"Yeah, see you around!" Doni waved, flashing Amalia one of his signature womanizer smiles as he watched her leave, the form of her back soon disappearing into the long corridor. He felt quite refreshed, so much that he hadn't even noticed a certain someone who had crept up on him by then. "'See you around' huh? Is that why you've been neglecting your princess, Sir Doni?"

"Camilla!" Not bothering to add any honorifics, for instance because he and the caramel-haired female were past the phase of unnecessary politeness and despite him technically being on duty, Doni turned around abruptly, only to be greeted by the sight of Camilla eyeing him with a smirk plastered on her face, her hands resting on either side of her hips. "Amalia and I were just talking!"

"Yeah, I know? I was just messing around." Camilla raised a brow when all she received as a response was Doni's serious reply and almost anxious face. She was already aware that she hadn't been simply imagining things, but this truly proved that the blond knight was indeed keeping something for himself, and that that something had a high probability of involving the new maid candidate. "I've said this already, but you've been acting weird lately, you're way too tense. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing really." Doni answered, his smile seeming almost a bit forced as he scratched the back of his neck. The two of them had begun walking at some point, neither of them truly knowing where to until the princess decided to look into the matter more deeply and not take Doni's word for it. "You do know that you can talk to me about it, right? Even if I'm a princess now, I'll always have time for my favorite knight in shining armor!~ Don't tell Y/N I said that though."

This time the Italian male's chuckle sounded much more genuine but still not like a sound he would make when feeling completely at ease. If he wasn't going to tell her what was going on with him as a so-called 'friend', then Camilla had no choice but to use her social status in order to press the answer out of the knight. "Since you say nothing's wrong and that nothing in particular is going on, then you might as well come to my room an do me a favor?"

"My, my, princess.~ What kind of favor would require my assistance? In your bedroom at that.~ Quite the bold invitation, wouldn't you agree?" The female was glad that the perverted part of Doni's personality hadn't completely vanished and smirked at him once more, linking their arms as she slowly led them to the mentioned chamber. "Bold is the only method that works with you."

"It's not the only one, but I'll admit that it's my favorite approach." Flashing the shorter girl a toothy grin, the blond knight was soon dragged inside a certain luxurious bedroom. The light provided by the setting sun invaded the chamber, the curtains not being closed yet, making the atmosphere seem slightly more romantic than it already was in a way. "So? May I get the specifics of this favor now, my princess?"

"I sincerely hope that I'm the only one you address that way." Camilla suddenly pouted, her thoughts momentarily wandering back to Amalia and how Doni might have flirted with her. That comment was certainly not voiced because she didn't trust the blond knight, but rather because sometimes he would say smooth things without even realising it himself, and she hated the idea of him treating some other girl that way. She knew the reason to that precisely as well. "For now, please take a seat. On the bed."

"Should I lie down and take my clothes off while I'm at it?" The right side of Doni's lip tugged upwards, creating a playful smirk as he indeed went to sit on the edge of Camilla's bed and waited for further instructions. Obviously he was messing around just like usual - though he wouldn't have minded if the two of them truly were to have done what lingered in the back of his mind - so he was slightly taken by surprise when the caramel-haired female closed the gap between their bodies and pushed the knight down into the soft bedsheets. "Don't worry, I can do that myself."

Despite it having happened out of the blue and so quickly, Doni could feel the mood changing from the usual playful one to one that could have led their current situation to something more serious. Almost his entire body tensed up in anticipation, yet his muscles were just as quick to loosen up again the moment Camilla simply allowed herself to fall into the blond's arms, her head buried in the crook of his neck. "Silly..."

"I just want to stay with you like this for a bit. Is that so wrong?" The sensation of the princess' almost shaky breaths tickled against Doni's neck, her voice just barely loud enough to reach him. The knight breathed a sigh of relief and mentally smacked himself for getting so excited when the girl of his dreams seemed to be genuinely worried about him. "Of course not, you know I love this kind of thing."

