I'm truly amazed that Felix has such feelings for me. To think that he gave me his grandfather's last memory because he knows we're friends makes my heart beat faster. After finishing my conversation with Felix, I went to my room to talk to Jonathan.
"Maurice, where have you been?"
"I was in Felix's room, discussing a few things with him... Anyway, you should thank him for Marcus being okay, don't you think?"
"Why? It's not like he saved him, did he?"
"He did... In any case, Felix provided first aid, so..."
"Oh, come on... Why are you defending him?"
"Because I finally see that Felix has feelings for me. You should know that it's your fault I got this hit on my head, don't forget..."
"I'm sorry about that... Honestly, I don't know what came over me and..."
"I already know... Anyway, we'll be going on a trip in two days, and I can't wait for it. Hopefully, Marcus will recover by then."
"Maurice, do you think it's something serious?"
"I don't know anything. To be honest, I think it was just a minor injury... We'll find out from the director tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, we're not having classes, right?"
"No... Anyway, Marcus said we need to keep calm and if we need anything, we should ask the director."
I feel sorry for Marcus, but I think this is the beginning of a new couple... Strong couples usually start with such events, so I don't know what will happen next.
As I left the room to take a walk around the Academy, I encountered the most peculiar person in the Academy: Emily...
"Your Highness... I haven't seen you around the Academy for some time."
"Yeah... I was wondering why I no longer sensed any demons around..."
"What do you mean by that, Maurice? Do you think I'm a demon?"
"I don't think so... You probably aren't, but I still wonder if you have anything to do with today's events..."
"I don't know anything about that... I thought that..."
"I'm not interested in what you did today. Now, if you don't mind..."
I can't believe that Emily is responsible for all the problems today. Why do I have a feeling that nothing good will come out of all this? Well, until later, today I have a date with Felix.
After finishing my conversation with Emily, I headed towards Felix's room. I knocked on the door, and Adrien, his roommate, answered. To be honest, I wondered when he had time for the library and studying if he was always in his room...
"Maurice, how great to see you... Anyway, Felix is getting ready..."
"S-Sure... Speaking of which, where were you last night with Austin when you met in the city?"
"We went to that Italian restaurant in the center. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking of taking Felix to a fancy restaurant or something. Do you have any ideas?"
"I think you should go to the new restaurant in the center... Do you know that shop near the cathedral that used to be a clothing store? They've opened an interesting restaurant there..."
"I had no idea... Anyway, thanks for the tip. I'll wait for Felix outside..."
"No need, Maurice... I just finished," Felix said, coming out of the bathroom.
I can't believe Felix is standing in front of me, wearing only a towel tied around his waist to cover his private parts... To be honest, I wish the wind would blow and...
Stop, Maurice... Anyway, I'll have time later if the opportunity arises... The important thing is to go on our date and discuss to mend our relationship from before...
"So, Maurice... Have you decided where we'll eat?"
"Well, yes... Anyway, I hope you don't mind the place or the food there."
"Me neither... Let's go..."
After Felix got ready, we said goodbye to Adrien and headed toward the city center. It wasn't my hometown, but I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with it... Rome had never been an unfamiliar place to me. Even in the world, I come from, I have visited Rome and its restaurants dozens of times, not to mention other countries and capitals around the world. I wasn't alone or with my brother this time but with Felix...
"Maurice, I don't want us to spend too much tonight... You know, I'm not really..."
"If you're worried about money, it's not a problem... Anyway, I have enough to buy a person, don't I?"
"Yes... About that..."
"Come on, let's go in. I think this is the restaurant Adrien told me about... To be honest, I liked the shop here. Anyway, it doesn't matter."
We entered the restaurant recommended by Adrien. There weren't many people inside, so I can say that I picked the perfect evening for dinner with Felix. A friendly waiter came to take our order, and we understand that the chef specialized in Italian and Venetian cuisine... Wait, Felix is the son of the ruler of Venice, right?
"Well, I would like a plate of Cicchetti and a bellini if you don't mind..."
"Same here," Felix said, perhaps a little too eagerly.
"So, two plates of Cicchetti and two glasses of bellini, right?"
"Yes... Thank you. We'll call you if we need anything else..."
After the waiter left with our orders, I was left alone with Felix, who seemed surprised by my choices... Why? Because these "Cicchetti" are Venetian tapas, and "bellini" is a drink from Venice made with prosecco and peach, it brings back memories of his hometown, right?
"Maurice, if you're trying to remind me of home or something..."
"What? No way. I've always wanted to visit Venice and Piazza San Marco, and I never had the chance... Let me at least enjoy the Venetian food, can you?"
"Do you want to go to Venice?"
"Of course I do... You have no idea how much I've always wanted to set foot in those lands..."
"Then... Would you like to come with me after the trip and the final exams?"
