Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The prince of Japan, Isagi Yoichi, was going to become king.

He wasn’t a direct descendant of the current king, his uncle, Noel Noa, but because he had no heirs, the throne would pass directly to him through the successor line.

And, like any 17-years-old who had been charged with a responsibility of that magnitude on his back, he was afraid.

Isagi was terrified, the idea that one day, as soon as his uncle left the crown, it would be placed on his head was completely illogical to him, because ruling a country was not easy, much less, was something he felt ready to do.

His studies were hopeless, no matter how much he dedicated himself to them, there were many things he ignored from economics, war and political relations and that, obviously, worried everyone, who looked at him with disappointment as soon as they heard the wrong answer coming out of his mouth.

His parents tried to cheer him up, always with misplaced and crude attempts, but at least, they were with him whenever Yoichi needed them and he was grateful for it.

Even Noel, who although he almost never had time, had stopped several times to give him some advice, in an attempt (which almost always ended null) to improve his nephew's knowledge.

However, Prince Isagi's passion wasn’t books, nor the turbulent history of his country, nor how to handle his people's tax money, but that most of his free time was devoted to the art of the sword, which made him forget all his problems.

He had started at the age of four, when his guard at the time had given him a small steel sword that fit perfectly in his hand and began to teach him how to defend himself.

The prince turned out to enjoy it and began to practice until exhaustion to improve, denoting a tremendous ability to make decisions, formulate strategies and see the intentions of his rivals on the battlefield.

And the prince's style was fierce. His true nature came to the fore in those battles, his blue eyes were lost in the excitement of the metal clash between each hit and a sincere smile rested on his mouth as soon as he saw his rival on the ground, completely helpless against the superiority of his prince.

Many people had told him that he looked like a predator, waiting for any sign of weakness to attack and devour his adversary.

Be that as it may, knowing how to fight was an important part of being a prince, but it wasn’t the main thing he needed to be a king and Isagi knew it very well.

So, since nothing to make him smarter seemed to work, his parents, along with the kingdom's council of politicians, had devised a foolproof plan that would leave the prince ready to rule.

"Get married?" Isagi asked skeptically, sitting in the individual armchair of his uncle's office, where he had been called.

In front of him, Noel Noa himself was informing him of their plan.

"Indeed, nephew, due to the results of the knowledge tests you took yesterday, we have no choice but to find you a partner to help you govern"

The black-haired man couldn't help but be embarrassed at the mention of the tests he had taken, which had been torture that had only proven his inability to withhold information.

"I understand, if marriage is necessary to be a good king, I will marry, but why should we arrange a selection for that? Wouldn't it be more productive to marry a foreign person to generate ties with another country? Or look for a scholar to take care of what I can't?" The young man debated, deeply confused.

"I share your opinion Yoichi and I presented it to the council the day we talked about this, but your parents claimed that the nation has been without a selection for a long time, because, as you can remember, I completely refused to find a partner in such a superficial way; a selection serves to win the affection of your country, but that just wasn't for me. But everyone thinks it's the best option for you"

Isagi understood that, the selection was a tradition very dear among the people and to be a king as good as his uncle he had to do his best to win the favor of his citizens, and it was proven, that the public loved drama.

What better than a selection to give drama to them? 47 suitors competing for a person's love sounded like something entertaining and impressive, even Yoichi would have liked to see it if he wasn’t directly involved.

"My parents are right, it will be killing two birds with one stone" He accepted with resignation "I only ask for one thing, uncle, it is my selection and it will be my future partner, so I prefer that the selected ones are men and not women, as is the tradition"

Noel shrugged, neither upset nor surprised by his nephew's preferences.

"No problem, then it is decided, the process will start in a month, at the same time as your 18th birthday, the council will take care of the preparations, so I recommend that you discuss the details with them and get involved, remember that you will end up married to one of those boys, so choose wisely." He said, ending the conversation.

The prince gets up, bows and turns around, ready to leave quickly before his face betrays how disgusted he is with the idea. But the king stops him with his voice, which sounds as firm as ever.

"Yoichi, if you allow me one piece of advice, the selection may be out of necessity and you think you should choose the person that suits your reign best, but you are also allowed to be a little selfish, more in a decision that will change your life forever."

Isagi turned to see his uncle, who looked at him with the indifference that characterized him, but in his eyes, he thought he saw a flash of affection that he appreciated. So, he nodded slightly and walked out into the hall, lost in thought.

His logical part had already yielded to the idea that he had to organize the selection, he remembered from some of his history classes that many of his ancestors had been annoyed by having to organize one and that even many of these had been planned to the millimeter, but he would do everything to be a good king in the future and he knew that everyone around him wanted nothing more than his success.

Even so, although he wanted to deny it, he felt a small pain in his chest because of the uncertainty and anger that everything caused him. His heart harbored many doubts, and it wasn’t proper of a prince to have them.

What if none of the suitors were what he was looking for? Could he find love among those 47 boys? Would he have to resign himself to marrying one of them for the good of the people? To live unhappily next to a husband he didn't love?

Nobody thought about what he wanted, he was sure that no matter how much they would tell him that it was his decision and that he could take things slowly, in the end, they would end up pressuring him or even choosing for him with the excuse that it is for his own good and for the kingdom.

All his life had been like this, being treated as a being without feelings who should be the bearer of the ideas of others was the daily bread, the council practically made decisions without consulting him, belittling him so much that he was already used to it.

But right now, circumstances had changed, he was no longer the same weak boy who knew nothing and had nothing to lose.

Now he had feelings that he didn‘t possesses before, for a person who reciprocated them and who showed him every day, in the privacy of his room, in secret, that he loved him, in his own way, but so real that he could put his hands to the fire for him.

But both knew that theirs couldn’t be, everything would end if someone knew, too scandalous, risky and without benefits to be liked by the council.

So, even if it hurt, Isagi knew what he had to do, as soon as he saw the tall, stocky black hair man that possessed his heart.

"Your highness" He was greeted by Barou Shoei, his personal guard, with the sarcastic tone he always used with him "Need help with anything?"

"Nothing that is your business," Isagi smiled maliciously, playing with him as was his custom.

"And yet I always end up finding out."

Isagi is silent, watching the man in front of him and perhaps his sadness showed on his face, because Barou changed his expression to a more serious one.

"Come with me, I have a task for you," Isagi says, finally heading to his room, with his guard behind.

Along the way they meet many people, from servants, soldiers and nobles who bow every time they cross paths with him, but none seem to notice the presence of the impressive man behind him, even though Barou is much taller and imposing than him.

Isagi is noticed for his rank, for the role he plays and for his caste, not on his own merit, the only moment he feels that people really observe him, is when they meet at his feet, with the sword in his neck and a look of terror.

Even Barou, when he met him, seemed to be aware of his orders and wishes only because he was the prince, like everyone else, but he was the only one able of seeing through his mask and find Isagi’s true self.

"Are you okay?" Barou asks in a low voice, giving him chills from the direct whisper in his ear.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

The black-haired man points to his face with an unusual concern in him.

"You are crying, your highness"

Isagi stops and raises his hands to his face, feeling his cheeks wet from tears he didn't know he was letting go, his cheeks turning red from having broken his façade, a small sob echoes in the air.

"Help me" He orders his with a broken voice "No one can see me like this"

Barou immediately wraps his arms around him and lifts him off the ground, putting his face on his chest to hide him, not caring if his uniform gets dirty.

Isagi doesn't know why he just broke down in the middle of the hallway, but he appreciates the warmth of hanging from his lover's body and lets himself be carried to his room, avoiding anyone who could ask him questions.

Perhaps it is a matter of guards, but Barou had always known how to hide in the corridors of the castle.

Upon entering, Barou puts him on his bed and stands next to him, waiting for the prince to calm down and giving him space, Isagi allows himself to start letting out small plaintive sobs and cover his face with his hands to prevent Barou from seeing him, but what he really wants is to calm down so he can explain the reason for his crying.

Both spend about 10 minutes in silence, until Yoichi recomposes himself and begins to wipe his tears with the sleeve of the coat, the tallest one brings him a small handkerchief that has his name embroidered, Isagi thanks him with his eyes before sighing and starting to speak.

"They want me to organize a selection"

Barou face darkens, suddenly understanding his prince's tears, but he says nothing, letting him continue.

"My uncle told me, apparently the council thinks I'm not smart enough to rule on my own and they want me to have an intelligent husband to solve all my problems" The youngest whispers, hurt by what he is saying "You know they never take me into account in these decisions but I didn't think they would be able to put me through this; of course I knew that one day I would get married, but not so soon or in these circumstances, and I could only tell him yes, I couldn’t fight for what I wanted because that would break with my image of perfect prince that I worked so hard to build and I wouldn’t bear to see my uncle’s face of disappointment”.

The tears return, but Isagi refuses to let them out, Barou puts a hand on his shoulder as support and this makes him able to continue talking.

"What afflicts me most isn’t the selection, it is the feeling that I am not enough, that they are going to use me as a puppet in front of the media and move all the strings from behind to govern my country, if I were smarter, I could stop the process and marry you, the person I really love," he whispers, a little embarrassed but with bright eyes, knowing that he is telling the truth.

Barou hugs him before he can say anything else, making his heart race.

The prince no longer cries, but he does feel the weight of the inevitable in his mind, knowing that it is impossible to do anything at this point. And his guard seems to know it too.

"For me you are enough, you are the perfect prince and you will be a wonderful king, you don’t need an intelligent husband or those bastard politicians to rule, I would like everyone to see you as I do, Isagi. But we both know that ours could never have been, I am not good enough for you and I will never be accepted by the council or by your people. I love you, I probably always will, I would die for you and my selfish part wants you to be mine, but I know that's not what you want." Isagi wants to refute him, tell him that he would also be willing to risk everything for him. But that would be a lie.

"You were a support for me during all these years, if things were different maybe I would have fought for you, Barou" He expresses sadly "But I am the prince and I want to be a good king, my mind already accepts my destiny, it is my heart that is not yet ready to let you go"

Barou separates from the body of his beloved to see him in the eyes, blue and red collide and say everything without having to speak.

Isagi wishes with all his soul that those feelings disappear, that would make everything easier, he wanted to be someone who put the needs of his people before his own and who inspired admiration among his subjects, so his with Barou wasn’t what he needed to achieve it.

Perhaps in the future, he could be more egoist with what he really wanted.

"When I got involved with you, I knew this day would come and I told myself that I would support you in everything you needed to be happy, Yoichi. I will help you find someone who can give you everything I could not and together we will prevent those on the council from making any decisions above you again" He promises and Isagi believes him, because he can feel that this is costing him as much as he does. “When will the process begin?"

"My uncle said that in 1 month, at the same time as my birthday"

"Then there is time, for us to make your heart cease to be mine and return to be yours"

Isagi brings him up to him by back of his neck, clasping his foreheads together and breathing directly on his lips, provoking him.

"That can wait until tomorrow"

Barou hesitates for a second, perhaps trying to figure out if it's a good idea, but Isagi dispels all doubt with a single glance "One last time" He seems to tell him and the guard can't deny his prince anything.

The lips of the two collide before they know it, the kiss is slow and calm, with all emotions on the surface and the warmth of the burly arms of the tallest surrounds him while he feels the caresses on his back.

Isagi's hands move to the black strands and become entangled in them, stroking slowly, and the kiss intensifies, with the two clinging to the moment, wishing it would never end.

The prince slowly drops down on the soft mattress of his bed, guiding Barou until he is on top of him, with his legs on either side of his hip.

The kiss goes wild, with the two fighting for control of the moment, Barou licks his lower lip, looking for entrance to the prince's mouth, which he desperately agrees, bringing him even closer to him. These is almost no way to breathe, the smell of Isagi's expensive perfume mixes with the breathing of the two and suffocates them, but neither wants to separate from the opposite.

Isagi frees his hands to rest on his guard's chest, stroking his pectorals over the shirt of his uniform, feeling the fabric on his fingertips.

Barou is not far behind because he begins to tantalizingly fiddle with the golden buttons of the prince's suit, untying them to gain access to the white shirt under it and the blue tie hanging from it, pulling him even further to him.

As soon as the air is lacking, the two separate to look into each other’s eyes, irises darkened by desire.

"I love that look in you" The eldest mutters and immediately afterwards, attacks the neck of his beloved with ferocity, tasting the taste of his skin with each lick, running from the jaw to the collarbone with small kisses in the most sensitive areas, Isagi moans between each of these, beginning to unbutton the shirt in front of him, awkwardly because of how excited he feels.

When he can finally feel the warm skin, his fingers go all the way to Barou's abdomen and occasionally go up to his nipples, pinching them and touching every inch of skin he is allowed.

His thighs burn before the friction of the legs that move from front to back on top of him, swinging on the lump that is forming inside his underwear.
Barou gets up, detaching himself from him to completely remove his shirt and Isagi takes the opportunity to unbutton his pants and caress the covered member over it.

"You're anxious," he says.

"I miss you," he replies with need in his voice, getting closer until he can smell his dick over the cloth. A masculine and intense aroma, exactly as he remembered it.

Barou lets out a growl from the sudden wetness he feels on his underwear and looks lustfully at Isagi, who is handing out kisses all over his underpants to tempt him.
"Isagi..." He urges him, but the prince smiles perversely while denying.

"If you want something you must ask for it, my king"

Yoichi can feel the member in front of him harden at the nickname, knowing very well that Barou loves to be called like that.

"Damn" murmurs the tallest as soon as he feels a soft bite on his glans, which only excites him even more "Can you suck it?" He asks him, swallowing his pride, but completely hard for the dominion exercised over him.

"If you ask me like that, how could I deny your majesty something?" He accepts, finally freeing his lover's large dick from his prison.

His cock is completely erect and dripping pre-seminal liquid, splendid to the eyes of the prince, who rushes to fulfill Barou's request and gives a small lick to the tip, tasting the salty taste of the whitish essence that he likes so much.

Barou suppresses a growl from the pleasure that floods him and places his fingers on the opponent's head, forcing Isagi to take more from his dick.

The youngest accepts the deal, filling the phallus with saliva while humming to avoid feeling the gagging of having something so big in his mouth.

This was not the first blowjob he had given him, so he already had knowledge of the movements his king liked, sticking his cock deep into his throat and letting it go to catch the sensitive tip.

He still remembers the first time he had sucked his dick, inexperience compensated by enthusiasm with which he put the cock in his mouth, but Isagi can't help laughing, even with the dick in his mouth, at how mediocre the first attempt to give pleasure to his beloved had been.

Barou feels the vibration of his laughter and looks at him curiously, but Isagi only winks at him before increasing the speed, putting him so deep in his mouth that he can feel his nose colliding with the pelvis of the tallest, he stays a few seconds there, moving his tongue over the entire cock and notices that his own member is hardened by the guttural moans coming out of the guard's mouth.

The shortness of breath forces him to withdraw for a moment, taking gasping to catch his breath as soon as possible and replacing his mouth with one of his hands, which runs along the entire surface of the cock, squeezing slightly to move the foreskin.

Barou rewards him by moving his hand through his hair.

"You're doing well," he tells him, stroking his cheek, detailing every part of his face with his fingers.

"I'm glad you like it your highness," the prince replies, blushing at the tender act that was so unusual. "But I think I'm not done yet."

Isagi doesn’t wait for an answer, because immediately afterwards, he puts the big dick back into his mouth, hungry and desperate, tearing a groan from the mouth of his guard.

His face is a mess, crystalline blue eyes, saliva dripping from both sides of his mouth, lips swollen from sucking and cheeks red from excitement. He looks so beautiful that Barou can't take his eyes off him.

"So pretty, you are gorgeous Isagi" he expresses between moans.

Isagi just nods slightly, holding on to Barou's legs to further his cock into his mouth, completely lost in the sensation. One of his hands moves to his balls, fiddling with them and squeezing them from time to time, adding more pleasure to the blowjob.

Barou feels his dick harden even more, even if it proves impossible. Isagi chokes at how big his member is getting, but he doesn't stop, sucking almost like a maniac, anxious for him to cum and fill his cute little mouth with semen.

Although he can sense his despair, Barou holds back, eager to continue enjoying the warmth of his throat.

"Fuck, you're holding on like a champion" The prince vents on one of his breaths breaks and all he gets in response is a hair pull, which makes his cheek bump with the erect member. "You won’t last much longer, my king, look at your cock yourself, so hard and ready to give me your sperm."

"You look very sure of yourself," Barou smiles, sliding his cock between his beloved's nose and cheek, looking for friction.

"So sure, that I will let you fuck me as you want if you endure one more minute" Bet with confidence in the voice.

Barou plays along, just as he always does.

"How insolent of you, to think that you can talk to me that way"

"Punish me then, use me as your sex toy and fill me with your dick, I need manners to be forced into me" He begs and smiles as soon as he feels a jolt in the cock on his cheek. "But first you must hold the minute, then you can do whatever you want"

The offer is tempting, Isagi knows it and that's why he walks away for a second to take off the top of his outfit, making him see everything that can be his; his torso is worked, maybe he is not as muscular as the man in front of him, but all the time he spends practicing with the sword is noticeable in his abs and in his arms.

Barou loves his body and he plans to use that to his advantage.

"Come on, say yes my king" He groans, directing his hands to his sensitive nipples and pinching them lightly "I know you want me"

Isagi, as a last resort to get a positive response, lies on the mattress, leaning on his elbows and lifting his round butt, making his face directly confront with his lover's cock, but without touching it.

Barou curses between chuckles for the lack of contact, but reaches his limit, as soon as a drop of pre-seminal fluid falls on the prince's face, sliding down his cheek.
"Okay” he agreed “if you want me to break that cute hole of yours, I'll do it, little shit"

Isagi's smile widens, and Barou feels as if he has made a deal with the devil. But it's too late to regret it.

Instantly, Isagi sticks his dick into his mouth, reaching all the way effortlessly and beginning to move his head from front to back in a rapid swing, feeling the delicious gagging of the tip crashing against his throat.

He is eager, the prince is choking against his cock, refusing to retreat for even a moment, and forgetting that he needs to breathe in order to live. His cavity is hot, full of saliva and with his tongue moving desperately to make him finish.

His hands touch every trace of skin at his disposal, from his thighs to his stomach, possessively palpating every corner of Barou's body, wishing he could do it forever.

The sounds that fill the room are obscene, the clash of Barou's testicles against Isagi's jaw, the moans and grunts that escape from their mouths, the splashing of accumulated saliva and the sucking of the phallus makes them grateful that the room is noise-clear, because anyone would have known what they were doing just by listening.

Barou feels in heaven, watching the boy he loves so much working so hard for his delight. His body is hot and his member is as hard as it has ever been, trembling from delaying the ejaculation, but not even 30 seconds have passed when he feels that he has reached his limit.

The sight is so erotic, Shoei thinks he could cum with it alone.

Isagi begins to see blurred from shortness of breath, tears accumulating between his blue eyes, but refuses to stop, increasing the speed and pressure to push him to the limit.

Orgasm is imminent, his dick is getting so much stimulation that he can't help it, so he lets himself go, releasing all his semen into the prince's mouth, without a warning.

"Swallow it all," he commands, pulling his hair to prevent it from retreating.

The prince rejoices, accepting the liquid with need, uttering groans choked by the surprising number of semen hitting his throat, but ingests it all, not wasting a drop.

When he can finally pull the cock out of his mouth, the sneer smile on Isagi's face intensifies, beginning to wipe the fluid remnants from his face.

"You lost, my king, you filled my throat with semen before the time" The prince mocks maliciously "I think you deserve a punishment for that, don’t you?"

Barou isn’t intimidated, it is not the first time Isagi takes control during sex and it is always just as pleasurable as when he rams him rudely and makes him beg for more.

Although his pride is somewhat damaged by not having been able to beat him in the challenge, he is also madly in love with the prince and fully trusts him.

"Do whatever you want Yoichi, you know I'm completely yours," he replies, completely undressing in the process.

"And, for this time, I belong to you too, Shoei" Isagi's eyes shine with affection, regret and grief, but the prince refuses to let out his feelings again, taking off the rest of his remaining clothes in an attempt to distract himself.

Barou notices his sadness, he always does, but he doesn't make any comments, wanting to enjoy their last time together as they always do. Loving each other.
Isagi guides Barou to the bed, leaning him against the headboard and raising his hands above his head. The prince reaches for his tie, forgotten on the edge of the bed and binds his lover delicately, immobilizing him. Isagi knows that Barou can break free if he wants to, but he won't.

"You can't move, this time you'll let me do everything," he says, as if trying to compensate that this will be their last time together.

The guard nods watching as his prince bends down towards the drawer of his bedside table, rummaging through the things, looking for the lubricant they always use to prepare him.

When he finds it, he immediately pours some into his hand, soaking it in the sticky pink liquid.

Barou can't help but feel ignored.

"Are you going to do it by yourself?"

"It's your punishment, if you want to fuck me you will have to wait until I’m ready" Isagi smiles evilly, his eyes darkened with lust, as he leans back with his ass pointing towards him.

One of his fingers feels his pink hole, making circular movements to stimulate it, Yoichi knows that he doesn’t need much time to open up because of how excited he feels, but he will lengthen it as long as it takes for Barou to beg for him.

Sighs come from his lips, swaying to increase the pleasure, but a full moan is heard as soon as he puts in his first finger, pushing to open the cavity and find his prostate.

Barou's dick throbs at the scene, eager to touch Isagi or even relieve a little the pain of his forgotten member, which already stands imposing again, as if he hadn’t just cummed a minute ago. But he knows that if he frees himself, Isagi is able to leave him without sex for disobeying him, so he just stirs a little, swallowing saliva.

When he feels his entrance widen, Isagi adds another finger, opening and closing them to increase the space, finding his sweet spot in the process and moaning even louder from the surge of pleasure that envelops him.

"Mmm~" The prince sobs increasing the speed of his thrusts "How does it feel? Seeing me and not being able to touch me, it must be a complete desperation" He mocks him, turning his face to see him in the eye.

Barou is in a cold sweat, debating whether he should let go, immobilize Isagi and fuck him until he forgets his name. Even if he wants to, he manages to restrain himself, biting his lower lip so that the grunts cannot give the satisfaction of his nervousness to his lover.

Isagi inserts the third finger, feeling his hot hole suck his digits inward with each thrust in his prostate, making him see stars.

"Ah~ Did the cat eat your tongue? Or you can't talk without moaning?"

The guard still doesn’t answer, but his increasingly lustful look is more than an answer, Isagi knows that he already made him suffer too much, but he still doesn’t feel satisfied with the punishment. The prince frowns, thinking what more he can do to get the pleas he loves so much.

That's when an idea comes to his mind, a product of how hot he feels and the desire to impale himself in that dick he like so much, feel his interiors full and moist

The prince stops his fingers, taking a moment to breath and as soon as he catches his breath, he gets up, reaching the bottle of lubricant again and approaching the man at the bedside. Isagi sits on his lap, putting the erect member against his butt and the friction makes them both moan.

"Isagi..." Barou calls him, the prince takes him by the cheeks with a smile from ear to ear and darkened eyes, almost like a predator about to attack his prey.

Isagi has gone into a trance, exactly like when fighting with the sword, he loves to have power and dominate anyone who thinks he can oppose him. In sex is no different, sometimes he let Barou take control, but it is obvious that he enjoys much more when his lover looks at him from below, completely at his mercy.

"I told you that if you want something you must ask for it clearly, tell me what you want or I will have to stop right now," He whispers, in a deep voice that would give anyone's chills.

"Are you going to make me beg?" He asks with a bit of disbelief in his voice, thinking that his punishment was over.

"Of course, it's a lot more fun like this" Isagi laughs "Now tell me you want to fuck me or get out of my room"

Barou can feel his cheeks hot at the request, his dignity refusing to beg. Isagi places his hands around his neck, but remains completely still, starting a war of glances that lasts a few seconds, both trying to make the opponent yield.

"Come on, ask for it and I’ll ride your cock until you get dry," Isagi insists seductively, pouring lubricant over the opposite erection and delicately scattering it with one hand, masturbating it.

The contact is intoxicating, his cock is so sensitive that at the slightest touch it trembles in the hand of the shorter, eager to enter the narrow hole of his lover.

"You're a little shit Isagi," the guard mutters under his breath.

The prince just squeezes his dick in response, adding a little pain to the masturbation and getting a grunt out of protest.

The feeling is great, but he needs more.

"Ah- shit is this revenge for all the times you had to treat me like a king?" Isagi laughs, increasing the speed with his hand "Please let me fuck you"

Isagi stops, using his hands to thrust himself so he can place his dick right at his entrance, but he doesn't descend.

"You'll have to be more specific"

Barou protests with his eyes, but the prince remains firm.

"Fuck! I want you to stick my cock into your hot hole, move those damn hips until the semen drips down your ass and you moan so much that everyone knows you belong to me and only to me!" The black-haired man explodes, desperately moving upwards to rub his cock against Isagi.

"It wasn't that difficult, was it?" He says mockingly "As a reward I will fulfill your wishes, your majesty, prepare to see stars"

Without waiting any longer, Isagi drops on his dick, which enters without major complication thanks to the lubricant and preparation. The prince sighs with happiness at how full he feels, staying still for a few seconds so that his hole gets used to the small pain that penetration brings with it, but he is already more than accustomed to Barou, so it doesn’t take him long to start going up and down rhythmically to generate pleasure.

The movement is slow, tempting, with Isagi climbing up to almost pull out the tip and then descending suddenly, making circles with his hips. The eldest loves the feeling of being inside Isagi, his walls squeezing his member and his warmth making him even more excited, his hands dying to touch the boy in front of him, hold him by the waist and help him ram even harder and faster.

"Ah- Ah- it feels so good~ I love your dick Shoei, always so good to me" Isagi is sobbing, moving his hands up to his thighs to thrust himself better.

Barou melts watching him, with his back arched and his head back, revealing his attractive jawline, his chest breathing agitatedly from the effort and his dick swinging between his beautiful legs, dripping pre-seminal from the tip.

"Untie me, I want to touch you Yoichi" He asks breathlessly, getting harder and hotter.

Isagi lets out a moan before responding.

"Ngh- What is the magic word my king? "

"Fuck off, honey" He curses but as soon as Isagi's walls squeeze him he can't help but shout "Let me touch you Yoichi! Please!"

The prince's sincere laughter reaches his ears, obviously satisfied because he is achieving what he wants. He instantly feels the release of his hands, which cling to his lover's hip as if he never wanted to let go of him again.

Sadly, every part of his body knows that this will be the last time he can even hold it.

Barou brings him closer to him, joining his lips in a kiss full of passion that perfectly shows how much he loves him. Everything is perfect in that moment, from the union of his lips, the rubbing of his chests, his arms around his bodies and the pleasure of intimacy.

The feeling of loss comes without warning, both fully aware that it is the end of everything they built in recent years. Isagi vowed not to cry, but he can't stop a tear from slipping down his cheek, the last one to be shed for him.

"I love you," he whispers, clasping his foreheads together to look at him.

"I love you too"

The thrust become desperate, reflecting the desire to never end, not to break the charm. The prince lets Barou set the pace, moving upwards to meet his own movement and brushing his prostate with every opportunity.

