Chapter Text
CHAPTER 2.
I. An unexpected intervention?
A young dark-haired girl dressed in modest robes looked around in earnest wonder as people rushed past her. It didn’t matter how many times she’s walked down the same street for the scenery never ceased to pique her wondrous interest.
The capital city of the Empire of Rodinia, Lucen, was always bustling in the mornings and today was no different. Like every morning, she would walk down the same path, hand wrapped in her mother’s bigger one, to buy food to last them the day.
Nearby, a beautiful noblewoman stepped off her posh white and gold-gilded carriage, and the girl couldn’t help but crane her head back to follow her, in awe of the beautiful plum dress she was wearing.
Someday, she dreamed of wearing one just like it! Maybe something pink and frilly, with cute little ribbons. Just like the princesses in all her storybooks! Speaking of princesses...
She turned to her mother, beaming and asked, “Mother, have you ever met a princess before?”
Her mother who held her hand smiled and laughed. “Not since the Emperor married the current Empress. She was a princess from the kingdom next to ours, Eska. This Empire hasn’t had one for centuries now. There’s a prince though!”
“A prince?” The girl gasped in glee, her eyes twinkling. “Is he like the princes in my books? Does he fight dragons and save princesses?”
Her mother shakes her head in the middle of picking fruits to buy, momentarily glancing at her daughter. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that, my darling.”
The little girl frowned and squeezed her mother’s hand, a confused furrow in her delicate brows. “Eh? Why?”
“Because the prince hasn’t been out of the palace since he was young,” the mother answered patiently, her tone mellow. Her daughter looked down as if she was contemplating the situation. The mother giggled to herself. For someone young, she seemed to be worrying about things beyond her comprehension. “There aren’t even any pictures of him out there, I’m afraid,” she mused out loud. “But knowing the beauty of the Empress and the equally dashing looks of the Emperor, I have no doubt their son, the Imperial Prince, is nothing short of perfection!”
Truthfully, the little girl didn’t care about that at all. What did it matter? All princes were bound to be beautiful people, anyway! That was out of the question for someone like her who’d have consumed fairy tale stories since she could neither talk nor walk. So, she tugged on her mother’s hand and asked the only question weighing on her mind at the moment. Her mother looked down into her worried eyes. “Isn’t that lonely?” She bit her lip.
After all, even princes get sad, too! They were people just like her, right? And if she were in his shoes, she wouldn’t want to live like that! Like that one story her mother told her last night — the princess with the long hair, waiting for someone to take her away from the tower.
Waiting was lonely. If she were in his shoes, she would be finding ways to sneak out everyday. Although her mother would be worrying every day that passed.
The mother smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. “It must be, right?”
“Then, does the Prince have friends to play with?” She asked, hanging onto her mother’s every word.
Surely the Prince must be too old to play, but her mother hummed thoughtfully. She never knew of an acquaintance. “Well…”
“Is this all you’re buying today?”
The mother directed her gaze back to the seller, her train of thought cutting off and smiled sheepishly. “Oh, Forgive me! I still need some vegetables.”
He must be lonely then… The girl bit her lip and pouted. Who wouldn’t? The Prince probably needed a friend, and she’s always interested in a new one. Then, the only logical solution came to mind.
Shouldn’t she become his friend, then? Her eyes widened in excitement. Maybe she should! I want to make sure the Prince is okay, at least!
But how? She pondered thoughtfully to herself, wracking her mind for any ideas. Maybe Kina would know what to do? After all, didn't she live near the castle? There must be something..
She did recall that Kina’s mother worked for the Palace!
Maybe a visit to her friend would warrant her a glimpse of the Prince. Then, maybe — just maybe — they could become friends. The Prince wouldn’t have to be alone ever again!
“Aya, honey,“ Her mother softly called out to her. “Can you get some carrots for me?”
She blinked, pushing her plans in the back of her mind before beaming brightly, “Of course!”
First things first, help with the chores , she determined chirpily.
Another day, another frustrating situation. Konoha sighed and stood in his perfectly ironed and pressed uniform. Being the Crown Prince’s personal steward and attendant, he would have to be nearby so he could attend to his every whim and need whenever he would require it.
