♔亞緣腐宅窩♔

Collection event－Trick or Treat?
（獎勵故事）

From 10/18 10:00 am to 10/29 10:00 am

Wysteria has a custom of baking something sweet for the person you love.
Who will you give your "something sweet" to?
…………
Alyn "Are you jealous?"
……
Louis "Hold still. You've got cream on you."
……
Leo "I can't hide a single thing from you, can I?"
……
Nico "I'd like it even more if you'd feed it to me directly."
……
Rayvis "It's meant for a lover. Am I right?"
…………
He's nice and a tease all at the same time tonight.
Do you have what it takes to handle what he's got in store for you?

Read Prologue>>>

It was a glorious day, the weather bright and clear and the breeze soft and gentle.
The town was much busier than usual that day, and I smiled as I walked through the streets with Giles.
Giles "Although you're technically here to work, the festival is only held once a year.
Giles "Please take the time to enjoy yourself."
Jily "Thank you, Giles."
I accepted the basket of sweets Giles held out to me, and began walking again at a more leisurely pace.
Soon several nearby children spotted me, and they came running towards me, their faces wreathed in smiles.
Child "Princess! Princess! Can I have some sweets?"
Jily "Of course! Here you go."
Child "Me too, me tooooo!"
I placed a bundle of sweets in each eager, outstretched hand, and was rewarded with another smile each time.

（I'm so glad to have a chance to connect with the townspeople like this.）

The harvest festival was held each year to celebrate the successful harvest of the crops.
My duty during this particular visit was to hand our sweets to show appreciation for everyone's hard work.
Child "Hey, Princess, did you give sweets to your special someone?"
I smiled at the question, remembering my own fascination with that particular custom when I'd been a child.

（I know that families and couples give homemade sweets to each other during the harvest festival, but—）

Jily "Everyone in Wysteria is special to me. That's why I'm here now."
I ruffled the boy's hair gently, and he grinned happily up at me before running back to his parents.

（I wasn't lying when I said that everyone in Wysteria is special to me, but—）

My heart skipped a beat as I thought about my plans to meet the man I loved once my work was done.

（I hope we can spend a special evening together, just the two of us.）

As the sunset painted the sky in colors of flame, my heart seemed to burn up as well, yearning for him...

Reward for 50 Insignia Nico's Bonus Story

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My work for the day was finally done, and night had fallen, leaving the palace hushed and still.
I paid a visit to Nico's room to give him the harvest festival sweets I'd made for him.
I handed him the present I'd wrapped especially before coming.
In moments he was eagerly opening it, and gleefully popping one of the macarons into his mouth.
Nico "This is so good!"
Jily "I'm so glad you like it!"
A bright smile lit up Nico's face the second he bit into the macaron, and he looked so happy that I found myself smiling, too.

（I'm so glad I found a free moment to give them to you, in spite of how busy today has been!）

Nico "Oh, I know."
Jily "What is it?"
Nico set the box of macarons aside, smiling hopefully at me.
Nico "Do you want to go and make some sweets together, now?
Nico "I'd like to thank you for the macarons, too."
Jily "Right now? But I thought you were getting ready for bed."
Nico "I'm fine, really! Oh, but only if you want to, of course!"

（Are you kidding? It sounds like so much fun!）

Jily "I'm fine, too, and I'd love to."
Nico "Then it's decided!"
We nodded cheerfully to each other, and then we began to laugh as we turned and headed out of the room.

＊＊＊

When we'd finished cooking, I invited Nico to my room.
We sat down on the sofa together with a plate of muffins in front of us, each a different flavor.
Jily "Oh wow, this is so sweet! I love it!"
Nico "Really? Can I have a taste?"
Jily "Sure, let me slice off a little bit for you."
I sliced off a little bit of the honey-filled muffin, making sure to get plenty of honey, and lifted my fork towards his plate.
Nico "Well, that'd be nice and all, but—
Nico "I'd like it even more if you'd feed it to me directly."
Jily "Really?"
I raised an eyebrow at Nico as he leaned towards me, his expression hopeful.
My heart skipped a beat at this wide, puppy-dog eyes and sugary-sweet smile.
Nico "Really. You don't mind, do you?"
Jily "I don't mind."
I couldn't help giggling as I lifted the fork towards his mouth, and his eyes shone happily in response.
Nico "You're right, that is really sweet! And good."
Jily "I told you."

