Leave the Crown Prince Alone!
Morning.
Maru stood before the mirror in his room, impeccably dressed.
He kept opening his mouth wide and mouthing the vowels over and over, no sound coming out.
After a while, he turned up the corners of his mouth.
"Handsome mode: equipped and ready."
He slapped both cheeks lightly with his palms and stepped out of the room.
The moment he opened the door, he ran into a maid and gave her a bright wave, which made her smile bashfully and blush.
He flashed her a grin like a smooth charmer and headed for his office.
He was striding briskly down the long corridor when a voice called out from behind.
"That man walking there is none other than His Highness the Crown Prince. Good morning to you."
"Yes, good morning."
It was the Minister of Justice, his hair a crown of white and kindly wrinkles around his eyes that left a warm impression.
"Where are you headed? Are you busy?"
"I was just on my way to my office."
"Ah, I was heading that way myself. Let's walk together."
Matching the Minister of Justice's slow pace, Maru walked beside him down the corridor.
"My family has, for generations, made it our pride to spread loyalty, filial piety, and the rule of law far and wide, and to hone our character with diligence. Thanks to that, we've produced admirable men and women in every generation, and our contributions to the kingdom and to the world have become too numerous to count."
"Truly a distinguished house."
"Indeed, indeed."
The Minister of Justice beamed with satisfaction.
"I would love to introduce you to my family in greater detail, Your Highness. If you could spare the time today or tomorrow, we could go together to my estate, where I could show you the achievements left behind by my ancestors—"
"Is that not His Highness the Crown Prince!"
A sudden voice made Maru look up. It was the Minister of the Treasury.
He was grinning ear to ear, holding a large picture frame in both hands.
"You simply must take a look at this!"
The Minister of the Treasury cut him off without ceremony, blocking the path and thrusting the frame forward.
Inside the frame, an eighteen-year-old Queen Alexandria and an unrecognizable old man sat in their respective chairs, wearing dignified smiles.
"One of them is my mother as a girl. Who's the man sitting beside her?"
"That would be my grandfather. Our family and Her Majesty have shared a deep bond ever since that day. Ours is a family that treasures its ties above all—we even have a family precept that says a bond, once formed, must be kept for all eternity. Which is precisely why we would like to invite you, as Her Majesty's own son, to our home—"
The Minister of Justice cut in.
"Now, hold on! I was speaking first!"
"Then you can say I spoke first and you spoke second! What's the harm!"
"Where in the world is that proper! Order must be observed!"
"Look at this painting! Our family has shared a treasured bond with the Queen since generations past! Surely it's only right and proper that ours should be the first to host him!"
As the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Treasury bickered, yet another figure appeared.
This time it was the Grand Marshal, supreme commander of the kingdom's armies.
He shoved the two ministers aside, pushed his way in, and clung to Maru's side like a burr.
"Ohhh, Your Highness the Crown Prince! There you are!"
"Pleasure to see you, Grand Marshal. Did you have something to say to me?"
"Nothing serious—I only came to apologize. It seems I overstepped at our last council meeting."
The Grand Marshal continued, more familiar in tone than he had ever been before.
"I failed to recognize who you were and spoke most carelessly. Your heart must have ached terribly at the time. I offer you my sincerest apology."
"I don't quite remember—what exactly was it you said?"
"That young men know only of romance and understand nothing of how grave a situation truly is. I badgered you with that and the like."
"Ahh, that."
"You remember it, don't you?"
"Yes, now that you mention it. Was that all it was? Don't trouble yourself over it."
"Ohhh, such magnanimity! I am deeply grateful!"
"Your Highness!"
Another voice rang out from down the hall.
It was the Chairman of the Royal Advisory Council.
"If you have a moment, might you come by our council chambers for a spot of tea?"
"Your Highness!"
A call came from the opposite direction as well.
This time it was the Master of Ceremonies, jogging toward him at full speed.
And beyond him, yet another figure could be seen sprinting this way, face split in a wide grin.
"I've been longing for an audience with Your Highness!"
Maru began to feel genuinely afraid.
The high ministers of the kingdom, gathered together in an instant, began squabbling over him.
"What do you men think you're doing! I arrived first!"
"My house! I keep telling you, my house has a bond with the Queen herself!"
"By protocol, the Royal Advisory Council is entitled to the first audience!"
"I have more court etiquette to brief you on than I know what to do with, Your Highness!"
There was no mistaking the ferocity of these old men's energy.
Each of them clawed and tugged at Maru's clothes, determined to claim him for themselves. It was utter pandemonium.
His freshly pressed, carefully chosen outfit was crumpled beyond saving.
"Silence! Silence! One moment, all of you! I have a proposal!"
Maru calmed everyone down and suggested they all meet together at lunch to discuss the order of their visits over a shared meal.
With that, every minister returned to their duties, satisfied.
"Whew, my ears are ringing. How can old men be that loud?"
Maru brushed off his rumpled clothes and kept walking.
"I'll be run ragged going from place to place for a while."
He made his way out into the gardens and was strolling across the green lawn when a crowd of people suddenly came swarming toward him.
It was a squad of knights out on their morning run.
They broke off their jog, bowed with perfect courtesy, then fixed him with eyes blazing with something like yearning.
"Your Highness! We wish to engrave the Empire's superior swordsmanship upon our very eyes! We would be immensely grateful if you would grant us a demonstration!"