"With you? Why would you go to Venice? Do you have business there or something... Oh, wait a minute..."
"Did you forget that I'm the son of the ruler of Venice? I'm inviting you to our mansion in Venice..."
"Well, I don't know what to say, but... I think I'll accept your invitation..."
"I'm glad you're accepting my invitation... I'll call my dad to let him know that you'll be coming to our place after the final exams, is that okay?"
"Wait... There are phones in this world?"
"Well, yes... If there are cars, why wouldn't there be phones?"
"Anyway, I'll call my dad tomorrow, and then we'll see what events we'll plan for your arrival... You know that when officials from different states come, various events are organized, right?"
"Oh, come on... I just want to relax and take a boat ride, enjoying the scenery with a special person..."
"I-I... Anyway, the food has arrived..."
As soon as the food arrived, I let him taste it first to see if it had the taste of home that Felix was familiar with. Although he was surprised that I wasn't starting to eat, he dug in and remained amazed by the taste of the food.
"This food tastes just like the one our cook in Venice used to make... Seems like they know their way around this kind of cuisine. Anyway, let's eat..."
I began eating, reminiscing about the stories my grandmother used to tell me about Venice when she was there with my grandfather. Now that we started eating, I could see the gracefulness with which Felix ate, and it made me a bit jealous.
"Maurice, aren't you eating? Don't you like it, or..."
"It's not about that... It's just that I don't know how to eat in a way that won't make a fool of myself in front of you."
"What do you mean by that? Everyone knows you're one of the noblest students in the Academy, right?"
"Well... Anyway, let's finish the food."
After we finished eating, I wanted to order a bottle of wine to celebrate our friendship. Of course, I had to witness Felix's initial refusal, which eventually turned into approval after a few minutes of pleading.
"Maurice, if you want to... Well, maybe just one glass, or two at most..."
Naturally, Felix was a bit tipsy after two glasses, which allowed me to extract some secrets from him.
"So, Felix... What do you think about Emily?"
"Emily is not trustworthy, and I believe things are as bad as they seem. Even when I heard that Emily saved me when I was beaten at the beginning of the month, I was sad and disappointed..."
"Well, I guess there's no point in telling you who saved you, right?"
"I guess it's not the person I had in mind, right, Maurice?"
"It depends... If you're thinking about your roommate, Adrien, then it's not entirely true..."
"Wait, are you saying that you saved me? Like... You orchestrated the guys to beat me and then saved me?"
"I didn't tell those guys to beat you up, okay? Do you think I'm that despicable? If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you, and trust me... I never leave a job half done."
"I don't know whether to fear you or admire you even more... So, if it wasn't you, then who was it?"
"Our possessed classmate, although I'm not sure what to believe anymore. Anyway, we'll see in the coming days... I have a plan."
"I'm curious about your plan, but right now, I think we should talk about something else, don't you think?"
"Sure... Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you something if you don't mind..."
"What is it about?"
"Felix, where do you come from? And don't tell me you come from Venice, because that's not what I mean."
"I don't know what you're talking about... I think it would be better if we leave if you're going to ask me such strange questions..."
It seems that my suspicions were correct. If there wasn't something at stake, Felix wouldn't be so afraid. Anyway, let's see what happens later.
"I was thinking about something... What did you think about me that night? Did you enjoy it, or..."
"I'm sorry to disappoint your impression of me, but... I have to admit it was strange. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but at the same time, it hurt that you didn't have real feelings for me and did it just for show..."
"Well, you're mistaken. I genuinely wanted to be with you from the beginning. Or rather, I believed that we were soulmates even before coming into this world..."
"Interesting, but don't you know that nobles are forbidden to engage in such things? I know some kings took the sons of defeated kings as their concubines, but that's not the case here..."
"I'll find a solution... Don't worry, everything will be fine. Anyway, I think it's too early for things like that, but maybe in the future, who knows..."
After paying the bill and thanking the waiter, we were about to leave. That's when the restaurant owner approached us and asked us to wait for a moment...
"Your Highness, are you the grandson of Duchess Olga of Kyiv?"
"I-I am. Why?" I asked the owner.
"I am so delighted to meet the descendant of the great Duchess Olga... I don't think you know, but I used to own the restaurant where your grandparents dined 20 years ago..."
"You mean you had a restaurant in Venice?"
"Yes... Anyway, as a token of gratitude to Duchess Olga... We want to prepare a complimentary Venetian meal for you next time..."
"Thank you, but-"
"I insist. I need to show my gratitude to Duchess Olga."
After finishing the discussion and agreeing to the owner's proposal, Felix and I left back to the Academy. It seems that everyone is asleep, so I don't think it would be a good idea to disturb our roommates. Therefore, we decided to stay at a nearby hotel, knowing that my uncle would never harm me, especially since I had asked for his permission before ordering the bottle of wine, and he agreed.