Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When people hear the word “Royalty,” the first thing they think of are the crowns, the giant velvet thrones, the golden castles, and the extremely posh accent that can’t seem to be understood by a human. Royalty in the old days posed a significant stigma of what it was perceived to look like today.

However, in this generation, “Royalty” does not look like what people used to think of. Of course, as time passed by, technology has advanced into a new era. Society is forced to contort to the norms set with the new generations that led the land.

Gone were the quills used to write on papers, with the fancy cursive handwriting commonly used in the past centuries; instead, it was replaced with ballpoint pens with ink cartridges, and the writing wasn’t a strict policy anymore.

Royalty has become the highest form of politics, as it also means governing the land and protecting its citizens from any harm. This is why being a member of the royal family is one of the most difficult situations to be on, as you are always burdened with the responsibility to lead, be next to the throne, act your best behavior, and carefully learn all the skills needed as a royal member. The pressure of becoming a well-respected and well-treated royal member comes with the role.

Even though technology has evolved, the traditions have not changed. The Castles were also retained, as it was a tradition for a royal family to only live in those quarters.

In the Land of Asterin, there live two peaceful Kingdoms; The Kingdom of Helios and The Kingdom of Selene. Both have been in great connection since the dawn of time. Together, the lands prospered and became one of the most powerful lands in the world.

The Rojnapat Dynasty has led the Kingdom of Helios, a highly-regarded name of the royals, King Aroon and Queen Madee are currently on the throne. They have two children, Prince Arthit and Princess Namtarn, both compassionate for the people. However, Namtarn has never paid any interest in their politics, leaving Arthit the sole and most rightful heir to the throne.

The Suthilucks have been the only bloodline to rule in the Kingdom of Selene. King Krekkrai and Queen Apsara are the present ones on the throne, with their only son, Prince Kongpob who has been a very diligent prince and a charming one— as perceived by their citizens.

The families of both lands have always liked each other, always in contact and even spending dinners and picnics on occasion. It was a part of their tradition to incorporate the other kingdom to maintain a good relationship and protect the peace.

This arrangement seemed like a completely harmless situation, as everyone from both sides liked each other— wrong.

Two stubborn princes proved this on multiple occasions ever since they’ve met when they were kids.

Now, both in college, they still have a great disdain for each other, practically cursing at each other with snarky remarks and insults. Their families have always scolded them for being uncivilized as they did not usually behave like this when interacting with other people.

Kongpob is two years younger than Arthit, him being 24 years old, while Arthit is 26. They’ve both graduated from Political Science, mainly influenced by their familial ties. Kongpob genuinely had an interest in being on the throne; he wanted to be like his father and protect the citizens of Selene. He was loyal to his land even if it means maintaining peace between the kingdoms even though their prince was a hot-headed handsome idiot.

Arthit, on the other hand, preferred to study literature; he had quite an interest in poetry, albeit with his foul mouth and rough personality. In the end, he decided to follow his family’s tradition and make his parents proud. Even if it wasn’t his first choice, he was still passionate about the people, and he wanted to help them in any way. His sister, Namtarn, has adamantly insisted she did not want to participate in any political matters as she wanted a very private life. As a big brother, Arthit wanted to respect her decision and make sure she gets what she wants.

Another thing about Arthit is that he absolutely hates waking up early.

“Prince Arthit Rojnapat, wake the hell up!” a booming voice resounded in his ears as the prince groaned in his slumber, covering his face as he tried to block out the annoying sound that threatened to disturb his sleep.

“Go away, Toota!” he yelled, voice muffled in his pillow.

The door then opened, and Arthit muttered a curse. His butler stomped inside the room, each step pronounced definitely, “You have a meeting with the royal family from the Kingdom of Selene today, and the queen will exile me if you’re late again.”

Sitting up from his bed, he sent a death glare at Toota, daggers pouring out of his eyes, “Damn it.”

Toota grinned at the prince, enjoying his torment as he was always stuck with the duty of waking up this rock every day.

“Fine, I’ll go freshen up. Please get out now,” Arthit waved him off, his hand movements sluggish as he was still half asleep.

Toota turned on his heel and went out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. As Arthit stood up, he found the spacious bed very tempting to lay on again but quickly banished the thought as he remembered he would have a very important meeting today with the person he hated most in the world.

If there were one thing that Arthit would like to hold right now, it would be their family’s royal sword. Albeit no one in their family even touches it, and swords are never used anymore, he still wanted to get a hold of it right at this moment.

