The sheer volume of Bryan Stewart’s screech forced Grayson to turn his face away from the screen. He could hear other voices in the background now, a jumble of alarmed exclamations.

[You screwed it up?!] Bryan Stewart’s voice had gone up at least an octave. [I gave you a thirteen-step guide! With color-coded annotations! Iris and I spent hours curating example videos of successful dates and outfit suggestions! How could you possibly—]

"Let me explain—"

[Did you forget to smile? I told you to practice smiling in the mirror! Did you frown again with that cold face? Because I warned you—]

"Bryan."

[Helena! Helena, get over here! He did exactly what you said he would do!]

The background noise intensified, and Grayson caught fragments of what sounded like multiple people speaking at once.

There was a distant crash. Someone laughing—or possibly crying.

It was hard to tell.

"Bryan." His voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "I didn’t screw anything up. Something happened."

Silence.

This time, when Bryan Stewart spoke, his voice was steadier. [Define ’something.’]

"A cleaning robot exploded."

[Exploded?]

His enhanced hearing picked up words that made him pause. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

[...no way Lilianna would go that far...]

[...Zero is there, isn’t he? He’ll handle it...]

Grayson filed the information in the back of his mind.

[Wait, hyung, exploded? Like, boom exploded?] A new voice—younger, sharper—cut in. [Was anyone hurt? Is sister-in-law okay?]

Grayson recognized his younger cousin’s particular flair for dramatic concern.

"No one was injured," Grayson calmly said, despite his jaw tightening at the memory of Neville’s panicked expression. "I activated my mecha in time to contain the blast."

[You deployed a mecha on a date?] Ciel’s tone was both horrified and impressed. [In a public place?]

"It was necessary."

[Oh, he’s definitely done for,] Bryan Stewart muttered, audible even though he tried to lower his voice to a whisper. [Helena, you owe me fifty star coins.]

[Before all that,] another voice interjected—calm, measured. If her wasn’t mistaken, it was Helena Popova. [General. Did you actually apply anything we taught you? Before the explosion?]

Grayson thought back.

The way he managed to talk more. Tried to be funny and finally managed to hold hands and hug Neville. It wasn’t the same as they taught him, but he still managed to get close with Neville somehow and not make this date boring.

"I tried," he admitted.

The responding wail was a perfect harmony of despair, courtesy of both Bryan Stewart and Ciel.

[He’s so screwed!]

[That’s it, the date is ruined!]

[I told you he would need at least three more practice sessions—]

What did they think of him?!

Grayson ended the call in annoyance.

His light brain immediately pinged with a flood of messages—mostly from Bryan Stewart, who had sent an arsenal of custom emojis that Grayson had never seen before.

The first was a small figure prostrating itself on the ground.

The second was that same figure being crushed by a falling rock.

The third was a skull with tears streaming from its eye sockets.

[Investigate the explosion], Grayson typed back, ignoring the dramatics.

A crying emoji appeared, followed by a thumbs up, followed by what looked like a detective with a magnifying glass.

[I’ll check it (╥╥) (╥╥) (╥_╥)]

Before Grayson could pocket his light brain, another message arrived—this one from Julius Seaton.

[Sir, I’ve been informed of the situation. I’ll handle coordination with aquarium security and oversee the investigation on your behalf. Please focus on enjoying your day.]

Grayson stared at the message for a long moment. Julius really had an almost supernatural ability to appear exactly when needed and handle exactly what required handling.

[Understood], Grayson replied. [I’ll leave it to you.]

He turned off the light brain and turned toward the restrooms, quickening his steps. The staff had assured him they would take care of Neville, but ’taking care of’ was not the same as actually seeing his omega safe and treated well.

How was he supposed to salvage this?

Bryan Stewart had drilled into him the importance of ’emotional resonance’ and ’creating shared memories.’

The videos Iris Ackley had compiled showed couples feeding each other snacks, laughing at inside jokes, and taking insufferably cute selfies against scenic backdrops.

But his uncertainty about doing all this terrified him because he really wanted to impress Neville.

And so far, he was failing spectacularly.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chronos walked through the service corridors of the Azure Depths Aquarium. His fingers remained locked in Lilianna’s golden hair, dragging her along like a child hauling a particularly disappointing toy.

"Let go—" she cried, struggling.

"Shut up."

Chronos shoved open a maintenance closet door, threw her inside, and followed. He closed and locked the door behind them with a tap of his light brain.

The small space reeked of cleaning solutions and recycled air. Cleaning robots and replacement brushes lined the walls.

A single emergency light cast harsh shadows across Lilianna’s face.

No wonder she was highly sought after. She’s really a beauty.

Chronos noted distantly.

Even now, with terror etched into her features and her carefully styled hair in disarray, she still possessed the kind of aesthetically perfect bone structure that made her one of the Empire’s most recognizable supermodels.

But...

He looked down at Lilianna, devoid of any emotion.

Beauty meant nothing to him.

"You insane bitch." His voice came out low, dangerous—nothing like the playful idol persona he maintained for public appearances. "I told you—Repeatedly told you not to cross the line. But then, you tried to kill them? You tried to kill the General?"

"I didn’t!" Lilianna pressed herself against the wall, her golden eyes wide.

With her military experience, she could’ve fought with Chronos. But Chronos had continuously operated in the shadows for years without rest, even when he had other activities. Meanwhile, she had only fought during the war and then dedicated the rest of her life to the entertainment industry.

"I just planned to splash him with some water!" Lilianna desperately crawled into the corner, trying to escape from Chronos. "I just wanted to ruin his clothes, Zero! I’m not a murderer!"

"The cleaning robot exploded, Lilianna." He stepped forward, walking towards her, while she shrank back further. "That wasn’t a prank. That was an assassination attempt."