That was his sole job. Whatever this was, on the other hand, wasn’t. He knew that much, at the very least.
It wasn’t his place to do anything about it, nor was it any of his business in the first place, but it was simply getting frustrating to watch. Konoha frowned, watching the prince and his knight enjoy their tea, shielded under the intricately-gilded roof of their gazebo from afar. Akaashi laughed at whatever Bokuto had said, his arms flailing around animatedly.
Just like usual, they were off in their own world.
Sorry, Your Highness. You left me no choice… He would have to use that .
“Use what?” a voice whispered in his ear and Konoha jumped, scowling.
“Saru!”
Sarukui laughed. “Your ears are that sensitive?”
Komi sighed. “Why are we even here? What’d you call us out here for? Are you planning something again?”
“Use you guys ,” Konoha groaned and buried his head in his hands. “You don’t know how frustrating it is seeing those two dance around each other!”
Every freaking day, it was the same side-stepping waltz. The same old lingering gazes, fleeting touches, faces that seemed to lit up at the mere sight of each other.
At first, it was amusing. Seeing a knight as distinguished as Bokuto Koutarou flail and stumble with his words around the Prince would always be of worthy entertainment, but His Highness’s painful obliviousness was starting to grate on his personal aide’s nerves.
If he wasn’t a loyal servant to him, Konoha would have already yelled at him in frustration. This was worse than any of the cliche, slow burn romance novels that the maids loved giggling over discreetly in between breaks.
“Ha. That’s what you get for following in your dad’s footsteps!” Sarukui exclaimed, smug. “If you had chosen to work in the gardens with us, you wouldn’t be like this.”
“Like I have a choice,” Konoha glared at him. “My family has served the Imperial Family for generations. It’s inevitable.”
Komi sighed, leaning against the wall where they hid from the view of the prince and the knight. “So, what’s your plan?”
They both peered over the wall and watched the couple of young men talking amiably among themselves, their gazes set on the way the Prince’s lips curl into a soft smile as his knight pushed his chair to stand and flail his arms around mid-story.
The steward shrugged. “Nothing.”
“What?” The gardener exclaimed incredulously. “You called us when you don’t even have a plan?”
Konoha rolled his eyes. “Would it kill you guys to help me a little?”
Sarukui narrowed his eyes at him mischievously. “Oh, I thought the jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none , Akinori Konoha already had it under control — ”
“I told you to stop calling me that!”
Komi stared at the Prince and his knight. “I loathe to admit this, but we suck at this. We should ask some girls for actual help.”
What would a bunch of men know about matchmaking, anyway? He could barely flirt with anyone without getting tongue-tied himself!
“Girls!” Konoha snapped his fingers. “Yukie and Kaori!”
“Those two?” Sarukui raised a brow. “Why them?”
“They’re on friendly terms with Bokuto!” Konoha answered, already trotting off to the kitchens. “They also help with preparing everything the Prince eats, so they probably know his tastes if ever we have to do something for them — like maybe a picnic or something.”
“Huh,” Sarukui hummed thoughtfully under his breath, following suit.
“Aya, wait!” Kina yelled from a few steps behind her, her tiny feet pattering against the cobblestone street as she ran after her dear friend. She ran into someone and she hurriedly apologized, bowing her head slightly before hurrying after the brunette girl, keeping the basket full of her mother’s things close to her body.
Aya, too enthusiastic to halt, only grinned wide. “We’re almost there, Kina! Hurry!”
They were a mere two streets away from the Palace now. Aya was right. Kina’s mother did work for the Palace - she was a handmaiden who has served the Royal family since she was but a meek fifteen year-old girl.
It was a rather auspicious day for Aya because Kina was tasked to deliver her mother something to the Palace. Just like she had planned, she was going to get into the Palace and hopefully, meet the Prince!
