A/N: This fic is planned to have six chapters. However, this is merely the way I expect the fic to turn out and it isn't set in stone yet; at first I thought this fic would have three chapters, then four, five, and now we're at six. I wanted to mention it just to give you a little feeling of what to expect, but as of now it's not set in stone that this chapter will have exactly six chapters; I'm currently working on chapter four so I like I said at the previous note, I hope I can get everything out as soon as possible.
That being said, the chapters are divided by their content, not their length; this means that the word count of each chapter may vary a lot. I'm sorry if that's an inconvience, but I thought I'd give you a little heads up.
Again, this is a fantasy setting rather than a historical one, so please don't try to look for any historical accuracies because you most likely won't find them.
I'm officially a little late because I proofread and edited this chapter way more often than I intended and because I've been a little more busy these past few days than I initially anticipated, but I wanted to post this chapter specifically on June 30th for Haru's birthday. At the time of posting it's still the 30th in some parts of the world, but no longer in Japan nor the place I live at, so happy belated birthday, Haru!
That's all from me for now, I hope you'll enjoy!
TW: A tiny mention of vomit, but there's no actual vomit in the chapter.
Loud banging on the front door was what startled Makoto awake. He was disoriented for a second before fear invaded his senses. It was late at night and dark outside, and he had no idea who it could be. The thought of a robber or murderer being at his house frightened him immensely, but then his common sense reminded him that a robber or murderer would not announce their presence. So it must be a monster. Or worse, a ghost.
Consumed by fear, he was about to bury himself back underneath the thin blanket and try to convince himself it was just his imagination when he heard a voice.
"What was that?" his sister Ran sleepily mumbled as she pressed herself tighter against his body.
It was not his imagination. There was actually someone - or something - banging on their door. If it continued then the rest of his family would wake up too and he wanted to prevent that from happening, knowing that they needed their sleep. Who knows what the reason behind the knocking was; it could be a neighbour with an urgent problem, or perhaps someone who did have ill intentions and planned to somehow harm his family. No matter how afraid he was, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing while his family was possibly in danger. So he was left with no other choice but to go take a look.
"I'll go take a look, alright?" he proposed, though it didn't sound very confident.
"Hmm," Ran hummed, already back asleep.
Makoto stepped out of their bed and tucked his siblings back in.
There was no going back now.
Slowly he walked out of the room, trying to be as quiet as possible so to not rouse his parents and siblings. The floorboards creaked underneath his feet, the noise startling him a little and it made his heart pound even faster than it already did before. He saw a broom standing against the wall and he grabbed it. Though he didn't know what it would do against monsters or ghosts, having it in his hands made him feel just a tad safer.
Then the banging came again and he let out a little yelp. This was no time to be a coward, he reminded himself. He had to protect his family.
With the broom ready to strike, Makoto got closer to the front door. Holding his breath, he closed his eyes before he swung the door open.
"Makoto!"
At the sound of that familiar voice calling his name, Makoto opened his eyes and sighed deeply in relief.
"Rei." It was Rei. Not a robber, not a murderer, not a ghost, but Rei. But quickly enough his relief wore off and made place for confusion. And when he saw the dishevelled state the ever-neat Rei was in, his confusion turned into worry. "What's wrong?"
"Nagisa," Rei panted, "he's gone!"
"No," Makoto gasped in disbelief. Even though he knew just how much Nagisa was against the idea of this marriage, he never would have foreseen that he would run away from his responsibilities.
"I thought that he might come to you."
"He's not here; I haven't seen him since this afternoon," Makoto denied, "I'll help you look for him." He took a step forward.
"There's no time! The carriage leaves before dawn and Lord knows where he might be," Rei exclaimed, "Makoto, I need you to do me a favour."
"What is it?"
"Nagisa will get in big trouble if he doesn't show up and it'll impact the entire kingdom if the arrangement is cancelled, so..."
"Get to the point, Rei!"
"I need you to get on that carriage and go to Iwatobi to meet Prince Haruka in Nagisa's stead, pretend you are him."
"You're joking," Makoto stated, but when he saw just how serious Rei was about this, his mouth fell open. "Are you out of your mind?!"
"I know it is a lot to ask but-"
"There's no way they won't notice I'm not Nagisa. I look nothing like him!"
"They don't know what Nagisa looks like."
"Even then, how do you expect this to work? I can't pretend that I'm him for the rest of my life!"
