Dressed for Disaster.
By Alice's command, Kun was bathed, dressed, and groomed by the palace servants. They scrubbed the dirt from his skin, combed his long hair, and dressed him in fine clothes.
But when the chamber doors swung open, revealing Kun's final look—
Alice froze.
Kun stood there stiffly, wearing a small red dress with delicate floral patterns, his long hair tied up into a neat twintail.
There was a moment of absolute silence.
Then—
"Waaaah! You're so cute!" Alice practically jumped in place, clapping his hands together like an excited child. "Boy or girl, it doesn't matter—this outfit suits you perfectly!"
Kun, however, did not share the enthusiasm.
The moment he took a step forward, his foot caught the hem of the dress—and before anyone could react—
THUD.
Kun faceplanted straight onto the hard marble floor.
A long silence followed.
Alice covered his mouth. His shoulders shook.
And then—
"PFFT—AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Alice doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Oh—oh my—!! That was—pffft—!" He wheezed between gasping breaths, trying (and failing) to hold himself together.
The servants stiffened, unsure whether to help Kun or avoid Alice's wrath.
But then—Alice's laughter suddenly cut off.
His golden eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.
"Wait a minute—" he turned to the servants. "Don't tell me… did you make him wear heels?"
The attendants visibly tensed, shaking their heads furiously.
"N-No, Your Highness! We wouldn't dare!" one of them stammered.
Alice squinted suspiciously but ultimately sighed.
"Tch, fine." He walked over and pulled Kun to his feet.
"You okay?" Alice muttered, brushing off the dust from Kun's dress.
Kun simply blinked at him.
Alice, now face-to-face with Kun, hesitated.
…Kun really was cute.
The soft, delicate features. The big, blank eyes. The small pout.
Alice gulped.
Suddenly flustered, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, sorry about this. I just wanted to mess with Lizzy. Hope you understand!"
Kun didn't say anything. He just nodded.
Alice sighed dramatically.
"Why can't you just say 'yes' or 'no'? Jeez, it's like I'm talking to a block of wood!"
Kun tilted his head slightly, staring at Alice with unreadable eyes.
Then—
"Idiot."
Alice froze.
Kun blinked, expression neutral, as if he had just stated a simple fact.
Alice's jaw dropped.
"…???" Alice pointed at himself. "Did you just—?"
Kun tilted his head the other way.
Alice gasped.
"Did you just call me an idiot?!"
Kun simply stared.
Alice dramatically clutched his chest. "You—! You've been quiet this entire time, and the first thing you say to me is THAT?!"
Kun blinked again.
Then, as if deeply considering it, he slowly nodded.
Alice gasped even louder.
"Traitor! You ungrateful little—!"
Kun, unfazed, tilted his head again.
"Idiot," he mumbled once more.
Alice fell to his knees in betrayal.
"THE AUDACITY!" he cried out, throwing his hands to the heavens. "I saved you! I gave you a bath! I clothed you! And THIS is how you repay me?!"
Kun remained silent.
Then, as if to add insult to injury, he simply…
turned away.
Alice clutched his chest dramatically.
"MY HEART! MY PRIDE! I'VE BEEN BACKSTABBED!"
Meanwhile, the servants stood awkwardly in the background, unsure if they should step in or pretend not to hear anything.
- - -
The pair sat in the pavilion, the mischievous prince fidgeting impatiently. His fingers drummed against the table as he eagerly awaited the arrival of a certain lady—his next target for mischief.
Across from him, Kun sat quietly, dipping his fingers into his tea despite the heat and then licking them absentmindedly. Alice watched in mild horror, his face contorting in disgust.
"Where did this kid even come from? He has no manners whatsoever." Alice thought, watching Kun with narrowed eyes. "Why did Father bring him here? Just because he saved me?"
Trying to distract himself, Alice leaned forward. "So, Kun," he started casually, "tell me about yourself. Might as well chat while we wait for Lizzy. She's probably off doing whatever it is she does."
Kun glanced at him mid-dip, a drop of tea landing on the table. "About myself?" he echoed.
Alice nodded eagerly, his proud smile practically glowing. "Yeah! Where do you come from? Who's your family? Why were you wounded? Oh! And that light you used—I know that was Light
Kun blinked at him blankly. "You ask too many questions," he said flatly before shifting his attention to the cake on the table. He poked at it curiously, then took a bite.
