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Once upon a time, there was a Prince who was famous for his marvelous deeds.
Prince Yuusei of the Shirosaki lineage was admired and sought after for everyone knew that if you wanted something that would make you happy, you could go to him and he would make it happen.
Some people said he had the biggest heart ever known to humankind. He would move all his power and influences to give you everything you ever wanted.
Some people thought he was a mage, a powerful witch that would use his magic to grant your wishes, no matter how crazy or out of this world.
And some people believed he was blessed by the heavens, a man so virtuous the gods themselves considered he deserved to receive whatever he wished for, and it turned out, every wish of Shirosaki Yuusei resulted to be the wishes of his people.
There was some truth, and it was that Prince Yuusei really wanted to make people around him happy.
There were some inaccuracies too. He was no mage or witch and he had no idea how to perform any kind of magic. He still spends nights wide awake wondering how Aoyama can detach his own thumb and attach it again in front of everyone’s eyes at dinner.
But the truest truth of all was- Prince Yuusei had a big heart and all, but even more importantly, he was very, very goofy.
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“I…” Kentaro Momose bowed in front of the Prince, who awaited sitting on his throne. His cat-like eyes and unmoving attention unnerved him, not to mention the presence of the court and his adviser, Lord Aoyama, sitting by his side all the time. “I have a request, my Lord”.
It was the first time Momose stood in front of the Prince, and his expressionless face and stony stance made him wonder how could it be true, what everyone said about him?
He knew he was taking a lot of time to speak, but it was just so complicated!
He had been an accountant for a rich laird who was wasting his fortune in a lavish lifestyle and putting the blame on him whenever he was notified of his diminishing funds. Sick with the mistreatment, in a very literal way, Momose had heard of the marvelous Prince, so he decided to go and ask for his help. But now, in front of him, he’s unable to speak.
He watches, horrified and impotent, as the Prince stands from his throne and walks out of the room with such firm steps everyone is silent for a second, and then murmurs explode all around the elegant Hall where he receives his subdits. Even Lord Aoyama seems confused, and everyone looks at Momose, no doubt blaming him for the sudden outburst. His presence and his pathetic appearance must have irritated his Majesty, no doubt.
But then, much to Momose’s surprise, not even two minutes had passed when Prince Yuusei came back with a heavy blanket in his arms. It’s so long it drags in front of him, so he steps on it and faceplants in front of everyone in the room.
“¡Prince!” Aoyama and the guards hurry to his rescue and help him stand back, “Are you alright?”
“I am. Don’t worry”. He picks up the blanket and looks at Momose, who stands there stunned, registering the Prince’s now red cheeks and intense stare. “You are trembling, I thought you were cold. Here”, and he offers the blanket to Momose, who was trembling before, yes, due to fear and the agonizing pain in his stomach.
But the pain was gone, and he was trembling no more! Still, he takes the blanket and wraps himself in it, showing his gratefulness as the Prince's face gets even more red.
How cute!
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Momose cannot voice his request, as he’s not sure how to explain it. It would be a solution for the pain in his stomach, that comes again from time to time, but that would not be enough to be described and he could easily go to a healer if that was the issue. It would be no riches or property as he doesn’t desire for material gain. It wouldn’t be the condemnation of his previous master, as he didn’t desire to cause him harm.
He didn't explain the situation in its entirety, but the Prince was patient with him.
“As he cannot currently help you, why don’t you stay for a while?” Lord Aoyama suggests, then turns to look at the Prince, “we need an accountant to help us push the projects for some of the people you’re helping. Not everything can be solved with money but, for what can be, we’ll need a plan”.
And that’s how Momose, now Royal Accountant, got to sit in court by the Prince’s other side, watching as he listens to his subdits and changes lives.
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Momose soon learns that the Prince is fast, effective and determined when he proposes and decides solutions for the most difficult problems his people face. He and his advisor help them prevent economic hardships, deal with business transactions successfully, mediate conflicts within the Principality’s domain and even deal with the management of their efficient health system, but he had a… special approach to some of the most domestic and simple issues they had to face day to day.
A group of young ladies came to announce their displeasure at the lack of invitation to the great parties thrown by the nobility and asked for the intervention of the Prince. In response, the Prince threw a party for them as guests of honor and declared everyone would be welcome whenever a party was thrown in his Palace. The ladies were enchanted, and no more parties were needed as they were all happily betrothed by the end of the night.
A man, whose problem was that he was being pushed out of his own house by some squandering family members, came with the hopes of getting some guards to help him take them out of there, and he left with a new property title with land to live and work as he pleased.
A family that was looking for sanctuary, victims of persecution from another land, were entrusted with the care of a beautiful temple that would guarantee they would not be prosecuted or attacked anymore as they would be protected by the gods and the Prince’s guards.
