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A long time ago, there was once a powerful kingdom. The king and queen were kind and loved one another and that love bore fruit to their son, Kambe Daisuke, and his sister, Kambe Suzue. The young prince was handsome, looking every bit of his mother and father. With eyes as clear and blue as the strongest of waves, hair that was dark as the night and soft as silk. But with his clear blue eyes came a freezing cold that not even the warm love from his family could thaw. And so he stayed this way as he grew up. He was exceptionally handsome and charming, but never did he feel love for anyone other than his parents and his sister.
That is, until one warm spring day. After he was done with his studies on Monday, French and Italian, he cooled his head by walking in the garden. The garden was what one would normally consider a forest. It bloomed with beautiful flowers and tall trees. The golden path leads him to the rosebushes, and he sat on the bench that he usually sat at. His mother was fond of reading books in that place, and would occasionally bring Daisuke along with her to read and there were also fond memories of playing hide and seek with Suzue here. His father, though busy, would also come along every now and again. Thus, his habit of relaxing in the garden. There was a small bookcase that his father had placed there for his mother. It was maintained well, the dark wood shining despite being outside. He was about to reach to choose one to read until a soft rustling sounded deeper within the maze of rosebushes.
For whatever reason, be it mere boredom or curiosity, or maybe fate herself pulling the strings from behind the curtain, Daisuke got up and began looking for the source of the noise. It was no lie that the rosebushes were like a maze, but every now and again that noise could be heard, and he would give chase after it. The sound becomes clearer as he draws closer, and it becomes clear to the young prince that the noise was someone humming. It made him even more curious, pulling his sleeves up to expose his broad arms as he peeks through one of the bushes.
When he finally sees the source of the noise, he struggles to hide his gasp.
The owner of the voice is undoubtedly beautiful, almost painfully so. The man resembled a fairy or an angel, one that Daisuke would be taught about during English or History. Most depictions of angels come from the biblical sense, but Daisuke had seen some novels and stories describe them as well. This man, he assumes is a gardener, also quite resembles Daisuke's idea of what fairies, sprites, spirits- what have you- might look like. Beautiful fair skin, slightly sun-kissed and flushed beautifully pink on his cheeks and on the delicate tip of his nose. Along his shoulders were light freckles, which Daisuke could see trailed down his clothed chest and peeked over his short-clad thighs. Warm, almost honey-like eyes were half-hidden under long light-colored lashes. A messy head of taupe locks, endearingly fluffy and wild, it suited the adorable picture of this man well. And what's more, his beautiful lips pressed into a cute smile as he stared endearingly at the roses he was tending to.
All in all, Daisuke had never seen anyone or anything as beautiful as this man. No gold, jewels, even the beautiful women that would come and endear themselves to him. No, their warmth as only superficial, for as twinkling and melodic as their giggles had been, they didn't come close to the blinding beauty of this man. The sincere softness in his eyes and the lovely tilt in his voice as he hummed under his breath.
Daisuke couldn't look away, convinced he was dreaming or stuck in an Alice in Wonderland-esque scenario. In awe and quite hopelessly whipped, he leaned in closer, almost obsessively memorizing every bit of this man. Then, when he couldn't possibly get more perfect, he opened his mouth and sang in the prettiest voice Daisuke had ever heard in his life,
"Lavander's blue, dilly dilly
Lavender's green..."
Ever since then, he always goes to the garden to listen to the pretty gardener sing. He could feel his heart lift every time he saw him and he felt giddy and oh so warm. His butler, Hirosuke, told him that the name of the gardener was Katou Haru. Haru, what a pretty name. Ha-ru. The name sounds beautiful, it rolled off Daisuke's tongue. His sister had told him that what he felt was love, just like how she felt for the pink-haired baker in their palace. Love, just like their parents. The thought made Daisuke's heart beat with images of Haru by his side. To call Haru his queen sounded like a dream. He'd dress him up in the finest clothes, all the silks and cotton his heart could ever desire. He would make sure he was happy, and they would tend to the flowers together. But, for all his bravado, Daisuke was shy. Well, not quite. It's just that he never felt hesitant to grace others with his presence but with Haru, he didn't want to make a fool of himself. He wanted to look...cool? Was that the word? Yes, he wanted to look cool.
He didn't want Haru to marry him just because of his name or his crown. But somehow, he felt as though he knew him. Like they knew each other in a past life. Some part of him yearned to reach out, wrap his arms around the pretty man and never let go.
"Mother, I have found my queen." Daisuke declares, rather boldly, during dinner.
Sayuri blinks while Shigemaru chokes on his steak. Suzue doesn't look as surprised but still gives her brother a look. His mother comfortingly pats his father as he coughs and soon enough the man recovers from his plight to look at Daisuke with a raised brow. Yet, Daisuke sees the teasing smile on his father's face and knows that he's about to say something embarrassing.
"Who's the lucky-oomf, Yuri-" Shigemaru whines as Sayuri sternly pats him on the back with a "Not now, dear."
Daisuke gives his father a judging look and wonders if this is what love does to people. He imagines Haru and decides yes, yes that is what love can do.
"Are you ready to tell us who it is, dear?", his mother asks, and Daisuke ponders on his words.
"He does not know."
"You have not told him yet?" Suzue interjects, "But brother, you've been talking so much of him I thought you would have wifed him by now."
Daisuke glares at her; "Sister," he starts, "I wouldn't want to force myself on him."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Shigemaru throws his head back and laughs, walking over to his son and patting his shoulders, "You remind me of myself when I was your age..."
Knowing that Shigemaru was going to trail off into a long story again, Sayuri sighs in fond exasperation, "Shige, no."
His father, a man in his late years, pouts like a child. Inwardly, Daisuke hopes he doesn't stoop to that level of whipped.
Daisuke stoops to that level of whipped. Maybe even above and beyond that. Because when the pretty gardener walks up to him and shyly gives him an arrangement of flowers and thanks him for joining him in the garden every day, he loses all of his filters and blurts out a "Will you marry me?"
He expects to get slapped and flat out rejected, but instead, Haru blushes and looks off to the side, "You like me too?"
He finally gets to see Haru in a wedding dress and from then on, they tended to the flowers together.
'Lavender's blue, dilly dilly
Lavender's green
When I am king, dilly dilly
You shall be queen.'