A royal procession rolled into Lustra like the city itself had invited drama for dessert.
It wasn't subtle.
Gold-trimmed carriage. White horses. Silk banners. A marching line of guards in polished armor that reflected the lanterns like tiny suns. People stepped aside, whispering, pointing, trying not to stare while absolutely staring.
And in the middle of it all, Yuki Tanaka appeared instantly with her clipboard, as if she had been summoned by the scent of paperwork.
"Elise," I muttered, clutching my Consent Candle, "why is there a royal carriage in my kissing town."
Elise's eyes narrowed. "Because you are a problem."
"That's not an answer."
"It is in Lustra," Elise snapped. She tightened her grip on the tether chain, pulling me closer like she was anchoring me to reality. "Do not smile. Do not wave. Do not accidentally become engaged."
Freya, walking too close as usual, grinned. "Accidentally engaged. That's romantic."
Sofia smirked. "It happens when he blushes too hard."
Rika bounced on her toes. "If he becomes a prince, can I be his pillow."
Kaori whispered, horrified, "Rika…"
Charlotte Beaumont's smile was calm, sharp. "If a queen is here, she's not sightseeing."
Mira adjusted her glasses. "Diplomacy often involves gifts."
Lucie whispered, delighted, "If the gift is him, I'm stealing the wrapping."
Elise's eye twitched.
The carriage doors opened.
And the air changed.
Not because of magic. Because of presence.
She stepped out like the world was a stage and she had written the script.
Tall. Regal. A crown like a thin arc of starlight. A cape that fell like dark velvet water. Her dress was elegant, not indecent, but it had the kind of cut that made everyone remember they had eyes.
Her gaze swept the crowd.
Then landed on me.
And stayed.
My system chimed like it had just dropped a new boss fight into my lap.
NEW ENTITY: FOREIGN ROYAL
THREAT LEVEL: SOCIAL
WARNING: HIGH CHARISMA
TIP: DO NOT STUTTER
I stuttered anyway.
The queen walked forward, flanked by two guards and one advisor holding a scroll the size of a small coffin.
Yuki lifted her clipboard like she was greeting an old friend.
"Welcome to Lustra," Yuki said brightly. "Please sign the Consent Ordinance."
The queen paused.
Her lips curved.
"Of course," she said, voice smooth as expensive tea. "I heard Lustra has… rules."
Elise stiffened.
The queen's gaze flicked from Yuki to Elise, then back to me, and the smile softened in a way that somehow felt more dangerous.
"You," the queen said, still looking at me. "You are the hero."
I swallowed. "I think so."
Rika whispered loudly, "He's definitely a hero. Look at his face. He's suffering."
Freya whispered, "That's his hottest expression."
Elise hissed, "Stop."
The queen tilted her head, amused. "How charming. You have a chorus."
Charlotte stepped forward politely. "Your Majesty, what brings you to Lustra."
The queen's eyes moved to Charlotte like a blade sliding from a sheath.
"A matter of state," she said. "And… a matter of curiosity."
Yuki nodded, ready to translate curiosity into bureaucracy. "State your request."
The queen's advisor unrolled the scroll. It was covered in fancy seals.
The advisor cleared his throat. "Her Majesty, Queen of—"
"Enough," the queen said gently, and the advisor immediately stopped existing as a concept.
The queen stepped closer. Not too close. Just close enough that the tether chain pulled Elise a fraction forward too.
Elise bristled.
The queen's gaze stayed on my wrist, on the chain, on the glowing candle in my hands.
"So it's true," she murmured. "A hero bound by consent, protected by a paladin, surrounded by admirers who behave… because a candle tells them to."
Freya raised her hand. "We behave sometimes."
Sofia said, "Barely."
The queen laughed softly, like she approved of honesty.
Then she looked at me again.
"Ren Varga," she said.
My spine reacted like it recognized a spell.
Elise's head snapped toward the queen. "How do you know his name."
The queen's smile didn't change. "Royal networks have ears."
Yuki added, "Also he's trending."
I whispered, "I hate that."
The queen's eyes flicked to my mouth, then back to my eyes, and her smile turned… interested.
"You look overwhelmed," she said.
"That's my default," I admitted.
The queen hummed. "In my land, we would solve that differently."
Freya grinned. "With kisses."
The queen's smile widened. "With authority."
Elise stepped forward, voice cold. "State your business, Your Majesty."
The queen's attention finally moved to Elise fully, and it was like watching two storms meet.
"My business," the queen said, calm, "is to negotiate a treaty regarding Lustra's Eros Mana overflow. My lands have suffered waves of it. Men writing poems they don't understand. Women challenging nobles to duels for hand-holding. Entire villages blushing at bread."
Rika whispered, "Bread is sexy."
Kaori whispered, "Rika, no."
The queen continued, gaze returning to me like she couldn't help it.
"And my other business," she said softly, "is to see the hero who stabilizes it."
Yuki's pen scratched. "Hero is available for scheduled stabilization sessions."
Elise snapped, "He's not a public utility."
The queen's eyes sparkled. "He looks like one."
My system chimed again, traitorous.
WARNING: SHE IS FLIRTING WITH POWER
TIP: YOU ARE WEAK TO POWER
I swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, I'm just trying to eat sandwiches."
The queen paused, then laughed.
"A hero who wants sandwiches," she said. "That's almost unfair."
Freya whispered, "Everything about him is unfair."
Sofia murmured, "Especially the mouth."
Elise said, "Enough."
The queen stepped closer again, careful, controlled. She lifted her hand, but didn't touch me. She looked at the candle instead.
"May I," she asked, voice suddenly formal, "request one private audience. In public view. With the Consent Candle lit. With your paladin present."
