Work Text:
The newspaper works fast.
By the time the engagement was decided, they were already coming out with article after article that spread far and wide across the continent.
Arranged marriage between the Crown Princes of the West and North after a decades-long territory dispute between the two kingdoms.
It was nothing short of chaotic.
Now, it seems like everyone, not just media outlets, is desperate for information surrounding the biggest political matchmaking of the decade. The West and North kingdoms are two of the four largest and historically extensive kingdoms in the land. It's not a surprise that an arranged marriage between their two crown princes would create excitement, unease, and discussion.
An arrangement that would finally end all the fighting.
Nanase Riku sighs for the fifth time that day as he reads through the papers in his hands. Under the bold heading, he sees the two paintings of the crown princes in question.
The Crown Prince of the North is probably around a year younger than Riku. He's staring forward with a cold expression in his golden eyes, arms crossed loosely across his chest. The cold kingdom of the North has snow almost all year round with freezing temperatures and little to no sun, hence the prince's thick and oversized cloaks. His mint-colored hair is long enough to brush against the base of his neck, one side tucked behind his ear to show his gold earring—the symbol of his status.
Then, Riku looks at the second painting right next to the first. The Crown Prince of the West—his brother.
Tenn looks almost as cold and unhappy as his husband-to-be in the painting. He's wearing looser clothing with fewer layers. Compared to the cold of the North, the West has constant sun and warmth like an endless summer. He's staring off to the side, a hand tucked under his chin. His gaze is focused but distant. So unlike the brother Riku knows.
He puts the paper down and lets out his sixth sigh. His concern for his older twin twists inside him again. He knows Tenn can take care of himself, but wasn't this too much of an ask? They weren't even twenty-five years of age.
An arranged marriage.
Riku had hoped, after the sacrifices Tenn had made for the good of the kingdom, that he would at least earn himself a caring, loving, and genuine marriage. He deserved to have someone he could love and love him in return.
He hadn't expected their parents to strike a deal with the North.
Though most people—both in and out of the royal family—think of him as naive and clueless, Riku finds himself learning information that not a lot of other people know. A bright smile here and a tilt of his head there, a lot of people were willing to spill their secrets to him because they thought he would be too stupid to understand.
And Riku knows this about his family and kingdom: they were losing the territory dispute.
He easily put it together just by talking to a few distant relatives and by 'accidentally' hearing other people's conversations. Tenn probably knew this, too, which is why he agreed to the marriage in the first place. Losing the land they were fighting for would damage their economy significantly. A loss the kingdom couldn't take.
He also knows this about the Northern Royal family: the prince doesn't have any suitors. Rumors say he's too rude and overly critical of his past suitors, sending them running. Some even say that he's rejected them before they even meet.
It's not difficult to guess the kind of deal they made through the arranged marriage.
Riku looks out the window with a frown. The sky overhead is clear and maybe the bluest he's ever seen it. Everything is moving so fast that it makes Riku feel dizzy. Next to the paper is a gold-lined envelope containing none other than the formal invite to his own brother's wedding ceremony. He hates that he can't be fully happy for Tenn, given the circumstances.
"Tenn-nii," Riku mutters. "Please be okay."
Natsume Minami is convinced that his highness has a secret lover stashed somewhere deep in the city.
He's worked as Crown Prince Isumi Haruka's advisor for many years now and has been his friend for even longer. He knows what it looks like when his prince is keeping a secret, and this feels like a massive secret.
He first noticed it around a year ago.
Isumi Haruka isn't a very subtle person. He does a good job as the crown prince and is known for being rude and mean by outsiders, but at heart, he is an honest person. Which is why it's easy for Minami to see through him. The prince may be smart, but he's bad at lying and hiding things.
As his advisor, it's not rare for them to work together on things relating to the kingdom, whether it's politics, culture, or finance, and so on. But he'd noticed Haruka writing long letters with multiple pages with a serious expression, but he never once told Minami who they were for or what they were for. Suspicious, but Minami ignored it.
But then it happened again, and again, and again, and before he knew it, he started noticing Haruka leaving the castle grounds altogether and coming back significantly happier than before. Minami never brought it up. As long as Haruka stayed on top of his work and didn't inconvenience anyone, it was not enough of an issue, in Minami's opinion.
But he does wonder if Haruka having a secret lover would bother his new husband.
The wedding ceremony was incredibly expensive (he would know, he handled part of the budget). Held in the Northern Castle, many people were invited to attend, including nobles and other royalty like the West's second prince, Riku, and Duchess Isumi, Haruka's grandmother. The decorations are made from gold and silver, while the food selection is made with only the finest ingredients.
Minami expected nothing less from two royal families.
