Sunsets {Ilona-based story} [Murder Series]

This is a non-canon tale of The Murder Series. It will also be listed here in my Murder fanfiction archives and here on my blog. It takes place after the events of Murder XV: Civil War and features Ilona's interactions with various characters and events in or related to the Coalition or Civil War.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3​

Chapter 1

Zidane was exasperated. After several attempts to get through to a very dense Ilona, he finally managed to ask her out on a date. It hadn't been easy either. It was frustrating to him how none of his subtle flirts seemed to catch her attention, but nevertheless he still managed to snag a date with the girl after bluntly asking her out. He certainly hoped the date itself would go better than the process of acquiring the date had gone.

So, for this date, Zidane decided to plan something simple. Girls enjoyed eating dinner together, right? It was an easy date idea, and would give them plenty of time to talk with one another. Maybe if he learned more about her, he could discern what kind of flirts worked best with the girl. He would do his best to win her over, no matter what it took! He was a man on a mission!

He wanted, no, needed to become more than friends with the cute blonde! Not only would it allow him to have a little fun, but also would help him get back at Garnet for being too busy all the time! What kind of girlfriend was she if the royal woman never wanted to spend any time with him? Sure, it made her a good leader, but it didn't make her a very good companion! If cheating on her wouldn't steer her straight then Zidane didn't know what would!

So, the afternoon on which Ilona and Zidane were to have their date, the young man took her to none other than the cafeteria in the Coalition. It couldn't have been a more simple date, and that's just the way he wanted it. He didn't want to confuse Princess Ilona; confusing her didn't seem all that difficult with how inattentive she was.

"Ilona, we can sit over here, okay? Ilona?"

Zidane turned to look behind himself, seeing that the spacey blonde was staring at a painting of a sunset—a large smile spread over her lips. He frowned and reached out to grab her hand, tugging it lightly. "Didn't you hear me? I said I found us a table."

Ilona turned back to look at Zidane, smiling sheepishly. "Right! Sorry, Sir Zidane! I was just distracted by this beautiful painting on the wall. For you see, we don't exactly have a view of the Sun here at the Coalition. I only wish I could see it. I miss the view of the Sun so very much."

Zidane chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with a free hand. "Well, maybe after we eat the two of us can look around and see if this place has anymore paintings of suns… but, for now, let's go get some food and sit down at our table."

Ilona nodded and the two went on their way. Once they had their food, the couple sat at the table and began to eat. It was then that Zidane began to lay the moves on Ilona. He sat next to her and slipped an arm behind her shoulders. "Soooo, cutie, what do you think of the people here at the Coalition so far? Especially a certain someone whose been treating you reaaaaal nice ever since you got here," he said, taking a bite of his food afterwards.

The princess paused for a moment, her face lighting up after she registered Zidane's question. "They're lovely, and Sir Shiki has been very kind to me! I think he's wonderful!" she said happily, causing the Genome to choke on what he had been eating.

"Sh-Shiki, what!?" Zidane frowned. "I was talking about me!" He grumbled, shaking his head. I still don't understand how that guy gets all the girls!

Ilona blinked a few times, blushing afterwards. "O-Oh, is that so? My apologies! You're nice too."

Zidane groaned quietly to himself. I'm NICE too? She called him wonderful and I'm only just nice! And what's with the blush, huh?

"Thanks I guess," Zidane mumbled, deciding he would change the subject. "So, tell me about yourself. What's it like where you come from?"

Ilona tapped her chin, wondering about his question for a moment. "I come from a land call Arendelle. It's wonderful! The summers are beautiful, the people are kind, and our kingdom is well. The only thing I don't care for… are the winters. Odd for me to say considering my mother is an ice queen of sorts," she said with a chuckle. "I don't care much for the cold at all."

"Mm yeah, that sounds nice," Zidane mumbled, his eyes traveling up Ilona's body. He hadn't paid attention to what she was saying, and his response was more than enough to clue Ilona into that.

"Sir Zidane, perhaps you should not ask a question if you are not interested in learning the answer," she paused, trying to think up a quick example to give him. "For instance, whenever Sir Shiki asks me a question, he pays attention to my words rather than my body. If you did the same, perhaps you would find that your date had something interesting to say."

