"A congratulatory gathering?" Royse looks up from the document he was reading.

Mark nods. "The Emor family wishes to invite the students to attend, celebrating the start of the academy's 2nd term."

The redhead looks at his calendar and realizes that summer break was soon ending. He heaved out a sigh, unable to believe that time passed by quickly.

Instead of lying around, he used his vacation to work.

Another sigh escaped his lips as Rohesia's words echoed in his mind.

Indeed, it seems he had wasted his summer vacation. But it didn't mean that he didn't have a day of rest. His family still made efforts to pull Royse away from his job and pamper him.

He places the paper on his desk and slouched on his seat. "A gathering huh..." He murmurs as he looks up at the ceiling.

Knowing his sister, he's sure she'd immediately accept the invitation.

"Will it be taking place in the Emor household?" He asks, turning his attention towards his butler.

"The gathering will be held in the Emor family's grand hall in town."

"I see. Please keep my schedule free for that day."

----------

Gazing at the window, Royse watches the people in town go on by their day. Twirling the glass in his hand, he takes a sip before switching his attention towards the guests inside the hall.

Many familiar faces appeared in his vision, all chatting and enjoying their time. He sees Catherine and Rohesia nearing him.

"Is it to your liking Royse?" Catherine asks, stopping in front of him.

"Yes, the arrangement of the tables is quite convenient."

This earned him a chuckle from both ladies in front.

"That is such a Royse thing to say." Catherine comments.

Royse glances around the place, hoping to see a familiar figure. Noticing his gaze, Catherine tilted her head.

"Is there something wrong Royse?"

He returns his attention towards the two. "Ah, I'm wondering if Amy is here."

The two averted their gaze at the mention of the name.

"Eh..." Royse felt his sweatdrop. Seeing their expression, he knew the ombre-haired girl must have done something.

"Well, you see..." Catherine trailed. "She's with Milivoj."

Royse knew where this was heading.

"The two of them were fighting regarding some matter. Seeing how they were disturbing the other guests, they took off in town."

It hasn't been long since the gathering started and they're already gone?!

Royse sighed.

"The idea of them being in peace seems to dim by each passing day." He comments. "What about the rest?"

"Carl joined the two." Rohesia explains,

Of course he did. It was not a surprise seeing how Carl would escape whenever an opportunity arises.

"As for his highnesses, they are currently attending some matters back in the palace."

Royse hummed. "What about Elsie and Amelie?"

Catherine nervously smiles. "They both are here."

The redhead quirked his brow, confused at the change of expression.

Just as he was about to ask the blond, a clack of heels can be heard nearing them.

When they turned from the source, they see a noble lady making her way towards them.

She wore a simple yet elegant ballgown. She held the same blond hair as Catherine and had blue eyes as well. Her lower face was covered by her fan.

Behind her was Amelie, following after.

They soon stopped in front of them.

Catherine bows. "Good day auntie." She greets.

The lady's eyes quirked. "You've grown, Catherine. I see you've been handling quite a task back in the academy. Please continue to work hard."

Royse didn't know what expression the lady wore behind her fan.

"Amelie, if you would be so kind to introduce me?" She asks, glancing at the blond beside her.

"Yes mother." Amelie walked towards them and gestures towards the lady. "Royse, Rohesia-senpai, meet Isthia Caddel, my mother."

Both redheaded siblings bowed. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mrs Caddel."

"Please call me Isthia." The lady turns towards Catherine. "My dear niece, I've noticed that the grand hall has been lacking in security."

Catherine tightened the grip of her connected hands. She wore a smile. "I will be sure to relay the notice to my father as soon as possible."

"It's for the best. We wouldn't want to make another incident as before now wouldn't we."

Royse noticed Isthia's eyes gleaming. Even when the fan covered half of her face, he knew the lady was satisfied when she saw Catherine flinch at the mention of the tea party incident back when they were kids.

"Certainly auntie. Everyone's safety is prioritized." Catherine regained her composure and continued to wear her smile. "The incident won't happen again, I can assure you."

Isthia's eyes narrowed. She turns towards her daughter. "I'll be taking my leave." She announces before leaving the 4 of them alone.

Amelie also followed after. "I'll also be returning to the table, see you again dear cousin." She bows before heading towards her location.

Finally, the tense atmosphere dissipated.

Rohesia gazed at Catherine in concern. "Are you okay, Catherine-sama?"

The blond nods. "Yes." She assures.