The moment the sweetness hit his tongue, his eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he grabbed the plate and took another bite. "This is so sweet," he mumbled, enraptured. "What is this called?"
Alice gawked at him. "You don't know what cake is? Or sweets?" He squinted. "What, did you grow up in a cave or something? Or—wait—are you from the slums?"
Kun didn't seem to care about the remark. He simply kept eating.
"Okay, whatever," Alice huffed, crossing his arms. "Answer my questions already! Don't leave me hanging!"
Kun, now entirely focused on the cake, mumbled between bites, "I don't remember anything. When I woke up, all I knew was that I'm Kun. Nothing more, nothing less."
Alice stared at him, dumbfounded. "That's it?" he thought. His shoulders slumped as he slid down in his chair, groaning in frustration while Kun happily devoured the rest of the cake.
Moments later, Lizzy stormed into the pavilion, practically fuming with rage. Her furious footsteps echoed as she stomped toward the table, nostrils flaring like an angry bull.
"Ah! You!" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Kun—who, unfazed, was still happily eating his cake.
"Lizzy! You're here!" Alice greeted cheerfully, completely oblivious to the storm brewing before him.
But Lizzy ignored him. She marched straight to Kun and yanked his side twintail. "How dare you sit in my seat!?"
"Lizzy, no!" Alice yelped, trying to pry her away. "I made Kun sit there!"
Lizzy, however, was beyond reason, driven by jealousy and anger. Her attendants stood by, smirking at the spectacle, making no effort to stop her.
Kun, on the other hand, remained entirely unbothered. Even with his hair being pulled, he simply kept eating, lazily licking the crumbs off his fingers. His complete lack of reaction only seemed to enrage Lizzy further.
"You won't pay attention, huh?" she growled, her frustration boiling over.
Then, she began chanting an Artes spell, her voice laced with venom.
"𝔖𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯, 𝔫𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔢, 𝔏𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔩𝔞𝔡𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔥𝔢𝔴!" she cried, and in a flash, Kun's hair, gripped tightly by her hand, was severed in an instant.
Kun paused mid-bite.
His gaze flickered down at the strands of hair in Lizzy's grasp. Slowly, he blinked.
The air around him changed.
Kun's once empty, childlike expression darkened, replaced by something cold, something dangerous. A low crackling sound echoed in the air as Artes energy surged around his hands—powerful and raw, unlike anything that required chanting.
Alice's breath hitched. "Kun?" he whispered, equal parts nervous and intrigued.
Then—
"AHHH!"
With an invisible force, Lizzy was launched backward, slamming into one of her attendants. Both crashed to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain.
The pavilion fell silent.
Alice gawked at Kun, heart pounding. "What the hell was that?!"
Kun simply picked up another piece of cake. "Hmph."
Alice blinked, stunned. The servants who had been laughing moments ago now looked on in horrified silence.
Lizzy, initially frozen in shock, just stared at Kun, her wide eyes reflecting both fear and disbelief.
And then—
"WAAAAAAH!!"
Her wailing pierced through the pavilion like a siren, loud enough to make the nearby servants pause whatever they were doing just to eavesdrop.
Lizzy's attendant, already in a panic, dramatically screamed for help. "Help! Help us! This filthy beggar attacked my lady!"
Alice, caught between exasperation and mild regret, hesitated. Do I help the crying mess or the kid who just casually blasted a noble across the room?
Yeah, no. He knew exactly what to do.
Without another thought, Alice grabbed Kun's wrist. "What were you thinking?! We need to go—now!"
Kun barely had time to react before he was yanked forward. His first step was clumsy, the long dress making him stumble on the wooden floor.
Alice groaned. "Ugh, forget this—"
Without hesitation, he lifted Kun into his arms and bolted.
"Where are you taking that beggar, my prince?!" Lizzy's attendant shrieked, her panic escalating as knights started gathering to tend to Lizzy, who was still crying like her life depended on it.
Alice, unfazed, shot a glance at his own attendants and commanded, his voice sharp and serious:
"Cover everything. Don't let them follow us."
Two of his attendants immediately stepped forward, blocking the knights' path, their expressions unreadable but their stance unwavering.
As Alice carried Kun away, he let out a breath. "Seriously, Kun, what kind of trouble magnet are you?"
Kun, still dangling in Alice's grip like a sack of flour, blinked. "...Cake?"
Alice nearly tripped.