“Nh…”

Blurry light signaled Ikki’s awakening as he willingly opened his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling was above him, barely visible in the dim room.

Is this the infirmary?

It was. After Ikki had collapsed at the end of the battle, he was taken to a Capsule to treat his wounds before being left in the bed to recover. He looked around and noticed that the full moon was already out. He had clearly been asleep for quite a few hours.

I did get beaten up pretty badly, after all.

He wasn’t in pain, however. He must really have been fully healed. Despite how badly he had been hurt, a Capsule was able to handle all of that without leaving any long-term injuries, even if fatigue still weighed down his body like lead.

“Zzz…”

“Hmm?” He heard familiar snoring in the darkness, so he sluggishly sat up in the bed. “Stella…”

She was sawing logs in the seat next to him. His final memories before losing consciousness involved being loaded onto a stretcher and some girl calling out to him; Stella, perhaps?

Was she here with me the whole time?

When that thought crossed his mind, Ikki’s chest tightened with feelings of love.

“Ah…” He looked closer and saw a bit of drool on her lip.

Even princesses are so vulnerable in their sleep. Stella would probably hate to be seen like this, though.

He fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped the drool from her mouth, trying not to wake her in the process. She must not have been sleeping deeply, because she woke up as soon as it touched her lip.

“Mm… Ah.”

“Sorry to wake you.”

“Ikki…?” She still seemed to be half-asleep as she looked vacantly at him. Eventually, her line of sight found its way to the handkerchief, damp with her drool. Her face instantly turned beet-red, and she snatched the handkerchief out of his hand. “Ngh! Did you see anything?”

He knew she was ready to kill him then and there if he said yes. There was only one response to her trick question:

“N-No.”

“Liar!”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

“Urghhh!” Her face somehow became even redder as a result of his honesty. Grabbing his handkerchief, she scrubbed her lip raw. “You’re the worst! What an awful time for you to wake up! Ugh, I’m so embarrassed!”

“Why are you complaining to me? It’s not like I can control when my body wakes up.”

“Shut up, dummy! I’ll buy you a new handkerchief later!”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I will worry about it!”

“Oh, okay. Thanks, I guess.” Ikki could do little more than back down against the snarling Stella.

During the momentary lull in their conversation, Stella’s stomach made a cute growl that could be heard throughout the quiet infirmary.

“Nooooo! Why is this happeniiiiing?!”

“Calm down, Stella. There’s nobody else here but us, but you should still keep quiet in here.”

“You’d want to cry too if this happened right when you woke up! This is all your fault, Ikki! Why’d you just let that guy beat you up so much?! Dummy!”

She pummeled him with her small fists. It hurt just a tiny bit, but he couldn’t complain, considering she had stayed by his side on an empty stomach. He bowed in response to her scolding.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to keep embarrassing myself and making you worry about me.”

“I wasn’t worried! Besides, injuries like those are just paper cuts after a trip to a Capsule!”

“But you never left my side, did you?”

When Ikki turned his attention toward her grumbling belly, she looked away awkwardly.

“I-I had to! I’m your servant, remember? Servants have to nurse their masters back to health, so there’s no point in thanking me, anyway!”

“Well, I want to thank you. If you weren’t there to watch my battle, I could’ve really died.”

She was the one who gave him that pep talk when he was about to give up because she had come to love him, incompetence and all. Though the people around him told him he was worthless, he felt ashamed, but he didn’t give up. There was someone who loved him for it, and he desperately wanted to tell her something other than just “thank you”. He wanted to tell his honest feelings to the girl who accepted his way of living.

“Hey, um…”

“I told you not to thank me—”

“I love you too, Stella.”

Stella looked at him blankly following his sudden confession. It was too sudden; her mind hadn’t quite caught up with the conversation, but the words gradually sunk in.

“Hyah!”

She screamed as she fell out of the chair.

“Whoa! A-Are you okay?!”

“D-D-D-Dummy! I-Ikki, d-do you even know what you just said?!”

“Yeah, I do. I said I love you, Stella.”

Ikki must have steeled his resolve already, for there wasn’t a bit of hesitation or embarrassment in his voice. But Stella, taken completely aback, was blushing harder than she had ever blushed before. She was confused, bewildered, and altogether freaking out.

“J-Just so we’re clear, I was just, um, I was just saying that I appreciate your ambition, and your life choices, okay?! I-I wasn’t saying I love you, like, as a guy or anything, okay?! I-I’m a princess. I could never fall in l-love with a commoner!”

“Yeah, I know,” Ikki nodded. “I’m just a bum with no family, and you have to think about your reputation and all. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to say it until now. After everything that happened today, I just couldn’t hold myself back. And I’ve wanted to say this so badly: I’m really glad I met you, Stella. If I don’t say it now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say it again. Oh, but you don’t need to say anything back, of course.”

Ikki was ready for her to reject him outright, of course. That would be better than him never being able to convey his gratitude toward her. With that in mind, Ikki revealed his feelings.

“…So unfair.”

She gave him a sharp look with her cheeks puffed slightly in irritation.

“‘Unfair’? What is?”

“Why do you get to be the only one who’s honest?”

“Huh?”

Ikki had no idea what Stella was talking about, but he had a feeling she was pissed. Maybe it got on her nerves to have a homeless commoner hitting on her.

“Close your eyes.”

Is she gonna hit me?!

“H-Hey, Stella. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Just close your eyes!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Sometimes, Stella’s voice was too compelling to say no. It must have been the royal family’s secret technique. Ikki trembled as he closed his eyes and waited through the silence.

Smooch.