Dell's POV
Earlier that morning…
"Sir, what would you like us to do?" one of the guards asked. "All the men are awaiting your command." A devious smile spread across my face. Today would be a day to celebrate; the day where all my hard work and plans over the past years would become worthwhile. Today, I would finally destroy that little brat of a prince.
"Give the command and send out the men," I told the guard. "I'll accompany you. I can't wait to see the poor prince's face when I arrive. I'll be his savior, which will make his death all the more satisfying." The guard nodded and ran off to prepare the rest. He didn't object, which didn't surprise me. Most of the guards detested the prince and they are very supportive of my plan.
I stood up, and headed towards the stables to prepare my horse. As I went, I walked through the throne room, where a large, elegant throne sat empty. Soon it would be mine. I could taste the power already. My taking of the throne would become a celebration throughout the kingdom. The peasants would celebrate the death of the prince who had wronged them so many times. How stupid they are, really.
It was so easy to fool them into believing that the prince was the cause of all their suffering. The taxes, the kidnappings of beautiful women and all the arrests were things that the prince would be too stupid to think of. Of course, I was the mastermind behind all of the hate. It's all been a part of my plan to get rid of the prince, and so far it had gone perfectly.
I let my horse out of the stables and got onto it. In front of the castle, I saw the guards sitting ready on their horses. I hadn't brought the entire guard staff. That would be a little too much. Only my most trusted would accompany me. Surrounding the guards was a mass of people, wondering why the guards were outside. The guards only came out in extreme circumstances.
My horse trotted over and stood in front of the guards. The peasants looked up and gawked. "People of this fine kingdom," I announced. "Today will be a day of change. Today we will rid ourselves of the prince." The people immediately burst into yells of happiness. Some ran off to tell their families, others cried in the streets from happiness. How predictable. I gave the crowd a smile and the guards and I set off.
"Where do we go?" the captain of the guards asked me. "Just follow me," I said. "If things went according to my plans, I know exactly where the prince is."
Luka's POV
The town was full of excitement as everyone was getting ready for the party. However, I could not let myself sit idly with so many questions on my mind. Outside my window, I could see Len and Kaito practicing. It looked like they were almost finished. They had cleaned up their stuff and now where heading to Kaito's to prepare for the celebration.
I quickly ran out of the house, towards them. "Excuse me!" I shouted. The two looked up at me in surprise. I came over and grabbed Len's hand. "Excuse me, but I really need to talk to Len. It's urgent business." Both Len and Kaito looked very confused.
"Sorry, Luka," Kaito apologized. "But we were going to get ready, so we don't really have time right now. I have to help Len get ready, and I'm guessing that he's hopeless when it comes to impressing the ladies." Len looked down at his feet, his face a bit red.
"It's really important though," I reiterated.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" Kaito asked, completely ignoring me. "Gakupo will be disappointed if you don't look great tonight." It was my turn to turn red-faced. I gave Kaito a glare and walked away angrily. That man is so stubborn sometimes. If only he knew about my concerns, maybe he wouldn't ignore me. I bet he's too preoccupied thinking about Miku and the party tonight. I swear, the man has a one-track mind. I just hope not speaking out will not come back to bite us later.
Len's POV
I was worried about what Luka had to talk to me about. She seemed to think it was very important, but of course Kaito ignored her. He can be ignorant like that sometimes. I continued to follow Kaito until we arrived at his house. He let me inside, and took me up to a small room, which I assumed was his bedroom.
"So, I don't have any super fancy clothes like you're probably used to," Kaito explained. "I've got whatever Miku's made for me in the past." Kaito brought out a few pieces of clothing. He was right. They were nothing like the clothes I had to wear at the castle whenever there was a special occasion.
"Miku really will do anything for you, won't she?" I asked. Kaito's face turned red, and he made it so clear that he loved her. Even an emotionless guy like me can figure out the simple things like that. Kaito threw some clothes at me, with an irritated look. "Just try it on," he said.
I put on the clothes and to my surprise they fit really well. I couldn't see how I looked because there was no mirror, but I assumed that I looked quite good. Kaito nodded in approval and changed into some clothes himself. By this time, it was about mid-day and the party would start a little bit before night time.
Outside Kaito's window, I could see people preparing. Gumi had set up some makeshift tables and was setting down some food that she had grown. The two little kids, Oliver and Yuki, were running around happily, spreading some quickly made decorations everywhere. The atmosphere was happy and it was unlike anything that I had experienced back home.
"Should we go help out?" Kaito suggested. I nodded, and the two of us headed outside to assist everyone in setting up the celebration.
After another hour of setting up, it was time for the party to being. Everyone came out of their homes dressed in their nicest clothing. To them, a party was a reason to go all out because they never got to have them often. Everyone was gathered in the town center which was decorated with lots of flowers. Different people took turns playing music with some old instruments they had. Kiyoteru started by playing a violin, which I remembered he always played when he worked at the castle.
Luka came out with Gakupo and the two of them were sticking close together. Luka seemed to be a lot more light-hearted than she was earlier. Mikuo arrived a bit after and passed by us. He gave Kaito a glare, warning him to back off of his sister. Then he ran off to go dance with Gumi. The three girls I had met a while ago were hanging out together. I think their names were Neru, Haku and Teto.
