Work Text:
" Ukki~☆ There's another package for you~ "
" E-Eh?! "
Makoto turned to Subaru, taking the box carefully so as to not damage it. Unsurprisingly, an intricately ornate necklace was neatly packed inside, the third one in that month alone. There was no note or letter to indicate the sender, leaving Makoto puzzled as to what the sender's intentions or identity are.
" Ukki, it's so shiny~ Can I take this one too? "
" Sure... it's not like I can wear anything with the butler uniform... "
Subaru immediately snatched the necklace, completely enamored with the way light reflected upon the diamond hanging from the chain. Makoto had to admit, the necklace really was pretty. He did wonder what the sender could even want from him given how expensive their “gifts” were.
" Ukkiii, are you sure the seaweed's not the one sending you stuff? "
" No, he was my first guess too, but... " But he cried when I asked him about it and I had to convince him not to jump out of a window. " ...It's not him. Besides, if we get paid the same, Izumi-san wouldn't be able to afford these many diamonds. "
" Hmm, guess that's true... Who else is rich... Oh! What if it's the prince?! Ukki could become a princess and have all the pretty shiny jewelry someone could ask for! "
" That's your dream, not mine. " Really, Makoto didn't particularly need more money. He earned enough to send some home, and the castle he worked at provided him with enough food and a roof under his head already. " Besides, have you seen Tenshouin-san? He's... kind of scary. "
It's not like Makoto had many opportunities to speak to the crown prince. He'd heard rumors though, about how ruthless and tyrannical the man could be. They've only ever interacted once, when Makoto was wildly inexperienced and dropped a tray of tea he was carrying right in front of him. The prince had given Makoto a hand to get up then before being whisked off by one of his advisors. Makoto remembered seeing the prince give him a small smile, but his memories of the day were hazy at best to properly remember anything.
" …Earth to Ukki! "
Makoto blinked as his glasses were taken off and placed back at an alarmingly fast rate. Subaru was looking at him expectantly, a bit too invested in his “admirer” drama. " S-sorry for ignoring you, I was just remembering something... "
" About the prince? "
" Don't look at me like that, you brought him up in the first place! Besides, it doesn't matter. It's not him and someone is probably mistaking me for someone else... It wouldn't be that odd if a wealthy noble saw a butler here once and mixed up a few descriptors when asking to have their gifts delivered. "
Subaru didn't seem satisfied with his theory, but he didn't push as he offered Makoto to accompany him and the others to lunch. Makoto let himself be dragged away, staring at the way the diamond centerpiece bounced up and down as Subaru ran across the halls.
It'd be... somewhat nice, to have some rich noble courting him. But Makoto knew his place, and his place wasn't among the type who wore diamonds and chatted with princes. After all, there was no way the gifts were meant for him, any and all specialness he could have possessed has been long buried along with everything else from his childhood.
----
The gifts wouldn’t stop, and Makoto could feel everyone's gaze on him anytime he came to work with another package. They were getting more and more extravagant too, his friends refusing to take them away now because they're “for him”. He'd heard Mao speculate that the gifts were stolen and sent to him to hide away a crime, which seemed like the more likely reason for his friends' hesitancy to be given free jewelry.
" Yuu-kuuun, stop staring at that stupid necklace and come here instead, you still have a lot to mop! I'm not letting you shrink away from responsibility no matter how cute you are~ "
" Sorry Izumi-san, I'll get to it... "
Izumi didn't say more as Makoto got back to his job, which Makoto was thankful for. Despite supposed professionalism, Izumi still found excuses to cling to him during work, something about "comforting him as an onii-chan would”.
And yet Izumi was now seemingly more distant from him, and so was everyone else. It's as if they knew something he didn't, which unnerved Makoto.
" Izumi-san... has something happened recently? "
Izumi was clearly startled as he turned to look at Makoto. He looked away quickly, avoiding eye contact. Suspicious. " What could have even happened? Yuu-kun, you're overthinking things again~ You must be tired... Do you want onii-chan to massage your shoulders for you? I can take over your responsibilities just this once~ "
" N-No need! Besides, didn't you say you won't let me get away with slacking off? "
" You cheeky...! Don't use my words against me! "
Their chatter came to a halt as the door swung open, the blue haired servant that was always attached to Subaru's hip coming in.
" Um, Yuuki-senpai, right? Eichi-onii-chan, I-I mean, his highness, wants to see you. "
" Eh?! "
He couldn't tell if the noise of surprise came from him or Izumi, both staring at the boy in shock. Did he not do this job properly? He was quite absent minded because of the recent developments in his life, but surely not enough to warrant a meeting with the prince himself! What if Mao was right and the jewelry was stolen? Was he helping a criminal without realizing it?!
" Um, Yuuki-senpai? I-I don't think you should make him wait... "
" S-Sorry, I'll go now. Izumi-san, you can take over, right? "
Izumi nodded slowly, staring at him with a look he couldn't discern. The feeling that everyone knew something he didn't continued to persist. He let himself be escorted, dread creeping up upon him more with each step.
---
" Um, is there anyone here? "
Makoto hesitated before entering the room Hajime had guided him towards. He really was unsure as to what business could the prince have with him, and the room's massive size and the sheer amount of expensive decor certainly didn't help calm down his nerves. If anything, it made the possibility that he had somehow displeased the prince more scary and real to him.
" Ah, Yuuki-kun, hello. Please come sit down. "
The prince was smiling, which Makoto took as a good sign. A raise perhaps...? He was unsure if he had done anything to deserve it, but it would make sense.