"I don't know! I didn't exactly have the time to think this through, but it's an emergency. It's just until I've found Nagisa."
"Posing as a prince, I'll get arrested," Makoto whisper-screamed, "and hanged!"
"So will I, but Nagisa won't let that happen." Rei ran his hand through his hair. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I weren't desperate. Please, Makoto. I have no one else to go to."
A deep sigh escaped Makoto's lips. "All things aside, I would love to help you out, Rei, but I just can't. I can't just drop everything and leave the kingdom. I need to take care of my family. I'm sorry, but I can't."
"What if you got rewarded handsomely for your efforts?"
This made Makoto pause. "How handsomely?"
"So handsomely that your family will never have to worry anymore."
He almost couldn't believe it himself, but now he was seriously considering Rei's request. This past week it had been practically impossible for him to get a job and the shop had seen the least amount of customers yet. If it weren't for the gold Nagisa had given him, they would have gone hungry. And the prospect of possibly never seeing Nagisa again made his outlook on the future even more grim than it had already been. This proposal would not only help Nagisa and Rei out, but his own family too. It would be selfish to decline.
"Regardless of what happens to me… will my family still get the reward?"
"Yes, I will personally make sure that they will receive the payment. So please, Makoto. I beg of you," Rei pleaded as he bowed deeply.
Another sigh left Makoto's body. He was going to regret this later, he was sure. But he had no other choice. "Alright. I'll do it."
Relief washed over Rei as he straightened his back, "Thank you," he said, and Makoto had never heard anything sound so sincere. "We must make haste!"
"Wait," Makoto said and prevented Rei from stalking off with a hand on his arm. "I need you to do me a favour too."
"And that is?"
"Write a note to my family. Right now."
"Your family can read?"
"My siblings can. I can't just leave in the middle of the night without a word, but there's no time to wait until they're awake."
"Do you have parchment and a quill?"
After they had composed a note for Makoto's family and Makoto had said goodbye to them with a kiss on their foreheads, Rei and he had left the house. The thought of leaving his family without their knowledge for an undetermined amount of time and nothing but a vague note to explain the reason he left, hurt Makoto deeply. They were still on their way to the palace yet he was already missing his parents and siblings. Worst case scenario, he might never see them again but he tried his best to shake that thought away, otherwise he might tell Rei that he couldn't do it after all and that he wanted to go back to his home. But he was a man of his word and ultimately, this would help them more than he ever could on his own. Though that didn't mean that it didn't hurt immensely.
There wasn't much time for him to feel homesick though, as Rei started to ramble about the arrangement. Although all of this was probably important, it was a little overwhelming and Makoto couldn't really follow him, for he spoke rapidly and used a lot of words that Makoto didn't know the meaning of.
When Rei noticed how clueless Makoto was, he ceased speaking and focused on the road instead.
"Aren't you worried about Nagisa?" Makoto asked quietly after a while.
"I am," Rei confessed, "As you may have noticed, Nagisa is not really aware of how the world works. He knows that he can trade gold in exchange for goods and services, but he does not know the value of things. But sadly, I don't have time for worry right now. My number one priority is to get you on that carriage. Prepared."
"Will he be okay?" Makoto couldn't help but wonder.
"I'm not sure, but like I said, I have no time to be concerned for him yet, so I must believe that he will manage. Although Nagisa may not be the brightest, I think we may be underestimating his abilities. At least, I hope so. I shall begin to look for him first thing in the morning, and I don't think he could have gotten far. He doesn't know the world outside of the town after all."
"Wait, you're not coming with me to Iwatobi?" Makoto asked, feeling panicked all of a sudden, "Am I supposed to go all by myself?!"
"Of course not, another servant will accompany you."
"Then it will immediately come out that I'm pretending to be Nagisa!"
"We will explain the situation to him. He is a reliable man and I am positive he will help us."
"Alright, if you say so..." Makoto trailed off, not sounding very convinced. He understood that Rei needed to go look for Nagisa, but the fact that a third party would be involved with their conspiracy made him unsure.
When Rei saw the look on Makoto's face, he said, "Even if Nagisa hadn't been gone and would go to Iwatobi himself, I would not be the one to accompany him."
Makoto frowned and Rei laughed lightly, but Makoto could tell it was to cover up the ache inside of him.
"That would hurt far too much."
