The Prince and The Pauper (19/24)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Ariokamoto
Rating: PG-15
Genre:Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything.
Summary: Keito was a common citizen of the South Kingdom until the night his family's house burns down. Without anywhere to stay, they end up moving into the servant's section of the royal castle. There, along with his best friend Yuto, Keito meets the five royal princes...and catches Prince Daiki's eye. This is a spinoff of The Prince's Princess, by my sister ai_ai_gasa2 . It's basically a retelling of the story from Keito's perspective. I would encourage you to read that fic first if you haven't, but you don't have to have read it to understand the story. You can find the prologue for that fic here. Please, enjoy!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18
He got his chance after dinner and he took his friend to his room, where he recounted what he had overheard in the stable. Yuto listened, frown deepening as Keito's story went on; but once Keito had finished, instead of being completely confused as Keito had expected, he said
"Ryosuke told me something had happened. He didn't tell me what it was-he said he couldn't-but he did say it was weighing down on his mind a lot. Maybe this has to do with what he was referring to. We should ask him." Yuto stood up, taking Keito's hand and pulling him to his feet as well.
"Now?"
"Yeah. Why not? He likes it when I drop by, and he likes you, too. Besides, this is important." Keito nodded, and the two made their way up to the prince's bedroom. Keito liked Prince Yamada's bedroom; it was just his taste-the colors, the deigns, even the layout-and he felt that if he was able to deign his own oversized bedroom it would be a lot like Prince Yamada's. Yuto knocked on he door, his knuckles rapping in a sporadic, uneven pattern, and Keito couldn't help but send his friend a questioning look. Yuto caught the confused glance, and smiled, explaining
"We have a code knock...Ryosuke made it up."
"Oh." Sure enough, within seconds Prince Yamada appeared at the door, a smile already on his lips.
"Hey Yuto-kun...oh." He was obviously not expecting Keito, surprise flashing in his eyes for a moment, before he opened the door, letting them in.
"What's up guys?" Keito was relieved to find that the prince didn't sound off put by his presence; Yuto meanwhile, flopped comfortably on Yamada's bed, saying
"We wanted to talk to you about the stuff that happened earlier today." This got Yamada's attention, and he sat on the bed across from Yuto, tucking his legs under himself nicely, a slight frown gracing his face.
"The stuff that happened earlier today?" He repeated Yuto's words, rephrasing them into a question, and Yuto explained
"Yeah, the stuff that was bothering you. Keito accidentally overheard something, and I thought it might have to do with whatever it was that you were so worried about, so we came to ask you." Yuto sounded slightly hesitant, as if unsure Yamada would be okay with them prying after he had apparently told Yuto that it was a matter he couldn't discuss. The prince lapsed into silence, obviously weighing the pros and cons of involving Keito and Yuto. Eventually he sighed, announcing
"I'll bite. What did you accidentally overhear, Keito?" All of a sudden Keito was slightly nervous, Prince Yamada's gaze rather sharp, his curiosity as to just how much they knew intense. The prince's golden band glinted in the lamplight, reminding Keito of Yamada's status, of the power he had, and he became meek. He took a deep breath, recounting to the younger boy his accidental overhearing of Prince Hikaru and Yabu-kun's conversation in the stable, and once he finished, before Yamada could talk, Yuto added
"We think we have two things figured out for sure...one: something bad happened involving Prince Rensuke," he paused, looking to Yamada for confirmation. Yamada dipped his head, agreeing with the statement, and Yuto continued "and you guys...the royal family I mean, are being blamed for it." This was met with another small nod, and the prince sat in silence, thinking, and fiddling with his bangs. As he adjusted the hairs he began to speak.