"Forgive me for assuming, but it seems there's some conflict..." Royse comments as he looks at the blond.

Catherine sadly smiles and nods. "Mother and auntie have been distant from one another, I'm sure you can tell from our interaction. Seeing them accept our invitation for the first time in a while is more than enough for me." She explains. "Even if auntie says such words, I just need to handle it well."

Rohesia looks at Catherine with a sad expression. "Catherine-sama..." She murmurs.

Royse nods in understanding. "I wish you the best."

Catherine chuckles. "Thank you, Royse."

After the interaction between Catherine and her auntie, the 3 of them decided to join the other group of students.

While Rohesia and Catherine joined the lady's group, Royse joined the opposite group. Many male students happily accepted him and used it as a chance to ask for any advice regarding business management.

It was tiring but it wasn't like Royse minded. He knew the male students would soon take their family's business. If he were to make connections while early, he's sure he could use it to his advantage in the near future.

Finally alone once again, he quietly drank his drink as he watches the guests.

A presence took his attention, making him turn to his back and see Amelie.

"Royse, hello." She greets.

With a smile, the redhead nods. "It's great to see you Amelie." He notices the way the lady seemed to awkwardly smile.

He had an inkling that the lady was nervous from the earlier scene her mother created.

"About earlier..."

Royse cuts her off. "It's fine. You don't need to say anything."

Amelie was bewildered and nodded.

"Thank you..." She whispers, smiling at her friends' consideration.

"Have you met with Elsie yet?" The redhead asks, switching the topic.

"I have. She's currently in the group over there." Amelie turns her head in the direction.

Royse followed her gaze and saw Elsie laughing with the rest of the noble ladies.

Royse smiles from the view. "It seems you introduced her to the others." He comments.

The blond nods. "Yes. Elsie is quite outgoing." She smiles as she gazed at the laughing brunette. "I'm sure people would love to be around her."

Seeing her expression, Royse was relieved that the blond seemed to be ok now.

"Ah, Royse dear."

Vanessa came into view along with her husband. When they stopped in front of them, Vanessa smiles towards Amelie.

"Hello, you must be Amelie." Vanessa bowed. "Thank you for being Royse's friend."

This took the blond by surprise and bowed as well. "I am also thankful for Royse." She replies.

The two of them rose with Vanessa giggling. "I hope our son hasn't been bothering you." Vanessa claps her hands. "How about Amelie visit our home? Elsie visits us, perhaps you might also like to spend a day with Royse. I'm sure it will be fun."

Amelie processed her words and became torn. "Oh-uh..."

"My dear, perhaps you've confused the young lady." Albert comments.

Vanessa covers her mouth and chuckles. "Apologies. As a mother, seeing Royse spend his time with his friends brings me joy, rather than being busy most of the time." As she spoke the last part, she looks at Royse.

The smile didn't reach her eyes.

The redhead gulped, knowing his mother's anger. "I will be sure to, mother..."

Albert sighed. He returns his attention towards the blond and smiled. "Vanessa is right. As a friend of Royse, Amelie is free to visit us. I'm sure Elsie would also like your presence."

Amelie watched the interaction and tightened the grip of her hands. She smiles with her head slightly tilting. "Thank you. I will be sure to accept when I have the time."

The couple nods. Vanessa soon started sharing her stories with Amelie while Albert from time to time would interrupt to correct his wife.

The blond was surprised at the couple's minor bickering.

Seeing her expression, a laugh escaped Royse's lips. "I can assure you, they are always like this." He explains.

"It seems the Frostenden household is a lively place." Amelie sadly smiled at the scene. "Perhaps I'll accept the invitation soon."

With her words, Royse smiles. "Glad to know. Unlike before when we spent the time in town together, this time, let's have Elsie join us."

The blond nods as she anticipated the day to come.

Seeing how Amelie was getting comfortable with his family, Royse excused himself to grab another glass of drink.

Just as he takes a glass, he sees a familiar figure in his peripheral vision exiting the hall.

He smiles, knowing the figure's hard-working character.

He returns to his group and spent the rest of the gathering sharing their stories.

--------------

2nd term finally started.

Students roamed around the campus, heading towards the cafeteria to spend their lunch.

It didn't take long for Royse to find the cast sitting at their usual table.

With the tray in his hands, he took his seat beside Amelie and greeted everyone.

"Royse, we were just talking about how we spent our break!" Elsie exclaims. "How about you? Did you enjoy it?"