Although Rei had not sounded particularly sad when he said that, Makoto knew he was bleeding on the inside. He felt so sorry for both him and Nagisa, and he could completely understand why Nagisa had run away. He didn't know what he would have done in a situation like this. Even if he would like to think he would make the rational decision and do what was expected of him, he didn't love anyone like Nagisa loved Rei, so it would be unfair of him to judge like that.
"Before I left him yesterday evening," Rei started again, "he asked me to hold him. But I refused." He was quiet for a while as he tried to prevent his voice from cracking and his emotions from leaving him. "I knew that if I held him in my arms, I would never be able to let him go again."
"You did the right thing," Makoto assured and put a supportive hand on his shoulder. Rei looked back at him and nodded, but his eyes told Makoto that he regretted it.
After that it was silent as they made their way back to the palace. Once they got to the castle gates and Makoto saw the gatekeeper, panic began to rise in his being once more, but the gatekeeper was fast asleep. When Rei called for the gate to be opened and stated his name, the gatekeeper did as he requested and opened the gates without any trouble. Luckily he did not even notice that Makoto was present and Makoto guessed that the man just wanted to go back to sleep.
Inside the castle they made their way to Nagisa's chamber as quickly and quietly as possible. Running into someone would be bad, but fortunately they were able to make it without anyone noticing.
"Okay, so..." Makoto started once they were inside, "Now what?"
If he hadn't been so bewildered by the circumstances, he might have looked around the hallways and chambers of the enormous castle with amazement and wonder, but right now all he felt was distress.
"We need to make sure you're ready. First things first, your appearance. The rest will come later."
"Alright, but where are you going to get clothes? This is not exactly something a prince would wear and I'm quite sure I won't fit into Nagisa's suits," Makoto said as he gestured at his clothing.
"You most likely won't fit my clothes either..." Rei pondered before he got struck with an idea, "Of course! Wait here," he commanded as he left the room once more.
As Makoto waited for Rei to return, his nerves and panic began to consume him. There was no way he was going to successfully pull this off. He was no prince! Everyone would be able to see through him the moment they laid eyes upon him. Unlike Nagisa, he didn't look like a prince. He didn't act like a prince, hell, he even didn't know how princes acted. What did it take to be a prince?
Just as he was getting ready to blow the whole thing off and tell Rei he couldn't do it after all, the door opened.
A man with pink hair entered the room. That's it, Makoto thought, he hadn't even left the palace yet and they were already found out. However, before he had the chance to be scared, Rei came back and Makoto was able to breathe again.
"Makoto, this is Sir Kisumi," Rei introduced as he gestured at the man, "He will be the one to accompany you to Iwatobi."
"Hi!" Kisumi said as he walked towards Makoto and grabbed his hands, "It's nice to meet you, Makoto. Just call me 'Kisumi', 'kay?" His sentence was topped off with a wink.
The flamboyance and overall aura of Kisumi made it difficult for Makoto to believe he was just a servant, but with everything that had happened in the last hour, Makoto had learned to just accept it rather than question it. Before he had the chance to reply, Rei spoke again.
"There's not much time before the carriage leaves so we're going to have to do things quickly. Sir Kisumi, do you think Makoto will fit your clothing?"
Kisumi ran his eyes over Makoto's body before he nodded, "Yeah, I think so."
"Good. I presumed you already packed your suitcase, did you not?
"I did."
"Can you select the finest garments you own and put them in Nagisa's suitcase for Makoto? Oh, and can you also get some towels, and a suit and a pair of boots of yours?"
"On it!" Kisumi left the room again.
"Come on," Rei said to Makoto as he walked into the room adjoined to Nagisa's chamber.
Wordlessly Makoto followed and they entered Nagisa's bathroom. Makoto marvelled at the size of it; it was bigger than his entire house. But he had no time to be surprised before Rei ordered him to strip.
"What?!" Makoto exclaimed as his cheeks glowed bright red.
"You can't go to Iwatobi looking like this so you have to bathe, and since we don't have any time to spare I'm going to assist you. Now, hurry up!"
To say that he was embarrassed would be an understatement, but Makoto did as he was told. In order to spare Makoto's modesty Rei made sure to keep his eyes above the belt. Because of that, he was able to study Makoto's torso. His shoulders were broad and his clavicle prominent, his arms and chest rather muscular, but his waist was narrow and his ribs were visible. Years of labour and hunger had truly sculpted his body.