"Prince Rensuke was kidnapped shortly after he departed from our castle, the morning after Ayaki's ball. The kidnappers left a note and evidence behind that framed my family and I. It wasn't much, just scraps of our things. The note itself stated that the prince had to be found within a month before he was killed. No ransom or anything. It quite honestly wasn't the most subtle or effective way to pin it on us, but the North is desperate, and Yabu-san, the royal advisor, and his son Kota arrived this morning, demanding answers. That had been the first time we had heard about it. There's not a whole lot we can do about it from our end of things at the moment, but it’s been weighing heavily on everyone's minds." Prince Yamada had finished playing with his hair, and instead he had his lips pressed together, eyebrows scrunched with worry.
"So...Prince Rensuke is being held hostage somewhere, is there anything we can do? I mean...do you guys have a plan? The poor prince...we can't just let him die...right?" It was as though Yuto had just realized how tense and uncomfortable the situation could become if the royal family was not planning on doing anything about Prince Rensuke's capture. Yamada took Yuto's hand just barely into his own, fingers brushing for a fleeting moment; before he said
"We have a bit of a plan. Right now all anyone can do is keep their nose down and hope a clue reveals itself, or that the Northern Kingdom's search parties are successful." This obviously wasn't the response Yuto had been hoping for, but he nodded, and Keito found himself nodding along. He didn't we how he and Yuto could do much to help, except for going out and searching themselves, and he didn't want to leave his mother alone. That thought brought another. The prince had probably gone missing the same time his father had. He thought about it, calculating how long it would have taken for Prince Rensuke to make it back to the north before he was taken. The two disappearances fit within a day or two of each other. What if they were connected? Perhaps his father had been taken by the same people. But what would they take him for? He certainly held no significance in the national scheme of things; he was simply a servant. Perhaps he had heard something he shouldn't have, and they took him so he couldn't divulge their plans...or they killed him. He drove that notion from his mind, feeling slightly nauseous. This was pointless speculation; the cases were probably completely separate, there was nothing linking them except timing.
He was pulled out of his thought by a hand on his shoulder. Yuto. His friend looked concerned, and he slung a lanky arm across Keito's shoulders, turning to Prince Yamada and saying
"It's getting late, we'd better get going. Goodnight Ryosuke..:" Before steering Keito out of the room. Once alone in the hallway Yuto sent a concerned glance up at Keito's face.
"You okay? What's on your mind?" Yuto's awareness of him was comforting, and Keito found himself smiling a little bit.
"I was just thinking about my dad...speculating." He paused, indecision about if he should tell Yuto his notion flickering in his thoughts, but he pushed on.
"Do you think the two disappearances are linked?" As he spoke Yuto's eyes softened, sympathy washing over his face.
"Oh Keito...I don't know." Keito nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed, and Yuto have his shoulder a comforting squeeze, keeping his arm warned around Keito until they had arrived at their separate bedrooms, and parted ways for the night.
The next week they did as Prince Yamada had suggested and pretended not to know about the disappearance of the Northern kingdom's heir, and life truly continued as usual, much to Keito's surprise. He spent his days helping his mother with Princess Ayaki's needs and he rarely ever saw the other members of the royal family, aside from the occasional surprise visit from Daiki, but those were fleeting. He had been sitting in his mothers workspace, calculating the expected cost of a layered skirt versus an asymmetrical one for the wedding dress when his mother pushed through the door, a mountain of fabric in her arms. He stood, hurrying to relieve her of the burden, and she was grateful when he took the bundles from her arms. As he was getting himself adjusted he heard an unexpected voice.
"Where do these go?" He peered around the fabric in his arms to see Prince Inoo, his arms similarly full, the prince craning his neck to look around the room questioningly.
"Here, just put them on these tables...he gestured to the long tables pushed up near the back window, and Prince Inoo hurried over, grunting dramatically as he set the bundle down. Keito thanked the older prince and took to sorting out the new fabrics. Prince Inoo slipping back out the doorway, Keito's mother taking seat at the desk, looking over the figures he had calculated while she'd been out. They fell into a comfortable silence as they worked, and eventually the sounds of a conversation drifted through the open doorway.