Isagi enters the phase of inconsistencies, only being able to think about the man he loves and the stimulation that sex is providing him, moaning uncontrollably at the name of the one who is making him forget his own, like a mantra.

"Ah~ Barou Yes! Yes! Barou Ah-

For his part, the guard fills his mind with Yoichi, the vanilla smell of the perfume of his skin, how soft the black strands of his head are to the touch, his melodious voice shouting his name and his sea blue eyes, make him feel lucky to have been able to call him his own and enjoy the warmth of his love.

"I'm close," Barou tells him, increasing the speed of penetration, reaching even deeper with his cock, abusing Isagi's sweet spot.

"Do it inside! Fill me with your cum" he demands impatiently, speaking dirty as is his custom.

Barou can't even hold back another minute, his dick releases his semen inside his lover, fulfilling his wish. It's too much cum, Isagi can feel it, hot and sticky inside him, completely changing the sensation of his thrust and generating a lewd sound that makes him blush from how dirty it is.

"You're perfect Yoichi, so lovely, good boy" Barou praises him, without stopping for a second, even if he has already cum twice.

Isagi turns around to change positions, turning his back to his guard so he can see the mess he made, the whitish liquid dripping down his legs, helping to give an erotic image.

"I am, but only for you Shoei" Accept smiling "Now Don't you think I deserve a prize? Haven't I been good enough yet? Ah-"

He can't even finish talking before interrupting himself by the moan that the rough thrust takes out of him, large hands holding him by the waist to lift him, leaving reddish marks that surely will not go away in a while.

"Hey! b-beware with the marks Ah- Ah~" He complains but is ignored, yet Isagi is too lost in pleasure to care.

The ecstasy of the cock inside him, hitting his prostate so much, the semen helping the member slip easily, combined with the rough way in which he is being treated takes him to the limit, feeling the orgasm at the tip of his dick.

Isagi is so lost that nothing matters to him anymore.

"Close! Close! Barou! Harder! Fucking selfish king! "

The guard listens to him despite the insult, taking him deeper and faster even if the position is uncomfortable. He is tired and his cock feels like it is going to explode from overstimulation, but Isagi would kill him if he dared to stop and leave him halfway.

He had never seen Yoichi so lost, salivating and with his eyes rolling behind his sockets, completely gone. It is beautiful and the image is engraved in his memory, perfect for taking care of his erections when he is alone.

Even so, as much as he is enjoying making him sob, Barou, wanting to bring one of his best orgasms to his lover, squeezes his cock, masturbating it to the rhythm of the penetration to speed things up.

"Ah~ w-wait bastard, if you do that I-" The prince whimpers, before he begins to see white.

It is too much for him, everything begins to be confusing, the feeling is better than anything he has experienced so far and thanks to this, his dick finally releases his own cum, falling directly on the guard’s hand and onto his stomach, making a mess.

Isagi gasps to catch his breath, completely exhausted, legs and arms sore from the effort of riding him, his throat parched, body dirty with all fluids and hair wet with sweat.

Barou is no better, watching his red cock trembling from everything he had to do to satisfy the prince, and with his hair, previously combed upwards, matted by all the movement.

"Shit, I think you just killed my dick"

Isagi swallows before speaking, but that doesn't stop his voice from sounding completely broken by the screams he was giving before.

"You didn't seem to complain about it while you fucked me”.

"Shut up, motherfucker, I just made you have the best orgasm of your entire life" He sneers, looking completely proud.

The prince pretends to be offended, turning around to face the man resting in his bed.

"It turns out that you are ungrateful, I made you cum two times and this is how you thank me" he snaps, getting Barou to roll his eyes.

"Details, details" he says, as he gets up to pick up all his belongings, feeling that his legs may fail him at any moment.

"Can we rest a little?" He tells him, helping him to clean the room to erase all evidence of what they did.

"It's almost eight, Isagi, it's time you go down to have dinner, I'm sure Anri will arrive at any time to prepare the suit for you"

Isagi turns to see the watch in surprise, realizing that they lasted almost 2 hours locked in their bedroom having sex.

"You must be joking, if she sees us like this what will she think of me? Hurry up! " He urges him, hitting him with the pillow as soon as he sees him laughing.

"For your peace of mind, I'm sure she already knows."

Between the two, they manage to collect everything, put to wash the sheets of the bed and prepare a bath for Isagi, who is the one who has more fluids in the body. When the prince's maid, Anri Teieri, knocks on the door, everything looks completely normal, with the prince sitting in his desk chair, checking some papers and his guard standing next to him.

"Your highness, it's dinner time, let me help you prepare," the woman tells him, bowing.

"Thank you Anri, you can leave Barou"

The guard also gives him a mocking bow, winking at him, and then leaves the room, ending a 2-year relationship.

Isagi doesn’t allow himself to falter or regret his loss, it is not typical of a prince to do so. But for all the nights of the rest of the month, the prince slept hugging the handkerchief with the name of his guard embroidered, longing to be able to settle back into his arms. And, he only put away the piece of cloth, as soon as the morning of the first day of the selection arrived.

Bringing with it, 47 boys who came to change his life, for the better... and for the worse.

Chapter Text

Bachira Meguru has been alone all his life.

Having been called a weirdo millions of times and being unable to find anyone who understood him, loneliness had accompanied him practically since his childhood, also aggravated, by the death at a very young age of his father, which had brought many misfortunes for the Bachira family, who had no support from anyone, much less from their own country.

Being born in Japan was, without a doubt, an experience worth telling, at least for him, because since the end of the World War III, the country had fallen back into a monarchy and had established a caste system that determined the role and rank of people in their day to day. This, several centuries ago.

According to the government's official explanation, castes had been imposed to control the population, because, after the war, the country had ended up divided and in complete chaos and had to be rebuilt from scratch, with new laws and rules to follow.

He, as the only son of a five, one of the lowest castes, had gone through many difficulties, from hunger, cold, lack of education, discrimination, among others. His whole life revolved around his caste, nothing that didn't happen to anyone he met.

And, maybe Bachira need more history classes, but he still didn't fully understand how castes had helped unite his country.

At least, the system worked, kept the population at bay, and it was much easier to know someone's living conditions and experiences by asking their caste, which facilitated population censuses. But that didn't stop the majority of the country from living marginalized because of something the government itself supported.

It was no secret that the poor and wretched belonged to the lowest castes, the sevens and sixes, who were practically servants and hard-working persons and who earned a pittance despite the large families they had and suffered from so much segregation that most of the upper castes did not associate with them at all.

The fives, like him and his mother, were artists, singers, dancers, sculptors, etc., and, although they were not as poor as the previous ones, it was not as if they had enough money to support themselves. At least Bachira could be grateful to only have to sustain his mother, because he knew numerous families that had a hard time making ends meet.

The fours and threes had a more privileged position and an easier life, having the option of operating a business or aspiring to professions that required great education. Anyone would be happy, but it was clear that most were not satisfied with what they had, always longing to become a two and have the riches and fame that this brought them.

However, the highest and most unattainable caste were the ones, which only people who belonged to royalty could have and to which everyone wished to belong. However, to achieve this, the only option was to marry someone who was from the royal family, and, although it sounds impossible, the possibility existed.

The selection had emerged many years ago, a tradition that was used to give hope and entertainment to the people, as if saying "You are also important to the nation, our princes and princesses can turn some peasant into a king and change their life forever."

It was something out of a fairytale, a dream romance story. 47 young people fighting for the love of an heir, the winner turned into a queen or a king and immediately becoming a one.

Bachira, since childhood, dreamed of one day being able to be part of one of these. He imagined himself becoming king, surrounded by people who admired and loved him, never again being treated like a weirdo and receiving the apology of all the people who had looked down on him.

That sounded like something incredible.

So, as soon as the letter arrived in his mailbox, Bachira’s world became a little more joyful and hopeful.

"Mom! Prince Isagi is organizing a selection!" He shouted to his mother as soon as he walked through the door of his study "Look! Look!"

Bachira was elated, happier than his mother had ever seen him, shaking the letter from side to side as if he wanted it to fly to the sky.

"Let me see it honey" Mrs. Yu laughs, waiting for her son to calm down and give her the piece of paper.

The envelope had the royal shield of the crown, a white hexagon on a bluish background and a dedication written in a very elegant calligraphy "To the Bachira family".

The seal had already been broken, clearly by his son, but the sheets inside were perfectly folded and in good condition, made of an expensive paper to which they had never had access.

"<<The last census made among the population of the noble Japan details that a young man between 16 and 20 years old resides in this address. We would like to communicate to you the opportunity to honor your nation>>" The woman read aloud, watching Meguru's smile widen.

"<<The prince and heir to the crown, Isagi Yoichi, will come of age soon, because of this, he will organize a selection to find a worthy partner of the crown, wishing to marry a real son of Japan. If you want to apply for the possibility of becoming Prince Yoichi's fiancé and represent your province as one of the selected ones, please fill out the attached form and deliver it to one of the service offices in your province. One man from each province of Japan will be randomly chosen, who will be part of the selection and will have the opportunity to meet the prince>>."

Bachira almost jumped with excitement.

"You heard that mom? Meet the prince! That would be so wonderful."

Yu smiled at the comments of his son, who had never made an effort to hide the big crush he had with the prince.

Whenever he appeared on television, the boy did not take his eyes off him, full of admiration, his cheeks were colored red, and a smile spread all over his face. He spent all his savings on buying the magazines where he appeared and whenever there was a public event in the city, he left work and responsibilities behind to go.

The woman would never have thought that her son could have the opportunity to meet his greatest crush, but life took many unexpected turns.

"<<The suitors will stay in the castle together with the prince, and their families will receive a generous reward for the inconvenience this may cause. Without further ado, we wish it to be a fair and dignified selection. Save Japan and the crown! >>" She finishes reading, watching as his son jumped with excitement.

"It's a dream come true! I'll fill out the form right now, can you take me to deliver it tomorrow?" He asked her, with so much enthusiasm that it was impossible to say no.

"Okay little bee, but remember to calm down before you start filling it up or you'll end up writing something wrong," She replied, stroking his hair lovingly.

Meguru nodded, running towards the kitchen as soon as his mother let him go.  Yu returns to work on her painting, happy to see her son with the energy of always, even if his life is not the best she could give him.

After getting a pen and sitting at the dining room table, Bachira takes a deep breath to control his emotions, listening to his mother. As soon as he stops shaking, he starts writing down all his personal information on the sheet, paying attention to his handwriting and grammar, so he doesn’t look like a fool to the one who reads the letter.

The form required his name, age, caste, contact details, height, weight, hair and eye color, among other things. Basic information that wasn’t hard to fill up at all.

It also asked for details about his education, which was not bad, however, Bachira was talented in physical skills and art, not in school. Plus, it's not like he could focus much on math when he got scathing glances everywhere he went.

The next section was about special skills, which made him feel much better, because he could show off there. He wrote down all the instruments he knew how to play -violin, piano and guitar-, how good he was at painting and his singing skills.

Thanks to this, the boy felt proud to have had so many artistic works to be able to master each of those skills, if he had not been born as a five, he would probably have nothing to write.

To finalize the application, he put his birthday, place of residence, family data and his state of health, which was fortunately perfect. As soon as he finished, Meguru put the papers back in the envelope, being careful not to crumple them and dropped down on the table, thoughtfully.

He was truly privileged, he had never realized how fortunate he was to have his mother, food on the table, health and the opportunity to educate himself in the art, until he filled out the form. He hoped that luck would also help him to be chosen, he really wanted to be able to meet the prince in person and see if he was as he had always imagined.

Isagi Yoichi, his prince, was a monster. At least that's how he described him in his mind, sometimes he had told this to other people, but no one seemed to understand he meant it in a good way.

Bachira himself knew he had a monster inside, which made him feel less alone, because it had accompanied him in the ups and downs of his life, without judging him.

Bachira still didn't know how to explain it, but as soon as he saw prince Isagi on television, he couldn't help but think that he understood him, perhaps better than those around him. He could see through the mask he always wore and realized the bravery, sense of responsibility and ferocity that the prince suppressed, hidden behind a calm face and properly planned phrases.

He was also convinced that the prince would like his company, his monster told him this at every opportunity and he had never lied to him. If the prince was the way the monster thought, then he was perfect.

His heart jumped from just thinking about him.

Bachira was so anxious and distracted that he didn't realize it was already dinner time, but he wasn't very hungry anyway, so he started heading to his room to try to get some sleep, hoping that the night would soon be over. But, due to his nerves, Bachira spent most of the night awake, looking out the window of his room towards the moon, which was bright and round, bringing him a good omen.

"I only hope that the prince can find love and be very happy with the selected suitor" He whispered, his voice full of an innocent and pure love, being heard only by the grand star in the sky, who took pity on him and granted his wish.

...

The next morning, he wakes up with the sun coming through his window, he had hardly slept, but for some reason he felt radiant, full of energy.

When he looked in the mirror, he was surprised by how good he looked, his luminous golden eyes with – to his surprise – no dark circles under denoted how excited he was to leave his application, so he didn’t wait another second to start preparing.

He showered quickly with cold water to wake up completely, styled his brown hair, even putting a hair curler tube in his bangs to give it volume, dressed in the most decent clothes he had – a denim overalls that was the only one that didn’t have paint stains, a yellow shirt and his reliable black sneakers – and put on some makeup with the products he normally used when he worked playing some instruments or singing at parties.

Bachira felt pretty, prepared for taking the photo for the application.

The young man left his room, almost falling down the stairs as he jumped down to the kitchen, where his mother was already waiting for him with a piece of bread and a lavender tea, his usual breakfast.

"Good morning honey, did you sleep well?" The woman asked, bringing the cup to the place where he normally sat.

Bachira took a bite of the bread before responding.

"Honestly, I couldn't sleep all night, but it doesn’t matter mom, I feel great!"

"It's because of the adrenaline treasure, wait until the afternoon and you will see how tired you are," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek, grateful to be able to see her son so happy.

Yu knew how hard it was for him to interact, so he loved that the selection gave him encouragement. Even if he wasn't chosen, she knew that her son wouldn't take it badly, but would follow the process daily in order to make sure his cute prince chose the best suitor correctly.

His heart was so kind, even if he had been hurt multiple times, he was still the same sweet and cheerful boy he loved so much.

She couldn't be prouder of him.

"Mom, I'm done eating breakfast, can we go and deliver the form please?" Bachira, with an innocent smile, takes her out of her reverie, giving her the envelope with the letter.

"Okay Meguru, do you already have everything?" The boy nods quickly, showing him a small bag with everything they needed "Then let’s go."

The two leave the small house, walking through the streets being careful not to trip over the cracks in the pavement, normally, if they walked long distances they would take the bus, but the service office was only 1 Kilometer away and Bachira needed the fresh air to suppress his emotions, or he was sure that he would make a scene.

About 10 minutes after, a long line of people began to be seen, even if it was so early that the cool of the morning was still in the air. More than 1000 people must also have wanted to submit the application immediately.

"Oh, baby, there are too many people" his mother says, lining up behind the last person in line "Are you sure you want to wait your turn? We can come back another day, there are still 10 more days of process."

"Don't worry mom, I don't think it will take too long"

The truth is that they took much longer than expected, but Meguru's determination could more than wait because he never loses his smile. As they went, the boy was able to recognize several of his schoolmates along with their families, all elegantly groomed and with nervous faces.

The selection was a great opportunity, so everyone wanted to give the best impression to be chosen, although that didn’t worry him at all, because this was a draw, completely random.  There was nothing he could do but rely on luck.

After 2 hours, they finally arrived at the office, where a very kind lady picked up the form, made him sign a paper specifying that he hadn’t lied on his form and passed him to a room with a chair, lots of light and a white cloth hanging in the wall.

"Well, Meguru, you're going to look into the camera and give us your best face, ok? Remember that it is only one photo per candidate," she said in a calm voice, inviting him to sit down.

That morning, Bachira had practiced a face to put in front of the mirror, so he was confident that everything would be fine. At the sign he smiled showing all his teeth and maybe it was the lights or the favor of the gods, but the photographer couldn’t help but think that this was the best photo she had taken in all the day.

"Perfect! You came out radiant, if the contest went to the best photo, you would definitely win it" The woman congratulated him, making him blush "I don't know if you know this, boy, but you are literally the ideal type of the prince, don’t stop smiling and maybe I am facing the next king of Japan"  

Bachira is surprised by the trust and thanks her enormously, shaking her hands with joy. Those words were engraved in his memory, forcing himself to repeat them daily, in order to survive everything that came upon him.

...

Two weeks of uncertainty later, it was announced that the selected ones would be revealed on live television at the end of the week and half the country was waiting to know the results.

In Japan, the only channel that could be tuned in without paying was the national channel, that transmitted news, official events and, every Friday, a special report, where a summary of the events of the whole week was made.

This was directed by a guy Bachira found very funny named Jinpachi Ego, who had long been as controversial as he was loved among people.

On Friday, both he and his mother had finished their activities early so they could sit in front of the small television in the room, with a pot of popcorn in one hand and fingers crossed in the other, eager to listen to the live draw of the participants of the selection.

"Why doesn't it start? They are behind as usual," the boy complained, trying to control the tick in his leg.

His mother puts a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Calm down honey, it's barely 8 o'clock"

"I can't wait mom, I feel like I'm going to faint," he says, rubbing his temple.

Finally, the national coat of arms appears on the screen, accompanied by the anthem, that make him nervous.

The serious announcements go first and the report becomes eternal, Bachira wish he could have a magic button to advance the time or something.  During the news they don’t focus the prince on screen, but he can see the king several times, sitting with the usual serious face. Bachira feels very intimidated when looking at him, but his monster also recognizes how impressive Noel Noa is, someone far superior, almost unattainable for him, so he admires him.

Finally, almost halfway through the report, Ego Jinpachi makes a triumphant entrance with the extravagance to which they are accustomed, lights, smoke and dramatic camera cuts. Bachira was really amused by that guy.

"Good evening, unpolished gems, welcome to Japan's weekly report, presented to you by your server, Jinpachi Ego" The man begins with his shady, high-pitched voice.

He wears the usual, a black suit without tie or coat that makes him look even taller and thinner than he already is, this time, at least he had the decency to wear dress shoes instead of the gray crocs he wears all the time.

The whole studio applauds and Bachira cannot help but applaud him too, it was undeniable the presence that this man has.

"Tonight, is a very especial night, because we have the beginning of one of the most traditional competitions in the nation, which we hadn’t had in 20 years and that I am sure we all missed" He continues, walking across the stage to stand next to prince Isagi. "Our dear prince has decided to organize a selection to be able to find a husband worthy of the crown among the sons of Japan. Today, we have the draw of the selected, brought to you completely live"

Everyone on the screen bursts into cheers, Isagi smiling towards the camera, perhaps a little nervous, from the drop of sweat running down his cheek.

Bachira feels a twist in his stomach.

"What do you think of this, your majesty? Are you nervous or excited about the start of the process?" The man asks him and the malicious smile he dedicates to him makes everyone's hair stand on end.

"Well Ego, I have been preparing the selection for a few weeks with the help of the council, my parents and the king. I can say that I am very happy to meet the 47 wonderful boys who will be chosen and very nervous to find my future husband among them.  However, let say that I am even more excited to have company in this castle, which always looks like a ghost town" He responds confidently and you can hear some friendly laughter in the air.

Ego doesn't seem to be entertained, but Bachira had never heard him laugh, and he watched the show almost every week.

"I know you've said many times that your ideal type is someone who has a wide smile and laughs a lot, but could you be more specific? What exactly do you look for in your future husband and the future king of the nation?"

Isagi hesitates for a second, thinking exactly what to say.

"I guess I'm looking for someone who can share the work with me, smart, kind and dedicated, but who also knows when to take a break and has a good sense of humor. Someone who accompanies me through thick and thin and whom I love more than anything in the world."

A moving "Aww" echoes in the place, Isagi breaking his façade a little to reveal a small blush on his cheeks.

"Physically?" He is pressed by the presenter.

"Um... I like boys with brown hair"

And before that statement, Bachira feels butterflies in his stomach, receiving mischievous looks from her mother next to him.

"Excellent your majesty, I wish you good luck to find the best candidate among the suitors" Ego says, with a tone that doesn’t make clear if he really means it.  "Now we proceed to start with the draw, prince Isagi, if you would be so kind as to come to the ballot boxes," he says, guiding the boy to a space on stage where 47 boxes full of letters are found, all with names of millions of single boys in Japan.

Isagi approaches the first one, standing aside with eyes full of expectation.

"The prince will personally choose each participant, all fair and without cheating, so prepare viewers, because the lives of 47 lucky boys are about to change."

Bachira takes a deep breath, feeling his hands sweaty and shaking, his eyes glued to the television.

Isagi puts his hand in the urn with the label of Tokyo, the first province of Japan and where the royal family resides. He stirs a little, takes out one of the sheets and shows it to the screen, reading the name of the participant in a clear voice.

"Itoshi Rin, from Tokyo, Two"

On the screen is shown the photo of a tall boy, with green eyes and black hair, Bachira is astonished to see his face, which is completely serious, almost annoyed.

Isagi goes to the next box, repeating the procedure.

"Hiori Yo, from Tochigi, Two"

Bachira feels more and more that he is about to faint, with nerves increasing and a smile from ear to ear, having a good feeling.

"Kunigami Rensuke, from Akita, Six"

Thus, Bachira observes all the boys who are appearing on the screen, realizing that the variety is tremendous, they are all handsome, talented and with something to offer.

He could see a redhead who had the prettiest face he had ever seen, a tall boy with long silky black hair, muscular boys, thin, short, tall, etc.

He could even see Mikage Reo, the heir to the largest electronics company in the country, even the television on which he was watching the report had his last name at the base.

However, Meguru never lost confidence, seeing how the polls were ending, until only two remained, the box of his province and that box of Okinawa.

As soon as Isagi reaches into Chiba's box, the boy crawls to the screen repeating "Please, please, please" in a whisper that only his mother can hear.

"Bachira Meguru, from Chiba, Five"

The luck was wonderful. His mother's screams of joy are combined with the ringing in his ears, the blood leaving each limb to go to his heart, which works at full power.

His photograph displayed on the screen, with the smile to the maximum and a sparkle in his yellow eyes reflects exactly what he is feeling right now. Euphoria and satisfaction fighting to see who dominates him.

The prince is stunned by the photograph on the screen, blushing a little and almost dropping the paper to the ground, a detail that doesn’t escape Ego.

"Uh, so it's true that you like boys with brown hair your highness" He smiles, mocking him a little, but he lets him be when he sees that Isagi is going to explode because of how red he gets. "Please continue with the last one"

"Love! I'm so proud of you!" His mother approaches, hugging him from behind and pulling him out of his reverie completely.

"Thank you, mom," he says on the verge of tears, catching his mother's arm with one hand to comfort her, but without taking his eyes off the television.

"The last suitor of the selection is..."Isagi speaks, still maintaining a slight smile, unfolding the paper in his hand and reading the content "M-Michael Kaiser?" Bachira had never seen anyone change their expression so quickly.

Germany's second prince, Michael Kaiser, appears on screen, with the arrogant expression with which he is remembered. Meguru frowns at his face, perfectly reminiscent of Prince Isagi's hatred of that character.

"What the fuck is Michael Kaiser doing in this box!?" The prince explodes, making his way to the council of politicians sitting behind the king, who look as confused as he does.

His face is contracted with an anger that no one had ever seen, breaking his mask and crumpling the paper in his hand until it becomes a ball. 

"Someone explains it to me you damn bastards’ sons of...!"  Instantly, the transmission is cut off, leaving half of Japan stunned.

The prince was normally calm and friendly, many people even thought he was submissive. But Meguru was not surprised by this attitude at all, because thanks to his monster he knew that Isagi's personality was feigned, that in reality the real prince was hiding behind a facade.

If you looked closely at the heir, as Bachira had, you could tell that Isagi was foul-mouthed, spoiled, and irascible, which made it even more perfect for him.

"The prince has character, doesn't him Meguru?" His mother tells him with amusement, still hanging from him.

The young man turns to hug her well, smiling.

"That's what I like about him"

At that moment, the phone rings, but in the Bachira home that phone, wouldn’t stop ringing for a long time.

...

What Ego had said was true, his life did change after that transmission.

In the house, there was no day when no visitors were received, from guards who told him about security measures, young ladies with elegant costumes who came to check that he really knew how to do everything he had written in his application and tailors who took measurements of his whole body to make the suits he would wear during his stay in the palace.

Even the prince's personal assistant, Anri Teieri, had called him several times to ask if he needed anything specific in his room.  He had only asked if he could have a guitar and an easel to paint, which earned him a sigh and a thank you from the woman, who explained that some selected had asked for things almost impossible to get in a week.

His mother was also very excited, getting involved in everything she could and making food for anyone who set foot in her house, to show good hospitality.

But to Meguru, all those visitors only made him more nervous and eager.

Finally, the great preparation of a week would come to an end that day, with the visit of an older man of short stature and large build who didn’t stop sweating, who introduced himself as Hirotoshi Buratsuta, one of the members of the political council of the kingdom.

"Good afternoon, ma'am" He greeted his mother as soon as he entered, ignoring Meguru, who was the one who had opened the door "Save Japan and the crown!"

From that moment, Bachira knew that this man was not going to like him.

"I have been sent personally by the prince to review matters of vital importance to the selected ones" He began, gorging himself on the desserts that his mother had left in the center of the table "Young Bachira, since last Friday you are considered as property of Japan. From now on you have an obligation to take care of your body and your behavior. Do you understand that?"

"Yes?" He responds with confusion.

"So, I inform you that you must sign some things to verify that you received this information, any breach of the rules that will be presented to you will result in the immediate expulsion of the selection” He says, getting an affirmative answer from Bachira "Starting with the easy, I give you these vitamins, even though you pass all the health tests, as stated in the document signed by the doctor, because you are a five, it is recommended you take them, since we want you to be in a perfect shape"

Bachira thanks him with a nod.

"We also give you sleeping pills, with all the hustle and bustle, it is normal for those selected to have a hard time falling asleep, but, if I may tell you, you look in perfect condition, so only use them when you feel you need them"

Meguru receives the two jars and signs the receipt, grateful to the royal family for caring about his well-being.

"Now, we need to go over a few rules that you need to follow once you are in the palace. First, you cannot leave the palace on your own, the prince will discard the participants as the process progresses, and he alone has the authority to send you home." He explains, in a bitter voice that implies that the rule bothers him "There is no time limit for the selection, we can be talking about a few months to years, but it is unlikely that the prince will take so long to choose, so there is no need to worry"

"I'm not worried," he assures him, convinced that he could spend years in the palace as long as he was close to the prince.

The man rolls his eyes and continues.

