in school? June shook his head, already understanding November's question before it was voiced, "No. What you've been taught is simply a spell that borrows the Princess's magic. We're going to teach you how to summon using your own magic. Have you heard about Colors?"
"Colored Dreams?" November asked.
June nodded and held out his hand. A bright light shimmered above his palm until a green weasel popped out of it, "This is Teon." The little green weasel hopped out of June's hand and instantly went to steal the textbook out of Huit's hands.
Huit's voice shrilled in protest and chased after the little weasel.
"Colored Dreams are the most basic dream summons that Lunarians are known for. If I were a more powerful mage I'd teach you how to don your Avatar, but alas. In life, I was never interested in magic." June laughed, "But I suppose you weren't either."
November nodded but then a strange idea occurred to him, "Are there other types of magic as well?"
June raised a brow, "Of course, foreigners had different magic from us."
A set of footsteps clacked down the hall, beckoning their attention. A new voice burst into the room, "I'm back, boys. Did you miss me?" Treize strolled into the room and leaned over the back of the couch. "What's going on around here? Where's dinner?"
They all looked at her with guilty expressions.
Treize rolled her eyes, "I can't count on any of you deadbeats!" Her laughter was like a roar as she pulled herself off the couch before sauntering towards the other room.
"By the way," November stopped her from her retreat, "Did you end up finding your mask?"
Treize's smile was a little sad, "No. I didn't."
"Why don't we just make a new one?" Huit asked while still trying to wrestle his textbook out of Teon's paws.
"You know it's not that simple."
June shook his head, "It is indeed a pity. But something tells me it will be one day returned to you."
"Really?"
"Yes." He gave her a winning smile, "By the way Marilyn, we need to teach our boy here how to summoned a Colored Dream."
She perked up and looked at him with gray dazzling eyes, "Oh yes! We must!"
But November was a little taken aback and stared at Treize with a wide gaping mouth, "Your name is Marilyn!?" He cried, feeling oddly confused and betrayed.
They all blinked at his reaction. Marilyn was the first one to laugh, slapping her own thigh, "It really wasn't my idea to name those things Marilyn, okay?"
Huit snickered and shrugged, "I thought it would be funny, that's all!"
"Well, it was a good idea when we first started. Calling the pills 'Marilyn' made things a lot easier for our operations."
But November, still stunned, stared at Marilyn and activated his Privilege. In his mind, her true name was revealed to him.
Marilyn Roeman.
His suspicions were confirmed. "It's you!" He cried.
But Marilyn had no idea what he was talking and only chuckled. "What, are you surprised? That is it I! The beautiful! The gorgeous! The deadly Lioness!"
"What!? No! I mean, you're Lady Roeman, aren't you?"
She shrugged, "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not." She looked at him with a flicker of mischief, "Just like how you might be Lorn, but maybe you're not."
Her words sank into his heart.
…
December pressed the pill past his teeth and held back his gag reflex. Quickly, he gulped down a mouthful of water. The Marilyn dissolved into his body. March's voice echoed in his mind.
December loved the Princess unconditionally. What was a little awareness going to do?
This was fine. He willed the tremor in his hands to calm and pretended to focus on the papers he was looking over on his desk. It was late into the night like it often was when he came home from the castle. April begged him to join her in bed but he told her just a few more minutes.
A few more minutes turned into a few more hours. Light footsteps crept across the floor. April peeked at him shyly from the door frame, "It's really late now. Won't you sleep, Love?"
December forced a smile and slowly rose from his seat. His bones felt heavy and his muscles weak. "I'm sorry, Dearest. I'll come now."
He joined her in the hall and kissed her on the crown. They stumbled toward the master bedroom. December felt fatigue crawling up his spine. He swore he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
Marilyn failed to chase away his dreams.
"Is that for your fiance?" There was that woman again. Pale skin, black hair, and a face of freckles. For a Queen, her clothes were neither beautiful nor extravagant. Even in the castle, she wore her black leather armor. Black scales draped over her breasts and arms. Two swords strapped tightly to her hip and a black cape to match, red accents. He had never met a Queen much like her before.
He nodded.
"Is she well?" The Queen was leaning over his desk, her chin propped against a gloved hand and he thought that she looked as deadly as a venomous viper. Queen Cecilia was not known for smiling and made him feel anxious when in her presence.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
And when she did smile, it was more like a smirk, "I did tell you that you may speak freely to me in privacy, did I not?" She leaned back from her seat and stretched like a cat. Her long hair fell around her like an obsidian waterfall. He could hardly look away, much less concentrate on the letter he was supposed to be writing.
"Your Majesty--"
"Ceci."
"..."
"Why don't you just call me Ceci?" She watched him as a hawk would stalk a rabbit.
"That's…"
A tense silence stretched between them. Queen Cecilia broke it off with laughter, "You should have seen your face! My goodness!" For such a deadly and cruel person, her laughter was very elegant and lyrical. "Forgive me for teasing you! Ah, don't look at me like that, would you? It makes me feel like a villain."
He lowered his head in respect and to hide the light heat he could feel upon his face, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. That was not my intention. Is there any way I may make it up to you?"
Queen Cecilia peeled herself off the couch. She placed her hands on her hips and rolled her neck, "Don't worry yourself over such silly things, Prince Valentine of Allansis. And just write that letter of yours. It's late in the night and we're to set off tomorrow. Wouldn't want your lovely fiance to worry about you."
The way she smiled was wicked and he didn't get a chance to respond before she sauntered out of the room.
He shook his head and sighed. He had heard so many things about the Tyrant Queen but she was like nothing he had expected.
In truth, Queen Cecilia was not a tyrant at all. In fact, she was actually very kind. He wrote about this Lunarian Queen to his fiance who waited for him from a country, far away…
...
December woke to the soft morning sunlight dancing upon his lids.
"Morning," his wife's soft voice beckoned him out of his sleepy muddled thoughts. He turned around and smiled at her.
"Good morning," he hadn't felt this well-rested in a long, long while.