The next morning, I wake up before Cari tries to murder me.
That’s how I know something has gone terribly wrong.
For several long seconds, I just lay there in bed—the scandalously comfortable bed of perfect warmth and fluff all things good and righteous—staring blankly at the ceiling, awake.
Barely, but still.
It’s blasphemy.
My sleep-addled mind struggles to understand what exactly dragged me into consciousness voluntarily.
Then I remember.
My stomach immediately fills with enough nervous energy to power an entire city.
I’m going on a date today.
Or rather, an outing, as Bella would put it.
It’s a date. I know it, she knows it, hells, even the floorboards know it.
But Bella is Bella, and Bella doesn’t admit to scandalous feelings.
My mind shifts to what the plan for the day is... only there isn’t one.
Oh, gods. How did we both forget to make even the hint of a plan?
I groan into my pillow and briefly consider smothering myself with it before the embarrassment can finish killing me properly.
Unfortunately, my nerves refuse to let me go back to sleep.
After another ten minutes of tossing around uselessly, I finally give up and drag myself out of bed. The dorm is quiet when I step into the shared living area, the early morning sunlight only barely beginning to spill through the windows.
Bella’s door remains closed. Cari’s too, thank the gods.
I barely escaped her clutches last night, and even then only when I complained that I have to be up in time to go on my date.
I’m not against begging for mercy from my sister. She’s a menace.
Regardless, with them both still down, it gives me time to figure things out.
Because unlike a certain Princess, I am fully capable of doing something thoughtful and romantic without emotionally detonating in the process.
...Probably.
I eye the kitchen suspiciously for a moment, then march into it with... some confidence. Not a lot, but enough to feel like I can accomplish something.
Tea.
Bella likes tea.
Tea that I can make.
How hard can boiled leaf water possibly be?
As it turns out, very.
I stare down at the kettle in betrayal after somehow managing to boil the water over hard enough that it hisses across the stovetop.
“What,” I hiss back at it, “is your problem?”
The kettle just continues screaming.
I fumble awkwardly with the heat crystal built into the Academy stove while trying to remember whether the tea leaves were supposed to go in before or after the water. Or if it mattered at all.
After failing to get the stove to do what I want for the fifth time in a row, I’ve decided that it’s all just some trumped up conspiracy.
Made by tea drinkers, probably.
So they can feel superior, or something.
Yeah. That’s definitely it.
When I’m halfway through trying to scoop escaped leaves out of the stove burner with a spoon, Cari’s bedroom door cracks open.
She stares at me.
I stare at her.
Then her gaze slowly lowers toward the nightmarish mess I’ve created.
“How in the—”
“I was ambushed.”
She stares harder. My ears and tail droop as low as they physically can, and she breathes a tired sigh.
“Mhm. By who, exactly?” she asks, slowly crossing the room in her pajamas.
Thinking on the fly, I answer quickly.
“Ghosts. Definitely ghosts. The kettle is possessed now, I think.”
Cari takes one look at the bubbling disaster currently coating half the stovetop before physically pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Move.”
I give her a grateful hug before immediately stepping aside.
While Cari and I are the same age, that’s never stopped her from playing the role of the big sister in times like this. I am, as ever, immensely grateful for her heroism.
She sweeps into the kitchen with tired determination, quickly shutting off the overheated crystal and rescuing what little remains of my attempts. She makes the entire process look easy.
Painless, even.
“Why is tea more dangerous than monsters?” I mutter.
“It isn’t. You’re just a disaster,” Cari quips as she works.
“I refuse. It’s malicious.”
“It’s leaves and water.”
“Malicious leaves and water.”
Cari snorts softly despite herself.
Then her eyes flick toward Bella’s still-closed door before a painfully smug grin spreads across her face.
“So...” she says slowly. “You wanted to be a little romantic, huh?”
I point a spoon at her threateningly.
“Don’t.”
“You even woke up early.”
“Cari...”
“You tried to make tea, which she seems to enjoy quite a lot. Especially in the morning.”
“I’m going back to bed.”
I turn to escape, but her words hound me.
“You’re requested breakfast too, didn’t you?”
I freeze, glancing back at her and finding her pointing at a small enchanted tablet made for sending requests to the maids of the girls dorms.
It rests there on the counter, right next to the tea station.
Exactly where I left it after requesting breakfast be brought up.
My face heats dangerously, and I send Cari a withering glare.
Cari gasps dramatically like she’s just uncovered a major conspiracy.
“Oh, this is serious serious.”
Before I can throw the spoon at her, Bella’s bedroom door clicks open.
Cari and I both snap toward it instantly.
In perfect synchronization, we try to pretend absolutely nothing is happening.
Cari suddenly becomes deeply invested in fixing the tea tray.
I aggressively wipe down the counter like I hadn’t just committed atrocities against boiling water.
Blessedly, Cari worked some kind of miracle and got the tea going properly. The kettle even whistled normally this time.
Not the screeching wail of the damned and dying, like it was with me.
Bella steps out into the room and immediately pauses.
Her gaze drifts slowly across the kitchen, pausing on the suspiciously fresh tea and the still-damp counter before landing on me.
