FIC: Suitors - (Chapter 03: Situations and Such)
Title: Suitors - (Chapter 03: Situations and Such)
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x ???
Word Count: 2587
Fic Type: Ongoing
Fic Summary: After Wolfram ended his engagement in a fit of rage, suitors from all around started to flock to the castle to seek his hand - much to Gwendal's dismay. Who will capture his heart? A random noble? Murata? Yozak? And, what about Yuuri? Sequel to 1 Up.
Chapter Summary: Yuuri's imagination runs wild after overhearing Wolfram make a plea to Yozak, Shinou questions Murata's true motives, and Wolfram and Yozak have a late night discussion.
Previous Chapters: 1 ~ 2
Prequel: 1 Up: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9
Suitors (Chapter 03: Situations and Such)
by Tetra26/Batty Gal
After having been scolded by Günter for slacking off earlier when he hid in the gardens with Wolfram and Murata, and managing to get through yet another afternoon of boring lessons, Yuuri was tired. All he wanted to do was go to his room and collapse onto his bed - and the minute he left his office, he headed straight that way.
He was just about to round the corner when he heard the tail end of what sounded like a very dirty joke.
“-and then she muffled out, 'That's the second wrong hole you've stuffed it in, idiot!',” he heard Yozak say with mirth.
The sound he heard next made him pause in his steps.
It was Wolfram.
Laughing.
Laughing heartily, at that.
Yuuri had never heard Wolfram laugh so very freely. Sure, he had heard him laugh quite a few times, but never quite like that.
“Yo.. Yozak! That was so very wrong! Oh man, I can't breathe!” he heard Wolfram gasp out.
“Neither could she!” Yozak said, which set Wolfram off all over again.
Yuuri stood there, simply listening to Wolfram's laugh. He wondered why Wolfram had never laughed that way around him.
Or with him, even.
He was about to turn and walk in the opposite direction, but Wolfram's next words froze him place.
“Listen, I need to see you tonight, alright? Come to my room after hours - and make sure those nosy maids don't see you this time.”
Yuuri remembered rumors from a while back about Wolfram and Yozak, and had even noticed that they were a lot closer, but he was uncertain about the nature of that relationship.
He wondered if something was going on between the two.
He couldn't think of a good reason why Wolfram would want Yozak in his room late at night, at least not one that involved having to keep it a secret like that. His mind started to conjure up all sorts of situations and reasons that it could be, many of which involving the two doing naughty things with each other.
He didn't like his mind traveling to those sorts of places. Not at all.
“What's wrong?” he heard Yozak ask.
“I'll discuss it then. Just, please. I need you,” Wolfram answered.
The way he said it - almost as if pleading - made Yuuri's imagination run even wilder, and he found himself thinking about various things. From a Romeo and Juliet situation, to a shotgun wedding forced by Gwendal, the thoughts he had became crazier and crazier.
“I'll be there, like always,” he heard Yozak say in a low (and husky - he was pretty sure that could be categorized as such) voice, and Yuuri's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what was going on between them, but whatever it was, it must be serious.
As he heard them walk off in the other direction, with Yozak starting on yet another joke, he wondered about the real situation between the two.
Could it be that they were secretly in love? Was it possible that the reason why Wolfram ignored all of the attractive people that threw themselves at him was not just because they were opportunists, but because his heart belonged elsewhere? To Yozak, perhaps?
And what about Murata?
Yuuri's mind went back to Murata implying that he might pursue Wolfram.
He had a hard time believing it considering that Murata had never shown any sign of being interested in Wolfram before. Sure, Murata had made comments about Wolfram being attractive, but then again so had he. In fact, Yuuri had made more comments about Wolfram's attractiveness than Murata, and surely that meant something...
No.
It meant nothing, and Yuuri couldn't believe his mind was about to even consider it did. It was one thing being honest about how attractive Wolfram was, but to even think that because he said it more than Murata, it had a deeper meaning, was just asking for trouble.
Still, the thought of Wolfram and Murata hooking up together bothered him. He didn't see how they were suited for each other at all. He was still reeling over the idea of Murata feeling Wolfram up, and wondered just how they even got into such a situation with each other. And, though he had resolved his issues with all of the blatant homosexuality surrounding him (he had to, how else could he deal with Günter?), he hadn't been aware of - or even considered - that Murata was into guys as well.
