Midoriya's cheeks were burning a bright shade of scarlet as he kept his head bowed and his eyes pointed towards the floor.

His mouth was dry and there was an uncomfortable itch that grew in the back of his throat.

He had barely spent a few hours in this foreign country and he had already made a fool of himself. All the nerves in his body were on edge as the sound of polished shoes tapping against waxed floors reverberated around the room.

Midoriya refused to lift his gaze from the ground as he watched the black, polished tips of the crown prince's shoes appear out of the corner of his vision before turning towards him. A droplet of sweat quivered down the back of his neck before rolling down his skin. He felt as if he had been steeping in a hot bath for hours only to have just emerged. The prince's sharp gaze burned holes into his back as he exuded a calm, repressed aura of hostility.

"Do all Shueians bow to the first person they meet? Or is it difficult for your people to differentiate the nobility from the commoners?" The prince's voice was surprisingly deep; a voice that anyone would trip over their own two feet just to hear.

But right now, Midoriya wished he wasn't hearing this voice for the first time. Underneath those words, Midoriya's cheeks turned a shade darker as he dipped his head a little lower. His right hand clenched into a fist at his side as he grit his teeth together.

"No, your highness." Midoriya spat out through clenched teeth. "Please forgive me for my indiscretions." He could still feel the crown prince's gaze burning holes into his back, before he turned away from him.

"You may stand and return to the sides of your countrymen."

Midoriya let out a sigh of relief as he righted himself and quickly gave a little bow before returning to Tokoyami's side.

Tokoyami glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me that wasn't the crown prince?" Midoriya whispered under his breath.

Tokoyami gave him a look that screamed at Midoriya that he had tried. Midoriya held his breath as he stared at the crown prince's back before his gaze flickered to the prince sitting on the throne.

They were brothers, such an observation was as clear as day. Though now that Midoriya had the opportunity to observe the two princes' face he could clearly see that the one sitting on the throne was slightly older than the crown prince. His face was a little more defined and angular compared to him as well.

"What are you doing?" Todoroki stared up at his brother, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Todoroki's older brother cracked a cheeky smile at him. He stood up from the throne and patted the armrest. "Keeping it warm for you." There was a twinkle of familial love and amusement burning in his eyes as he stared at Todoroki's stoic face.

There wasn't a single cringle of skin around his eyes or a twitch of his lips. His face was as smooth as unblemished marble that had yet to be touched by an artist's fingers.

Todoroki's brother didn't say a single word more as walked down the pedestal and out of the throne room. Todoroki stood rooted in his spot for a few brief heartbeats before climbing the pedestal and taking his seat in his rightful throne.

Todoroki cocked his head to the side and rested his cheek against his fist as his eyes raked over the party of Shuieans.

Midoriya's eyes locked onto the female knight as she took a step forward and bent down on one knee with her right hand pressed against the marble floors in a deep sign of loyalty towards Todoroki. "Your highness! The cargo from Shuei has all been checked and cataloged; everything that was reported to be there was there and nothing was missing." The female knight bowed her head. "Also—" she trailed off.

"Also what, Yaoyorozu?"

Midoriya sucked in a breath at the casualty that the crown prince seemed to display with the female knight. Even though he referred to her by her last name, there was a strange softness in his voice that Midoriya picked up. His eyes flickered from Yaoyorozu to the crown prince. He wondered what the nature of their relationship was.

He didn't have much time to ponder on these thoughts as Yaoyorozu stood up and turned towards him. She gestured at him with her hand.

"—your personal servant is here as well."

This morsel of information seemed to darken the prince's mood. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Midoriya as if he was attempting to smother him with his feelings alone. "My. Personal. Servant?" Each word fell from Todoroki's mouth as if there were tiny granules of sand that prevented him from speaking properly. His brows pinched together as the corner of his lips slightly twitched in what Midoriya assumed to be an annoyed grimace. "I never asked for one. He can return to Shuei with the rest of the merchants and artisans."

Midoriya sucked in another breath. His nerves ate him from the inside out. The prince couldn't be thinking about sending him back home! He couldn't go back to Shuei now! Not when All Might had tasked him with an important mission that frankly meant life or death for his country. He could barely go home before he found the answers he needed.

His right foot slid forward as his lips parted with a slew of protests already weighing down his tongue.

Yaoyorozu spoke before he could. She stood firm, her hands settled against the curves of her waist as she stared Todoroki down. "You are not sending him back to Shuei!"

