The market was annoyingly busy as Leopold walked through it, he had left in a hurry to try and find the people who wrote that story. The fallout of which was an absurd amount of gossip he now had to try and ignore.

“As if they’d just be prancing around in the middle of the capital,” he thought, trying to deal with the annoying gossip. “That’s just out of character for both of the-”

He paused, seeing something move from the corner of his eye. A few figures quietly stepping out into the crowd, barely obscuring them from the young Crimson Lion.

“Observe, then react,” He thought, following the group of people carefully. Getting just close enough to see the group clearly. A witches hat on the tallest, knight robes on all of them. Leopold smiled as he realized who he was following.

“They must be looking for the reporters too,” he muttered, moving faster to catch up to them properly. “Now’s the perfect chance for me to help my riva-”

“I am not going into a bridal boutique!” Noelle half yelled, cutting the knight's thoughts off. Vanessa dragged the young princess by the hand as the pair split off from the group. Leopold realized that both Asta and her were completely red in the face.

“Oh come on, we want to catch them and this is the perfect chance!” the older witch sighed, Noelle still resisting her pull. “Besides, we just have to go in, I’m not going to make you try anything on.”

“It won’t be like the swimsuit?” the princess whispered, Leopold barely able to overhear her.

“It won’t be like the swimsuit.” Vanessa promised, Noelle sighing and walking off with her. Leopold pausing for a moment before following after the other group.

“Seriously?” Magna sighed, none of them, not even Luck noticing Leopold following them. “We’re going to try hanging out in a damn clothes store?”

“I mean, unless you three can think of anything better?” Finral sighed, Luck bouncing a bit as they walked. “That doesn’t involve tearing through town attacking anyone we’re suspicious of?”

“No…” Luck said, still smiling and bouncing a little as they all walked. The Crimson lion swearing his rival was completely red in the face, at least, judging from the tint of his ears. “But when we find them I can right?”

“Only a little you battle maniac,” Magna teased, punching the smaller knights arm. “Killing them won’t help, right Asta?”

He didn’t say anything, the other three Bulls and Leopold all surprised by how silent he had been. His ears were getting redder as he said something Leopold was barely able to hear.

“I wanted to see Noelle in a fancy dress…” he said quietly, the group looking at him surprised.

“That’s what you’re worried about!?” all three of them yelled, Asta rubbing the back of his head in response.

“It’s not my fault she’s pretty!” Asta shouted back, Leopold sighing and stepping away from the group as they continued to yell.

“Come on you saw her in a fancy dress at that huge royal ball!” The punk of the group teased. “Why’s this the one that gets you all nervous?”

“I don’t know I just get nervous picturing her in those dresses!” he blurted out. A few people turning to look at him as the Bulls continued on their way.

“To be naive and in love.” Finral sighed, trying to hold back jealous tears as they walked into a building.

Up in the skies above however, two sets of eyes were following the group. Yuno sighed, not able to hear anything from them but could easily tell this was going to be more annoying than he thought it would be.

“Hey! Yuno!” A cheery voice said from his shoulder, Bell sitting happily on it. “We’re going on a date right? Right?”

He didn’t respond, simply flying lower to just be above the heads of civilians. A few people pointing at him since he was the famous four-leaf rookie after all.

“Stop ignoring me!” Bell whined, the sylph pouting as she flew next to his head and pinched his cheek. “What’s so great about helping that runt anyway!?”

“We’re rivals.” Yuno said sternly, Bell pouting at him as he returned to staying quiet. The knight scanning the capital from above and keeping an eye out for things. More than a few people looking at the bridal shop Vanessa and Noelle had walked into, while almost no one was looking at the shop he saw Asta’s group walk into. He sighed, landing nearby Asta’s group and monitoring the store from outside.

“Hey, Hey! Yunoooo~.” Bell whined, the spirit peeking in through the window of the store. “You should try some of these on~.”

“Not a chance.” He sighed, the spirit yelling more and more as he tuned her out completely. He would wait there until something happened, even if it took all day. He managed to hear a bit from inside the building, Asta insisting he was only there to look and not get a suit tailor made. After a few minutes Yuno peeked in the window, sighing as the entire store was a complete mess. The entire staff trying to get Asta to try on a suit.