（I'm really glad the muffins came out so well, and that you like them as much as I do.
（Still, if you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to forget all about food.）

I tried to calm my racing heart and focus on eating my muffin instead of staring at his handsome face.
Nico "Oh, mine is one of the fruit ones! It tastes really different."
Jily "We put a lot of fruit in them, didn't we?"
Nico "Yeah, and it's really good! Here, try some."
The whole muffin was stained a beautiful, pastel color from the fruit, and I watched as Nico sliced off a piece.
He scooped it up with his fork, and held it out towards me.
Nico "Open wide!"
Jily "Oh—"
He sounded so delighted, yet it was the look in his eyes that sent a shiver of anticipation through me as I opened my mouth.
I waited, but Nico continued to hold the forkful of muffin just out of reach.
Jily "Nico?"
Nico "Oops, sorry! You looked so adorable waiting for your treat that you captivated me, and I forgot what I was doing."
Jily "Seriously?"

（Sometimes you're too much, and I don't know how to take it!）

I didn't know how to take the unexpected compliment, and I could feel myself blushing, but he only grinned wider.
Nico "I promise I'll give it to you this time. Here, open wide!"
Jily "Mmm, yum!"
The sweet, fresh flavor of fruit filled my mouth, mixed with the more subtle sweetness of the muffin.
Nico "Jily, you're blushing! Did I embarrass you by feeding you?"
Jily "No, silly, you embarrassed me by calling me adorable out of the blue like that."
I swallowed my mouthful of muffin and mock-pouted at Nico, trying my best to hide my smile.
He chuckled softly, setting his plate back down on the table.
Nico "Well, I'm not going to apologize for thinking you're adorable, but I'll stop teasing you, okay? Can I hug you instead?"
Jily "You can."
His voice gentled as he spoke, and I smiled for real this time as he reached out and wrapped me in his arms.
Nico "You probably already know this, but—the only person I ever want to give harvest festival sweets to is you, Jily."
Jily "Oh, Nico...
Jily "I feel the same. As Jily, and not the princess, you're the only one I want to give sweets to."
I hugged him tightly in return, my heart warm and full as we gazed into each other's eyes.

（I love it when you tease me and make me smile, and I love it when you're serious, too.
（Honestly, it doesn't matter what we're doing—I love every moment I get to spend with you.）

I lifted my head towards him, just as he leaned towards me, and our lips met in a soft kiss.
I closed my eyes, feeling happiness flooding through me as we shared the love we felt for each other...

Reward for 190 Insignia Alyn's Bonus Story

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By the time I'd finished carrying out my duties at the harvest festival and returned to the palace, the sun had set.
The memories of all the smiling, happy children I'd spent time with lingered even after I was alone,
and I found myself humming as I began setting things on the kitchen counter while I waited for Alyn.

（I hope we make something really good tonight!）

When I'd first talked to Alyn about making sweets for the festival, he'd immediately offered to make them with me.
We'd agreed to meet in the kitchen, but I was a little early, so I got started without him.
I began to whip the cream in a bowl, pausing to taste it and make sure it was sweet enough.
Jily "Yum, perfect."
Alyn "You look like you're having fun."
I turned in surprise to find Alyn standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face as he watched me.
Jily "Alyn! How long have you been standing there?"
Alyn "Long enough. And you know, I think you were having more fun than the kids today."
Jily "Were you watching me?"
Alyn "Of course I was. I'm your bodyguard, after all."
Alyn's smile was teasing as he crossed the kitchen to join me at the counter.
Jily "Well, I hardly ever get a chance to spend time with children like that anymore. I guess I couldn't help myself."
Alyn "They were clearly enjoying themselves, too."
His smile softened into something gentler, and I turned towards him, smiling back at him.
Then I noticed he was holding a small bundle of what looked like sweets in his hand.