An air of suppressed surprise settled over the Shueians; surprise for the fact that a knight—especially a female one—was talking back to the prince that she served. Such an outspoken backlash was unheard of back in Shuei and such an action would at least would warrant severe discipline.

Todoroki's eyes seemed to darken. He forced his head upright as he leaned back into his throne and laced his fingers together. "Oh?"

Yaoyorozu moved her hand from her hip and pointed at Midoriya. "He's a brokerage of peace; one out of many and a personal servant sent to you by Shuei's own king. A personal servant that was handpicked to serve you and a gift for your coming of age. Sending him back to Shuei would not only be seen as a slight but an insult to the entire nation itself."

Todoroki scoffed, turning his head slightly to his right as if he was subtly telling her that he was done with the entire conversation. Yaoyorozu, however, stood firm.

"You need to keep him in your household. Driving a wedge in between the already formed chasm between our two nations would only cause it to grow wider. We need every opportunity that exists to show Shuei that there are no hostile feelings between our nations."

Todoroki stared down at her. "Then send him to my father. I didn't ask for him, nor do I want him."

Yaoyorozu sighed as if she was used to dealing with Todoroki's stubbornness. "Your father already has plenty of servants that attend to his needs. All Might sent you Midoriya specifically. Keep him here, we don't need to chip away at the rift dividing our two countries or create another one. Any negative attention you bring to yourself, especially your house has an equally as negative impact on your father."

At the mention of his father, Todoroki's lips thinned out into a faint line. The room seemed to take on a cold chill as if winter itself had descended onto the interior of the castle months early. "Whatever negative attention my father gets he brings upon himself."

Todoroki's shifted from Yaoyorozu to Midoriya. His heterochromatic eyes weighed down on Midoriya as if he were being judged by the gods themselves. "Yaoyorozu will take care of you and see to it that you don't embarrass me nor my house like you did mere moments ago." He gave Midoriya a pointed stare and dismissed all of them with a single wave of the back of his hand.

Midoriya bit down on his tongue as he swallowed the words he wished to spit in the prince's face.

He had barely spent a few hours in the country and it seemed that every single rumor he had heard about the crown prince seemed to be true. He was cold; his heart a solid block of ice and he was an insufferable ass to boot.

Yaoyorozu turned towards the Shueians and began to lead them out of the throne room. Midoriya glanced at Todoroki who still remained seated in his throne. The prince's gaze was fixated on the floor as if he was stewing in his own thoughts on a tiny little island of his own making.

A wall of thick, solid ice separated him from everything and everyone. A wall that was crafted by his own two hands. A wall that kept others away from him, but also projected a mirage that never allowed those who looked at the ice to see the real object just beyond it.

Midoriya wrenched his eyes away from the prince as the oaken doors clanged shut behind him.

Yaoyorozu lead them all to the servant's hall. A sort of dining area for all of the servants and knights to eat it.

Midoriya fondly remembered the servants hall back in Shuei; the smell of spices that seemed to cling to the air as cooks, maids, the palace knights and various other servants sat side by side with one another as they ate bowls of rice, steamed fish and rolled omelets that had bits of cheese and bacon wrapped inside of it. Midoriya found himself smiling fondly at the memories as his eyes took in the scratched up long, wooden tables and the cold grey stone walls. A fire burned in the hearth that jutted out of one of the walls.

There were already servants and knights who sat in the hall, partaking in an early afternoon lunch. Midoriya noted that they were all just servants and knights, not a single member of the nobility was to be seen which he supposed already noted the differences between the country he now would be calling his home and the country that burned fondly in his heart. Back in Shuei, it was no surprise to find All Might or any member of the noble houses sharing a meal with the servants. It was a measure of respect, a move that showed the populace that their leaders were as human as they were and that they were respected and looked upon fondly as one large family. There were plenty of times, Midoriya had rubbed shoulders with All Might, even as a young boy he had listened fondly to All Might regal tales of bravery and strength over a rolled omelet or two and a bowl of rice.

Yaoyorozu turned towards Midoriya. "You'll be able to eat a meal with your kinsmen, before they begin their journey back to Shuei. Rest up and enjoy yourself, but I'll be back later to collect you so that you may begin your training on how to properly serve Prince Shoto." She nodded her head towards him and left him and his fellow countrymen behind in the hall, the knights that had followed her leaving with her.

