[Third Person's PoV]
Cid was relaxing on a lawn chair in front of a pool with Celeste laying back on his chest, wearing sunglasses that were way too big for her face. He held her in place with one hand and had his other hand behind his head.
To his side, Alpha was also on a lawn chair, though instead of relaxing, she was in a meditative position. Even while pregnant, she didn't stop her training and had decided to focus on learning about the Sun.
In the pool, Delta and Zeta were moving wildly, trying to hit each other with a volleyball, water splashing everywhere as they grinned ferociously.
Alexia appeared from the side, running toward him with a newspaper in hand. "Cid, you're going to want to see this!"
Alexia handed Cid the newspaper. "It's about Rose!"
Cid took the newspaper and opened it in front of Celeste's eyes.
"She's going to marry Perv Asshat. You have to stop it from happening," Alexia said with a pleading gaze.
"Don't worry, this was within expectation. I'm meeting up with Epsilon in a few minutes," Cid informed her as he stood up. He kissed Celeste's cheek and handed her off to Alexia.
Cid snapped his fingers for dramatic effect as slime moved from his shadow, wrapping around his body to form a formal suit.
Most of Alexia's worries vanished as she held Celeste. Meanwhile, Celeste looked at Cid in his formal wear and began clapping her hands, her large glasses sliding off her face.
Cid said his peace and disappeared into his shadow, reappearing in Oriana Kingdom's capital. He started making his way toward the large royal castle while casually whistling.
As he arrived at the main gate, the guards pointed their weapons at him. "Halt. Who are you and what is your business?"
Cid almost rolled his eyes, but Epsilon jumped in and put her arm around his. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sirs. This right here is my apprentice. I thought he was lost, but it appears he arrived before me."
"L-Lady Silon's apprentice!?" the guards asked in astonishment. "Many apologies, we had no—"
Epsilon simply held up her hand. "It's alright. You guys had no way of knowing."
"Thank you for showing such kindness," the guards bowed and opened the gate for them to go through.
As they walked, Epsilon clung to his arm, squishing it between her chest.
"You're playing a dangerous game… Sensei~" Cid teased.
Epsilon batted her eyelashes at Cid while tilting her head cutely toward him. "And what game would that be?"
"I think you know," Cid said. "By the way, might I say, you are looking quite beautiful today."
Epsilon blushed and swayed side to side. Epsilon gained a mysterious glint as she then asked, "So, are you saying I wasn't beautiful yesterday… or the day before?"
Cid understood the trick Epsilon was trying to pull. He leaned over and whispered, "I'm saying that each day that passes, you are more beautiful than the last."
Cid and Epsilon then began chuckling and giggling between themselves. "You always know what to say, don't you?"
"It's a gift," Cid playfully shrugged as they entered the castle.
They appeared in what looked like a fancy banquet with a large table, music, and nobles talking among themselves.
The person who walked up to them was, of course, Perv Asshat. He put a hand on his chest as he greeted Epsilon.
"Ah, if it isn't Lady Silon. And may I ask who— It's you! What are you doing here?" Perv asked, his expression growing unpleasant.
"Have you two met before?" Epsilon asked, looking between the two of them.
"Unfortunately so, despite my best wishes," Cid happily smiled.
The frown on Perv Asshat grew. "Lady Silon, I must know, what is the relationship between you and this crass, rude boy?"
Epsilon held out a hand, her expression showing she was upset by Perv Asshat's comment. "I will have to ask you to please not insult my student."
"Your student?" Perv Asshat asked with distaste. "Forgive me for my words, Lady Silon, but surely you could have done better than choosing this boy as your apprentice."
Epsilon's expression grew colder. "I will not stand here and have you insult my student to my face. If this is how you treat your guests, then I have no further business in this place. Come on, let's leave," she said, grabbing Cid's hand and turning to leave.
'Why was that so hot?' Cid wondered to himself.
"Wait!" Perv Asshat said, trying to stop her from leaving. "I hope you can forgive me. It's just that we are under a lot of stress. There are some rumors that outsiders have infiltrated this place. Actually, due to security reasons, we have changed entry regulations recently.
I'm afraid that even your apprentice would need an entry permit. So forgive me if it appears I was a bit hostile. How about this: why doesn't he play a piece to show everyone he really is your apprentice? That way, he wouldn't need the entry permit. Let his skills speak for themselves."
Although his words were polite, his expression was anything but. 'I hope you embarrass yourself in front of everyone, you brat,' Perv Asshat thought.
Epsilon looked toward Cid. "What do you say? We can leave anytime you want, just say the word."
Cid only smiled politely and nodded his head. "I'll do it."
"Lovely," Asshat replied. "ATTENTION EVERYONE, ATTENTION!" he said, drawing attention.
'I'm going to stick my foot so far up his namesake…' Cid silently swore as he watched Asshat create a scene.
As everyone's attention was on him, Asshat motioned toward Cid, patting him on the shoulder. "This young man right here is Lady Silon's apprentice, and we are going to witness him play something he learned from his master! Isn't that exciting? Please give him a thunderous applause as encouragement."
As the applause began and Cid walked toward the piano in the middle of the room, Cid's eyebrows twitched. 'I'm going to enjoy changing his last name from Asshat to Greenhat.'
Cid sat down and put his hands on the keys of the piano. As he set his hands, he waited for the applause to settle.
Cid then began to play Beethoven's "Für Elise." The rhythm was quite simple at first, but even with such a simple rhythm, it brought tears to everyone's eyes.
Everyone saw the beauty in simplicity.
As the beat picked up and became faster, emotions ran high, until it slowed down once more.
When Cid pressed the last note, there was a long silence before everyone erupted into applause. Some even whistled, and every single person around was shedding tears.
Epsilon had her hands in the air as she slightly bowed, tears running down her face. "Bravo! Bravo! It was so exceptionally beautiful!"
Even Asshat was shedding tears. "Maybe you're not so bad, young man."
'I'm still going to cuck you and steal this ring, dumbass,' Cid thought to himself as he stealthily pocketed most of Asshat's jewelry without anyone noticing.
As Perv Asshat and everyone else were shedding tears, Epsilon and Cid both snuck away.
Cid had a smirk on his face as he flipped the ring in his hand like it was a coin.
"Is that what I think it is?" Epsilon asked in surprise.
"Yup, it's the key, and most importantly, my way toward a fun vacation," Cid smirked as they both explored the halls of the castle.
*********************************
patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3