One of Zidane's eyebrows twitched. "I'll keep that in mind, sorry. Do you have any family back home?" he questioned, this time trying to keep his mind focused on her words.

"Why, yes, I have a mother, father, and believe it or not I actually have a—" Ilona cut herself off, a happy smile crossing her lips. She lifted a hand to wave to someone. "Ah, Sir Shiki must be having dinner too!"

Speak of the devil.

Zidane folded his arms, pouting for a moment. "Why don't you invite him to join us? Or maybe you ought to just ditch me and go on a date with him instead, huh? You sure as heck seem to like him enough…"

Ilona glanced back to Zidane, frowning. She moved her hands into her lap and anxiously began to fiddle with them. "But I am on a date with you. That would not be polite. Besides, Sir Shiki is a friend of my family and has far too many female admirers already. It would be an odd thing if I were to go on a date with him, yes?" the girl asked, as if unsure.

Zidane shrugged. "I don't think so. What's wrong with that?" Well, she didn't exactly deny liking him… jeez, why am I not surprised? She beams whenever she talks about him, but I don't think she even realizes it.

"Never mind, don't answer that. We're here on a date, so let's try not to talk about him so much, okay?"

"Um," Ilona replied, unsure how to answer. Clearly, he was jealous of Shiki, but the sweet girl couldn't think of a reason why. Shouldn't Zidane just be glad Ilona had a friend who made her happy?

Before she could give him a response, however, a woman with dark hair walked up to the table Zidane and Ilona were sitting at. She was elegant, in a royal sense, but she looked fighting mad. Before even saying anything she slapped Zidane across the face.

"Eh, Dagger!?" Zidane exclaimed, placing a hand over his cheek. "How did you—"

"You're horrible! What are you doing out here on a date with another woman? I was looking for you, and eventually found you here at this Coalition place! I thought we were— You dirty cheater!" she hissed, turning away from him.

The Genome dropped the arm he had around Ilona and stood up, his tail wriggling frantically behind him. "D-Dagger, I can explain! This isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh, I think it's exactly what it looks like! I don't want to speak with you again," she told him, moving to leave the room.

In shock for a moment, Zidane just gapped at Dagger before glancing back to Ilona.

"Y-You have a girlfriend already!?" Ilona exclaimed, a deep frown covering her lips. "But you asked me on a date! How could you cheat on her? That is very cruel!" she scolded, her eyes tearing up.

"I— Um— well," Zidane stammered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll explain everything. Just wait right here! I need to talk with Dagg— er, Garnet first!" he cried, rushing out the door. "Dagger, wait up!"

Ilona slumped where she had been sitting, tears slipping from her eyes. "I should have known… no man has ever asked me on a date. He was only using me to… cheat on his girlfriend. I cannot believe this was my first date and it was a lie."

What a bummer. She wasn't sure exactly what she had thought about Zidane yet, but she was hoping that he had genuinely liked her. She couldn't recall a single other time a male had admired her openly, actually wanting to date her. The princess covered her face up with both hands, a whimper escaping her lips. To her surprise, she would hear a voice speak out to her.

"Here."

Ilona looked up, seeing Shiki standing beside her, holding out a napkin. Ilona took it and thanked him, wiping her face off with it as Shiki spoke. "I saw the whole thing. What a mess. I told him before that he needs to be honest with girls, but I guess he didn't take my advice to heart, huh?" the male commented, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward smile on his face.

The blonde only nodded, not offering him a smile in return. "Yes, and because of his lies the the day already seems a bit less bright."

"Oh, Miss Ilona, don't say such things." Shiki extended a hand to the girl. "Come with me, I have an idea."

The princess shot him a baffled glance. "For what?"

"For a way to brighten up your day. I'll show you."

Uncertain, Ilona took her friend's hand and rose to her feet. He followed after the young male until they arrived at some kind of sitting area in one of the many rooms of the Coalition. However, there was something rather special about this area…

…it had a very large computer monitor covering one of the walls, and on the monitor a simulation of a sunset played. It looked so realistic Ilona could've cried. She gasped and rushed over to the monitor, watching it excitedly as she pressed her hands and face up against it.. "Sir Shiki, this is glorious!" she exclaimed, turning back around to look at her friend after a moment.