<<Although it is not obligatory to get along with the other participants, sabotage or fights are strictly forbidden and will be punished with expulsion at the slightest fault, so I recommend that you don’t fall into provocations and control your temper>>

<<The only romantic relationship allowed for those selected is with the prince, if it is suspected or proven that you have an affair with someone else, you will be judged for the crime of treason to the crown and punished according to the ruling of a judge, being a suitor doesn’t put you above the law>>

<<For every week you stay in the palace, your family will receive a paycheck with money as compensation, today, I’ll give you the first one. In addition, if you have to leave the selection, an assistant will help you to get your life back on track, because many of the young people who participate get used to the environment and it is difficult for them to return to everyday life. For practical purposes, from now on, you are a three, so you must get a job according to your new caste>>

"A three..." the boy mumbles, a little upset, but he says to himself that he doesn’t have to worry about it yet.

"Finally, you are reminded that if you are selected by Prince Isagi, you will become his husband and king of the nation, so you will get the responsibilities and benefits that this entails. Do you understand?”  He finishes, bringing him a large document that Bachira signs enthusiastically.

This feels more and more real to him and he couldn't be happier about it.

"Thank you for your time, the royal family wish you good luck and hope that your stay in the palace is to your liking, it was a pleasure Mrs. Bachira" he says, making Meguru accompany him to the door with a gesture.

As soon as they are both outside, the man sees him from head to toe with a look of disgust so repulsive, that it contrasts completely with how he saw him when his mother was present.

"Boy, look, I'll give you some advice, just because your mother is a beauty. Don't think you can win at all. The prince will marry a rich, handsome, intelligent guy who most likely was a two. You are not any of those things, so I recommend that you don’t get your hopes up” He spits at him with a rude tone "You look like someone naive and, although you have a pretty face, you don’t have much more to contribute to the country, so take this as an opportunity to get out of poverty and nothing more. It's the best thing for everyone."

Meguru isn’t intimidated, dedicating a grin that, seen from the outside, can be considered as maniac.

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Hirotoshi, I am afraid I have never been very good at following them, but you have nothing to worry about, once the prince Isagi marries me, I will remember to tell him what a good advisor you are"

The man is stunned and Bachira takes the opportunity to close the door in his face, feeling the awakening of a challenge in his heart. He was going to show that man and everyone who stood in the way what he was capable of.

Even if it was the last thing he did.

Chapter Text

Isagi was furious, banging his foot on the floor in impatience and looking at everyone in irritation. In front of him, the 10 members of the royal council were circling the room, answering phones, reading papers and making theories.

Everything, to answer the question that had forced them to make an emergency meeting.

How had Michael Kaiser, the second prince of Germany, managed to legally register for the selection?

"You still can't find an explanation?" Shouts the prince, who hadn’t managed to calm down since the end of the transmission of the report about 20 minutes ago.

His worst part only came to light when people talked about Michael Kaiser.

"We do what we can, your Highness, but many of the documents haven’t yet been found and the Okinawa service office doesn’t answer the phone," explains one of the counselors, Hana Yamada.

Isagi rolls his eyes in disgust.

"Weren't you supposed to have reviewed the applications? You said everything was in order! "       

"There were millions of forms, we couldn't review them all," Yasumori Hoichi, another of the kingdom's politicians, excuses himself.

"Anyway, I need you to tell me exactly how he managed to get Japanese nationality and find a way to annul it, there is no way Kaiser will come to the palace as a suitor" He hurries them, firm and serious, as he has never been seen.

One of the counselors shakes his head.

"We cannot deny it to him, your highness! It is against the law, besides, you know the influence Germany has on the country's trade, if we despised its prince, we would be risking losing our alliance with the country."

"Please, my uncle was born in Germany and lived there all his life, they can't withdraw support from someone from their own country."

"The king was also naturalized as soon as he ascended the throne and no longer considers himself a citizen of Germany, it is likely that he will not influence much when you take the crown anyway, but we don’t expect you to understand this, your majesty" Hirotoshi Buratsuta replies, embarrassing the prince, who feels his cheeks burning.

"Just...  Keep investigating, there must be something we can do."

Hirotoshi, leaves what he is doing to look at him, with the expression of feigned seriousness that he always uses with him, completely belittling him.

"Your Highness, this could be a good opportunity for the kingdom, if you marry Prince Kaiser, we will strengthen our bond with Germany and earn a very intelligent and dedicated king, that is exactly what we are looking for" He proposes, bringing his disgusting face close to him, obviously, trying to convince him.

"My people would never accept that"

"It's very easy to change public opinion, we have the whole selection to make Kaiser look like someone who cares about the country and as soon as they see how much he loves you, they will be delighted with him."

Isagi is repulsed to imagine it.

"He doesn't love me; he's obsessed with me!"

"Obsession and love are practically the same thing, prince Isagi, this is perfect, think about it seriously and do it for the good of the kingdom"

Isagi sweats cold, watching the eyes of all the counselors, who seem to agree with the idea. This is exactly what he feared they would do and he felt completely trapped, pressured to say yes.

How he could have been so naïve? Thinking that politicians were going to sit idly by and let him choose the suitor he like best. They are trying to get him to choose the one that suits them best.

"I-I..." He begins to say, looking for something that would prevent him from having to accept such a proposal.

However, at that instant, someone knock on the door, saving him from having to answer.

Barou and Anri, carrying a tray with food and a change of clothes for him, enter the room, bowing.

"You don't have to answer now your Highness, you have all the time of the selection to think about it," Yasumori tells him, bringing everyone on the council back to what they were doing. "Come back in an hour, we'll probably have all the information by then."

The prince sighs, beckoning his two servants to follow him, leaving the room, dismayed.

As soon as he is in his room, he drops into his desk chair, wiping away his sweat.  Everything was slowly going to hell and he feels like there's not much he can do to avoid it.

But right now, he's starving and can't think on a plan with an empty stomach.

As soon as he finishes eating, Anri helps him undress and change for a much more comfortable suit, he still looks presentable, but he is no longer suffocated by the tight tie and pants.

"Anri, I need you to do me a favor," he tells her as soon as he's ready, looking at Barou out of the corner of his eye.

"Whatever you want, your highness," she accepts, helpful as always.

"Bring Itoshi Sae here, preferably without anyone knowing"  

The woman nods no questions asked, stepping out at an elegant pace. Isagi estimates that it will take her about 5 minutes to find the man and bring him.

"What do you need Itoshi for?" His guard asks him with a skeptical tone.

Itoshi Sae was the king's personal adviser, the most egoist and cold bastard he had ever met, but also, an intelligent and efficient boy, regarded as the best worker in the whole palace.

Isagi needed his sarcastic comments right now.

"They are conspiring against me; the council were the ones who warned and helped Michael Kaiser so he can sneak into my selection"

Barou frowns, surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"They literally just tried to convince me that I should arrange the selection so the nation can like Kaiser."

Barou's face becomes serious.

“Those bastards…" Says with hatred in his eyes "But how do you know Itoshi is not involved with them?"

Isagi walks over to his closet, where Anri has just put away the suit he was wearing, taking a piece of paper of the coat and showing it to Barou.

"Itoshi Rin, does that last name sound familiar?"  He tells him, seeing the photo of the black-haired man with expressionless eyes.

"Sae's younger brother, do you think he manipulated the ballot box to make Rin into the selection?" And, before the prince's affirmation, Barou asks him "Don't they hate each other? "

Isagi remembered little Rin, he knew him for quite some time thanks to his family, who were royal ambassadors of several provinces of Japan, however, they didn’t talk much because the boy tended to ignore him, claiming that he hated him

As soon as Sae had taken the position of counselor and the two brothers seemed to get along worse and worse, Rin stopped living in the palace and moved in with his parents, so he had not seen him for years.

It was unlikely that the two brothers would work together. Even so, the prince knew that they couldn’t refuse, if their parents got into the equation.

" Yes, but I don't think Sae or Rin had any way to deny their parents' pressure, they are the mastermind behind their plan and I don't think it's in their best interest Michael Kaiser becomes a suitor, besides, the Itoshis have too much subtlety to ally with someone like Kaiser. They are trying to take over the crown in a more dignified way."

"Making you marry his little prodigy"

Isagi nods his head, focused.

"Exactly, but we can take advantage of this to get rid of Kaiser and the clowns who agreed to help him" He ends with a smug smile on his face.

"Hey, sometimes you are really scary Isagi" Barou says, putting his hands on his shoulders "The council doesn’t know who they are messing with."

The prince walks away from him, a little upset.

"Don't touch me," he tells him quickly, causing Barou to raise his hands in surrender, hurt.

Isagi regrets having been so rude, but cannot say anything to explain it to him because, at that moment, the door opens, revealing a redhead with green eyes in an elegant white suit, who instantly bows. Anri comes after him, a little embarrassed for interrupting them.

"Excuse me, your highness, I knocked but received no response" Itoshi Sae speaks, his voice controlled and monotonous. "She told me you needed me"

"Yes, sorry Itoshi, take a seat" The boy obeys, approaching the armchair in the living room of his bedroom and sitting with his back straight.

Barou takes the opportunity to leave the room, giving him an angry look before closing the door. For his part, Anri leaves two cups of tea on the table and brings a cigarette to Sae, who lights it and puts it in his lips.

Afterwards, the two men are left alone, looking at each other.

"So, Prince Isagi, how can your humble servant help you?" The older one begins, giving occasional puffs from his cigarette.

"Well, to begin with, I would like you explain to me, how it is that among the thousands of suitors in Tokyo, curiously, I chose the form of your younger brother"

Sae shows no sign of being surprised.

"My brother's luck has always been great, your highness, he had as many possibilities as any of the others participants"

"Now, could you tell me the truth? Rin wouldn't have even considered filling out the application, we both know he doesn't like me too much."

The redhead squeezes the cigarette in his hand, extinguishing it.

"Look, your majesty, if you have any proof that I abused my position to benefit my brother you can show it to me, if not, then I think this conversation is over."

Isagi is not intimidated.

"I think you've misunderstood me, I'm not accusing you of anything, Itoshi Sae, I just wanted to confirm something" He says, putting on the table, a picture of Michael Kaiser "Now, you are right, I cannot prove anything, but I would appreciate if you stop playing dumb and start talking clearly, because I inform you that, despite everything the council says behind my back, I notice the things that happen around me "

Sae takes the picture, touching the old newspaper with his fingers.

It is a photo from two years ago, on the first official visit of the second prince of Germany to the palace, where it had all begun.

"Right now, I have bigger problems than your parents wanting to get more power and that's something you and I share."  Isagi crosses his arms, trying to look confident "Imagine the problem it would be if I eliminated Rin as soon as he set foot in this palace, how disappointed your parents would be of you… and him." 

"You think I care about that lukewarm!?" He starts saying, agitated, but Isagi stops him.

"Yes, Itoshi Sae, as much as you deny it, I know that at least you feel a hint of affection for him in that heart of stone, otherwise we wouldn't even be having this conversation," he points out, waiting for him to calm down to keep talking. "You and Rin can continue to hate each other if you want, but right now I'm going to propose something that can avoid humiliation for your brother, so listen carefully"

"I am all ears, your majesty," the eldest replies, resigned.

"The council is conspiring against me, probably from a year ago, since it is the minimum residence time it is ask to obtain Japanese nationality, they informed Michael Kaiser that they would organize a selection in which he could marry me. You know Kaiser and you know that he would do anything to get my hand in marriage" He explains, watching as Sae rolls his eyes at the mention of the German "Even so, surely they have some other plan in hand and I need you to find out how, when, where and why Michael Kaiser accepted to be part of the suitors and obtain evidence that incriminates the council"

"Don't you think you're asking me too much? What do I gain from that?" argues the redhead.

"First, your brother's stay in the selection, if you fulfill what I told you I will keep him in the selection until the top 5, I can't promise that I will marry him but he will be here long enough to keep your parents happy. Second, get rid of Michael Kaiser forever, it doesn't suit you that he becomes king because he would fire you and your parents instantly, he hates you."

Sae nods his head, weighing everything.

"If your highness allows me, I would like to add one more thing," he asks, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Go on" the prince allows him.

"I want to be your personal advisor when you ascend to the throne, having the position secured from now on would avoid problems"

Isagi pulls a pen out of his pocket, reaching for a piece of paper from his desk.

"If you agree to help me, I will make the contract for you right now and you will have it on your desk tomorrow."

"Then I think we have a deal, your highness," he says, stretching out his hand for the prince to shake it. "Take care of my brother, he's stubborn but he's not a bad person, he just has too much pressure on his shoulders."

Isagi smiles sympathetically.

"I think we will understand each other very well, remember, not a word of this to anyone," he orders, escorting him to the door.

"Don't say anything to Rin either, he will kill me for interceding in his life," he asks before leaving, receiving a nod in response.

"You're a good brother, Itoshi Sae," he tells him, receiving a denial from the redhead.

"No, I'm not," he assures him, Isagi doesn't insist, letting him go.

The prince sighs, wishing he could go to sleep at that moment and forget the horrible day he has had, full of surprises and betrayals, but he knows that he must go to the council room to be explained how Kaiser did to register for the selection.

He still doesn’t overcome that they have made him wait when obviously everything was their plan.

He would like to have at least Barou to back him up, but after the outburst he had had with him, he could expect to see him until tomorrow. Isagi was a little sorry that he reacted like that with him, but if they kept acting the same way he would never get over him.

He hoped that his guard isn’t as hurt as he is.

When he finally reached his destination, Isagi opened the grand door in front of him, seeing how all the counselors were already seated in their respective places, calm and prepared.

"Your highness, how good you arrive, we have all the information you requested about Kaiser," says one of the young ladies, inviting him to take a seat.

Isagi listens to her, waiting to hear what excuses and data they are going to give him.

"Well, first, we discovered the papers of the sale of a house in one of the richest neighborhoods of Okinawa, all expenses paid with German money, the deeds say that it belongs to Alexis Ness, who made the purchase"

Alexis Ness was Kaiser's pathetic servant and personal guard, so it was very obvious that the house wasn’t his, but the prince's.

"We talked to the neighbors, they all said they knew Kaiser and had spoken with him several times, always with a cordial and friendly attitude, none presented complaints and some even testified in favor in the appointment to obtain nationality that took place a month ago" She says, reading a document "The prince answered all the questions correctly, he presented his papers and received approval without problems, now having dual nationality"

The woman finishes explaining, giving Hirotoshi the word.

"In addition, we discovered that Michael Kaiser made many donations to various hospitals and foundations against discrimination, supporting the education of thousands of Japanese from disadvantaged castes" He speaks, with a tone of self-sufficiency "And, whenever someone asked him why he was working so hard for the country, he replied that it was because he loved Prince Isagi so much that he wanted to curry his favor by helping his nation, resulting in many people currently supporting him and wanting him to become the next king."

Then one of the counselors holds out several local newspapers with photos of the blond, with headlines like "Michael Kaiser, an angel fallen from heaven" or "Michael Kaiser's efforts to win the heart of the prince of Japan."

Simply disgusting.

"We never found out about this because only a few local newspapers announced it, since many of Kaiser's donations were anonymous and he himself asked that not much news be published about it," the woman finished, looking up at the prince, waiting for a response.

The prince takes a few seconds to breathe, putting on his mask once more, right now, it wasn’t in his interest to fight with the council, so he would pretend to be surprised. It was much better if they thought he was gullible.

"Well... I can say that I am pleasantly surprised, I am glad that Kaiser has reconsidered and decided to do something productive with his life. However, I am still not totally convinced that his intentions are sincere, so I ask for time to analyze his behavior and give you an answer later," he says, with a monotonous tone that hides all his anger "In the end, I will have a lot of time to be with him in the selection"

The council look visibly satisfied.

"Of course, your highness, it is best to be prudent" Everyone accepts, thinking that the prince doesn’t notice their true intentions.

As soon as the meeting is over, Isagi recharges himself in the chair, dropping all his weight to relax, closing his eyes for a moment. At least he had been able to buy a little more time.

Behind him, Aiko Kondo, the royal family's media adviser, approaches him, wanting to talk to him for a moment.

"Your highness, excuse me to bother you, but since we resolved what was rushing us, I would like to discuss the issue of your public image" She kindly comments, sitting next to him "Well, as you remember, we had to cut off the transmission of the report because of the small fit of anger you demonstrated, which is a stain on your image that can be fixed very easily, but I need your cooperation to carry out our plan."

Isagi is embarrassed, having completely forgotten how badly he had acted on national television. With all the Kaiser situation, he hadn't measured his words.

"Of course, Miss Kondo, please do what you have to do and let me know the detai..."

The prince, before he can finish the sentence, quickly turns around to the sound of the front door whipping, dodging, thanks to his quick reaction, a bullet that could perfectly have stuck in the middle of his forehead, killing him in the process.

Panic spreads among those present, seeing how one man dressed completely in black, with a gun in his hand pounces on the prince, firing two more bullets that don’t touch him miraculously.

"Oh, for God's sake!” he says and then dodges another bullet, thanking internally for his training with the sword that allows him to have reflexes superior to the commons.

Also, it was very clear that his assassin didn’t have very good aim, because anyone would already reach a target that almost didn’t move.

Isagi falls to the ground, watching the gun go to his face, leaving him with no chance of escape. "This is how my life ends," he thinks, closing his eyes to welcome death.

But before the hooded man can shoot him, Barou arrives running, with his assault rifle in hand, shooting – clearly with better aim – at the head of the man, who falls to the ground, dead, splashing his blood on the prince's face.

Behind him, many guards enter the room to help the people who still remained in the place, who were unharmed, but in shock by what they have just witnessed.

“They- They tried to assassinate the prince!" A horrified woman screams, causing even greater chaos to break out in the room.

Even with all the mess, Isagi can't take his eyes off Barou, who has a worried expression on his face. The two stares at each other for a few seconds, before the guard approaches the prince on the ground and helps him up.

"I’ll never leave you alone again, you almost died without me" the guard jokes, to lighten the atmosphere.  

Isagi wipes the blood from his face while laughing.

"I think I can't live without you" he replies and it is obvious that he didn’t think very well on his words.

Still, blaming the shock, the prince allows himself to smile at Barou, relieved that he is still alive.

"I promised to protect you with my life if necessary, so I can't live without you either," he says, wrapping his arms around his body to lift him up and out of the room, away from all the hubbub that was brewing in the room.

"I'm sorry" The prince apologizes, still a little dizzy from his near-death experience "It wasn't my intention to be rude with you"

"No, you excuse me, I understand why you did it and even though I was angry I shouldn’t have left you unprotected"

The face of his guard looks completely disturbed, because, if he had arrived a second later, perhaps the prince would no longer be in his arms.

"It’s okay, he couldn't have killed me anyway, I dodged four bullets," he says, trying to show off.

Barou laughs sarcastically.

"Your highness, please, without me, you wouldn’t have passed the age of twelve"

The prince rolls his eyes, but doesn’t answer him, knowing that he is right.

In the midst of betrayals, attempted homicides and selections, the only thing that comforts Isagi is Barou, who remains the same as always.

...

"So, two conspiracies and a murder attempt… What a good night, don't you think your majesty?" The guard asks, the next morning, after they’re alone.

Isagi had to spend all night in the infirmary, surrounded by guards and doctors who watched over his well-being. The boy wasn’t injured, but they still insisted on having him on supervision in case he had been left with any trauma or something similar. In addition, the clinic was the most guarded place in the entire castle and everyone wanted to avoid further assassination attempts.

Barou stayed by his side all night and, before the prince fell asleep, he had received a visit from his parents – who were very worried about him – and the king, who only stayed about 5 minutes, verified that he was well and then said goodbye to continue working.

In the end, the prince had slept until noon thanks to the medicine he had been given and even so, he felt that his head was going to explode from stress.

"Don't even remind me, I still don't know how the fuck I'm still alive," he tells him from the stretcher, lying down and unable to move.

"All thanks to me! obviously "

The guard looks completely exhausted, a consequence of taking care of him without resting for so long, but he hadn’t wanted to leave him, even though they had offered to change his shift.

"It hurts me too much to think and you're not very lucid to answer me but still, I can't help but wonder who did it, who would want to kill me?" He whispers, aware that there are still guards outside the room "I mean, it isn’t in the interest of the council that I die and I can find no reason why anyone would want to leave Japan without heirs, I mean, seriously, there is no one to succeed my uncle if I die."

"It could be someone outside royalty, some rebel group that wants to overthrow the monarchy, like the eights, for example," Barou proposes and Isagi weighs the idea.

"The eights are still a small group, they have hardly caused minor disturbances and always go peaceful, it would be strange if out of nowhere they wanted to murder the royal family" The prince replies, putting his hands to his face to block the light "It smells very fishy, until we find out who is behind all this, we will have to double the surveillance, because in a week, we will not be the only ones in the castle and the safety of the selected ones should be our priority"

Barou nods, realizing that indirectly, he is asking him to organize everything.

"The recruitment of soldiers is on Monday, I will ask them to send us new cadets for the protection of the pretenders"

Yoichi thanks him with a thumbs up, suddenly remembering what he was going to ask him.

"Do you know anything about the man who try to shot me?"

Barou pulls out a piece of paper and begins to read it to him, in a clear, firm voice.

"His name was Kira Ryota, an ex-convict for robbery and murder, captive in Saitama prison; released on parole a year ago for good behavior. He used to be a five, but he was demoted to a twelve thanks to the sentence and began to work as a hitman to support himself, apparently, he had no family, but we cannot be sure because nothing else appears in his documents” he explains, giving him the police file, where a man in his 40s, with white hair and brown eyes, is seen.

"I wish he could have stayed alive; it would have helped us a lot to find out who hired him"

Barou shakes his head.

"The most important thing was to save you; I would have shot that man a thousand times as long as you were still alive"

Isagi blushes, coughing to avoid saying any nonsense.

"Please don't say things like that so suddenly" He orders him in a thread of voice, the guard nodding slightly but doesn't seem to regret it.

"Yes, your highness, I assure you that this will not happen again, from now on we will have each member of the royal family accompanied by a guard everywhere and we will prohibit entry to anyone outside the palace"

"In the meantime, I will investigate this, I cannot allow them to harm my country in this way" Isagi sentence, decided "Order those who were present at the attack not to reveal information about this to anyone, it isn’t productive that panic spreads among the people; and, when you end that, please go to sleep, you look like you are going to faint at any moment. If I find out that you continued working, I will made a guard accompany you everywhere until you rest"

Barou looks at him incredulously, wanting to protest but Isagi prevents him by looking at him seriously, the man sighs and listens to him, bowing to leave, calling another guard to reveal him.

The hours pass very slowly in the infirmary, with nothing to do but look out the window into the palace gardens. In the afternoon, Anri brings him a tray with his meal, as well as a couple of books and the 47 sheets from the participants of the selection, which he had order to bring them to be able to analyze them in detail.

"I'm glad your highness feels better already," the woman says, putting everything very carefully on the table next to the stretcher "Please let me know if you need anything else" she says, ready to leave to let him rest.

"Hey, Anri, before you leave, I'd like to ask you a question" He stops her, watching the redhead turn around calmly.

"Of course, Prince Isagi, whatever you need"

"You, what caste were before coming to the castle?"  He asks her softly, seeing how surprise she looks.

"Oh... I was a six, your highness, I worked as a waitress in a restaurant"

Yoichi sits on the bed, so he can look straight at her, she doesn't look uncomfortable, but he knows she's a little reluctant to respond.

"Were you happy?"

"Well, it's a fact that we had a lot of financial problems and that I lived in a poor neighborhood in my native Fukishima, but my family was very close and I had a boyfriend with whom I spent every day, so yeah, I was happy" she tells him, with a dreamy look "I always thought I would end up marry him and we would get ahead together, but then, the draw came and he had to go to war  and I had to come to serve in the palace; he survived, but by the time he return we weren’t the same”

"I'm sorry, for making you remember bad times," he apologizes, feeling bad for her.

"Don't worry your highness, that was many years ago and now I am very happy to be able to serve the royal family."

Anri smiles nostalgically, revealing his great beauty, the man who once had his heart must have been very lucky.

"If you ever see him again, do you think it would hurt?"

The girl laughs sadly, with a lonely tear streaming down her cheek.

"I see him every day and it still hurts like the first time" she says, bowing and then starting to leave at a hurried pace "Excuse me, your majesty, I must go"

Isagi feels sad, suddenly realizing that the two were not very different. Both slaves of their caste, having lost everything because of a system imposed by a government built in crisis.

Even the prince of the nation felt trapped in the expectations that his caste brought him, and even so, he knew that he had more options to get ahead than Anri, who had to resign herself to work for the same people who had done her so much harm.

It was true that being born in Japan was an experience worth telling, but not a good one, in his opinion.

That had to change.

Chapter Text

A day after the visit of the annoying royal counselor, Bachira Meguru was walking around his room, dressed in the uniform of the selected ones: black pants, a white shirt and the flower that represented his province -A daffodil- that he had put in his hair. The combination suited him, but Bachira was still not satisfied.

The reason for his uneasiness was that he hadn’t yet decided which shoes to wear, as all the uniform had been provided, but he had been allowed to choose his footwear and, according to the boy, none of his old shoes were elegant enough to make a good impression.

Today was the official transfer of the suitors to the castle and Bachira almost felt that he could fly from happiness, closer and closer to being able to see the prince.

However, before leaving, a small party would be organized in the center of the city, where thousands of people would go to see him and, of course, to judge him, because among the many bachelors of Chiba, the selected one had been a five that didn’t have any impressive quality.

Bachira wasn’t nervous, he was almost used to scathing looks and condescending comments, he simply wanted people to get a good impression of him, because, if he married the prince, those people would be his subjects.

And what better than to gain support from now on.

Within minutes of starting to get frustrated, his mother enters the room, carrying a large carry-on bag with her.

"Baby, you are almost ready?" She asks him, seeing how his son is kneeling, with his head stuck to the bottom of his closet.

"I've already packed my suitcase and all mom, but I don't know what shoes to wear"

Yu brings the gift bag to his son, watching as the boy is surprised.

"Is it for me? You didn't have to," he says, smiling, opening the gift being careful not to damage it.

Inside, there were the most beautiful pair of sneakers he had ever seen, they were light yellow with white details and many hand-painted drawings on the surface, from a sunflower to a small soccer ball, which represented Bachira's personality very well.

"I thought you'd need a new pair and I wanted to give you something to remember me while we're not together."

Meguru instantly rises to hug his mother, tears of happiness streaming down his face.

"You're the best, mom, thank you very much," he tells her sincerely, inhaling the smell of paint so characteristic of his mother, so he never forget it.

"Don't cry treasure, you’ll ruin your makeup"

The boy walks away from the woman, moved, putting on his sneakers with enthusiasm, seeing that they fit perfectly. His mother gives them the go-ahead and helps him style his hair and retouch his makeup, leaving his precious son ready to go.

While they both finish packing the last of his belongings, they engage in a trivial conversation.

"You will send me letters, right?"

"Of course! I will tell you even the smallest detail" Bachira assures her trying to comfort her "Surely you have a great time alone mom, use the reward money as you want and have fun. I hope you don't miss me too much."

The woman giggle before answering.

"Don't worry honey, I'll be watching you every day on TV, so I won't feel alone"

Bachira is left thinking, seeing her mother looking so happy for him.

"Mom, do you think the prince will like me?" He asks, with a little insecurity in his voice.