He sat down awkwardly, trying to do his best to recall the etiquette lessons Izumi had instilled in him once they were hired as butlers. If the prince noticed his awkward mannerisms, he chose not to comment. Two cups of tea were already poured on the table, and Makoto hesitantly took one after Eichi kept glancing at him while sipping his. The atmosphere was not one he'd call comfortable, but at least he wasn't as intimidated as before.
" So, Yuuki-kun, how do you like working here? "
Makoto raised his eyebrow. Was this some kind of odd attempt at a survey?
" Um, i-its great! " Eichi looked amused, and Makoto felt compelled to continue. " I-it has its challenges and some of my senpais can be quite harsh, but it's manageable. "
" Is that so... " The sip Eichi took of his tea seemed more prolonged as he kept his eyes fixed on Makoto. " Then... Did you like the gifts I had sent you? "
" The... gifts? " It took Makoto a few seconds too long to connect the dots, causing him to forget about the cup he was holding. He cringed at the sound of the ceramic shattering, immediately forgetting about the sudden revelation as he knelt down on the floor. " I-I'm sorry, I'll clean it right up! "
" Fufu, no need~ You are my guest after all, so it is I who should be looking after you~ "
Makoto's brain shortcut as the prince knelt down on the floor and spread his legs apart. His face was burning as Eichi rubbed the remains of the tea from his shoes, still unable to process the sight of a literal prince kneeling in front of him.
The moment was thankfully over rather quickly as Eichi got up and gestured to Makoto to follow him. He felt it would be rude to not oblige, but still stalled for a bit to clean up as much of the shattered pieces as he could. Eichi didn't say anything as he finished cleaning up the mess, but Makoto felt quite unnerved at his stare.
" ...You did not have to do that. You are aware of that, correct? "
" I do, but... It felt wrong not to. "
" Hm, seems like I have understood your personality rather accurately. I'll have to thank your friends for that. " Makoto wondered who in the castle would the prince have asked about him. Izumi? Mao? He really was unsure. " ...Too bad you've been giving away all the presents I had chosen for you. I think you are quite deserving of niceties after being such a good, hard worker. "
Makoto's panic flared up again. Somehow, amidst all the mess, he had managed to forget about Eichi being his “admirer”. " I-I'm sorry. I'd like to say that I would have kept them had I known they were from you but... I really can't accept those gifts. "
" Hm, is that so? " Eichi pouted, and Makoto almost felt compelled to comment before he remembered what their positions were. " Well, I suppose I can at least appreciate your honesty. "
Silence followed the conversation, and Makoto couldn't bear letting it persist. " Um, your highness, can I ask you something? "
Eichi smiled. At least he hadn't upset the prince again. " You can if you drop that title~ "
" Um, Tenshouin-san then...? " The prince didn't appear too happy but he didn't appear too displeased either. Good enough for now. " Why did you give me all those things? Are there not better necessities to spend your money on? "
" Oh, are you telling the crown prince how he should manage his finances? My, I believe that could be grounds for a punishment~ "
" N-No I'm sorry I just meant- "
" I am simply teasing you~ I wouldn't sentence my favorite butler to death over something so insignificant. " Makoto wondered what exactly would be constituted as significant. " But to answer your question... I seek to marry you~♪ "
Makoto did not know how to react. In fact, he was starting to believe that the whole thing was a dream or an elaborate ruse of sorts, because it was not possible for any of what was happening to be real, right?
" Oh my, you seem quite shocked... Should I have started the conversation with the proposal, I wonder…? "
" Um, your highne- I mean, Tenshouin-san... We barely know each other, surely there's a reason for this sudden... decision, right? "
" You're not mistaken. " So the prince hadn't miraculously fallen in love with him after seeing him once. That at least brought Makoto back to reality a bit. " You see... change is best instilled through exemplification, and I wish to challenge a few of the kingdom’s marital laws, and marrying a working class man serves as the perfect opportunity~♪ But I suppose you could say I have another reason as well. "
" And that is...? "
" It's because you're cute, of course~♪ "
Makoto blushed while the prince chuckled. " Well, now that you've heard my reasoning... Is that satisfactory enough for you? May we proceed with the proposal? "
While Makoto was sure the marriage could be of great benefit to both him and his mom, he still hesitated to accept the offer. " Ah, I'm sorry but... no. "
" You're... rejecting me? "
" I'm sorry Tenshouin-san, I can't accept a proposal from someone I barely know! ...Even if you are the prince. "
" Fufu, how curious~ " Eichi got up, grabbing a small box from a drawer. " Had it been anyone else, I would have commended them to obey, but... I'm willing to take on your challenge~♪ Take this, Yuuki-kun. "
A small box was entrusted to him, and Makoto felt quite nervous holding something that most likely cost more money than anything he had ever owned in his life. " What... is that? "
" Another gift of mine. It's no gold or diamonds, so I hope you won't give it away~ "
Makoto looked at the contents inside. A necklace with an emerald in the center stared at him. It was as if Eichi had picked it to match the exact same shade of his eyes. Embarrassingly enough, he felt quite flattered and taken back.
" ...And as for our conversation... I'll gladly get to know you better so you feel inclined to accept me~ But until then, you may leave. "
Makoto left in a hurry after quickly bowing down, leaning against a wall when he reached the hallway to catch his breath. Looking at the necklace, he felt his face heat up again as he thought back on what had just occurred. He’d really gotten himself into a troublesome situation, hadn’t he?