"I know, but you might want to step back a little bit so you can see it better," he suggested, adjusting his glasses.

Heeding his advice, Ilona took a step away from the screen, placing her hands behind her back. "I cannot thank you enough for showing this to me. Looking at the Sun always makes me feel better."

Shiki smiled. "Yeah, I figured you'd like this. I remembered you saying something the other day about how you missed seeing sunsets and I just so happened to stumble upon this monitor being unused. But there's no need to thank me so much, Miss Ilona. I told you that I'd always be on your side, remember? So there's no way I would've just ignored you after what Zidane did."

Ilona gave the young man a genuinely happy smile and watched him endearingly for a moment. "Of course you wouldn't, and for that I am grateful."

Without thinking much of it, Ilona kissed him on the cheek and turned back to view the screen, missing Shiki's flustered reaction of blushing and fumbling with his glasses. "A-Any time, Miss Ilona."​

Chapter 2

Weiss Schnee felt guilty. Yes, even the cold, callous rich girl herself had a conscience somewhere inside her chest. And said conscience was ringing so loudly that it was hard for the young woman to focus on anything other than the source of her guilt: a certain blonde princess she had shouted at after the explosion incident within the Coalition. After having been shouted out, Ilona's reaction caught Weiss off guard. What kind of idiot thanks someone who yells at them? Nevertheless, Weiss felt bad after having yelled at Ilona. It was a weight she had been carrying with her for a while, a weight she very badly wished to be rid of.

But how? Weiss knew she wanted to make it up to the blonde, but Ilona seemed to be grateful for literally any kind deed someone did for her. Heck, the girl seemed grateful to anyone who would just talk to her! If someone said hi to the princess, she acted as if they had just graced her with the most wonderful compliment in the world. Goodness, Weiss had no idea how someone could be so cheery all the time. She was almost like Ruby… So no matter what Weiss did, she wasn't sure if it was enough.

Huffing a lock of stray white hair out of her eyes, Weiss tapped her foot on the floor under the table she was sitting at. Presently, she was in a meeting for something going on within the Coalition or wait, maybe it was the United Nations this time? Either way, she hadn't really been paying attention. How could she when Ilona sat directly in front of her with that spacey smile on her lips? What in the world was she so happy about?

Beside her, Weiss would hear a squeal emerge from her plucky leader once the meeting had ended. Ruby tucked her hands under her chin, wiggling excitedly. "Weiss, isn't this great!? Another party! Like the one we had back at school. Awwww, but I hope it's not formal or anything. I reaaaally don't want to wear another dress. Those things are so uncomfortable, especially when you have to fight in one. Bleh!" the girl said, making a face.

"Ah," Weiss said after listening to Ruby's words. So that's what's going on, a party. She didn't reply to her friend, but instead remained in thought while listening to her surroundings. When Weiss didn't reply, Ruby instead addressed Ilona who was sitting in front of them.

"Ooooh Ilona, isn't this exciting!? I bet you've been to all kinds of parties growing up, huh? Since you're a princess and all… man, it must be great to live in an enchanted castle!"

Ilona placed a hand over her mouth and let out a small, elegant laugh. She was a charming individual, even Weiss could see it. Not that she'd ever admit it in a million years.

"Oh, Miss Ruby, I fear I haven't been to many parties, nor was my home really an enchanted castle. It was an ordinary castle, albeit a beautiful one. Back home, my parties were called balls. Although, I've never been to a single ball, danced with a boy, or had many chances to wear dresses…"

"Awww, why not? Did you fake sick to get out of them?" Ruby asked with a chuckle, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. Ilona would simply smile and shake her head while Weiss would let out a scowl.

"Ruby, I swear you're so immature. Didn't you read any of the files on Ilona that the Coalition has here? She grew up mostly away from home. Her teleportation power left her stranded in various areas all over the multiverse. So… she spent a lot of time…" Weiss paused to lower her voice and spell out a word. "A-l-o-n-e."