He sat there, looking directly at the man sitting across from him with a stupid smirk on his face. Arthit swore; he wanted to snatch the sword from the wall and jab it inside the other’s stomach and see his smirk slowly disappear. It was infuriating.

“Why are you the only one here?” he asked, forefinger rhythmically tapping on the wooden surface of the long table.

The other’s smirk widened, an eyebrow quirked, “What’s the matter, Oon? Don’t you want to have some alone time with me?”

“Piss off, Kongpob, quit being difficult for once.” Arthit snarled at him, a vein visibly pulsing on his neck.

“Um, if I may, Prince Arthit. The king and queen are not available at this time, so they sent Prince Kongpob in their stead,” Kongpob’s butler, Aim, politely interjected, bowing his head as he did.

“Oh. Alright,” Arthit’s tone softened, his shoulders relaxing a little as he understood the situation.

“Why don’t you use that tone with me, Oon?”

“Shut up, Kongpob. And stop calling me Oon!” He sneered, sending him a scornful look, “let’s just settle this so we can get it over with.”

Arthit laid out the papers in front of him and handed Kongpob his own stack. Kongpob furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at all the papers, “Why are these so many?”

“These are policy updates, obviously. We need to arrange them all for the sake and peace of our land,” Arthit sighed, fiddling with the papers, and grabbing the pen beside him.

“Do we even have the power to approve all these?”

“Our parents have already taken care of everything. We just have to arrange them all in an organized way.”

They then heard a loud Ping, signaling notification.

Arthit turned to Kongpob, hissing, “Weren’t you told you should turn off your phone when we are in a meeting?”

The younger shrugged, nonchalantly picking up his phone and checking his messages, “This isn’t a real meeting anyway. I’m just handling papers with a brute.”

“What the hell did you say?” Arthit stood up but was quickly sat back down by his butler.

“Sit back down, Prince. You aren’t about to get into a heated argument with this man again,” Toota glared at him pointedly.

“But–”

“No buts,” Kongpob smirked at him.

“Don’t get cocky with me, Prince Kongpob. Both of you may be royalty but your butlers are assigned by the kings and queens to keep both of you from making a catfight,” Toot warned, Kongpob’s smirk disappearing.

The two princes sulked in their seats as they handled the papers in silence, Kongpob shutting down his phone and Arthit starting to rearrange the papers by category. Everything was going smoothly until Kongpob started to speak.

“You’re exhaustingly slow.”

“What?” Arthit scowled. His hand forming into a fist as he held his pen tightly.

“Arthit, I’m done arranging my half, and you’re still not finished?” he leaned back in his chair with crossed arms.

“If you’re done, then go back to your kingdom. I don’t need you here,” He waved his hand and shooed him away in a dismissive manner, his eyes still focused on the papers.

“Okay, I gotta go. See you, Prince Oon.” With that, Kongpob left, Arthit screaming at him with very bad terminologies, and Aim following suit, bowing in respect to the prince.

“That jerk, I swear I want to smash his pretty face,” Arthit muttered. Toota heard him and rolled his eyes, the prince clearly didn’t understand what he was saying.

______________________

Running down the hallway, Arthit opened the doors to the royal manor, panting.

“Dad! What do you mean that we’re going on a trip with the Suthilucks?”

King Aroon turned to him, his hands behind his back as he calmly stepped forward, a glint in his eye, “I didn’t.”

“Huh?”

“We are not going on a trip with the Suthilucks. You are going on a trip with the Suthiluck’s heir,” Aroon grinned at him, enjoying how his son’s face contorted into different emotions.

A beat passed. Then two.

“How the heck–”

“Before you lash out on your father– no, the King, it was a tradition for the heirs of both families to travel the different parts of the kingdom, discover the small details, and get to know each other. And besides, both of you need to cool off your heads and try to be friends. It’s only two days anyway,” he put his hand on his son’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“I don’t want to,” Arthit whined.

“Too bad, you’re the prince,” Aroon laughed at him, “what’s your problem with Kongpob anyway? You’ve been at each other’s throats since you were kids.”

“He’s the worst person I have ever met,” which earned a skeptical look from his father, “That man– I hate him.”

“What did he ever do to you?”

“First of all, he destroyed my leaf crown when we first met,” Arthit sighed, turning to sit down on one of the chairs, which surprisingly had a very comfortable feel to it.

“That’s it?” Aroon sat in front of him; an eyebrow shot up.