There was no time for him to dwell on the state of Makoto's body, they had to make haste. He ran a bath and made Makoto wash his body as he washed his hair. Then when Makoto was in the tub, he brushed his nails to remove the dirt underneath them, then filed them.
When he got out of the tub Kisumi was standing ready with a towel for him. They helped Makoto get dressed and sat him down in front of a mirror to brush his hair. Rei was able to style his wet hair differently, but as it was drying up, it returned to its original, messy ways. No matter what Rei did, he could not get it to work with him.
Makoto silently endured it all, his mind not entirely able to catch up with what was happening. It was all just a lot to take in for him and as Rei and Kisumi worked around him, his brain just kind of stopped.
Eventually Rei ceased his attempts of taming Makoto's wild locks and instead put Nagisa's crown on his head. Then he took one of the bottles that were standing on the dressing table and sprayed its contents on Makoto. A sweet, flower-like fragrance filled Makoto's nostrils, and though it smelled good, Makoto didn't exactly find the perfume fitting for himself. It was truly a fragrance for someone like Nagisa.
Once they were done they returned to Nagisa's bedroom and Makoto was able to look at himself in one of the mirrors. He barely even recognised himself in Kisumi's clothes and with Nagisa's crown on his head. He almost looked like a prince. Almost.
"It's not exactly a suit a prince would wear, but it will have to do," Rei commented.
"Hey! That's my best suit!" Kisumi protested, but there was no real malice in his voice.
"I am not saying it is not a good suit, it is just not very fitting for a prince."
"Yes, yes," Kisumi dismissed and he stepped closer to Makoto, "Don't listen to him. You look really good. Very handsome, if I do say so myself!"
"T-Thanks..."
"I'm sorry the clothes don't exactly fit though. They were tailored to fit me, after all."
"Ah, it's quite alright. Thank you for lending them to me," Makoto said. The suit was tight around his shoulders but loose around his midsection and the sleeves and pant legs were a tad too short. Still, it was far better than if he had to wear one of Nagisa's or even Rei's suits.
"That's what you get for being such a big guy," Kisumi laughed and gave him a friendly pat on the back.
"Now, for your manners," Rei started, "You need to fix your posture first." He took a step forward and stood behind Makoto. "Arch your back and push your chest forward. Try to keep your shoulders back."
Makoto arched his back but was not able to push his shoulders back, the tight cloth preventing him from doing so. "I can't, the suit's too tight. I'll rip the fabric."
"Forget it then." Rei stalked off as he mentally went through what else he needed to teach Makoto in the short amount of time they had. Realising that he would never be able to teach Makoto everything he needed to know nor would Makoto be able to remember it all, he concluded that he would have to resort to another means. "I've got a book on royal etiquette. I'll give it to you so you can read it on the carriage."
"Uh, Rei?"
"What?"
"Just one little problem with that," Makoto muttered, and when he saw Rei's despaired face, he was almost afraid to say it. "I can't read."
A deep sigh left Rei's lips as he brought his hand to his forehead. That's right, how could he have forgotten? Although he was doing his very best to keep a calm and collected demeanour, he was completely freaking out on the inside. His prince was missing and he was about to send a pauper he had met a mere week ago to another kingdom to pose as a prince. Even fools and madmen would claim him to be insane.
"Alright, we'll just go over the most basic and vital points then. Firstly, keep your posture like that. Try to maintain elegance in your gait. Carry yourself with pride and confidence, not arrogance."
Elegance, pride, confidence. Those were not words Makoto would have used to describe himself. He practically emitted clumsiness, cowardice and insecurity. But he would not object. He would be obedient, for obedience was an essential quality for a prince, was it not?
"Hold your head high. When you bow, keep your legs straight and stable, put your right hand over your heart and hold your left arm against your lower back."
"Like this?" Makoto asked as he bowed. The suit was constricting him a bit, but he didn't say anything about it.
"Perfect. During dinner, you will have multiple sets of cutlery, one for every course. You start with the ones on the outside and work your way inside. Chew with your mouth closed and don't speak with food in your mouth."
Multiple sets of cutlery? One for every course? Just how many courses were there?