"Also, I'm sorry for acting distant lately. It's just that..." The blond began speaking just as tenderly as he slid his fingers along Camilla's caramel strands of hair but trailed off at one point, wondering if he should really come forward with the uncertainties which he had been keeping bottled up inside of him this whole time. "It's just that, you're a princess now, and I'm just a knight."

"Sometimes I end up wondering if I'm actually good enough for you." The blue-eyed young man spoke, his statement coming off as a sigh more than anything else. Camilla jerked her head away only to glare at Doni from so close up, flickering his forehead the moment the blond had internally begun questioning why she had been making that face. "Ouch!"

"You know exactly how I feel about you, it's as if you're trying to provoke me with this. Stop spouting nonsense, of course you're good enough. You're so much more." The girl then leaned her face forward and even closer to the male's, kissing the now slightly red spot on Doni's forehead, making the young man feel as if she had never even scolded him in the first place. "And here I was, unnecessarily worrying that that Amalia girl had something to do with it..."

"Actually, if I have to be completely honest... There's another thing I should tell you." Even though the princess had just dismissed all current worries regarding her slight jealousy towards the new maid candidate with Doni's earlier confession, she was put back on higher guard with what he so mysteriously added next. "Y-Yes?"

"Do you know who she is exactly?" It seemed like the blond knight enjoyed playing the mysterious character given his vague wording, and as if that weren't enough, he even lessened his grasp over Camilla and sat up, the girl not having much of another choice than to imitate his action. "Well, she said that she's Mrs. Jenny's granddaughter, and she's obviously here for her grandmother's former position."

"That's not what I meant. You see... Do you remember during the princess contest, when we first met? There were supposed to be five of you candidates, but only you, Fotula, Liliana and Loraine showed up at that one meeting." The conversation was now heading in a completely different direction in Camilla's opinion. The knight's words even started sounding oddly familiar, as if he had already talked to her about this matter once in the past. And that was no coincidence, because such a thing had actually happened. "Amalia was supposed to be the fifth candidate. I already told you this some time ago, but you've probably forgotten. She's also one of the girls I used to... mess around with. You said that you'd once seen me together with her."

A moment of silence filled the air, rendering it so much more suffocating to inhale while Camilla slowly but surely processed what she had apparently just been re-told. Her outburst moments later lessened Doni's worries slightly, since in the last few seconds he had begun fearing that he had said something he should have rather kept for himself. "Oh my Arceus, that was her?!"

"I can't believe I didn't realize sooner! How dare she flirt so openly with you right under my nose!" The caramel-haired female was indeed frustrated of having been left in the dark all this time, not even knowing who she had just recently nominated worthy of the head maid position, but she mainly expressed herself in a playful manner and somewhat childishly, snuggling up to Doni in the process. "Now I get why you were so awkward around her!"

"Oh, but nothing's going on between us now!" The young man quickly said before he was met with the princess' suspicious stare. Camilla renounced on arguing with him or pressing for informations she had already received from him, so she simply positioned herself more comfortably in his arms, wishing to end the conversation with the silent treatment she was dishing out to Doni. He as well simply enjoyed having the girl he loved in his arms, until he decided to act like a dork and spoil the mood. "So that favor you asked me earlier..."

* * *

The day was slowly but surely coming to an end, and everyone in the castle spent their evening with their important someone differently. You and Aaron for instance were simply lazing around in the large bed in his room while occasionally striking up a conversation.

Your head was resting on the knight's chest while his hand had found a comfortable place in your hair as his fingers played with the strands of it. "It's much more peaceful than normally." Aaron blurted out after there had been a few moments of pleasant silence filling the air. You couldn't help but chuckle, completely agreeing with the male. "Maybe that's because the Lucario are away a lot lately."

"That must be it. Speaking of, where are they? Mine always tells me that he's accompanying yours, but I always forget to ask where they go." Aaron asked after remembering the scenario of his Pokémon asking for permission to leave him and the palace grounds for a longer amount of time. It was fun to hear how the male Lucario always wanted to seem gallant - but of course, only to a selected few individuals.

