"His Royal Highness is here!"

"It's the Prince!"

She watches the Prince from behind, trying her absolute best to stifle down the giant mirth that is threatening to burst from her lungs. But it's just so fucking hard not to laugh because he's trying not to squirm so much on top of the horse he's riding on.

She knows intimately just how much he despises being called "His Royal Highness" and that he has no saying in it. The King, his father, had told him a little too cheerfully over their teatime, that he has to suck it up and bear with it.

She had never seen the Prince pouted like that ever before, and it was so fucking cute she didn't let him leave his chamber until late afternoon.

He's a little okay being called "the Prince" though, but he did mention it's walking on ice.

"It's the Raven Prince!"

Her stomach is hurting so fucking much trying to hold back her mirth holy shit she's beginning to hyperventilate because it's so fucking funny.

If there is one thing she found out pretty early on it is that he absolutely fucking hates being called the "raven" prince. If there is a list of his most hated things then number one is that. Just knowing that "rudely woken up" a close second really shows how much he hates the title.

The Prince politely waves at the citizens of Yuuei as they make their way returning to the castle, but she can mentally see the veins throbbing on his temple while trying to keep a polite blank look on his face. He loves his people but that does not mean he tolerates them much.

When they have passed the castle wall, away from the public eye and safe in their personal space, she bursts out into a boisterous laugh, the abdominal pain of holding it in is now a pain of laughing too hard. She's laughing so hard she almost falls off the horse.

"I am glad you find my situation so hilarious, Miruko," she barely hears the Prince says drily.

"It's fucking funny because it's the most irrelevant thing you would brood over," she replies, still trying to get her laugh down as she wipes away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "The fucking Raven Prince…"

The Prince doesn't hold back his groan as he dismounts from his horse and she follows closely behind with difficulty because her funny bone is returning with vengeance. Then, they lead the horses to the stable.

"Why does it have to be a raven, out of all animals," she hears the Prince mutter, probably with a reluctant pout too.

"Can you blame them? Other than your gray cape or whatever the fuck that thing is, your outfit is all black. And you look like death half of the time. Of fucking course they would associate you with a raven!"

"Cats can be black too," he tries to reason and it only makes her lips stretch wider. "Black cats are also associated with death as well. Why can't I be called "The Black Cat Prince"?"

"Black cats are associated with witches and bad luck, Your Highness," she corrects him, ignoring his muffled shuddering. "And besides, the Black Cat Prince doesn't have the same ring as the Raven Prince. There are way too many syllables," she adds with a cheeky smile. The Prince glares at her over his shoulder before he releases a defeated sigh.

She quickly scans their surroundings in the stable. She sees there is no one but only the two of them, aside from the horses. She leaves her horse and walks over to the Prince's side.

"Don't worry, Shouta," she says with a soft voice, placing her hand on his cheek. He looks down to her, locking eyes. "You're always my black cat." She sees her red eyes reflected in his, but the affection in his black eyes overshadows hers. He releases another sigh. This time, he leans into her hand.

"You always know your way with words," he comments. She can't help but snorts.

"Isn't it ironic that it's the Prince's Knight who's good with words?" she teases, now pinching his cheek.

"I don't need words to express myself."

She can't help but hums in agreement. She then stands on the tip of her toes and drops a light kiss on his lips.

"Hawks still calls you the Raven Prince."

He breaks away from the kiss and lets out a strangled groan as if he's in pain. She can't help but chuckle at his misery.

"Send a letter to the Kingdom of HPSC for his presence later. He needs a good beating to get it straight."

"It won't take much. He's pretty scared of you."

"He should be."

"Alright, my Black Cat."

.

"I can't- I fucking can't- Holy shit-"

She has to brace against the wall with one hand, bending forward coughing and hacking while clutching her stomach because it hurts so fucking much from laughing so fucking hard.

"I am so glad you are having such a great time," she could barely hear the Prince over her laughter. The absolute dryness in his voice causes her to double her roaring laughter.

"Fuck- Okay, I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm good." She clears her throat as she begins to straighten up and recomposes herself. She takes a deep breath, willing the mirth to go away while wiping away the tears from her eyes.

Then, her eyes land on the mural once more and she doubles over once more, spraying spit because she can't help it anymore.

Someone had made a mural as a tribute to the Prince. There is nothing wrong about it; in fact, the Prince is quite touched by it, showing that his people do indeed love him despite his flaws.

What is not fine is an extra detail on the mural, and the Prince is not happy about it.

And she can't stop laughing about it.

"Alright, that's enough."

"I'll stop, fuck- I'll stop. For real this time."