"Speak politely and only when you are spoken to. If there is something that baffles or surprises you, try not to let it show. Pretend that it is customary and that you're used to it. If you see Prince Haruka do something you're not familiar with, mimick his behaviour but don't be too obvious about it," Rei uttered. He wanted to be sure Makoto would be completely ready for the upcoming days, but he did not know exactly in what type of situations he would be and what kind of manners he would need for them. There was nothing else he could immediately think of, so he would have to believe Makoto would get through them on his own. "You're a clever man, Makoto. Use your head."
"Alright," Makoto nodded.
Rei looked at his pocket watch. "It's time. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Sir Kisumi?"
"All ready!" Kisumi said and he shot Rei a thumbs up.
"Good. Let's go then."
They made their way through the palace and Kisumi and Rei were carrying their luggage. When Makoto had said that he could carry the suitcase himself, Kisumi had laughed as Rei reminded him that he was a prince now, and that tasks like these were for the servants. As they left the castle and Makoto saw the carriage, he began to worry once more.
"Wait, won't the coachman see that I'm not Nagisa?"
"Nagisa does not leave the palace much, for he does not attend a lot of formal occasions in other kingdoms. The chance that this particular coachman would be able to recognise him is very small," Rei assured.
At the carriage the coachman took their luggage and Rei began to say goodbye to Makoto and Kisumi.
"You should arrive in Iwatobi in the evening. Thank you, Makoto, and good luck. It won't be easy, but if there is anything you need to know you can always go to Sir Kisumi for advice. He will assist and support you through this experience. I will come to Iwatobi with Nagisa as soon as I have found him. Once again, thank you so much and my sincerest apologies for putting you through this."
"It's alright," Makoto said, "Thank you and good luck to you too. I hope you'll find him soon."
"I hope so too. Have a safe trip."
The coachman had returned and opened the door to the carriage.
"Thanks. Goodbye, Rei."
Kisumi and Makoto stepped inside the carriage. The coachman closed the door and climbed into the seat. For a second Rei looked Makoto in the eyes and said, "Remember who you are."
Then the coachman pulled the reins, the horses began to walk, and the carriage moved, leaving Rei behind as it was pulled off the palace grounds and through the gate.
A breath of relief left Makoto's mouth as soon as they had left the castle and town far behind. It made Kisumi laugh once again.
"Nervous?" he giggled, to which Makoto nodded, "See it as the first step in the adventure of your life!"
"A rather dangerous adventure..."
"True, true, but hey, what's life without a little risk and excitement?"
A great life, was what Makoto thought. But he knew Kisumi was just trying to comfort him and though it was not exactly working, he appreciated it all the same.
"Say, those boots," Kisumi said as he gestured to Makoto's feet, "they're too small, aren't they?"
"Just a little, but it's alright," Makoto admitted although he had hoped Kisumi wouldn't notice, "I'm used to it anyway."
"You're used to wearing boots that are too small?" Kisumi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I am." It was true. Back when he got a sudden growth spurt, his boots were suddenly a few sizes too small. Knowing that his parents wouldn't be able to afford a new pair, he had kept his mouth shut and wore them until they were falling apart. When his mother found out she had scolded him for it, but he knew he had no other choice. He would gladly have painful feet if it meant that his siblings were well-fed and pain-free.
"When we get to Iwatobi, I'll go out to get you a new pair."
"Oh, you don't have to, it's alright, really!"
"Nonsense. They'll damage your feet, and a prince should only wear the finest," Kisumi ended with an impersonation of Rei.
Despite how tense he was, Makoto couldn't help but chuckle a little.
They continued to chatter like that. Makoto was afraid he would be spending the entire trip worrying and feeling uneasy, but Kisumi did his best to distract him from what awaited them at the end of their journey. When he had asked if Kisumi had any advice for him, Kisumi had shaken his head; rather than teaching him how to behave, his act would be much more convincing if his mannerisms were natural rather than taught and as long as he kept in mind what Rei already told him, everything would be fine. Although he had been sceptical and anxious at first of the fact that Rei wouldn't come with him and instead he would be escorted by someone he didn't know, he was now kind of glad that Kisumi was with him rather than Rei. It was not that he didn't like Rei, because he did, but Rei would only make him more nervous and concerned. Kisumi was more relaxed, easygoing and laid-back, and right now, that was exactly what Makoto needed to feel reassured and at ease.
Eventually their banter died out as fatigue started to take over. They had been awake for the majority of the night and the hustle and bustle that was occurring during the time they should have been asleep was starting to take its toll. The bumps in the road effectively lulled them to sleep.