"Of course! The prince is very intelligent, surely, he will know how to see your virtues and appreciate them as I do; But I want you to remember that if the prince is stupid enough that he doesn’t like you, he misses it! I will be here, waiting for you with open arms” She comforts him kindly, patting him on the head "You are the best son I could have asked for, Meguru, you deserve to be happy, whether with the prince or anyone else, I will always be supporting you"

Bachira's heart is filled with hope, happy that his mother trusts his and loves him. He will do his best to repay that trust and make her even prouder.

"I love you so much mom!" He tells her with joy, hugging her for the thousandth time in the day, knowing that he will not be able to do it for a long time.

His mother reciprocates the hug.

"I love you too, little bee"

The two refuse to let go, but they must because of the knocks on the door, indicating that it is time to leave.

The boy looks in the mirror once again before leaving, aware that when he returns, he will have changed, but he will always have his mother by his side to cope with him.

The selection couldn’t take that away from him, right?

...

The arrangers of the event had insisted that the Bachira family be transported by car to the city's central square. It was the first time the boy got into a car and the trip had been the most enjoyable part of the whole ceremony.

Because, everything else had been the most nauseating, boring and disastrous party he had ever attended and that was saying a lot, considering that he had worked a thousand times at parties of the smug and unhappy twos.

For starters, there were so many people crammed into the streets that the atmosphere felt suffocating, that, along with the heat and nervousness made Meguru unable to stop sweating, which wasn’t the best impression at all.

Moreover, the speech the mayor had given to inaugurate the event was obviously fraught with resentments and rude words, which only made everything even more uncomfortable; Later he learned that the man was upset that his young son hadn’t been selected because Bachira had "stolen" his position.

Which didn't make sense because all the brown hair boy had done was pray and be very lucky, he hadn't done a strange ritual to be selected or something.

He had even dared to say that he had surely bribed someone to be chosen and for the love of God, sometimes they even had no money to eat, he didn’t plan to waste the little they had on paying a bribe.

Bachira was outraged, feeling his morning good mood fade as time passed, not even the presence of his mother managing to comfort him. Really, he had gotten up early for this.

But, the icing on the cake had been the unexpected encounter with his classmates, who had hugged as if they were his best friends, clearly forgetting that Meguru always went through hell at school, because of his sole and exclusive fault.

"We are going to miss you a lot Bachira, school will not be the same without you" a beautiful woman said, clinging to his arm as if she never wanted to let him go.

She was the same girl who in first grade had stolen all his books and flushed them down the toilet.

"I'm sure you’ll dazzle the prince with your beauty, friend, you have everything to win," added a stocky and tall boy, who was in charge of beating him up after school.

"Don't forget your dear companions when you are king, okay? We will support you from here forever" Ends the leader of the gang, a short pink haired boy who, only a week ago had insulted him for accidentally crashing into him.

The three had taken it upon themselves to make their school life miserable, with their criticism, insults, jokes and beatings, which he had never reported because he knew he had everything to lose.

In the end, it was a five vs. twos situation, a scholarship holder with poor grades who lived with his single mother against three children of prestigious actors, models and singers. The administration wouldn't even have taken his report seriously.

Right now, looking at them there, smiling and carefree as if they had never done anything against him, makes his blood boil and his fists close with rage.  The only thing he can think is "Hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites."

However, Bachira decides to ignore them and walk away before they can continue talking to him, aware that any rude attitude could be used against him, as the event was being recorded for local television and he didn’t want to start filling the headlines with "Aggressive suitor hits three classmates at his farewell party".

His reputation was now the most important thing and he had to start being smart if he was pretending to win this.

And so, time passed, with people he didn't know approaching to congratulate him, insult him or stare at him from head to toe, nodding positively or negatively based on how satisfied they were with his appearance.

After how horrible the event had been, as soon as he was told that the car that would take him to the airport was ready, he practically flew to him, with his mother following him from behind.

"Thank God the torture ended" He sighs as soon as he is inside the car, with his mother laughing next to him.

"You endured very well Meguru, I can't believe the number of people who came to say goodbye to my little bee"

"Honestly, I only care that you came mom, you are the only one I will miss," he tells her, a little sad, and she holds his hand in support.

"We'll see again before you even realize baby" She cheers him up, fixing the daffodil in his hair, which with all the fuss had twisted “Good luck with the prince, always remember to use protection"

Meguru turns red to his ears.

"Mom!"

And so, the journey continues, consolidating the last conversation between mother and son before Meguru's departure. In less than expected, they have already reached their destination.

The airport looks imposing before him, with the glass doors ready to receive him. Outside, many paparazzi take pictures of him as soon as they see him get out of the car, blinding him with camera flashes.

Because of this, his mother doesn’t get out of the car, lowering the window to be able to kiss him on the cheek as a farewell.

"Take care of yourself, love," is the last thing she says, with tears falling from his brown eyes.

"See you later mom"

The cameras capture the expression of longing on the face of Bachira, who is watching the car leave the airport, and, thanks to that, the public is even more delighted with him.

...

The fly would be in a private plane, one of those that are only seen in movies of rich people and although it was a short trip because of how close Chiba was to Tokyo, Bachira was very excited.

But all happiness vanished, because he had to wait about 50 minutes for the selected ones from the nearby provinces to arrive, who would travel with him.

He didn't know why they were taking so long, but there wasn't much he could do in the meantime, so he distracted himself by looking up through the window, thinking that this would be the last time he would see the sky of his province.

Finally, after another 10 minutes, hurried footsteps are heard and a boy with shaved hair – who is carrying a pile of suitcases – quickly approaches.

Bachira knows who he is, not for nothing he spent the whole week analyzing the profiles of all the suitors.

The boy in front of him is Igarashi Gurimu from Ibaraki and, he thinks he recalls, a six.

"Hey, mate" greets him as soon as he sees him, sitting next to him.  "Sorry for the delay, I couldn't finish packing"

Bachira gives him an effusive handshake.

"Hi, I'm Bachira Meguru from Chiba" He introduces himself and the opponent nods.

"I know," he says, leaving him confused, "Do you know who else is missing?"

"I think Saitama's suitor, Kira Ryosuke"

And, speaking of the devil, a white-haired man approaches them, wearing a gentle smile.

"Good afternoon, forgive me for taking so long, the farewell party went on too long, they didn't want to let me go” He tells them in his soft voice, shaking hands cordially "I'm Kira Ryosuke, from Saitama."

"I am Igarashi Gurimu"

"Bachira Meguru"

After the presentations, they are instructed to board the plane, letting them sit anywhere they prefer. Igarashi sits across from him and Kira next to him, starting with a small conversation to get to know each other better.

So far, everything is normal, Bachira expected violent or competitive people, but the two guys are just boring, not posing any challenge or threat to him.

"Yes, my parents wanted me to inherit the temple and they had me working every day without rest, so when the letter of the selection arrived, I didn’t think twice, it was like a miracle, amen" The shaved says.

"For me, my mother convinced me to fill out the form, it's a good opportunity for us," Kira tells them and there is something in his tone that makes Bachira's monster alarmed, asking him to be careful with him.

But the boy ignores his instincts, when he sees that the two are looking at him, waiting for him to reveal them his story.

"Oh... I had always wanted to participate in the selection, it's like a fairy tale, the prince is gorgeous and I'm very happy to meet him."

Kira frowns, but it's so strange and quick that Meguru thinks he's imagined it.

"I couldn’t care less about the prince, I just want to live like a king as long as I can," Igarashi says, arrogantly.

Meguru smiles broadly, giving a delirious appearance to his face.

"Great, least competition for me" He whispers, turning around to see through the window, ignoring the two suitors, who look surprised next to him.

If they didn't make their heart dance for the challenge, then they weren't worth his time at all. His monster just didn't like them, none of them had enough ego to want to fight with their whole being for the prince – or the crown, if that was what interested them – one too kind and the other too carefree.

He expected to meet better opponents once he reached the palace.

Getting off the plane, Bachira leaves them behind, walking out the doors to bump into more reporters than he had ever seen. Also, behind all the cameras he manages to see people with banners, in them, the names of many suitors are written, demonstrating their support.

He can see several with his name, which surprises and moves him at the same time.

"Bachira! We love you!"

"You will be a spectacular king, Bachira!"

"We support you Meguru!"

Some people shout at him, raising his sign so that the boy can see him from where he is. Meguru greets them with his hand timidly, touched by the flattery and good wishes.

He can even see a little girl, with brown hair and yellow eyes making her way into the crowd, holding her a paper and a pen so he can give her his autograph. Bachira bends down at his level, smiles tenderly and signs the paper, happy for how the little girl's eyes light up with gratitude.

Unfortunately, the people who are accompanying the selected ones ask him to hurry, because they are late to get to the palace.

The boy is not discouraged, telling himself that he will have more opportunities to greet his supporters and enters the car along with Igarashi and Kira.

"I don't understand why there were no banners with my name on it,"  Igarashi complains quietly, not pretending to be heard.

"Bachira is simply popular" says Kira, although he had also received a lot of support.

"Man does not live on popularity alone, amen"

And, reluctantly, Meguru agrees with him, because it would be useless if people support him if the prince simply didn’t like him.  He still had a long way to go if he wanted to earn the right to be the husband of the future king.

...

They didn't even let them breathe when they arrived at the castle.

Instantly four guards escorted them inside, followed by several assistants and servants who seemed exhausted from going back and forth. Inside, the palace was more impressive than he could have imagined.

White marble floors with cream-colored walls, elegant furniture that surely cost more than a life of salary, chandeliers full of lights, long and endless corridors full of paintings, among other things that gave it a sophisticated and distinguished appearance.

Bachira knew that he was going to get lost a thousand times there, because only the first floor was a thousand times bigger than his house. Perhaps even bigger than his entire neighborhood.

On their way they passed through the dining room, the main hall, a library and many doors that led to places unknown to him. The guards assured them that later they would have a full tour, but that now they should hurry to reach the "Men's Hall".

The "Men's Hall" was a room exclusively for young men, where you could relax, interact with other people, or have a productive time reading, painting, or playing an instrument. Due to the selection, the room had been conditioned to accommodate the suitors and, right now, it was being used by the stylists who would be responsible for giving a makeover to all the participants.

Of course, they were also warned that cameramen and interviewers would be hanging around the place, recording material to be able to make a special article that would be broadcast on Friday in the report, so they should be attentive and answer any questions with a good attitude.

The boy swallows, suddenly nervous. What if he was forced to cut or dye his hair in a horrible color? Or they ask him strange questions to make him look bad on camera? That will be practically sabotage.

However, as soon as they arrived, their doubts were immediately dispelled, as there were so many people, he doubted that the interviewers had time to ask him more than one trivial question.

Instantly, a grumpy assistant assigns him a team of professionals in the art of beauty, who greet him kindly and assure him that they will only enhance his image to make him even more irresistible to the prince, leaving his personal essence as it is.

Bachira decides to trust them, so the process begins in a hurry.

They began undressing him to bathe him from head to toe in a tub, which was only covered by a thin curtain, luckily, Bachira had never been ashamed of his body, so he took advantage of the moment to take a break, feeling how they washed his hair and removed all the dirt.

After dressing him in a robe, a woman sits him in front of a dressing table, giving him several options to do with his hair.

"We'll use the same cut, I personally think you look adorable, but, if you will allow me the suggestion, we can make a yellow underlights to make it more interesting," he suggests, showing him a bottle with a dye of a shade darker than his eyes.

Meguru likes the idea, so he lets her work, cutting and dyeing in the blink of an eye. When he least realizes, she's done, allowing him to see himself in the mirror.

It looks fantastic, his brown strands colored underneath makes him look bright, like the sun. Everyone around him looks just as satisfied as he does, so they move on to makeup.

"Your features are very expressive and your skin has almost no imperfections, so I suggest not using a very heavy foundation to give you a glow effect, I will correct your dark circles and accentuate your eyes with blue tones, but it will not be something very loaded, do not worry" explains the makeup artist, teaching him step by step what he is going to do "We will also give you a gloss. So, you can retouch up your lips when you need to."

Meguru didn't understand much of what he said, but he allows him to start, moving and closing his eyes when asked.

In the end, he likes the finished look a lot, when he sees himself in the mirror, he recognizes himself completely, feeling confident and beautiful. The stylists do know what they are doing and he is grateful for his work.

To finish, they pass him to a platform in front of a large full-length mirror, approaching a stand with several white suits.

"Young Bachira, for the presentation it was specifically requested that the suits be white, but we could add a little color, so ... " they tell him, taking off his suit from the stand.

The pants are straight and white, matching the shirt, which is made of a lightweight transparent fabric, but the plaid vest is a strong yellow that matches his new hair color. Although if there is a coat, the stylists decide not to put it on to give him a more casual look.

For accessories they place a pastel yellow bow tie, black dress shoes and a band with his name embroidered, which serves to identify him.

As a final touch, they put some hair clips, which help to reveal his forehead and a daffodil on the right side of the vest, representing his province.

All together make him look refined, but still youthful, perfectly mixing his personality with his new duty of dressing properly.

Bachira is delighted, thanking the stylists for their hard work.

"It was nothing boy, you were already beautiful, you just needed a little help" they tell him, happy with his new look. "Remember to smile, that will make you look even brighter"

Everyone says goodbye politely, leaving him a small bag with things to retouch up his hair and makeup and a bottle of perfume, which smells like vanilla.

As soon as he finishes with his change of look, Bachira sits in one of the armchairs of the large room, watching as the other stylists comb their hair, make up or dress other suitors, each one demonstrating their personal style.

Next to him sits a man with long black hair, also fully prepared to meet the prince.

"Hello, I'm Bachira Meguru" He greets him, seeing how the black eyes of the suitor light up at his words.

"I know, everyone knows who you are," he says, shaking hands elegantly "You're the most glamorous person in this place, obviously you denote a bright aura that makes you stand out for miles."

Bachira looks at him confused.

"Excuse me, what?"

The man runs his hands through his hair, leaning back to add more drama to their conversation.       

"The prince only reacted to your photo, Bachira Meguru, the rest of us went unnoticed before his eyes as if beauty had been invented when you were born, the participants have you in their sights, willing to make you fall at the slightest opportunity that comes their way" He explains, smiling at the defiant look that the brown hair boy dedicates to him "Do not let them take away that shine that characterizes you"

"I won't, Aryu, thank you"

The boy is surprised, but his expression is perfect again in an instant, as if he had never shown any other feelings.

"So, you know who I am, very interesting "

"I know who everyone is, but you stuck in my mind because being the son of fashion designers shows in your whole being, you are elegance personified." He praises him, Aryu thanks him by making an extravagant pose, demonstrating his particular personality.

The truth was, that Aryu was tall and thin, making his white suit with cream-colored details fit perfectly to his complexion, combining with his black straight hair that he had combed in a high ponytail and his dark eyes framed with eyeliner. His makeup was impeccable, perfectly painted black nails and white shoes that shine in the light, everything seemed to fit him better than any of the 46 boys who were in the room.

"I see that you have a good eye, that makes you even more glam than you already are, but, sorry to disappoint you, no more than me"

Bachira smiles at him, happy to finally meet someone interesting, although their conversation is not the most common in the world.

They both spend a few minutes talking about his new dyed hair, Aryu assuring him that he made the right decision by using a darker yellow than his eyes, because now the light reaches his face perfectly.

Moreover, his conversation got interrupted as soon as a nervous boy with green eyes and brown hair sits next to Meguru, trembling uncontrollably.

"He's going to eliminate me, he's going to eliminate me, he's going to eliminate me, he's going to eliminate me..." It is the only thing he repeats, his eyes full of fear and sweat falling down his forehead.

Bachira recognizes him as Aoshi Tokimitsu, a three.

"Hey are you okay?" He asks him trying to be nice, but the boy reacts startled.

"Are you going to make fun of me!? I knew I shouldn't let them cut my hair now it looks like I'm wearing a helmet! The prince is going to eliminate me as soon as he sees me!" He sobs at a loud volume, attracting the attention of many of the suitors around.

"Calm down, friend, you don't look bad at all" Bachira reassures him, seeing how the opposite is ruining his makeup for sweating so much.

"Now your eyebrows frame your face and your eyes look more expressive" Says Aryu, approaching to observe him better "Your hair looks shiny and well cared, plus the suit favors your great physical complexion and the green details match your eyes"

Tokimitsu sees them in disbelief, but at least he stops shaking.

"Besides, the prince isn’t going to eliminate you just because of your appearance, I assure you."

"Do you really think that? You're not lying so later you can stab me in the back, right?" He asks, his voice breaking.

Bachira gives him one of his gentlest looks to show him that he is serious.

"Calm down, we just want to help you have more style," says Aryu, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket so the nervous boy can wipe away the sweat. "Be careful not to ruin your makeup"

Between the two, they manage to make the brawny boy impeccable again, still looking distressed but no longer panicking and shouting his insecurities.

"I'm glad to see that not everyone is so intimidating" Stutters Tokimitsu relieved "On the plane I had to travel with a tanned blond who kept screaming and a boy with shark teeth who looked at me with his piercing eyes, I was so scared"

Meguru empathizes with him, although his trip was short, it had not been pleasant at all.

"On my flight was a red-haired boy with such elegant hair, but he didn't want to tell me what brand of shampoo he used, so I just admired his beautiful hair from a distance, a total shame" laments the black-haired man, extending his arms in uneasiness.

"Maybe he didn't want to share his secrets with you, Aryu"

"He missed the opportunity to hear my valuable hair care tips"

Bachira laughs at the absurdity of the situation, but a deep and emotionless voice silence him from the other side of the room.

"Keep quiet extras, some of us try to concentrate," says Itoshi Rin, who is alone, reading a book on the couch in front of them.

His green eyes with long eyelashes look beautiful with the light brown shadow they put on his eyelid, his black hair is perfectly combed upwards to give it a sober look, matching the white suit and black shoes that seem to have been invented only for Itoshi to wear.

It was an ethereal beauty, almost as if a god was looking at them. But his frown and scathing words diminished almost all the charm Rin had.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! Please forgive us!" Tokimitsu apologizes sobbing, returning to his anguished side.

Bachira is curious about Rin, remembering perfectly having read many articles about him, as he was one of the most prominent suitors of the selection.

Son of politicians, younger brother of the king's advisor, outstanding student with physical, artistic and academic abilities. It was even said that he knew the prince since childhood, having a small advantage from the beginning.

For most of the media, the best choice to be Prince Isagi's fiancé was him, the prodigious Itoshi Rin.

So, applying the proverb "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer" he gets up to sit next to his biggest competition, annoying the black-haired man.

"What you are doing here brat?" He asks him, making a superhuman effort not to send him straight to hell.

"I can sit anywhere and I want to sit next to you, Rin” he says, seeing how one of the veins on his face trembles "I am Bachira Meguru, the future king, a pleasure to meet you Rin-chan! "

Half the room is silent, stunned by the demonstration of confidence of the cheerful boy, who seems to care nothing.

Rin doesn’t look bewildered or threatened, he only observes him carefully, demonstrating tremendous repulsion for him.

"Too much confidence, lower-class NPC. It seems that you are wishing to destroy all your hopes and dreams” he tells him, making his monster excited, recognizing the tremendous challenge that he represents. "It sounds like a perfect job for me"

Bachira laughs in ecstasy, not even looking a bit worried.

"Come to me with everything you have, Itoshi Rin"

The two stare there, one with a joyful and bold look, the other ready to dismember someone. The cameras point at them, immortalizing the clash in a video that will surely be the main new of the report.

The other selected ones surround them, stunned, not expecting to see such a situation from day one. Some even look admired for the confidence shown by the two boys.

Rin seems to want to insult him again, but before the situation escalates, one of the guards approaches them and looks at them with a tremendous angry expression.

"No fights are allowed in the selection, don't they make it clear to you, losers?"  The man speaks, with a sharp tone.

"We're not fighting," Rin says, looking away, ignoring everyone again.

Bachira just nods, giving the muscular black-haired guard a look of innocence.

"Don't let me know that you became violent, I will send you back to your shitty reality” He growls, standing straight to look even more imposing "This goes for everyone, losers, you now have the best chance of your damn life, whoever wants to waste it can raise his hand and I'm sending you straight to hell with a VIP pass. I will not allow you to waste your majesty's precious time with your nonsense."

Many of the suitor’s tremble at the words of the guard, who looks fierce and ready to beat them up.

"Welcome to the fucking selection donkeys" He finishes, leaving the room, finally letting the selected one’s breath.

Bachira was shaken with delight, thankful to be able to live this experience that made his monster feel so at ease, surrounded by rivals and enemies everywhere.

The selection started now and Bachira Meguru was going to win it, he was sure of it.

Chapter Text

An hour later, the 47 suitors –with a new look– were moved to a large room that looked like a classroom, with several tables and chairs with their names on the back.

Each of them takes their places, until only one chair is empty, making Bachira realize that in reality, not all the selected ones were there, but that one person was missing, the only and incomparable Michael Kaiser.

"Do you think he will arrive?" the boy sitting next to him asks, after realizing that they are looking in the same direction.

Bachira identifies him as Chigiri Hyoma, a four and, in his opinion, the most beautiful suitor of the whole selection, which was a huge compliment considering that he had spent a whole week detailing the face of the 46 selected ones.

"I don't know, he could already be here, preparing his entrance to intimidate us"

Chigiri nods slightly.

"Yes, that would make sense" He agrees "But that will only work with those who believe everything the media says"

The brown hair boy knew what he meant, because after the announcement of the participants, suddenly millions of articles began to appear about Kaiser, which were only dedicated to extolling his virtues and practically declaring him the winner of the selection in advance.

"It's not our case then," he says, getting a small smile from the redhead.

"No, it's not"

His monster analyzes Chigiri, looking for a competitive spirit, his body looks thin, almost fragile, but in his pink eyes he can see fire, the kind of person who would risk everything to fulfill his goals.

He didn't know much about him, he was one of the most mysterious suitors, not even the media being able to find information. Even so, Bachira already liked him and Chigiri seemed not to be bothered by his presence. Thanks to this small interaction, one of the most lasting friendships of the selection was formed.

Also, it was clear that both were very good at guessing.

Because, soon, coordinated steps are heard in the corridor, causing the 46 boys to turn to the door, where several guards wearing German uniforms lead the way.

Behind them, Michael Kaiser, the prince of Germany, walks with ease, wearing a crimson red suit, a blue cape embroidered in gold and black boots with golden badges. Which made him stand out among the white suits that everyone else wore.

His servant, Alexis Ness, hides behind his prodigious figure, carrying a bouquet of blue-tinted roses that release their petals wherever they pass, smiling with his usual submissive expression.

"His Majesty, Michael Kaiser, Second Prince of Germany," one of the soldiers announces, bowing.

Bachira cannot contain a giggle, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the German, who looks at him calculatingly.

However, no one can do or say anything because a dismayed voice fills the air.

"For God's sake, Kaiser! I thought I told you I didn't want extravagant entries."

The Prince of Japan, Isagi Yoichi, enters the room, with the black-haired guard who had previously threatened them behind, generating an exclamation of collective admiration among all the suitors.

Bachira's heart races, aware that the prince is so close to him.

As soon as Isagi stands in front of Kaiser, looking at him with controlled frustration, the blond bows arrogantly.

"My dear Yoichi, I am glad to be able to meet you again," he greets him, with a proud tone. "All this time without seeing your beauty has been almost like torture for me"

Isagi wrinkles his nose, not even trying to hide his displeasure.                

"I also remember telling you that the dress code was white."

Ness comes forward, also revering him.

"I am very sorry for the confusion, your highness, but the letter arrived when Prince Kaiser's suit was already made, it would have been a waste not to use it, you understand, right?"

Isagi forces a smile on his face.

"It’s fine, Ness, but please, don't let it happen again" he tells them and everyone can tell that he's actually just dispatching them as quickly as possible. "You can take a seat."

Ness looks towards the place assigned to his prince, who is next to an unfortunate boy with blue hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry Prince Isagi, but Kaiser just doesn't sit in any chair" He speaks, clapping once for several guards to enter, carrying a golden throne with bluish cushions. "Luckily, we brought the royal throne"

Bachira inevitably laughs again, now also attracting the gaze of Prince Isagi.

"You have been laughing at his majesty since we arrived, would you like to share the reason?" Ness tells him, his brow frowning.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to bother your highness, please go on with your nonsense as if we weren't here."

Ness's is scandalized. Isagi loses the seriousness on his face, threatening to smile, even the prince's guard looks less serious, almost pleased.

On the other hand, Kaiser only ignores him, as if he were nothing more than an insect buzzing in his ear.

"How dare you talk like that to Prince Kaiser! Do you know this could land you in jail?!" The servant shouts, irritated.

Again, another voice emerges from the crowd, Itoshi Rin, who is tremendously bored, speaks to them with his icy countenance piercing them.

"We're not in Germany, aren't we? Here your insufferable prince is nothing more than a suitor, like all of us. So, sit down, you're just wasting my time."

Ness goes to protest again, but Kaiser grabs his head, squeezing his hair so he shut up, ripping out a plaintive whine.

"These gentlemen are absolutely right, Ness, now that we are in their country, it is important to abide by their rules" He expresses, with his slanted eyes analyzing them "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience Yoichi, we let you start now"

Then, Michael Kaiser goes to his newly installed throne, pulling Ness by the ear, who bows his head like a scolded dog.

As soon as both sit down, the prince sighs, looking up at his guard who gives him a supportive look.

"Well, first of all, good afternoon, everyone. I am Prince Isagi Yoichi, next king of Japan" He introduces himself, as if none of the presents knew who he was. "After so long, I am glad to finally be able to welcome the 47 suitors of the selection"

People begin to applaud, Bachira follows them with happiness, unable to take his eyes off the black hair boy.

"As you may know, I have arranged this selection to find my future fiancé, the next king consort who will accompany me during my reign and whom I will have the honor of calling my husband. Although you are many, with different personalities and contexts that have shaped you, I can assure you that you all have something special that is worth admiring, and I want to know you thoroughly" he says, pointing to a door behind him. "That's why I'll be calling you one by one into this room to ask you some questions. Thank you so much for your cooperation, I hope this selection will be pleasant for all of you"

Everyone nods excitedly, seeing that they will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the prince in private.

"Ok losers, we’ll start randomly, get ready," the guard tells them, letting Isagi say goodbye with a smile and go into the other room. "The first lucky person is Kunigami Rensuke, you can enter"

From the top, a boy with orange hair, tall and very muscular descends at a determined pace, his face is kind and serene, but Bachira can feel a great force emanating from him, he is a six, which would explain that he knows how to cope with anything that is put in front of him.

Not even 5 minutes pass, when the boy comes out again, looking as if he has just met God.

Instantly, many boys approach him to ask how his interview went.

Honestly, Bachira isn’t in the least interested in what others have talked to the prince, he wants to know Isagi for himself, to obtain his affection on his own merit.

Listening to how he relates to other suitors will only make him more nervous, so he decides to lie on the table, ready to wait his turn.

He doesn’t fall asleep, but closes his eyes to rest them, because not even the sleeping pills had been able to help him rest last night and he wants to have a clear mind for when he appears before the prince.

So, time goes by, with the selected ones entering, leaving and being questioned instantly, but none with anything interesting to tell.