Everyone seemed to leave with far more than they came looking for, and Momose was astonished by the Prince’s enormous heart, gentle personality and caring disposition towards every person, no matter status or appearance.
That didn’t change that he was a complete goof most of the time. He would arrive late a couple of times a week, walking fast, red in the face and excusing himself- it was often that he got lost and ended up in another wing inside the castle, making it impossible for him to arrive without the help of a servant or a guard.
Servants were already well aware of his common incidents and prepared to deal with them. He would misplace his pens and his royal seal, and when he looked for them inside his pockets he would find small trinkets instead. An extra piece of everything was a good idea to have around most of the time. If he was taking a walk in the gardens and something fell on his shoulder, he would think it was a cicada and freak out, so having someone by his side to clear things up was the way to go. He would confuse the wine and the tea cups at the table and end up either drunk or disappointed, so servants procured never having those at the same time, just for everyone’s security.
Soon, Momose grew relaxed around the Prince and started doing these small things for him himself. He would clear the path in front of him when they walked together and help him distinguish his cups at dinner; he would find the origin of strange sounds and go look for him when he got lost on his way to meetings. He took pleasure in receiving small praises here and there. If he ever lifted his hand to, say, free the Prince’s hand from something he was carrying, the Prince’s warm hand would find his, as if it was a given. He remained deeply moved whenever he saw the Prince make people happy, and he wished with all of his heart that he could, somehow, make the Prince happy too.
Just a few weeks after his arrival Momose was known to be one of the Prince’s closest advisors and friends. The servants were relieved that someone else was there to take care of him and Aoyama was pleased his pupil finally had someone to keep him company. And as the Prince loved Momose, people started loving Momose too.
He was so happy he could hardly remember why he had gone there in the first place!
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Kinjo arrived one afternoon, all big smiles and flirty comments. Momose observed him, intrigued by his open personality, but the Prince was indecipherable as he heard his request: a date with him. Momose was frankly horrified, such a daring request, spoken so lightly? In front of everyone?
But Kinjo spoke in such a casual and charming way, people just giggled and murmured, but no one seemed scandalized.
“If you wish to have dinner with us, you’re welcome to stay”, Prince Yuusei conceded, thinking the young man had requested dinner, and Kinjo’s laugh was so warm and enchanting everyone laughed with him. The Prince’s cluelessness was just so cute!
Yuusei was confused but pleased, and Kinjo stayed for dinner, and stayed indefinitely too, having found his place lavishing Lord Aoyama with attention.
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One morning as the first audience of the day was announced, a small kitten, white and soft like a beautiful cloud, entered the Palace with no one to stop him. He sneaked around and made his way until he was sitting in front of the Throne.
As the herald announced the first guest, Prince Yuusei looked at him, tilted his head to the side and asked earnestly: “Hello. How can I help you?”
People cried, people cooed and people laughed. Momose felt his heart just getting bigger and bigger.
And that’s how Hakuto became part of the court room too.
After the initial shock of realizing he had actually tried to speak to a kitten, Prince Yuusei tried to attract him, only to be surprisingly rejected. The kitten reacted better to Momose, rubbing against his chest as he held him close. After some minutes of caresses and gentle words, he cuddled with Prince Yuusei too.
From then on, one would see more often than not, little Hakuto asleep on the Prince’s lap or peeking his little head out of the small hammock he had put around his neck to carry him around. When Hakuto was not with the Prince he was with Momose, and life at the Palace just kept getting better and better.
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Weeks and months passed, and Momose kept on watching as the marvelous Prince made everyone around him happy, either with his boundless generosity or with his cute missteps. Momose felt his heart throb with desperate adoration everytime this grown man, handsome, poised, mature and intelligent, committed the most innocent and pure acts of blind generosity and sincerity, sometimes in detriment of his own dignity. The consequences were momentary all the time- no one would dare remind him or mock him for such small mistakes, when they were the result of his genuine desire to help. One would see Momose running around the Palace setting things to rights and exclaiming “Prince!” from time to time, but most of those times, everyone would reach the same conclusion. The Prince was so cute!
Momose was astonished with the way his own life had changed- he had now a bigger purpose: people he could help and tasks that fulfilled his heart. Lord Aoyama would teach him and Kinjo the particularities of problem solving in the Principality considering all kind of political and economic aspects, only wanting their attention as payment. Kinjo proved to be a trustworthy colleague and a loyal friend, lending Momose an ear to listen when past memories resurged, sharing his difficult past whenever Momose felt his own caught up with him. He had Hakuto, who would cuddle with him or fall asleep on his lap, making him almost cry in happiness every time he was graced with his precious purrs.