“I’m… Not… here to try on… suits!” Asta said, two employees attempting to drag him into the back, Luck and Magna cackling as Finral was trying to help the younger knight escape. Yuno sighing and stopping his snooping before he got spotted, Bell still whining before he managed to catch something out of the corner of his eye.

A small flash of light, and a shorter figure starting to move away. Yuno managing to grin as he grabbed his broom and started flying again. “Time to end this stupid plotline.”

Back near the Bridal boutique Vanessa had made Noelle enter a similar scene was going on, much to the princess’s relief, it was Vanessa being forced to try on wedding gowns. A crowd of men being drawn to the window to see the buxom witch in less than appropriate wedding dresses.

Noelle was off to the side, only barely visible to both the crowd and the seamstress in the building.

The princess sighed, she was the one looking out for any signs of someone following her but Vanessa’s plan had backfired, or so she thought. A painfully familiar braid came into view in the front window as the crowd started to back away. Her oldest brother’s eyes widening as he quickly hid a blush as Vanessa came out in little more than lingerie, catching sight of Noelle and moving just out of her sight.

“Brother?” Noelle whispered, standing up and walking outside of the building, the crowd dispersing as Nozel shot glares at the onlookers. The normally calm and collected captain jumping a bit as she opened the door to the shop. “Nozel?”

“Yes?” The Silver Eagle captain said, far too quickly for his usual confidence. “It’s… a complete coincidence meeting you in the capital.” He continued, Noelle’s eyebrow raising.

“Were… you following us?” Noelle said, slowly reaching for the door handle back into the boutique. “Is this... about that story?” She looked at her oldest brother, something feeling off as his eyes were darting around. Her hand touched the handle to the store and started to pull it, Nozel still looking out of character as he sighed.

“Yes… I am here about that story.” Nozel sighed, Noelle stopping herself from going back into the boutique. “And no, I don’t believe it.”

“Then why are you here?” The younger sibling asked, Nozel sighing again as he looked to make sure no one was near enough to hear him.

“I will not allow anyone to hamper your relationship, that includes myself.” He said, trying to give the single most sincere smile he could, even if it was more awkward than reassuring.

“I… Appreciate it brother.” Noelle said. An awkward silence filling the street as they both stood there. Neither of them moved, not even as the door to the boutique opened up and Vanessa stepped out, joining in the increasingly awkward silence. All three of them standing there, no words being shared as Nozel grew increasingly more visibly uncomfortable.

“It appears that… you two have this completely under control.” He said after a few more minutes of silence.

“Yes… we do.” Vanessa said, all three of them sharing the single most awkward laugh any of them had ever heard.

“If… that is the case.” Nozel said, Vanessa almost swearing she saw stress sweat on his hand as he adjusted his braid a bit. “I will leave you be.”

“Is he always this tense?” Vanessa whispered to Noelle as the Silver Eagles captain walked away. Noelle shaking her head in response.

“He’s trying at least.” The princess said, her brother still very clearly tense as she smiled. Both women sighed and started walking away from the boutique, thinking their plan failed.

And then, a miracle happened. Nozel noticed it first, a barrel moving in an alleyway between both Nozel, and Noelle. The noise getting all three of them to turn to face it and hearing the frantic sound of footsteps. All three knights started chasing after them.

Closer to the center of town, Aria was sprinting for what felt like her life. The reporter thought she was being stealthy, hiding in the crowd and breaking off after the group of Black bulls. But of all people to show up, the Golden Dawn rookie had to be the one. The only thing keeping her on the ground was the fact that there were other people around, otherwise she was sure with how he was tailing her she’d be launched into unconsciousness.

“Halt!” another voice shouted as the reporter looked where she was running. Leopold Vermillion standing directly in front of her, the crowd thinning as now she was being painted as a criminal. She yelled, turning into the crowd that was now actively avoiding her.

“Are you…” She heard Yuno say from above.

“The one…” Leopold said from beside her, Yuno effortlessly managing to get ahead of her on his broom.

“WHO’S HARRASING MY RIVAL!?” Both knights yelled, Aria screeching to a halt as both of had her pincered. The reporter looking on the verge of tears since it didn’t even need to be stated, she was trapped.

“Uhhhh… define harassing?” She said innocently, both knights grabbing her as the sounds of more chaos started to approach. All four of the Black Bulls she’d been tailing barreling through the streets and joining the other two knights in standing over the reporter.