As soon as they are about halfway through, Bachira, who is daydreaming, overhears a conversation unfolding near him.

"Look at him, how can he sleep so peacefully?" says Igarashi says, who so far realizes, is sitting behind him "That Bachira is a weirdo, he was on my flight and he spent his time talking with himself, with a disturbed face"

"Well, I don't think those here are very normal either" Another voice speaks, which is unknown to him. “You saw how Itoshi Rin threatened him in the "Hall’s Men”

Igarashi snorts insolently.

"Being in the sights of such a strong enemy will only make him lose faster, he may be pretty but I’m sure he doesn’t have any other quality that makes him standout"

"Do you think it's baseless trust?"  The other asks, but since he doesn’t hear an answer, he assumes that Igarashi nods his head.

"But seriously I'm telling you, that guy got a screw loose, I doubt that he is going to last long in the selection," he declares with a high tone.

A pant echoes in the air.

"Lower your voice, you have him in front of you" the stranger whispers, but Bachira has always had a good ear, even if they speak quietly, he will hear them.

"No need, bro, that lunatic must be completely asleep” Igarashi replies "I am sure that the prince will reject him as soon as he knows him"

Bachira feels that he has had enough, so he raises his head, turning to look at the shaved man with a sleepy face. The two suitors jump from surprise.

"Good morning, how many more are left?" He interrogates, ignoring his previous conversation.

"Umm, I-I think it's been about 20" Responds the boy who was talking to Igarashi, Bachira doesn’t even bother to remember his name.

After turning around, the last thing he can hear is a "I told you to be quiet" that makes him smile bitterly.

He didn’t really care what they thought of him, Isagi’s opinion was the only one he wanted to be positive, even if he had everyone else against him.

And his monster kept telling him that the prince would love him, so he isn’t going to start worrying about what others say behind his back. Not anymore.

"Are you okay?" Chigiri asks.

Bachira hates being pitied, but the redhead doesn't seem to be worried about him, he's just trying to be nice.

"Yeah, I'm used to it"

"No one should get used to that," he says and seems to be remembering something, perhaps an experience of his own.

Meguru puts a hand on his shoulder, encouraged.

"It takes much more than that to get me out of the competition, I don't plan to give up just because of the meaningless assumptions of two envious persons"

Chigiri looks at him out of the corner of his eye, but reciprocates his smile.

"If you say so"

The two continue talking until the guard calls the redhead, who says goodbye with a gesture. As soon as he returns, he is surrounded by several people interested in his conversation with the prince, so he cannot speak to him instantly.

After another 15 minutes, finally, the guard calls him, giving him a warning look, recalling his altercation with Rin.

"Bachira Meguru, your turn"

Meguru jumps up, his heart pounding, almost sticking out of his chest.

As he comes down, he trembles with ecstasy, knowing that as soon as he crosses that door, he will be able to meet the one he considers the love of his life.

His hands tremble as he takes the knob, turning the door at slow speed to enter.

The light from the window on the other side blinds him, his eyes gradually getting used to the change of lighting until he sees the black-haired man of his dreams, sitting in the armchair with his arms on his knees and a smile from ear to ear.

The navy-blue suit suits him wonderfully, his eyes look at him with a small glow, plunging him into a deep ocean and making his limbs numb.  Everything about him is perfect, better than he could ever imagine.

"Hello" he greets him warmly, making his cheeks flush "Please take a seat"

Still stunned, Bachira approaches, seeing that up close he is even more handsome.

"Hello," he replies, trying to calm down.

"I'm glad I can finally meet you in person," he says, leaning over his knees "Did you have a nice trip?"

"No, but it was completely worth it"

Isagi laughs a little embarrassed.

"Really?"

"Of course, I could finally meet you, all my dreams have just been fulfilled" Bachira returns to his senses, recovering his joyful aura. "You are even prettier than on TV"

The black-haired man blushes, covering his face with his hands.

"You have a lot of confidence in yourself," he says, as an observation rather than a complaint.  "Do you say that to every cute person you meet?"

"Just to you, Prince Isagi” he says, with a seriousness that contrasts completely with his personality, “I have always believed that when I spoke to you for the first time, everything would be perfect."

Isagi watches him, his yellow eyes seem to hide a lot of things, but he doesn't sound dishonest, not even like a bad person. He was simply very different from the other suitors who had already talk to him, bragging excessively about his virtues, trying to impress him.

"And it is? Am I how you imagined? "

Bachira smiles before answering.

"No, you’re much better, I’m glad I was chosen for the selection, because I got to meet you" He confesses with confidence " Just to think that you are allowing me to fight for your heart, is the greatest honor I have ever been bestowed. I used to watch you on TV whenever I could, thinking that you were amazing, that I could never be at your level, nor did I deserve you." He continues, his pupils widening with joy "But I promise you that I will evolve, I will reach the best version of myself to be worthy of you."

Isagi is dumbfounded, never thinking that someone would say something like this. Bachira is the first person that has recognized him, beyond his crown, his position, his role. This guy loves him, he's not behind what he stands for.

"Even if I were a twelve, buried in the misery of life? Would you fight for me even then?"

The boy looks at him determinedly, and all sounds so real that Isagi doesn’t doubt his intentions.

"Let me be clear with you, your highness, I am in love with your personality, your conviction, your ego. That you are the prince of Japan is indifferent to me," he says, reaching for one of his hands to kiss his fingertips, an unexpected and intimate action. "And, well, it's an inconvenience that there are 46 other guys behind you, but I plan to show you why you should choose me over them."

Isagi is moved, looking towards the brown-haired boy, which looks so convinced of his words. It had been a long time since he had heard so much affection directed at him.

"Then, Bachira Meguru, I'll be waiting for you” He accepts, approaching to take the daffodil from his vest and put it next to his heart "I will keep this until you can fulfill your promise. “

"Of course, your highness," he says, almost jumping in excitement.

"You can call me Isagi" he lets him, hearing an exclamation of happiness from the boy.

Bachira gets up, bowing awkwardly and making the prince laugh.

"Thank you, Isagi" Bachira is exploding with happiness, walking to the door and accidentally hitting his forehead with the frame, which he ignores due to adrenaline.

Isagi sees him go, eager to see how the beautiful brown-haired boy develops in his selection, also happy to have been able to meet him.

In his notebook, a small circle is written next to Meguru's name, sticking the flower between the pages as a bookmark. As soon as he finishes, he calls his guard, raising his voice to be heard.

"Let the next one in, Barou"

Meguru on his way out, is assaulted by several boys, who throw anxious questions at him.

"What did he ask you?"

"Did he like you?"

"Is he going to eliminate you?!"

Bachira ignores them, too groggy to think on coherent answers, but his smile says more than a thousand words, because the suitors turn to start whispering behind his back.

As soon as he arrives at his place, Chigiri give him a high-five.

"You did well, didn't you?"

"He asked me to call him by his name."

The redhead gives him an incredulous look and some of the nearby selected ones emit annoying exclamations, jealous that only he could have spoken informally with the prince.

"Then I'll have to work harder to earn that right too" is Chigiri's response, demonstrating maturity and at the same time, being competitive.

Bachira approaches him, feeling the looks of the suitors on his back.

"How did it go for you?"

"Well, the prince is nice and polite, but I have always had the impression that he is usually tense, as if he doesn’t want to let out his emotions and think too much about everything he says, you saw how he was on the day of the report” Bachira nods, happy to see how someone else has noticed "He asked me several things about me, apparently, they couldn't find much information and he was curious. I just answered him with the truth and he seemed to be satisfied," he explains, pulling his hair behind his ear.

"Seriously, I would say that you are the most mysterious person in this place, at home, I read everything that came out about the selection, but I never read anything about you that was not about how beautiful you are"

Chigiri is shocked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, my past is not the most impressive thing either, there is not much record because all my education was at home, I have always been quite sickly and when I was younger, sometimes I couldn’t get out of bed, so I had caregivers all the time. But my parents are doctors and they helped me get better. Right now, it's almost like I never get sick” He tells him, making Bachira amazed "And well, I came to the selection because I wanted to change of scenery, being locked up all the time bores me completely. Also, the prince is very attractive, I think knowing him better, I could fall in love with him."

Meguru looks at his red cheeks, suddenly feeling a twinge of jealousy, but forces himself to forget it, realizing that he will have to listen to comments like that throughout his stay in the palace.

"Then I am going to give you a fight! I will make the prince choose me!"  He challenges him, but since there is no malice in his voice, Chigiri takes it well.

"Let's find out then, I'm not going to lose, Bachira"

Both close their pact with a handshake, continuing the conversation about their lives before the selection, both interested in the opposite.

Meguru tells him about his mother, his work and his skills with music, the redhead looks very interested in his life as a five, because the boy is a three by birth and didn’t know much about the outside world apart from what he read in the books.

The talk is very pleasant and last, until the last suitor of the selection is called.

"Kira Ryosuke, your turn"

The mention of that name makes Bachira turn his head abruptly, capturing the white-haired man, who is going down the stairs at a slow pace. His gaze gives him a very bad vibe, obscured by a repressed and noxious hatred that makes all his senses soar.

His hands are tucked into the pockets of his coat, giving the impression of holding something inside. He can't be sure, but he thinks he see a bright object sticking out

"Something is wrong," he whispers, attracting the redhead's attention.

" What happened?"

"That boy, he traveled with me, my intuition tells me to be careful with him, but not because he is a threat to me, but to the prince," he explains, Chigiri seems not entirely convinced.

"Why do you think he would hurt his highness? I mean, in the end we're all here to gain his favor."

Bachira doesn't know how to explain it, but his monster was almost begging him to do something about it.  Almost 10 minutes pass and Kira shows no sign of coming out.

Suddenly, he realizes.

Bachira rises abruptly, his eyes alarmed and with an uncomfortable body language. There was nothing in Kira's past that made him suspicious of him, at least that it had come to light, but the way he expressed himself about Isagi on the plane and his obviously feigned personality makes him run to the black-haired guard, desperate for him to back him up.

"Hey, the guy who came in has been inside for a long time, hasn't he?" He tells him hastily, receiving a frown.

"You've already had your turn, let others have their moment, selfish bastard" He insults him, not taking him seriously.

"It's not that, Kira is dangerous, I'm sure," he insists, causing the guard to take his arm as a warning sign.

"Calm down, before I get rough with you" Bachira ignores him, pulling to let go and run to the door. "Hey! Idiot! You cannot go in there”

Meguru pushes the door hard, forcing his entrance, encountering a scene that would remain engraved in his memory until the end of time.

Kira, holding Isagi from behind, with a silver dagger placed on his neck, in a threatening gesture, the prince with his mouth covered to prevent him from screaming and a thread of blood falling from his cheek, his eyes burning as he struggles to free himself, but it is obvious that the opponent is physically stronger than him, because he doesn’t manage to displace him at all.

Bachira doesn’t even finish processing the scene, he is already pounced on Kira, giving him a direct punch to the arm with the knife to make him release it, falling next to him to the ground.

"What the fuck!?" Kira screams, trying to free himself from his grip.

Meguru hit him several times in the face, furious.

"Screw you! Why were you threatening the prince!?" He protests, with his face full of rage.

Behind him several guards enter, attracted by the uproar, who seeing the knife and the two boys fighting, misunderstand the situation a little.

"Get away from that suitor!" They order him, ramming him and throwing him to the ground, letting the white-haired man get up and start fleeing towards the door.

Bachira, seeing that he has fallen right next to the dagger, takes it with a firm grip.

"Isagi!" He calls him, seeing how the prince is just getting to his feet with the help of the black-haired guard.

As soon as Isagi's eyes fall on him, Meguru throws the knife at him so that it is easy to catch, silently telling him "You know what to do." He can't do much more, because two guards grab him by the arms and pinpoint him to the ground, giving him some blows that are sure to leave him bruised.

The prince holds the knife, seeing how Kira is in his throwing range and understanding what it is exactly what Bachira wants him to do.

With a dexterity that only someone who trains 24/7 has, Isagi points towards the leg of the white-haired, throwing the dagger with the tips of his fingers, getting it to fit into the boy's thigh and throwing him to the ground in pain.

The other suitors scream in horror, watching Kira writhe under a pool of blood.  Some run out of the room, others begin to cry at the impression, the rarest smile at the image in front of them and others -Rin- simply ignore the situation, disinterested.  

"Barou, go get him! Hurry!" He commands, taking the black-haired man out of his trance, that he approaches the wounded man and holds him, preventing him from escaping.

"Shit!" Kira curses, tearing up from the knife pierced in his leg. "Bachira Meguru! You asshole!"

But he cannot say anything more because Barou gives him tremendous blow between eyebrow and eyebrow, that the boy falls unconscious between his arms, like a rag doll.

"Does anyone know how to cure these bullshits?"  The guard asks, not wanting him to die from the bleeding.

Chigiri quickly approaches, instructing others to bring him everything necessary to make a tourniquet on Kira's leg.

Bachira sigh with relief, he has managed to arrive on time. Then he starts raising his head with great effort because of the pressure exerted on him, his eyes meeting Isagi's and, even beaten and sore, he can't help but think that it is the happiest day of his life.

"Let him go please, this boy just saved my life," says the prince bending down to remove the guards from his back, confusing them.

Meguru kneels once he can, looking face to face with his beloved prince.

"Are you okay?" He tells him as he notices the cut on his cheek.

Isagi touches his face, only then realizing that he is injured.

"Do you care about me even though they've been so rough with you?" He whispers, cradling his face delicately, rubbing his bruises.

"The important thing is you, Isagi"

"I'm fine, he didn't hurt me," he says, hugging him by the shoulders "Thank you for coming"

Bachira reciprocates the embrace, sore, inhaling the smell of vanilla from the prince's body. That has become his favorite smell from now on.

"I told you I would make you choose me, didn't I?"

"And for now, you're on the right track" Isagi walks away from him, taking his hand as a replacement "How did you know I was in danger?"

Bachira hesitates for a second, not knowing whether to tell him or not. This was the moment of truth, to check if everything his monster had told him all his life was accurate or if it had just been one of his delusions.

The boy takes a deep breath before responding.

"I have a monster inside me" He says, confident so he doesn’t think he is joking “And he told me Kira wasn't trustworthy, let's say it's like an instinct. As soon as I met him on the flight, his aura screamed resentment and after asking him about you, he grimaced with terrible hatred, so I realized that his intentions were not to win your heart, but something else. In the end I verify it because I managed to see the dagger in his pocket before he went in."

The prince is silent, perhaps processing everything he had just told him.

"I think you are nuts, Bachira” He says with laughter "But it doesn't matter, that's how I like you"

Isagi leaves a delicate kiss on his cheek, as a thanks for saving him and Meguru's heart flutters inside his chest, sending blood to his face and making him look like a tomato.

"I guess I understand how you deduced that Kira would try to hurt me, but why did you throw the knife at me? My guard was standing right next to me, he could have caught him in the blink of an eye."

"Well, when I entered the room and saw you, trapped by your captor, your eyes showed so much desire to do something against Kira that I wanted to help you" He replies, rising from the ground, not letting go Isagi's hand. "I'm sure your guard would have done a good job, but your ego wouldn't have been satisfied with that, would you?"

The black-haired man bites his lip, suppressing his true response.

"I could have easily missed that shot" he replies but Bachira doesn’t look convinced.

"But you didn't, I trusted you and we won, that's what's really important."

Isagi is almost going to start crying, squeezing the soft hand of the suitor, which is bigger than his own, but several guards approach them, including Barou, dragging the unconscious Kira on the floor.

"What do you want us to do with him your highness?" A blue-haired guard asks him.

"Well, first take him to the infirmary, but keep an eye on him, as soon as he wakes up, I'll have a long talk with him," he says, having four guards carry the white-haired man and take him out of the room. "Also, I need someone else to take care of taking the suitors to their respective rooms, later I will go on to explain what happened, but please tell them that I am fine and they don’t need to worry." He orders to Barou, who begins to distribute instructions among those present.

Bachira thinks about leaving, knowing that it is none of his business what the prince does from now on, but Isagi doesn’t let him go.

"You need to go to heal those wounds, as soon as he finishes organizing everything, I will tell Barou so he takes you to infirmary, meanwhile you can wait here"

"You should let them heal you too," he tells him, wiping away the blood still on his cheek with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Don't worry, I'll go in a moment, now I must go and communicate the royal council about this," he explains, pouting a little for having to let go, already accustomed to the warmth of his touch. "I guess you'd like to know why he was threatening me?"

Bachira shakes his head quickly.

"If you can't tell me I understand, with knowing that you will be alright I am satisfied,"

"You deserve to know the truth Bachira, after you saved me, I know I can trust you" Isagi looks a little embarrassed, playing with his hair to release his tension, Bachira can't believe he's seeing this facet of the prince "Would you like to have a date with me? The castle gardens are very nice and there will be enough privacy for us to talk."

The smile on Meguru's face widens, making the prince think he looks even prettier.

"Of course, I want to! Tomorrow?" He exclaims happily, Isagi nods his head.

"I'll pick you up after lunch"

The two look each other in the eye a few seconds before it's time to say goodbye.

"See you tomorrow Bachira" Isagi begins, placing his hand on Meguru’s hair to accommodate it a little "I hope you sleep well"

"See you tomorrow Isagi, and thank you"

And Bachira feels blessed to be able to say those words, because now he will be able to make the prince fall in love with him a little more every day.

 ...

Bachira doesn't even take off his clothes when he enters his room, collapsing into bed, completely exhausted.  His maids wanted to help him, but he kindly dispatches them, telling them that he can undress, remove makeup, and go to sleep on his own.

They look a little disappointed, but they listen to him, leaving after wishing him a good night.

It had been a busy day, He has just been discharged from the infirmary, giving him an ointment to take care of his bruises and some pain pills. Bachira didn't feel bad at all, having received worse beatings in his life.

What he was sure was that he was very tired, his body numb from all the effort and his mind drained by all the surprises and emotions that the selection was making him feel.

Even so, he knows that he cannot fall asleep dirty and with makeup, much less now that he got a date with the love of his life.

So, he gets up and gets into the bathroom in his room.

Once there, he washes his face, being careful not to leave traces of makeup, takes off the suit, folds it and then store it in the closet, taking a look at the enormous amount of clothes, enough to wear them for a full month.

When he is completely naked, he prepares the bath, immersing himself in hot water with bubbles to de-stress his muscles. While cleaning himself, he hums songs that come to mind, wishing he could play an instrument soon, missing them.

When he finishes, he dries with a towel and dresses in clean underwear and sleeping pants that he finds in one of the drawers, which feels soft on his skin.

Finally, he settles between the silk sheets, closing his eyes to try to sleep, but the adrenaline is so much that it is hard.

He still can't believe that he just met the prince, that they looked into each other's eyes and he smiled at him after saving his life. Everything is like a magnificent dream, from which he would never want to wake up.

Isagi was beautiful, his black hair looking so soft, his blue irises deep and enigmatic and his beautiful pink lips.

Now his memories are more vivid for having seen them up close, being able to breathe the aroma that his white skin gave off. Bachira feels so lucky, so drunk with the prince that he can't think of anything else.

His dick becomes erect at his fantasies, embarrassing him a little for how easy it is to turn him on he thought of the prince.

It was not the first time he had such a problem, but he always refused to act accordingly, too aware that he doesn’t deserve to masturbate at the expense of another person without their consent.

But now he can't help it, his hormones soaring at the reality that Isagi knows his name, his face and has invited him to spend the day with him, on a date.

"Ah-" he groans when his fingers brush against the bulge that is forming inside his pants, imagining that it isn’t his hand that touches him, but rather the thin, straight fingers of Isagi's hand.

His mind has so many images of the prince, that it is not difficult to visualize him there with him, sitting on his mattress with his head resting on his shoulder, running through his body with his free hand and kissing him on the cheek tenderly, recreating the sensation of the kiss he had given him to thank him for saving him.

"Ah- Isagi..." He whispers while touching his neck, convincing himself that the black-haired man would kiss him in every corner of his face, with an affection that makes him delirious.

His other hand sneaks into his pants, surprised by the wetness that his cock shows despite not having been stimulating it, and caresses the tip, feeling the sensitivity of his dick.

The Isagi of his fantasy begins to tell him pleasant words, pointing out that his cock is extraordinary and that he wishes to make him ejaculate until his dick burns from all the friction and is covered with semen.

Bachira loves to be praised, that makes him feel butterflies in his stomach and smile proudly, but if the prince ever says something like that, he can probably pass away at that moment with happiness.

His hand begins to move up and down, tightening his grip to increase the pleasure, but keeping the movements quite tempting, withdrawing his hand from time to time to lick it and cover his base with saliva.   

Isagi probably would want to play with him, doing the masturbation slow and torturous until he begs for more, delighting with his moans and, oh shit, he can feel his dick throbbing just for thinking about it.

He would let him do whatever he want, grateful to be able to see him lying on the bed with his head on his lap and his hand on his cock.

And although he wanted him to continue touching him until he spilled all his seed on his face, the prince would leave him halfway each time, removing his hand when he felt he was going to cum, laughing playful as soon as he hears him complain.

Bachira turns around, leaning his head against the pillow to drown out his whimpers every time he nears climax, not wanting anyone to hear him sobbing the prince's name as if he was his

 "Isagi~ Isagi~ Isagi~"

Everything feels so real, tearing up from how difficult it is to control his ejaculation, delaying it as much as possible until he feels like his cock is going to explode at any moment.

Then the prince finally is merciful and let him cum, sticking out his pink tongue to receive all his semen, accepting that much of it falls on his cheeks and forehead, filling his face with the whitish liquid.

Bachira breathes agitated, his eyes clouded by the pleasure of his release.

But Isagi is not done with him, looking at him with a needy face as he undresses, showing him his cute nipples, his abdomen and his erect dick, which, Meguru likes to imagine, is bigger than his.

Even if he already cum once, he still wants more, placing one of the pillows on his cock, creating a soft, warm cavity that makes his dick stand up again proudly.

Isagi then lets him enter into his hole, moaning at the intrusion and stroking his cheeks lovingly, asking him to fuck him until only the two of them exist in his mind.

Then, Bachira moves against the pillow, wishing to evoke the feeling that his mind is proposing, and although he knows that it is obviously not the same, his fantasy makes him think that yes, he is really enjoying fucking the prince until he is senseless.

His name sounds so beautiful with the black-haired voice, he can’t think on anything but the one who is causing him so much pleasure, ramming his sweet spot and banging his balls against his butt, generating an obscene sound.

"Mmm- Isagi...  uck-" He drowns against the bedside, biting his tongue to not moan loudly. Pain adding satisfaction to his masturbation.

His brown hair sticks to his neck from sweat, his pants on his ankles preventing him from opening his legs well and his hands supporting him, at any time letting him fall, everything combines to create a fantastic erotic image.

Bachira is beautiful, even in the state of madness in which he finds himself.

Finally, the prince of his fantasy approaches him to kiss him, sticking his tongue deep down his throat and licking his lower lip, saliva dripping down his chin.  All his wishes being fulfilled and accompanying him until his second orgasm.

Which is released into the cavity of Isagi, who cum at the same time while shouting his name, saying that he only belongs to him for all eternity.

Everything is perfect while his ecstasy lasts, gasping to catch his breath. He wishes it were real, his whole life from now on will revolve around making it happen.

However, as soon as the image of the prince disappears from his mind and he feels the sticky pillow against his dick, his stomach becomes empty, guilt and shame reaching him, making him regret almost instantly.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry" He apologizes even though no one can hear it, disappointed in himself.

The boy sits there, staring into nothingness with tears falling, making no effort to wipe them away.

In the end, Bachira is able to sleep, after cleaning and fixing the bed, but turbulent dreams accompany him all night, disgusted at having succumbed to his desires.

What good had the promise he had made him to improve, if he had just been so weak? Was he really worthy of his love? After what he had done at his expense?

Bachira would carry that uncertainty for a long time, not showing it, but thinking of it at nightfall, in the solitude of his room.

What Meguru didn’t know, is that the prince was doing exactly what he had just imagined, with someone other than him.

Chapter Text

Kira had woken up.

Isagi had just left the emergency meeting with the council and a guard was already escorting him to the infirmary, also going with him, one of the counselors, Buratsuda, who was tasked with recording the prince's conversation with his attacker for further investigation.

Interrogate Kira was very important to find out who wanted to kill him, so the council had shown great interest in the white-haired boy. Obviously, because it wasn’t convenient for them that the goose that lays their golden eggs was killed.

Isagi walked with a gloomy countenance, despite the composure he had maintained throughout the day, the truth is that inside he was burning with anger, remembering Kira's words as the suitor threatened him with the dagger.

"What did you do to my father, jerk?" He had asked, his voice mixed with indescribable hatred.

At that moment, with his mouth covered and his mind clouded, Isagi hadn’t understood what he meant, but now, after analyzing everything coldly, he realized.

Kira Ryota, the man who had tried to murder him just a week ago, was the suitor's father.

They had been foolish for not reviewing the suitors' past, for trusting that everyone wanted to curry favor with him and wouldn’t think of harming him.

If Bachira hadn’t intervened, the situation could have escalated into a tragedy for the kingdom of Japan. And he, like the prince, couldn’t afford to leave his country to its fate.

So, when he enters, finding the white-haired man gagged, tied to the stretcher, his leg bandaged and his eyes red from the rage accumulated inside, all his frustration, audacity and security were shown in his face, making those present feel a chill run down his spine.

"Everyone, except Barou and Mr. Buratsuda, leave the room" He orders in a cold tone, not even 1 minute passed for all the guards and doctors to leave.

Kira swallows, but holds his gaze, defiantly. As soon as the gag is removed, a growl echoes in the infirmary.

"I'm not afraid of you"

The prince laughs sarcastically, making his hair stand on end.

"What's wrong? Now that you don't have a knife you don't feel so confident, right?"

"Untie me and you’ll see what I'm capable of, you son of a bitch! If Bachira's hadn't gotten involved, you'd be dead!" He screams, getting Isagi to beckon his guard to force him to lower his head.

Once the boy is subdued, Isagi approaches, kneeling to be face to face.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Right now, you are losing, Kira Ryosuke, if I snap my fingers, in an instant, Barou would crack your neck and you wouldn’t witness the light of day again. Is that what you want?” Isagi threatens him, running one of his fingers around the boy's neck, only rubbing his skin.

"I don't care what you say asshole, I will avenge my father even if it's the last thing I do!"  He declares with courage, struggling to free himself, but not being able to move Barou’s strong body.

"So, Kira Ryota's son has guts, do you also have better aim than him?" He points mockingly, reminding the inept murderer "Your father is buried two meters below the ground, in a place where he will never be found, his body will decompose until only his bones are left and his soul will rot in hell. Are you really going to avenge a prick who abandoned his family for killing his lover and stealing her jewelry?”

Isagi had researched everything about Ryota, so he knew his crimes, his submissive behavior once he was in prison, how his parole had been approved and why he had started working as a hitman, but he regretted not having put more effort to find out if he had a family, he could have been spared having to do all this.

"What do you know about him?! He loved us, your outdated caste system forced him to do all that," he accuses, pointing his finger at the prince.

