Cedar quietly stood a few steps behind the Crown Prince who was busy in a mountain of paperwork.

'Hmmm… so this prince isn't actually that bad.' Gale noted in her mind as she sneakily glanced at him from time to time.

As she thought about it, a cold breeze blew from the open window. To her surprise, a figure emerged from the shadows at the utmost corner of the room. 'Wow! A real-life ninja! So cool!'

It was a black-cladded guy whose face was partly covered with cloth. In the darkness, his upturned eyes and golden optics seems to glow, in contrast to his long dark hair. If Cedar's memory was right, this ponytail guy is Konoki. A member of the Emperor's shadow army and His Imperial Majesty's messenger.

When Konoki walked towards the Prince, his gaze turned to the Knight's direction. It was only for a moment but Cedar felt a chill creeping up his spine as if a venomous snake was probing at him. Still, although he was having a cold sweat, he still managed to keep his deadpan face.

The changes in Cedar and Konoki's expressions were only on a minuscule scale. But Alexander did not miss it.

The corners of his lips subtly raised as an unknown emotion glinted in his eyes.

"Your Highness…" Konoki bowed before the prince and placed a scroll on the table. "Here's the list that you've requested."

Without a word, Prince Alexander picked it up. He then read its contents with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Are there any more noble households under suspicion aside from the names listed in here?" He asked after a while.

"There's one more. They were highly suspected to be the main instigator of the rebellion. They are supporting the second Prince's faction in secret." Konoki answered. "However, there wasn't any evidence that would lead to them. Every traces were neatly taken care of."

"Hoh~" He exclaimed with an amused look on his face. "And who might that be?" Alexander then propped his chin on his palm with an indifferent look.

"It was the Nightingales. Specifically, Ignis and Kravis Nightingale, my Lord."

"What do you think?" Alexander turned to Cedar who went a bit stiff upon hearing his brothers' names.

"It was just like them." He clenched his fist as Ignis' twisted smile flashed through his head. "Especially Ignis. He definitely didn't want any loose ends after what happened twelve years ago. He must have killed the persons involved with him or he has the means to threaten them into silence."

"Tsk… Hide and seek is it?" Alexander mumbled as he touched the parchment with the tip of his index finger. He set it on fire, and the list turned into ashes in a split second.

Watching this, Gale was astonished. Although she knew from Cedar's memory that this Casanova prince can be amazing at some point, she was still awestruck upon witnessing his magic in person.

'Wow! The special effects used in Hollywood couldn't even compare to the real thing!' Gale exclaimed inwardly. Her grip on the sword tightened as she suppressed her urge to clap and smile like an idiot.

Somehow, Alexander felt the mood change of his knight so he glanced up on Cedar's position.

The knight's face was still in serious mode yet his eyes were sparkling like a child in some sort of festival.

"Pft!"

Cedar flinched when a suppressed laugh escaped from Alexander's lips.

"Wha-- Your Highness?" Oblivious to his facial expression, Cedar was bewildered.

"N-nothing…" The Prince replied as his shoulders shook and waved his hands.

Still, Gale was puzzled and looked at Konoki only to be met by watchful eyes without a hint of amusement.

Gale gulped as she avoided his gaze. 'What the heck? Why are you looking at me like that? Weren't you and Cedar on good terms?' She cried in her mind.

"Did my father said anything else?" The prince inquired after he managed to calm himself.

"He told you not to show your trump card until the last minute."

"He always says that so much it hurts my ears. What else?"

"...good luck." Konoki answered.

"And?"

"...there's nothing else to add, my Lord."

"That old bastard…" The prince grimaced and then brought out a sealed envelope and gave it to the ninja guy. "Go."

Konoki glanced at the letter and took it. He bowed without saying a word and as fast as he came, he vanished within the shadows, not leaving any traces.

After that, the morning passed uneventfully and Cedar only stayed in one spot for hours. But his body was well-trained and used to remaining completely idle. So, it didn't give him any problems physically.

