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There is nothing wrong with being a princess, Nene supposes.
A pretty face hidden within walls of stone and concrete, or the blade of a sword– cold as raw ice, unforgiving steel slicing through everything in its path. Perhaps she was a quiet and obedient housewife, or maybe even an actor in another far-off world, free from crowns and the duties associated. To her prince, to her soon-to-be-husband, to Tsukasa– she is whatever he wishes. He does not seem to be picky, however, appearing content to stare out the window at the garden below.
He is everything to her, or he is supposed to be. He is not, having never earned his place as her first place of love. She doubts he ever will, try as he may (or not, with little he seems to worry about winning her over) and will forever lose to her sense of freedom– something he does not seem so inclined to take from her. For a “future husband”, Tsukasa is rather cheerful and lenient with whatever she decides to do. Go on a walk? Sure, but don’t get hurt. Stop in the forest? Please don’t eat anything that looks weird. If you visit the local bakery, could you get me some of that bread Saki likes?
Nene rolls her eyes at each request, some genuine and some playful. He is good to her, really, and she almost dares to call him her friend . So yes, really– there is nothing so wrong about being a princess.
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Nene thinks she may have fallen in love by the end of their first meeting in the forest.
There’s been rumours of a thief running about, nicking items from the local shops. Insignificant little things, it seems, such as scraps of linen, or a carrot (looked upon with much distaste, according to the witnesses) or even a nail from the hull of a ship. Honami, the owner of the bakery down the road from the castle mentioned that the thief seems to like her pastries. Nene thinks she is oddly flattered for someone who gets robbed once or twice a day— though, it does seem to be in her nature to care for others. Perhaps Miss Mochizuki doesn’t mind?
Nene is a good princess (and a better fighter, though the blade in her bedroom goes unused), so she naturally offers to investigate. She’s a little tired of her games, and there is nothing wrong with touching grass every once in a while.
Nene is surprised by three things upon seeing the thief. The first is that the boy in the clearing is stunning, which she would not dare to admit— his lavender hair soft with bold streaks of aquamarine, piercing golden eyes, and elegance radiating off of his every movement. He is both unkempt and orderly, neat yet messy. He is the embodiment of chaos and disarray, he is raw and real and free. Nene is jealous, if only for a moment, though she would never admit that either-! Because really , she thinks, there is nothing wrong with being a princess.
The second is that he is performing magic. The faint glow around his hands, golden in color and staticky like her bedsheets after a particularly dry day– her clothes stick to her skin. It’s uncomfortable, yet impressive.
The third is remembering that magic of any kind is illegal in this kingdom; a sentiment Tsukasa seems to be heavily against, though in no place to argue. It is not his kingdom, yet , and she wholeheartedly believes he will turn it around the moment he is king. (She wonders if it has to do with his Phoenix friend– Emu, was it? Remarkably well hidden, that one.) This boy is committing a crime, he is a criminal. She is soon to be of the royal family. She should report him to the guard.
Curiosity killed the cat,
Nene does neither, choosing to watch. He doesn’t seem aggressive, nor does he seem dangerous. He spins his screwdriver in one hand, the other fiddling with something she cannot see. Soft clanking noises ring in her ears, bright flashes of something glimmering in the trees. She’s intrigued, if only a little. Surely those stolen parts are being put to use?
The boy freezes. Nene does too, hand slipping into a hidden pocket sewn into her dress. Her fingers curl around a knife, one she would really rather not use. He turns to her, coat flapping with the sudden motion– amber meets purple, and she gasps, taking one, two steps back. Something cold touches her leg, she glances down, what the hell is that and is it moving-?! She kicks it away, looks back up– her grip on the blade tightens, heartbeat picking up, the boy is gone, she’s falling.
“Ah,” a hand tugs at hers, pulling her upright. “Careful, princess.”
She yelps, scrambling back. “What,” she hisses, “pray tell, was that for?! ” Nene brushes the nonexistent dirt off of her dress as if she’d actually fallen. Flustered. She was flustered, she– she is the princess , she is supposed to be elegant and calm and pull yourself together. Deep breath in, slow exhale, rinse and repeat. She opens her eyes. “Was that necessary?”
