Chapter Text
“Brat, remember to not cause any trouble.”
Noelle watched as Yami gave Asta a lecture. They stood by the shore, ready to take the boat to Heart Kingdom.
Asta recently found out his birth mother was a teacher at an academy in Heart Kingdom. He didn’t hesitate to write a letter to Lolopechka. They had become penpals since Asta and Noelle’s last visit to the heart kingdom. She allowed Asta and Noelle to not only enter the kingdom, but also become exchange students so Asta could see what his mother lived like.
“Rememeber Asta, you aren’t a commoner anymore. You’re supposed to be a noble.” Noelle reminds the shorter boy.
Lolopechka had said it was mostly royal and nobles attending the exchange student program. It would be easier for Asta to get accepted in the environment if he acted like a noble.
“Hehe no worries Noelle!” Asta yelled with excitement. “I’ll be the strongest and coolest noble in history!”
Noelle sighed, her gaze wandered to see. She really hoped this adventure didn't end in a disaster.
“This is the classroom.” Noelle stopped in front of the closed door to the classroom.
“Ready?” For some reason, Noelle felt uneasy. She knew the other boy wouldn’t be able to blend with the royals and nobles, and he wasn’t the greatest actor. They had come here to find more about Asta’s mom, and she didn’t want anything to ruin his mood. Noelle was expert on how bad the royal and nobles could be.
“Don’t worry Noelle,” Asta reassured her, a grin on his face. “We’ve been through worse, right?”
Noelle let out a small laugh. “Yeah, you're right. This isn’t anything compared to the elves we fought three months ago.”
“Excatly! So let’s go inside and have fun!” An excited Asta opened the closed door.
Before Noelle could even analyze the faces of the students inside the room, Asta decided that he needed to introduce himself.
“Hello everyone! My name is Asta! I’m a magic knight of the Black Bulls and my goal is to become the next wizard king!”
Silence fell in the classroom, an awkward silence. Noelle's eyes twitched in annoyance, he really had to bring attention to himself like that. She noticed some of the students' side-eyed Asta and started to snicker.
“Okay Dorksta,” Noelle grabbed the boy and tried to find two empty seats for them. “No one asked you to introduce yourself.”
Noelle spotted two empty seats by the window, where they sat. Not noticing a certain black haired boy behind them.
“Huh? Why not?” Asta wondered. “Isn’t it polite to introduce ourselves, or don’t nobles do that?”
“No one introduces themselves so randomly like that, Dumbsta!”
“Ugh, being a noble is way harder than I thought!” Asta sighed. “It was way easier to fight Licht than doing this.”
“Shh! Don’t expose yourself.” Noelle whispered. “Just don’t bring attention to yourself.”
The whole class were already aware Asta definitely wasn’t a noble.
“Ugh, as if this short peasant could ever be a noble.”
The duo looked behind them, seeing a black hair boy staring out the window, a bored expression on his face. Beside him, was a small fairy with a green dress on.
“Short?” Asta snorted. “You’re calling me short while being so small yourself.”
“Hey!” The fairy shouted, an angry expression on her face. “Don’t you know who I am? I am the great spirit of wind. Show me some respect!”
“Geez, and I thought nobles back in the clover kingdom were annoying.” Asta commented. He looked over at the taller boy beside her. “Hey, spiky hair boy, is that your fairy?”
“S-Spiky hair boy?” The fairy gasped. “How dare you refer to my Yuno like that?! Do you have any idea of who he is?”
“Mmmm…” Asta put a hand on his face, trying to think. Noelle could see smoke coming from his head. “Noelle, do you know who this boy is?”
Asta pointed his thumb at the taller teen, not caring for the fairy shouting how disrespectful it is. “I’ve never seen a royal like him at the Clover Kingdom.”
“Idiot, he isn’t from the Clover Kingdom, but Spade.” Noelle corrected her friend.
“Huh? How do you know that?”
Noelle slapped a hand on her head, she did wonder sometimes if Asta was dropped as a baby. “He has the spade symbol on his uniform, Dorksta.”