"My Lucario has been visiting the old craft shop my father used to own." You replied, sneaking your hand on top of Aaron's lightly clothed chest in order to change your head's position a tad. Your Lucario had mentioned that they had found a Pokémon friend who resided in the now abandoned building, and that they had shown up there various times to either clean the place up or to be told old tales of various knights from the previous generation. "Your father's old craft shop, huh?"

"My father and I used to drop by a lot in the past, it was a great place. I haven't seen anyone else manage it since then, do you know what will become of the shop?" Aaron couldn't help but reminisce about the times many years ago, when he was just a boy and his father would allow him to tag along whenever he went to get his swords fixed.

"To be honest, I really don't know. I'm surprised they haven't torn it down, it's been empty for ages." You stated, not even remembering the last time you had properly been to the craft shop. Despite your father's passing having happened a very long time ago, you still felt uncomfortable about the thought of going to his shop without him being there to greet you, so it wasn't that odd that you had never visited it.

"It would be a shame if they were to tear it down. Maybe we should ask Camilla if it'd be possible to have it be renovated." The indigo-haired male suggested in attempt to raise your spirits and indirectly encourage you to gather the conviction to stop over in the craft shop together with him one day. His effort succeeded if there even was a need to point that out, but there was something else that had invaded your mind. Something you prioritized over your little visit to a shop of weapons. "Mhm.~ Do you know what else would be a shame?"

"Going to sleep right away when the Lucario are out. Especially the naggy one." You said in a somewhat more silent voice, taking advantage of the dark room and your current way of laying against him as you rolled on top of your lover, amused by his equally playful expression. The way you supported yourself against him allowed you to feel Aaron's chest rise and fall with every breath he took. For some reason it was quite the soothing thing to sense, especially when you had your fast heartbeat pressed against his equally racing one.

"That is quite the daring invitation. Though, I do agree with you entirely." The indigo-haired young man whispered back, his breath tickling your neck before he used his strength to flip you over, allowing him to gain the more dominant position. There was no time for you to adjust because Aaron had already invited his lips to your own, greeting them with a gentle peck before moving on to the more passionate kisses the two of you had gotten more used to as of late. Was this playful yet heated kiss going to lead to a rather long night or not? Only you and your partner were going to know.

* * *

Despite deserving only happiness, not everyone was granted the chance to spend their night too cheerfully. Two of the most experienced knights of the first division weren't for instance, and the reason wasn't exactly something they could steer freely. At least Kai couldn't yet. The 'thing' that was keeping them restless was actually something his aura was to blame: Nightmares.

Kai was having one of those horrid dreams again, one of the many that made him recall all the unpleasant events that occurred in Grona such as his not so bright past, how his precious partner was badly wounded and robbed of his vision as well as the nasty things the red-haired royal advisor had made them all go through.

The dark-skinned man's breathing became uneven with every moment that passed in his bad dream until he was finally freed of it when he widened his eyes and gripped the sheets harshly. Possessing Darkrai aura certainly had its quirks in battle, but it was one of the most troublesome things to deal with when trying to get some shut eye.

The brunet sat up while releasing a silent sigh, turning his head slightly to the side only to be greeted by the sight of Rouen suffering of an unpleasant dream as well. This was a consequence of sharing a bed with him, that guilty thought weighed on Kai's mind heavily, especially since Rouen wouldn't hear of it when Kai were to try and convince him for them to sleep separately. Yet on the other hand, the dark-skinned knight was also happy that his partner wouldn't leave his side and always welcome him with an embrace. He was also relieved that Yuma had finally agreed to sleep in Fotula and Liliana's room for the time being, also in order to prepare him for the times when he and Rouen wouldn't be here at the palace.

"Rouen. Rouen, please wake up." The brunet said in a faint voice, gripping the one-eyed man by his shoulder and shaking him gently. He hated having to disrupt his partner's sleep like this, but he couldn't stand watching him be consumed by his nightmares either. Rouen groaned at first, but woke up not much later.