She stopped in front of the Palace gates, held onto the metal bars and let out a breath in awe. “Wow…”
The Royal Palace of Rodinia was majestic. A pure white facade meshed with navy blue roofing, its windows gilded with a tinge of silver, giving it an almost ethereal appearance. The large fountain situated by the front of its large doors was ornate, a statue of the patron goddess of the Empire of Rodinia — Luna, the goddess of the moon and healing — stood proud in the middle, her white marble chin held up high, as a delicate hand held onto a bow that resembled the crescent moon at night.
She was mesmerized. Every citizen of Rodinia knew that the goddess was beautiful, and this statue certainly made sure that every person who came to visit the Imperial Palace knew that. Yet surely, it could not hold up to the actual beauty of the goddess herself.
No one could certainly hold up to her beauty.
Foliages and shrubbery lined the path to the main entrance of the Palace, beckoning the men and women who tread its path to enjoy the view, giving them but a glimpse to the feast of beauty the Palace had to offer.
Aya was beyond delighted.
Kina stood next to her in front of the closed Palace gates and took her hand in hers, pulling her along. “We’re not entering through here, Aya! We have to go through the back.”
“Aw, what a shame! Look at those flowers, Kina! Don’t you think they look really pretty?”
“They must be. The imperial gardeners tend to the flowers daily,” Kina answered as-a-matter-of-factly, rightfully leading her towards the direction of the back of the Palace, where servants of the Imperial Family entered.
“Her Majesty is very fond of flowers,” she added, “so the Emperor made sure that the gardens are always beautiful and taken care of.”
Aya only nodded in amazement, taking in every word her friend had to say. “Woooow.”
Arriving at their destination, Kina spotted a knight closing the gate and she gasped, “Please wait, sir!”
The young knight blinked and stopped in his tracks, holding the gate open as both young girls ran up to him in a hurry.
Kina bowed. “I am Kina, daughter of Ana. I am accompanied by my dear friend, Aya, here to deliver something to my mother, a respectable handmaiden of the Royal Family.”
He only nodded in understanding, looking down at both girls kindly. He held open the gate for them. “I’ve heard your mother mention you were coming,” he said. “She’s probably out in the maid’s quarters.”
She nodded and smiled. “Thank you, kind sir!”
With her hand around Aya’s, she pulled him in along with her after thanking the knight and set off to find her mother.
Aya let her friend drag her. Frankly, the young girl was too preoccupied with her surroundings to care.
Thankfully, the Imperial Kitchens weren’t too busy at this time, and most of the staff and maids were off on their respective breaks, and it was relatively empty at this time of the day. They caught Yukie and Kaori chatting by the stove, both looking like they were finishing up their cleaning.
Konoha called out to them.
“Oh?” Yukie blinked, her reddish-brown eyes wide. She wiped her wet hands on the apron tied around her body and asked, “You want Bokuto to get together with who?”
“The prince,” Komi answered. “Surely you know by now how close those two are.”
“Who doesn’t,” Kaori giggled. “He always comes in here, traipsing for food to share with the Prince.” She set down the cleaning rag she had in hand and wiped a hand over her forehead with a light sigh.
“The maids talk about it all the time, too,” Yukie added, smiling. “It’s rather endearing.”
“So, you’ll help us, right?” Konoha asked, a hopeful tone visible in his words.
“Of course!” The maid nodded. “Why not?”
The backdoor to the kitchens opened and they all flinched at the sudden sound. Konoha’s head whipped around, just in time to see a tall, dark-haired man — a knight, of all people! — step into the room, his features settling into confusion.
Komi heaved out a sigh in relief. “Oh, it’s just you, Washio. What are you doing here?”
Washio blinked before approaching them. “I’m just here because they asked for my help,” he said, pointing to Yukie and Kaori. Both girls smiled.
Yukie removed her apron, “Oh right! Thanks for coming, Washio-kun.”
“No problem.”
“Wait, you’re a knight, Washio!” Sarukui exclaimed, “You must know Bokuto, right?”
Washio lifted a brow. “Who doesn’t know Bokuto? He’s pretty much one of the best knights we have in the Empire.” He leaned nonchalantly against the wall by the door.