The boy’s expression goes from concerned to almost amused. He raises his hands in mock surrender, giving an innocent smile as he moves closer to pick up his metallic creature. “I was merely trying to help, princess, you must understand– I had no intention to startle you.” He looks over his… increasingly odd item (seriously, what the hell is that thing?) and sighs, frowning. “You broke him, just a little– I’ll have my poor friend fixed up in no time. Either way, that was rather rude, don’t you think?”
Bullshit , she thinks, but she refrains from voicing her thoughts. Her hand is sweaty around the knife handle, hot in her pocket. She lets go. “I… I apologize.” Be polite, be orderly, be civil, be kind, you are a princess. “How can I repay you?”
Easy. Riches, she had plenty of. However much he demanded could be repaid, to an extent– she was reasonable. A real home? That could be arranged. She finds it weird that he lives in the forest. No sources say he has a real, official residence.
The boy shrugged. “Fix him with me.”
Nene dies inside. What.
Her expression must have given away her shock, as he snickers and repeats himself. “Fix him with me. It won’t cost you anything– I am anything but low on supplies, and I know how to do it. All I ask is for a little of your company in doing so.” Nene, ever so brilliant, fails to respond. “Isn’t it only fair?”
And really, she cannot argue with that. You are a princess, she reminds herself, you owe him nothing. Even so, she cannot find it in her to reject his suggestion, and they agree to meet in a week.
“I am princess Nene,” she introduces herself before she leaves, back turned.
A soft laugh. “Ah, I know. Who doesn’t?” His hand comes to her shoulder as he moves to kneel in front of her. He takes her hand in both of his own, pristine white gloves being remarkably soft. He places a gentle kiss to the back of her hand, lips just brushing the skin. It tingles sweetly. “I am Rui Kamishiro, your majesty. It is the highest of honours to be in your presence.”
She makes her way back to the castle that night, mind heavy with thoughts of the sorcerer in the woods. She finds that she doesn’t mind.
And satisfaction brought it back.
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Fixing a magical robot is messy, which is something Nene seriously should’ve taken into account before leaving for the woods. In a nice dress. Picked out by Tsukasa. Because he thinks she looks nice in the dress, and– really, she absolutely does.
It turns out that he does in fact have a place to stay, that being a hidden cave behind a conveniently placed oak tree– well furnished with a small cot against the northern wall, shelves and cabinets of all shapes and colors scattered about the room. The glowing light of the lanterns doubles as a heater when it gets cold at nights, according to Rui, and he has a little stash of friends hidden away in a separate room. One that he won’t let her into for today, for “fear of you kicking them”.
But here she is, covered in oil and grease– her hands are absolutely filthy, and sore from all of the metal scraps. She has to have pricked herself with the sewing needle at least twenty times, all to fix Sir Lancelot the magical robot. To be completely fair, she did kick the poor thing, but… still. Tsukasa is going to think I’ve been robbed, Nene thinks, handing Rui some… weird wrench. He claims it’s “incredibly important” in the rebuilding of Sir Lancelot.
It looks like a normal wrench to her, but who is she to judge? He’s the one doing the actual repairing, so she can’t completely complain. Even so, she has never been dirtier in her life . It’s…
It’s kind of fun, actually. There’s no one around to tell her to clean herself up, or to be courteous and sweet. She even gets to crack a few jokes! They seemed to surprise him, as he spit out his water. Twice.
She likes the way it feels. The freedom, the lack of real responsibility. If she messed up which part he needed, she would simply look again. Back in the castle, if she slipped up even once, the king would call her unfit for his son, much to Tsukasa’s dislike. The pained glances he’d shoot her way and subtle glares towards his father said enough. He was on her side, at least, and for that she couldn’t complain. Being with Rui was… nice. It was relaxing, if she dared admit that.
“I wish I could live like you.”
“Is that so?” Rui asks, pausing his fiddling with Lancelot’s motor. “Why?”
“You don’t seem like you have much to worry about. Food is easy access, and shelter is,” She motions around to the hidden room, “readily available. You just… build robots, entertain the plaza children… It seems like fun.”
“Fun.” He wipes his hands on his shirt, and– why is he still wearing gloves..? “Yes, I suppose you could think about it that way. It makes me happy to put a smile on the children’s faces, even if their parents disapprove of my… little performances.”
“I’ve never seen you actually play with the kids. I’ve only ever heard rumours.”
“You’ve never seen most of the city, I would bet, princess.” That hit like a ton of bricks. No… no, she hasn’t.
That’s a little shameful,
she thinks to herself, wincing a bit.