“...Good morning,” she says carefully.
“Morning,” I reply far too quickly. “I made you tea.”
Cari makes a strangled noise beside me that suspiciously resembles a laugh disguised as choking.
Bella’s eyes narrow slightly.
Then she notices the breakfast menu tablet and freezes.
Only for a moment, but I catch it.
The tiny widening of her eyes. The immediate pink dusting her cheeks.
The way her fingers tighten briefly around the sleeve of her robe before she carefully smooths her expression back into place.
Her reaction sends a strange rush of confidence through me, so I wave her over.
“And I ordered breakfast.”
Bella nods stiffly as she approaches the counter, seemingly barely keeping her composure. She clears her throat delicately as she takes a seat in one of the stools.
“You’re awake rather early,” she probes.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I admit. “Nerves, and all that.”
No point in hiding it. I know she knows what I’m doing.
Her cheeks darken further.
“...Neither could I.”
Cari physically vibrates with the force of the grin she’s trying not to unleash.
Then she abruptly claps her hands together.
“Well!” she announces. “I suddenly remembered I have extremely important class work to attend to in my room for...”
She checks an imaginary watch.
“...exactly forty-five minutes.”
Bella blushes at the blatant acknowledgment, but Cari ignores her completely.
“I’ll include fifteen extra minutes in case either of you panic and need emotional recovery time,” she adds helpfully. “Because I’m awesome like that.”
“Cari,” I groan.
“What?” she asks innocently. “I’m supporting the blossoming romance.”
“It’s—it’s not—” Bella stutters, immediately faltering into stunned silence.
I grin.
Cari grins wider.
Bella realizes her mistake half-a-second too late.
“Maybe not yet, but...” Cari croons.
Bella turns scarlet.
Then Cari vanishes back into her room before either of us can retaliate, the door clicking shut behind her.
Silence settles over the dorm.
I glance toward Bella.
Bella glances toward me.
Then immediately away again.
Cute.
“So,” I say carefully, “still interested in our extremely normal and completely non-romantic outing?”
Bella hides half her face behind her teacup almost instantly.
“...I suppose.”
The fondness buried beneath the word sends warmth blooming through my chest.
I step closer, leaning lightly against the counter in front of her.
“So what does a Princess do on a definitely-not-date?”
Bella sniffs softly, visibly trying to reclaim some measure of dignity.
“A tea shop would be an appropriate place to begin,” she says. “Public. Relaxed. Suitable for conversation.”
“That sounds... nice. And thoughtful.”
“It is practical.”
“Mmhm.”
She ignores my prodding like a champion.
“There’s also a small botanical garden near the health pavilions,” she continues. “The Academy maintains it for alchemy students, but it’s open to visitors during rest days.”
“A garden?”
“It’s quiet,” Bella says, voice softening slightly. “And beautiful.”
Something about the way she says it makes my chest ache a little.
“That sounds perfect,” I admit.
Bella looks oddly relieved by the answer, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly as a soft breath escapes her.
Then, before she can retreat back behind her composure completely, I grin mischievously.
“And afterward, we should do something... chaotic.”
Her eyes narrow immediately.
“Define chaotic.”
“I say we find the worst street food stall in the city and put our Constitution to the test.”
Bella looks scandalized, one hand coming to rest gently on her stomach.
After a moment, she shifts into something like amusement.
“Emilia,” she says weakly, “that is not a proper courting activity.”
The word hits both of us like lightning.
Bella freezes instantly.
I grin as broad as I can.
She hides her burning face behind her teacup again.
“...I misspoke,” she whispers.
My tail swishes hard enough to smack the cabinets.
“I don’t think you did,” I murmur.
She groans.
Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door, and Bella jerks up. Her eyes are bright with hope, and the maid entering the room with a small cart of food pauses for a moment at the grateful look Bella gives her.
I decide to let her be.
...For now.
Instead, after directing the maid to the dining table near the kitchen so Bella has a moment to recover, I head over to Cari’s room and knock on her door.
It opens immediately, as if she’d been waiting on the other side, trying to listen in.
I give her a flat look.
She at least has the decency to look sheepish after being caught, so I don’t keep it up for long.
“Come on, breakfast is here,” I say, waving her out before heading to the table myself.
“Wait, I was going to give you two some privacy,” she hisses, following close behind.
“Yeah, well, Bella kinda broke. Gotta let her put herself back together.”
Cari notices Bella then, still leaning on the counter as she struggles to compose herself.
Then she giggles.
“Wow, what’d you do to her?”
I huff out a laugh. “Oh no, that was all her.”
Cari gives me a confused look, but I don’t elaborate, much to Cari’s chagrin.
Instead, I slide into one of the chairs at the table and immediately begin inspecting the breakfast spread the maid laid out for us.
Which is significantly more extravagant than I expected.
Fresh pastries still warm enough to steam slightly when torn apart. Eggs cooked with herbs I don’t recognize. Some kind of fruit preserve sitting beside thick slices of toasted bread. There’s even a bowl of bright red berries dusted lightly with sugar.