"Oooooh," Ruby replied, rubbing the back of her head. Although they had spoken these things right in front of Ilona, the princess still had a smile on her lips. How could she smile like that? Didn't it bother her when people spoke of her past?

"It's as Lady Weiss says," Ilona replied. "But do not be sad for me. I'll be going to a party now, yes? Everyone here at the Coalition will be invited to this party on Earth tomorrow. It should be great fun!"

Ruby cringed, side-glancing Weiss and Ilona. "Yeah, except for the dressing up part…"

Ilona giggled again, shaking her head. "Oh, I fear that won't be a problem for me… I haven't a dress to wear, nor the money to buy one for myself. I will go in my usual clothes."

"EH!?" Ruby exclaimed, her jaw dropping. "But I thought princesses were loaded! You've gotta find some way to dress up! Don't you have any friends who could help you buy a dress? What about that Shiki guy? You're good friends with him and doesn't he have a lot of money?"

A panicked look passed over Ilona's face and she began to frantically shake her head. "Oh, no no no no! I could never ask Sir Shiki for his help! He has so many females around him who admire him only for his riches. I've always vowed never to be that kind of girl. He needs to know I value him because of who he is and not due to money."

"Waaah! How noble!" Ruby exclaimed, taking Ilona's hands. "B-But still, how will you get a dress?"

With Ruby's question, an idea snapped into Weiss' mind. Finally, she could see it! An opening! A way to pay Ilona back and ease her guilt.

"Easy, I'll buy her one," Weiss stated flatly. She stepped over to Ruby and Ilona, pushing Ruby's hands off the princess. Weiss then grabbed Ilona's arm, starting to drag her toward the door.

"E-Eh, what!? L-Lady Weiss, I cannot have you help me with such a thing!" Ilona exclaimed, squirming uncomfortably.

"Uh, Sorry Ilona, when Weiss has her heart set on something it's probably best just to let her do what she wants," Ruby replied, awkwardly watching Weiss drag the girl while slowly following after them.

"I-I, um, but—" Ilona stammered sheepishly. "Where are we going?"

"Earth, of course. That's where the party is being held, isn't it? In that case, there would be no better place for us to shop. If we shop there, we're bound to find the latest fashions from that planet and your outfit will be a hit. Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing," Weiss told the young woman before exiting the meeting room.

And so, Weiss took Ilona and Ruby to Earth for a day of shopping. For the most part, this day of shopping consisted of Ilona being shuffled from placed to place, while Ruby awkwardly followed along. The stores Weiss chose to look around in were fancy, expensive boutiques that most wouldn't have been easy for any middle class individual to afford. Ilona felt bad that Weiss would even bring her to such places.

Visiting these places was bad enough, but it wasn't half as bad as all of the clothing Weiss made her try on. Weiss would pick out five to ten dresses in each store, making Ilona try on each and every one while standing in different poses.

"Okay, come out now, Ilona," Weiss would say, standing in front of a changing room. Shyly, the princess would wander out, only to be openly judged. She would try on one dress after another…

"No, that color doesn't go with your skin…"

Another dress.

"Pick your chin up, you're slouching. N-No, that dress is far too short!"

Another dress.

"Awful. It doesn't go with the color of your eyes…"

Another dress.

"Stand up straighter. I want to see how it hangs on you. Ack, no, no, this won't do! The color is too dark."

Another dress.

"Ugh, open your eyes, you slob. You call yourself a princess? How am I supposed to compare your dress to your eyes with them closed? Humph, never mind! The dress is too light anyhow!"

While Ilona was a willing puppet to this madness, Ruby would let out a high pitched whine of boredom in the background. "Weisssssssss! I thought all of those dresses looked fine! How many does she have to try on? I'm so bored I feel like I'm going to diiiiiiie," Ruby complained, whirling around in a swiveling chair outside the dressing room, making popping sounds with her mouth to amuse herself.

