The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

In particular, in the vast expanse of the universe, where wars were waged and stars were bartered over, one little princess could be found sighing as if the weight of an entire planet rested squarely on her shoulders.

Off to the side, Butler Henry was deeply concerned.

Princess Nina had been looking at him in that particular way. The way that suggested tragedy. The way that suggested emotional devastation. The way that usually preceded either tears, a rare outburst, or a very polite but extremely pointed complaint that would echo in his nightmares for weeks.

She sighed again.

Slowly.

With feeling.

Butler Henry straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him, resisting the urge to ask what was wrong. Because as an Imperial butler with decades of experience navigating perilous situations, he was keenly aware that this time, the problem was not one he could resolve on his own.

Not unless someone hurried the entire procession along so that the princess as well as the Imperial rulers wouldn’t have to sit through each booth while seeing and hearing random passers-by talk about such touchy subjects.

Because if they all had to listen to one more person loudly extolling the good fortune of one young Mylor while the princess sat there nodding politely, he feared her soul might actually leave her body.

__

Princess Nina blinked rapidly, forcing her expression into a gentle smile as another person bowed and greeted her.

She returned the greeting with perfect grace.

She was, after all, an Imperial Princess.

But inside, she was beyond devastated.

How was this fair?

How was this fair at all?

She too had a brother in DG. Brothers, even! Not to mention the greatest brother-in-law in the entire universe. Possibly in all recorded history.

And yet she had to sit here.

Listening.

Watching.

Smiling.

As other people talked about how lucky they were.

Ahhhhhh.

The pain.

It was unbearable.

She clenched her small hands together in her lap, nails digging slightly into her gloves as she fought the urge to sulk. Because sulking was unbecoming. And pouting was absolutely unacceptable. And throwing a fit would be disrespectful.

She understood why they were being careful. Truly, she did. She knew how dangerous attention could be. She knew why they had to keep things quiet. She knew why certain relationships could not be broadcast to the universe like a celebratory announcement.

Knowing all that, however, didn’t make it hurt less.

If anything, it made it worse.

Because she understood.

Which meant she had no excuse.

Still.

Sometimes.

Just sometimes.

She wanted to walk over freely like everyone else.

She wanted to line up.

She wanted to spin the wheel.

She wanted to gasp dramatically and clutch her chest when presented with food she already knew was amazing.

She wanted to spend time with them without having to be escorted, announced, or carefully positioned.

The little princess sighed again.

This time, it was heavier.

Her uncle finally noticed.

He leaned slightly toward her, lowering his voice. ”Just two more booths for today. After that, we can follow our own schedule. Hang in there a bit longer.”

Princess Nina froze.

Two?

She blinked.

Then she subtly tilted her terminal toward herself and checked the time.

Her eyes widened.

Was she actually going to make it?

Was she really going to make it to the promised cooking lessons?

Her heart did a little flip.

Oh.

Oh!

She had to.

A princess should always be punctual.

Her posture straightened at once. Her earlier gloom evaporated as if it had never existed. She lifted her chin, expression brightening with renewed determination.

She turned her gaze to Butler Henry.

It wasn’t particularly a request, but it was also a task that the Butler could do without stepping over anyone’s toes.

The experienced elder felt it immediately.

He inclined his head by a fraction and stepped forward, already moving to intercept the tour guide with the practiced efficiency of a man who had survived imperial scheduling crises before.

He didn’t raise his voice.

He merely smiled politely and reminded, in the most courteous tone imaginable, that Her Highness had a tightly arranged schedule and that he felt it was part of his duty to refresh their memories.

The tour guide nodded.

And somehow found the motivation to move things along at an impressive pace.

Princess Nina watched all of this unfold, hands folded neatly, feet barely touching the ground as she resisted the urge to bounce.

Cooking lessons.

With them.

Today wasn’t ruined after all!

__

Meanwhile, back at DG’s expo booth where the outside was still a definite contrast to the serene inside, the discussion at the front desk didn’t actually take that long.

But despite it being a short exchange, it was still packed with enough information to make Owen Mylor’s head spin.

And to think he was already one of those people who secretly experienced miraculous things!

He stood there blinking as Kyle spoke, half listening and half wondering how in the stars his brother had ended up with someone who was his complete opposite.

His brother was, well, a living firecracker. His brother-in-law, on the other hand, was calm.

His brother was unpredictable and expressive while the man they spoke to seemed like he had been born already knowing what to do in every situation.

The giant blond stared.

Then felt an elbow jam into his side.

He flinched and glanced over just in time to see one of his friends subtly shaking his head at him. Another elbow followed for good measure.

Right. Don’t stare.

Thankfully, he could now rely on his friends who had redeemed themselves by elbowing him whenever he stared too hard.

But it was hard not to when his official brother-in-law was this cool.

And not only cool. He was helpful.

Very helpful.

Jonah, one of his friends, nearly tripped over his own feet when Kyle casually mentioned games where they could win prizes.

Now who wouldn’t want games or prizes? The impeccable man definitely knew what to say to capture their attention.

Kyle then continued while tapping a few points on the holographic map. ”There’s five of you, so you can ask for group seating. If you want snacks or desserts first, then the cafe would be a good place to start.”

Then, out of nowhere, five teenage backs straightened at once.

They leaned forward instinctively, like someone had just started sharing forbidden knowledge all because the cool senior had suddenly lowered his voice.

”But,” Kyle continued smoothly, ”if you’re more interested in doing something hands-on, I’d suggest the greenhouse farm tour or the activity center. And if you time it right, you might even catch Luca’s live cooking lessons.”

”!!!”

Owen felt his soul leave his body for half a second.

Live cooking lessons.

With. Luca.

That was it. That was non-negotiable.

He could already tell they would be willing to camp on the floor if that was what it took to be able to attend.

Kyle went on as if he hadn’t just dropped a life-altering statement.

”As for restaurant dining, reservations are possible,” he said, glancing at the map again. ”But since you’re a larger group, I’d actually recommend the campfire area or the picnic dining.”

The words sounded unreal.

Campfire. Picnic. Dining.

The teens exchanged looks, mouths slightly open, as their brains struggled to process the idea of casually choosing between those options.

Eventually, Owen, the designated sacrifice, lifted his hand tentatively.

Kyle paused and looked at him.

”B-brother-in-law, what would you recommend for us?” The young blond asked honestly.

The blue-haired cadet studied them for a moment.

”If you were older,” he said thoughtfully, ”I would have suggested the regular dinner service.”

The teens nodded automatically.

Then Kyle’s lips curved faintly.

”But considering your age,” he added before pausing in contemplation, ”would you be interested in preparing some of your own food?”

The effect was instant.

Every single one of them straightened so hard it looked painful.

Heads bobbed.

Nods turned frantic.

”Yes,” came several overlapping replies.

Kyle chuckled under his breath.

”Then,” he said, tapping the terminal once, ”you’ll be the first group to book the campfire dining.”

”!!!”

Owen felt lightheaded.

His friends looked like they might scream.

Somewhere nearby, a few lucky onlookers glanced over, confused by the sudden burst of teenage joy that would only intensify after they all ushered themselves toward the activity center.