You Only Live Twice

XV

OLIVIA SWEPT ONE FOOT behind her other, bent her knees, and brought the up corners of her dress before stumbling and facing flat on her face.

"Goddess, you're horrible at this." Amos stared at her disinterestedly as her repeated practices and fails to get her curtsy "nothing less than perfect" (As Olivia stated) started to bore him. Olivia groaned shot Amos a vicious glare and pushed herself back upright.

It'd been two years since she'd started her classes and seven since she'd been reborn into this novel and yet she still couldn't perfect her basic greeting without stumbling, wobbling, or just straight up falling.

"Well if it looks so easy to you then you do it!" She'd offered spitefully. "Fine." He smirked, "Watch and learn." He said smugly.
Olivia plopped herself down on Amos' sofa and watched as he stood in front of her slid his foot behind the other and performed his bow with such elegance she almost blushed. Almost. Instead, her face turned red from embarrassment and jealousy. Amos humphed triumphantly and smirked.

"W-well I don't see you doing it in these shoes!" She kicked her foot from under her dress to show shiny blue high heels. With the smirk still on his face Amos backed up a few feet from her snapped his fingers and similar black heels appeared on his feet, perhaps one's even taller than Olivia's.

He then strutted towards Olivia and swept into a polite curtsy—even raising the sides of his shirt!—and then gave a deep bow as a performer did at the end is their show and flipped back up to look at Olivia with his arms crossed across his chest and a smug look on his face, eyebrow quirked up almost challengingly, heels transforming back into their original black boots.

Olivia tched and look at him with disgust and displeasure. "I'm telling everyone you're a cross-dresser."

"Ha! Don't be jealous because I'm a better female than you." He chuckled and plotted himself down beside Olivia. "Shut up!" Olivia took a swing at him which he dodged easily by letting himself fall back into the couch.

"If you're so desperate I can coach you. Since I'm so generous and all." Amos offered mockingly.

"No. Thanks. I already have Madam Laurier on my back." She stated firmly. "Alright, whatever, what do you want to do today then." Amos asked. "I'm bored."

"Why don't you go out and get a life then hm?" Olivia said with a sweet smile on her face. "You first." Amos rolled his eyes.
Olivia gritted her teeth yet kept her smile looking much more malicious now albeit, "And what exactly are you implying?" "Nothing, nothing." He waved her off.

"No. Please. Finish your sentence, I'm very interested."

"Listen are we gonna do anything today or not?"

"Well. I was thinking of going to the palace and walking around a bit, my father and the emperor are on very good terms to the point they could be considered good friends so I have free-roaming privileges. If you want to come." Olivia offered, Amos pondered for a bit. She knew Amos didn't like the royals very much after they confined him in this abandoned tower, let alone be near them and in their home.

"Sure, I'll go." Amos agreed after a while. "Are you sure? I know you don't like it much there." Olivia inquired.

"Yeah. It's fine. I'll have to go there someday and it's better than sitting around here.
I haven't left this forest since I arrived." Amos chuckled though it held no humor behind it.

"Alright let's go." Olivia hopped off the sofa and started her way down the tower's many stairs.

Truthfully Olivia wanted to 'roam' around the imperial palace today to maybe 'get lost' and 'coincidentally' come across the third prince. A.k.a the male lead a.k.a her next target. She's decided it's about time she met him.

• • •

Amos and Olivia were walking about the back gardens of the castle in hopes of not running into anybody. Olivia wasn't too worried about being caught she could get them out of any trouble anybody tried to accuse them of, they just didn't want to interact with anyone else at the moment.

"Say, Amos," Amos hummed in acknowledgment, "Do you know anything about the third prince?"

Amos looked over at Olivia, "The third prince? Isn't he the illegitimate one? All I know is he's the product of the emperor and some palace maid, I'm pretty sure his mother gave him to the emperor and left. The empress was angry with the short affair and locked him away in an old castle and left him there with few servants. The emperor doesn't seem to care much about him as he hadn't done anything about it." Amos shrugged and turned back to look at the flowers. "Why?"

"Cause! I want to be friends!" She giggled. Amos stared at her as if she was some kind of child predator. "Don't look at me like that." Olivia deadpanned.

"Why?" He asked again. Olivia weighed her options on how to explain this she could either tell a complete lie or a complete truth, she decided on a mix of both. A blunt response with her true intentions hidden behind it would be the best response with Amos.

"I want to be friends with a royal! It'll give me far more privilege, free will and safety. Especially in the palace." Olivia explained.

"Ok, yeah that sounds like you and I get it I guess, but why the third prince. He's unfavored and holds little to no power, being friends with him really won't get you far. There are far better options." Amos retorted.

"Yeah but if one day he decides to make a name for himself in society or even become the crown prince I'll be set! Plus, he'll be the easiest royal to befriend since he's unfavored and our situation is kind of similar. I feel a little bad for him I guess." Olivia shrugged, and Amos stared at her. "Why do you care anyway?" She raised her eyebrow teasingly.
Olivia gasped stopping dead in her tracks and covering her mouth with her hands. "Are you perhaps?... Worried? About me?" She hid her smile though the mirth in her eyes gave her away.

Amos furiously blushed, "W-what!? No way! How'd you get that idea in your head?! Do whatever you want!" He yelled and picked up his pace to the point of almost running. Olivia giggled and then bursts out into full-on laughter, "W-wait..for me!" She managed between boisterous laughs.

— — — —

Wow! Two updates in one week? That's wild! And another one coming soon! Don't worry I'm not being held hostage this was completely of my own free will!

Also, expect a lot more time skips I've finally decided to get started on moving closer to the main plot :]!