“He also teased me ever since; it was horrible. And he’s incredibly narcissistic. Plus, he has this annoying habit of running his hand through his hair when he gets agitated. DOn’t even get me started on how he bites on a banana; it’s slanted! That should be illegal–”

“Arthit, son. You should probably stop now. These are getting oddly specific.”

A knock was heard from the door, and there was a muffled voice from the outside; it was Madame Paga.

“King Krekkrai, Prince Arthit,” She bows at them after she entered the room, “King Aroon, you are being requested in the conference room.”

“Well, that’s my cue to leave,” Aroon stood up, sending his son an empathetic glance, “Arthit, I’m sorry you have to go through this, but please bear with it for two days. It’ll be finished in no time. Let’s go, Madame Paga.”

Arthit was left inside the manor, sulking in his comfortable seat as he thought about the sudden news. How was he able to get a hold of the news, you might ask? Well, he was busy minding his own business in his room, researching about the kingdom’s new policies, when he received a message from an unknown number.

So, Oon, where shall we go first on our trip?

Krist immediately figured out that it was his arch-nemesis; he never gave out his number before, especially with this person he absolutely abhorred.

Where did you get my number, Kongpob? He replied, agitated at the nickname.

I’m the prince. I have my ways. It said, which made his blood boil.

Why did you message me, anyway?

We’re going on a trip together. Weren’t you informed?

And that message led him to run down the hallway and disturb his father. Arthit muttered a silent curse as he fully realized that he would be stuck with the infuriating idiot for two whole days, starting tomorrow. Silently praying that there will be some kind of storm to plague upon the land tomorrow, he stood up and left the room.

Damn it all to hell.

Chapter Text

"Arthit, be on your best behavior. You should know, you're older than Prince Kongpob."

"Dad, I can't be on my best behavior if that prick tests my patience every single second," Arthritis groaned, sinking into his seat at the dining table. Aroon just looks at him disapprovingly. His mother, the Queen, is sitting opposite him.

"That boy is very nice, I don't understand why you keep picking fights with him," Queen Madee said, looking over at her husband to get some support. Arthit could not believe he was still being gaslighted at 26 years old.

Namtarn just laughed beside him, snorting into her glass, "You're really unbelievable, P'. Prince Kongpob adores you so much, you just can't see it."

There was a collective laugh at the table, and Arthit's face heats up, he puffs his chest indignantly and glowers at his sister, "You're just making fun of me. No one with that attitude is ever capable of a feeling such as love!"

The princess coughed behind her napkin, mumbling, "You'd be surprised."

"Alright, enough. Arthit can deal with his boy problems," a whine from Arthit, "later, but you're here for spring break, Namtarn. It's time for you to help out with the kingdom duties."

Arthit's sister sighed and rubbed the back of her head, aggressively puncturing the sausage on her plate. She gave no other reply as their parents tutted at her for her manners. Arthit just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep his problems away.

"Mae, do I really have to leave my trusted pillow?"

"Yes, Kongpob. You'll be traveling to so many places, and you're not touring malls either. Pack light. And you don't want your precious Arthit to know you're a spoiled little boy who can't let go of his favorite pillow, don't you?" Queen Apsara admonished him, sending him a look at Kongpob sighed and delicately placed the pillow on his bed, patting it down.

For now, Kongpob still had to bring his formal clothes, but he also had to pack his casual clothes, moreso, because their trip also included going to places that were nowhere near as modern as the mainland. The prince is currently finishing packing his luggage and his big backpack, which he will need at some point in the trip.

Kongpob groaned, looking at his mom, "I'm telling you, it's not like that with Arthit!"

"Then what is it? You haven't stopped talking about that boy since you met him in their garden when you were just kids. Don't underestimate a mother's instinct, Kong," Apsara told him, pushing down the luggage so that Kongpob could easily zip it up.

Kongpob pursed his lips, heaving a breath as he finally got his luggage to close. He looked at the queen, his mother, and said, "It's... complicated."

The Queen looked at him for a moment then turned her head and went for the door, "Mhm."

With that, she left, leaving Kongpob in the middle of his room, in silence.

It takes approximately 3 hours by air to arrive from the Kingdom of Selene to the Kingdom of Helios. Kongpob had said goodbye to the King and Queen and promised to call them regularly. His parents had also talked with Arthit's parents prior to this through a video call and both sides regarded each other with kindness.