“Well, we’re trying to set him up with the Prince,” Konoha butted in nonchalantly. “Want to join in and help us?”
Washio stared at him. “Who are you?”
“Oh, right,” Komi stepped in between the two and introduced them to each other, “Konoha Akinori — this is Washio Tatsuki. He’s the Prince’s personal steward. Konoha, Washio’s one of the knights looking to be appointed to protect the Prince.”
“How come I haven’t met you even once?” Konoha asked skeptically.
Washio only shrugged. “I barely enter the palace grounds. The farthest I go to is this kitchen. Either that or the training grounds, really.”
“Anyway, back to business!” Komi clapped his hands, “Picnic date? Is that a good choice?”
“I say we just lock them up in a closet,” Sarukui raised a hand and suggested, “Let them handle things all by themselves. Maybe it will set the mood or something.”
Konoha immediately shot his idea down. “No, that’s not a good idea.”
Ever since he’s been kidnapped as a kid, the Prince hasn’t been fond of tight spaces. Especially the dark. Who knows what’s going to happen should they go through with that plan in mind?
As if realizing his mistake, Sarukui winced. “Sorry. Right. Not that idea, then.”
“What about a garden date?” Yukie suggested, “We could make them a nice spread of food, some warm tea and maybe Komi-kun and Saru-kun could organize something really pretty with the flowers in the gardens?”
Konoha sighed. “But they always do that.”
Komi agreed with a resigned sigh. “They’re always in the gardens flirting. Nothing ever changes. Heck, they’re in the gardens as we speak!”
Kaori thoughtfully hums. “What about tricking them into confessing or something?” Konoha scoffed. Tricking the Prince? That’s impossible. He may be sheltered for a guy his age, but he wasn’t dumb. Just a little oblivious.
Konoha rolled his eyes. “You can’t trick the Prince. He’s too smart for that…” He trailed off before his eyes widened. An idea struck him and Konoha breathed out, “But we might succeed with Bokuto.”
“That’s it!” Komi snapped his fingers.
“What’s it?” Washio asked. Konoha turned to him. If Washio wasn’t lying about training with Bokuto all these years, he must be familiar with his tendencies enough to help their cause.
Well, that’s what he hoped, at least.
Konoha relayed the story as best as he could without giving too much information. Okay, so he probably shouldn’t do this, not when the Prince trusted him wholeheartedly with his feelings and all his vulnerabilities, but he just wanted to help him in some way . Throughout the years, the Prince had treated him better than he should. He felt like he needed to repay him for everything he’s done.
Konoha Akinori just couldn’t sit still. He needed to meddle.
After Konoha wrapped up his story, Washio nodded slowly and started tentatively, “So, you’re telling me Your Highness feels the same about Bokuto, and those two have been skirting around each other’s feelings for years?”
“Exactly that.”
“But if he’s not willing to come clean about his feelings to Bokuto, nothing is going to work,” Washio shook his head. “At least that’s what I think. Our hands are tied.”
“You think so too, huh?” Konoha tried to be optimistic, but man, the Prince’s stubborn sense of pride wasn’t making any of this easier.
“Hey! That’s not true,” Yukie interjected with a pout. “We can do this!”
Sarukui rubbed his nape. “I guess we could always try something? It’s not like we have anything to lose.”
“The worst that could happen is the Prince having Konoha’s head,” Komi added with a grin.
Konoha visibly swallowed a lump in his throat. He’d rather keep his head, thank you very much. If there was anything he knew about the Prince, it was that he was damn scary once he got angry.
Bokuto leaned back sluggishly against his chair and heaved out a loud sigh.
The prince sitting across from him lifted his eyes from the page of his book and raised a brow. “Is there something wrong, Bokuto-san?”
The knight only laughed sheepishly. “Oh, no. It’s nothing, Akaashi!”
“Are you sure? Because I-”
“My Prince!” Both men straightened up as Konoha approached them where they were situated under the roof of a garden gazebo. The personal aide looked frantic, doubled over as he gasped, “Have you perhaps seen two young girls around here?”
“Young girls?” Akaashi blinked, closing his book. “No, I have not. Bokuto-san?”