He was a little shaken up in the beginning, yet his expression softened and body relaxed the moment he let his gaze meet Kai's. "You're okay. Guess I was just dreaming... Thank you for waking me up." The ravenet commented, he as well straightening his back a bit in order to be on the same height as Kai.

"I'm assuming that you're having troubles sleeping as well?" Rouen continued, running his hand through his hair in order to get some of the stray strands out of his range of vision. Even though he was very tired and practically sleepless himself, there was no mistaking Kai's remorseful tone. "Yeah..."

"Come here." The left side of the ravenet's lip tugged upwards, resulting in a small smile as he spread his arms out and waited for the younger knight to allow him to be his comfort. Everyone had come to know just how obedient Kai was concerning such matters by now, and how much he liked to get spoiled by his important person. With his head leaning against Rouen's, the brunet couldn't stop himself from sighing again. "Do you think I'll ever be able to control my aura properly?"

"Of course you will, it's you we're talking about after all. Mastering one's aura takes time, especially if you possess a mythical one. So don't be discouraged." The one-eyed male spoke in a gentle tone, wearing an equally tender smile as he tried to reassure Kai and make him gain confidence of his own abilities. The brunet certainly appreciated the older knight's words, even if he didn't particularly show that when he looked straight at him the moment he delivered his response. "You're treating me like a woman again, aren't you?"

"Wha— That again? Why not just let yourself be spoiled by me?" Rouen accidentally snorted as he tried to suppress a laugh, wrapping his arm around the younger male's neck as he pulled him closer, close enough to steal a peck or two. It seemed that whenever Kai brought that subject up, it would slip his mind that Rouen was never interested in women to begin with which always made the man in question find his partner's complex rather cute and childish. "You spoil me too much. Maybe more like a child rather than a woman."

"Speaking of children," Kai sneaked the palm of his hand between his face and Rouen's in order for the latter to stop messing around for a moment since he happened to remember something of higher importance. The ravenet caught on and lessened his grip around his partner, allowing him to sit upright again and face him appropriately. "I was thinking of Yuma. He doesn't know how to write or read properly and just like in a few days, we won't always be there to teach him such things."

"Since he's now officially under our care, I thought that we could start sending him to the kingdom's academy." The dark-skinned male said, never once allowing his golden orbs to leave Rouen's identically colored one which at some point almost made him start feeling embarrassed. Rouen was very pleased to hear his partner bring up the initiative which he showed by flashing him another content grin. He as well had been thinking of enrolling 'their' child to school, but never knew he should have mentioned the topic due to the both of them currently being buried in work. "You sound just like a responsible mother."

"I'm going to sleep." Kai was aware that Rouen was only playing around, yet he still furrowed his brows and turned his back at the ravenet. Pouting about silly things like usually, the dark-skinned knight threw the covers over his shoulder and sunk his head into the pillow, glaring straight ahead as if his golden eyes had the ability to pierce a hole through the wall. His reaction did make Rouen laugh and feel somewhat accomplished to have flustered his usually composed partner, but he was quick to act apologetic as well. "Come on, don't sulk. You know I was joking. Though you do make a good motherly figure."

"How about we let Yuma enroll once we come back from Grona?" Rouen asked as he leaned over to the brunet, placing a soft kiss on his cheek as if he were officially apologising for his prior jest. Kai was satisfied with his answer, but he wasn't going to turn around again just because the ravenet had replied to him seriously. "I'm still going back to sleep."

Silence filled the room as soon as the one-eyed man's chuckle died down. A few minutes had gone by in that quietness until Rouen decided to once again play games with the younger male. "Hey Kai, would you be up for a round? You can't sleep anyway, right?"

"Easy for you to say, when it's always me who's on the receiving end. Just go back to sleep."

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A/N: First of all, I'm terribly sorry for updating so late! >.< It's just that I've become less and less active ever since I've started working.^^

Also, I've been getting the feeling that the story is slowly getting boring and that it's dragging out... Personally, I'm looking forward to writing the next few arcs, but I'm a bit unsure.^^

Comments are always more than welcome. <3

Thank you for Reading!