As much as Kongpob preferred taking the normal route in a commercial plane, it was a rule that all royalty, especially the first family, should only take the private jet when traveling. The prince did not think much of it now because he knew this was one of the few times his parents insisted on him taking it. And it was a much faster way to arrive at Helios.

Much to the insistence of his parents for him to meet Prince Arthit "early".

So he slept peacefully during the ride, mourning the loss of his favorite pillow.

Arthit meanwhile paced around the foyer of the castle, biting his lip in nervousness as he anticipated the arrival of Prince Kongpob. He had already packed most of his stuff, making sure he packed just enough for the trip. This will be around two months of exploring the two Kingdoms.

"Prince, if I may, can I ask you to please sit down? I'm worried you'll make yourself dizzy and I have to carry you back in front of Prince Kongpob," Toota said from the side, eyeing Arthit's pacing with concern and slight irritation. He flinched when Arthit looked at him with a glare, "He'll be here any minute now. I can't let him see me relaxed and out of my element. I'll prove to him that I'm the better prince."

"Is this some sort of game?"

"No! I just hate his face," Arthit replied like he was just talking about the weather. Toota was about to make another snarky reply when he heard the screeching of tires. Arthit straightened up and clenched his fists at his sides, immediately bearing a smile on his face as he awaited to escort the prince.

The black Mercedes Benz stopped and a few moments later, one of the assistants opened the door of the back row. Prince Kongpob stepped out, dressed a little more casually with a blazer just placed on top of his shoulders, a plain white polo underneath, and black slacks. He looked a little dazed as he stepped out, and Arthit could tell with his tired expression.

The prince of Helios greeted him politely, "Welcome back, Prince Kongpob. It's a pleasure to meet you again."

The other prince straightened up, looking at Arthit, his eyes more alert now. Despite the fatigued expression, he found it in himself to smirk at him, "Good afternoon, Prince Oon."

This man is really testing Arthit's patience within seconds of his arrival. Gritting his teeth, he motioned for the other guards to assist Kongpob's companions and luggage as they put them in the guest room, where Kongpob will be staying before they leave the day after tomorrow.

When they were walking towards the long hallway to the room, Kongpob asked, "Where are King Aroon and Queen Madee?"

"Oh, they had some meetings to attend today, but they will be joining us for breakfast tomorrow," Arthit replied, trying to take Kongpob's luggage which was rolling onto the floor to try and help him put it in the room, but Kongpob keeps on tugging it away from him. The irritation spiked every time.

The two princes were about to bicker when they noticed the others had already stopped in front of the door, and Arthit cleared his throat, reaching for the handle of Kongpob's luggage to which the other prince tugged it back again.

His eyebrow twitched as he opened the door to the well-kept room, "Here is your room, Prince Kongpob. There is a connected room here for Aim's quarters, and another room provided for your other guards and assistants."

Kongpob nodded at him, too tired to pick another fight. In all politeness, he told him, "Prince, I'm tired from traveling. Is it okay if I call it a day now? You can just send the dinner meal to my room, I don't think I'll be able to—"

"It's alright, Kongpob," Arthit's caring tone slipped out before he could even think about it. But something about Kongpob's tired response struck something in him that he forgot all about his annoyance, "I'll send your dinner to your room in a few hours so you can take some rest. I'll have to assist with some legal matters anyway. Don't hesitate to call for assistance, the helpers are just around."

"Okay," Kongpob entered the room, as did the others with him who entered their own rooms to sleep in.

Arthit started walking away with Toota following after him but he stopped once he was a few meters away from Kongpob's door. The rustling inside was still within hearing range, but Arthit just stopped.

When the door slowly closed, and it was completely flat, Arthit took a few moments before continuing to walk. Toota just stared at him from behind.

Kongpob awoke to a knock on the door. The sun was already shining through the windows. He rose up from the bed, sitting, and rubbing his eyes.

"Prince! Good morning. You can come down for breakfast once you have freshened up."

Is that Prince Arthit? Kongpob's eyes widened and he was suddenly awake. His eyes zoomed at the door and he was waiting for it to open, but he knew that was not polite. He heard footsteps hurriedly walking away when he yelled, "Oon? Is that you?"

The footsteps hurried away and Kongpob laughed, shaking his head.

Cute.

Once Kongpob was done freshening up, albeit it was rushed, he was a little embarrassed if he came to the breakfast late. It was the royal family after all.