Noelle and Asta had gotten school uniforms delivered when they entered the Heart Kingdom. They had gotten matching white blouses, but Asta had gotten black pants while Noelle had gotten a black skirt. They both had the clover symbols embroidered on their shirt, it was to show the other students where they originated from.
“Ahh! I didn’t notice it!” Asta stared at the clover symbol in awe. “This is so cool!”
“You’re an idiot.” Noelle sighed, thinking it’s a bit cute how oblivious Asta was sometimes.
“Ugh! Why are you two idiots ignoring me?”
Noelle had forgotten about the fairy, who was still screaming insults at them. She didn’t really know why she was getting dragged but couldn’t care less.
“Calm down, Bell.” The taller teen patted Bell’s head, it seemed like that calmed her down.
Noelle noticed the boy had amber eyes, his face was sharp. She knew she hadn't met the boy before, but why does it feel like she should know about him?
“But Noelle, why did I get three clovers instead of five?” Asta asked, still staring at his embroidered symbol.
“Obviously you’re an idiot, but even an idiot like you should be aware of the symbol of your kingdom.” Bell commented, she settled on Yuno’s shoulder.
Yuno stared at the two clover students in front of him. When he entered the classroom, he heard whispers. He was already aware it had spread a rumour that the Prince of Spade Kingdom was on an exchange semester in Heart Kingdom. The people around him only whispered. Was it in awe or fear? He couldn’t care less, they were all bored just whispering behind him. Yuno thought it would be a boring semester, until the two clover students entered the classroom.
“But mine has five leaves.” The grey haired boy spoke, as if it was a well known fact.
“It would probably cause confusion with other international students.” Noelle explained. Her name was the only one Yuno had caught so far.
“Five leaves?” Bell mumbled. Yuno did notice the puzzled look on her face.
“But hey, spiky ha- No, Yuno was it? Is she your fairy?” The grey haired boy asked, once again.
“It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.” Noelle commented, but he could see the curiosity in her eyes.
“Her name is Bell.” Yuno spoke for the first time to them.
“Wow! That’s a pretty name.” The grey haired boy grinned. “I’m Asta, let’s be friends!”
Yuno raised an eyebrow, the sentence didn’t seem like a question, but he didn’t comment.
“As if my Yuno would be friends like a peasant like you!” Bell shouted, her hands on her hips.
“Why not?” Asta tilted his head, answering her insult with genuine sincerity. “Why would status even matter when it comes to friendship?”
“Because Yuno is the Prince of the Spade Kingdom!” Bell yelled.
Yuno noticed Noelle freeze, their eyes locked. He knows she has heard of him. He did notice her lingering eyes earlier. Yuno’s gaze travelled to Asta, wondering how the boy would react. He did wonder if their personality would switch now that his identity was exposed.
“And?” Asta blinked, he looked at Bell like she said something dumb. “I’m friends with Lolopechka who is the Queen of this kingdom, and no one cares.”
Yuno heard gasps across the room. The students around them started to whisper, asking how could a peasant like Asta use the Queen’s name so freely and speak to a Prince? Some of the whispers were crueler than the others.
But observing the short boy, it didn’t seem like he was bothered by the whispers. Yuno felt something warm inside of him. The girl beside him scolded from not laying low and already exposing his identity as a commoner.
Yuno couldn’t help but smile a little. The duo in front of him was entertaining.
Before the conversation could continue, a professor had entered the room.
The class had ended, and lunch was nearing. Yuno started to pack his things into the bag. Wondering where he would sit to eat his lunch.
“Hey Yuno!”
Yuno looked up, seeing the Clover duo standing in front of him. Noelle looked at the shorter boy in curiosity, while Asta was grinning with his arms folded behind his head. “You comin’?”
“Coming where?” Yuno asked.
“To eat lunch with him.” Asta answered, his tone making the answer obvious. “You’re sitting all alone, so I’m assuming you don’t have anyone else to sit with.”
“Hey Asta, maybe we should just go?” Noelle said, feeling nervous about Asta speaking so comfortable with a prince.
“I don’t want to have friends, and I prefer eating alone.” Yuno threw his bag over his shoulder, getting ready to leave.
“You have us, we are your friends.” Asta walked towards him, stretching out his hand. “Now, come on emo boy. We should not waste our lunch time before the next period.”