Elise hesitated.
That was the shocking part.
Because it was respectful.
It was exactly how Lustra did things. Exactly how the rules were supposed to work.
Yuki nodded approvingly. "That's clean."
Mira nodded. "Proper procedure."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Clever."
Sofia's smile sharpened. "Predator."
The queen heard that and smiled like it was a compliment.
I looked at Elise.
Elise's jaw tightened. "Your choice."
I inhaled.
The queen waited, patient as a crown.
"I consent," I said, voice rough, "to a short audience. Two minutes. No touching unless I say yes. No secrets."
The candle glow stayed steady, warm, approving.
The queen's smile softened.
"Good," she murmured. "He speaks for himself."
Elise's eyes flicked to me, surprised, then quickly back to neutral anger.
Yuki rang the bell like it was a match starting.
Ding.
The queen moved with elegant precision, guiding me toward a small pavilion near the market fountain. It was still public. Still visible. Still safe.
But it felt like stepping into a different kind of air.
The queen sat first, perfectly poised.
Then she gestured for me to sit opposite her like it was a court and I was the verdict.
I sat, candle between us on the table like a tiny judge.
The queen leaned forward slightly.
"Ren Varga," she said softly, "do you understand why they all want you."
I blinked. "Because the city is cursed."
The queen smiled. "Partly."
I waited, uncertain.
Her eyes lingered on my face, then my hands, then the small bruised exhaustion under my eyes.
"They want you," she said, "because you are kind while panicking. You don't bite. You don't boast. You refuse when you need to. And when you consent… you do it fully."
Freya made a small appreciative sound from a distance like she'd just heard poetry.
I went hot.
"That's… weirdly accurate," I muttered.
The queen's smile turned gentle. "And dangerous."
Elise's voice cut in from behind me. "Keep it diplomatic."
The queen's eyes flicked up to Elise.
"I am," she said smoothly. "Diplomacy is seduction with rules."
Elise's face went pink with rage.
Yuki wrote that down like it was a quote of the year.
The queen's attention returned to me.
"In my land," she said, "a hero is usually loud. Hungry for worship. Greedy for comfort. But you…"
She paused, then her voice softened.
"You look like you're trying not to be taken."
My throat tightened.
I tried to laugh it off. "I'm trying not to die."
The queen nodded, like she accepted that truth as intimate.
Then she did something unexpected.
She offered her hand, palm up, not touching me. Just offering.
"May I," she asked, eyes steady, "kiss your hand. As a royal greeting. One time."
The harem collectively went still.
Even Freya.
Even Sofia.
Charlotte's eyes sharpened.
Rika's tail froze mid-swish.
Kaori's hands clenched her basket.
Elise's posture stiffened like a blade being drawn.
I swallowed.
It was a hand kiss. Not obscene. Not illegal. But it was loaded. It was symbolic. It was her placing a flag on me in front of everyone.
I looked at the candle.
It glowed steady.
I looked at Elise.
Elise's jaw was tight, but she didn't speak. She let it be my choice.
I looked back at the queen.
"Okay," I said quietly. "Yes."
The queen took my hand lightly, fingertips gentle, like she understood the weight of permission.
She brought my knuckles to her lips and kissed them once, slow and respectful.
It wasn't long. It wasn't messy.
But it was intimate in a way that made the air change.
When she released my hand, she smiled.
"Thank you," she whispered.
My system chimed.
BOND XP +??
WARNING: ROYAL INTEREST LOCKED
Sofia murmured, "Oh. She's serious."
Charlotte whispered, "That's not a game kiss."
Freya whispered, "That's a claim kiss."
Rika whispered, "That's a queen kiss."
Kaori whispered, "That's… romantic."
Elise muttered, very quietly, "Annoying."
The queen stood gracefully, then turned to the crowd as if addressing a court.
"I will sponsor the hero's protection," she announced calmly. "Not to own him. Not to buy him. To ease his burden."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Generous."
The queen's gaze slid to Charlotte. "Strategic."
Yuki scribbled furiously.
"And," the queen added, looking at me again, softer now, "I would like to request a date."
The crowd reacted like someone had thrown a coin into a fountain and everyone wanted to be the wish.
Freya shouted, "GET IN LINE."
Sofia said, "He already has a schedule."
Mira said, "We can add her to the rotation."
Rika said, "Royal date. Royal date."
Kaori squeaked and hid behind her charms again.
Elise stepped forward, voice cold. "He chooses."
The queen waited, patient, poised, but her eyes were honest now.
Not hungry like the city.
Just… interested.
Like she wanted him, yes, but wanted him to want it back.
I exhaled.
"A short date," I said. "Public. Candle lit. No surprises. And no… royal kidnapping."
The queen laughed softly. "A pity."
Elise's glare sharpened.
The queen lifted both hands, smiling. "Joke."
Mostly.
I swallowed. "Yes. A short date."
The queen's smile turned bright in a way that made her look less like a crown and more like a woman.
"Then it's settled," she said. "Tonight. The fountain garden. I'll bring tea. And you can bring your… chorus."
Freya grinned. "We love being called chorus."
Sofia smirked. "We'll harmonize."
Charlotte smiled politely while looking like she wanted to win.
And Elise, tether chain still wrapped around my wrist, leaned in and whispered like a warning and a confession at the same time.
"She's dangerous," Elise said.
I whispered back, "They're all dangerous."
Elise's eyes flicked to my mouth.
"…Yes," she muttered, almost angry at herself.
The queen stepped back into her procession, but before she turned away, she looked at me one more time.
Not like a trophy.
Like a choice.
And that was the scariest kind of romance in Lustra.