Ashy-note Sudden stroke of inspiration. Writing this while half sleepy, apologies if it isn't as good. (: Short and sweet and a little ridiculous but I'll leave it at that. :D I know it's wrong to write another fic, given that I already have so many to update, so in effect I'll have to temporarily stop some of them, but I'm keeping this one! :D

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One of those Knights

Prologue

"Mikan!"

No reply.

"Mikan, good grief, wait!"

The nineteen-year-old girl ran out of sight, leaving behind her heeled shoes on the ground. He picked it up and sighed. A giggle reverberated through the air to his left. His head followed soon after and in no time, he was back to chasing the perpetrator of the sound.

Ridiculous, he thought balefully to himself as he pushed his legs to go as far out as he could.

Everyday the troublesome princess always managed to stir him up some new sort of meddling problems and Tsubasa Andou Sakura wasn't happy about it at all. It wasn't easy chasing after a hyperactive royalty, for crying out loud! Well, of course she was a stand-out, she was beautiful and kind and brilliant and that much was for sure, but if everybody thinks the heiress was as prim and proper as she is when she comes out in public well they were damn wrong. In fact, they were so wrong it almost felt to him like he was insane, because this girl he was running after had to be someone else other than the pretty princess of Alice.

He noticed that his footsteps were the only ones he could hear now and he just swore. Damn. I lost her again.

He dug in his brain for a new alibi to cover up for the princess's sudden unexplained absence.

Sometimes his sister can be such a huge load to bear.

Why do I always have to cover up for her? Tsubasa thought grimly, settling down the foot of a huge oak tree. He took off his boots and rested his lungs as he breathed in the air around him, calming himself down. Narumi, their tutor, would be wandering around the greenhouses again, so he might not care where she went at all… Jinno has an advisory meeting, so he won't be much of a problem… His father, the King, was asleep as always, and his mother, the queen, was always interested in hearing where her daughter's escapades lead to so she wasn't really that much of a concern as well…

Huh, he smiled. Seems I have no one to offer and alibi on.

Then again, he didn't really have to offer anyone an explanation because he was, after all, crown prince.

He roamed his navy-blue eyes once around his surroundings before pulling down his hat over them to get some sleep, dangling his boots high over his head as a signal for his sister in case she got lost. The pursuit sapped out all the remaining energy he had left of him that his stupor was so complete he could have slept there for days and he wouldn't even feel anything else.

He was prepared to doze off already when he heard the unmistakable squeal of the young one herself.

"Na—Natsume? No! No, you can't be serious!"

Perked up by his curiosity (although being dragged down a bit by his lethargy) he took a few steps forward towards the direction of Princess Mikan's voice.

Just by the clearing ahead she saw her standing in front of a young man who was down on one knee, holding a ring in his hand. She had her hands clamped over her mouth and yet the glee never failed to escape her throat—she was squealing, the tears in her eyes evident.

He was stripped of all traces of sleepiness. Hyuuga Natsume, proposing?

The world had definitely gone way round and over the belt.

He snuck closer and watched the proceedings.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but it is not I who asks for your hand," came Natsume's reply. Mikan's gleeful face turned to stone. "You have completely mistook my intentions. I am here to propose to you as a servant, in behalf of the man who chose you as his bride."

"What's with the formalities, Natsume?" she coldly asked. "Who sent you and for what purpose has he done so? If he wishes to marry me he could at least do me the small honor of proposing himself."

"It is from my best friend, Crown Prince Ruka Nogi of the Western Kingdom."

Tsubasa gasped, the look on Natsume's face silencing him.

There was utmost despair on the young man's features, almost as if saying Please say no, please say no.

"And if I refuse?" Mikan asked.

Natsume looked to be steeling himself to say something, but the silence grated on the princess's nerves.

"Answer me, Lord Hyuuga."

His answer took Tsubasa aback so much so that he actually squealed and jumped out the bush, but the image of the look on Natsume's face drove all other thoughts from his mind.

"I shall be executed, m'lady."

Dark monarchial fic. There's more to this than appears, and I swear if you say you'll like this I'll keep this going. (:

~Ash.