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The halls of the royal palace were grand, decorated with gold and tapestries that told tales of past rulers and their triumphs. Yet, for all its splendor, it felt suffocating to Prince Terushima Yuuji.
He had grown up knowing that duty outweighed desire, that a prince was bound by obligation rather than freedom. But nothing had prepared him for this.
An arranged union.
With a knight.
Ennoshita Chikara had spent his life in service to the kingdom, training from childhood to be a knight. He was not of noble blood, but his unwavering loyalty and skill had earned him a place among the finest warriors of the realm. Yet, no amount of training had prepared him for this.
"You wish for me to marry the prince?" he asked, unable to hide his disbelief.
The king’s advisor nodded. "It has been decided. Prince Terushima has refused every noble match proposed to him. A union with one of the kingdom’s finest knights will ensure both his safety and a strong future for our kingdom."
Ennoshita clenched his fists. He was not one to disobey orders, but this was different. He had sworn loyalty to the crown, but marriage? To a prince he barely knew?
Their first meeting as betrothed was anything but ideal.
Prince Terushima lounged in his chambers, golden eyes scanning Ennoshita with thinly veiled amusement. "So, you’re the knight they’ve chosen for me?"
Ennoshita stood rigid, his expression carefully neutral. "It is an honor to serve you, Your Highness."
"Oh, don’t start with that ‘Your Highness’ nonsense," Terushima sighed dramatically. "If we’re going to be married, you might as well call me Yuuji."
Ennoshita hesitated. "It wouldn’t be proper."
Terushima smirked. "Neither is forcing two strangers into a marriage, but here we are."
Despite himself, Ennoshita’s lips twitched. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so unbearable.
Days turned to weeks, and the two danced around each other like mismatched pieces of a puzzle.
Ennoshita was disciplined, focused, and unyielding in his duty. Terushima was impulsive, reckless, and far too fond of breaking rules just to see how far he could push before Ennoshita snapped.
"You need to take your safety seriously," Ennoshita scolded after catching Terushima sneaking out of the palace once again.
Terushima grinned. "And you need to loosen up, Chikara."
It was the first time he had used his name, and it left an unfamiliar warmth in Ennoshita’s chest.
Their relationship changed the night of the assassination attempt.
It happened too fast. One moment, they were walking through the palace gardens under the moonlight, and the next, steel flashed in the dark.
Ennoshita reacted instantly, drawing his sword and placing himself between Terushima and the attacker. The fight was brutal but brief, ending with the would-be assassin lying motionless on the ground.
Terushima, usually so full of bravado, was uncharacteristically silent.
Ennoshita turned to him, still breathless. "Are you hurt?"
For the first time, Terushima looked at him with something more than amusement—something deeper.
"You… You could’ve died."
Ennoshita sheathed his sword. "Protecting you is my duty."
Terushima shook his head. "No. It’s more than that."
And just like that, something shifted between them.
The wedding was inevitable. But this time, it wasn’t just duty that bound them together.
Standing before the kingdom, adorned in ceremonial attire, Terushima met Ennoshita’s gaze and smiled—a real, genuine smile.
"So, still calling me ‘Your Highness’?" he teased under his breath.
Ennoshita smirked. "No. Just Yuuji."
And with that, the prince and his knight sealed their fate—not as strangers bound by duty, but as partners who had chosen each other in the end.