Plus, there was Wolfram's ambivalence about a certain other person he knew, no matter what he claimed.
The more he thought about it all, the more it ate at him - and he simply couldn't understand why.
He wouldn't understand why.
“You look so very self-satisfied,” Shinou remarked, his eyebrow raised. “I question your seriousness about this matter.”
Murata, who was humming a tune from his favorite video game, stopped and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“If you are not serious, you should stop right here. You, out of everyone, should know what happens when you play games with people's hearts.”
“I'm not playing a game with his heart, I'm just... opening his options. Expanding his horizons. Multiplying his answers. Complicating his decisions.”
“I get it, you can stop now with those idiotic Earth-based idioms. Still, what is the real purpose of you pursing him?”
“I like him.”
“You like him?”
“Yes.”
“And that's it?”
Murata rolled his yes. “Yes, that's it.”
“Define 'like', in this instance.”
Murata sighed, and looked away from the one person he couldn't stare down. He knew that his old friend was well-aware of what he meant, and just wanted to make things difficult by having him say it out loud.
“His behavior about this whole suitor business is bothering me, and I'm worried about him. I simply want to show him that not everyone out there is interested in him solely because of his status. That he could find someone who didn't care about it. That he doesn't have to give up - or give in, either.”
“Yuuri is having the same problem. Do these worries extend to him as well? Are you going to give him the very same treatment?”
“Yuuri has a whole other world, one where very few people know that he's the Maou here. He can easily find someone from that world, someone who won't care about his status. All Wolfram has is here, where everyone knows who he is, and who he will become.”
“You need to ask yourself if you like him as a friend, or if you like him romantically. If it's the latter, by all means you should go for it. If it's the former, I don't think you should make any move that could end up with him in love with you if you aren't serious about him.”
“Why are you so concerned about this?”
“Because I like him, too,” Shinou said with a smile.
“There are eleven shades of wrong with that sentence if you mean romantically,” Murata said.
“Quit deflecting from the issue here. Would you be doing this as a friend, or a potential lover?”
Murata finally realized what Shinou meant by his line of questioning, and admitted to himself that he was right. If he pursued Wolfram solely to teach him a lesson, it could backfire immensely if Wolfram were to actually fall for him. Any lesson that Wolfram learned would be canceled out due to Murata not having been serious about the entire matter.
“I think you need to think this through a little further before you put the moves on him,” Shinou said.
“Perhaps you're right.”
And he would.
He couldn't deny that he had some sort of interest in Wolfram, but he had never seriously thought about whether that interest was simply physical attraction or genuinely emotional.
In fact, it could be possible that he was just like those suitors, but desiring him based not on status, but his looks.
He didn't want to dare act on it if it were so. Shinou was right; he knew all too well what happened when hearts were tampered with. He could tell that he would be pondering this for quite some time.
After several more moments of thinking about it, he spoke out. “Out of curiosity, though, what are the chances that Wolfram and I could end up together if I were to pursue him seriously?”
“That wouldn't be fair to the others that actually have a chance with him if I told you.”
The others that have a chance? Aside from the two people that he suspected liked Wolfram more than they cared to admit, he wondered just who he would be up against - if he decided to participate at all.
“Come on. Humor me.”
“Slightly higher than Wolfram ending up with Dakaskos, but lower than Wolfram ending up with Adelbert.”
“What?!”
“You said you wanted me to humor you.”
Yozak leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, quietly watching as Wolfram paced the floor in his bedroom. It had been months since he had seen him in his plotting and scheming mode, and he couldn't ignore how excited it made him.
The last time Wolfram had been this way, he ended up having so much fun with him. With the others, too. From Yuuri's various facial expressions when he heard all the rumors Wolfram planted, to watching Conrart sputter as he chastised him for dressing his brother up as a maid (Yozak knew it was less about the dress-up lesson, and more about Wolfram gossiping to the maids that perhaps their relationship was far beyond brotherly), he had been so very amused by it all.
“I have it!” Wolfram cried, interrupting his thoughts.
“What do you have?” Yozak asked, eager to hear it.
“An idea. Listen, how about you dress up for this ridiculous Ball and pretend to be my date? That way, people won't be as quick to try to hassle me!”
“I don't know if that will work in this situation. It may be easy to fool some of the people, but not all of them. Even with my makeup skills, coming up with a full background story for those people who ask will be troublesome.”