A princess who doesn’t know her own kingdom. Is this what I have become? Is this how low I have fallen?
“Ah, that was not meant to be an insult. You should come with me sometime– I am sure the children would love another friend to play with.”
“You think so?”
“Know so. They cannot get enough of my mechanical friends… imagine if I brought a real person with me.” He chuckles, picking up the wrench and twirling it between his fingers.
“Do you not have many friends?”
“None, princess. I am a thief, a magician. An ‘evil, dark sorcerer from the woods’,” Rui gives an empty laugh, humorless and… kind of sad. “Is that so surprising to you?”
Nene goes silent. Realistically, no, but… still. He seemed like quite the charmer– it was hard to not want to be friends with him. What am I thinking?! Nene shook her head rapidly, trying to rid the heat from her cheeks. “Have you anywhere I can… clean off? Tsukasa will be horrified if I come back to the castle in this.
Rui paused, grinning. “Why don’t you come with me? There’s a nice spring a little deeper into the forest. It’ll clean you off just fine.”
“Alright. Do you mean my dress as well?”
“Of course, princess. You’ll both be squeaky clean by the time you’re done.”
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He pushed her in. What he meant by that, was that he would push her in.
“Rui Kamishiro!” Nene shrieked, head breaking the surface of the water. “What the fuck?!” She looks around rapidly, and– where did he go?
“Behind you, my lady– and was that foul language I just heard? I don’t believe my ears… the princess of the royal family-” He gets cut off with a faceful of water, spluttering and wiping his hand down his face. “Dirty. That was dirty, princess.”
“You pushed me in. It doesn’t get dirtier than that.” She deadpans, flicking more water towards his face.
“I did say the water would get both you and the dress clean,” Rui points out, and if Nene was watching the way his wet hair curled around his face, then no she wasn’t. “And it will if you swim around enough. Ah, you do know how to-?”
“I know how to swim.” She snaps bitterly, a coy smile pulling at her lips. “Do you?”
“Of course I do, what kind of- mmph?!”
Nene dove under the water, sweeping his legs out from under him and pulling him down with her. Rui coughs as he comes back up. “It’s on.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.”
Nene yelps as she’s dragged under. The song and dance lasts for… well, she’s not sure. But it’s about sundown and she is thoroughly soaked by the time Rui pulls both himself and her out of the spring, shaking from laughing so hard.
“You have me.” Nene blurts out.
“Hmm?”
“As a friend.”
“Do I, now?”
“Yes. You do.”
He smiles. “Thank you, princess… say, would you like to come to the market with me sometime?”
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As expected, Tsukasa was horrified when she walked into the castle dripping wet and leaving puddles all over the typically-pristine carpet. But Nene couldn’t stop smiling– she had a date.
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“Normal clothes” is not something Nene can say she’s used to. Not because they’re ugly, or because they’re uncomfortable– quite the opposite, really. The white corset around her waist is not nearly as tight as she typically wears it, and the soft green dress hanging from her body flows loosely in the wind. She even has a hat! It ruffles her hair and makes it frizzy in such an un-ladylike manner– it’s surprisingly pleasant. She wonders if Tsukasa will let her wear things like this more often. Maybe she should dress him up sometime, too. She has a feeling he would enjoy it.
She is also not used to waiting. Waiting, which she does a lot of, as Rui does not show up for two hours . Safe to say, she has words for him. None of them are nice ones, but she keeps it in. She’s a princess, after all. She must be calm and composed, courteous and– wait. Nene’s mouth turns upward in a cunning smile. No, she isn’t a princess right now. She’s just a girl. Which means–!
“Where the hell have you been?!” Whoa, she didn’t realize her voice could go that high. She pauses. That was a little too loud, and even as a not-princess, she has to maintain at least some of her manners. “Where in the world,” she starts, voice like poisoned honey, “have you been? You stood me up for,” Nene shoots a glance at the clock on the wall, pointedly ignoring Miss Honami’s wide eyes, “two hours and eleven minutes.”
Rui winces, leaning back a little. “Princess– err– my lady,” he corrects himself, standing up straight. “I ran into some trouble on the way here,” Uh-oh, her eyes narrowed-! “as Sir Lancelot broke.”
Again? Nene sighed quietly. That was a valid answer. “Can he be fixed?”
“Yes, he can. And for that reason, I have a new idea for our little date.”