"Ugh, Ruby, this is important! And nobody ever dies of boredom. That's just stupid," Weiss told her friend, tapping her foot on the floor while she waited for Ilona to come out of another dressing room. "…besides… I— ….this is something I have to do. I need to… do something nice for her. She— Back then, when she caused that explosion I treated her so—"

Ruby smiled. "You have a good heart, Weiss. Ilona knows that. She's never judged you for anything that happened back then. She just wants to be your friend."

"Hmph, I don't need to be her friend. I just want to make up for what I said to her. That's all…"

Ruby smiled again at Weiss, looking skeptical. "Uh huh, if you say so…"

"I'm done," Ilona said after a moment, heading out of the dressing room. She wrapped her arms around herself, waiting for Weiss' judgment. When the pair of cold, blue eyes had finished scrutinizing Ilona, she finally gave a nod of approval.

"That one will do."

"THAT ONE WILL DO!?" Ruby exclaimed, hopping off her seat. "That's all you have to say? It looks gorgeous! I give it two thumbs up!" The girl chirped, holding out both her thumbs.

Blushing, Ilona hid her face in her hands. "A-Ah, if you say so. Thank you, Lady Weiss. You're far too kind. I suppose I shall… change then?"

"Not quite," Weiss told Ilona, a smirk crossing her lips.

The rich young woman purchased the dress, actually making Ilona wear it out of the store. As they walked out the door, Ilona's face looked redder than a tomato. She was so embarrassed that she didn't even notice the beautiful sunset in the distance.

"L-Lady Weiss, is this really necessary? I feel like the male population in this area is… staring…"

"Oh, that's because they are staring. I just wanted you to wear it out to see how the public would react to it. Don't be such a baby. You can take it off when we get back to the Coalition. Until then, pick your head up, smile, lift one of your feet, and strike a pose. You're cute."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Weiss is right. You should totally show it off! Like you said earlier, its not often you get to wear things like this..."

"Umm, very well," Ilona said, trying to "show off" as they suggested.


"Hows this?"

Weiss groaned. "What have I told you about squinting your eyes like that? It makes you look like a spacey idiot. Open those lids and show off those blue eyes."

While Weiss continued to scold Ilona, Ruby walked behind them casually and giggled.

This is good for Weiss. She needs to hang out around people like Ilona. I'm happy we could all hang out together today like friends...

Weiss continued to yammer on. "How are you going to get a date to the party when you act like that, huh?"

Ilona's mouth fell open. "D-Date?!"

"Of course! Couples will be going to this party together. You'd better think about someone who you'd like to ask to go with you..."

The princess felt like her head was spinning.

I don't even know the first thing about taking a date to a party! Who would I even ask? Maybe this whole thing was not a good idea. @.@

And so the trio walked off, the sun continuing to set as their day of shopping came to a close.​

Chapter 3

Eyes were all over Ilona when she returned to the Coalition with Weiss and Ruby that evening. She walked through the halls, tightly clutching her hands against her chest as the men looked at her as sharks circling a piece of fresh meat. Almost one right after another, the men began to come up to Ilona, each one asking her to go with them to the party tomorrow. Flustered, Ilona could hardly respond—especially to the more pushy ones. It took Weiss snapping at them to get the crowd to leave her alone after a while.

"Ugh, Ilona, if you would just say yes to one of them then you could tell the rest you already have a date and they'd leave you alone." Weiss smirked. "Or you could always lie~"

Ilona waved her hands in protest. "I-I could never lie to my Coalition comrades! And I— I would rather not go on a date with a male."

"Oh, so you want to go on a date with a female then? I guess that could be arranged," Ruby said with a giggle, causing Weiss to groan.

"I think she means that she doesn't want to go on a date period, Ruby," the white-haired young woman remarked, shooting Ilona a look to see if she was right. The princess nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I'd rather not go on a date. Perhaps I could go with a friend?"

Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. With how popular you are, I think even if you went with a friend the men would still bother you. If I were you, I'd go with a guy friend."

Ilona placed a hand under her chin thoughtfully. "A guy friend. I suppose… I have a few…"

"Sure you do," Weiss began, counting them off on her hands. "You have Mason, Shiki, Zidane…"

Ilona whined slightly. "I-I would rather not go with Sir Zidane. Not after— Never mind, I wish not to speak of it."