“We'll avoid questions by dancing only with each other.”
“For five hours, Wolfram? And, what about your brothers? Will you let them in on the situation? Gwendal wouldn't agree to this at all, and if he recognized me...” Yozak trailed off at the thought of Gwendal figuring him out.
Wolfram sighed. “Gwendal probably wouldn't even recognize you. You've done this plenty of times, and most people, including him, hadn't noticed it was you. Even if they notice who you are, at the most they'll think we have a forbidden relationship going on that prompted you to dress as a noble. If I can just get through this night while making more permanent plans for getting them off my back, I'll be fine.”
“What about your reputation? If I were revealed, and people thought you were involved with someone like me, it could cause a scandal.”
“Yozak, I punched the Maou out and rejected his proposal, and it made me more popular than ever. I doubt that being revealed to be your lover would make me a social outcast. Besides, I would rather suffer an ailing reputation than deal with one that shot up due to marrying someone who clearly wants me for one reason only.”
Yozak saw Wolfram's point, but wasn't quite convinced that his plan would make any difference. He tried a different angle. “Alright, what about the suitors that will continue to show up after that? They won't stop coming solely because you had a date for this Ball.”
“I'll deal with that when it happens. I'll probably have to deal with some of them soon, before the Ball. They have been crowding me since I got unengaged. I'm so sick of this.”
“I don't know if this will work, Wolfram. We can try, but what will we do if my cover is blown?”
“Then I will declare my everlasting love for you in front of everyone and propose,” Wolfram half-joked.
Yozak laughed. He knew that Wolfram may very well do that, if pushed. “Watch it, I just may hold you to it if you do.”
“Could you imagine the look on Gwendal's face?”
“Or your mother's squeal of happiness?”
“I'll bet the wedding would be almost completely planned by the next morning.”
“And we'd be fitted for dresses by noon.”
“Or you'd be fitted for your funeral outfit by then, depending on Gwendal's reaction.”
“We'd have to elope, probably.”
“If we did that, we'd both have to be fitted for funeral outfits after my mother finished with us.”
They both chuckled softly at the idea of Cheri being furious because she wasn't allowed to plan a huge wedding for Wolfram.
After things quieted down, and Yozak started to mentally plan his potential wardrobe for the event, Wolfram broke the silence.
“I wish that...” Wolfram started, but promptly clammed up. “Never mind,” he quickly said.
“You wish what?” Yozak asked, curiously. He noted that Wolfram had an almost wistful look on his face.
He sighed. “Nothing. It's nothing, is all. Just, let me know how you want to go about this situation.”
Yozak gave him a lingering look, and raised his eyebrow when Wolfram blushed and looked away.
After staring harder, and watching Wolfram's blush go even deeper, he decided to let it go. “Let's see, how should we do this? You want me as your male date? Or would you like a display of my feminine side on the night in question?”
“Male date, of course.”
“Aw. I wanted to wear one of those new gowns that's in fashion now. I simply adore those puffed sleeves!”
“Yozak...”
“Alright, alright. Well, I was thinking that I'd take on my Kelby Loring persona, once again,” Yozak said. “I took a peek at your mother's invite list, and that King hasn't been invited. Even if he decides to show up anyhow - which I doubt since he's probably still licking his wounds - I could simply say that I came to my senses and realized how much you meant to me if he questions why I'm back with you.”
“Fine. Well, we should come up with a cover story for 'Kelby', if necessary.”
“No need to. I have an old noble friend that lives on the outskirts of the Karbelnikoff territories. He's known as an hermit, and he's shrouded in mystery. He'll swear up and down that I - as Kelby - am his long-lost nephew, if questioned about it after the Ball. If it's revealed not to be true, he'll swear up and down he's senile as well. Maybe, if the rumors spread that you're serious about someone, people will lay off of you.”
Wolfram snickered. “You always have everything covered, don't you?”
“Always. I am the greatest, after all,” he said, and puffed out his chest in a display of false arrogance.
Wolfram laughed. “Indeed, you are. Now, let's plan this down to the last minute.”
Author's note: This is the re-edited version of this chapter. Just changed Conrad to Conrart, plus a few other minor errors. Next Chapter: As people are scurrying about preparing for the big event, an unwanted guest shows up at Blood Pledge Castle. No, not THAT unwanted guest.