“Is that so?”
“Why, of course! I took so long to get here because I was figuring out which parts of Sir Lancelot needed replacing, and thanks to your patience–”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.” She deadpans. “You left me here.”
“Apologies, my lady.” Rui winks at her, pulling a slip of paper out of his pants pocket. Nene’s stomach flutters slightly. Smooth, magic boy. Smooth. “But thanks to your patience, I now have a list!” He waves the paper around cheerfully, opening it for her to see.
Fabric, some metal, wires, leather, buttons… “You want to go shopping?” She asks.
“Hardly.”
What. “Pardon me?” Nene sputters out, flabbergasted. What was the point of the list?!
“You’ve been excused,” Rui hums, “and really now. Shopping is no fun. Besides– on our last date, if I do recall correctly, you said you would like a taste of my life. Is that correct, my lady?”
Nene flushed. “You don’t need to call me that, you know.”
“Ah, but I insist. My lady.”
“And yes, I did say that.” Did she? Nene isn’t even entirely sure. However, she does want to see what he has planned, as much as she thinks she already knows– there’s not much harm in going with his antics, right?
“As I was saying, now. Why shop when we can steal? We won’t take much, I never do. All we need to do is nick a few things here and there– the kind of things that people won’t miss. We have to fix Sir Lancelot, and it will be much harder to buy these sorts of items.” Rui presented his idea proudly.
“We’re going to get caught.” This is a terrible idea.
“Not if you follow me, you won’t.” Rui assured, smirking in that stupidly attractive way. “Believe me, my lady, I will not allow harm of any sort to come to you during our adventure. Besides,” he laughs, pulling her into an alley, “wouldn’t you,” he leaps up, pulling himself onto the rafters and then to the rooftop, “want to see how it would feel,” he offers her his hand, “to be free?”
Nene sucks in a sharp breath of air, gut punched by his words. Would she? This is illegal, it really is– but… freedom is something else. Most of the wedding plans had been finalized. With Tsukasa around, as much as she did love him, freedom would never be something she would ever have, ever truly have. Rui is giving her this chance, and…
She takes his hand. He grins, pulling her up. “Well, my lady– glad to have you joining me.” He takes the now-crumpled list from her other hand, opening it with one hand. He doesn’t let go of hers at any point, she notices, but says nothing on the topic. What if he lets go? “Why don’t we start with the fabric? There’s a lovely seamstress down the road.”
Nene nods. Here we go.
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Rui leads her through a lot of alleys– she’s half starting to wonder if he lives in these damn things. He stops at the back of a store, walking around to the front. Interestingly enough, Rui pauses and asks her to wait outside. “Just for this one, you can join me for the rest.” He promises, walking in. Nene peeks her head around the wall she’s behind, glancing inside, and– oh hell. It’s Mizuki’s shop. This is where most of her clothing comes from, if she’s correct. A friend of Tsukasa’s no doubt. You’re kidding . Nene groans quietly, burying her face in her hands. Maybe it’s better that she’s outside.
“Ey, funny-lookin’ man. How can I help you today?” Definitely Mizuki, Nene thinks.
“Ah, I was just taking a look at your fabrics! They’re the finest in the land, or so I’ve heard!” Is he seriously going to try to charm his way through this?
“Hah, you think? Of course. I’m only the best seamstress in the kingdom.” You’re the only seamstress in the kingdom…
“Say, may I take a look at this one?” How is this working?
“Yeah, of course!” You’re joking.
Silence.
More silence.
More silence?
“Thank you!” The front door slams open with a bang, Rui grabbing her hand with a roll of cloth in the other. “Time to run,” he advises, pulling her along. Nene yelps. What the hell?! Rui just laughs at her bewildered expression.
“Rui, you bitch- next time, just ask if you can take some like a normal person– oh!” Mizuki’s eyes widen at the sight of Nene. “ Oh.” Mizuki slowly smiles, walking back inside her shop. “Oh Ena ! You’ll never believe who I just saw with the dumb sorcerer!”
Nene turns to glare at Rui, who she finds is blushing . Her stomach flips. “A-ah, we should go.”
“Agreed.” She whispers.
Oh. Oh. Oh no.
…fuck.
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It’s not to say that Nene has ever had any real allegiance to Tsukasa as a lover. As a wife, maybe, but certainly not a lover. She understands fully that he is the same with her. Finding him kissing another should not have been so heartbreaking. It was.
