If he was honest, he hated the fact that the conflict has reached this point.
Their lands had always been characterized by their peaceful behavior, by the fact that they had spent over three hundred years without falling into a real war. Though one could think that it's important to mention the fact that before those three hundred years those six kingdoms had been at each other's throats for a long time.
However, after the war had devastated all the lands in all kingdoms, the six kings had met to reach an accord to save what little had been left after such a vicious war. The situation was so bad that the agreement was to work together and unify the royal families through the marriage of every single one of the heirs to the throne with the objective of putting a stop to the war that should last forever.
Sadly, it wasn't the reality.
Four hundred years after the union was reached, in the Kaijo Kingdom a revolution happened, rebels started screaming against the union and raised their weapons to achieve the goal of independence and freedom of, what they called, an old and antique form of tyranny and monopoly. The movement got such a great support that Kaijo's army was incapable of stopping them and by the time that Kaijo's king, Kise Hiroki, realized this, the only option left was to ask for help to some of the others kingdoms.
Kaijo's principals allies were the Too and Seirin Kingdom, which meant that it was the Kagami and the Aomine royal families and their armies that went to the rescue of the Kise line. However, as it had always been written on the laws of the The Great Six Kingdoms, the country that has raised its weapons against the other five and had to engage in an armed conflict had to paid dearly for the insubordination, even though it wasn't done by the royal ones.
For Kise Hiroki that option had always been a non-viable one, something that they wouldn't resort to unless the situation reached critical levels. But under his eyes, it reached to those limits and he had to sign a declaration promising that the kingdom and their royal family would pay what the Too and Seirin kingdoms saw appropriate as retribution for the given help.
Three combined armies were more than enough to end the revolution and give a death sentence to those who had lead the army and to put behind bars those who had supported the rebels and had been captured during the last battle.
Two weeks passed before Too and Seirin's kings asked for a meeting to establish what would have to paid by the Kise family for their help. They had a reunion in Hitoki's studio, only the three of them, because they truly were friends, for they had spent a great part of their childhoods together and had been governing the kingdoms as allies for a long while now.
"I have to say this before we start to talk about our main goal at the moment." Kagami Hideaki said, Seirin's king, he was strong built and his hair was dark as the night and his eyes had the red tint that characterized the Kagami line so much. "The Akashi family has sent a letter signed by Takahiro asking for a true punishment towards your line, Hiroki."
"It does not surprise me, something like this will not be forgiven easily for a family that has spent so much time defending our laws." Murmured Hitoki, he was the youngest king of the union but his face had lost its spark in the last few months and he looked older than his age, the dullness of his blue eyes did not help either. He sighed before continuing. "We underestimated the revolution and it grew so much under our watch that it almost cost us the whole Kaijo kingdom."
Aomine Daisuke nodded, he was an Alpha, just as the other two kings, and his dark skin talked clearly about the hard weather the Too kingdom had to face in the summers and winters. His blue eyes were alert, even though he was practically laying horizontally on his chair. "Besides that, it has been the only truly dangerous movement we have seen against us in many years and if I may say it, I agree with Takahiro about the need of serious and hard payments from your family and country, Hitoki."
The Kaijo's King face hardened, but he stayed in silence.
After a few seconds, Hideaki started talking again. "Daisuke and I met before this and agreed on the first things you must pay for our military help, the Kaijo's kingdom must pay five hundred thousand golden coins to Too and Seirin on a lapsus of three years, the first payment must be half of the amount and has to be paid in a year's time."
Hitoki nodded once, knowing it was a big quantity of money, but they could make it after a slight increase of the taxes.
Hideaki spoke once more. "Besides that, you also must pay one hundred thousand golden coins to the United Bank of the Six Kingdoms." He kept going, naming other payments, such as some lands that had to be given to the generals of their armies.
"Is that everything?" Kise Hitoki asked after Kagami stopped talking.
"No." Aomine Daisuke spoke for the first time in a while. "I have a request of my own."
Hitoki raised a golden colored eyebrow. "And that is?"
"I want to take Ryota back with me to Too."
Kise's eyes widened and he stood from his chair aggressively. "What? Have you gone out of your mind?"
Daisuke didn't lose his composure, he only shook his head before saying, "My son and one of my army's generals, Daiki, almost lost his second in command and the first and only son of the Imayoshi family because of your war and now is asking for payment."
"And he thinks any of his friends' lives it's more valuable than my son's? The heir to Kaijo's Kingdom?
Hideaki rolled his eyes at his words. "Don't lie, Hitoki, we all have heard the rumours about Ryota presenting as an Omega, he can't be the heir to Kaijo's throne."
"Blasphemy! From where have you heard such lies?" Kise said, though his hands started trembling before he tightened them in fists at his sides.
"Here and there." Daisuke said with a sly grin on his dark skinned face. "We've also heard that you got him out of the capital afraid that if the rebels won, he would be taken as a slave."
"That's not true."
"Still saying lies, Hitoki?" Kagami said looking at the reddening face of his colleague. "Stop denying our words or, if what we've heard is a lie, call for Ryota immediately and let us confirm that he is an Alpha, or at least, a Beta."
Hitoki stayed in silent for a few seconds before his face fell, his voice had changed and now it sounded dejected and sad. "You're right, he presented as an Omega in the middle of the war, though he is no longer out of the capital, I called for him after the rebels were captured and sentenced to death."
The other two kings nodded, understanding to some extent why Kise would deny so fervently that his primogeniture and only son, was an Omega. "If I may ask, where is he? I haven't seen him around since we arrived at the palace."
"He has been locked in one of the east wings, he is still going through his presenting and well, his scent is quite strong and I fear for his safety."
Hideaki nodded at his words. "Understandable. Though it's a shame that Ryota won't be able to take over the throne, his abilities are quite admirable and I believed he would have made a great king and general."
"Yes." Hitoki said, he felt as if he had a big stone in the bottom of his stomach. "It is truly a shame."
They stayed in silence for a while before Daisuke spoke again. "I am still waiting for an answer, Kise." The three kings knew that Aomine was saying that only out of courtesy, because it didn't matter what Hitoki thought of Daiki getting Ryouta, he would have to accept it and give his only son away hoping that he would be well and taken care of.
"What will become of my son, Daisuke?"
"That is for Daiki to decide."
"Let me tell you something and I hope you believe my words, at least in the name of the years we have spent ruling together: I won't have my son treated as some whore or slave, whatever Daiki's intentions are, I hope that they are good and honest, because if they are not I won't hesitate to start a war for my son's well being. Are we clear?"
Daisuke looked at him for a few seconds before he nodded once. "Absolutely, you have my word that Ryouta will be treated as the Omegan prince he is." The last part wasn't missed by Hitoki, but he knew he wouldn't get anything more out of this exchange with Aomine.
"I believe this is it, then, Hitoki. Our armies and we are leaving in two days, taking everything that you have promised us, including Ryouta." Hideaki said with a serious face.
Kise Hitoki hoped that his son would forgive him one day for the price he had to pay for his family and country's well being.