She takes a few deep breaths as she straightens up once more. She lets out a few more giggles while wiping away any straggling tears from her cheeks. She sniffs the snots away and clears her throat.

She chokes when her red eyes land on the raven standing on the Prince's shoulder on the mural but she manages to keep the mirth in.

"It's so little yet it speaks so much," she comments through a strained voice as she tries not to smile. "You have no one to blame about it too."

She hears the Prince groans. She turns away from the mural and to the Prince. He is pinching the bridge of his nose and his brows are furrowed deeply, making it seems like he has a headache, to which he probably does.

"You know you can just tell them to take it down."

"Doing so would destroy their hard-earned work," he replies instantly, removing his hand from his face. He looks up at the mural of himself – along with the raven – with a grimace. "It would create problems for me if I ever tell them to stop doing what they want to do."

"Just admit that you love them too."

"I loathe them."

"Uh huh."

Despite what he had said, she can see the fondness in his eyes, even if it is reluctant. It's different when he looks at the children of Yuuei (who she knows he is extremely fond of) but it is there. It's true to the person that he is.

"Shouta?"

They turn around at the voice coming from behind.

She almost forgot they had brought Eri along with them. She could see Eri is about to ask for something when she suddenly stops. Her eyes look past them, at the mural.

"Why is there a bird on your shoulder, Shouta?" Eri asks as she takes a few steps towards them until she stands between them, and continues to look up at the mural.

Almost immediately, she sees the horror strike in the Prince's eyes. She could see the dread befall onto him, that Eri would agree that he's a raven person instead of a cat person that he is.

But his heart is too soft for her to deny her.

"Well," he starts with heavy reluctance before kneeling beside the little girl. She watches with great amusement at how he will handle this. "I am often called the Raven Prince due to my appearance, which is why they painted a raven bird," he explains to Eri.

The little lady looks away from the mural and stares at the Prince. Her eyebrows rise in confusion because Eri just mutely stares at the Prince for quite a long time. She can see even the Prince is slowly getting concerned.

"But you are more of a cat than a bird," Eri says while tilting her head to the side.

Instantly, the Prince begins to glow despite keeping the blank look on his face. She can really tell he is very happy.

"A little green freckled bird had told me that there is a special kind of apple sold around here," he says as he stands up. Immediately, Eri's own eyes light up.

"Special apples?!" the little girl asks excitedly, vibrating on the spot.

"I've heard they are sweet," he adds, as Eri slips her hand into his. Then, he begins to lead her away from the mural and into the town. She snorts as she watches them go, but she can't help but let the soft smile play on her lips.

Yeah, he's extremely happy right now.

.

"There is NO way!"

"Ru-Ru, I AM the prince."

"NO WAY!" the little white haired girl vigorously shakes her head in denial. "I don't believe you and the crowned prince are the same person. I don't believe you!"

The boy, who is sitting on the soft grass before the girl, who sits on the tree stump like a throne after she wrestled him down victoriously, drops his head into his hands. He claws his face down, pulling his face comically.

"Why?" he sighs out into his hands. "Just why can't you believe me, Ru-Ru?"

"Well," the little girl begins, crossing her arms. "I heard that the prince is a raven and-"

"I am not a raven!" the boy interrupts, shouting as if he's in despair, face twists in despair. "Why do people keep saying that I am a raven? Why can't it be a cat? I want a cat, not a raven!" he rambles, face now morphed into a scowl of displeasure.

"King Nedzu, the prince's father is a rat, so maybe there's that."

"Father is most definitely not a rat," the boy corrects her while rolling his eyes. "He is… whatever he is. And just because the father is an animal does not mean the son has to."

"Sho-Sho, you will not convince me that you are not the prince."

"Ru-Ru, I AM the prince!" The boy thumps his fists into the soft grass but the girl doesn't look like she is changing her mind. "I am very well aware I barely make any public appearances but I hate social gatherings, hence why I am barely seen."

"Just because you hate meeting people and avoid attention like a disease does not mean you are the raven prince."

"I am NOT a ra-" The boy cuts himself off and slaps his face again. He groans very loudly into his palms before he leans back until he is sprawling on the ground. The white haired girl stares at him with furrowed eyebrows, very confused why he keeps on insisting he is someone he is not. "Just… why does it have to be a raven, out of all animals? What makes people think of a raven when they see the prince?"

"It's in the name! Crow-ned prince!"

The boy lifts his head and gives the girl a blank flat stare.

"I am very sure that a crow and a raven are different."

"They're the same species so it counts," she answers. "Unlike you and the prince who are not the same person."

"For the love of- Ru-Ru I-"