Bokuto shook his head. “None that I’ve noticed,” he answered and Konoha’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“Wait,” the Prince stood from his seat, “what’s this about young girls?”
“Well…” Konoha sighed, carding a hand over his tousled hair. “Two young girls were permitted to enter the Palace as they were tasked to bring something over. They seem to have lost their way to the Maid’s quarters…”
Bokuto stood from his seat at that, taking his sword that stood against the table on the holster of his hip. “I’m going to help look around then.”
Akaashi nodded, taking his coat in hand and Konoha hurried over to him to assist him as he donned it. “Then, I’ll look around with you as well, Bokuto-san.”
The knight gave him a puzzled look. “Are you sure, Aka- I mean, Your Highness?”
Konoha rolled his eyes at the sudden change of address. It wasn’t like it was a secret anymore to the rest of the Palace how close these two really were.
Akaashi straightened out his clothes and nodded. “Of course. I wanted to take a light stroll anyway.”
Konoha bowed. “Then, you may take the gardens and look for the young misses there. I’ll look around the other way.”
“Okay,” was all the royal said.
As he watched the two make their way for the gardens, he shook his head and whispered mischievously, “That was all it took to get them more time together.”
If it was this easy, then maybe a future where they were finally honest with each other was not so far off after all. Maybe he and the others should go plan something.
“They couldn’t have gone far and strayed off further into the gardens, right?” Akaashi asked, peering into every shrubbery he had passed. Bokuto kept his eyes vigilant and kept close to His Highness.
“I don’t think so…” He hummed. “They may have decided to play while on an errand? Maybe they got lost inside the garden maze.”
“That’s also plausible.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden shout. “What are you doing here?!” The knight’s ears picked up on the tone of voice and he immediately held onto the hilt of his sword.
Alarmed, Akaashi turned to him in surprise. “Who..?”
The knight only advised him, “Please stay behind me, Your Highness.” Nodding, he gently pushed Akaashi behind him, slowly pulling his weapon out of the sheath. “It may be a threat.” was the only thing he said.
The prince nodded, following behind the knight closely. They both cautiously approached the source of the commotion and Bokuto gradually started raising his sword in preparation.
Getting a clear visual, Bokuto and his charge’s eyes widened.
Two young girls, no more than the age of ten, were being aggressively berated by Marquess Shima. “Are you even allowed to be in the royal gardens? Commoners like you?!” The pair of young children only kept their heads bowed low.
The proud man, a frequent visitor of the Palace, was one of the many court individuals that Akaashi would rather not encounter if he could help it, and Bokuto knew it. He could already see the grimace on his lips. Akaashi had once told him how much he wanted to bash his head in every time the man addressed the court. He heard the Prince sigh heavily.
The knight glanced at his charge and asked, “What shall I do?”
“ We ,” Akaashi clarified, straightening out his coat and buttoning it up. “We have to intercept, of course. This man really knows no bounds…” He muttered with another sigh. What did he even expect? And he thought this was a rest day from all the chaos of court life.
“Let’s go, Bokuto-san.”
“Yes, my Prince.”
“Are you really not going to answer my questions?!”
Kina’s hand that was grasping onto Aya’s clenched in nervousness, keeping quiet under the intense scrutiny of the nobleman. If there was something her mother had taught her, it was to steer clear of haughty nobles. Most of them were adept at making other people’s lives harder…” But if you were lucky,” her mother started, placing her on her thigh with a slight huff, “you’d meet one of the rarer ones: the ones who are kind and generous to people like us.”
Aya was, unfortunately, not as educated in the subject. So it was up to Kina to keep her friend out of harm’s way.
With a shaky voice, she answered as best as she could, “W-we’re on an errand, My Lord…”
“Errand?” He scoffed. “In the gardens? Looking so carefree?”
“We...we were simply passing by-”
“Nonsense! You are a bunch of trespassers, are you not?” The marquess sneered. “I know a trespasser when I see one. Do not lie, girl!”
Aya raised her head in disbelief. “We are not doing anything untoward-”
Kina hurriedly tugged on her hand and whispered warningly to her friend, “Aya-!”
