Episode: Diana — Through Their Eyes

It started as an accident.

I hadn’t meant to ask.

But the question slipped out anyway, quiet and uncertain, while Viktor poured tea in the manor’s sitting room.

“…What was she like?” I asked.

He paused, just briefly. “…Before you?”

I nodded.

And somehow, that was all it took.

Viktor — The Strategist’s Daughter

“She was precise,” Viktor said, setting the teacup down with exacting care. “Even as a child.”

I listened silently.

“She never wasted effort. Never chased attention. Others mistook that for coldness.” He glanced at me. “They were wrong.”

“…What was it, then?” I asked.

“Control,” he replied simply. “She understood early that most people are ruled by impulse. She chose not to be.”

That sounded like her.

Viktor leaned back slightly. “But with you… she allows something else.”

I stiffened faintly. “…Something else?”

“Attachment,” he said. “A dangerous thing, in most cases.”

A pause.

“…And in this one?”

He smirked faintly.

“Effective.”

Monica — The Lover Beneath the Pride

Monica didn’t bother with subtlety. She never did.

“Oh, she’s completely smitten,” she said, waving a hand dismissively.

I nearly choked on my drink.

“M-Mother—”

“Don’t ‘mother’ me,” she cut in, amused. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

I adjusted my mask instinctively. “…She’s composed.”

Monica laughed. “To everyone else, yes. But with you?”

She leaned in slightly.

“She softens.”

I didn’t respond.

“She always had that intensity,” Monica continued, more gently now. “But she never directed it at anyone. Not truly.”

“…Until?”

“Until you,” she said plainly.

A pause.

“And frankly,” she added with a small smirk, “the age gap only makes it more amusing.”

I froze.

She waved it off. “Oh please, don’t look so scandalized. You two are practically unbearable.”

“…Unbearable?”

“The pet names,” she said. “The ‘Mistress,’ the ‘my Prince’—honestly, it’s like watching gothic poetry come to life.”

I said nothing.

“…It’s adorable,” she finished.

Malcolm — The Quiet Understanding

Malcolm was easier to talk to.

We sat side by side, controllers in hand, the soft glow of a JRPG menu lighting the room.

“She’s different with you,” he said casually.

“…How?”

He shrugged. “Less… sharp.”

I blinked.

“Not weaker,” he clarified quickly. “Just… calmer.”

That made sense.

“She talks more, too,” he added. “Not like at school. Not like with other people.”

“…She does,” I admitted.

Malcolm smirked faintly. “Also, the whole ‘Mistress’ thing?”

I stiffened.

“Yeah,” he continued, completely unfazed. “It’s weird at first. Then you realize it’s just… you two.”

“…Weird,” I repeated quietly.

He shook his head. “No. Not weird. Just intense.”

That… was accurate.

Annalise — The Romantic Lens

Annalise, of course, had the most dramatic interpretation.

“You’re literally living an otome route,” she said, pointing at me like she’d solved a mystery.

“I am not—”

“You are,” she insisted. “Older, elegant, intimidating woman? Check. Younger, quiet, secretly talented guy? Check. Power dynamic? Check.”

I looked away. “…It’s not like that.”

“It is exactly like that,” she countered. “And the way she calls you ‘my Prince’?”

I said nothing.

Annalise clasped her hands together. “It’s so romantic.”

“…It’s private,” I muttered.

She softened slightly. “I know. That’s why it works.”

A pause.

“She chose you,” Annalise said more quietly. “And Diana doesn’t choose lightly.”

Terry — The Honest Truth

Terry didn’t sugarcoat anything.

“You ground her,” she said simply, lounging across the chaise.

I blinked. “…I do?”

“Obviously,” she replied. “She’s all sharp edges and control. You’re… not.”

“…I’m not?”

“You’re precise,” she corrected. “But softer. Quieter. You absorb instead of cut.”

I thought about that.

“She needs that,” Terry continued. “Someone who doesn’t challenge her loudly, but still matches her.”

“…And the rest?” I asked hesitantly.

“The PDA?” she smirked. “Oh, it’s ridiculous.”

I looked away immediately.

“But,” she added, nudging my shoulder, “it’s real.”

A pause.

“You two don’t perform it for anyone. That’s why no one can get in the way.”

My Perspective

By the time the conversations ended, I found myself back in the manor’s quiet hallway.

Diana stood at the far end, waiting.

Black silhouette. Composed. Untouchable.

Until she saw me.

“Prince,” she murmured, stepping closer, fingers hooking lightly into my scarf.

My breath caught.

“You’ve been busy,” she added, eyes narrowing slightly—not suspicious, just curious.

“…Talking,” I admitted.

“With my family?”

I nodded.

She tilted her head, studying me. “And what conclusions have they drawn?”

I hesitated.

“…That you’re precise. Controlled. Intense.”

She smirked faintly. “All correct.”

“…And that you soften with me.”

She paused.

Then, quietly—

“Only with you.”

Her hand lifted, nudging my mask just enough to press a brief, soft kiss against my cheek.

I melted instantly.

“Careful, my Prince,” she whispered, amused. “You look like you might faint.”

“I’m fine,” I murmured, not moving away.

She smiled faintly, resting her forehead against mine.

“My pet,” she added softly.

And just like that—

Everything they said made sense.

Not the age gap. Not the intensity. Not even the strange, intimate titles we gave each other.

What mattered was simpler.

She chose me.

And I chose her.

The rest of the world could misunderstand all it wanted.