Lady Aileen Lauren D’autriche was growing rather vexed.

She had been searching for her fiancé for the better part of the morning, and had been sent around in circles by his attendants. None of them seemed to truly know where he was, or at least they weren’t willing to share that information with his intended. She had been all over the castle's grounds, from Claude's chambers to the stable, and hadn't found a trace of the demon king. Finally, she had decided to wander into the gardens in order to take a breather. She figured that she might even be able to bribe one of the demons into giving up Claude's location. She had come prepared with a basket of sweets that didn't seem like they would be used on the demon king any time soon.

When she approached a bench, however, she saw that such bribery would be unnecessary. Sitting on the bench was the unmistakable form of her fiancé. She pursed her lips, getting ready to scold him, when she saw that his back was hunched over slightly. Concerned, she sped up her pace, calling out, "Claude-sama?"

He turned his head around to face her, and she saw a slight flicker in his dark eyes before his whole face relaxed into a happy smile at her approach. He stood up, turning towards her with a greeting. "Ah, Aileen, hello."

A few feet away from her goal, she stopped cold. Claude was covered in blood.

Alarmed, she swiftly looked him up and down. His clothes didn't appear torn anywhere, and he didn't have any obvious injuries. Suspicion crept over her, and she narrowed her eyes at her fiancé. "Is that your blood?"

Looking down at himself, Claude seemed almost surprised to find his clothes drenched in red. He replied with marked detachment, "It is blood, yes."

Narrowing her eyes, Aileen tried to box in her clearly evasive partner. "Is it blood that has always belonged to you?"

Seeming bored with the whole conversation, he responded, "It is blood, it is in my possession, therefore it is mine."

Sighing heavily, Aileen pinched the bridge of her nose. "Your Highness, I am trying to discern whether or not I should be concerned with either your wellbeing or that of someone else."

He pondered this for a moment. "Well, I am certainly fine. As for my opponents, they are still alive. Is that what you wanted to know?"

Dropping her hand, she said wearily, "Since I suspect that is all I will get from you at this time, I suppose that will do. But would you be kind enough to share with your concerned fiancée what happened to you this morning? Nobody seemed to know where you were."

"Ah, that is because I misled them."

Patiently, Aileen prodded, "And why was that?"

Seeming suddenly very interested in a passing cloud, he replied, "Because I did not wish for them to worry. Or you."

Holding back an unladylike snort, she retorted, "Well, I'm sorry to say that you didn't keep me from worrying. I'd much rather know where you are."

Finally, Claude looked at her, really met her eyes. "Would you rather know every time I am in danger?"

Her heart stilled, even though she had mostly pieced together the situation by now. Stepping a little closer to him, she asked softly, "Assassins?"

He looked down at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"It wasn't that difficult to figure out. You were recently announced as the crown prince, of course there's going to be some backlash against you." Looking down at his blood-stained robes, she felt an uncharacteristic quiver in her bottom lip.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Of course you don't want to see me like this." Snapping his fingers, Claude magically removed the blood from his clothes. He closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms gently around her waist. Feeling her face flush beet red, Aileen looked up at her fiancé. He smiled at her tenderly. "I'm sorry I misled you. I simply didn't want you to worry, and I knew I could handle them myself. I saw no need to involve other people in this problem."

Hot tears stung her eyes, and Aileen snapped, "Of course we are going to worry! When will you get it through your head that there are people who care about you, and want to help you? We want to stand beside you, and do what we can for the person we love!"

His eyes widened momentarily, and then his lips curled up in a smile. "Ah, you're right. I'm sorry, Aileen. I didn't realize how you would feel, since you love me so much."

She tried to pull back, but Claude's arms held her firmly to him. Her face flushed harder as she protested, "What? You don't have to put it like that, I said that all of us love you!"

“Meaning that you love me also, correct?”

Averting her gaze, Aileen muttered, “Of course. You know that I love you.”

She felt lips brush against the top of her head, and looked up, startled, as Claude pulled away from her and smiled. “I’m very sorry, my dear fiancée. I promise that I will no longer mislead you as to my whereabouts.”

Trying to calm the furious color in her face, Aileen lifted her head as haughtily as she could. “Good. I’m glad that you see reason now.” She wavered, and said in a smaller voice, “And please, try to remember to change out of your bloody clothes promptly from now on.” Recovering her voice, she scolded, “Think of how that would be perceived in the castle, if the crown prince walked around covered in blood!”

Laughing softly, Claude kissed the top of her head again, effectively silencing her. “I understand, Aileen. I love you too.”