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x ???
Word Count: 2587
Fic Type: Ongoing
Fic Summary: After Wolfram ended his engagement in a fit of rage, suitors from all around started to flock to the castle to seek his hand - much to Gwendal's dismay. Who will capture his heart? A random noble? Murata? Yozak? And, what about Yuuri? Sequel to 1 Up.
Chapter Summary: Yuuri's imagination runs wild after overhearing Wolfram make a plea to Yozak, Shinou questions Murata's true motives, and Wolfram and Yozak have a late night discussion.
Previous Chapters: 1 ~ 2
Prequel: 1 Up: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9
Suitors (Chapter 03: Situations and Such)
by Tetra26/Batty Gal
After having been scolded by Günter for slacking off earlier when he hid in the gardens with Wolfram and Murata, and managing to get through yet another afternoon of boring lessons, Yuuri was tired. All he wanted to do was go to his room and collapse onto his bed - and the minute he left his office, he headed straight that way.
He was just about to round the corner when he heard the tail end of what sounded like a very dirty joke.
“-and then she muffled out, 'That's the second wrong hole you've stuffed it in, idiot!',” he heard Yozak say with mirth.
The sound he heard next made him pause in his steps.
It was Wolfram.
Laughing.
Laughing heartily, at that.
Yuuri had never heard Wolfram laugh so very freely. Sure, he had heard him laugh quite a few times, but never quite like that.
“Yo.. Yozak! That was so very wrong! Oh man, I can't breathe!” he heard Wolfram gasp out.
“Neither could she!” Yozak said, which set Wolfram off all over again.
Yuuri stood there, simply listening to Wolfram's laugh. He wondered why Wolfram had never laughed that way around him.
Or with him, even.
He was about to turn and walk in the opposite direction, but Wolfram's next words froze him place.
“Listen, I need to see you tonight, alright? Come to my room after hours - and make sure those nosy maids don't see you this time.”
Yuuri remembered rumors from a while back about Wolfram and Yozak, and had even noticed that they were a lot closer, but he was uncertain about the nature of that relationship.
He wondered if something was going on between the two.
He couldn't think of a good reason why Wolfram would want Yozak in his room late at night, at least not one that involved having to keep it a secret like that. His mind started to conjure up all sorts of situations and reasons that it could be, many of which involving the two doing naughty things with each other.
He didn't like his mind traveling to those sorts of places. Not at all.
“What's wrong?” he heard Yozak ask.
“I'll discuss it then. Just, please. I need you,” Wolfram answered.
The way he said it - almost as if pleading - made Yuuri's imagination run even wilder, and he found himself thinking about various things. From a Romeo and Juliet situation, to a shotgun wedding forced by Gwendal, the thoughts he had became crazier and crazier.
“I'll be there, like always,” he heard Yozak say in a low (and husky - he was pretty sure that could be categorized as such) voice, and Yuuri's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what was going on between them, but whatever it was, it must be serious.
As he heard them walk off in the other direction, with Yozak starting on yet another joke, he wondered about the real situation between the two.
Could it be that they were secretly in love? Was it possible that the reason why Wolfram ignored all of the attractive people that threw themselves at him was not just because they were opportunists, but because his heart belonged elsewhere? To Yozak, perhaps?
And what about Murata?
Yuuri's mind went back to Murata implying that he might pursue Wolfram.
He had a hard time believing it considering that Murata had never shown any sign of being interested in Wolfram before. Sure, Murata had made comments about Wolfram being attractive, but then again so had he. In fact, Yuuri had made more comments about Wolfram's attractiveness than Murata, and surely that meant something...
No.
It meant nothing, and Yuuri couldn't believe his mind was about to even consider it did. It was one thing being honest about how attractive Wolfram was, but to even think that because he said it more than Murata, it had a deeper meaning, was just asking for trouble.
Still, the thought of Wolfram and Murata hooking up together bothered him. He didn't see how they were suited for each other at all. He was still reeling over the idea of Murata feeling Wolfram up, and wondered just how they even got into such a situation with each other. And, though he had resolved his issues with all of the blatant homosexuality surrounding him (he had to, how else could he deal with Günter?), he hadn't been aware of - or even considered - that Murata was into guys as well.
