In a grand room within the inner palace, six young teens sat around a long rectangular table. Two distinctly different chairs sit side by side at the head of the table. In the seat on the left, a young handsome face peaks out from under a mass of golden hair. To his left, a young yet incredibly beautiful brunette sits perfectly erect with an air of sophistication only possible from a woman of high society. Wearing an incredibly flashy dress tailor made for this specific event, the sheer number of shining jewels imbedded into her dress makes it impossible to ignore her.
To the young couple's right is another example of young love. Wearing an expensive and serious 3-piece suit, curly brown hair and an innocent expression, this child looks to be enjoying the events with his partner. The young lady also holds an air of majesty, making her seem like a Noblewoman. Although her dress is less finely decorated than the first lady, the material used, and design is superior to its competition enabling her to give a sense of superiority in our discussions.
To anyone unaware of the circumstances, they would immediately see these young boys and girls as teenage couples, emphasizing their closeness and appearance as proof of "chemistry". Of course, most adults self-delude themselves into pushing young couples together, whether they "have chemistry" or not.
The third couple on the right side of the table simply do not look like they belong to gathering. The young man's appearance is quite lacking compared to the other's, wearing only standard military dress clothes and his black hair combed back. His partner's fine features also pale in comparison to the other woman present in the room. Her blonde hair curls around her head, as if creating a picture frame around her face which highlights her cute face. However, the disparity between her appearance and that of the other women is like night and day. Even her clothes are of much lower quality than the other fine dresses in the room. While it certainly would cost the average worker several months of wages, it barely qualifies as a passable dress for the occasion. Some parts of the beige dress need tailoring as the fabric is thin in some places while threads are visibly torn in others. Needless to say, this couple is by far the least presentable at the gathering.
While certainly appearing to be a gathering of young lovers, the air in the room is a complete dichotomy of the expected atmosphere. Although pleasantries and compliments are shared among the room, the temperance is much like that of a battlefield, but instead of bullets and bombs, words are the weapon of choice.
"I must say Shin, I find your military dress becomes you quite well. Your appearance is calming to gaze upon." [???]
Translation: Nice military uniform. You should just run off to the military where simple and plain people like you belong.|
"I must thank you for your compliment, Duchess Beatrice. Your dress is quite dazzling as it attracts the eye. Whenever I gaze at your dress, I must simply say that it seems made to compliment your appearance to the fullest." [Shin]
Translation: Thanks. You look like a walking mirror with all the jewels on your dress. All shiny like that, are you trying to cosplay a flashlight? Actually, it's perfect for you, all pretty and nice looking but really just an obnoxious and useless on the inside.|
"T-Thank you, Shin." [Duchess Beatrice]
Translation: You address me in that manor again and I'll have your head!|
"Then shall we begin? We were given the chance to perform this meeting so it would be a waste to not enjoy it to its fullest." [Prince Eren]
Translation: We were forced to attend this so let's get this over with so we can all go home.|
"I agree, Your Highness. Let's spend this time together to it's fullest and enjoy each other's company. It is our first time spending the day with such splendid company." [Daichi]
Translation: Yeah hurry up. I don't want to spend time with these type of people any longer.|
…
To be completely honest, the war of words I mentioned earlier is just a delusion that I've made to make this much more interesting. I've just been imagining double and triple meanings to our words to pass the time because the real purpose of this gathering is boring. To understand where I stand, let's rewind time to two hours ago.
After finishing my morning training routine, I jump in the shower to quickly wash away the sweat before beginning my afternoon studies. I always found that exercising in the morning helped with concentration later in the day, so I've been training in the morning to help with my increasingly difficult subjects. After drying off and changing, I open the door to my study and begin reviewing my curriculum.
Halfway through my integral calculus prep exam, I hear a faint knock on my study door.
"Come in." [Shin]
"Pardon the intrusion. I have come to notify you that you have a visitor." [Sebastián]
"A Visitor? At this time of day? Who is it?" [Shin]
"It seems that a young lady has come to pick you up. You have your mixer with the Prince and Prime Minister's son this afternoon. Or have you already forgotten?" [Sebastián]
{Oh Crap. I totally forgot!!}
"No of course not, tell her that I'll be there shortly. I'll get changed immediately" [Shin]
"Very Well" [Sebastian]
As soon as Sebastian closes the door, I jump up, run to the adjacent door, enter my room, and scramble to get ready.
{What should I wear to these things? I don't really want to dress up, so I guess I'll go with an army dress suit. More importantly, I don't even know who is picking me up!?}
Most of my days lately have been spent training with some of my dad's old friends and schoolwork which has recently ramped up for some reason. I know that a noble who knew my father asked me to court his daughter on the next occasion because I would be a good first date and "safe choice", whatever that means. However, I can't remember his name or what he looked like let alone the name of my date. The only way to find out would be to call Sebastian back in or to ask the girl directly, but there's no way I can't do that! That would be like shooting myself in the foot.