"It was good." He replies as he grabs his utensils and started eating his meal.

Rohesia huffed at his words all the while gazing at her brother in exasperation. "Rosey spent it by working." She corrected.

Carl laughed. "As expected of Royse. Workaholic as always." He comments.

The redhead gripped his fork tighter. He looks at the pink-eyed male with a strained smile. "My workload has doubled all because a certain employee of mine refused to do their job. That is why I am left with no choice but to spend my break working."

Amy shook her head. "You don't understand Royse, this place is different. The employee has rights to take a vacation." She reasons.

Royse did his best to not choke on his food. Amy just had to mention their original world huh.

"Of course, the well being of my employee should be prioritized."

Amy chuckles. "I'm glad Royse understands."

Sparks flew between the two.

By now, the 2 new figures, Amelie and Elsie, were getting used to the scene.

Catherine coughed from her meal, earning her a concerned look from the redhead beside her.

Rohesia rushes to hand her a glass of water which the blond thankfully accepted.

"You've been coughing lately Catherine-sama." Rohesia states.

The blond smiles. "Perhaps the cause is the changing of season. I'm sure it will pass by quickly." She assures.

"That's true. I remember when I was young, I was a sickly child. Whenever winter arrives, I spent my days resting in bed." Elsie comments as she recalls those days.

Amelie turns towards the brunette. "It seems you're not anymore."

Elsie giggled. "Yep! I'm getting healthier and stronger now!" She beams.

Seeing her smile, Amelie breathes out a laugh.

"Indeed. Everyone should take care of themselves. Especially you Royse." Henry states.

The redhead felt his sweat drop as the topic was diverted to him again.

Please give him a rest already!

"We're aware that you attend meetings. And as Catherine said, winter will soon come. Please keep yourself warm when going out." William advises.

The redhead stopped his sigh from escaping and smiles instead. "Thank you for your concerns. I'll be sure to take care of my health."

The two nod, satisfied by Royse's words.

Amy sent a teasing look in his direction. Royse replied with a glare and ignored the ombre-haired girl, focusing on his meal instead.

They all return to their routine.

Attending their classes, submitting their summer break homework, partaking in sparring, magic lessons, and a lot more subjects they did.

The change of view was nice to Royse. Although he was bored with his lessons, he did enjoy finally having a moment of peace in the academy's garden.

The following day, when Royse headed towards the cafeteria, he was surprised to see his sister's downcast look.

He looks at her side and noticed the missing figure.

This time, he sits beside his sister, filling up the missing space. "Are you ok?" He asks, placing down his tray.

Rohesia broke out of her daze and smiles towards her brother. "Rosey, I didn't notice you." She returns her gaze at her untouched meal. "I'm fine..."

He furrowed his brows and huffed. "You do know that you suck at lying." He spoke, gone was his formal tone.

The rest of the group choked on their meal when they hear Royse use improper words. Carl became amused after regaining himself.

It was something they'd rarely hear from the younger redhead. Even Amelie and Elsie was bewildered. They didn't know Royse was capable of saying it, much less out in the public.

Rohesia on the other hand laughed. "Rosey, didn't mother tell you to refrain from using that kind of speech outside?"

Although Rohesia was scolding her brother, she didn't mind that Royse spoke that way in front of their friends.

"Seeing how you refuse to tell me the truth, then I will also refuse to use proper words then. Now tell me the issue sis, I'm not waiting till we get home." He speaks as he ate his meal, unaffected by everyone's gaze.

Amy smirked.

If only the cast knew how much Amy and Royse swore when they were alone.

"Catherine-sama was unable to attend school, due to a cold."

Ah, so that's why.

Rohesia chuckles. "I'm simply worried but I'm sure Catherine-sama will recover. She's strong after all."

Rohesia was a worry-wart but seeing her having faith in someone somehow eased his mind.

Royse smiles at his sister's words. "The seasons are changing, I'm sure Catherine onee-sama caught a minor cold."

As usual, they spent their days the same as before, although this time, Royse was confused when he sees Amy not taking advantage of Rohesia's alone time.

He also noticed that when lunch, Milivoj would put side dishes over Amy's plate.

Considering the fact that Milivoj didn't like sharing his meal, it was a surprise to them that the blue-haired male would do such action for the first time.

Amy didn't feel any guilt and just ate the side dishes given, seemingly unbothered by the man's action.

He hums from the scene.

Seeing their interaction made him wonder if something happened between the two.