"Don't blame us for the crimes of an idiot like him, if he had stolen to support his family I would understand, but your father spent everything on the casino, I bet you didn't even see that money, or am I wrong?"

Kira blushes, but his resolve doesn't waver.

"That my father went to jail ruined us, after that I had to work to support my family. I would have brought everyone forward, but since my father became a twelve, all that bad reputation fell on us. They didn't give me work anywhere, they denied us my sister's health insurance and my mother had to take a job where she was mistreated to try to get some money, you don't know what we've been through," he complains, shedding a few tears of resentment.

"You're right, I don't know anything, but then, why are we having this conversation? If you had stayed in the selection, you would have received the reward money, if you had convinced me to choose you, you would be king and your family would never go through difficulties again. Even so, you wanted to find out what happened to your father by force, and then tried to kill me. You were stupid and reckless, all for a man who wasn't even worth it. Do you think your mother would be happy to see what her son became?"

Kira spits in his face in response, Barou punches him in the stomach, taking the air out of him. Isagi wipes the saliva with the sleeve of his shirt, not looking out of place at all.

"I would never participate in this shitty system! All the royalty is rotten and doesn’t deserve the people support when we are starving! you disgust me, prince Isagi, I wish I had cut your throat when I had the chance." Kira says with grudge, the prince laughs in his face.

"You are so stupid, instead of taking advantage of the system you went against it, which led to your ruin" Isagi answer, giving an applause to emphasize his point "Congratulations then, Kira Ryosuke, welcome to the country in which we were born, or do you really think that I don’t hate castes as much as you?"

Kira snorts with contempt.

"You could change that whole system! But you are a weak prince who doesn’t take the initiative! If you wanted to eliminate all the suffering that those of the lower castes go through, you would have done it by now," he protested in desperation.

"I remind you that, to begin with, I am not even the king, second, the elimination of castes would take years, it would be tedious and difficult, besides it doesn’t guarantee anything, because the poor population would continue to exist, even without labels. All these idiots talk like they can lead the country to glory, but they don't even know what they'll do once they have power."

Buratsuda is surprised to see that the prince is staring at him, but it is only for a few seconds, so he decides to let it go.

"Even so, I would never have participated in the selection, I hate you with all my soul Isagi, I would never have been able to love you"

Isagi pretend to be sad, pouting and resting his head between the sheets.

"See how your hatred hurts me?" He gasps, putting his hand on his heart "But take my advice, you should consider my threats instead of worrying about how much you hate me, because guess who we found!"

A photo is placed in front of Kira, in it, two women are sitting on a park bench, smiling at the camera. The eldest, with black hair and brown eyes, wears clay-stained overalls, probably because of her work as a sculptor. The girl looks about 7 years old, has white hair and blue eyes, but looks very thin and weak, with dark circles and many bruises.

As soon as he sees them, the albino’s face darkens.

"How did you find them?"

"It was not difficult, with just a quick search we were able to know their address and place of work, we even found the hospital where they give your sister the treatments. It's scary how easy it is to find that information" Isagi stands crossing his arms "What I want you to understand, Kira, is that I am the prince of Japan, with just one call I can make them kidnap your family and disappear them without leaving the slightest trace or kill them with a bullet, as we did with your father"

"You-You wouldn't dare" He suddenly stutters nervous. "Everyone finds out and hate you for it."

"No one found out about your father, mostly because it would hurt us if panic spread in the nation, otherwise we would have hung his disgusting head on the fence so that everyone who passed by would see it” He says, Kira's eyes open in fear "Now because of you, we will have to work to explain why a suitor tried to cut my throat"

Isagi continues, not letting Kira say anything else.

"However, I will not deny that you could be of help, if you deigned to speak. They will appreciate your cooperation, Ryosuke."

"Don't pronounce my name with that filthy mouth!"  He is interrupted by Kira, who earns a punch in the jaw.

"Shut the fuck up and listen to the prince,” Barou rebukes, putting his hands on Kira's injured leg, as a warning.

"It's very simple Kira, you open your cute little mouth and your mother and sister live, you will not run with the same luck, but I can assure you that they will be safe, like twelves, but safe" He explains, circling the room "I just need you to tell me who hired your father to kill me, how they looked, where they contacted him, the instructions they gave, any information you have may be useful"

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you, bastard, I hope they succeed in killing you!”

The prince rolls his eyes, sighing.

"Wrong answer Kira" he says, nodding towards Barou, without remorse.

The guard doesn't think twice, holding Kira's right thigh firmly, sticking his fingers between the bandages to find the wound, making it bleed.

The albino's cry is heartbreaking, frightening the counselor, who can't believe his eyes.

"What? Is this the first time you've seen someone being tortured?"  Isagi asks in surprise "This is nothing, you should have seen the case of Maki Hitomi, that time we surpassed ourselves"

Buratsuda refuses to open his mouth, disturbed.

"Anyway, this is the lightest thing we will do with you Kira, you can shout, beg or pray to any God you believe in, no one is going to come and save you or your family. If you want to avoid it, I recommend that you stop playing dumb with me"

"... Fuck you, Prince Isagi" Kira sobs, gnashing his teeth so he won't scream again.

Barou holds his leg again, but now makes his way to his knee, twisting his limb until a snap is heard, indicating that he has just broken a bone.

Barou and Isagi are unfazed by all the violence, accustomed, but the counselor seems to be about to faint, staggering in place. Kira squirms in pain, but remains silent. Isagi is impressed by his conviction, anyone would have already begged for them to stop.

"You are stronger than you seem, I admit, but right now your strength will not save you, be smart, it will not do you any good to let yourself be hurt"

The albino seems determined to keep his mouth shut, but Isagi knows his kind, as soon as the pain is more than they can bear they will speak. Everyone has a limit.

And Kira's wasn't hard to find.

After about 15 minutes receiving blows, insults and with all the fingers of the hand slowly breaking, finally, his conviction is broken, when he sees that the black-haired guard approaches his arm, holding a scalpel.

"No! Please stop" he whimpers with his brown eyes filled with tears.

"Are you going to tell me everything?"

"I'll tell you what I know! Tell him to stop!"

Isagi gives the order, causing the black-haired to retreat. The prince brings his face to the white hair man, seeing through his eyes so that he doesn’t lie to him.

"So, speak"

Kira takes a hard breath, but begins to tell him.

"It was a woman, I don't know her name and I didn't see her face because she was hooded, she came home one day asking for dad and I just told her where she could find him, this was something common so I didn't saw it weird" He explains, Isagi has trouble understanding him because of his broken voice but lets him continue "My father came back home until the evening, saying that he had been offered a large amount of money for a job in the palace, my mother was excited, but I knew the truth was nature of that work. As soon as everyone went to sleep, he explained to me that he had been paid to kill the crown prince and that if he didn’t return, I would be in charge of avenging his death."

The black-haired man squeezes his cheeks, taking out a moan of pain from the bruise on his chin.

"What complexion did the woman have?"

"She was thin and small, maybe 5 feet tall, even though she wore the tunic you could tell she was voluptuous and had snow-white skin," he says, being freed by Isagi.

"That's all you know?" He asks to confirm.

"I swear! Please don't hurt me anymore," he begs, tearing up.

Isagi smiles at him.

"Sure, now it's your mother's and sister’s turn," he says, causing Kira's face to contort into a grimace of complete fear. "Take him out of my sight Barou, lock him in the dungeon until he is transferred to prison."

The guard obeys him, carrying him like a sack, even though Kira is beating him mercilessly.

"Don't! No! You said you wouldn't hurt them! Isagi! ISAGI!" It is heard, but the sound fades as the two walk away down the hall.

The prince leaves the room, calm. The counselor goes after him, his face contorted into an expression of horror.

"Are you really going to kill those poor women?" He asks and Isagi laughs.

"Of course not, what kind of prince would I be?" Answer with amusement "But in these cases it is better to take away all hope, so they don’t plan to escape or do anything stupid, as soon as I tell him that his family is still alive, he will be eager to tell us everything he knows to protect them"

Buratsuda breathes a sigh of relief.

"Do you think he didn't tell you everything?"

"I'm sure he didn't say half of it, just give him a week in the dungeon, it will refresh his memory," the prince assures him, turning around to go to the guards outside the door.

One of them receives the photo of Kira's family.

"Give the woman a work in the castle, perhaps as a cook or as a maid, whatever you find; The girl needs medical treatment, bring the best doctor available to check her. Once they settle in, please let me know” He orders, the guard nods and leaves after bowing.

He and Buratsuda walk back to the council room to report the progress, dusk filtering through the windows, giving the aisle a warm look, indicating that it will soon be dinner time.

"Where did you learn to do that?"  He questions cautiously, as if the prince is going to torture him too.

Although, if he could, he would have already gotten the shit out of the royal council.

"It was part of my training with the army, I thought everyone was aware of it," Isagi replies, recalling that dark times when all his innocence was taken away. "As the leader of the soldier troops, I must know what to do in case we capture an enemy spy, so they agreed that they would teach me the art of torture next to my personal guard"

Of that, 3 years had already passed, but he didn’t like to talk much about what he had been made to do.                                               

"Your guard is very loyal, he doesn't even hesitate when you give him an order," the man points out, taking a cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it.

"Of course, Barou was instructed for that"

Buratsuda blows smoke to his face, making him cough.

"And because of that, you must be twice as careful with him, he knows all about you and he will surely try to betray you at any time. Learn how to cut rotten plants from the root, Prince Isagi"

Isagi looks at him seriously, thinking about how ironic it was that he was telling him that, in the end, the council was a big tree with all the branches spoiled.

He had to cut them soon, if he didn’t want the whole garden to be infected.

"I'll be on the lookout, but as always, I urge you to mind your own business, Mr. Hirotoshi."

Isagi misses the counselor's nauseating glance when they turn the corner and find the large door of the council room.

The meeting is completed smoothly and as soon as permission is given, Isagi rushes to leave, fed up with listening to the unpleasant voices of the counselors.

Right now, he had more important things to do.

...

His room is on a different floor than the selected ones, so it remains as quiet as ever. Isagi was thinking of moving into one of the guest rooms to be closer to them, wanting to hear a little more movement.

The first day of the selection was about to end, with just one minute left to twelve o'clock. It hadn't been as perfect as he had planned, but at least he had been able to present himself to all the suitors before the disaster.

His trusty notebook hung in his right hand; with a lot of information he had gathered throughout the interviews. Now that he was alone and had solved the little mishap that Kira had turned out, he could focus on what was truly important.

Whom he was going to eliminate in the first phase of the selection.

Isagi could already tell the suitors that interested him, those that were not even worth keeping in the palace and those that had left a great impression on him.

It is his duty to do a ranking among the remaining 46 suitors, so that he can say it in tomorrow’s report. The boys deserved to know if they were eliminated or passed to the next phase, having overcome the first moments of the selection.

He would have liked Barou's help to decide, but the guard was still arranging some things about Kira and didn't want to disturb him; no, even if he were free, now it was his turn to work alone, also for the sake of Barou's feelings, who knows how he would react if he asked for help to see who was the best candidate for husband of the person he liked.

So Isagi sits at his desk, putting the notebook on the table.

First, he starts with the names that have an "X" next to them, indicating that since they set foot in the interview room, they were eliminated.

One of them had stared at his body up and down throughout the interview, with a lewd look that still gave him chills, another had asked him if he could give him another check of money, which he would have understood if it had been a five or six, but a two asking him to increase the reward had completely disgusted him.

Thus, he managed to write down 7 suitor that were totally eliminated, remembering his disastrous presentations, airs of superiority and lack of manners. However, he had to eliminate at least 16, to reduce the group to 30 and deal with more manageable numbers.

Necessity that led him to review the suitors who had a rectangle next to his name, which meant that he still didn’t have a concrete opinion of them.

Among this group, he had put the selected ones who didn’t have chances of becoming kings yet, too boring, cowardly, stupid or rude, but who could easily learn to behave better.

There were also those who obviously only wanted the power that the crown would bring them, not having the slightest intention of courting him or respecting that he was the heir to the throne, who would run the country, not them.

And, on the other hand, he also put those he believed he should know better to reach a satisfactory conclusion, because a 5-minute meeting would not make him know his true qualities.

From that list he managed to discard 9 more selected, classifying the rest in a ranking, taking into account how they had behaved with him, his popularity, his influences and his appearance, because it would be hypocritical to deny that that criteria didn’t exist. 

In the end he had only 10 boys left. The ones he had marked with a circle.

They would become the provisional elite, the ones who had the best chance of being the future king.

As number 10 he decided to put Michael Kaiser, because he couldn’t deny -as much as he wanted – that he was a formidable suitor who would bring many benefits to the country. If he wasn't allied with the bastards of the council, he would have considered marrying him without making the selection, mostly because it would be in Japan's best interest. But since he had been an idiot, he would have to settle for the last position.

Isagi laughs as he imagines his reaction.

"I'm sure he'll make a scene," he chuckles, continuing his work.

In ninth place, he puts Itoshi Rin, leaving him so low because it is painfully obvious that the guy is not interested in him, at all.

At the presentation, Rin had practically ignored him, sitting with his arms crossed, listening to what he said, but responding in monosyllables to his questions.

The youngest of the Itoshi’s had always been like this with him, even when they were younger, he treated him as if he didn’t exist in his world, as if it was not worth it.

He couldn't hide that his pride was hurt because Rin didn't consider him enough to pay attention to him. It was as if the king of Japan was him and Isagi was struggling to win his heart.

But, Itoshi Rin deserved to be in the elite, it was even unfortunate that his personality was so surly, seeing that he was intelligent, handsome, with a great physique and piercing eyes that made you want to serve him without objecting. If competition were about appeal, Rin would take first place.

In addition, he had promised the eldest Itoshi that he would keep his brother until the elite, it was better to put him in his place from the beginning.

And so, he went on to rank the mans who had left a great impression on him, seeing that most could bring great things to his reign and were very popular with the people, either for their beauty, charisma or previous fame.

It was going to be very difficult to choose among so many wonderful suitors.

In the end, in his list, it was only necessary to write down the first place, the person who had won his favor with his actions, who since he saw his photograph in the report, had been stunned by his beauty.

Of course, Bachira Meguru deserved the first place, he had literally saved his life, there would be no selection if he hadn’t intervened.

Also, Bachira was beautiful, the most handsome person he had ever met, his smile made him feel millions of butterflies in his stomach, his honey-colored eyes made him sigh without intending to, remembering them so expressive and kind, feeling how his gaze enveloped him every time he met his face.

Also, the boy was in love with him, he had really confessed his love with sincere words and had sworn that he would become the best suitor to be worthy of being chosen.

If Isagi could do whatever he wanted, he would have chosen Bachira, sent the others back to his house and proposed marriage the instant he heard his soft laughter.

But it was still very early, he wanted to see what else he was capable of before making a rash decision.

Be that as it may, as much as Bachira caught his attention, the truth is that he still didn’t surpass Barou in his heart, two years of being together would not disappear in a month.

It would not be fair to any suitor for them to marry someone who loved another man.

For his sake, he needed to forget Barou.

But thinking about it was easier than doing it.

They had been through so much together, they watched their backs, they told each other everything, Isagi knew every part of Barou, from the physical to the emotional.

They have known each other for 14 years, after Barou's father accepted the job of protecting the little heir.

At first, they didn't get along, constantly fighting for the attention of the guard, who was like an uncle to Isagi.

But after the man died in the war, Barou took his father's place, suddenly becoming overprotective. They were just children, 14 and 15 years old respectively, but they had always felt that chemistry, especially when they trained with the sword.

Barou was very frustrated that Isagi was better than him, that no matter how much he trained, grew both in height and muscle and put all his soul in his attacks, Isagi continued to beat him easily, reading all his movements and managing to disarm him thanks to his sly.    

For his part, Yoichi really enjoyed his practices, only Barou was able to represent a challenge to his skills, always feeling the determination and desire to win of his opponent.

But everything exploded, on the day of the 16th birthday of the prince, who, bored by the tedious dance organized in his honor, had begged Barou to help him escape, running to the training room so as not to be discovered by his parents or guardians.

Once there, they ended up arguing – as always – and everything led to a fight at the first blow with their wooden swords, which Isagi thought to win at all costs.

They lasted 10 minutes fighting, feeling the adrenaline of a battle with someone of their level. Their hearts danced to the beat of the clash of swords, Isagi's laughter echoing in the air whenever he managed to dodge his attacks, making his guard grunt.

Everything was very even, each one taking advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them to attack and try to hit, but none getting it.

But Isagi, making a feint, manages to quickly dodge a lunge, positioning himself behind his back and hitting him on the side, which sends Barou to the ground because of the suddenness and unpredictability of his move.

With his sword sliding away with a kick from Isagi, who was watching him from above, his eyes full of satisfaction. Then the guard realizes that he was very close to beating him, but that he rushed with his last move, making Isagi able to read what he planned to do.

He felt closer and closer to the sweet taste of victory, but the prince was still better than him, at least in intelligence.

The two pant to catch their breath, Isagi lowering the blade and offering his hand to lift him, being chest to chest, the prince having to raise his head to see him in the eye.

They don't even remember what happened, maybe it was the prince who pounced on his guard, or maybe it was Barou who pulled him until his lips were touching.

They only remember that they felt fireworks for the contact, all their cells saying that this was what had to happen, that it was destined.

From there, their relationship became the only support of the two, the only real thing in their lives.

Isagi still felt the beats of his heart every time he saw him, longing to touch him again.

"Enough, how pathetic I am," he murmurs, sitting on the floor of his room, his ears throbbing for the silence.

Could he ever love again as he had loved him?

His heart knew the answer, but the prince refuses to get it, rising to go out to the balcony, in search of fresh air.

His room only made him feel more longing, now, he didn’t want to think about anything, but he didn’t believe he could fall asleep in that state, in the same bed where everything happened.

So Isagi peeks over the railing, seeing that the ground is not so far away, it is only a first floor, someone with his training is able to land without problems.

Carefully, holding onto one of the columns, the prince climbs his body to the fence, jumping and dropping on the cold grass.

It is not the first time he escapes in this way so he doesn’t have to answer questions, nor avoid the guards who make rounds in the corridor, it is the most effective for someone like him.

Enjoying the freedom that being alone gives him, distracted by the gentle movement of the breeze on the leaves of the trees, he begins to walk, circling the palace in about 5 minutes.

His shoes echo over the stone path, heading to the left side of the garden, where a hedge maze meets, his favorite place to unwind. He knows the path by heart, it is quite easy to get lost, but Isagi has traveled it so many times that not even 1 minute has passed when he makes the last lap, reaching the end.

The center of the labyrinth has more trees, plants and a large fountain, which has a sculpture of a stone angel, with one of its wings broken, Isagi has always wondered why it had never been fixed, but firmly believed that it looked more beautiful like that.

As he approaches, he suddenly realizes that he isn’t alone, his favorite place in the world, today has an unknown visitor.

A silhouette is sitting on the edge of the fountain, looking up at the stars.  He can't see his face because he's turning his back on him, but the smooth light makes him see that he's a tall boy, with his hair up to his neck and a strong build.

"It's probably a suitor," he thinks, having forgotten that there are no fewer people in the palace anymore.

The prince begins to walk, making noise so that the stranger is not startled to see him, the boy turns around, letting him see his bright eyes and violet hair, which obviously lets him know who he is.

Mikage Reo was very difficult to forget, even if darkness settles on his face and there are traces of tears on his cheekbones.

Chapter Text

"Your highness?" Reo asks with confusion, Isagi takes the opportunity to approach him, sitting next to him. "Please excuse me, I didn't know you use this place, I will leave immediately"

"No need, you can stay if you want" he reassures him, looking into his eyes.

Mikage Reo, a two, suitor of Kanagawa, heir of Japan's largest electronics company, son of a retired singer and one of the most influential businessmen of recent times.

Such an incredible suitor, now looks like a completely normal person sitting there, with his white suit looking like a mess.  

"Thank you, your highness, I just went out to take some air, the castle was suffocating me," he says, turning his eyes to the front, allowing him to see his side profile.

His nose is small and upturned, with some freckles scattered by the areas near it, his eyelashes are long, framing his slanted purple eyes that reflect the full moon in the sky, giving them light. His hair, which he had previously collected in a high ponytail, was loose, falling over his shoulders and moving with the wind.

"Yeah, me too, once you've lived here for so long, the palace starts to look like a cage"

Reo sighs, nodding his head.

"I understand what you mean, my house never felt like a home, it only served to trap me," he tells him, swinging back and forth without taking his eyes off the sky. "Leaving there to come and get into the palace was like changing of prisons... No offense"

"You don't offend me, you can tell me what you think, I won't judge you"

Isagi wants to hear his voice, it serves to distract him; perhaps finding Mikage here was a gift from the gods, a help so he can stop overthinking things, at least for tonight.

Besides, since the interview he had had with him – which had gone great – the prince had noticed that Reo seemed to be feeling a little down; he hoped he could find out what was happening to him.

"The selection, for me, is being like a torture" He confesses, saying that kind of thing without hesitation "Don't get me wrong, you are an incredible person, I think we are very similar, but I cannot fall in love with someone without knowing him ... especially when my heart already belongs to someone else..." He says, the last part in an almost imperceptible tone, if Isagi wasn’t paying attention, he would have missed it.

The prince processes Reo's words, admiring that he had the courage to tell him the truth from the beginning.

"I understand... love at first sight it's also not my favorite thing, there is a long way to go to be able to say that I love a suitor" Reo is silent, letting him continue "I have no choice, I must choose someone in the selection, whether I like it or not, but you, you can decide"

Reo squeezes his lips, in a grimace of sadness.

"I've noticed that you don't look very happy, Reo, so now I ask you, do you think you can fall in love with me? Or would you like to go back with the person you love?"

Isagi didn’t want to hold anyone against his will, that is why he is being direct with him, but the purple-haired boy looks at him with insecurity, not even he knowing the answer to his question.

"He doesn't need me anymore; I wouldn't want to stand in his way just because I still love him."

A tear rolls down his cheek, a lump in his throat forming from the intensity of his words.

"Why are you so sure? Maybe you still have a chance" Isagi tries to cheer him up, delicately placing one of his hands on his shoulder, trying not to make him uncomfortable.

Reo appreciates the contact, tilting his head towards the prince.

"He told me, it all ended the day I became a hassle to him., there wasn’t much I could do, I even begged him not to leave me, but a rich boy wasn’t enough for him, there was a person a thousand times better" He sobs, making no effort to stop crying “Neither all my love, nor all my money could make him stay, so, what good was all that I had sacrificed to be the best?”

Isagi feels a chill from those words, his whole life going through his mind. It was true, what good was it all his efforts, if it didn't make him happy?

"Nagi was my universe, my whole life was dedicated to him, when he left, I felt so lost, empty. I spent a week refusing to leave my room, drowning in my misery; my parents never understood why I was being so weak, but I was only vulnerable for Nagi, at least, I allowed myself to mourn his loss. In my mind, I made so many plans to get him back, I wanted to make him say he needed me, but how could I compete with the person he like? He's perfect, I'm not at his level."

Isagi takes his hand, not in an intimate way, just to comfort him, but his touch is warm, contrasting with the cold air of the garden.

"Who could be better than you? Just by talking to you for a few minutes I can realize that you gave everything in that relationship, you are a reliable, kind, intelligent and loving person, that man lost you, you didn’t lose him" he tells him, and for a moment, the water of the fountain is the only thing that is heard.

Reo smiles bitterly.

"The Prince of Japan" he whispers, but Isagi doesn't understand the context of his words.

"Excuse me?"

The purple-haired boy takes a deep breath, speaking more clearly.

"The person who is better than me, is you, prince Isagi... Nagi fell in love with you"

Isagi is paralyzed, suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit together.

"By chance, the Nagi you are talking about is Nagi Seishiro, Shizuoka's suitor?" He asks and Reo mumbles affirmatively.

"We met a year ago, at school, he was one of the few students with a scholarship and, although he spent all his time sleeping in class, he always managed to be the second best, right behind me; I became interested in him for his incredible acting skills and, at first, I just wanted him to join the drama club with me" He explains, a little calmer, but unable to stop shaking. "After becoming friends and spending time with him, I realized that I liked him, he was the only person who treated me as Reo, not as the heir of the Mikage company, so I felt really hard for him"

<<We lived together for about 6 months as friends, but in an oversight, I accidentally confessed and he reciprocated my feelings, becoming my boyfriend. Our relationship didn't change too much, we were already doing couple things before we were boyfriends, and everything with Nagi felt natural, as if we were destined to be together. >>

<<It never mattered to me that he was a three, nor that neither my parents nor my friends agreed with our relationship, saying that two people of different castes shouldn’t be together, much less the perfect Mikage Reo along with a "stranger" like Nagi.  Even so, I always felt that I wasn’t enough for Nagi, that the one who didn’t deserve to be with him was me, that’s why I pleased him in everything he wanted, doing the impossible so he wouldn't get bored and leave me. Apparently, it wasn't enough, not for him>>

<<One day, I found Nagi watching the report, which was unusual, because he always said it was a total boredom, I don't know if you remember this, but about two months ago you gave a demonstration of your sword skills for a special report. Since then, Nagi seems to have been in love with you, always telling me how incredible and dedicated you are, with special emphasis on the look of superiority you always give to your defeated enemies. >>

<<Things plummeted, we started fighting, or rather, me yelling at him about anything and he ignoring me and calling me a bother. I boiled with jealousy every time he talked about you, I was so afraid of losing him that I couldn't control my emotions and this separated us. Until it was over. When the letter for the selection arrived, he didn't even think twice, he came to my house, stood at the door and told me that he was done with me, that I was a pain in the ass and that he didn't care anymore. >>

<<My heart broke into a thousand pieces, he tore it out, trampled it and took it with him, not even letting me protest.  I spent that week looking at my own selection letter, upset and hurt because he has left me to participate in that idiocy, to go and pursue the love of the prince of Japan. >>

<< Then, out of sheer courage and thirst for revenge, I filled out the form and delivered it to the office, telling myself that I wouldn’t be remembered as the ex-boyfriend of the consort king of Japan, otherwise, that I could beat him in the selection and became king myself. If you were as good as Nagi said, then I would show him that the prince would choose me over him. The bravery lasted until I saw my and Seishiro's name on TV, my parents knocking on my door to ask for an explanation and the phone ringing in the background.>>

<<I never thought that luck hated me so much, that God would want to punish me for all my reckless acts. The whole process was like a bad dream and suddenly, I found myself here, in the palace, face to face with Nagi Seishiro, dressed in the white and gray suit that already made him look like a king. I've run away whenever he tries to get closer, but I know I can't avoid him forever.>>

<<And so, after committing the biggest foolishness of my life, I ended up here, telling the prince of Japan that my ex-boyfriend left me and that I feel so insecure about myself, that I had to jump two floors from my room to escape the feeling that I am losing control of my life. >>

As soon as Reo finishes, Isagi doesn’t think twice, he attracts him in a comforting embrace that tries to convey a little confidence, clinging to his wide shoulders. The position is a bit uncomfortable, but Reo reciprocates the hug, putting his head between the prince's neck and surrounding his waist.