“Is this the reporter?” Magna said, trying to make himself look as menacing as possible as he lifted up Aria by the collar of her shirt.

“Shame, she’s pretty cute.” Finral mused as Luck bounced behind them.

“Does that mean I can break her legs?” the battle maniac laughed, Aria starting to try and wriggle away.

“NO!” Asta yelled, his clothes all a mess from trying to fight the tailor. “Wait… Yuno? Leo? Why are you two here?”

“Not important,” Yuno said, not stepping off his broom.

“I wasn’t about to let someone get away slandering my rival!” Leopold practically shouted, townspeople now crowding around them.

“Thanks!” Asta said, grinning as he continued to fix his robe. His smile turned to an incredibly annoyed frown as he looked at Aria. “AND YOU!

HAVEN’T YOU EVER HEARD OF PRIVACY? PEOPLE’S LIVES AREN’T THINGS YOU SHOULD MAKE MONEY OFF OF!”

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT I NEEDED MONEY!” The reporter countered, barely able to match Asta’s volume. “Sometimes you just gotta-”

“NO!” The young knight interrupted. “If you were in a really tight spot then you should’ve been finding different ways to make money! Not using other people’s lives for your own gain!”

The other knights sighed as Asta continued to verbally beat the living shit out of Aria. Any of her counter arguments about needing money being met with Asta’s adamant refusal to accept her business practices.

Back with the other group, it took almost no time at all to catch Bernstein, Nozel’s mercury magic and Vanessa’s thread trapping him as soon as they got a clear line of sight. All three knights glaring at him as he hung in a mix of liquid metal and thread.

“Now then,” Nozel said, turning the man around to face the trio with his magic. “For the crimes of harassing a member of the royal family. You and any of your cohorts will have to face extreme punishment.”

“Oh god,” Bernstein whimpered, his face paling at Nozels words. “I knew this would backfire! I just knew it!”

“Too late for that,” Vanessa sighed, a slightly cruel smile forming as she ran through her own idea for punishments. “Maybe you should’ve thought about it before doing this?”

“We really needed the money?” he said sheepishly before a blast of water hit his face.

“Maybe you should work harder then!” Noelle shouted, Nozel staring in disbelief as Bernstein coughed up water. “Royalty or not. people’s lives are not… things to make money off of!”

“I think she’s got his punishment under control,” Vanessa said quietly, Nozel watching with a bit of disbelief as his younger sister verbally thrashed the reporter. Asta doing the same in the middle of a square.

If you were somehow in both places at the same time, you may have heard the exact same speech from both Asta and Noelle.

“Just because we wanted our relationship to be more private doesn’t give you the right to write that stuff about people! If you needed the money you should’ve just done honest work instead of taking a lazy way out to get attention.” Both halves of the couple shouted, for Asta he was panting, trying to calm down and not make the scene any bigger than he and the other knights had already.

For Noelle, she took a moment to collect herself. Nozel and Vanessa watching over her with a sense of pride as she turned around and started walking away.

“You’re off the hook, as long as this never happens again.” Both of them said, the reporters looking stunned at their words as they walked off.

“I’m gonna go find Noelle!” Asta said, running off from his group, the five of them watching him go off. Aria sitting publicly humiliated as the rest of the knights glared her down.

“…You SURE we can’t break a few of her ribs?” Luck said, sounding slightly annoyed.

“NO” the other four knights shouted at him.

Noelle had done the same as Asta, leaving Bernstein to the wrath of her brother and Vanessa. Both knights heard the gossip through the day, and both knights were tired. They met up soon, both of them hugging for a moment before laughing.

“So it worked out for you too Dork-sta?” She teased, Asta laughing and nodding.

“Yep! Leo and Yuno showed up too, I don’t think we would’ve found them if they didn’t show up!” The shorter knight said, his grin filling his entire face. “You and Vanessa find anyone?”

“We did,” Noelle said proudly, both of them walking towards a square and finding a place to sit. “Nozel also… appeared to help us. It was… nice to see him trying to be supportive.”

“Guess he isn’t so bad after all!” Asta laughed, Noelle elbowing his ribs slightly. “But it looks like it’s all over now.”

And it was, at least. Until the next morning, where another newspaper sparked rumours.

“Fated lovers? Vanessa Enoteca and Nozel Silva?” the paper read. And the two reporters summarily being thrown where they belong within an hour of both related squads seeing the title.