---
Kazuto barely slept.
Between the king's relentless enthusiasm, Reina's death glares, and the strange feeling that the Charm of Miscommunication was practically humming in his pocket, sleep was a luxury his overstimulated brain couldn't afford.
At dawn, a royal attendant rapped politely on his door and announced that his Formal Introduction to the Court would take place in precisely thirty minutes. No time to argue, no time to ask what that meant — and certainly no time to run.
Which is how Kazuto found himself standing awkwardly in the middle of the Hall of Eternal Bonds, a grand chamber shaped like a heart (because of course it was), under the watchful gaze of dozens of nobles, dignitaries, and suitors. Glittering chandeliers in the shape of interlocking rings hung from the ceiling, casting a rosy glow over everything — including Kazuto's rapidly reddening face.
King Yukishiro stood at the head of the hall, beaming like a man watching his favorite soap opera unfold in real time. Beside him, Princess Reina stood rigid, arms crossed, her eyes daring anyone to comment on the situation.
Kazuto tugged at the collar of his hastily provided formal jacket. It was white and gold, embroidered with tiny hearts along the cuffs — way too much for someone who was used to school uniforms and hiding behind books. He'd barely had time to process being summoned into a magical kingdom, and now he was being introduced like some kind of celebrity.
The king raised his hands, and the hall fell silent.
"Lords and ladies!" King Yukishiro's voice echoed grandly. "It is my honor to present the Accidental Summoner, the chosen hero prophesied to save our kingdom and restore the balance of love itself!"
Polite applause rippled through the crowd. Kazuto gave a hesitant wave, which only made the embroidered hearts on his sleeve dance in the light. He resisted the urge to cover them with his hands.
"And, as fate would have it," the king continued, his smile somehow widening, "our Summoner has already found his destined partner — my beloved daughter, Princess Reina!"
Kazuto froze. Reina, who had thus far been holding it together, went stiff as a board.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kazuto flailed his hands. "That's not—"
But the Charm of Miscommunication had been waiting.
The moment Kazuto opened his mouth, his words twisted themselves into a declaration that would haunt him for eternity.
"I swear my undying love and devotion to you, my princess! My heart beats only for you, now and forever!"
The hall erupted into thunderous applause. Nobles clutched their chests, some dabbing tears from their eyes. One elderly baroness fainted on the spot, overwhelmed by the "purity" of the declaration.
Kazuto's brain shut down completely. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think — his own voice rang in his ears like a death knell.
Reina's face went from pale to scarlet so fast Kazuto was sure she'd self-combust.
"What did you just say?" she hissed through clenched teeth.
"I didn't mean it! That wasn't me! The charm—!" Kazuto babbled, trying to claw back some sanity, but the Charm of Miscommunication wasn't done with him.
"I would gladly lay my life down for you, Reina! My darling princess, the light of my existence!"
Kazuto clamped both hands over his mouth, but it was too late. The king was already sobbing happily into a monogrammed handkerchief, muttering something about grandchildren.
Reina grabbed Kazuto's sleeve and yanked him — hard. "We're leaving. Now."
---
She didn't stop until they were far from the Hall of Eternal Bonds, down a long corridor lined with portraits of royal couples in varying degrees of embrace. Kazuto stumbled along, trying not to trip over his borrowed dress shoes.
The moment they were alone, Reina spun on her heel, finger jabbing at his chest. "What. Was. That."
Kazuto held up his hands in surrender. "It's not me! It's this stupid—" He fumbled with the pouch at his belt, pulling out the Charm of Miscommunication, the cracked heart glinting innocently in the light. "This thing! It twists my words whenever I talk to you."
Reina's eyes narrowed. "Convenient excuse."
"It's true!" Kazuto protested. "I was just trying to apologize for… existing, I guess. But it came out like a love confession!"
Reina stared at the charm for a long moment, suspicion warring with reluctant understanding. "So it's cursed?"
"Apparently," Kazuto sighed. "The king said it's part of my 'heroic power.' Romantic misunderstandings that somehow save the day."
Reina rubbed her temples. "That's the dumbest curse I've ever heard."
Kazuto couldn't argue with that.
---
Reluctantly, the two of them made their way to the castle's armory, where Reina gathered her travel gear — light armor, a sleek sword with a heart-shaped gem embedded in the hilt (Kazuto was beginning to suspect hearts were mandatory in this kingdom), and a map of Aishihara marked with ominous black spirals.
Kazuto, still dressed in the ridiculous formalwear, had been provided with a simple satchel containing provisions and… romance novels. Dozens of them. All stamped with the royal seal.
"What is this?" he asked, holding up a book titled Love Blossoms Under Siege.
"Royal training materials," Reina said dryly. "My father thinks reading romance novels will help you 'understand the power of love.'"
Kazuto considered crying. "I'm going to die here."
"You probably are," Reina agreed.
---
The journey began with awkward silence.
Kazuto, struggling to keep pace with Reina's confident strides, tripped over his own feet at least three times in the first hour. The path led from the castle grounds into rolling meadows, where clusters of wildflowers seemed to bloom in heart-shaped patterns.
Every time Kazuto tried to make conversation, the Charm of Miscommunication struck.
"I've always dreamed of walking beside you under the setting sun, my sweet Reina!"
Reina's grip on her sword tightened with each sentence.
"Your hair shines like crimson silk, beckoning me to caress it—"
"Say one more thing," Reina growled, "and I'm throwing you in the nearest river."
"I would gladly drown if it meant I could gaze into your eyes one last time!"
Reina drew her sword. Kazuto bolted.
---
By nightfall, they camped at the edge of a crystal lake, the water glowing faintly with bioluminescent algae — romantic by any standard, though Kazuto would have preferred a dull ditch. Reina sat on a fallen log, sharpening her sword with quick, efficient strokes.
Kazuto sat a safe distance away, trying to figure out how to sleep with his back to a cursed princess who might stab him for poetic nonsense.
"Look," he said finally, voice low. "I know this is weird for you. It's definitely weird for me. But I really do want to help."
Reina's sharpening slowed.
"I'm not trying to… you know… flirt with you," Kazuto continued, cautiously watching her reaction. "It's just this stupid charm twisting everything I say."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the sound of metal scraping against stone.
Finally, Reina sighed, setting her sword aside. "If you get us both killed because of this curse, I'm haunting you."
"That's fair."
For the first time, her lips twitched into something almost resembling a smile. Almost.
"Get some sleep, Accidental Summoner," she said, turning away. "Tomorrow's going to be worse."
Kazuto didn't doubt it.
---
That night, beneath a sky scattered with unfamiliar stars, Kazuto lay awake thinking about books. The stories he'd loved were always full of heroes who knew what they were doing — confident swordsmen, clever mages, smooth-talking rogues. None of them were socially awkward bookworms whose greatest power was involuntary romantic monologues.
But this wasn't a story he could close. This was his life now — ridiculous, terrifying, and somehow… kind of amazing.
Even if his first official act in this world had been proposing to a princess who wanted to gut him.
Kazuto fell asleep with the Charm of Miscommunication in his hand, the silver heart warm against his palm.
Somewhere, deep within the castle, King Yukishiro was already drafting wedding invitations.
---