Adrien stood in front of the mirror in his room. His outfit was emaculate and his hair, which was now dyed blonde, was styled as neatly as he could get it.

A week had passed since he had experienced the Mana Overload and Mana Exhaustion. The dye that Merdeith had brought him had turned his hair entirely blonde. Mikyle had to reach out to Duke Aaronson to see if he could make a special hair dye that allowed for Adrien to keep the blue in his hair.

It was that very hair dye that he was currently wearing.

Mikyle came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around Adrien’s waist. "You look fine, Kitten." His lips brushed against the exposed skin of Adrien’s neck. "They’ll love you."

"You can’t know that for sure." Adrien placed his hands over top of Mikyle’s arms. The simple contact helped to calm his nerves. It was finally the weekend, which meant that it was time for Adrien to meet Mikyle’s family.

Mikyle pressed a lingering kiss onto Adrien’s neck. "I do know that because I love you." Mikyle lifted his head up from where it rested against the crook of Adrien’s neck. His arms slowly fell away, releasing Adrien from their caring embrace. "We should get going."

The two of them left the room. The hallways and the waiting room on the first floor of the dormitory was surprisingly empty.

A carriage from the royal palace with permission to enter school grounds was parked outside, waiting for them.

"Stop by the bakery first," Mikyle informed the coachman before helping Adrien into the carriage.

Upon seeing the inside of the carriage, Adrien felt himself go into a daze as he slid into one of the luxurious seats. The outside looked massive and ornate with its white paint and gold embellishments, but the inside is just as massive and richly decorated. It was the first time Adrien had truly seen a royal carriage this close.

"Are you sure a cake will be a good enough gift for them?" Adrien asked once Mikyle slid into the seat beside him, snapping himself out of the small daze he had fallen into.

It was customary to bring a gift when visiting a lover’s family for the first time. Mikyle had convinced Adrien that a cake and a few other desserts from a local bakery would be a good enough.

Adrien obviously had some reservations about it. Which was understandable since the people the gift was intended for were the ruling monarchs of their kingdom.

"The Queens love their sweets, as do Lianna and my brother. My younger brother Lior and our father are the only ones who don’t have a sweet tooth. But Lior isn’t here at the moment since he is traveling across the ocean."

That’s right. Mikyle mentioned before that his brother had set off to pursue some kind of arrange marriage in another country. I think he did the same thing in the books. Wait, but that still leaves the king!

"Mikyle, if the king doesn’t like sweets, then shouldn’t I prepare a gift just for him?"

Mikyle chuckled softly, that irritating yet sinful smirk picked at the corner of his lips. "He’ll still eat it. You’ll see."

Adrien swallowed. Mikyle’s words somehow felt ominous instead of reassuring.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the bakery. Adrien went to stand up when Mikyle placed a hand on his shoulder. "It’ll be better if I went instead."

Adrien nodded in agreement. In truth, he felt strange not picking up the present himself, but he could understand why Milyle offered to do it instead. The carriage they were in did have the royal family’s crest on the door after all.

Mikyle came back with three different boxes, and the sweet scent of sugar, vanilla, chocolate, orange, pistachio, and others filled the enclosed space.

"I grabbed an orange pie for you. So will you let me feed it to you later?" Mikyle whispered in Adrien’s ear.

"Why are you whispering it in my ear? You’re making it sound dirty."

Mikyle smirked at him and one of his eyebrows raised just slightly. His red eyes were sparkling even though they appeared to be a darker shade than normal.

"Mikyle!" Adrien gasped, recognizing that specific look. "Not while we’re visiting your family!" He really didn’t want to risk the servants hearing him and start whispering about how lustful the two of them were. That would be extremely embarrassing because there is no way such whispers would go unnoticed and would eventually be overheard by one of the Queens or the King himself.

Mikyle’s lips grazed Adrien’s ear as he whispered into it once again. "We’ll finally have access to a bathtub and a large enough room where you can swallow me whole in any position you like."

Adrien’s mouth fell agape and his face turned a bright scarlet color. He was unable to say anything as the shock of Mikyle’s words unfortunately brought forth some very erotic scenes, scenes that Adrien was quietly looking forward to. I wouldn’t have even thought about it if he hadn’t mentioned it. But isn’t doing it in a bathroom a bit too lewd? The sound would echo and–

Adrien couldn’t even finish that thought as a new wave if embarrassment washed over him. Please let me survive this visit, he silently prayed to no one in particular, while wishing for someone up there to have heard his silent plea.

By the time they had arrived at the main palace, Adrien had finally calmed down enough that he was no longer red.

An attendant was outside waiting for them. "Greetings, your Highness." He first bowed to Mikyle before turning to Adrien. "Greetings, Young Lord of house Mallorne."

Adrien grimaced at hearing the mouthful coming out of the attendant. It really was a lot to say for a simple greeting.

"Where are the Queens," asked Mikyle.

"The Queen Regent and Queen Consort are in the Fairy Grove Garden with the Crown Princess Consort."

"Good." Mikyle handed one of the boxes filled with dessert over to the attendant. "Take that to my palace and leave it in my bed chambers along with our luggage." He then grabbed Adrien’s hand with his free hand. "Let’s go."

"Let me carry those. I should at least show some sincerity." It was only polite to hand over any gifts with your own hands, at least, that’s what his sisters taught him.

"Let me carry them for now. I’ll give them to you once we draw near."

Adrien dropped the topic and looked around. It was the first time he had been to the palace, and what a sight it was.

Mikyle was leading him in through the main palace doors, which were ridiculously large with fancy gold mouldings. The raised panels on the door held golden motifs that outlined the crest of the royal family.

Adrien pulled his eyes away from the doors, only to be awestruck by the interior. The floors were the first thing to catch his attention. They were made from a dark brown marble with a polished shine. A rich carpet ran along the middle of the halls, silencing their footsteps. Lining the walkways were large, white marble pillars with a squared base. Golden floral motifs lined the bases of each of the pillars.

And the ceiling. It was ridiculously high with a vaulted pattern. It was so high, it was as if a giant could walk underneath without worry of bumping its head.

"This–" Adrien wasn’t even sure of how to describe the sight before him. But what he did know, was that the novel did not do this place any justice.

Mikyle chuckled as he watched Adrien’s endless supply of expressions that showed his awe and shock. "It is a rather impressive palace. Wait until you see mine." He leaned down until his lips brushed against his ear. "You’ll especially love the bathroom."