Yuno blinked, completely caught off guard. “Emo boy… friends?”
Asta grabbed Yuno’s arm and dragged him with him. Yuno, who was still startled, let himself get dragged. As long as he could eat his lunch, he wasn’t going to complain for now.
“Hey! Don’t touch my Yuno like that!” Bell yelled. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
Her protests fell to deaf ears, which caused her to sulk on Yuno’s shoulder.
Yuno hasn't known Asta for long, but he realised how simple minded the shorter teen was. He glanced down, noticing Asta still holding onto his arm, even though it wasn’t needed. The sight stirred a warm feeling inside of him,
Friend, huh…
Yuno chewed on his food, listening to Asta and Noelle’s conversation. Bell occasionally chimed in, it was mostly to insult but she also had some genuine questions.
The small gang decided to sit outside in the grass, enjoying the sun warming their backs.
The conversation was interesting, it kept Yuno’s attention. It was fun to hear what was happening in Clover Kingdom, especially at the Black Bulls base. More interesting than his daily life back home.
“So Yuno, how's life as a prince?” Asta asked, wanting to include the taller teen in the conversation.
“Nothing special.” Yuno shrugged. “I’m going to become the king in a couple of years, so I'm just preparing for that.”
“Wow!” Asta exclaimed. “That’s cool! You can help a lot of people with that power!”
Yuno swallowed the food in his mouth, as he stared at the boy with a blank expression. “I guess.”
“Y’know, my goal is to become the wizard king.” Asta looked up at the sky, the smile on his face still not faltering. “I want to make the kingdom a place for everyone to be happy and safe.”
Yuno noticed as Noelle’s gaze softened at the boy, a small smile appeared on her face. He wondered why she stared at him like that.
“How? I sense no mana from you.” The sentence carried no ill intention, it was a genuine question. One that brought a bigger smile on the clover duo’s face.
“With my special magic.” Asta's gaze drifted from the sky to Yuno, their eyes locking. Yuno noticed how the light reflected in his green eyes.
“Which is?” Yuno asked, he kept observing the other boy, his eyes tracing the outline of Asta’s profile. Asta had rolled up the sleeves to the elbow, which exposed the scars around his arm.
“Never giving up!”
Yuno’s breath hitched, the words hitting him deeper than expected. Something warm stirred in his chest, an unfamiliar but gentle feeling settled.
The sparkle in Asta’s eyes lit up a fire inside of Yuno, one that he had never felt before.
What is this feeling?
Yuno wandered alone in the hallway of the academy.
After lunch, the clover duo and Yuno had split. Their next lesson was at the training ground while Yuno had a class meant only for royals. He didn’t want to participate in it, but his father meant it was important for his education.
It wasn’t until he had attended his next class, that he realised how much he enjoyed spending time with the clover duo. Yuno did look forward to spending more time with them, and he couldn't wait to write a letter to his parents tonight.
“Hey, did you hear about the clover boy?”
Yuno wasn’t the one for gossip, but at the mention of clover he couldn’t help but listen to the whispers around him as he walked towards his room.
“Yeah, I heard he and Lord Mike are going to have a duel.”
“What? Isn’t the clover boy a peasant and Lord Mike a powerful fire mage?”
“Yeah, but that’s what he gets for daring to speak to a noble.”
Yuno stopped in his tracks. The comments about the clove boy continued, and Yuno did figure out easily who it was. He turned around and made his way to a new destination.
“Noelle.”
“Oh, Prince Yuno.”
Unlike Asta, Noelle kept using his title. It didn’t bother Yuno.
“I heard Asta is fighting someone.” Yuno stood beside Noelle, ignoring Bell’s protest at him talking to another girl.
Both of them stood beside the training ground, watching Asta as he stretched his legs. Yuno noted how dirty his school uniform already was. He let out a quiet chuckle, enjoying seeing Asta being so carefree and not caring for his appearance.
“Yeah, it tends to happen.” Noelle sighed, but she didn’t seem worried.
“You’re not going to stop him?” Yuno frowned, the other boy didn’t have any magic after all.