Plus, there was Wolfram's ambivalence about a certain other person he knew, no matter what he claimed.
The more he thought about it all, the more it ate at him - and he simply couldn't understand why.
He wouldn't understand why.
“You look so very self-satisfied,” Shinou remarked, his eyebrow raised. “I question your seriousness about this matter.”
Murata, who was humming a tune from his favorite video game, stopped and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“If you are not serious, you should stop right here. You, out of everyone, should know what happens when you play games with people's hearts.”
“I'm not playing a game with his heart, I'm just... opening his options. Expanding his horizons. Multiplying his answers. Complicating his decisions.”
“I get it, you can stop now with those idiotic Earth-based idioms. Still, what is the real purpose of you pursing him?”
“I like him.”
“You like him?”
“Yes.”
“And that's it?”
Murata rolled his yes. “Yes, that's it.”
“Define 'like', in this instance.”
Murata sighed, and looked away from the one person he couldn't stare down. He knew that his old friend was well-aware of what he meant, and just wanted to make things difficult by having him say it out loud.
“His behavior about this whole suitor business is bothering me, and I'm worried about him. I simply want to show him that not everyone out there is interested in him solely because of his status. That he could find someone who didn't care about it. That he doesn't have to give up - or give in, either.”
“Yuuri is having the same problem. Do these worries extend to him as well? Are you going to give him the very same treatment?”
“Yuuri has a whole other world, one where very few people know that he's the Maou here. He can easily find someone from that world, someone who won't care about his status. All Wolfram has is here, where everyone knows who he is, and who he will become.”
“You need to ask yourself if you like him as a friend, or if you like him romantically. If it's the latter, by all means you should go for it. If it's the former, I don't think you should make any move that could end up with him in love with you if you aren't serious about him.”
“Why are you so concerned about this?”
“Because I like him, too,” Shinou said with a smile.
“There are eleven shades of wrong with that sentence if you mean romantically,” Murata said.
“Quit deflecting from the issue here. Would you be doing this as a friend, or a potential lover?”
Murata finally realized what Shinou meant by his line of questioning, and admitted to himself that he was right. If he pursued Wolfram solely to teach him a lesson, it could backfire immensely if Wolfram were to actually fall for him. Any lesson that Wolfram learned would be canceled out due to Murata not having been serious about the entire matter.
“I think you need to think this through a little further before you put the moves on him,” Shinou said.
“Perhaps you're right.”
And he would.
He couldn't deny that he had some sort of interest in Wolfram, but he had never seriously thought about whether that interest was simply physical attraction or genuinely emotional.
In fact, it could be possible that he was just like those suitors, but desiring him based not on status, but his looks.
He didn't want to dare act on it if it were so. Shinou was right; he knew all too well what happened when hearts were tampered with. He could tell that he would be pondering this for quite some time.
After several more moments of thinking about it, he spoke out. “Out of curiosity, though, what are the chances that Wolfram and I could end up together if I were to pursue him seriously?”
“That wouldn't be fair to the others that actually have a chance with him if I told you.”
The others that have a chance? Aside from the two people that he suspected liked Wolfram more than they cared to admit, he wondered just who he would be up against - if he decided to participate at all.
“Come on. Humor me.”
“Slightly higher than Wolfram ending up with Dakaskos, but lower than Wolfram ending up with Adelbert.”
“What?!”
“You said you wanted me to humor you.”
Yozak leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, quietly watching as Wolfram paced the floor in his bedroom. It had been months since he had seen him in his plotting and scheming mode, and he couldn't ignore how excited it made him.
The last time Wolfram had been this way, he ended up having so much fun with him. With the others, too. From Yuuri's various facial expressions when he heard all the rumors Wolfram planted, to watching Conrart sputter as he chastised him for dressing his brother up as a maid (Yozak knew it was less about the dress-up lesson, and more about Wolfram gossiping to the maids that perhaps their relationship was far beyond brotherly), he had been so very amused by it all.
“I have it!” Wolfram cried, interrupting his thoughts.
“What do you have?” Yozak asked, eager to hear it.
“An idea. Listen, how about you dress up for this ridiculous Ball and pretend to be my date? That way, people won't be as quick to try to hassle me!”
“I don't know if that will work in this situation. It may be easy to fool some of the people, but not all of them. Even with my makeup skills, coming up with a full background story for those people who ask will be troublesome.”
