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Some times being a heir to a kingdom is something Yuno did not enjoy. In all honesty, it felt like a job. Homework. A tiring, boring, useless chore. Being royalty? Yeah, sure, maybe most people loved it, but Yuno definitely didn't.
See, being royal meant being at the top, and when you're at the top then that meant that there was no reason to go any further. Like sitting on the world's tallest tower; you see everything, you know everything, you're powerful, strong and rich. What more is there to want?
Being royal should mean being free, but Yuno had never felt free, especially not now. Not when his parents were trying to force him to marry someone- another heir to be exact. Since he had turned eighteen, he was considered the proper age to marry.
And now the entire Spade Kingdom was filling up with guests from other royal families. People from everywhere- The Diamond Kingdom, The Silva Kingdom, The Crimson Lion Kingdom, The Blue Rose Kingdom, and many others- were piling into the Spade Kingdom's venue.
Yuno watched them with an expression of apathy and nothing more. He wasn't interested in these dumb, royal shenanigans. He wasn't in the mood. He'd rather be outside training with Captain Vangeance, exploring plains beyond the Spade Kingdom and expanding his field of knowledge and experience. And yet what was he doing?
Checking out stuck-up, entitled, spoiled, bratty suitors.
"Please dear, try to look a little happier. We're doing this for you," His mother spoke gently from where she stood beside him.
Yuno's eyes narrowed and his head bowed, "This isn't something that I want."
"You're only saying that because you're confused, Yuno. You're not old enough to understand what you want yet. That's why we're doing this; to help you," His mother responded, sounding sweet and understanding.
But she could never understand. Yuno may be young but he was smart enough to know what he wanted. Marrying at a time like this? He simply wasn't interested nor was he ready.
For what felt like hours Yuno stood there as the venue filled and everyone got properly positioned. Then, once the room quieted down, Captain Vangeance spoke up and began to introduce each and every royal suitor that had attended the party.
Mars of the Diamond Kingdom was like a walking human reflection of himself.
Leopold was kind of endearing, bold, polite and filled with life.
The Silva siblings were each rather cocky yet stunning and rich with mana.
Finral and Langris were quite the intricate pair. One overly flirtatious and the other completely self-absorbed.
Sol was an anti-male nightmare who was respectfully independent and dominant. Yuno wondered why she was even here.
Once all suitors were presented, the party began. Yuno tried staying in place until his parents more or less destroyed his introvert bubble and forced him to interact with other people. Finral and Leopold were upon him immediately, asking questions and politely introducing themselves.
The Silva siblings each stood nearby awaiting his attention. Sol wasted no time engaging in conversation with some nearby female royals. And Mars casually walked away without a word, seemingly as bored and as disinterested as Yuno.
Over two hours went by.
By then Yuno was mentally exhausted and begging for the day to be over. So far he had spoken to every single suitor besides the one from the Diamond Kingdom. Everyone was... 'unique' to say the least. But no one quite gave him the spark he was expecting.
And the only person left to learn from was Mars.
After searching around for a bit, Yuno finally found his last suitor. He was outside in the garden venue, laughing and smiling with a group of people Yuno did not recognize. They were dressed in a variety of dark clothes and had an odd essence to the glow of their mana. Menacing yet peaceful and genuine at the same time.
There was a young, short man with Mars. They both stood at a buffet table. The short man had sparkles in his eyes, his cheeks puffing out as he turned to Mars and lifted up a piece of desert, "Oh man, you gotta try this. It's so good."
With a pleasant smile, Mars bent down and opened his mouth to accept the food. For some reason, the sight made Yuno's gut tighten, and he had absolutely no clue as to why. But he did know that he wanted to find out.
The closer Yuno ventured, the more he got to see. The person Mars was with wore dark, navy blue pants with a matching jacket and a white under-shirt. On his waist was a satchel that carried his grimoire. His hair was short but long enough to tickle his ears and the back of his neck, it's color dark grey like rain clouds. And his eyes?
As if noticing his upcoming presence, the short foreigner turned his head thus revealing his insanely beautiful, wide eyes that were the shade of a freshly cut field being spotlighted by the sun. He was remarkable, scars on his sun-kissed skin and passion in his aura. And yet...
No magic to be felt.
"Is that..." The short man mumbled, his eyes meeting with Yunos.
Yuno's stomach became fuzzy.
"Yes it is," Spoke a tall man with long, black hair that was pulled into a neat ponytail, "The prince of the Spade Kingdom. Yuno Grinberryall."
"Oh wow, no kidding?" The foreigner's voice instantly rose as his body buckled up in excitement, "That is so awesome. Hi, my name is Asta. It's very nice to meet you, Spade Prince."
