Prince Ruit: Take pity on this clueless, sheltered lady.

Ruit: Here you go.
Lune: ?
Ruit: You clearly need this more than I do.
Lune: Pardon? I do not.
Ruit: It breaks my heart how uneducated you are on this vital subject.
Lune: Please, your highness,
Lune: Do not pity me over not reading this of all things.
Lune: I'd rather deploy for war than consume a single word in your Tome.
Ruit: Ha, how sad.
Ruit: Then, I suppose I will-

[I] Lune: You can't let work be ignored any further.

Lune: But it would do good to confiscate it.
Ruit: Whoa- HEY!
Ruit: You cannot do that!
Lune: Why not?
Ruit: I need it for my learning!
Lune: "Learning" looks a lot like reading a book during work hours behind my back.
Lune: But surely, surely,
Lune: That's just me being uneducated on the ways of "cool", yes?
Ruit: Oh...
Ruit: Uhh...

Prince Ruit: Finally admit to being VERBALLY DEFEATED.

Lune: Make that report, for real this time.

Ruit: If everything is well and safe in the bay, then that is good.
Ruit: But, do you think that, uh...
Ruit: That it may be good to send some support his way?
Ruit: Say, fifty soldiers. Or seventy.
Lune: That's far too much.
Ruit: Why?
Ruit: Are you underestimating my army?
Lune: It's overkill for one petty thieving problem, your highness.
Ruit: We can easily afford it!
Lune: I know.
Lune: But it's also about how Kaji would feel.
Lune: You'd be telling Kaji that he's so very ineffective,
Lune: To the point where you need to send this many people to do a single job of his.
Ruit: O... oh.

Ruit: But the bay is such an isolated area!
Ruit: Dangerously close to the barrier, to boot!
Ruit: And, compared to us, Kaji works alone for a majority of his time.
Ruit: That must be tough.
Ruit: He DOES need help. He needs all the help I can get him.
Ruit: Otherwise, he will believe that I am heartlessly ignorant of how difficult his circumstances are...
Lune: Kaji already has good manpower.
Lune: He works with the sea patrol. You granted him that much.
Ruit: Well, you are right, but...
Ruit: Is the patrol alone really enough?
Lune: I believe so.
Lune: Have some faith in Kaji for what you've trusted him for.
Lune: It's what he'd prefer, if you couldn't tell.
Ruit: ...Right, right...
Lune: It's not the first nor second time he's tried to deal with this issue.
Ruit: That is not my point, but...
Ruit: Well, as the most distinguished of our soldiers and captains, I will trust that you know the scale of danger best.
Lune: It's a single petty thief who's never physically harmed anyone.
Lune: Kaji will be fine, even if he fails once or twice...
Lune: Or thrice.
Ruit: Lune, I just...
Ruit: I do not want to take his services for granted.
Ruit: Or anyone else's, for that matter.

Ruit: Including yours, of course!
Ruit: Thanks for carrying out my request so diligently.
Lune: ...
Lune: It's a given that I would as a servant.
Lune: You aren't taking anything for granted.
Ruit: Oh...
Ruit: ...Great, then!
Lune: We can send a message to Kaji, and see if he needs support.
Lune: And if so, I'll see to it that it's done as efficiently as possible.
Lune: Though I doubt that'll be the case.
Lune: But how about this as a solution, your highness?
Ruit: Oh, yes!
Ruit: That would be very, very good!
Ruit: Haha, sometimes I forget that messaging people instantaneously is an option too.
Ruit: But I do not think that I... can do that.
Ruit: Uh.
Ruit: Cellular phones are complicated.
Ruit: So... uh...
Lune: Oh, I was going to do it myself.
Ruit: Yes! If you could, that would be great!
Lune: Sure.
Lune: I thought me handling this was a given, too.
Ruit: Thanks... that is very reliable of you.
Ruit: I really am not worthy of having you around.
Lune: ...Don't say such things.
Lune: Just rely on me, your highness.
Lune: It's my job.
Ruit: I know, I know... Still,
Ruit: I must be the luckiest person in the world to have you around.
Ruit: Thanks, Lune.
Ruit: I am counting on you.