He was kissing the castle gardener, because of course he was. Tsukasa has been staring at him from his bedroom window for weeks. Nene vaguely recalls that his name is Akito , before she remembers she is still frozen in the doorway. Tsukasa looks pained, devastated. Akito refuses to look in her direction, eyes glued to the floor in shame. Nene walks out. Somewhere, Tsukasa calls her name, and she swears she is drowning.
Wow, she thinks numbly. Wow, that’s… that’s something. The castle is colder than ever. She can’t take this. Nene runs– one foot after another, as fast as possible, she just needs to be out. Out of the castle, out of all of this. Anywhere but here , Nene trembles, gears turning in her head Anywhere. It clicks. The bakery.
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It doesn’t take long for Nene to change into what she dubs her “commoner clothes”, storming out of the castle in that numb daze. The bakery is right down the road, the close proximity being a gift she is endlessly grateful for. She’s painfully aware of how much a mess she looks right now, even more so of the stares of the townsfolk.
What was she doing here?
Miss Honami ushers her in, sitting her down in the back. She’s running low on sugar, Nene notes. I’ll order her more later. It’s empty after that. She can’t quite hear what she’s being asked, nor can she make out the person in front of her. Whoever it is is quick to leave, being replaced by a newer, familiar face.
“ene– Nene. Nene-hime, princess. My lady, can you hear me?”
Rui , she thinks, snapping back to reality. He’s– why is he here? “Rui,” she tries to scream, shout, anything. Just to make herself heard. Despite her efforts, her words only come out in a strangled whisper. “Rui,” she repeats. His face falls, golden eyes filling with concern. “You’re here.” Nene can see Miss Honami leaving from the corner of her eye, the door quietly clicking shut behind her.
“Yes. I’m here.” He responds, frowning slightly. His hands are bare– that’s new. She’s never seen him without those gloves. He flinches when he sees her stare, giving a little smile. “Electrical burns, is all. They’re old, so don’t worry about it. What… happened? Princess,” he starts–
“Don’t.” She cuts him off coldly.
“Wh- huh?”
“Don’t,” she repeats, a bit softer this time "call me princess.”
Rui goes silent, eventually nodding. “Then what do you want me to call you?”
“Nene. Just Nene, and– and stand up. Don’t bow down to me. We’re equals here. No princess, no “my lady”, no “your highness” or– just don’t, none of it. It’s you and me here. Nothing else, okay?” If Rui hears the desperation in her voice, he doesn’t say a word. “Okay?”
And Rui, ever so wonderful, smiles and agrees. “Do you want to talk about it?” He gently takes her hand– his are calloused at the fingertips, yet his palms are soft and warm. Everything about him is just so inviting , she hardly knows what to do with it all. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, of course. But if there is anything I can do to make you feel better…” he trails off. This is the first time she’s seen him look so… unsure of himself. It’s a little unnerving, if she’s going to be honest.
“I saw Tsukasa kissing someone.” Nene blurts out.
“...Prince Tsukasa– he is your fiance, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I can understand why that would make you upset,” Rui mutters, “seeing as you two will be wed in what I believe is now less than a month.”
“It’s not that.”
“Oh? Do elaborate, if you don’t mind.”
“I just… I thought we could at least pretend.” Nene whispers, guilt seeping into her chest. Thought it, perhaps, but she’s never said it out loud before. “It was loveless from the start. Well, almost. I love him, I do. But he’s my friend above all else, and I have– I have never been able to see him as anything but. Do… Do you understand?”
“Somewhat, yes. I understand having a friend who you cannot see as a lover, but that is the extent of my experiences.” Nene winces, swearing her heart just shattered. That’s unpleasant… “A-ah, let me clarify. I have a phoenix friend, her name is Emu– she steals bread for the two of us to eat on occasion, as neither of us can… legitimately acquire food.”
“I- I see.” The room falls into a long silence, eventually broken by Rui.
“I am assuming you do not get a choice in this marriage?”