Wow. So passionate and kind. Yuno smiled for the first time that day. "Hi," He waved gently at the bowing foreigner, "It's nice to meet you too... Asta."
"Our apologies, your majesty, were you needing to speak with sir Mars?" Asked the man with the long, black hair.
Yuno looked to him, curious to know who he was as well. Was he somehow related to Asta? "There's no need to apologize, but yes. I do need to speak with him for a moment if that's alright?"
"Yeah, of course, go for it," Asta grinned and gave Mars a friendly pat on the back, "We'll be waiting right here for you, buddy."
As if he were assigned to clean bathrooms, Mars' smile dropped and his aura darkened. Silently he followed the Spade prince to a different section of the garden. Yuno didn't mind his cold attitude for he could relate to the feeling. It wasn't necessarily Mars he was interested in but rather... His friend.
"I understand that you're not interested in me as a suitor. Trust me, the feeling is mutual," Yuno immediately explained once they were relatively alone, "I get the feeling that you were drug here against your will."
"I guess you could say that," Mars replied, his voice as calm and as tame as Yunos.
At least they had reached some form of an unspoken agreement. "Don't worry. No one's getting married any time soon so feel free to enjoy the party as much as you'd like," Yuno reassured, "But I do have some questions to ask. Those people over there- who are they?"
Gazing off in the direction of Asta and the others, Mars stared for a moment, lost in thought and considering his words. "If I tell you and you don't like the answer, what will you do?"
Huh? Yuno's face scrunched with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean- what will you do if you don't like the answer I give you?" Mars asked again, this time sounding serious.
What, were they commoners or something? Whoever they were, obviously the Diamond prince truly cared about them. "Move on, I guess. I don't see any reason to make a big deal out of it."
Mars looked at him deeply like a spy, searching for any signs of lies or foul intent. "Very well," He decided, "I'll tell you... They're from the Devil Kingdom. That is the ruler Nacht... Asta is the prince."
Asta was a prince? "They're from the Devil Kingdom?" Yuno breathed in awe.
He had heard many rumors about the forsaken Devil Kingdom. Some say it was a place of horror, malice and destruction. Some say it was a no good, cheap spot for commoners and orphans. Some say it was a place of growth and acceptance. But most people say that it was forsaken.
"Then... Why?" If Asta was a prince, then why wasn't he presented as a suitor?
"They're not supposed to be here," Mars admitted, his voice sounding dry, "I invited them."
Yuno looked at him, examining the way his fists tightened at his sides. "He's... They've done a lot for me," Mars said, "They're good people. I just wanted them to see the world... So if you wanna punish anyone then punish me, alright? Just let them go."
Yuno was stricken by his sudden outburst, but still he managed to remain calm. "No one is getting punished," He exclaimed firmly, "By my word they are welcome here, but for their sake I wouldn't tell anyone else about their true identity."
Mars blinked at him, uncertain on whether or not he could trust him. "Right."
"Go. Enjoy the rest of the party," Yuno stated.
Despite his tremendous desire to know more about Asta and the Devil Kingdom folk, he knew that if he spoke to them now then he would only draw attention. It was best to wait, be patient. He was already making a plan.
Yuno watched as Mars walked back over to the devil group, Asta greeting him as if he were the best thing in the world. Hmp. Who would have thought that one of his suitors was only here to smuggle in forbidden guests?
Classic.
...
By the end of the party, Yuno was approached by his mother. "Well dear? How do you feel? Did any of the suitors peak your interest?"
Yuno, having had more than enough time to think and plot, looked to his mother with his usual monotony. "Yes, as a matter of fact, one has. With your permission, I would like to request that Captain Vangeance escort me to his kingdom next week."
His mother looked at him as if she had witnessed a world changing phenomenon. "A-are you certain, Yuno?" And then she smiled, big and bright and full of relief, "Well, that's grand. I'm so happy that you found someone. Who was it? Prince Finral? Or perhaps Prince Leopold; those two haven't left your side all evening."
"If it's alright with you, I'd like for the identity of my chosen suitor to remain private- just until I've gotten the chance to learn more about them, please." Yuno explained calmly, hoping for the best.
"Oh," His mother took a step back, dejected, but she smiled gently, simply grateful that her son was finally opening up, "That's fine, dear. I'll inform your father and have him send the other royals on their way. In the meantime, I suggest you say your goodbyes."
"Thank you," Yuno sighed quietly in relief and turned to go search for his captain. While he would like to go talk to the devil prince, he didn't want to attract attention and take a chance on major chaos ensuing. It wouldn't be fair to the ever kind Asta.
