Two Princes

Kinshiro had always understood that being royalty meant making sacrifices for the sake of his kingdom and his people. But that didn't mean it still didn't bother him.

He did know that the chances of him not marrying anyone were pretty low. After all, even if he had never really tried to pursue any kind of romance himself, he'd still likely need to marry someone for political reasons.

And that was the exact situation he found himself in.

He was now supposed to marry the heir of the Love Kingdom. All that Kinshiro knew was that he was a prince, only a little younger than him. Technically, it was mostly beneficial to the Love Kingdom, since they were lacking in resources to help their people. But Kinshiro's parents decided to arrange the marriage because they could benefit from the territory the Love Kingdom had. (Of course they wouldn't do it out of the kindness of their hearts. Kinshiro knew his parents far too well.)

He felt at least a little consoled by the fact that he'd get to meet the prince before the wedding. But it was still the most nervous he had ever felt before getting tea and sweets. Even with Ibushi there with him, it was hard not to feel a bit nervous.

"Try not to worry too much, okay?" Ibushi suggested. "He's almost the same age as us. He must be just as nervous."

"I know. But still..." Kinshiro sighed. "I wish it wasn't like this, you know?"

"I know very well how you feel about this." Ibushi placed a hand on Kinshiro's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "But let's try to think of the positive possibilities, okay? He might be nicer than you expect."

Kinshiro leaned his head on his hand. But right then there was a knock on the door, and someone announcing it was Prince Yumoto of the Love Kingdom. He immediately straightened his posture and tried his best to hide the anxiousness in his expression. Which wasn't that hard for him. He was well used to hiding his emotions in order to make good impressions.

The prince walked into the room, accompanied by a butler of his. He seemed a bit restless as he did so. However, he smiled as he saw Kinshiro.

Ibushi pulled the seat across from Kinshiro for him. Yumoto thanked him as he sat down.

Kinshiro took a deep breath before speaking. "So, you're Hakone Yumoto?" He said. It was the only thing he could think of saying to avoid an awkward silence.

"Yes." Yumoto nodded. "You can just call me Yumoto, though."

"I'll... Try." He said. "I would assume you know my name?"

"Kusatsu Kinshiro, yes?" Kinshiro nodded, and Yumoto smiled in response. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Kinshiro noticed him glancing at the small tower of sweets on top of the table. It wasn't hard to see his eyes sparkling in interest. "Feel free to eat those, if you desire."

The sparkle in Yumoto's eyes increased, and he grabbed one of the small slices of cake. "Don't mind if I do!" He took a bite, and almost immediately hummed at the taste. "This is pretty good! Who made it?"

"My butler, Arima." Kinshiro gestured towards Ibushi, who just gave Yumoto a smile.

"You're really good at cooking!"

"I appreciate the compliment." Ibushi said, with a very faint hint of pink on his cheeks.

"It's not just a compliment, it's the truth! This is as good as the stuff Atsushi makes for me!"

"And who might that be?" Kinshiro asked.

"Oh, he's one of my butlers back home. He's coming along once I move here though..." Yumoto lowered his gaze for a moment, but then went back to eating his cake and smiling.

After a moment of thinking Kinshiro spoke. "...How do you feel about that?"

Yumoto was silent. He had even stopped eating as he thought about it.

"It's fine if you don't wish to talk about it."

"No, it's fine." Yumoto replied. "I already knew something like this might happen one day. But... I'll miss my home. I'll miss my brother." He sighed, but the gave Kinshiro a smile. "I'm less nervous now, though. You at least seem like a nice person."

"How can you be so sure if you just met me?"

Yumoto shrugged. "It's just the feeling I have."

Kinshiro just looked at him in confusion, then heard Yumoto's butler chuckle. "Don't bother trying to get a logical explanation out of him. His Highness can sometimes confuse even me, and I've known him for quite a few years now."

"I make you confused, Io?" Yumoto looked behind him, raising an eyebrow at his butler.

"I said sometimes. It's not always. But I've given up on trying to understand when it happens." Io shrugged.

Yumoto pouted, clearly not satisfied with that response, but he turned forward again so he could finish his cake.

Right as that happened, Io's watch started making a beeping sound. "Our time is up for today, your highness."

"Already?" Yumoto frowned.

"Unfortunately."

"I see..." Yumoto turned back to Kinshiro and smiled. "Thanks for talking to me today. It was nice!"

"You are welcome." Kinshiro nodded with a smile of his own.

"The next time we see each other... It's the day of the wedding, right?"

"That's what I've been told."

"Well, I'll see you then!" Yumoto got up. He and Io walked towards the door. But, before walking out, Yumoto looked back and waved at Kinshiro with a smile. Kinshiro smiled and waved back.

There was a moment of silence after the door was closed.

Ibushi was the one to break the silence. "What did you think?"

"He does seem like a nice person." Kinshiro replied. "I am concerned by how easily he trusts me, however."

"He is a bit younger than us, isn't he? Perhaps he's just inexperienced."

"Even if that is the case..." Kinshiro paused, then sighed. "If he does lose that innocence, it might be quite painful."

"Are you worried about him?"

"Perhaps."

"But you intend to help him with whatever he might need, don't you?"

Kinshiro widened his eyes, surprised by how easily Ibushi had guessed what was on his mind.

Ibushi chuckled. "I've known you for quite a while, your highness. I can kinda tell what you're thinking about sometimes."

Ibushi began taking away the dirty plates and cups. Meanwhile, Kinshiro was lost in thought once more.

Yumoto was a good person. He didn't seem to have any malice or hidden intent behind his words or actions. Kinshiro considered himself lucky that who he was marrying was someone like that, instead of being stuck with someone he would hate.

He found himself quite looking forward to the wedding now. He looked forward to seeing Yumoto once more.