“We'll avoid questions by dancing only with each other.”
“For five hours, Wolfram? And, what about your brothers? Will you let them in on the situation? Gwendal wouldn't agree to this at all, and if he recognized me...” Yozak trailed off at the thought of Gwendal figuring him out.
Wolfram sighed. “Gwendal probably wouldn't even recognize you. You've done this plenty of times, and most people, including him, hadn't noticed it was you. Even if they notice who you are, at the most they'll think we have a forbidden relationship going on that prompted you to dress as a noble. If I can just get through this night while making more permanent plans for getting them off my back, I'll be fine.”
“What about your reputation? If I were revealed, and people thought you were involved with someone like me, it could cause a scandal.”
“Yozak, I punched the Maou out and rejected his proposal, and it made me more popular than ever. I doubt that being revealed to be your lover would make me a social outcast. Besides, I would rather suffer an ailing reputation than deal with one that shot up due to marrying someone who clearly wants me for one reason only.”
Yozak saw Wolfram's point, but wasn't quite convinced that his plan would make any difference. He tried a different angle. “Alright, what about the suitors that will continue to show up after that? They won't stop coming solely because you had a date for this Ball.”
“I'll deal with that when it happens. I'll probably have to deal with some of them soon, before the Ball. They have been crowding me since I got unengaged. I'm so sick of this.”
“I don't know if this will work, Wolfram. We can try, but what will we do if my cover is blown?”
“Then I will declare my everlasting love for you in front of everyone and propose,” Wolfram half-joked.
Yozak laughed. He knew that Wolfram may very well do that, if pushed. “Watch it, I just may hold you to it if you do.”
“Could you imagine the look on Gwendal's face?”
“Or your mother's squeal of happiness?”
“I'll bet the wedding would be almost completely planned by the next morning.”
“And we'd be fitted for dresses by noon.”
“Or you'd be fitted for your funeral outfit by then, depending on Gwendal's reaction.”
“We'd have to elope, probably.”
“If we did that, we'd both have to be fitted for funeral outfits after my mother finished with us.”
They both chuckled softly at the idea of Cheri being furious because she wasn't allowed to plan a huge wedding for Wolfram.
After things quieted down, and Yozak started to mentally plan his potential wardrobe for the event, Wolfram broke the silence.
“I wish that...” Wolfram started, but promptly clammed up. “Never mind,” he quickly said.
“You wish what?” Yozak asked, curiously. He noted that Wolfram had an almost wistful look on his face.
He sighed. “Nothing. It's nothing, is all. Just, let me know how you want to go about this situation.”
Yozak gave him a lingering look, and raised his eyebrow when Wolfram blushed and looked away.
After staring harder, and watching Wolfram's blush go even deeper, he decided to let it go. “Let's see, how should we do this? You want me as your male date? Or would you like a display of my feminine side on the night in question?”
“Male date, of course.”
“Aw. I wanted to wear one of those new gowns that's in fashion now. I simply adore those puffed sleeves!”
“Yozak...”
“Alright, alright. Well, I was thinking that I'd take on my Kelby Loring persona, once again,” Yozak said. “I took a peek at your mother's invite list, and that King hasn't been invited. Even if he decides to show up anyhow - which I doubt since he's probably still licking his wounds - I could simply say that I came to my senses and realized how much you meant to me if he questions why I'm back with you.”
“Fine. Well, we should come up with a cover story for 'Kelby', if necessary.”
“No need to. I have an old noble friend that lives on the outskirts of the Karbelnikoff territories. He's known as an hermit, and he's shrouded in mystery. He'll swear up and down that I - as Kelby - am his long-lost nephew, if questioned about it after the Ball. If it's revealed not to be true, he'll swear up and down he's senile as well. Maybe, if the rumors spread that you're serious about someone, people will lay off of you.”
Wolfram snickered. “You always have everything covered, don't you?”
“Always. I am the greatest, after all,” he said, and puffed out his chest in a display of false arrogance.
Wolfram laughed. “Indeed, you are. Now, let's plan this down to the last minute.”
Author's note: This is the re-edited version of this chapter. Just changed Conrad to Conrart, plus a few other minor errors. Next Chapter: As people are scurrying about preparing for the big event, an unwanted guest shows up at Blood Pledge Castle. No, not THAT unwanted guest.