Honestly, the Academy might be trying to spoil us rotten.
Cari slips into the chair beside me while Bella finally pushes herself away from the counter and joins us a moment later. Her composure is mostly back in place by then, though there’s still a lingering pinkness to her cheeks that makes my tail twitch happily behind me.
Especially when she notices me noticing.
Her gaze flicks away instantly, but she doesn’t hesitate to sit right across from me.
Cari catches the exchange immediately.
“So,” she says casually, reaching for one of the pastries. “Are you two... official, yet?”
Bella nearly drops the tea she’d just poured.
“Cari!” she sputters.
“What?” Cari asks innocently. “I’m just looking out for my sister. If she’s got a girlfriend, I want to be the first to know.”
Bella freezes in horror.
“G-girl—”
Even I blush a little at the bluntness of Cari’s attack, but I handle it significantly better than Bella.
“That’s what it is, right?” Cari asks innocently.
Bella... shuts down again.
The maid—an older woman, with tiny wrinkle lines decorating her eyes and lips—continues to lay out our breakfast with practiced efficiency.
But I catch the small looks she gives Bella and I. Her eyes are full of fondness and delight, as if she’s a grandmother watching her grandchildren finally get along.
I lean back in my chair, thoroughly pleased with my life choices for once.
Once the maid leaves, breakfast passes surprisingly peacefully after that.
Well... mostly peacefully.
Cari acts as a sort of conversational shield between us whenever Bella starts looking moments away from melting into the furniture. She steers us into safer topics whenever things get too intense, chatting about classes, the Academy, and her plans for eventually bullying the guild into surrendering the leadership position to her.
Bella eventually settles fully into her chair, one leg crossing neatly over the other as bits of her usual poise finally begin returning. Every now and then I catch her staring at me when she thinks I’m distracted, though.
Every single time our eyes meet, her fingers tighten faintly around her teacup before she looks away again. And each time, my chest feels a little warmer.
At one point, while Cari is rambling about wanting to explore the upper islands properly, Bella reaches for the fruit preserves at the exact same moment I do.
Our fingers brush.
It’s like one of those moments in the romance novels, where fate itself seems to be twisting into knots in order for the main charaxters to get together.
Of course, Bella jerks back like she touched fire.
I just pretend nothing happened, though I take a moment to spare Bella a soft smile in hopes of calming her down.
Cari watches the entire thing happen over the rim of her teacup.
Then she slowly smiles.
“You two are ridiculous,” she informs us.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Bella says immediately.
“You nearly ascended to the heavens because your fingers touched.”
Bella makes a strangled noise while I give Cari a disappointed sigh.
“It was surprising,” Bella insists weakly.
“Mhm.”
“You are unbelievably annoying.”
Cari beams proudly.
“Thank you.”
I shake my head at Cari.
She’s enjoying this way too much.
Still... as embarrassing as this all is, something about the moment feels strangely nice. Warm and normal in ways I have only experienced in my dreams.
I pass the jam to Bella then, hoping it’ll act as a sort of invitation for her to relax and enjoy the moment as well. Our fingers brush again as she takes it, but unlike before, she doesn’t recoil.
Good. Progress.
Eventually, though, breakfast winds down. Plates empty, tea cools, and the conversation drifts into a quieter lull.
That’s when Cari clears her throat.
“Well,” she says, trying very hard to sound casual and failing miserably. “I should probably get going soon too.”
My ears perk instantly.
“Too?” I repeat.
Cari freezes for just a fraction of a second.
Oh-ho? What’s this?
“I mean...” she begins carefully. “You two are obviously going out, and I also happen to have plans.”
Bella lifts her teacup slowly, watching over the rim with interest.
I narrow my eyes.
“...You’re meeting someone, aren’t you?”
Cari sputters into her drink.
“W-what?! How’d you—I mean, I am not!”
“Oh my gods,” I whisper.
Bella’s eyes widen slightly too.
Cari points at both of us accusingly.
“You’re not allowed to look at me like that after the last two days.”
“Cari,” I say slowly, already grinning. “Who are you meeting?”
“No one,” she says, curling around her teacup like she’s trying to become one with it.
I call her out immediately.
“Liar.”
Bella and I both stare at her in silence.
The moment Cari realizes she's gone too far to turn back, her face explodes into color.
“Oh, now the tables have turned,” I say, a small, pleased purr rumbling free.
“I hate both of you,” Cari mutters.
Bella huffs softly into her teacup, looking deeply satisfied by Cari finally being the one under attack for once.
“Is it Taruq?” I ask immediately.
Honestly, it’s a shot in the dark, but I figure that it’s either him or someone neither Bella or I have met yet.
But if I’m right...
Cari jerks upright so fast she nearly launches herself out of the chair.
Oh, gods, that’s satisfying.
I probably shouldn't be taking so much delight in my sister's suffering, but I can't help it. She did ask for it, after all.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she blurts. “I have to go.”
She’s already halfway to the door by the time she finishes speaking.
Then the door slams shut behind her, leaving Bella and I alone to chuckle at her sudden retreat.