When his class ended, he checks his sister's classroom and saw Rohesia mingling with her other classmates. Although she seemed to be in a daze, it was a relief to see that she wasn't depressed.

He furrows his brows when he didn't see a certain ombre-haired girl.

"Where is she?"

If Rohesia was in this state, he was sure Amy would use this as a chance to get closer.

He furrows his brows. "Something must've happened..."

Did they fight?

But they seemed to be ok back in lunch.

Just as he was about to step behind, his back met with a hard object. Turning his head, he meets with a familiar shade of blue.

"Hello, Royse." Juli greets with a smile.

By now, the redhead was getting used to the lack of presence the older male had.

Royse backs away, facing the older male. "Ah, Juli-senpai. Have you seen Amy?" He asks.

The older male tilted his head before shaking it.

The redhead heaved out a sigh.

"By any chance, did you see where she headed?" He asks.

Juli hummed. "Perhaps the garden?"

With a smile, Royse thanks the male before going off his way.

It was easy to know which garden his friend went to. When Royse arrived he sees Amy sitting on the grass, reading a book while muttering its words.

Sensing the familiar presence, Amy rose her head and greeted her friend.

"Yo, what brings you here?" She asks, looking up at the younger figure.

Royse furrows his brows as he narrowed his eyes towards the lady.

"Care to explain anything?"

Amy rose her brow. "Sorry I don't follow." She replies.

The redhead's lips quirked as he places both hands over his hips. "If you're feigning ignorance then I must applaud you for the improvement of your acting skills." Royse gazed at his friend's eyes. "Rohesia."

Amy's stiffen didn't go unnoticed by the redhead.

"Something did happen. Care to explain."

Knowing Royse's adamant nature, Amy heaved out a sigh, leaving her no choice but to explain.

"We didn't fight if that's what you're worried about." She assures. "It's simply about me. I somehow find it hard to speak with her."

Royse huffed. He retracts his hands to his side and sat beside the lady. Sitting in a seiza position, he looks at his friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Amy became silent as she gazed at the book on her lap.

"I guess, I'm just frustrated..." She starts.

Amy frowned, trying to fix her thoughts.

"When I first played the game, I didn't think much about your sister. But each of her scenes took my attention and before I knew it, I found myself liking her..."

Amy's frown deepened.

"So when she was killed, I was angry."

Royse furrowed his brows as he lets his friend speak, listening to each of her words.

"That time she was just a fictional character. A character from a game that the people I knew off introduced. And now, seeing her alive and breathing, I'm happy that I could stay by her side..."

Amy clenched her fist.

"Yet, she's chosen Catherine." She pursed her lips. "I know that Catherine is different from the game and she's not the same person. But I can't help but become frustrated. There's no valid reason for me to hate Catherine and there's no reason for me to not support the two..."

Bangs covered the lady's eyes, casting shadows. "I'm frustrated by these feelings and it hurts. I want what's best for Rohesia..." She whispers. "I want her happy..."

She took a deep breath.

"Do you think it would be best for me to let go?"

Amy rose her head as she finally gazed at the redhead. Her eyes shone from the unshed tears.

"I..."

Royse bit his lip.

"I'd do what I think is right. Check all my options before I make my decision." Royse looks away. "Perhaps I'd be a little selfish as well. But if all options lead to an outcome I didn't like, then perhaps, I'd sacrifice myself to avoid it..."

His friend became silent.

"But, there's one thing."

With a glint in his eyes, Royse stared at Amy.

"Tell her your feelings."

Amy blinked in surprise.

"Don't break it off without giving yourself a chance to speak."

"Even if she refused?"

"Even if."

Royse smiles.

"A confession is beautiful don't you think? Many don't realize it but it's a courageous feat. For someone to speak their feelings to someone they admire, like, or love." Royse closes his eyes. "Regardless of the reply they'd receive, it doesn't stop them from speaking."

When Royse opens his eyes, he sees Amy gazing at his.

"The Amy I know is courageous."

"Doesn't back down from a fight."

"Someone who sees through the end."

As he spoke his words, his friend's eyes gleamed.

Gone was the sadness and was replaced with hope.

A laugh escapes her lips.

"You really know your words..."

"I wouldn't be the president of my company if I didn't." Royse chuckles.

The lady nods, gazing up at the sky. Wind wafted by, soothing them and easing their feelings.

"Thank you..."

"No worries. Remember when you said that I'm not alone? So are you..."

"I'm here..."

"Yeah..."