Just then, somebody cleared their throat. “What seems to be the problem here?”
As if doused by a pail of cold water, the Marquess’s previous malicious expression wore off, morphing into a wry smile. “My Prince.”
Akaashi strode into the scene with a flourish that only royalty like him could ever manage, a keen gaze set on his face, directed solely to the older man who was currently subjected to his own scrutiny. Bokuto, in his knight gear, followed closely behind him, his hand still on the hilt of his sheathed sword.
He didn't seem to notice the twinkling look in either of the girls’ eyes.
“Marquess Shima,” he addressed him with a slight tip of his head before he looked down at the two girls, “you seem to have found these young ladies. We’ve been looking for them ourselves.”
“So they were trespassers,” the marquess said with a frown. “I suggest you keep the Imperial guards vigilant, Your Highness. So that children like these ,” he directed a hard look at the girls then spat out, “don’t come strolling in so casually. You never know what kind of disease they may bring into the premises-”
“Trespassers?” Akaashi frowned. He held in the urge to scoff. This man spoke like he owned the Imperial Palace. And disease? They looked plenty healthy to him! Instead, the Prince turned to him with a cold stare. “I believe you need not worry about these children trespassing or any diseases, because they are not here without reason.”
Unlike someone , he thought.
“What?” The man lost his composure, sputtering out in surprise, “What do you mean, Your Highness..?”
Akaashi ignored him, turning to look down kindly at the girls. “You’re on an errand, am I right?” he asked gently. Aya nodded vigorously.
Kina raised her hand holding the basket she was tasked to deliver slowly, answering calmly, “We were tasked to bring this over to my mother, Your Highness...she works as a maid for the Palace, and we seem to have lost our way to the maid’s quarters.”
The marquess stiffened.
The Prince frowned. “You heard the children, Marquess Shima. There is no trespasser here.” Then, he added wryly, “Perhaps...except for one?” Akaashi stared the man down with a sharp look in his eyes.
If he was right, there was no need for his presence in the Palace today. There were no court sessions scheduled today. He narrowed his eyes. So, he must be here on a different matter... Akaashi decided to save that thought for later.
The nobleman flinched before laughing sheepishly. “I-I see! I may have jumped into conclusions!”
Akaashi pasted a satisfied smile on his lips. “I’m glad you understand,” he remarked in reply. Marquess Shima bowed low, a hand over his chest. “Thank you for helping clear the situation, My Prince. Then, I best be on my way-”
Oh? Watching the noble try and make a quick escape from the situation rubbed him the wrong way. Has he not learned anything at all. ..Akaashi frowned and held a hand up, stopping the noble from making another step away. “You’re not going to apologize for any of your rash misjudgements before going, Marquess Shima?”
It was evident that the proud man was not at all pleased. He turned back to them reluctantly and lightly frowned. “I hardly think I should apologize for keeping the safety of the Imperial Family in mind-”
“But you have not only been incredibly harsh with your accusations, but you’ve also managed to scare these children in the process.” Akaashi interrupted him, his tone thoughtful. “It just makes me wonder...are these the core values of the Noble House of Shima?”
Bokuto saw the man’s fist clench, and his hand immediately went to his scabbard.
The look on Marquess Shima’s face made his thoughts clear as day to Akaashi. Why would I need to lower my head to a bunch of commoners? To mere children? But if there was one thing he hated more from the nobility, it was how most of them acted like they should be put onto a pedestal. So, Akaashi stood his ground. He didn’t care. No loyal subject of the Empire should think themselves any more superior than the commoners.
Just because he was royalty, it doesn’t give him the right to prance around and flaunt his privileges in their faces, and neither did Marquess Shima.
Reluctantly, the nobleman succumbed to his words and with gritted teeth, apologized. “I...I apologize.”
Flustered, Kina bowed her head in a hurry. “Oh, it’s fine! Thank you so much.”
The marquess raised his head immediately and gave the Prince a half-hearted bow and a final greeting before making his way out of the gardens.