"I will understand that you want to eliminate me after what I just told you, please don't hold back just out of pity" He cries next to his ear, hiding his face on his shoulder.

"I am not going to eliminate you, Reo, in fact I am glad that you have been sincere and you are telling me everything" he assures him, caressing his neck with one of his hands. "Please don't be so hard on yourself, we all make mistakes and all you did was love too much a person who wasn't for you."

Isagi identifies with the suitor, maybe they have not gone through exactly the same thing, but he can see himself reflected in Reo and his failed love relationship.

They were both looking for something real, something that would fill them and make them feel that they are important, that they would be even if they weren't who they are.

Fate had taken care of ruining everything for both of them.

"I-I just miss him, it's not fair that he can act like nothing happened and I still suffer every time I remember how he held me, touched me, talked to me" He gasps desperately, squeezing the hug even tighter until Isagi can feel his breath tickling in his neck. "Why doesn't he love me anymore? he swore that we would be together until the end, he had no right to leave me!”

The prince lets him vent, moving his arms on his back from time to time to assure him that he understood and supported him. It wasn't in his plans to stay awake to comfort a broken heart, but he doesn't complain, having completely forgotten his own problems.

His goal had been fulfilled in the end.

When Reo starts to get too loud, his complaints turning into an outburst, Isagi has no choice but to detach himself from him to force him to look him in the eye.

"Calm down, everything is fine now, ok? I am here with you," he whispers, in an almost affectionate tone, giving him a smile.

Reo gasps away, his cheeks colored red.

"Oh shit...  I was supposed to hate you, stop looking at me with those eyes," he asks and Isagi laughs, wiping the remains of tears with his thumb. "I think I'm starting to understand Nagi"

"Yeah? Why?"

"You are... much better than I expected"

Isagi tilts his head, playing with him.

"Really? What a surprise, isn't it?" He expresses, moving away to give him some space. "That's all you're going to say? After all I have comforted you" A pout rests on his face, Reo lets out a chuckle, leaning over to leave a peck on his forehead, numbing the prince.

"Thank you for everything, Prince Isagi"

Now it's Isagi's turn to blush, surprised by the boldness of the suitor.

"By the way Reo, you didn't answer my question," he reminds him, confusing the purple-haired boy.

"Which question?"

"Do you think you can fall in love with me?"

The boy seems to think about it, running his fingers through his hair to style it.

"...Yes, but not so soon"

His answer satisfies him.

"We have a lot of time," he says, realizing that the moon is at the highest point in the sky, indicating that it is very late.

"Maybe we should leave now," he points out, standing up and offering his hand so he can get up too.

When Reo is standing next to him, Isagi realizes that he is much taller than him, embarrassing him. Seated, the two were at the same height, but the truth is that Mikage had an impressive physique, probably due to all the sports he used to do.

The two walk out of the labyrinth, walking side by side, not crossing words, but in comfortable silence.

As soon as they reach the main path, lantern lights illuminate them again, making the prince able to see that the tallest has tremendous dark circles under his eyes.

"Have you been able to sleep?" He interrogates, seeing how Reo carves his neck, nervous.

"Actually, since Nagi left me, I haven't been able to fall asleep, I used to sleep cuddled to him every night, but nothing has been able to replace the body heat he gave off. I guess it's a matter of getting used to it," he explains, and Isagi thinks things through for a moment, trying to decide if it's a good idea.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" He proposes, calmly pointing to the balcony above them. "I would like you to sleep well at least for tonight, it will help you feel better, in addition, the rooms of the selected ones are on the second floor, climbing there will be very difficult, even for you"

Reo seems embarrassed, but he nods, gratefully.

"Then help me up," he tells him, climbing over his shoulders so he can reach the railing fence of his room.

As soon as it is well secured, it is propelled upwards with delicacy, being careful not to hurt the suitor or fall. As soon as he is on the ground, he takes Reo hand, who leaning on the prince and the wall, manages to jump and hold on to one of the columns, climbing without major complication.

"We did it," exclaims Isagi, taking a breath to recover from the effort.

Reo is too busy analyzing his room to answer him, scanning the mess with his eyes, but not commenting on it.

" Sorry it's all messy, I didn't plan to receive visitors" He excuses himself with awkwardness, Reo immediately shaking his head.

"Don't worry your highness, excuse me for the meddling"

Isagi begins to pick up the papers and clothes found on the ground, pulling them out of the way. At least he can say that his sheets are clean.

"Why don't you take a bath while I fix this?" He proposes when he sees that Reo is standing in the center, not knowing whether to help him or stay still "I'll bring you a change of clothes in a moment"

"Mmm... yeah thank you" the suitor hesitates, but he does what he says, closing the bathroom door behind him.

As soon as he is alone, Isagi drops into his bed, running his hands across his face.

What the hell did he just do? Invite a guy he just met to his room. Was he really so in need of affection? Because that proposal had been a lapse in his rationality.

Maybe it seemed that Isagi had done it to make Reo feel better, but that proposition had been his own selfish desire to feel loved again, longing to be able to go back to sleep with someone else's body holding him.

He didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, but he had liked how his arms surrounded him and his voice was so sweet as he gasped in his ear, besides that, Reo was so fucking hot, with those big thighs and a small waist that drove him crazy.

The prince punches his forehead to stop thinking about it.

"I can't be doing this..." He mumbles in frustration.

In his defense, he had already been sex deprived for too long; since the last time he had done it with Barou he had even refused to masturbate, too busy and sad to think about his libido. But it had been a big mistake to ignore his needs for so long and their consequences were showing up right now.

It was too late to regret it, but as much as Reo was hot, not even in his lowest moments was he considering taking advantage of Reo's trust, he only had to survive the night and in the morning everything would be fine.

"Please help me overcome this" He begs to the gods, rising to continue cleaning, completely forgetting that he should prepare a change of clothes for his guest.

As soon as he finishes, Reo pokes his head through the bathroom door, already clean and with wet hair, looking for the prince who is turning his back on him, folding some pants to store them in the closet.

"Huh, prince Isagi?" he calls him in a faint voice, entering the bedroom with only a towel rolled up around his waist.

The gods didn't like Isagi, he had just confirmed it.

The skin of his torso is pale, soft and with some moles scattered like stars, suddenly the urge to kiss them floods him like a great wave rolling over. The small white towel barely reaches around his thighs, threatening to give up and reveal his attractive legs.

Suddenly, the air starts to get too warm, his whole face is burning, and the blood leaves his limbs, his balance faltering. He really wanted to get on his knees, for what? for whatever Reo wanted him to do, he wanted him to sit on his face and...

"Your highness?" He takes him out of his reverie, taking a step towards him. "Are you okay? I just want some clothes please"

Isagi's automatic mode is activated, going to one of his drawers and taking out several clothes that are too big for him, aware that Reo has a larger build than his own.

After handing it over, Isagi runs to the bathroom, leaning his back at the door and dropping to the floor, his gaze lost at any point in the room.

He was screwed. He was so fucking screwed.

The tremendous erection he had was confirming it.

"Why did you have to be so damn hot Mikage Reo?" He curses, banging his head against the wall, to see if he would come to his senses.

He had no right to be like this, he looked like a virgin teenager for God's sake.

He had to control himself, he wouldn’t bother a person as beautiful as Reo, just because of his horniness, much less after everything he had just told him; that boy deserved to be with the nicest person in the world, not with a stupid prince who wanted to be fucked to oblivion.

"Oh my god…" he whispers, rising to see himself in the mirror, finding that his eyes betray all his intentions, almost looking like his pupils are going to become a heart. “This can't be happening”

Isagi convinces himself that he only needs to take a bath and everything will be fixed, so he hurries to undress, having trouble taking off his pants because of his dick, which is proudly raised. The water is freezing, but Isagi prefers it that way to help lower his erection.  

While he cleanses himself, his mind wanders, not being able to get Reo out of his head.

In the end, after spending almost 15 minutes under the water stream, his horniness decreases, allowing him to think clearly and realize that he has neither towel nor change of clothes to wear, because in the rush to get away from the suitor, he had completely forgot about that.

"Fuck..."                                                    

Without any other options, he closes the faucet and grabs the small hand towel to dry his hair, avoiding leaving a trail of water where he walks. Then, he comes out of the shower, opening the bathroom door a little to poke his head out, finding Reo sitting on the bed, dressed only in the shirt he had given him and his underwear.

"Hey Reo, could you pass me a towel please?" He asks, pointing to a shelf where several towels are located.

"Sure" The boy gets up, exposing his thighs and his butt, which is quite big and round for someone of his height. "Is this towel okay?”

Isagi makes an affirmative sound, fearing that if he opens his mouth a sigh of pure excitement will escape.

"Here it is," he says, opening the door a little to pass it to him.

The prince thanks him, closing the door instantly.

Reo stands outside for a few seconds, having seen a bit of Isagi's body, processing how athletic he was.

After a moment, the suitor returns to the bed, feeling with his hand the soft sheets, realizing that the bed it is large and comfortable, but that it will not be able to accommodate two men of their sizes, unless they lie very close.

Reo shrugs, feeling so happy to be able to sleep with someone to care.

The boy dropped on the bed, putting his head against the pillow, slightly inhaling the representative vanilla aroma of the prince, who had already smelled as soon as he hugged him; for some reason, the scent was soothing.

Isagi, already dry, comes out of the bathroom, hurrying to get dressed, turning his back on the suitor, who out of respect stares at the ceiling.

"By the way, the pants were too small," Reo tells him, pointing to the folded garment on top of the bedside table.

That explained why he hadn’t put them on.

"Oh, sorry, I don't have bigger ones"

"Don't worry about it"

As soon as Isagi finishes putting on his pajamas, he turns off the lights, leaving as the only source of light, the window that faces the balcony, through which fresh air enters.

A summer night in Tokyo wasn't that cold, but he still gets under the blankets, as far away as he can from Reo to give him space.

"If you want, you can get a little closer, you are very much on the edge, your highness" Reo invites him, also settling down to sleep.

The prince hesitates for a second, but decides that a few more inches will not hurt him, moving to the center of the bed.

"Good night, sleep well"

"Good night, your majesty," the boy wishes him, yawning a little from exhaustion.

And, that's how Isagi's litmus test began.

To begin with, Reo hadn’t covered himself, leaving all the sheets to him, so his body was in sight, lying on his side with one of his legs extended and the other stuck to his chest, his ass pointing towards him.

Second, the moonlight helped create his silhouette, his shiny, almost transparent skin giving him an ethereal appearance, as if an angel was asleep next to him.

Isagi had grown tired of being God's best warrior, his fingers itching to being able to touch him, but he was determined to endure, because he didn’t have his consent and had promised to give him time to overcome Nagi.

To avoid further temptations, the prince turns around, fixing his gaze on the shadows caused by the furniture in the room. In a short time, fatigue wins and everything turns black, entering to the world of dreams.

It must have been around 2 a.m., when Isagi wakes up again, panting breathlessly and with his clothes stuck to his body from sweat.

"I'm disgusting" He thinks, his underwear damp and sticky.

A wet dream was the last thing he needed.

He doesn't even remember what he was fantasizing about, so at least he doesn't feel so guilty, but having an erection next to the suitor is the most humiliating thing that could be happening to him.

The worst part was that he couldn't get up, because Reo was glued to him, his arm around his chest, his hips together, breathing moving his hair and his nose bumping against his cheek. If he made any sudden movement, the boy would surely wake up and he didn’t want to have to explain why his dick was hard while he sleep with him.

Isagi tells himself that everything is fine, that he just needs to be very delicate to be able to go to the bathroom to take care of his problem, in the morning he would pretend that nothing had happened and the matter settled.

But Reo seemed to hold him as if he never wanted to let him go, squeezing his torso in an almost suffocating way, his body heat contributing nothing to lower his erection. Oh God, the boy was so strong, no matter how much he struggled he couldn’t free himself, and all the friction of his skin against the suitor only made him more excited.

"I have to leave now! I don't think I can bear the shame if I wake him up." Isagi's thoughts are a mess, unable to find a way to shake off his grip because of how dazed he is.

He can only think on Reo and how gorgeous he is, Reo and his voice moaning his name while he sucks his dick, until his face is covered in semen, Reo and his thighs crashing into his balls while he fucks him hard, Reo, Reo, Reo ...

"Prince Isagi?" Ask the suitor, with his eyes wide open.

Isagi wanted to be swallowed by the earth at that moment, his face flushed like never before.

"Everything okay? You’re burning"

Despite his words, the purple-haired boy makes no effort to get up, settling better between his chest and shoulder, his hand finding its way to his neck. Apparently, he wasn’t yet in his full senses, sleepy.

"I'm fine, go back to sleep," he replies, hoping that the boy will listen to him and not remember anything in the morning.

"Ok" He accepts and Isagi breathes a sigh of relief, which lasts nothing.

Reo, still in his reverie, raises one of his legs to intertwine it with his body, brushing his dick unintentionally and causing a moan to escape from his mouth.

"Ah~" He instantly covers his mouth, his heart sticking out of his chest as soon as he sees the suitor raising his head, completely confused.

Seeing him to the face, Reo finally understands the situation, opening his mouth in total surprise.

The tension can be cut with a knife, neither of them daring to move and with the blush spreading all over their faces. The only thing it can be heard, is the singing of a cricket, which accompanies the embarrassing scene.

"Are you hard?"

Isagi gets even redder, even though it seems impossible.

"S-Sorry, I... just... Excuse me please it wasn't my intention to make you feel uncomfortable." He apologizes as he moves away, with his back to him and his face in his hands.

Reo is dumbfounded, but he doesn't feel discomfort or anything like that, the situation just took him completely unprepared. Still, he can't help but feel a little guilty, he was the one who was hugging him and breathing in his face.

He, now realizes that he was almost completely rested, having slept peacefully clinging to Isagi's chest.

His reaction was completely normal, in fact, Mikage himself could feel his cock hardening because of the situation, overwhelmed by the intimate contact they had.

Making the perfect prince of Japan have an erection makes him smile, and although he is a little ashamed for having moved so much to end up in that position, he was thinking of taking advantage of it.

"It’s okay, it is my fault" Reo crawls on the bed, until he brings Isagi's back to his chest, the difference in height forcing him to hunch over to put his head in the gap between his neck, his lips brushing his cheek "What were you thinking? You can tell me"

"You don’t need to do this Reo," Isagi replies, reading his intentions.

"Don't you want to?"

"It's not that, I just don't want you to think you should do it just because I'm the prince or because you feel like you owe me something for comforting you, so please let me get up," he asks, but Reo tightens his grip, lowering his hands down to his waist.

"But I want to," he whispers in his ear, his voice sending a jolt to his member. “I've been deprived of sex for 2 months, consider it as if we were doing ourselves a favor" Reo then gathers his pelvis against his butt, letting him feel the shape of his erect cock.

"Hey, are you sure?"  In his entire life, Isagi only had sex with Barou, this new situation was making him so hard, one of Reo's hands stroking his face and the other temptingly descending to his leg.

"I just know that we both have an erection and that we can help each other with that problem” He comments as he caresses his skin, giving him chills "It isn’t a good idea, but be honest with me, prince Isagi, do you want to do it?”

This is getting out of control, his eyesight clouded by the desire he has to say yes, but the small conscious part of his mind knows they shouldn't. Isagi still didn’t overcome Barou and Reo was heartbroken by Nagi, they were only looking for pleasure in the absence of being able to do it with their beloved, without strong feelings like love currently getting involved.

But it will be a lie to tell him he doesn't want it, a wasted opportunity.

"Yes, please," he pleaded, pushing all the alarms to the bottom of his head, refusing to hear them. "I want you, Reo"

Isagi can feel Reo's smile against his cheek.

"I want you too, Isagi"

And the two succumb to their pleasure, as if they were idiots.

The hand of the purple-haired boy finally goes to his dick, groping it with his fingertips to feel the moisture that penetrates the fabric, delineating the contour with such caution, that it is almost imperceptible.

His tongue gives a small lick to his face, tasting the flavor of his perfume mixed with sweat, intensifying the aroma. The taste is delicious, a combination between sweet and salty that resembles a dessert, which if it existed, Reo would not hesitate to eat it forever.

"You smell so good, you make me want to completely devour you," he says seductively, leaving a smooch on his cheek.

"You can do it," Isagi replies, his breathing intensifying in expectation.

Then, Reo finally squeezes his cock, feeling his shape through his pants and pulling out a choked moan from the prince. The suitor seems to know what he is doing, having plenty of experience in giving pleasure to a man.

How his hand runs his entire length, stopping at the tip and pulling a little to extend his dick, making him tear, having longed for this contact for so long.

"You look stunning like this Isagi, I'm going to make you cum so I can see your beautiful face full of pleasure" Reo murmurs, his compliments helping his erection grow, feeding his praise kink enormously "Tell me what else do you want, Isagi? I'll do anything you ask."

Isagi moans softly, throwing his head back until he can see his violet eyes, which are so full of lust that they contrast with how he had seen them before, shattered and with so much accumulated pain.

It makes him happy to know that he is helping him forget everything too.

"Touch me Reo, I want to feel your skin" He expresses as his hands rest on the thighs of the suitor, detailing the veins that are marked on the surface.

Reo obeys him, lifting him a little to remove the bottom of his outfit, leaving his legs exposed, his hairs moving with the air that enters through the window. He also takes the opportunity to lift his shirt, reaching his nipples and stimulating them with the hand until they become reddish and sensitive, craving friction.

The swaying of the hand on his dick is finally direct, the warmth of his touch enveloping him with strength and caution at the same time. His glans is releasing so much pre-seminal that, with each pass, his fingers pick up some of the clear liquid to spread it all over the base, making a splashing sound that echoes in the room.

"Your dick is perfect, look how fine it fits into my hand, as if we were made for each other"

The long and straight fingers of Reo look spectacular between his erection, the difference in size being noticeable, because it isn’t that Isagi has a small dick, but that the hand of the suitor was large, completely covering all the cock effortlessly.

"Ah- Reo~ faster" He breathes, moving his head in search of his lips, but the position isn’t the most suitable to kiss him and Reo knows it, so he turns him around, lying him against his pillow and straddling his calves.

And the boy fulfills his wishes, increasing the speed of the masturbation and approaching his face to bring his lips together, first calmly, savoring his saliva, and then sticking his tongue to the bottom of his throat.

Reo kisses him so well, his purple hair tickling his forehead and his free hand holding his neck, bringing him even closer to him. The throbbing of his dick reveals that he is near climax, but the suitor has no intention of letting him cum yet, pulling his hand as soon as the prince's moans intensify.

"I want you to enjoy it more, to feel your cock full and heavy against my hand," he confesses, brushing his nose against his forehead lovingly.

Isagi was going to complain about him leaving him halfway, but his sweet words make him change his mind, blushing.

Instead of answering, the prince wraps his arms around the suitor's neck, clasping his hands behind him.

His movements resume, going up and down temptingly as he kisses his whole face, so delicate and affectionate that Isagi is going to faint, his heart beating so fast from how soft he is being with him.

Barou was usually rougher, sex resulting in a way to compete with each other, to see who will declare themselves victorious in bed. Comparing his style with Reo’s was inevitable, the purple-haired boy being caring and fulfilling everything Isagi wants, as if his pleasure was the most important thing.

The prince feels on a cloud, a feeling of affection bubbling inside his chest.

As soon as he finishes kissing his face, Reo returns to attack his mouth, licking and sucking his lower lip from time to time.

"I adore your lips, I wish I could kiss you forever" he speaks between kisses, Isagi feeling like he is about to cum again.

"Mmm~ Close" Isagi tells him, clutching his hair in search of something to hold on to.

And again, Reo releases his dick, bringing Isagi to tears for overstimulation.

"It’s okay, baby~" He says, wiping the water from his cheeks with kisses "We're almost done"

Isagi hopes so, since he doesn’t believe he can hold on once again, his erection completely hard and ready to spill all his semen, leaning against the palm of the suitor, in need of attention.

Reo gives it to him, the rhythm becoming frantic and fulminant, causing his hypersensitive dick to turn red and begin to throb.

"Ah~ Reo~" Isagi can no longer think on anything but pleasure, his mind too busy keeping the memory of the smile Reo has as he looks at him.

He feels like he's perfect, his self-esteem soaring to the sky when he feels, between his legs, the bulge that is Reo's dick, which although it hasn't been touched, is about to explode just because of Isagi's ecstatic expression.

"What a good boy, cum for me, little angel" he tells him and it is the end for him, his sperm spilling against his stomach, staining his abs and the hand of the suitor until forming a pool of semen between them, so wet and sticky.

Isagi just meet heaven because of that orgasm.

"That face was wonderful baby, you're so precious" He flatters him, placing a tender peck on his forehead, like icing on the cake.

Isagi is breathing heavily, overwhelmed by everything he is feeling. No one has ever treated him like this, so lovingly that he can't help but believe that Reo means it.

But he knows that's not the case. As he himself had said, they are doing themselves a favor, accompanying each other to stop suffering for their impossible love.

He would like to tell him to stop confusing him, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to stop hearing his nice words yet.

"Too much... it was too much, I feel like I'm going to die," he says, his voice breaking.

Reo chuckles.

"You did well, angel"

And the hand caressing his hair makes him decide, forcing Reo to change position to be on top of him, annoyed because he is still almost fully dressed.

"Take this off," he complains, holding the edge of his shirt.

Reo listens to him, exposing the pale torso that had caused him so many problems before. His moles were still there, waiting for him to fulfill his wishes.

"What are you going to do?" The purple-haired boy asks him, a little confused.

"I want to give you a blowjob" He responds without the slightest hint of embarrassment, bringing his head closer until he can hear Reo’s heartbeat intensify.

Reo's eyes only show more bewilderment.

"Why would you want to do that?" The boy seems to be saying it seriously, looking for an explanation.

"Because it looks delicious" The bulge between his underwear is big and thick, and Isagi really loves giving blowjobs, so he doesn’t understand why Reo looks so surprised at his initiative.  “You don't want me to?"

And the pout he makes, almost makes Reo feel guilty.

"It's not that... it's just that I've never had one done" he confesses, scratching the back of his neck with embarrassment.

Isagi stops, turning to look at the suitor in disbelief. A person who had such a good hand and who had obviously had a sexual partner before couldn't be telling him that.

"Really?"

"Nagi was never interested in giving me head, usually I was always the one doing all the work"

The prince curses internally, not wanting to bring bad memories to the mind of the purple-haired boy. He wasn't really judging Nagi, it wasn't bad that he refused to do things that made him uncomfortable, and everyone had a different way of enjoying intimacy with their partner.

But the way Reo was looking at him and how he had treated him while masturbating him, gave him an idea of what sex was like with them. Probably, Nagi was completely passive in bed, not even caring about his partner's pleasure.

This makes his determination burn, ready to give him the best blowjob he had ever done in his life.

"Now, focus on me, Reo" He mumbles against his body, running his hand across his chest until he reaches his jaw "Forget about him and look at me"

Reo trembles under his touch, curious.

Isagi begins calmly, not in any hurry and at the same time wanting to tempt him as he had done, kissing the moles scattered across his torso with adoration and tapping his arms with light touches, feeling his strong biceps.

His breathing gives chills to the suitor, a hot breath caressing his skin and heating him. His black hair is so soft, his hand goes all the way to his bangs to accommodate some stubborn hairs behind his ear, receiving a wink as a reward.

Finally, after practically eating his entire chest fervently, the prince moves on to the main event, taking with his fingertips the underwear and revealing his erect dick, surrounded by some hairs and crowned by throbbing veins.

"Thanks for the food," he tells him jokingly, but in a low, seductive tone that only causes the dick to bounce against his cheek. "Someone is anxious."

And after letting out a little giggle, his tongue gladly receives the tip, giving it small licks, like a kitten. The taste of his pre-seminal is surprisingly sweet, proving that the suitor maintains a healthy diet.

Isagi didn't really care about anything, not the size or the taste, he would swallow that dick to the bottom of his throat without any complaints.

"Ah- what a good boy" Reo praises him, unable to take his eyes off the erotic sight of Isagi catching the tip of his cock with his lips.

Encouraged because Reo is enjoying it, the prince puts half of the erection in his mouth, knowing that he could make a deep throat without any problem, but wanting to go slowly so as not to overwhelm him.

His first blowjob had to be perfect, so he would never forget it.

Isagi clings to his thighs, enjoying the smooth skin under his fingers and leaving a small mark on the outside of his leg, which causes Reo’s dick to grow inside his mouth.

"Do you like it?" Isagi asks as he takes a breath, replacing his mouth with his hand for a few seconds, "I'm just getting started."

And then he descends to the base masterfully, his nose bumping into his v-line and burying himself in his pubes, inhaling the masculine smell he enjoys so much.  Reo's groan going straight to his pride, satisfying his need for approval.

"H-How are you so good at this?" He questions himself, reaching for the prince's hand to intertwine them.

He receives no verbal response, Isagi's mouth too busy sucking his dick, but the prince makes a sound of affirmation, which translates into a vibration that makes him even hornier.

"Ah^~ Isagi~ Baby~" He groans, running his hand over his forehead so that his hair stops getting in the way of his vision.

The sway he makes from top to bottom with his head makes him look so beautiful, not having broken eye contact even for a moment, wanting to see all his reactions. The saliva spills down the sides of his mouth, further lubricating his dick and making it much easier to proceed, covering with his hand what he exposes.

Their tangled hands squeeze their grip, perhaps the most romantic part of everything they're doing, causing tiny butterflies to start blooming inside the prince's stomach.

Isagi says to himself that he will think about it later, he didn’t want to start overthinking things with a dick pierced in his mouth. In addition, right now the most important thing is to make Reo cum, he couldn’t be distracted.

"Baby, I'm close," he warns, looking completely delighted, his violet eyes darkened by desire.

Isagi nods to let him know that he hears him, but not retreating.

"Isagi, hey, I'm going to cum" He insists, trying to get rid of his grip, but the prince pushes his hand to his chest, telling him speechlessly that he can take it. "Ah- cumming!"  Reo screams with pleasure, his dick releasing his sperm against his throat, causing him to gag for the incredible amount.

It's a lot of cum, thick and sweet in his mouth, Isagi holding it in his mouth for a few seconds to taste it, before swallowing it, finally releasing the dick.

What he didn’t count on, is that Reo hadn’t finished, a small squirt of whitish liquid falling on his face, staining his nose and a little of his hair.

"Oh, sorry baby" He apologizes as soon as he recovers from orgasm, reaching for one of the towels to clean up.

"Okay, it doesn't matter," he assures him, getting up and grabbing the towel. But he doesn’t clean himself with it, instead, with his fingers, he collects the semen he can and takes it to his mouth, delighted with the taste.

The single action makes Reo feel another twinge in his dick, which wants to get hard again.

As soon as he finishes cleaning himself, Isagi looks at him with expectant eyes, looking like a kitten seeking attention.

"Did you like it?"

Reo lures him into a hug, stroking his hair.

"I loved it, thank you dear" Isagi reciprocates the hug, discreetly feeling the muscles of his back.

"I would tell you we should fuck, but I don't have condoms right now and it would be irresponsible."