Speaking of his highness, Haruka pulled away from the crowd a few minutes ago to lean against a pillar in a secluded corner of the room. He looks great in his formal wedding wear, but he looks like he wants to be anywhere else but here.
Minami sips a glass of wine and observes as Haruka's new husband makes his way over. He leans against the wall as well, and the two begin talking in hushed voices. He notes the way Haruka relaxes in the other prince's presence, and the way his hands are moving around as he talks animatedly. Both their expressions are serious, but they're half covered by shadows and other pillars.
Minami can't help but frown. He didn't think their arranged marriage was something Haruka enjoyed or looked forward to. It was always more of the King's idea and encouragement rather than Haruka's. He always seemed like more of the type who wants true love instead of falsehoods, and yet he's conversing with Tenn like Haruka's known him for ages.
How suspicious. Minami thinks, sipping his wine again before turning away.
It's almost a relief when Isumi Haruka manages to take off most of his outer layers and fall face-first into the double bed. Gods, he thought the ceremony would go on forever. He'd never been happier that it ended before midnight.
"Haruka. Your earrings."
Haruka turns his head until he can see his new husband sitting by the vanity table as he takes off his own jewelry, hair messy from his hand combing through it. Tenn has taken off his cloak and most of the accessories of his wedding clothes, leaving him in the loose tunic and black dress pants. Haruka observes for a while longer before he finally manages to pull himself up to his feet.
He removes his earrings and other pointy accessories before placing them in a nearby drawer of the table. Then, with a sigh, he wraps his arms around Tenn's shoulder from behind and drops his face into the crook of his neck with a groan.
"Did you know that you're more affectionate when you're sleepy?"
"Shut up," he mumbles. "I'm tired. Leave me alone."
Tenn laughs and reaches to ruffle Haruka's hair affectionately. "Then let's rest. We deserve it."
And he is right. They do deserve the rest. If he could, Haruka would sleep for at least a week. After all, it wasn't easy fooling the entire continent into believing this was a loveless marriage.
It started around two years ago. They met at a small town right in the middle of their respective kingdoms—the town most impacted negatively by the territory dispute. There had been reports of fighting and violence escalating in certain parts of the town, which is why they requested someone from the royal families to settle some of the hostility before it could turn into murder.
Haruka hadn't expected to run into none other than the crown prince of the West. They were both in disguise, but Haruka recognized him instantly, just like Tenn recognized him.
Neither of them cared about who got the territory, but they knew the fighting needed to stop. They sat down, talked things over, and over the coming months, they hatched the plan to end all of this.
One, they would work together to make sure the West slowly loses the battle for the territory. Not enough for everyone to be suspicious, but just enough to make the royal family worry and start looking for options.
Two, Haruka would start shooing away his suitors and spread the rumor about his behavior and bleak marriage prospects.
Three, they would wait until their families started talking about arranged marriage behind their backs.
He just didn't expect all of this to grow into something beyond political marriage. When they first made the deal to work together, Haruka imagined that their marriage wouldn't be romantic, but it would be civil and mutually beneficial. It had been something he was willing to accept as long as the dispute stopped.
"Haruka? Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing," Haruka shakes his head and tightens his hug. "Can we go to bed now. You promised a cuddle."
He feels Tenn sighing playfully, his soft hair brushing against Haruka's cheeks and temples. "How demanding."
The Northern prince only rolls his eyes in response.
He truly feels himself relax when they're both under the sheets of their new shared bed, legs tangled with one another, while playing around with the damp strands of Tenn's hair. They've slept next to each other before like this, but never in the castle. They've always picked an inn with a secluded room, and Haruka hated that that was all they could do.
Until now, anyway.
"I thought you were tired?" Tenn says with a smile.
"I'm thinking." Haruka sighs. "About step four."
"Ah. Are you still having doubts about it?" The older prince tilts his head, pressing his cheek against the side of Haruka's head. "We can think about it some more if you want. Maybe find another solution?"
"No. I want to do it."
Four, they get rid of the current king of the North, and Isumi Haruka takes the throne as the new king.
"He needs to go."
Tenn hums and kisses his temple before settling back down on the bed. "Whatever you want. But we have all the time in the world now, don't we? There's no need to rush."
Haruka turns to look at his new husband under the dim lights of their bedroom. He really is so beautiful like this, with his eyes half-closed and a warm, adoring look on his face that's reserved only for Haruka. Tenn truly deserves so many good things in his life. Haruka hates the fact that they'll have to act distant and cold in public when all he wants to do is show the world how much he loves this person. How he meant everything.
Be patient.
He's right. We have time.
"Yeah," Haruka says into the air. "We do."