Satisfied with the course of action, the black-haired boy summoned the picnic basket from the shadows and handed it to the confused Miriette.
"I have a minor inconvenience to take care of, so I might not be able to join you at the picnic- but please, enjoy it to your heart content!"
He bowed apologetically and turned away.
"Huh? B-but... You... I... Horeo...? But the picnic...?"
Miriette was flabbergasted and was mumbling under her breath, her eyes bobbed between Zoemi and the picnic basket in her hands as she was confronting her what was happening with what she THOUGHT was going to happen.
Whoops! That's right, she hadn't told me that she invited the prince!|
The scarred attendant thought to himself as he completely misunderstood the reaction of his master.
"My lady, it's my duty to care for your happiness. It's only natural for me to notice your plans."
He declared, bowing to the dark-haired girl as a goodbye, and dashed away.
"Ha! That was perfect! Sooner or later she'll realize that I was the one to initiate the picnic, that was obvious after all, but her pride will not let her admit that! If I phrase it like that she can be at ease!|
Zoemi congratulated himself while towards the cafeteria - he didn't want to miss the scripted event after all.
It was as important for his master's future as the new event that he had just pushed Mireitte and Horeo into, after all!
---
"..."
As the black-haired boy was entering the building, Miriette looked down on the basket in her hands, then after her attendant, then back at the basket again.
In the end, she opened her mouth and...
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!?"
"...?"
Hearing his fiancé, Horeo turned around and saw the dark-haired girl with a picnic basket in her hands, glaring in the direction of the academy.
"...yeah, now it's up to me to diffuse her, huh..."
He breathed out before strolling towards her – and then he grinned.
"Hey! So, how's that date with Zoemi - that you've been boasting about through the entire third period – going?"
He asked clearly choosing to add the fuel to the fire instead of extinguishing it...
"..."
Miriette clenched her fists on the basket and slouched.
"Did you know...?"
She asked threateningly in an ice-cold voice - the hair on the back of her head bristled like a forest of needles, matching the extreme anger that she was experiencing right at the moment.
"Nope. And I honestly envied you."
Horeo raised both of his hands as if trying to prove that he had nothing to do with the situation before stepping back.
Ah, I see. So that's why Veo was so persistent about going to the back of the academy! She must have been a part of Zoemi's plan from the start... I'd better not tell Miriette that she had anything to do with it though...|
The first prince, as someone who was learning about politics and negotiation since infancy should, choose the best line for the situation, after careful consideration.
"So, what are you going to do now...?"
"Isn't it obvious...!?"
Miriette gritted her teeth.
"He has already prepared everything, so we're going to have the damn picnic that he wanted us to have!"
She declared furiously.
"Whohoo! Food made by Zoemi, I can't wait!"
The blond prince cheered up, punching the air above his head.
"At least keep the appearances when we're in public, will you?"
"Yeah, yeah – your mother taught me all about that."
After Miriette said that, Horeo blew away a strand of golden hair off of his forehead and offered her his arm.
"Shall we go then, my love?"
The first prince asked with a charming smile.
"..."
Miriette straightened her back and leaned against his arm, forcing herself to make a love-struck expression.
"It will be a pleasure, my prince."
She responded softly right before they started walking - and everyone who saw them together gasped at how perfectly matched the future royal couple looked.
"Scary. Nobles are scary."
Whispered Veo following the two.
"Indeed."
Confirmed Teo, lagging a bit behind, glancing over her shoulder to peek whether Zoemi really wasn't going to come with them...
---
As the Academy narrowly dodged having its defenses tested against a tornado created by the outburst of anger of a certain dark-haired girl, the black-haired attendant inside the building was nimbly passing by and through various groups of students.
"UWAAH...!"
"KYAAAH!"
A good few of them straight up screamed or stepped back at the sight of him, but since the scarred attendant tried to move close to the right side of the hallway so that his burns would be at least a bit harder to notice, it wasn't as common occurrence as he initially feared.
Zoemi considered hiding in his shadow and traveling from shadow to shadow like that - but he scrapped the idea almost immediately – shadow travel consumed a lot of mana and if anyone would notice him using it so willy-nilly, it could have caused quite the stir...
After all, when his shadow was moving with him inside, he could see everything that was happening on the outside – which meant directly above too - and in a habitat where almost half of the population was wearing skirts, it wasn't hard to realize how come such spell could be considered more than just distasteful and straight-up perverted.
This very spell was one of the reasons for the darkness attribute's bad opinion.
The boy's choices were limited – or rather, they were straight-up not feasible - as for example - his other spell, shadow jump was a spell similar to the light attribute's teleportation and was only a bit more mana-hungry but was way more convenient than shadow travel – but was just as problematic as shadow travel.
Therefore, what was left was just the traditional means of transport – his own legs.
The black-haired attendant reached the cafeteria and scanned it for the important figures.
Xeonith was actually surprisingly close to him - by the entrance, waiting in line - while Reo was sitting at the table in the middle of the cafeteria.
From Zoemi's position, it was easy to notice that Reo picked that spot because it was just far enough to be outside the splash zone but close enough for it to be considered a first row for the spectacle about to unfold.
Even the blond-haired heroine was bashfully looking for a place to sit – although she was remarkably farther away than the illustration from the game - that the scarred attendant remembered - indicated.
Yet, other than that, everything was just like it should be.
The scripted event should start any moment now...!|
Zoemi clung to the side of the entrance just like a jealous woman stalking her lover. His heart was actually beating faster in anticipation.