His highness is wrong.
The lucky person here is you, and you alone.

You consider the prince's kindness to be a very valuable quality. Yet, to him, and to this world, kindness isn't a feat. A ruler worrying about expendable people is considered a weakness by many.

However, it is this kindness that changed your once grim fate for the better.

There is a vision for the future that only this prince can realize, a vision so attractive that it united allies all over these lands to support it. Thanks to his hidden sincerity, the prince had gained a guarantee of lasting leadership via largely harmless means.

If not for this vision, you'd never be waving the banner of humanity as you do today.
If he weren't this kind of prince, then your Umbran heritage would've kept the two of you as mortal enemies.

But right now, personally speaking...
Simply serving such a person gives your life its purpose.

You alone would continue to support his highness regardless of what he asks, says, or does, even if you're the only one by his side, and no matter the tasks you must carry out for his wellbeing.

You have learned that this dedication of yours... frightens the prince.
Thus, it remains a resolve hidden deeply within your heart, dictating your actions, but never expressed in words.

Lune: Message Kaji.

You attempt to do so, but you're interrupted by a wild conversation initiated by Selene.

It turns out to have been mostly a massive waste of time, but at least, you accomplish the goal of checking on Kaji through it. It's a bit taxing to tell how well he's doing via text alone, to be honest.

Kaji rarely, if ever, mentions anything if he's facing any significant problems.
He so easily grumbles about little things that he'll do anyway, but there's no knowing how he's faring on a more serious note.

This habit of his reminds you of the prince.

Lune: Check on Kaji thoroughly

As you thought, Kaji's not open to the idea of someone else handling his work.

That is completely fair, of course.
Yet, he doesn't seem thrilled to learn that you and the prince were concerned for his wellbeing. Perhaps he perceives it as getting pitied?

What you can do for Kaji right now, is to believe in his capabilities. It's not like holding his hands through adversity will net any good. Kaji should end this problem on his own, if it's what he wishes for. Surely, he has a right to prove himself.

That's all done with now, but...
Someone else continues to plague you with messages, though.

She's very impatient.

Selene: What's your deal!?

Lune: Pacify this grown woman.

Selene: FIGHT for the prince's noble right to have... FUN!

Lune: There must be a middle ground you all can reach, somehow...

Lune: Too late, you've been fully signed up for The Selene Experience.

Seems like.

Good god, she is such a girl.
And that's not meant as an insult, not one bit!

You're just nowhere near her in terms of being typically-girly, you think.
Which is probably fine, but... well, who knows how normal people see you, and what they think of you. You've never really felt like the word "normal", anyway.

In that aspect, Selene happens to be so wildly different from you.
But strangely enough, you admire that part of her.

Lune: What a chat.

With words alone, Selene spins most people around her fingers as she desires.

You'd normally leave no openings for this lady, but this time, there was no way out of it. Just this once, you suppose, you could entertain her pastimes.

She has the courage to trust her whims, dominate social situations, and do "fun" things as she likes. Meanwhile, you're someone who was taught how to hold a blade before writing with a pen. It's odd that your combat prowess doesn't translate well to simpler things in life, nor to being like normal-girls-your-age at all.

Selene's perception of herself and her surroundings is like peering into a chaotic world so distant, entirely divorced from your own. Admittedly, it makes your chats both refreshing and maddening.

Also, to be honest, she types way too fast to keep up with!!!
You wonder if such a skill is something that just comes with being normal as well.

But despite all these differences, you and Selene still maintain a longtime friendship.

Well, you'll leave worrying about that outing when the time for it comes...
Hopefully you won't look silly and awkward during it.

Geez, even your concerns sound so badly prioritized when it comes to Selene!