“I do not. I am a princess,” the word is heavy and bitter in her mouth– she almost wants to spit it out and wash it away, as if it would do the same to the crushing grip in her stomach. “And I do not get a choice in most matters.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I wish I could be like you, sometimes. Just… free. Not worrying about responsibilities or royalties or– or marriages to someone you don’t love.” Tears brim in her eyes. “I can’t even blame Tsukasa for this either. He must feel the same. He doesn’t love me– he’s had eyes for Akito ever since I’ve met him. I always knew it would never end the way it does in the fairytales, but I couldn’t– I just couldn’t help but hope. Hope that we could… pretend we were a perfectly happy and healthy couple that loved each other. You know– the way we’re supposed to .” She mutters bitterly, furiously wiping away the tears beginning to spill from her eyes.
Rui says nothing, quietly bringing his hand up to her face and brushing away her tears. She lets out a choked sob, collapsing into his arms. He rubs circles into her back, holding her as she trembles. He feels bad, he does. He can’t imagine that at all, but… what if..?
He pulls away from the embrace. Nene blinks twice. “Prin– err, Nene. I… There is something I need to tell you.”
She raises an eyebrow, even with her cheeks puffy and eyes red. “Go on.”
Rui takes a deep breath. “I am in love with you.” Nene’s eyes go wide, before narrowing.
“Was that your plan? Wait until I trusted you, and then to treat me like an object– if you’re saying this just to make me feel worse, then I highly suggest–”
“Nene, please . Listen to me. You are everything to me. You made my life bright when I thought I’d live out my days in a forest with only my own robots as company. You are everything , I would never consider you merely an object. Nene, I… I want neither your crown nor your riches, not your body nor your power– I wish for nothing but your heart, princess, if you are willing to give me the chance.”
Nene freezes. There’s no way. It’s just… it’s too good to be true, and yet…
“Nene,” Rui says softly. “I understand if you’re upset. I know this is the worst time to be confessing, and–”
“Stop. Just, stop.” Rui goes silent at her words, gold eyes searching her own for anything . Nene reaches her hand up, gently taking his and intertwining their fingers. She stays there for a moment. It’s comfortable, to her– the first time she’s genuinely relaxed in far too long. “Do you really mean all that?”
“Yes,” He breathes out, “with everything I have.”
Nene nods, squeezing his hand. “You were leading up to something.” It’s a statement, not a question.
Rui gives a timid grin, nodding. “That I was. You know me too well, Nene.”
“I robbed stores with you,” she shot back, “I’d hope so. What is it?”
“You said you wanted to be free,” Rui started, “And I think I can help with that.”
“How so?”
“Let’s run away.”
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Nene’s not too sure what she expected when she’d returned to the castle. The typical friendly greetings from the maids and the servants were admittedly a little uncanny. Surely they’d noticed something had happened? Despite that, she was glad. The normalcy was… nice.
She catches Akito in the gardens. He doesn’t say a word to her, avoiding her direction entirely, and instead tending to the flowers. In any other case she would find this extremely rude, but she doesn’t even know how to act in this particular scenario. She silently curses Tsukasa in her head– damn you for making things complicated. It’s not his fault.
“I know,” Nene says softly, gently thumbing over the petal of a rose. She hisses when a hidden thorn pricks at her finger, pulling her hand back. “I know.”
She leaves shortly after, and swears she hears him mutter a quiet “sorry”.
She forgives him.
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One thing she definitely does not expect is for Tsukasa Tenma, prince of this kingdom and her soon-to-be husband, to come barging into her room at no earlier than two-thirty in the morning. On a Saturday . He seems… pretty upset, though, so she lets him in.
He crashes onto her bed the moment she offers him a seat, which— understandable. It’s not like it’s an ungodly hour of the day that neither the sun nor she should see, but unfortunately one of them is and it’s not the sun.
“I’ve been thinking,” Tsukasa starts. Well that’s not good. “And I have something I need to confess, Nene.” If it’s about kissing Akito, I walked in on it. We both know about that one. “I’ve been seeing Akito. He’s the royal gardener.”
One thing she notes is that he’s quiet. Painfully so, because Tsukasa Tenma is never quiet. He’s always one to speak his mind, to make his voice heard. Hearing his confidence shot like that reminds her of kicking a puppy. I am aware of that development, is what she wants to say.
“His tongue was down your throat when I wanted to grab my hairpin,” is what comes out instead. Nene pauses. “I am aware of that development.” Yes, she is so intelligent. That stupid sorcerer is rubbing off on me. She thinks annoyedly, face flushing with affection. Cute.
“I- Nene!” Tsukasa splutters, absolutely affronted. He’s red to the tips of his ears. The sad puppy is gone– now he just sounds like a choking duck. “Don’t phrase it like that!” See, he’s even flapping his hands around like one.