So instead, Yuno searched for his captain. It wasn't difficult to find him in the royal pub trying to settle down drunken party guests. "Ah, Prince Yuno, what brings you here?" Vangeance asked while handing a hungover guest a glass of water.
"I need to speak with you. Privately, please," Yuno stated.
Vangeance gave him a curious look behind his mask, "Certainly, your majesty."
They walked a ways through the castle, quiet as mice. By the time they made it to an unoccupied cellar, Yuno led his captain inside, carefully searched around and then closed the hatch. Vangeance' expression had gone from curious, to quizzical.
"Is something the matter?" He asked, watching as Yuno plopped down on one of the steps, his body sagging forward as a large sigh heaved past his lips.
"I'm fine," Yuno rubbed a tired hand through his hair, "But I can't say that I agree with what mother is trying to do."
"Hmp," Vangeance smiled softly, more understanding than most of Yuno's feelings and thought processes. He sat down on a nearby barrel and propped his chin up on his palm, "I take it none of the suitors caught your interest."
Yuno was silent, his arms lazily crossed and his gaze averted. He toyed with a section of his sleeve while thinking about the Devil Kingdom dwellers. Deep down he feared that if he told his parents who his real love interest was, they would become furious and possibly even try to declare war. Devils were notorious for being loathed throughout the lands, even more so commoners and weaklings.
Gosh, what Yuno wouldn't give to live in a different world- one that was not purely prone to hatred, royalty, prejudice and discrimination. He wanted a life filled with freedom, adventure and happiness. Right now he had everything he could ever want; royalty, mana, wealth, fame and fortune. But he had never really had the chance to really get out there and explore the world, especially the parts that were less important to royals.
Mars was a lucky guy to have friends like Asta. Yuno was honestly a bit jealous. What must it be like to live a life so free that one can have commoners and devils for friends?
"Or... have they?" Vangeance eyes widened in disbelief.
Vangeance was probably the only person here that Yuno could call a friend, and he trusted him more than his parents not to judge him over his present circumstance. "There was one prince, but... He wasn't here by invitation. The Diamond Kingdom prince snuck him in, and I..." Yuno's eyes widened as he stared at the dusty ground, his tense shoulders going lax as he quietly admitted, "I want to know more about him."
"What kingdom was he from?" Vangeance asked, smiling a bit as he remembered all of the guests he had seen at the party today.
Yuno hesitated, but eventually mumbled, "The Devil Kingdom."
Vangeance jostled a bit but otherwise made no negative expression, his eyes closing as he said thoughtfully, "I see. You are referring to Prince Asta."
"You-" Yuno gasped, "You know him?"
"I am well acquainted with the Devil Kingdom, yes," Vangeance gazed up at the hatch as if it were a window he could stare longingly at, "Myself and Asta's captain- Yami Sukehiro- fought alongside Julius Novachrono."
"Are you serious?" Yuno jerked forward in surprise, "How come you never told me about this?"
Vangeance only offered him a knowing smile. "You were never interested before now," He then stood up and went to grab a random apple from one of the shelves, looking at it in admiration and going to shine it on his sleeve, "I have to say, the prince you have chosen is quite the remarkable figure. May I ask what it was that made you so interested in him?"
Yuno, blushing a bit, turned his head away and mumbled, "I don't know. I just am."
"Are your parents aware?" Vangeance hummed.
"No," Yuno shook his head in disappointment, "I don't want them to know."
"Very well," Vangeance agreed softly, relating significantly to how Yuno felt. Being royal and/or powerful and communicating with commoners was not a good look around here. He too feared how the Spade Kingdom's king and queen would react if they found out their own son was getting involved with the devil prince. "Do you plan to write to him?"
Yuno stood up from the stairs, changing his slump mannerism into that of great assuredness, "I've already informed mother that I would like for you to escort me to the kingdom of my interest, but she doesn't know that it is the Devil Kingdom."
"It's probably best that she didn't know," Vangeance smiled at his young student, pride coursing through him as well as endearment and curiosity. Yuno had always been odd; quiet, stoic, powerful and seeming uninterested in anything to do with romance or special affairs. But whenever it came to learning about other cultures, there was always a glow in his eyes- and it was just like the glow he had now.
"What's wrong?" Yuno asked, looking at him strangely.
Vangeance huffed and went to adjust his mask, "Oh it's nothing. Shall we return to the pub?"
Yuno nodded and led the way out of the cellar. He had a long week ahead of him, the image of Asta never once leaving his mind. He couldn't wait to leave, set sail on an adventure and learn about new territories. There was so much to do, he could already feel the excitement pounding through his veins.