"Bye, Akatsuki! I'll see you tomorrow!" Doremi shouts and waves vigorously at the prince. The smile she wears is huge, practically taking up her entire face. She turns on her heels and is ready to dash off only to trip on her dress. She flails around and catches herself before she falls. With a quick turn back to the prince, she smiles, reassuring him that she is okay.

Akatsuki waves and chuckles quietly. He waits for her figure to disappear around the corner before turning to the door of his current room. Once inside, he shuts the door and puts his back against it. He sighs as his head droops down.

"So, how was it?" Akatsuki lifts his head to see Fujio on his bed. He was scribbling something down on his notepad, taking his gaze off it to speak with him. "The princess seems like a nice girl."

"She is," Akatsuki replies. He lingers on the door for a moment before pushing himself off. The prince walks past the bed and over to the window. "She has a big heart. A little clumsy and lacking in experience, but I can tell that she truly loves her kingdom and those in it."

At the window, he takes a moment to look out and gaze upon the land. This world was full of color and life. Everyone here seemed to be in good spirits. He knew this place wasn't perfect- what kingdom was? But the royal family was doing their best to make it so.

"So, you wouldn't mind marrying her?" Fujio asks as he hops off the bed and makes his way to his side.

"You know I don't have a choice…" Akatsuki sighs and leans his head against the stone wall. His gaze remains on the world before him until he hears some shouting from below. When he looks down, he finds two wizards sparring with one another, training and strengthening their magic. He can't help but stare at the one with blue hair.

"Hmm…" Fujio hums and follows his gaze. "You sure you don't want to tell the King how you really feel about this?"

Akatsuki shakes his head. "No. I can't. We need this marriage to go through. For the sake of our kingdom, I have to do this."

"Even if it won't make you happy?" Fujio regrets asking it after seeing the prince tense up. It was a heavy burden, he knew. Akatsuki loved his kingdom, probably even more than the King did.

"If its for the sake of our kingdom, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Akatsuki…" Fujio reaches out to Akatsuki and grabs hold of his wrist. He manages to tear the prince's gaze away from the boy outside.

"Fujio."

"I want you to be happy. And I'm not saying that because I'm your loyal subject. I'm saying it as your friend."

Akatsuki blinks and puts up a rather weak smile. "Thank you." He puts a hand over his. He knew he could rely on his dear friend for support. But this was a complicated matter. It wasn't something they could fix with magic. "I will be happy to see our kingdom flourish."

"And what about Tooru?"

"I…" Akatsuki bit his lip. "I will be happy to see him happy, even if it's from afar."

"It won't be easy. Maybe you can tell the princess?"

"And ruin the marriage?"

"Lying will only hurt her more."

Akatsuki knows he's right. Doremi seemed so happy when she met and learned that they were going to marry. Whether it was the thought of marriage or some infatuation with him, he couldn't guess. But one thing was obvious- she was looking forward to a life with him.

"It hurts to know that to." The prince pulls himself away from Fujio, away from the window. He walks over to the bed and sits upon it, his gaze falling into his lap. "Imagine telling her that I can't love her. It would break her heart."

Fujio remains in place, his gaze drifts outside before remaining on Akatsuki. Maybe he shouldn't have brought this up, but how could he not?

"I'm sorry, Akatsuki."

"You don't have to apologize, Fujio." He lets himself fall onto the bed. "Maybe one day I can figure this all out. But the kingdom comes first."