“I am not wrong,” Nene snickers.
“Even so!” The laughter died down, and he continued. “Nene, I want to apologise.”
She laughs weakly, shaking her head. “Why? You have nothing to apologise for.” And it’s true, in a sense. He doesn’t. They’d never loved each other from the start, the marriage was doomed to fail.
“No, let me finish.” When Nene falls silent, he continues. “I… I am sorry for– for cheating on you, Nene. I am not sorry for falling for another. We both knew it would happen.” He said quietly, sighing and running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for not being a better future husband. I may love Akito, but… I should not have acted upon those feelings without consulting you first. Or not act upon them at all! That would have been better, don’t you think?” He looks up.
“‘Kasa…” Nene mutters, “You’re not the only one who’s fallen for someone else, you know.”
“While that may be true,” he scoffs, “I did not walk in on you and the sorcerer kissing. I don’t mind in any way– I will get to that later, though.”
“Later?”
“Did you think my grand apology was done? Nene,” Tsukasa sits up, gently taking her hands in his, “I am the most sorry that I cannot love you the way I should. I am sorry that I cannot be a better fiance to you, I am sorry I cannot see you in the way every prince should see their princess. I wish I could love you in that way, I do. It would have saved us all the trouble, yet…”
“You can’t.” She finishes quietly, nodding. “Me neither.”
“I am… endlessly glad that you have found someone for you. Mizuki told me about it. She said you looked happy. I am so thankful that you have someone that can make you feel that way because I cannot.”
“I’m happy for you too, Tsukasa.” It’s genuine. She is, in fact, happy for him. The poor guy has been pining for Akito for upwards of a year now. His staring problem only started recently. “I have something I need to tell you as well.”
“Is it about running away?” What the fuck.
“...how did you-?”
“Miss Honami mentioned it– she seemed worried for your safety.” Ah, well. We were talking kind of loudly, and it is her bakery. “What I wanted to tell you, is that I am okay with that. Above all, I want you to be happy, and if leaving will let you achieve that joy, then I will let you go. Under a few conditions, of course.
Nene blinks twice. She didn’t even have to ask . He’s just letting her leave..? “Such as?”
“You would need to take some things, of course– a horse or two, food, and some supplies. I am sure we have some books on magic hidden in the back of the library as well, which you may take with you. No one in this kingdom can do magic besides him and Emu, so it doesn’t matter much to me.” Tsukasa goes on.
“That’s the condition?” Nene gapes, bewildered. That was more of an assist than a condition. No, that was literally just an assist. Like a video game. What’s a video game..?
“Lastly, I need to meet him.” I overestimated how simple it would be. “Mizuki and Honami claim that he is a good individual, but I need to make sure for myself that he is good enough for you. You deserve only the best, after all. That, and I need to give the guards an inaccurate description of his appearance when I tell them you’ve been kidnapped.”
“…Kidnapped.”
“It’s the best I can think of right now!” He defends himself. Oh thank god I’m not marrying this idiot. “Anyways— bring this Rui to the castle tomorrow, and I will judge him.” That’s terrifying, but alright.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Favorite food?”
“Grapefruit.”
“Least favorite?”
“Anything mint.”
“Birthday?”
“Twentieth of July.”
“Likes?”
“Books, me.”
“Smooth, but I’m not through with you yet.”
“Bring it.”
“Dislikes?”
“Crowds.”
Nene groans from her chair. The two had been going at this for at least fifteen minutes, possibly bordering half an hour. Tsukasa sure had a… a lot of questions, that’s for sure. Rui hasn’t gotten a single one wrong as of yet. She thinks she may explode.
An hour or so later, when Rui walks out of the room looking nothing but triumphant, her face being red from “how did he remember that?”, she thinks he just may be the one.
(Note: he is.)
========================================================================
There is nothing wrong with being a princess, Nene supposes.
Much more than a pretty face, no longer hidden away, or the blade of a kitchen knife on the nights where it’s her turn to cook dinner– warm, inviting, like a home . Perhaps she is a strong-willed and quick-witted fighter, or maybe even an actor in another far-off world much like her own, free from crowns and the duties associated. To her lover, to her soon-to-be-husband, to Rui– she is everything, and that is enough for her.
Yes,
Nene thinks fondly,
there is nothing so wrong with being a princess.