As she left, Midoriya's eyes followed her back as she left the room. A thousand questions burned in his mind, most especially the relationship between Yaoyorozu and the crown prince. They seemed close—too close for a prince and his knight. A shade of crimson rose into his cheeks as his thoughts turned to ones he was uncomfortable with; it wasn't that far of a stretch if Prince Shoto was in a relationship with Yaoyorozu or—Midoriya's cheeks darkened further—they were sleeping together. Enten's culture when it came to sexual relationships was far more looser than Shuei's; everyone was free to do as they sexually pleased to here and it wasn't uncommon for members of the nobility to have bed partners or strange, sexually charged parties that Midoriya had only heard whispers of when he had eavesdropped on a couple of palace dignitaries talking about the lax culture of this kingdom.

A dark and filthy image appeared in his mind. An image of Yaoyorozu spread across satin sheets, her skin shining with sweat underneath the candle lights—

Midoriya gasped as he felt a hand weigh down upon his shoulder. Turning his head slightly he saw Tokoyami standing beside him.

Tokoyami gestured to the wooden, long tables with his chin. "We should get some food in you." Tokoyami's red eyes narrowed slightly. He lowered his voice as his eyes flickered from side to side. "You look like you're wrestling with your mind."

A placating smile stretched across Midoriya's face. "Just a little nervous about serving the prince, I guess."

The crinkle around Tokoyami's eyes relaxed; his face was as smooth as marble, Midoriya's eyes raked over his face if there was any indication that Tokoyami didn't believe him, there wasn't a single twitch of his lips or eyes that indicated otherwise.

Tokoyami's grip on Midoriya's shoulder tightened as he lead Midoriya towards the tables. They took a seat with the other Shueians as servants appeared in the hall and laid out plates of food in front of them. There were plates of toasted bread glistening with globs of slathered butter, honey and dark jam, boiled eggs; thick sausages with skin brown and crispy from the fire they were roasted over. Tokoyami speared his fork into a sausage, the meat squelched as pools of its own juices leaked out onto the plate. Tokoyami lifted the sausage up, the juice from the sausage glided through the air. Tokoyami brought the sausage close to his face and sniffed at it as his mouth turned downwards into a frown.

Midoriya reached out and grabbed an egg from the plate in the center of the table and placed it on his own plate. He lifted his fork into his hand and jabbed at the egg as he warily eyed the contents of the table. His stomach churned with uneasiness as he jerked backwards in surprise as the tip of his fork poked into the egg, the white exterior split apart as the dark orange yolk oozed out onto his plate.

Tokoyami set down his fork, the tip of it still speared into the sausage. "I won't be missing Enten cuisine once I leave."

Midoriya frowned at his own plate, he smeared the molten yolk around his plate. "Well, I won't have that same luxury." Midoriya set down his fork and reached out towards the plate of bread, picking up the one that looked like it had the least amount of butter, honey and jam smeared onto it. He opened his mouth and sank his teeth down into it and instantly regretted doing so. He stiffened as a sharp stab of shock traveled up his spine. The corners of his eyes prickled with the threat of tears, the bread felt like the bark of a sturdy tree. He yanked the bread out of his mouth and scowled at it, the bread was unlike the usual ones he was used to at home. The bread in Shuei was famous for its soft and fluffy texture. Bread that was easy to pull apart, there were plenty of times that he had been able to sink his thumb into the milky white bread and was able to tear it apart with very little pressure.

Midoriya dropped the bread onto his plate and pushed the silver platter away from his body in disgust. Midoriya frowned, he wondered if he would ever get used to Enten's strange cuisine. The taste was unfamiliar and strange to him, he sighed. "The crown prince seems...cold."

Tokoyami shrugged his shoulders as he eyed the table full of food. Tokoyami lifted the fork again and took a sniff of the sausage once more. "The crown prince may seem cold, but he looked friendly towards that female knight." He leaned forward slightly and took a bite out of the sausage, his eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly chewed on the meat.

"How do you know?"

Tokoyami fixed his eyes on the ceiling as he continued to chew on the meat before swallowing it and staring at the sausage. He shrugged his shoulders and took another bite. "The eyes, Midoriya." His gaze settled onto Midoriya's face. "Men may be able to tell lies, but the truth always shines behind their eyes. And behind the crown prince's eyes—" He took another bite out of the sausage, "—lies a tenderness that is only reserved for that knight."