{It doesn't matter, I'll wing it. Like always.}
Throwing on my clothes and brushing my hair quickly, I meet up with my date for the afternoon and begin the drive to the palace.
Turns out, her name is Fiorella Darya Chelsea.
…
Back to the present, I'm incredibly bored to the point that I feel my …eyes… growing… heavy…
"Shin Okamoto, correct? Would you be related to Colonel Okamoto, would you?" [???]
"H-Huh? Ah Yes, he's my father. Are you acquainted with him, Marquess Esmé?" [Shin]
"My Father and younger brothers are avid fans of his. They've had the chance of meeting him at the last holiday feast within the palace and they've been talking about it ever since." [Marquess Esmé]
"Oh, well, I'm sure he enjoyed meeting your family as well…" [Shin]
"ME TOO, I-I mean… I am also a fan of your father's. I preordered his new book. The deluxe addition with the picture. You wouldn't happen to have any stories that he told you right? Or maybe some pictures that you could share?" [Duchess Beatrice]
With the conversation turning away from the purpose of the gathering to my father, both Daichi's and Prince Eren's dates move spots to sit next to me to talk about my father's exploits. For the remaining 2 hours, I spent the entirety of the time discussing some of my father's famous battles and some of the funny things he did/said. Both the Duchess and Marquess fell in love (with the stories of my father) so they offered to go on a joint date to spend more time together.
…
"Are you freaking kidding me, why would they hold a grudge over that small thing? Are all boys this stupid? Plus, they weren't even finances to the Prince and the prime minister's son, you lied. Another thing, YOU didn't steal their fiancés. If anything, your dad stole the show which has nothing to do with you. More importantly!! Why did you give us that long-winded story when you could have explained it in like 2 seconds!" [Kati]
"I was bored in my cell and I thought that you would all be nervous so I thought I would share a story to lighten up the mood." [Shin]
"Also, most wars are fought over greed or religion. This is undeniable. However, since the very instance that humans have existed, men have fought over women. Meaning that most fights are fought over women. It's pretty much a characteristic of a man coming directly from our primal brain. So yes, all boys are this stupid." [Shin]
"Hey, sorry, I hate to interrupt, but did you go out with both after? I'm jealous that you can pick up chicks like that. All I need to survive is fine women and money." [Bode]
"Huh? No. Of course not! I didn't need that hassle." [Shin]
"Yeah, I know what you mean sometimes…" [Bode]
The air within the small cell seems to churn as these words leave our mouths; we feel a piercing stare on the back of our heads. Bode and I turn our heads slowly, like rusty mannequins to the source of the icy glares. A frigid aura swirls around the two other members of the cell.
"Oh, you want a fine women and money… Hey Bode… I think we have something to discuss after..." [Kati]
"Shin… you think that those nice girls are hassles? Is that how you view all women?" [Laura]
"N-No, of course that's not true. I lied. I was joking. I was…" [Bode]
"N-No, of course that's not true. It's just that those two weren't my type." [Shin]
The next thing I knew, Bode and I were sitting side by side on the bail cell plank getting scolded by Kati and Laura.
…
And that's why you should always respect woman, understood?" [Laura]
"YES MA'AM!" [Shin & Bode]
Seeing their serious attitudes, Bode and I yell out with vigor as if our lives depend on our response. Our synchronous reply reminds me of my training days, bringing me back into focus mode.
"Okay. Now that that's all settled and good, we should get back to the prominent issue at hand." [Shin]
"What do you mean, Shin?" [Laura]
"I originally brought you all here to talk about our new game plan when we are being delt with. Of course, you should tell your side of the story and make sure that you talk about the fact that they seemed to be out of control, but if you see that it's not working, you all need to say is one thing." [Shin]
"What would that be?" [Bode]
"You need to say that you were influenced into doing it. As if you were being forced to listen to a little voice in your head." [Shin]
"How is that going to help us? Won't we be look crazy?" [Shin]
"Exactly my point. This way, you should all be able to get of the hook." [Shin]
"Do you mean that we are going to be pleading insanity as a defense?" [Laura]
"Yes. If you want to be clear of the charges, you must stick to this explanation, no matter what. Promise?" [Shin]
"If you say so." [Bode]
"Fine, whatever. As long as it gets me out of here." [Kati]
"If you think that it is the correct path to take, then I'll do so." [Laura]
"Okay good. Remember, this is only a last resort if things don't look good. If the worst happens, all you'll have to say is that you felt that you were influenced by something." [Shin]
"Okay, let's say I say that? How sure are you that it'll work? I bet they'll be all nobles and it's not like they'll believe commoners like us, right?" [Kati]
"Don't worry, I got a plan for you all." [Shin]
{NO matter what happens, I'm sure that I can get out of it if I speak well enough to them. If whatever is controlling people does it again, I might not be able to save us from execution or worse, but I promise that I'll try to protect you. After all, I can't possibly ditch my friends after all we've been through…right?}