（Hang on, are those—）

I opened my mouth to ask, but he reached out and took the bowl from me, distracting me from my thoughts completely.
Alyn "You beat me to it."
Jily "What?"
Alyn "I thought we were gonna make this together."
Jily "I'm sorry—I guess I just got a little impatient and eager."
I gave him a rueful smile, but I didn't mind being honest with him about it.
Alyn "Were you looking forward to it that much?"
Jily "I was."
Alyn "Hmm."
Alyn laughed softly. He sounded pleased and satisfied by my response.
Alyn "Then let's get to it."
Alyn handed the bowl of cream back to me, and I took it quickly, eager to start cooking with him.
But as he turned to reach for something else on the counter, my gaze was caught by the bundle of sweets in his hand again.

（Who gave those to you?）

Alyn "What are you spacing out for?"
Jily "What? Oh! Nothing!"

（I mean, it's the harvest festival, right? Lots of people give sweets to each other.）

But no matter how much I tried to tell myself that, it didn't stop me from wanting to know.
I could feel Alyn watching me, and I stared down into the bowl of cream, whipping it determinedly.
Alyn "You're so easy to read."
Jily "What?"
I looked up with a start, only to find him smirking at me with clear amusement.

（Is it that obvious that I'm curious about the sweets?）

I watched as he picked up a strawberry, and chopped it quickly into neat pieces.
He picked a piece up in his fingers, and held it out in front of me.
Alyn "Here."
Jily "Oh. Um—thanks."
I leaned towards his outstretched hand to eat the piece of strawberry, but just before I could, he pulled his hand back again.
Jily "Hey!"
I pouted at him, and he laughed, his whole expression bright.
Jily "Geez, Alyn."
Alyn "That's what you get for being so slow."
Jily "More like you didn't give me enough time to eat it!"
Alyn "Don't go blaming me."
He poked my cheek playfully, his touch warm and soft, and then turned back to the strawberries.
I lifted the whisk again, determined to finish the cream, but I couldn't stop gazing at his relaxed smile.

（You're teasing me more than usual tonight, but—you look happier than usual, too.）

I was curious to know why, but I didn't want to spoil the mood by trying to ask him what had him looking so happy.
So instead I decided to just enjoy it for what it was as we worked together to bake our cake.

＊＊＊

When the cake was finally ready, Alyn invited me to his room.
We sat down side-by-side on the sofa together, each with a piece of cake on our plates.
I took a bite, sighing softly with pleasure as the sweet cream and the tart fruit flavors melded together in my mouth.
Jily "This is really good!"
Alyn "Yeah, it is."
I glanced over at Alyn, smiling as I saw that he was eagerly stuffing forkful after forkful into his mouth.
It made me happy to see him enjoying it, but then I suddenly found myself remembering that bundle of sweets again.

（If I'm going to keep fretting about it, I might as well just go ahead and ask you.）

Jily "Hey, Alyn? That bundle of sweets—did someone give that to you?"
Alyn looked up from his plate, giving me a roguish grin.
Alyn "Are you jealous?"
Jily "Well..."
The festival sweets were meant to be made for someone special. I'd been so happy when Alyn had offered to make them with me.
I felt a bit silly for letting such a small thing bother me so much when everything else was so great, yet I couldn't help it.
Jily "Yeah, I guess I am."
I looked up at him, wanting to at least be honest about how I felt.
Alyn "Hmm. It ain't so bad, knowing that you can get jealous, too."
Jily "What?"
Alyn "I got them while I was working.
Alyn "A little girl gave them to me. Couldn't have been more than ten."
Jily "Really?"

（And here I was, fretting that some other woman had given them to you!）

I sighed with relief as Alyn told me about the little girl who'd approached him shyly while he was on patrol.
Alyn "You were wondering about that the whole time we were making the cake, weren't you?"
Jily "Yeah. I couldn't help it. I guess I should've asked then."
I looked up at him, worried he might laugh, but his gaze was gentle as he reached out to smooth my hair back from my face.
Alyn "You're the only one for me."
His gaze held me captive, his words filling me up with warmth inside, and I found myself smiling properly at last.
He slid another arm around my waist, pulling me towards him, and a moment later, his lips captured mine in a soft kiss.

（Maybe it's weird of me to think this, but—
（I kind of like it when you tease me like you did today, and a part of me hopes that you're only like that with me.）

It was so different from the public face he wore when he was Captain of the Royal Guard,
and the idea that it might be a side that I only ever saw made it feel all the more special and precious to me...