And Shirosaki Yuusei, his goofy, cute Prince, was always there trying to make his life better, in any capacity he could. What else could Momose want?
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Lord Kurono sent a missive to the court one day, stating Momose had left his job illegally, leaving only a tangle of unsolvable problems behind. He demanded instant compensation and Momose’s life to be submitted to him as repayment for his troubles. The conditions he demanded were of an almost complete slavery of Momose to him, but the man didn’t seem to be aware of this, and if he was, he was insensate enough to think it was a fair deal.
When Momose almost fell to his knees with the worst pain he had ever felt in his stomach, the Prince took him to their private office, supporting him by the arms and helping him walk. Gently, softly, like everything he did.
He sat in silence until Momose spoke.
And Momose said everything he hadn’t wanted to say before- the mistreatment, the insults, the rage, the pushes, the kicks he had to endure.
Prince Shirosaki Yuusei stormed to his desk and wrote a long letter stating everything Momose was and everything he did right. Every virtue he could think of, every smart decision he had taken, every person he had helped, and everytime he had made him happy and finished stating Kurono would never have the pleasure of his presence again as he didn’t deserve it.
Momose read the letter and contained his tears as best as he could. He offered to deliver it himself.
“Thank you, My Prince”, he bowed, with the sincerest of his smiles and his heart bursting with new life, “you have granted me my deepest wish”.
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“I did my best.”
“I left legally.”
“I am no longer under your command.”
“But thank you, Lord Kurono, if you hadn’t mistreated me so, I would have never gone to seek for the Prince’s help. Now he’s in my life, I wouldn’t change anything.”
Momose was still shaking as he left Kurono’s lands, as he had confronted him with witnesses so he could avoid violence. The letter from the Prince himself would protect him of course, but the warmth those words covered his heart with were enough of an armor for him to face that horrible man. He made sure to voice his displeasure at working with him and the possible consequences of his continued harassment, and left the estate with the letter still in his hand- he wanted to keep him to himself. If Kurono didn’t deserve his company, he didn’t deserve Prince Yuusei’s words either.
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When he arrived back at the Palace a commotion was heard. When the servants noticed him, they ran around in a panic, Hakuto appeared from god knows where and threw himself to his arms. Aoyama bolted to his feet and ran inside the main wing and Kinjo took him by the arm and pulled, guiding him inside, while Hakuto purred desperately against his chest. He was surprised to discover his rooms had been packed and chests with treasures and gifts had joined his meager possessions. Prince Yuusei was standing in the middle, looking miserable, but as soon as he noticed his presence, he blinked his tears away and ran to him.
He tripped with one of the chests and faceplanted in front of him.
“Prince!” Momose exclaimed and hurried to help him up as Hakuto left his arms. Prince Yuusei looked away, hesitant, but he gulped and looked at him again, this time much more composed.
“Sorry, I was… I should have been more careful”.
Momose looked around his room, that was now much more impersonal, and felt weirdly out of place.
“My…my Prince, did I do something wrong? Are you sending me away?”
He would understand. Prince Yuusei is wonderful and kind, but he does not conceded wishes to unworthy people.
He’s fair. He will not give someone anything they don’t deserve.
“No. You said your wish had been granted. I assumed you would not want to come back”, he looked nervously around himself, “I can not make you happy anymore and I get that. But I wanted to send you your things and the riches you deserve, for your services and your troubles”.
Momose blinked, and blinked again. And then he laughed.
The Prince was so cute!
So cute and so goofy, so wonderful and adorable and air-headed he had not noticed. There was no other place where Momose could be any happier! Why would he want to leave? When every time with his Prince was an adventure, when every small gesture and kindness filled his heart to the brim and even more?
When he was almost sure his purpose in life was here, helping people and making them happy, by his Prince’s side?
“My Prince, I will stay, under one condition”, he dared, trembling with uncertainty and excitement and a tender heart. Prince Yuusei looked at him eagerly, ready to give him everything he had, “you need to keep making me happy. Forever”.
“I… don’t know how to do that…” the Prince lamented, destroying Momose’s resistance, who took him into his arms in a desperate hug. Hug that was reciprocated as the Prince buried his fingers on his ribs and his nose under his ear, breathing him in, melting in his arms.
“You’ve already done it.” Momose whispered against his Prince hair, “just keep doing it, and I will stay”.
Prince Yuusei got a great idea… and proposed gifting the Palace to Momose so he had a place to stay.
So Momose had to spell “marry me” for him and kiss him senseless to stop him from signing the title with his name on it.
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And the marvelous Prince kept granting people’s wishes and making them happy the best as he could, with his sweet husband by his side. Momose’s tummy only ever hurt from laughter from then on.
And they lived goofy ever after.