"When?"
"We would be honored if you'd come with us right now!"
"I'm busy at the moment. It won't work."
"We've only just been graced with the presence of someone as exalted as Your Highness—who knows when we'll see you again! Please, come with us!"
"Show us!"
"Show us!"
"We want to see!"
"It would be a wonderful lesson for all of us!"
Even as he refused them, they kept pressing.
Out of options, Maru spun on his heel and bolted in the opposite direction.
In the same breath, the knights roared after him in pursuit.
"Your Highness! We beg of you! Grant us your instruction!"
"Stop right there!"
"I told you, I don't know any swordsmanship!"
He was sprinting in a blind panic when he ran straight into a group of maids carrying baskets of laundry.
They shrieked with delight in unison, squealing at the sight of him running.
"My, look how fast His Highness runs!"
"So dashing!"
Why on earth was he suffering like this first thing in the morning?
The knights, dressed in the light gear they wore for training runs, doggedly kept up the chase.
It seemed the only option left was to hide, so he scanned his surroundings.
In the distance, he spotted the royal docks.
"Now that the canal has opened up over there, the plan is to ship everything by sea from now on instead of overland. It should cut at least a month off delivery times for cargo."
"That'll save a fortune in transport costs. We could stand to increase our trade volume with that country too."
"Impressive, truly!"
"I assume you all know what that means—let's call this morning's meeting here."
Having finished the morning council, Audrite made her rounds, inspecting the docks from one end to the other.
A short while later, Maru came running up, breathless, and hauled air into his lungs in front of her.
"Please hide me! *Hah!* *Hah!*"
"What on earth's the matter?"
"There are villains chasing me!"
"Villains?"
Audrite looked off into the distance with a puzzled gaze.
She could see a group of men scanning their surroundings, searching for someone.
"This way, quick!"
She grabbed Maru's hand and darted into a nearby warehouse.
Inside the modest, thousand-square-foot space, small packing crates were lined up in neat rows along wooden shelves.
Maru headed straight for the back and collapsed onto the floor.
"What is it with everyone, acting like he's the last meal on earth. *Hah. Hah.*"
Audrite locked the door behind them and picked up a folder of documents from the desk.
"Catch your breath for a moment. I'll be working."
"You're going to work even with your lover right here?"
"I figured talking might be difficult, so I was giving you time to calm down. Your lover was worried about you, that's all."
Maru chuckled.
"Then come work next to me. Don't stay so far away."
Audrite obediently moved beside him, tilting her head up at the shelves and checking whether the notes written on each crate matched the contents of the folder.
"By the way, why are they chasing you? Those were knights, weren't they?"
"They want to witness the Crown Prince's legendary swordsmanship, apparently."
"Then why not just show them?"
"I did learn swordsmanship from a great master back in the royal household, but my training was so brief it's nothing worth bragging about anywhere. If I demonstrated it, I'd only end up humiliated."
"Well, in my eyes, you look magnificent even just swinging your fists around."
She said it matter-of-factly, and then—while setting a small crate she'd been holding onto the shelf—accidentally knocked the crate beside it to the floor.
The instant the box began to fall, Maru, still sitting on the ground, reached out on reflex.
At the same moment, Audrite crouched down where she stood and stretched her hand toward the crate as well.
Their fingertips met atop the little box.
For an instant, it felt as though electricity had passed between them.
They looked into each other's eyes, and silence settled over them.
"……"
"……"
Tender emotion welled up in both of them, and their hearts burned hot.
Neither waited for the other—their lips met, and their tongues entwined.
When the kiss finally ended, happy smiles lingered on both their faces.
"This is the first time I've ever been in love, but I think love is a truly wonderful thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I love just looking at you. Thinking about you makes me feel safe. I love that there's someone I'll go places with. And I love that I can hold you whenever I want—it's all just so wonderful."
Audrite, sitting side by side with him on the floor, leaned her head against Maru's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Just a little longer like this. I really need to work… what a mess."
Her words trailing off, she drifted softly into sleep, her breath gentle and even.
"You shouldn't sleep, you know. We still have to do the next kiss."
Maru said it like a joke, then smiled contentedly to himself.
In that moment, he was happier than anyone else in the world.
A while later, when Maru opened the office door, Oliver sprang to his feet.
"Oh—oh, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Welcome!"
"It's already lunchtime. Sorry I'm late."
"N-not at all! I've been working hard in your absence!"
Oliver seemed somehow more wound-up than usual today.
And he was wearing clothes Maru had never seen on him before.
They were made of fine, expensive fabric—lavish almost to a fault.
"What's with the outfit? Did you buy something new?"
"This is the formal attire of my house, worn only on special occasions! My parents said that serving under His Highness the Crown Prince is an honor, and that I ought to carry myself with dignity!"
"Ah, is that so?"
A smile tugged at the corner of Maru's mouth.
You could just wear your normal clothes, you know.
It's honestly a bit much.
"Also, um… we've had a visitor waiting since a little while ago!"
"A visitor?"
Maru looked toward the inner office.
Just then, a large woman with bronze skin rose from her seat and turned to look at him.
"Long time no see, Maru! Or should I be calling you 'Your Highness' now?"
It was Natalie.
The smile drained from Maru's face, leaving it stone cold.
"What do you want?"