When they arrived at the palace of Iwatobi at dusk, there were servants already waiting for them. The sight truly reminded Makoto of the reason he was here and a lump of trepidation was forming in his throat. Kisumi put a reassuring hand on Makoto's shoulder.
"You'll be fine," he whispered. These were the last words of comfort he was able to offer Makoto, and Makoto knew it. The moment he would step out of the carriage he was no longer Makoto Tachibana, but Prince Nagisa Hazuki. Rei's words resonated through his head. 'Remember who you are.'
The door of the carriage was opened and when they went outside they were formally welcomed by the staff of the palace. Their suitcases were removed from the carriage and they were led inside. One of the servants explained that they would be taken to their chambers first so they could freshen themselves up before meeting the King, Queen, and most importantly, Prince Haruka.
As they walked through the large hallways and staircases of the palace, Makoto tried to contain his amazement and silently followed behind the servant. Suddenly the servant stopped in front of a large door.
"This is the room reserved for you, Your Highness," she said as she opened the door and guided him inside.
"This is my room?" Makoto asked in astonishment. The room was bigger than he had expected and the bed was enormous. There were doors leading to a large balcony and he could see another door that most likely led to an adjoined bathroom.
"Is it not to your liking, Your Highness?"
"It is!" Makoto quickly reassured before he remembered his role and cleared his throat. "Thank you."
The servant left the room shortly after that, leaving him all by himself. As soon as the door was closed Makoto sighed and walked over to the doors of the balcony, opening them and going outside. The cool evening breeze blew through his hair for as much as that was possible as he leaned on the railing, looking out at the setting sun and deeply breathing in and out a couple of times to calm himself.
He could do this. For a couple of days, he would be Prince Nagisa. Whatever happened after that did not matter. He could do this.
Repeating this in his head, he went back inside to wash his face. The size of the bathroom baffled him again, although it was not as large as Nagisa's, it was still larger than his house. Afterwards he sat down on the bed and looked around the chamber, his head full of thoughts.
What would Prince Haruka be like? Would he be kind and bubbly like Nagisa, or would he be cold and gruff? Would he be tall or short? Slender or chubby? Would he have light or dark hair? And what colour would his eyes be?
Makoto thought about all of this but he could not form a good image in his head. He practically knew nothing about Prince Haruka, and that made him curious. While he could completely understand why Nagisa didn't want to meet let alone marry a stranger like Prince Haruka, Makoto couldn't help but feel a little excited. Excited to unravel the mystery that was Prince Haruka Nanase.
A few soft knocks on the door pulled him out of his reverie.
"Ah, come in!" he called and Kisumi opened the door.
"Are you ready, Your Highness?"
"I am," Makoto replied and he got up. It was not entirely true but the longer he waited, the more time his nerves had to grow. He took another deep breath to gather himself before he followed Kisumi and the other servants towards the throne room.
They entered the room where the King, Queen and Prince were already waiting for them. When they got closer and Makoto laid his eyes upon Prince Haruka, every coherent thought immediately vanished from his head.
Prince Haruka was shorter than himself, but a good amount taller than Nagisa. He was slender, his skin was fair, and the hair beneath his crown was dark black. His facial features were soft, his cheeks porcelain, his nose thin and upturned, and his small mouth was open ever so slightly. He was absolutely beautiful. Truly a prince.
But Makoto's heart stopped entirely when his gaze met the bluest, most breathtaking eyes he had ever seen. The eye-contact remained because Makoto was simply unable to look away; he was drowning in the beauty that was Prince Haruka Nanase. Little did he know, at the other end of the gaze, Prince Haruka was experiencing the same wonder.
Around him people were talking, but he didn't hear any of it. A servant introduced the King, Queen, and Prince Haruka, but it all went past him. Like the rest of the world no longer existed from the second he had met Prince Haruka's eyes.
Then Prince Haruka suddenly averted his eyes, a small blush dusting his cheeks as he tried to hide himself behind his fringe and Makoto was taken back to earth.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, may I present you," Kisumi formally presented as he gestured at Makoto, "Prince Nagisa Hazuki of Sano."
Prince Haruka bowed and murmured, "It is an honour to meet you."
The sound of his deep and velvety voice made Makoto hold his breath. Like the rest of him, it was absolutely beautiful. He simply had no other words to describe him. Never in his life had he ever seen someone quite like him, so elegant, so gorgeous, so pure.