“Hehe, as if Asta needs my protection.” Noelle flipped one of her pony tails over her shoulders, as she shot a look at the taller boy. “Don’t look down on Asta just because he doesn't have any mana. He’s stronger than you think.”
Yuno's gaze wandered back to the boy. Both the clover duo were so confident, which made Yuno wonder.
“Ready to get put back in place, peasant?” The boy named Mike entered the training ground. Yuno did notice how cocky and confident the fire mage acted.
“Don’t go back home crying to you daddy, after a non-magical peasant kicks your butt!” Asta shouted, letting his grimoire float.
“Pfft, I can’t wait until Asta kicks his butt.” Noelle grinned, her faith in him unwavering.
“Noelle, Asta mentioned earlier about having five leaves” Bell, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. “Tell me about what each leaf in the clover represents.”
Yuno looked down at Bell, she had a puzzled look on her face. The same look she had in the first period.
“Hmm? Sure.” Noelle agreed, her eyes not leaving the training ground. “I remember Nero talking about it. She said the first three leaves represent faith, hope and love.”
“Watch as my beautiful flame devours you, peasant!” Mike shouted, his grimoire beside him floating. “Fire magic: Fire ball!”
“The fourth leaf represents luck, which is what our first wizard king had.”
Yuno watched as Asta pulled a large black sword from his grimoire. Asta raised his sword, placing his other hand against it. Dark energy poured from the sword, creeping up his right side of body. Two horns formed along the right side of his head, and a single wing appear from his back
“And in the fifth, resides a devil."
SLASH
The fire ball that was aimed at Asta, disappeared in an instant when Asta cut through it with his sword.
“What?!” Mike yelled in shock.
Everyone, including Yuno and Bell, watched in awe as Asta fought the fire mage. He didn’t falter when massive flames were getting thrown at him, instead a grin spread across his face, as if this was his natural habitat.
Yuno took a step forward, completely drawn into the match. He watched as Asta wields the heavy-looking sword with ease, using his body to fight instead of magic. The fire had halfway burned through Asta’s shirt, making the devil’s mark on his body stand out even more clearly. Yuno noticed his right eye wasn’t green anymore, it was red.
Mike had put a distance between themselves, lifting himself into the air as panic flashed across his face.
Meanwhile Asta walked forward calmly, his eyes fixed on the sky. He stared up at Mike, not as an opponent but like a prey.
“What is he?”
“That’s a monster.”
“Ew, just look at that monster.”
“More like a devil.”
While the people around Yuno and Noelle mocked Asta, Yuno couldn’t help but enjoy this side of Asta.
Asta halted, then slammed his foot into the ground. The earth cracked beneath him.
“Black Meteorite!” Asta yelled.
And suddenly, he was gone, only leaving a streak of black light behind him.
Yuno's eyes followed the black light as it shot up into the sky, aimed straight at Asta’s prey. It felt like watching a shooting star, only this one burned black.
Beautiful. Yuno thought, as Asta’s sword struck the fire mage, sending him crashing down.
THUD
The fire mage hit the ground, unconscious and beaten. Asta had appeared before him, looking down at the boy.
Yuno’s gaze didn’t waver, he kept watching the other boy. Even when his heart pounded loudly and his fingers twitched in excitement.
“Asta, you did!” Noelle cheered.
Asta looked at them, his eyes locking with Yuno’s. A smile appeared on his face.
“Hey guys!” Asta laughed as he ran towards them in his demon form.
While the people around them took a step back in fear, Yuno couldn’t help but think this was a beautiful form.
“I didn’t know you were here too, Yuno!” Asta infection smile brought a smile to Yuno’s face.
“You fought well.” Yuno praised him, trying to hold his composure and ignoring Bell’s complaint about not getting attention.
“Yeah, thanks.” Asta grinned, then laughed. His warm laugh flooded Yuno’s chest, it was too intense to ignore this new developed feeling – and then it hit Yuno.
Prince Yuno Grinberryall of Spade Kingdom had fallen in love with Asta of Clover Kingdom.
BONUS:
“Honey, have you read the letter Yuno sent us? Apparently he made some friends with people from the Clover Kingdom.”
“That’s our son! He’s already networking with people from other kingdoms.”
“One of them has a devil inside of their grimoire.”
“...”