Shrugging, Weiss tried to think of more suggestions. "Well, if not them, I'm sure there's— Zen!?"

Ilona blinked. "Sir Zen? I fear I do not know him all that well…"

"No I mean, look, there's Zen," Weiss said, gesturing to the while-haired male as he approached them. He stepped forward elegantly, holding out a white rose.

"Good evening ladies—"

Weiss held up a fist. "Look, pal, just back off. Ilona doesn't want to go with you to the party. Ugh, will you male pigs just leave her alone!"

Zen chuckled, a smile crossing his lips. "Oh, but I wasn't here to ask Princess Ilona…"

The male held out the flower to Weiss in a smooth gesture. "I was here to ask you. My delicate white rose, would you be so kind as to accompany me to the party tomorrow? Having you by my side tomorrow night would bring me joy unspeakable."

Flabbergasted, Weiss shot a look to Ilona and Ruby—her friends—before figuring out what to do. She needed a sign as to what decision she should make! Zen had entirely caught her off guard. Ruby gave a thumbs up, while Ilona just stared blankly straight ahead like she always did. Some friends they were…

Weiss turned to look back at Zen sheepishly. "I-I, well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. Thank you, Zen, I'd be happy to go with you."

Zen broke from his elegant stance for a moment, clenching a fist in victory. "YES— Ah, I mean, thank you for accepting! I look forward to going with you to the party tomorrow. Would you care to… join me for a walk? Perhaps I could walk you back to your room?" he offered.

Weiss glanced to Ruby and Ilona again, seeing Ruby gesture for her to go ahead. Weiss then turned to Zen and nodded. "That sounds nice. I'd be happy to…"

And with that, Weiss strolled off alongside Zen, leaving behind a spacey Ilona and a squeeing Ruby.

"Don't you think they're so cute together!?" Ruby gasped happily, folding her hands together.

Ilona, more worried about her own situation, hadn't been paying any attention. "U-Um, yes, I suppose so."

Smiling, Ruby placed a hand on Ilona's shoulder. "Hey, cheer up. I'm sure you'll find a guy friend to go with you. You still have Shiki and Mason, right? Why not ask one of them?"

Ilona rubbed the back of her head. "I fear asking Sir Shiki would not even be worth my time. I'm certain a crowd of females, similar to the crowd of males which have been bothering me, may have already had their way with him." Ilona cringed. Yet I'm certain the harassment he will be suffering is far greater. Poor fellow…

"But, perhaps Sir Mason—" Ilona nodded to herself. "I'm certain Sir Mason would be a good choice. He told me before that he sees me more as family or a friend than anything else. He would not bother me as the others have, and he would help me keep the other males at bay."

Ilona took a step away from Ruby and turned around to face her, curtsying in her dress. "When you see Weiss again, give her my thanks for the dress. I will do something kind for her in order to repay her later. But, for now, I fear I must locate Sir Mason. Have a wonderful rest of your afternoon, Miss Ruby!"

Ilona turned and rushed off, leaving Ruby behind. The girl grinned to herself, watching as Ilona left. "Not worth your time, huh? Too bad. I bet he'd rather go with you than any of those clingy girls who smother him."

Rushing at the speed of light, Ilona hunted intently for Mason in all of his usual hangouts. Eventually, she spotted him in a lounge waving to someone whom he had been speaking with, but who had just walked off. The princess stopped in front of him, taking deep breaths. "S-Sir Mason, I wish to ask you a question!"

Mason chuckled. "Whoa, slow down. Just breathe, Miss Ilona. By the way, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress if you don't mind me saying. What did you want to ask me?"

Ilona smiled sheepishly and offered him a bow of thanks. "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to attend the party with me tomorrow—as friends of course! For you see, I need someone to help me—"

Mason smiled back at her. "I'm touched you would think to ask me, but it looks like I have a date already."

Ilona felt her heart sink in her chest. "I-Is that so?"

Mason nodded. "Yes, it seems so. I just talked to this poor woman who seemed rather distraught. She told me that her boss was going to the party tomorrow night and making her stay home to watch his cat unless she were to find a date of her own. So… I asked her to help her out. Sorry, Miss Ilona. But I'm sure we can still spend time together at the party. I'd love that."

