Chapter Text
“What’s your problem with that man?”
“I have no personal concerns. I just want him to be safe, like everyone living in these lands.”
Sanemi was sitting at his desk. In front of him were reports from the soldiers waiting at the border. Muzan’s moves had been quite strange lately. There were constant hit-and-run attacks on their borders. Sanemi was smart enough to understand that it was a distraction—but not enough to know Muzan’s real plan. There was constant activity within his borders. No destruction, no looting, no breaking, no spilling—nothing at all.
On the surface, Muzan’s men were doing nothing.
One of Sanemi’s greatest duties as the crown prince was to understand what Muzan was plotting and help determine a strategy accordingly.
But right now, his mind was somewhere else entirely.
Of course, it was on the small, sweet omega who had settled into the hospital wing.
Letting out a deep sigh, he leaned back. Giyuu’s wounds had healed. He had now officially become a member of the Butterfly sisters. They had even arranged a private room for him in the hospital wing. He still remembered nothing, but he worked hard. According to Shinobu, he was constantly trying to help as much as he could. Since he didn’t know anything, he mostly handled simple errands—but still.
Now he had completely lost focus on the papers in front of him. He set the pen in his hand down in the middle of the desk. Ink was dripping onto the paper. Even so, he didn’t care. The ink spreading across the page made him think of silky black hair. Giyuu’s black hair spread over his pale skin just like ink spreading across white paper. The harmony of black and white—contrasting colors—could only look this beautiful on a person. His deep blue eyes, on the other hand, took him to an entirely different level. They reminded him of the sea. The kind of sea one would want to drown in.
“I see.” Obanai’s mismatched eyes examined Sanemi down to the finest detail. They had been friends for a long time—or at least, that’s what Obanai said—and it was the first time he had seen his friend like this. Sanemi had always had a protective side. Considering the sense of responsibility he felt toward his younger sibling and his people, it was quite normal. Still, this was the first time the prince had been this distracted.
Letting out a deep sigh, he stood up. Turning his back to Sanemi, he faced the door. Just as he took a step, he stopped. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at the white haired alpha.
“Anyway, I’m going to the bazaar. Do you want anything?”
“What business do you have there?”
“There are some things Kanae wants. I’ll go get them with the caterpillars and Giyuu.”
Sanemi’s scent began to fill the room in a suffocating way. The pressure of his pheromones didn’t affect Obanai at all. The corner of his mouth, hidden beneath the bandages, lifted slightly.
“Why is he going too? He’s still injured.” This time, he had stood up. Every muscle in his body was tense.
“Of course, to carry the supplies. Besides, he doesn’t even know what the kingdom he lives in is like.” A mocking expression appeared on his face. “Or would you like to come as well?”
Sanemi dropped himself back into his chair. He glanced sideways at Obanai. When he crossed his arms over his chest, Obanai’s mind drifted back to the old days—when they were both younger and more inexperienced. They spent all their time together. Training, resting, training, resting, and then training again… They knew everything about each other.
Obanai was normally a closed box. Since his family had been slaughtered when he was twelve and he was brought to the orphanage in the capital, he had learned to suppress his emotions. While being a beta was something most people didn’t want, it was Obanai’s favorite trait about himself. As a beta, he had perfect control over pheromones. With his emotions, his scent—everything—he had become a sealed box, and for now, the only key to that box was Sanemi. His first and only friend. He still showed his emotions under a layer of fog, but it wasn’t like before. It was more understandable now.
“No, have fun.”
He leaned toward the reports in front of him. He wouldn’t allow his focus to drift for long. Yet his gaze secretly followed Obanai as he left the room. The moment the door closed, he clenched his hands into fists.
He wanted to go.
He wanted to go too.
But what would he even say if he went?
I want to be with you, so can I come too?
Ridiculous.
After all, he had only just met him. His silky black hair, his innocent blue eyes, his moon-pale skin, his addictive mint scent—none of it changed the fact that they had just met.
But deep down, he knew he had to go too.
Maybe another day… alone?
The streets of the city were quite lively. During the daytime, all the shops were open, and the people were out shopping. The tiny triplets walked ahead under the watchful eyes of the two adults. Obanai and Giyuu were right behind them. Their hands were full of paper bags. Since they mostly contained light items like herbs and spices, they weren’t heavy at all. Their work was already done, but the caterpillars didn’t want to return to the palace. The market wasn’t set up every day, and the children were going from stall to stall, looking at things for themselves—hairpins, new clothes, and the like. They moved forward, hopping around excitedly.
Giyuu slowly turned to Obanai, who was walking alertly beside him. The beta’s gaze was everywhere—on every passerby, the side streets, the vendors behind the stalls. His hand never once left the sword at his waist. Kaburamaru was checking the areas outside of Obanai’s field of vision from his usual spot.
“Um… can I ask you something?” As soon as Giyuu spoke, he lowered his gaze. He tightened his grip on the paper bags in his hands. The scent of anxiety, slightly sour, was faint—but despite the bandages covering his nose, Obanai could still catch it.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Are you… friends with that man they call the prince?”
At this question, one of Obanai’s eyebrows rose. His eyes turned to Giyuu. For the first time, Giyuu could see such a clear emotion on his face. His entire expression was filled with curiosity. Even Kaburamaru had turned toward Giyuu.
“Yes, I suppose you could say we’re friends.”
“Then… do you know what the prince likes?”