With that said, it was another thing for Gale's mentality. She's bored to death and was itching to move here and there.

She tried to gather every last bit of her patience and concentration to not fall asleep. Then Gale noticed that she's being watched.

Sure enough, when she turned her head, her gaze met the Crown Prince's eyes. Caught by his aquamarine orbs, Gale felt her face warming up and her heart thumped a bit faster than usual.

"Eherm…" She cleared her throat whilst avoiding the prince's stare.

She was an actress who's never bothered by the camera flashes and the public's scrutinizing eyes. But strangely, when it comes to this prince, she gets too conscious when he looks at her. It was as if he could see through her soul and that she felt naked.

Naked. That word had just reminded her of the scene that she saw earlier. With that thought, Cedar's face flushed.

"Seriously… are you sick?"

The knight jolted when he heard the prince's voice right next to his right ear. It seems that the prince stood up and stepped closer.

Caught off-guard, Cedar took a step back and without realizing it, he placed his right hand on his ear.

"N-no… I'm f-fine, Your Highness." He stuttered.

Alexander raised his brow and stepped forward, while Cedar took another step backward.

Noticing his red face, the Prince grinned. "Hoh~? Are you being conscious of me now?"

"I-I wasn't…" Cedar faltered.

"Then," Alexander stepped closer once more and as expected, Cedar also moved backward. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"Huh? I… I would never dare, Your Highness…"

"You just did." Alexander retorted, a flicker of amusement glinted in his eyes. "..and you're also stuttering."

"That…" Cedar was speechless. He couldn't talk back as he was busy avoiding the prince's advances while they speak.

"Was it because of what happened this morning?" Alexander asked with an air of innocence. "Because I was naked?"

'Damn it! Don't say that with that kind of face!' Gale shouted in her mind. "Ho-how could that be? It's not like it was the first time… right?" She answered, still trying to calm herself.

"Hmmm… that's true." Alexander nodded. "But it was the first time that we kissed though."

'Waaaahh!!! Don't! Please don't!' She pleaded in her head as her mask as Cedar slowly broke into pieces. "Your Highness… please just forget it."

"Hm?" Alexander advanced forward with a smile on his face. "Don't wanna."

Gale wanted to run as far as possible from Alexander but it was impossible and rude. Also, Cedar, the one who owned this body before would never leave the Prince's side on his duty. Furthermore, she could already feel the wall on her back, thus there was no room for retreat.

"Y-your highness…"

"I could never forget such a sloppy kiss." Saying this, Alexander moved his face close to Cedar's face while his arms propped on the wall. He trapped the knight who was a palm shorter than him. "As a friend concerned about your future, should I teach you?"

"No, thank you." Cedar flatly rejected, forcing a smile towards the prince. "Moreover, it's not common for men to kiss each other." He tried to reason out. After all, Alexander has an image to keep.

"It's not common, indeed." The prince agreed. "But it's not like it's rare either."

'What the hell? Is this prince alright in the head?'

"Besides, there's only the two of us here." Alexander deliberately whispered into his ears, his breath tickling Cedar's skin. "If no one knows, then there's no problem, right?"

Without warning, the prince pulled him close by his waist, making Cedar's whole body to become stiff from the unfamiliar sensation.

The prince then raised Cedar's head by his chin, while Alexander runs his thumb on his knight's lower lip.

She shuddered. Gale was supposed to be against kissing the Prince but she was still conflicted because she feels otherwise.

After experiencing the skillful kiss earlier, she knew that she's hooked. It was addictive and it's something that she never had in her past life, thus, she was yearning for it.

However, although she doesn't mind those who chose the same sex as partners, she didn't have that mentality. That's why, even though she secretly had a thing for this god-like royalty, she still wanted to remain straight-- for acting purposes and respect to the former Cedar.

"Your Highness, this is..." He turned his head away although his knees are starting to weaken.

"Ssshhh… you should remember this lesson well." Alexander told him as he held Cedar's head in place and his face closed in.