Kaito and I waited around for a minute, waiting. I knew that Kaito was expecting Miku to arrive, and I had nothing better to do than wait with him. The two of us waited for a few more minutes when Rin and Miku arrived together. I gasped when I saw the both of them.
Despite not having any fancy clothes or make-up, the two managed to make themselves look beautiful. The dresses they had on seemed to have been hand-made, but that didn't make them any less beautiful. The two walked over here, and both my face and Kaito's turned red. My stomach felt fluttery, and I cursed underneath my breath. Why did I feel so funny again?
"Hello," Rin smiled, as she walked up to me. She looked even prettier up close. "You look nice," I complimented. She smiled and turned a bit red. "Would you like to dance a bit?" she asked. "The song Kiyoteru is playing is really pretty." I nodded, and she took my hand and pulled me towards the center of the square.
Many other couples were dancing in the center too. Rin began to dance and I tried to go along with her. I was never really taught how to dance at the palace. It was never one of Dell's main concerns for me, especially since I was invited to many parties.
Rin and I danced, both of us laughing. We tried to dance more of an elegant dance, but were failing. Neither of us knew the steps to the dance and looked like fools, but it was fun. This moment felt better than any other before. I felt what I knew was happiness. I had never really felt it before, but I knew exactly what it was. At the time, it didn't even cross my mind that I shouldn't have been able to feel happy.
Rin and I continued to laugh and dance around the square. Everyone else around us was doing the same. We were simply enjoying ourselves for this one moment. Nothing could ruin it. Everyone's thoughts about me and the guards disappeared into nothing for a little while.
After a bit of dancing, Rin and I stopped, feeling a bit tired. We walked over to a small table with some snacks that people had made. "That was a lot of fun," Rin smiled. "I've never danced like that before."
"Neither have I!" I said. "Truthfully, I've never danced before." The two of us stood there, smiling like fools. It was a perfect moment and nothing was wrong. I turned to Rin, and noticed that her face was really red. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"There's something that I've been thinking of telling you," Rin said calmly. "It might sound a little crazy and far-fetched, but I want you to know that it's completely true." I nodded, listening intently. Rin took a deep breath and looked up at me. "Len, I…"
Suddenly, there was a loud yell and both Rin and I looked up to see what the commotion was. In the center of the square was a bunch of horses, all with guards on them. And in the front was Dell sitting proudly on his horse. My fear this whole time had just come true.
"Attention, everyone!" Dell boomed, making himself known to all who didn't realize that he was there. "I apologize for interrupting your celebration, but I have come to retrieve our missing prince."
"The prince?" Rin said, concerned. "What do you mean?" she asked, pointing her question at Dell. He smiled and got off his horse and walked over.
"I've come to retrieve the prince," Dell smiled. "It means exactly how it sounds. I've come to get him." Dell stuck out his finger and pointed at me. Rin's face turned white, as she slowly backed away from me.
"You're lying, right?" she asked Dell in horror. "This is a joke. Right, Len?" She turned to me, and the expression her face made me want to cry. She looked so frightened. I bit my lip, and gave a sigh. However, I said no words.
By now, everyone had gathered and whispers were among the crowd. Everyone looked alarmed and in disbelief, Luka especially. Dell suddenly grabbed my hand and commanded me to get onto a horse. I didn't want to go, but I felt everyone's gaze stay on me. I knew now that I was not welcomed. Everyone had realized that I was the reason their lives had turned to hell, and I would not be forgiven.
I slowly walked over and got onto Dell's horse, trying to ignore everyone looking at me. "Traitor!" someone yelled out in the crowd. I recognized the voice as Kaito's. One of the only friends I had ever had instantly hated me. More people began to cry out and I recognized all their voices. "Disgusting! Traitorous! Someone get him out of here!" people shouted. Even little Yuki and Oliver seemed to look up at me in disgust. Even they knew that I had caused them harm in their lives.
"Thank you all for taking care of the prince while he was away," Dell smiled. "As a reward, I will not let out that this secret village exists. You all can continue to live here as you did before. Good night to all of you."
I looked up from the horse and looked towards Rin who had collapsed onto the ground, almost in tears. I felt like crying too. The greatest person that I had ever met was going to disappear. I bet she hated me now. Her eyes met mine, but hers weren't full of hatred like everyone else's. Instead, they seemed sad.
I quickly looked away, not being able to handle the sick feeling in my stomach. Dell gave the command to have the guards escort me back to the castle. In my mind, I gave a silent good-bye to everyone, knowing that I was hated by all of them.
Dell's POV
The guards disappeared, leaving the peasants, my horse and me. They all looked to be in dismay. It seems that the prince had not let on that he was royalty at all. The one girl in the corner that he had been talking to seemed to be the most devastated out of all of them.
"You all seem to be a bit distraught," I said, almost taunting them. "I can't believe that bastard tricked us all," a blue-haired man yelled out. A young woman ran over to him, trying to calm the fuming man down. Another man, who appeared to be the woman's brother, was beside them, equally angry.
It was clear to me that all these people had some grudge against the prince. It seemed that the prince was enjoying himself in this poor village. Taking him away and seeing his displeasure would make his death even sweeter.
"You all don't seem to be very happy about this," I smiled. "But all your problems will end soon." The crowd went silent, and everyone's eyes turned to me. "The prince's rule will end after today," I explained. "And you all see his dead body first hanging from the castle walls."