Reward for 240 Insignia Leo's Bonus Story

Read Unlocked Story>>>

It was the evening of the harvest festival.
Once Leo and I had both finished our work for the day, we headed to the kitchen to make sweets together.
Leo "I'm not sure I'm doing the chocolate quite right. Does this look okay to you?"
Jily "Yes, that's great! Thanks, Leo."
We'd decided to make a shortcake with chocolate cream in it to celebrate the festival.
The two of us stood side-by-side at the kitchen counter, sometimes doing different tasks but always working together.
Leo "It's pretty nice, making sweets together like this every once in a while."
Jily "I know. I'm glad we managed to find the time to do this."
We grinned at each other, and I knew he was having just as much fun as I was.

（And with all your help, this is going much faster than it normally does!
（Ahh, the cream really seems to be coming up nicely!）

I lifted the whisk from the bowl of cream I was holding, admiring the peaks that formed.
Leo leaned closer, using a spoon to scoop up some of the cream and lift it to his mouth.
Leo "Mmm, perfect. Just the right amount of sweetness. This is going to taste really good when it's all done."
Jily "I can't wait! Oh—Leo—"

（You've got cream on the corner of your mouth. Just like a little kid! You're so adorable sometimes.）

I had to bite back a giggle as I quickly set the bowl down on the counter in front of me.
Then I turned towards him, leaning my hand against his chest as I reached up and wiped the cream away with one finger.
Leo froze, blinking down at me as I lowered my finger to my lips and licked the cream from it.
Jily "There, that's better."
I could feel the way his heart began to pound faster under my other hand, and I grinned at him again.
Without warning, he slid his arms around me, pulling me closer.
Jily "Now what?"
Leo "Thank you for wiping off that cream for me.
Leo "But you've got cream on you too, you know."
Jily "What? Where?"
His smile was full of mischief as he leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips.
His warmth flooded into me, just for a moment, and then it was gone again.
Leo "There, that's better."
Jily "You're such a bad liar."

（You just wanted an excuse to kiss me, didn't you? Not that I'm complaining.）

I wrinkled up my nose at him, but it was impossible to hide my grin.
Leo "Oh? Would you prefer it if I just came right out and said 'I want to kiss you'?"
Jily "Well, it would at least give me some warning."
Leo purred the words in my ear, and I responded automatically, but my thoughts were whirling.

（Something's different about you this evening, Leo.）

I turned my head, and as our eyes met, I saw the sultry desire smoldering in his.
Leo "Maybe I don't want to give you warning right now. Maybe I just want to shower you with my love."
He pulled me closer, his breath warm against my skin as he nuzzled against my neck, and suddenly it started to make sense.
Jily "Leo, wait."
Leo "What is it?"
Jily "Maybe I'm overthinking this, but—
Jily "You seem a little different to usual tonight."
Leo "What?"
He stared at me in surprise, and yet I saw recognition in his eyes, too, and that's when I knew I was right.

（You've acted like this before, and every time you did—）

Jily "Have you been drinking?"
Leo "Ahh, you got me.
Leo "I can't hide a single thing from you, can I?"
Leo shook his head slowly, his smile almost bashful somehow.
Leo "You remember me telling you about that party I had to go to, before I came here?
Leo "Well, people kept pushing me to drink a toast with them. And... there were some guests I just couldn't say no to."
Jily "Oh, right. Of course."

（You've never handled alcohol well, and you hate that. Normally you'd just want to go and sleep it off.
（But we'd already agreed to bake a cake together tonight, and you didn't want to disappoint me, did you?）

He was avoiding my gaze, his smile unusually self-conscious, and suddenly I loved him all the more.
I reached out impulsively, wrapping my arms around him and leaning my cheek against his warm chest.
Jily "Leo—thank you."
Leo "If you keep that up, I'm going to forget all about the cake, you know."
Jily "That's okay."
I lifted my head, looking up towards him, and a moment later his lips captured mine in another kiss, deeper than the last.

（Sometimes you're sweet when you're drunk, and sometimes you're a mischievous tease.
（And I want to see all those sides of you—I don't want you to ever feel like you have to hide any part of yourself from me.）

I hugged him tighter, the cake forgotten as we kissed and kissed again, each kiss overflowing with our love for each other...

Reward for 310 Insignia Louis's Bonus Story
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Reward for 380 Insignia Rayvis's Bonus Story
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