"The honour is mine," Makoto returned, accompanied with a bow of his own. He had to try his best to keep his voice steady and even, for Prince Haruka's presence made him truly and utterly speechless.
"There is still some time before dinner," announced the servant, "We shall leave Prince Haruka and Prince Nagisa alone so they can get acquainted."
"Would you like to accompany me for a walk through the gardens?" Prince Haruka asked Makoto with almost rehearsed politeness as he held out his hand.
"It would be an honour," Makoto replied with a nod and he accepted the prince's hand. His hand was soft and delicate, smaller than his own, and it fit perfectly inside his. Like they were made to hold each other.
Prince Haruka led him through a different hall towards the gardens. Once they were outside and the doors were closed, Prince Haruka let go of his hand and Makoto immediately missed his touch. The prince turned his face away as his body shook.
Concerned, Makoto was about to ask what was wrong when he realised the prince was laughing. His stoic demeanour dissolved into thin air as he softly chuckled. The reason for his amusement was unbeknown to Makoto, all he knew was that his laughter was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
"Excuse me," Prince Haruka uttered, biting his lip to prevent himself from smiling, "It is just that you are not exactly who we were expecting you to be."
All of the warm feelings Makoto had from meeting Prince Haruka turned into ice. It hadn't even been five minutes since they met and it was already out that he wasn't Nagisa. Well, how couldn't he have been found out. Next to someone like Prince Haruka who basically emitted royalty, Makoto stuck out like a sore thumb. It was obvious he was an imposter.
"It's just," Prince Haruka attempted to explain, "All this time I was told I was to marry Princess Nagisa."
For the umpteeth time within twenty-four hours, relief washed over Makoto.
"Did you see the look on my parents' faces when the ambassador announced you were Prince Nagisa?" he continued, his voice full of amusement. "From your name they had assumed your sex; they most likely confused you with one of your sisters and made the arrangement without much thought. They are too prideful to outright admit their misconception, especially because they gave me a rather feminine name as well, so I wonder what they will do next, for the reason they made the arrangement was to ensure the bloodline would be continued."
The tension completely left his body at this explanation. It was alright. There was simply a misconception on his family's part. Everything was still alright.
"Forgive me for not meeting your expectations, Prince Haruka," Makoto chuckled, "Do you mind?"
"Not at all," Prince Haruka said earnestly, and something told Makoto that he was actually quite pleased with this outcome. Then he cleared his throat and tried to regain his cool attitude, "And please, call me Haru."
"Then you can call me Ma- Nagisa," Makoto corrected, hoping that Haruka had not noticed his slip up.
If he had, then he didn't mention it as he simply asked him to walk through the garden with him, and Makoto couldn't do anything but accept his offer. They descended the stairs so they were at the ground floor to begin their walk.
As they were strolling through the garden, Makoto looked around himself and inwardly he marvelled at how big it was.
"What a beautiful garden," he commented not out of politeness, but with genuine awe, "I'm sure Ran and Ren would love to play here."
"Ran and Ren?" Haruka asked and Makoto could slap himself. He didn't, because that would be weird and suspicious, so instead he said,
"They're my... cats."
"You have cats?"
Even though Haruka's exterior made it look like it was simply a wonder, there was some kind of excitement in the question. As if he was thrilled to find they had a common interest.
"I do, they're my favourite animals. They're just so cute!" If petting the stray cats around town counted as owning cats, then Makoto was not lying. "Do you like cats?"
"I do," Haruka nodded, "but unfortunately, my parents are not so fond of them. Or any other animal for that matter. Therefore I was never allowed to own a pet."
"I'm sorry to hear that." It wasn't like Makoto didn't understand, for he truthfully had never had a pet either. His family barely earned enough to feed five mouths, let alone six or more. But if he truly were a prince, then he would have loved to have a couple of cats. "But when you become king, you can get as many pets as you want."
"That's true," Haruka nodded with a small smile.
Their conversation continued like this, pleasantly light and less formal than Makoto had expected. It surprised him how easy it was to talk to Haruka. Although they came from two completely different worlds, they somehow clicked so well. It was as if he had known him for far longer than a mere hour, as if they had been friends for years already. Even more so than it had felt with Nagisa. Somehow, being with Haruka just felt so familiar. It felt right.
Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end and after about an hour, a maid came to tell them dinner was being served and that they had been requested to return. With only a bit of reluctance, Haruka and Makoto left the gardens to rejoin the King and Queen for dinner.
The thing was that having a meal with others present was one of the aspects of this whole act that scared Makoto most. Table manners for royalty were far different than those for common folk, and though Rei had given him pointers, he was not very confident. Next to that he was afraid of the conversation that would take place during dinner. What if the King and Queen would ask him all kinds of questions he would not know the answers to? Or what if they would discuss affairs he had no knowledge of? That would surely crush his façade immediately.
Luckily for him, dinner progressed without much difficulty: he remembered Rei's advice about the silverware and mimicked Haruka's behaviour for the most part, and not many words were uttered during the meal - which in its turn was odd for Makoto, because he was used to pleasant conversation filling up whatever meager meal was served as supper, but he supposed things worked differently in royal families.
The only real problem he had stumbled upon was something he would never in his entire life thought he would ever find to be a problem: there was too much food. All the food he was served was more than what his entire family usually got in three days. Since he was used to getting the bare minimum, by the time the main course was served, he was already full and he deeply wished he could have shared it with his parents and siblings. He didn't want to be rude nor waste a good meal so he tried to eat as much of it as he could, but he reminded himself that nothing would be more impolite to the chef and his hosts than barfing the food out all over the table, so he ceased after he was bloated. This did raise the question if he did not enjoy the food, but he assured them that he did, and that he was just full already. No disrespect to his mother, but it was truly the best food he had ever tasted, prepared with the freshest and best ingredients there were. It did comfort him to see that Haruka did not finish everything either, so it was not like he was just the odd one out. It meant there was truly too much food.
The knowledge that all the leftovers would most likely be thrown out hurt him immensely, because he knew better than anyone else what it meant to be hungry. So to see so much food being prepared only for it to be wasted made him very upset, for there were people outside of the castle's walls starving to death. People like him.
Obviously he did not mention this and kept all of his emotions inside. It would be weird to say something about it, because things like that probably happened at Nagisa's home too.
After dinner he was dismissed, with the king and queen telling him that he was probably exhausted from his journey and would appreciate the rest. He thanked them, both for their hospitality and the meal. He wasn't really sure if he was supposed to, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Politeness was never a bad quality to have, he thought.
Back in his chamber Kisumi helped to get him ready for bed, and he subtly praised him for his behaviour. So far, no one had seemed to notice that he wasn't Nagisa. Just a couple of more days. They could get through this.
When he was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, the reality of where he was began to sink in as the hecticness of the past twenty-four hours began to wear off. Like the king and queen had suggested, he was exhausted and although his bed was comfortable and warm and for once his belly was completely full, he missed his home. Unlike this large chamber, his home was small but cosy, filled with the love of his family. Being all alone in his bed without the feeling of Ren and Ran pressing against him was odd, and though he liked how much room he had to move around without strain, he still missed the familiar pressure. He had never been away from home for so long and he wondered how they were doing, if they were worried about him and if they missed him too.
Not allowing himself to be swallowed by loneliness, Makoto willed those thoughts away and instead tried to focus on the job at hand. He thought about Nagisa, wondering if he was okay and if Rei had found him yet. Although he dearly hoped that Rei would find him soon, something inside of him was reluctant and he realised that he wouldn't mind to spend a few more days here. But it wasn't the comfortable bed that made him feel this way, nor was it the delicious food. It was Haruka.
He was actually really looking forward to seeing Haruka again tomorrow. There was just something about him that drew Makoto to him. Besides his obvious good-looks and his kind personality, there was something about him that made Makoto feel warm, that made him feel something he had never felt before. A tiny voice in the back of his head warned him for these feelings, but he ignored it. Deep down he knew he should stop this clear attraction that was beginning to take form inside of him and instead focus on fulfilling his job as best as he could, but he didn't want to. Because somehow, he felt as if this attraction might be mutual. So for now, he would allow himself to enjoy every moment he could spend with Haruka. He would worry about the consequences later. This time he had with Haruka was truly a once in a lifetime experience, and he would enjoy it to its fullest.
He drifted off to sleep with his head filled with thoughts of his prince.
A/N:Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, then I hope you'll continue to enjoy it in the future and that you'll like the upcoming chapters as well!
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Once again, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and I hope to meet you at the next chapter again!
I hope you have a wonderful day! ^^