Ilona felt her heart sink even more. "I-I see… yes, I would love to spend more time with you as well. Thank you for your time," she mumbled, giving him another bow before moving to head off, looking like someone had just stepped on her cookie. Noticing this look, Mason tried to say something, but was unable to catch Ilona as she made her way quickly out of the room.

Now what would she do? The princess was running out of options…

She thought of Shiki again for a moment, but only reminded herself shortly afterwards that he was likely already tied up. Why had she even thought of him again? Err… maybe it was because she could hear him shouting in the next hallway over?

Hesitantly, Ilona peeked down that hallway, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head when she saw Shiki on the ground—appearing as if he were being kept in a wrestling hold underneath Anna the merchant. He looked twisted up and strained, his glasses even crooked on his face. For a brief moment their gazes connected, a cry of help evident in the dark haired male's eyes. Yet, they both knew it was best if they didn't intervene. As Shiki had explained before, this woman was a merchant and the Coalition needed her aid. He didn't want to do anything that would cause the woman to retract any help she gave to the Coalition.

"Heh heh heh, how lucky am I that you'll be going with me to the party tomorrow, huh? Little rich boy, you and I are going to have all kinds of fun," she said, her voice gurgling with lust as she clung to him like a leech sucking the life out of her prey.

Ilona blushed and covered her mouth with a hand before bowing apologetically to Shiki.

Dear Sun, forgive me for complaining about my situation. I haven't the right to complain when Sir Shiki has to deal with something far worse than myself!

Ilona turned and rushed away, deciding to head for her room. Maybe she would just, um, improvise tomorrow when it came to the party? She was entirely out of options and not sure what to do.

Walking along while heaving a heavy sigh, the princess was surprised to see a cat wander out of a room and cross her path.

"Elizabeth 3rd, wait up!" a male called out, heading out into the hallway after the white, elegant looking feline.

Ilona reached down to pick up the cat, offering her to the man. "Is this your cat?" she asked, smiling down at her. "She's beautiful."

The man adjusted the tie he was wearing and reached out to take the cat, nodding afterwards. "Since you called her beautiful, I will forgive your negligence of touching her without my permission. Yes, this is my cat Elizabeth 3rd. And she is the most gorgeous creature in all of existence, isn't that right, my darling?"

The man began to coo at his cat as if it were a child, even seeming to ogle it. Ilona felt a bit awkward watching the whole thing, so she stepped back and bowed to the man—intending to take her leave. "I'm Princess Ilona. I'm sorry about touching your cat."

"Call me Jumin Han," the man instantly replied back. "And as I stated before, all is forgiven. I apologize, as I'm not in a very good mood. I'm new here and I'm attending the party tomorrow, but my assistant found a date and won't be watching my cat." Jumin sighed. "So, I'm afraid I'll have to bring her along with me." He chuckled. "I suppose she'll just have to be my date…"

Ilona quieted for a moment, a thought popping into her head afterwards. This guy was obsessed with his cat and hadn't even seemed to notice Ilona in her dress. This was perfect! He would surely not be the type of date who would bother her, or even be remotely interested! And with this man at her side, even if he wasn't interested, surely she would be safe from other male admirers at the party!

"Ah, but would you care for a date? I would go with you, good sir. I'm also from the Coalition and will be attending the party tomorrow. You have wonderful taste in cats—if you don't mind me saying. Perhaps we could talk about her at the party?" Ilona questioned, offering him one of her charming smiles.

Jumin hummed in the back of his throat, surprised a stranger he had only known for but a moment would ask him to the dance. But, then again, stranger things had happened in his life…

"Oh, why not? Perhaps it would be good if I brought along a human date too. Princess… Ilona, was it? If you're interested in accompanying me, meet me here tomorrow exactly thirty minutes before the party is to start. Don't be late or I'll leave without you," he said, turning around to enter his room.

Although he wasn't the most appealing date in Ilona's eyes, she had found one! The princess felt her heart excitedly skip a beat as she turned to rush down the hallway and head back for her room. The party tomorrow… certainly was going to be interesting!
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