At the first sunlight, the Princess opened her eyes and frowned at the window. She then kissed the sleeping Nozomu and carefully got out of bed. She put on her nightgown and went to the painting she used to visit. Touching around the frame revealed the hidden button of the secret passage.She then went to the bedside table, and as she was grabbing the candleholder, Nozomu reached for her hand and asked, with a sleepy voice, “Where do you think you are going, woman? Get back here this instant...”The Princess gave him a slight peck on his lips and escaped before he could grab her, and giggled her way towards the secret passage. “Hihihi! No way you are making me go back to your bed! I must be in mine when my maid comes to wake me up because it would be hard to explain where I was! You can sleep a little while longer, and a servant will come to help you get dressed for your ceremony after breakfast. Sleep tight, pretty boy!”Nozomu opened his eyes and lifted his head at the screeching so

Koyaga slowly nodded with a pained look, and she said, as she looked at her hands that were over her lap, “What if I told you I think I am having feelings for you? In the beginning, I may have used you to try to forget Mere, but lately… Not only because of all the fun we had on this bed but also travelling and talking with you. You are nice to be with, you know? It is no surprise, Mere... I mean, I don’t know what you did with her, but I am assuming…” “Yes. We did. And she told me that in three years, we could be together because I was too young to be accepted as her partner by the Nobles, or the country.” “I see… And are you also willing to wait that long? A lot can happen in the Academy, you know? You can die during an exercise, or be badly injured, or meet a pretty g