When he walked into the dining room, the delicious-looking dishes were arranged on the long table. The King and Queen stood up from their seat and greeted Kongpob, smiles on their faces. Their children, Arthit and Namtarn also stood up in respect, Arthit was pursing his lips, ears a little red.

"Welcome, Prince Kongpob!"

Queen Madee walked up to him and hugged him, "Hello, dear! I'm so sorry Aroon and I weren't able to meet you yesterday but come have a seat. Breakfast is extra special today."

"Good morning, Your Majesty. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier," Kongpob said, taking a seat beside Arthit. Namtarn is seated beside the Queen, and King Aroon is at the head of the table. When they were all seated, Madee chuckled at him, "Kongpob, didn't I tell you to call me Mae instead? We're practically family here, I mean we watched you grow up too!"

"Ah, yes," Kongpob's cheeks tinted, "Sorry, Mae."

Arthit was meanwhile choking on his water.

"Son, that's rude!"

"Sorry, sorry," Arthit coughed, wiping a napkin on his mouth. Kongpob sneaked a look at the prince, noting the still pink ears, and wondered why he looked flustered. Maybe he was sick?

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked him, Arthit shook his head and told him, "I'm fine."

He left it at that and started piling up the food on his plate. Namtarn was still snickering at her brother, "Hello, Prince Kongpob. I take it you had a good alarm today?"

"Namtarn, shut up!"

"Children! Manners, there is a guest at our table. Stop this nonsense," King Aroon reprimanded them, which they both quieted, Namtarn was still looking at her brother smugly.

So it was about the wake-up call. Kongpob can't help the smile that came out of him, a mischievous glint in his eye. Queen Madee just sighed and said, "Sorry, Kongpob. My children are acting up today. Apparently, Arthit lost a bet and Namtarn dared him to wake you up. I hope he didn't give you a hard time."

"No, it's completely fine. He was... nice."

Namtarn laughed, and Arthit hissed at her. Kongpob felt a dull ache in his foot underneath the table. He gawked at him, the prince just kicked my foot!

Arthit avoided his gaze and continued eating in silence. Queen Madee is a saint, Kongpob can't help but think, as she naturally changes the topic and keeps everyone entertained, even Kongpob is in awe.

Once the meal was over, they had some tea on the patio, the King and Queen had separated from them as they needed to sort some things out before sending Kongpob and Arthit off.

Namtarn was sitting beside Kongpob, enjoying her tea with milk. She grinned at him. Arthit was busy petting their pet dog, a cute golden retriever named Kingman, a few feet away. Namtarn finished sipping her tea and looked directly at Kongpob, and the prince didn't know but sweat started forming at his nape.

"So, Prince Kongpob. I was wondering, what do you plan on doing with my brother?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean, you're going on this big trip together for two whole months. Do you plan on doing something?"

Kongpob had no words, he was looking at her incredulously, "What do you mean? Doing something for what?"

"Oh you know, I mean, you're probably doing it this whole time," the princess said, her eyes lazy, focused on her teacup.

"Sorry, Princess. I don't understand," Kongpob could feel himself getting warm, hands clammy as he clutched his cup. He could see Arthit approaching them from afar. Namtarn looked at him for a few moments before sneaking a glance at her brother, then back at him.

Then, with a small smirk, she spoke, "Courting."

"What?!" Kongpob stood up, cheeks blazing red. He settled his cup down and looked at Namtarn, his royalty status be damned. What is this girl saying to him, he can't possibly—

"Is there something wrong?"

Arthit looked between the two, frowning. Kingman was politely behind him, being shielded. Kongpob's chest was heaving, and he looked at him in concern, repeating the question. Namtarn just chuckled, taking out her phone and pretending that nothing happened. Arthit was confused about what happened between the Prince, but before he could pry, Kongpob quickly nodded at him before walking away, "I just remembered I had to call my parents. Thanks for the tea."

Arthit watched as the prince scurried away. He frowned at his sister again, "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she responded, scrolling through her phone and texting her friends, "just gave him the truth."

"Huh?" Arthit was still not amused, but Namtarn stood up and waved him off, "It's fine. Go do your princely duties, mom needs me to arrange her schedule next week. Hello, Kingman, you're so adorable!"

His sister crouched down and hugged the golden retriever, to which the dog woofed happily, wagging his tail. Then she also left Arthit. With the empty teacups on the table.

The prince rolled his eyes and sighed. This is not worth the time to be upset about. He has some final things to do before they leave for the trip tomorrow.