Bokuto relaxed, taking his hand off his sword and watched his master and friend approach one of the young girls, going down on one knee as he leveled his gaze with hers. “Hello. We’ve been looking for you both.”
“The Prince was looking for us..?” Aya blinked. “Why?”
Akaashi smiled. “We heard you two got lost?”
“Oh,” she nodded readily. “We did. But we were on a mission, so!”
Bokuto only watched them interact from the sidelines, feeling warm at the gentle smile on the prince’s face. It’s been too long since he had seen him like this.
The girl added, “We’re here because Kina’s mother needed her to deliver some stuff!”
“You did say something about an errand,” Akaashi hummed sagely, “then where are you headed again?”
The other girl, Kina, joined meekly. “The maid’s quarters…” she answered shyly.
The prince smiled at her and stood up, brushing off his trousers. “Okay. Then, will you allow us to escort you on this mission?” He gave them each an outstretched hand.
“Yes, please!” The girl beamed, taking his hand. “Thank you!”
Kina similarly took his other hand and stood up, her cheeks red. Bokuto took her basket from her and she turned even redder, muttering a small ‘thank you’ before curtsying clumsily. Bokuto only smiled and nodded. “It’s no problem, My Lady.”
It was amusing to see the young girl turn three shades of red darker, denying his address. Akaashi chuckled and nudged his head in the direction of the Palace. “Shall we go, Miss..?”
As if realizing, she hurried down to curtsy. “My name is Aya! It is nice to meet you.”
“What a courteous young lady.” Smiling appreciatively, Akaashi held out a hand. “Then, will Lady Aya allow me to escort her to the Palace?”
“Yes!”
Bokuto and Kina followed closely behind them as Aya started chirpily, “You know, Prince!”
“Hm?”
“You look like Her Divine Highness, Luna!” she said, grinning. “You’re so pretty! I heard a lot of people say that you’re pretty, too!”
Akaashi stifled a laugh. “Really?”
“Yeah! Your eyes look similar! Oh, and the nose!”
“Oh, Your Highness!” Aya watched unblinkingly as her friend’s mother prostrated herself at the Prince’s feet. “I deeply apologize for having caused you such an inconvenience-”
Kina bowed her head as well, muttering, “Sorry…”
And Aya watched as her escort only waved their concerns off with a hand and a shake of the head. “No, no. It’s quite alright! Please, stand up…” The Prince bit his lip.
Kina helped her mother up and the other man who escorted her assisted. Aya’s eyes shifted from the image they made to something glinting on the man’s hip. She strained her little eyes to see.
Was that…
“A sword?” she whispered in awe. Bokuto looked at her in surprise and nodded with a grin. “Yeah. I’m a knight, so I always carry one around.”
“That’s so cool…” she breathed out, stepping closer to him. “What’s your name, sir Knight? And can I see your sword?”
“Sure!” He laughed in response. “Oh, I’m Bokuto Koutarou. It’s nice to meet you too!” He ended with a wink.
“Oh, Aya, dear, I don’t think you should bother the sir Knight,” Kina’s mother started, until Bokuto shook his head.
“It’s really no bother, Madam!” He reassured her. Stepping away from the girls and unsheathing his sword, he held it in front of him with both hands. “Want to see some moves?” He always has time to demonstrate his mastery of the sword. Not to toot his own horn, but Bokuto knows he’s got the talent for it.
Aya immediately jumped on the opportunity and sat down with her head in her hands. “Yes!”
Akaashi rolled out his shoulders. “How about a little duel then, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked, amused. He started removing his coat and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt underneath. “I mean...Shouldn't we humor our guests?”
Bokuto grinned and readied himself. “Are you really sure about this, Your Highness? Don’t you want to keep your image as the calm, collected Crown Prince that they know you as?”
Akaashi shook his head. “That’s never going to change,” he asserted with a confident smile. “I’ll just have to win, right?” A knight nearby handed him a sword and he took it in hand, testing its weight with a swing.
“Well, I’m sorry but,” Bokuto brandished his sword, “I’m not going to make it easy for you.”
Akaashi smirked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”