“He doesn’t like you. You’re so pathetic it’s pissing me off. Can’t you just give up already?” The princess' voice was harsh, the words snapping and cruel. Prince Inoo's response was quiet, the princess too lowering her voice, the words starting out quiet and ending loud, not quite a shout, but very audible
“Well, I’ve hugged and danced with him more. It’s probably just pity anyway. And I’ve kissed him. Twice.”
“He didn’t ever want you to.” Prince Inoo's response was just as loud, and Keito glanced nervously at the doorway. He knew it wasn't really any of his business, but it sounded like a fight was about to break out between the two similar looking siblings right there in the hall. He shared a look with his mother, and she stood, her wooden chair scraping against the stone floor as she pushed it back, and left, interjecting into the argument hesitantly
“Sorry to interrupt, but if you don’t mind…Your highness, I have a few questions about the cut of the skirt…” Keito paused in his actions to focus on the royal siblings’ response.
“Okay.” Ayaki's voice was sugary sweet, and overly nice, but Keito still sighed in relief, turning his attentions back to the bundles he was putting away, decidedly tuning out the conversation his mother was having with the princess until his job was complete, after which he returned to cost calculations of attaching pearls all along the skirt of the dress, an idea the princess was fond of. He spent the rest if his evening doing paperwork.
The sun had set, dinner eaten, when Keito ran into Prince Yamada, the short prince leaning against the small span of wall separating Keito's bedroom from the one the Nakajima brothers shared. His gaze was unfocused, brow furrowed, and he looked uncomfortable, obviously deep in thought, his expression making it seem that his train of thought wasn't a pleasant one. When Keito approached the prince stood properly, giving Keito his attention.
"Um...Yuto's in the kitchen, helping his parents with the dishes." Keito figured that had to be why the prince was here. Yamada however, shook his head.
"I was hoping to talk with you, actually." Keito had a sense of foreboding wash over him. The prince had never searched him out for a one on one talk before. Something must have happened.
"Um...oh...okay." He knew he sounded nervous, and he mentally whacked himself. The prince offered him a small, rather distracted, worried looking smile, before announcing
"My brother loves you." That took Keito by surprise. Not the words-he knew that Daiki loved him-but why was Prince Yamada bringing it up now?
"He's been talking about marrying you. Dropping subtle hints at the concept. He's serious about you." That information washed over him, and he felt numb, mind reeling with the thought. Marriage?! What? He'd had no idea. He himself had entertained the concept occasionally, late at night, or the rare daydream, but considering the social implications, and the rift in their status, he had never considered it seriously.
"Um, why are you telling me this now? Something must've brought this on, right?" He tried not to be too struck with Prince Yamada's words, and to look at the situation logically. Prince Yamada looked rather guilty, averting his eyes.
"Just...remember that no matter what, he loves you. Please." The prince was very serious, the silence falling between them heavy, and he had some pity in his eyes when he finally looked back up, murmuring a quick
"Good night, Keito." Yamada pulled him in for a quick hug before heading back in the direction of the staircase that led to the royal family's sleeping quarters. Keito watched him go, their strange conversation reeling through his mind.
There was the matter of the words the prince had uttered. Marriage? Keito found himself becoming more and more flustered, and unsure of himself as the thought seep through his brain. He took a deep breath, forcing it from his mind, instead trying to focus on the way Yamada had said the words, the unspoken things.
The prince had been very concerned about his awareness of Daiki's feelings for him. The 'no matter what' he'd thrown in at the end was the worst part. The fact that it was uttered, and in such a serious manner, meant that Prince Yamada had felt it necessary. Something was wrong. Something else was wrong. The disappearance of his father, and then the kidnapping of the Northern prince, neither of those had brought confusing requests or secret meetings. What could have possibly happened?
He let himself wonder for a long while before realizing he was just speculating, creating unnecessary suspicion and making himself worry even more, before even knowing the facts. Still, he didn't manage to get much sleep that night.
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