If possible, Obanai’s surprise grew even more. Though his walking pace didn’t falter, something in his rhythm shifted. Why would the omega suddenly want to learn about his closest friend?
“Why do you want to know?” His voice hardened because of his protective nature. Giyuu’s body flinched at the tone. He quickly turned toward Obanai, shaking his head from side to side as if trying to deny something.
“No, I just…” He turned his head to the other side. “…I just couldn’t thank him for saving me.”
“I see…” The suspicious tone in his voice faded, becoming calmer. He fell into thought, caught between believing Giyuu or not. For now, he wouldn’t press further.
“He likes handmade ornaments. That man may be as hard as a rock, but he knows how to appreciate true craftsmanship.” This was something Sanemi never bothered to hide.
“Thank you.” The corner of his lips curled slightly. The sourness in his scent softened, turning sweet again with the relief he felt. Like the little caterpillars, he began to look at the stalls with excitement. At that moment, the only difference between him and the triplets was that he was an adult—otherwise, he carried the same excitement as them.
Giyuu’s happiness wasn’t just because he was looking for a gift—it was the joy of getting to know this new world he had just seen. He was like a child learning about life for the first time. He stopped at every stall, examined every item, and asked about all their features one by one. He didn’t understand some of the explanations, but he still listened. Even if Obanai didn’t want to admit it, the pure joy radiating from Giyuu reminded him of things he had long forgotten—his own happiness. He didn’t know the last time he had smiled as sincerely as Giyuu, but this joy was enough to make even him feel happy.
Just as the omega was about to pass by a stall, he suddenly stopped. There was a statue carved from plain stone—a wolf standing atop a rock. It was intricately carved, every strand of fur carefully detailed. Setting down the paper bags in his hands, he carefully picked up the statue. It looked beautiful. His lips parted slightly in amazement. The vendor woman immediately noticed his interest.
“I want to buy this. Do you think he’d like it?” he asked Obanai beside him.
“Yes, but do you have money to buy it?” Throughout the entire shopping trip, the triplets had paid for everything. He hadn’t seen the omega spend money even once. “If you want, I can give you some.”
“No need, Kanae gave me some allowance too.” He took out the small pouch from the inner pocket of his robe. After paying for the statue, he handled it carefully, as if he were holding something extremely fragile. He wrapped it in the piece of cloth the vendor had given him, then placed it into one of the paper bags. He looked more at ease now.
“Giyuu, we’re tired.”
“Yes, let’s go back to the palace.” Naho nodded, agreeing with her siblings as she spoke. Giyuu turned his head toward Obanai. Now everyone was looking at the beta, waiting for his answer.
“Why are you all looking at me? If you want to go, then go.”
The four of them turned around without saying anything. Pink, blue, green, and black butterflies—four childlike souls—walked side by side. Obanai stood right behind them like a guard dog. He took a step to follow them. This time, they walked more quietly, more tired through the streets. Except for Obanai—thanks to years of training, he still had plenty of energy.
They were nearing the exit of the market. The crowd had thinned. The stone road leading to the palace was now visible—and right at that moment, it happened.
Two men passed by them.
Everything had happened so fast that Obanai hadn’t even been able to see who they were. He only caught that one had purple hair and pale skin, while the other had black hair and a darker complexion. On the surface, there was nothing unusual. Just two men walking side by side.
But Giyuu’s reaction was incredibly subtle.
His shoulders tensed ever so slightly. Turning his head back, he looked at the men who had just passed by. An instinctive fear appeared in his blue eyes. Obanai noticed it immediately. He turned as well, watching the pair. The two men, however, didn’t even glance back. His grip on his sword tightened. With his free hand, he placed it on Giyuu’s shoulder.
“Did something happen?”
“I… I don’t know. It just felt like something was wrong.” Giyuu’s unease wasn’t only noticed by Obanai—because of the mint scent he unconsciously released, the triplets had sensed it too. The little ones grew anxious. Their milky scent was filled with fear, just like Giyuu’s. The beta immediately stepped in front of them to calm them down. First, he looked at Giyuu.
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen.” Giyuu looked at Obanai hesitantly, then slowly nodded.
This time, Obanai bent down to the triplets’ height.
“Don’t be afraid. In this kingdom, there’s only one person who could defeat me.”
“You’re right, Lord Obanai,” Naho said in a soft voice. Hearing this reassured them. The three of them held hands, with Sumi in the middle. Kiyo reached out her free hand toward Giyuu, while Naho extended hers to Obanai. Now all five of them were holding hands, walking along the stone road leading to the palace. Obanai’s presence had calmed them a little.
While Obanai was focused on soothing the uneasy Butterfly sisters beside him, the two men had already moved far away.
The black-haired one was holding his head in his hands. He looked even more frightened than the people they had just passed. The purple haired man walking beside him, on the other hand, had his hands clasped behind his back, walking with confidence. In both appearance and aura, they looked completely opposite to each other.
“He’s going to be very angry with us… He’s going to be very angry… We disappointed the Master…” The darker skinned man began biting his nails.
“Yes, a very great disappointment.” He let out a deep sigh. No, it wasn’t out of fear—it was admiration. “Ahh, the Master will be very angry with us.”
Leaning closer, he brought his mouth near the darker skinned man’s ear. His whisper was quiet enough that only the beta could hear.
“Then let’s do everything we can, shall we, partner?”