The suitor shakes his head, bringing him even closer by his butt.

"I don't think I can stay awake baby, it's 3 in the morning," he tells him, still grabbing his ass.

"Then stop touching me, or you'll have to take responsibility," he expresses playfully, leaving a little kiss over his shoulder.

As he indicates, Reo releases him, lying on the pillow and accommodating the prince until he is on top of him, with his head on his chest and his arms surrounding him.

Then Isagi pulls the abandoned sheets, which lies on the edge of the bed and covers them both, hiding the mess that is their bodies.

"Good night Isagi" Reo wishes him, clutching him by the waist.

"See you tomorrow"

And Isagi can finally sleep, aware that he has a lot to think about in the morning.

The only thing he was sure of, is that Mikage Reo had just climbed positions in the ranking of the selection.

...

"So... you also wake up at 6 in the morning," Reo asks, the light of dawn barely entering through the window.

"Yes, even if I haven't slept at night," replies the prince, who is scattered on the bed, his black hair matted.

Their hands are clasped, despite the fact that as soon as they woke up, Isagi had gotten off his body and they have settled on the mattress, Reo on the right side.

"Yeah, me too, in my house it was said that successful people get up early"

"My mother says exactly the same thing," he tells him, releasing him to get up, his body only covered by his sleeping shirt, which he hadn't taken off during sex. "I would tell you to stay with me, but my maid will arrive at any time"

"It’s okay, I should also leave to get ready for breakfast"

The suitor gets up, entering the bathroom to wash and dress as best he can, aware that he can meet anyone in the hallways.

As soon as the two have fixed a little bit of the mess they made last night, the atmosphere becomes a little tense, Isagi standing in the center of the room, not knowing what else to tell him.

"Everything all right? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Reo promises him calmly. "Have a good day, your majesty"

Isagi accompanies him to the door, trying not to blush about the situation.

"Goodbye Reo" he says and as soon as the suitor is out of his room, Isagi dedicates the time he has left before Anri arrives, to sort out his thoughts, which, right now, are telling him things he doesn’t like to hear.

On other hand, Reo, after walking down the hall with a smile from ear to ear, ignoring anyone who looks at him as if he were crazy, arrives at his own room, opening the door delicately so as not to wake anyone.

On the other side, a white-haired boy is lying on his bed, still in dreamland.

"Nagi, I’m back" He announces and the boy opens his eyes lazily, stretching out his hand for Reo to take.

"Welcome… how did it go?" he interrogates him, hugging his boyfriend's soft body.

Reo places a kiss on the boy's lips, which he reciprocates clumsily.

"Everything is going as planned"

Nagi sighs against his body, almost falling asleep again.

"...That's great," says the albino as he revels in his boyfriend's body odor, "Did he touch you?" Nagi ask when he feel the vanilla aroma mixed with the characteristic smell of sex.

"Yes, but we had already decided that."

Nagi shakes his head in between his arms, raising his eyes to see the face of his beautiful boyfriend.

"I'm not upset... just jealous, I also want the prince to touch me," he replies, like a little kid.

"Then you must do your part," Reo reminds him, finally lying down next to him. “Now it's your turn, Nagi”

"What a hassle..." he murmurs, running his hands around Reo’s neck.

"That's not the right answer baby"

The white-haired man is about to succumb to exhaustion, but before sleeping, like second nature, he utters the phrase that Reo wants to hear.

"...Yes, boss"

Reo smiles warmly.

“Good boy”

Chapter Text

The next morning, Bachira had woken up to the knock of several doors closing, a clear chime of footsteps in the hallway and the sun coming through his window, preventing him from continue sleeping.

A lot of movement seemed to be happening outside his room.

The boy wasn’t a morning person, at home, it was very difficult for him to wake up early so he could go to school or work. Now that he was in the selection, with his comfortable new bed, much less did he feel like getting up, not to mention, that he hadn’t had a good night of sleep, tormented by regret and nightmares.

So, a clear laziness made him turn around and cover his face with the pillow, wishing he could rest a little longer, aware that he had to get up and face the day, whether he wanted or not.

He didn't want to think about what had happened yesterday, too tired and embarrassed to even consider analyzing what he had done. He had to forget it, push it into the back of his mind so he could get through the day, although probably, when night fell, guilt would return to torture him.

But now, he had much more important things to take care of, for example, the delicate knock on his door, which indicated that someone was there to see him.

"I wish I could disappear," he whispers, carving his eyes to get rid of his tiredness a little.

Bachira makes the effort to get up, discovering that his hair is completely matted, his eyes are red from crying all night and it seems that a hurricane had passed through his room, messing up his bed and leaving all his clothes lying on the floor.

He knows he must respond to the knocks on the door, but rather dead than letting someone see him in that state. Bachira runs to the bathroom, washing his face as best he can, with cold water to deflate his eyes, then lifts the clothes and places them in the laundry basket, hiding everything that had happened the night before.

After doing this, the suitor feels much better, having temporarily eliminated the consequences of his actions, so he approaches the door, sticking his ear to the wood to hear the voices on the other side.

"Who is it?" he asks while holding back a yawn.

"Mr. Bachira, we are the maids assigned to serve you, we come to prepare you for breakfast" a woman responds, Bachira instantly recognizing who she was.

As soon as the door opens, three girls greet him with a smile, entering the room after bowing.

"Good morning, I hope you had a good night's sleep," says one of them, who wears her orange hair tied up in a bun. "We have an hour to get you ready, so we must hurry."

The other girls nod, getting down to work.

"Understood, you should go to take a bath, Mr. Bachira" indicates the blonde maid, walking to the bathroom to prepare the bathtub. "Nia, please, iron the navy-blue suit that is at the bottom of the closet"

"Yes miss" a black-haired girl answers, disappearing into the closet.

"Erina, can you pick up the room in the meantime?"

And said and done, the orange-haired woman starts making the bed, with incredible speed.

That the three maids are moving so coordinated takes him out of his reverie, looking at them with curiosity and admiration. They really were very efficient.

And  then, the blond-haired maid, who appears to be the boss, comes out of the bathroom carrying with  her a basket full of soaps, shampoo and small colored bottles.

"What body essence do you prefer, young man? It can be cinnamon, coconut, sunflower seed or coffee," she says as she shows him the labels.

Bachira hesitates.

"If you allow me a piece of advice, sir, the prince likes floral perfumes, so I recommend the sunflower perfume" the girl inside the closet exclaims.

The selected one decides to trust her, smelling the soft aroma of flowers from the bottle.

"Then this one is fine, please"

"Of course, everything is ready, would you like us to help you take a bath?" she asks, after giving him the essence, a soap and a robe, Bachira denies, wanting a moment alone "No problem, we are waiting for you outside".

And the three girls turn their backs on him, starting to pull a lot of products out of the dresser drawers, from makeup to all the instruments for styling his hair.

Bachira listens to them, entering the bathtub after closing the door behind him, immersing himself in the bubbled water. His muscles relax instantly, helping him stop feeling the bruises that were still throbbing on his skin.

While he was washing his hair, he starts thinking about the young ladies who are waiting for him, ready to comb his hair, put makeup on his face and dress him.

Each suitor had been granted  with 3 assistants who would be responsible for leaving him impeccable, which was very generous on their part, because Bachira had no idea how to dress in those elegant suits.

The truth is that the boy found strange to go from having to take care of his appearance himself to having so many people taking care of everything. But it was something he had to get used to, because for the royalty, this was completely ordinary, one more part of their ostentatious routine.

Everything seemed very unnecessary to him, but that's how his country worked, the more wealth, the more people you could afford to do everything you didn't want to do. He, as a five, could attest that. At least he was comforted that the maids who have been assigned to him seemed kind.

They are a little older than him and wore the castle's service uniform very proudly, their appearance completely polished. Their names are Nia, Erina and  Yukine, according to what he could remember, and yesterday, they had told him that they had been in the service of the royal family for 2 years, chosen by the draw.

The draw was a procedure that every son of Japan had to accomplish just turned 20, in it, women and men from all over the country entered a lottery and, if you were chosen, you had to become part of the servitude of the palace.

According to what Bachira knew, this could be a blessing or a curse depending on who you were, on one hand, the lower castes were favored because the pay for the work was very good and the workers immediately became a two, obtaining better living conditions. On the other hand, if you were a high-caste person, it was horrible to go from having luxuries to starting to work as a cook, servant or soldier, having no option to refuse.

In addition, it was especially hard for men if you were chosen as a soldier, because immediately after training you were sent to the front lines of the war and had so little chance of survival that was terrifying, leaving many families without a father, son, brother or provider.

Bachira was just about to turn 18, so he still didn't have to worry about that, especially now that he was in the selection. But his maids must have gone through that process, each of them having their own story to tell him.

He was interested in getting to know them well, considering that they would spend a lot of time together from now on.

After finishing washing, the room smelling like sunflowers and full of steam, Bachira puts on the robe and goes out, the girls running to help him as soon as they see him.

"Let's get started, is that okay?" Yukine guides him to the swivel chair on the dressing table.

"Of course, go on" Bachira accepts, expectant to see what they are going to do.

To begin with, the black-haired maid dries his hair with a dryer, letting her companions spread his whole body with odorless cream, giving his skin a smooth and shiny appearance.

In one of the movements, Nia touches one of his bruises, a whine of pain coming out of the suitor.

"Oh, I’m so sorry," the woman speaks with embarrassment in her eyes.

Bachira makes a gesture to downplay the matter.

"It's really a pity that you have so many bruises, yesterday they were very rough with you," Erina says, reaching for the medical ointment he had been given to be able to put it on him.

The three look really dismayed, taking special care not to hurt him with the touch of their hands.

The boy reassures them by softening his face.

"They hardly hurt me anymore, they look uglier than they are"

"Even so, many of the guards asked us to tell you that they are very sorry, they misunderstood the situation completely and they shouldn’t have acted so abruptly," Yukine says, who bows 90 degrees as an apology.

The suitor is embarrassed, indicating to the girl that such formality is not necessary.

"Don't worry, I'm glad the prince is so well protected, please tell them they do an excellent job" Bachira assures them and they look relieved.

"You are very kind, Mr. Bachira" Nia says and the others nod, confirming it "We are glad that you are under our care, we will do everything possible to help you conquer the prince"

The smile of the selected one widens, happy to get along with them.

"Thank you very much, I will do everything on my part to make that happen," declares the boy, his eyes full of determination.

The three girls look excited, but they do not neglect their work, now going to shape his brown strands with a comb.

"By the way, you ladies went through the draw, didn't you?" He asks, being cautious with his tone to see if the question bothers them or not.

Luckily, the three of them seem to be happy to be able to continue talking to him.

"Yes, we were, young Bachira, I used to be a six and worked as a seamstress in a small shop in the center of Japan, the draw came to completely change my life, I think now I am happier," Yukine says, placing some buckles on the back of his head.  

Nia, who is organizing the makeup products, joins the conversation.

"Me and my brother were fives, we both came here to support our parents with the expenses of the house: he works in the kitchen and I clean the unused rooms, but now that the selection has begun, we have more work than before," she explains, beginning to apply the foundation on his face. "Although, don't get me wrong, it's a lot more fun to be a maid than to spend the day cleaning dusty rooms" The girl eyes shine, sounding very pleased.

"For my part, I used to be a four, but it doesn’t bother me having to change airs, on the contrary, the life of the fours is usually very boring" Erina confesses, filing his nails to leave them shiny and short. "Although I can tell you that my cousin was not very happy to be chosen, I guess she did have a lot to lose."

Bachira feels bad for her, not knowing what he would do if he suddenly had to stop painting or singing and work on something completely different from what he was used to.

He assumed that he would find out soon, because no matter what, he would never be a five again.

"It's actually a good job, but being away from home is the hardest part, so now that the selected ones are here, we are much more animated," Nia adds, almost finishing with his makeup. "The castle is full of life thanks to you"

"That's right, besides, most of us are supporting you, young Bachira, we are really very happy that you have been assigned to us"

The boy is shocked at the statement, his cheeks suddenly blushing.

"Me? Why?"

Yukine walks over, placing some daffodil petals on the braid she just made.

"Well, to begin with, you are a very nice person, you greet the service every time you enter a room and give us smiles that make us feel important" The girl tells him, sounding sincere "Even yesterday,  when you arrived very  tired, you dispatched us very respectfully, promising that you would let us serve you in the morning"

"In addition, most of the people in the service are from low castes; like a five, you know very well our difficulties and surely you’ll be a very good partner for the king, favoring our situation. As you surely know, most of the king’s consorts chosen through the selection were twos and that is why they failed to empathize with their people, leaving us at a disadvantage.”

Bachira knew almost nothing of the history of his country, failing to understand all his history classes, but he was well aware that in the past the government hadn’t cared for the needs of the majority of the population, leading to tremendous discrimination and lack of opportunities for the lower castes.

He hoped prince Isagi would be able to change that.

"And, if I may tell you, you are very handsome," Nia finishes, giving him a thumbs up in approval.

Bachira laughs, flattered by the girls' words.

"I will do my best to meet your expectations!" he declares as he shakes his hands, thanking them.

He  really didn't expect so many people to support him and he really appreciate their faith in him, but this also made him realize that he had to improve a lot. The prince's love no longer sounded like an impossible thing and there was nothing Bachira wanted more than get it, but right now, there were better suitors than him, people who would help Isagi lead the country towards a bright future.

He, he had to admit, would not be good for his government, at least not yet.

So as the next challenge, the boy had to learn what was needed to be a good king, so Isagi would have no qualms about choosing him.

But one step at a time, now they had to hurry if they wanted to go down for breakfast on time, because being late would be a complete lack of respect and was the last thing I needed.

After a while, Bachira's outfit is finally complete, just 5 minutes before it is time.

"We're done!" Nia shouts, watching the suitor in the mirror.

Bachira looks perfect, with a braid on top of his hair, decorated with small yellow gems and flowers, resembling a crown; his makeup looked beautiful, natural but with light touches of gold that combined with his eyes and lips voluminous and shiny, giving him an angelic appearance; the suit chosen for today, was navy blue with white embroidery on the shirt, opting now to wear a loose tie that continued with the same carefree theme that had been assigned to him.

He looked less elegant than yesterday, but there was still that mixture between distinction and the cheerful personality of Meguru, who was jumping from happiness.

"You're amazing! I look fantastic" he tells them with excitement, giving the girls a high-five, pleased with their work.

"We are glad you like it, Mr. Bachira"

Nia puts him a little perfume with the same sunflowers smell to seal the aroma and they accompany him to the door, giving him directions to go to the large dining room.

"I am sure there will be a lot of people in the corridors, if you get lost do not hesitate to ask anyone and they’ll gladly help you, we will be waiting for you here, now hurry sir! and good luck" Erina wishes him, the other girls saying goodbye with their hands.

Bachira bows before leaving the room, walking at a determined pace, trying to remember the directions they gave him.

The dining room was on the ground floor of the castle, right next to the main hall where most of the balls were held. This breakfast was very special because it would be the first that the remaining 46 selected ones would have, and the last for some of them, since the suitors eliminated would be revealed that same night, in the report.

It sounded bad that he said it, but Bachira wasn’t worried at all about that, because today he would have his first date with the prince and Isagi seemed to be interested in him, enough to not consider eliminating him.

What did make him nervous was that the ranking of suitors would also be announced and he felt that he was still a long way from deserving to get the first place.

Today, he had to keep courting the prince if he wanted to hope to be on the  top 1.

As soon as Bachira reaches the large white wooden door where the dining room was, he notices that outside, there are about 30 suitors scattered throughout the hallway, some looking tense and altered, others simply standing straight with tranquility.

Of those in the room, Bachira had only spoken to three, Aryu, who is talking to a short boy with cyan-colored hair, Rin, who is alone in a corner with a face of few friends as always, and Chigiri, who is beckoning him to approach.

"Good morning Chigiri" Bachira greets him as he stands beside him, seeing the elaborate hairstyle worn by the redhead, admired for the complexity of it.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Not really, I think the adrenaline of the day played against me," he answers, with the same energy as always but with a little insecurity in his voice.

"That’s normal, yesterday was a very strange day" Chigiri says, scrutinizing the other boys in the room with curiosity "Who would say that our presentation with the prince would end like that?"

The boy remembers yesterday's altercation, his bruises not allowing him to forget it at all.

"By the way, did you know anything about Kira? You were the one who kept him from bleeding to death, weren't you?" he asks curiously, eager to know about his situation, mostly because he wants him to never see the light of the sun again.

"Yeah, but after I stopped his bleeding the guards took him to the infirmary, guided us to our rooms and took us dinner to the room, so no idea what happened to him," he tells him, Bachira nods, thoughtful.

"I hope he gets what he deserves, no matter what his reasons may have been, he almost hurt Isagi and that deserves the severest punishment possible," Bachira declares, making Chigiri raise his eyebrows with mischief.

"Of course, sir <I saved  the prince and got a date with him>" The redhead teases him by tapping his back friendly. "I'm sure I'm facing our top 1 suitor of the first elimination"

Bachira's cheeks light up, feeling butterflies in his stomach from the reminder of the date he is going to have with the prince and from the trust his friend has in him.

"Oh please, I don't think I could beat all those influential, handsome, famous suitors" Bachira excuses, Chigiri sees him in disbelief, resting his hand on his shoulder.

"Prince Isagi is not superficial, I'm sure he really considers you his favorite," he tells him, perhaps giving his heart some hope.

"I guess we'll find out tonight, but let me tell you that if anyone deserves to be in the elite it’s you, Chigiri."

The redhead hugs him by the shoulder, embarrassed but with a smile from ear to ear on his face.

"Thank you" is all he says, but nothing else is needed.

The boys remain silent, watching as the corridor begins to receive more suitors, until only a few are missing.

When the clock strikes 9 o'clock, the prince's personal maid, Anri Teieri, makes an appearance, greeting the boys with an elegant bow.

"Good morning everyone, I am Anri Teieri, you spoke to me on the phone during the process. Now that you are officially in the selection, the prince has ordered me to guide you through this experience, wishing that you can feel comfortable and solve all your doubts" she begins, with an impeccable voice that inspires a lot of confidence in Bachira "Today is your first meal with the prince, normally breakfast in the palace is taken at 10 o’clock, but I have asked you to arrive an hour before to review some things of the protocol and manners that you must have at the table. Please follow me inside."

And the lady passes through them, opening the doors to let them in. Once everyone is seated in their respective places, the class begins, the woman teaching them many rules and norms to follow to have grace while eating.

Bachira does his best to remember everything, but there are so many cutleries that he gets lost from the beginning, making a mistake between the dessert fork and the one for the salad.

"Hey, you're using the incorrect one” the boy sitting next to him whispers, who has orange hair and a very wide, muscular body. "The fork for the salad is the short one"

The boy  immediately changes fork, saving himself a possible scolding from the red-haired maid, who was just passing in front of him.

Meguru thanks him with a nod, and as soon as he has a small moment, he observes the great man sitting next to him, instantly remembering his name.

Kunigami Rensuke, suitor of Akita, a six and an orphan with a tragic past.

According to what the media had said, the boy had lost his parents at a very young age, having to take care of his younger sister and help the eldest to support themself. All three had ended up in an orphanage where they were physically abused and almost never had food. Kunigami, to protect all the children, had developed a great physique and worked tirelessly on anything he could, bringing money to feed them and earning the respect of orphans.

The money of the selection had to be a great support for the children, so Rensuke had a lot to prove... and to lose.

Ever since he had first seen him, he had felt that aura of support and camaraderie that made him think he was a good guy, his actions had only helped him confirm it. For Bachira, he was one of the selected ones he had in his sights to form a friendship, because although he had no influence, fame, or fortune, his heroic personality and his history of overcoming made him among the favorites of the general public.  

But what happened next made him realize that making friends with the man could also be useful for his own safety.

"Watch out! " Kunigami shouts at him, drawing him into his body in time, protecting him.

The reason for his urgency was nothing more and nothing less than the knife that had shot straight into Meguru's face, courtesy of the suitor on his left side, who had literally just fallen asleep on the plate, the impact causing several utensils to fly away.

Bachira looks with surprise at the white-haired man asleep at the table, who hadn’t woken up with the uproar. Nagi Seishiro was drooling over his plate and the commotion attracts Anri, who approaches to see what happened.

"Nagi Seishiro! you can't fall asleep in the middle of breakfast" She lectures him, making his gray eyes look at her with such exhaustion that it would anyone feel tired.

Bachira, out of the corner of his eye, can see a purple-haired boy grabbing the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep yesterday" He excuses himself, but his apology doesn't sound sincere in his monotone voice.

"How do you intend to learn table manners if you fall asleep halfway through the lesson?"

Nagi mumbles before getting up and facing the redhead.

"I already know everything you're teaching" and, to prove it, he begins to point out each of the utensils and their uses "Soup bowl, meat plate, dish for bread, butter knife, fork and knife for meat, for fish, soup spoon, for dessert, glass of wine, water and juice, napkin and coffee cup" Recite from memory, without making a mistake "The elbows aren’t put on the table, you don’t speak loudly, laugh or shout while eating, the food is put in the center and to be served in our plates, it is necessary to use its respective spoon or tong, the napkin goes between the legs, the soup is not blown or sipped and as soon as you finish, you place the cutlery on the plate, making a cross with the knife facing us"

The room is completely silent, Anri stunned looking at the white-haired man, who has just said perfectly everything she had taught them.

"If that's it..." He tells her, settling back on the table, now avoiding lying on top of the plate.

Bachira shrugs, detaching himself from Kunigami to turn to see him.

"Thank you for keeping that knife from sticking out my eye."

"It was nothing" He responds honestly, Bachira doesn’t answer anything else, still weighing whether he should become friends with him or not.

And from there, the boys return to pay attention to the maid, ending the class without any additional incident.

"That would be all, I hope you behave properly from now on, good luck and any other questions you have, you can approach me and I will  gladly answer it. Enjoy the food." Anri says goodbye, leaving the 46 hungry boys alone.

"What are we waiting for?" the white-haired man murmurs, addressing Meguru.

"The prince" he replies and Nagi straightens up in the seat, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Seishiro had gone unnoticed by Bachira, not even considering him a potential threat due to his lazy personality and bad reputation, but for some reason, his monster was vibrating as he saw those gray eyes lighting up, warning him that the boy was much more than he appeared.

"How did you learn table manners?" He interrogates, wishing to discover the true nature of Nagi.

"My boyfriend... I mean, my ex-boyfriend was millionaire" he replies while fiddling with the spoon, spinning it between his fingers "Every Saturday his  parents had those boring fancy dinners and he took care that I learned to behave, it was really a hassle" He complains while throwing the cutlery into the air, catching it with his fingertips without much effort. "I still prefer to eat with chopsticks"

Bachira watches impressed the control that Nagi has with his hand, managing to perform several tricks without throwing the spoon.

"Why did you break up with him?"

"The selection" It's all he says and Bachira thinks he sees a little regret on his face, but it disappears so quickly that he can't be sure.

"I'm sorry" He apologizes, but he doesn't really feel it.

The white-haired man shakes his head, not even a little dismayed by his daring.

"... It doesn't matter."

The conversations ends as soon as the prince enters the room, with several guards behind him. Instantly, all the boys get up to bow to him, but Isagi beckons them to sit down.

"Please, no need," he announces, with a kindness that makes him melt. "Good morning, everyone"

Today he also looked stunning, every day finding even more details in his beauty. His black suit fits perfectly to his body, a green vest that gives him the touch of color that makes him stand out anywhere and steal sighs from all over the world, which only seem to observe the man, who is dedicating the most beautiful smile in the universe.

His bluish eyes meet Bachira’s, Isagi holds his gaze for a few seconds, greeting him softly. Just by seeing him, Meguru's face softens, happy that the prince notices him.

As soon as Isagi sits at the head of the table, the waiters begin to parade through the dining room, bringing with them many trays with foods that Bachira had only dreamed, from Japanese food to dishes he had never seen, probably foreigners.

" You can eat as much as you want, the cooks worked very hard to satisfy your appetite," the prince urges them,  pointing to the center of the table once everything is in place "And despite what you were told, I'm not very strict with manners, so don't worry and enjoy it."

Bachira would like to listen to him, but he knows that it is better to get used to eating politely, so he moderates himself – although he would love to fill his plate and forget about the many forks.-

"This is delicious," he whispers, tasting a mixture of  corn dough with cheese and tomato sauce.

Beside him, Kunigami nods, eating a lot, which was normal seeing the marvelous body he had.

"Yes, I had never tried anything like this"

Bachira agrees, remembering the food he used to prepare at home, which now seems distant and tasteless; at least he could say that he ate twice a day, he was completely sure that Kunigami gave most of the food to his sisters and the children of the orphanage.

Nagi, on the other hand, was barely chewing a piece of sweet bread, slowly and unwillingly.

"Chewing is a hassle," he tells him, as soon as he realizes he's looking at him, "He used to prepare my food so I didn't have to make an effort."

Bachira can't help but think that he is like a 6-foot-tall child.

Breakfast ends when everyone is finally full, the dishes empty. Until now, this had been the most common experience among the entire selection – if you could call common to eat twice as much as you ate in a day– but he still appreciated having moments when he didn't have to worry about suitors trying to kill the prince or tests in which he had to prove his worth.

"Thank you very much for sharing this meal with me, being honest, everyone has been extraordinary and I appreciate having the opportunity to meet such wonderful suitors thanks to the selection" Isagi begins, using one of his prepared speeches, Bachira could notice that he had been forced to say that "As you surely know, today is the report and, in it, I will announce the 30 suitors who passed the first phase and will stay in the competition"

An exclamation of nervousness rises through the air, some of the suitors looking quite restless at the possibility of not continuing in the selection.

Bachira can see how several shrink in their seats, eyes full of fear, others begin to sweat cold, their mind working at 100% to see what their chances of being eliminated were.

"Please do not be nervous, if you have done your best from the beginning, you don’t have to worry" He reassures them, wanting to be cordial with them.  "This is just beginning and after today, you will be one step closer to being my husband and the king of Japan."

Bachira imagines it, waking up every day next to the prince, being able to bury his face in his dark hair and kiss his entire face, leaving his mark in every corner of the body of his beloved.

One step closer, he could almost brush his dream with his fingers.

"Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the food and my company. See you at night"

The prince says goodbye, starting to walk towards the exit, but halfway, he seems to remember something, turning around and crossing the whole room, until he reaches where Bachira is sitting.

"Hello" Isagi greets him shyly.

Bachira jumps in the seat of excitement.

"Hello, Prince Isagi"

"Can I come to pick you up in a moment? I had a small setback with the report and I need to go fix it" The prince looks upset, because he was not the biggest fan of having his plans changed at the last minute. "I'm really sorry, it's not something I can control sadly."

The suitor cannot believe that the prince has stopped to be able to warn him, not being necessary, Bachira would wait until the end of the world for him.

"Sure, take all the time you need" he accepts, giving him a conciliatory smile.

Isagi looks relieved, reaching out to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek, partly as an apology, partly because he wanted to.

"Thank you Bachira"

And Isagi hurries through the marble floor, leaving the dining room, his shoes resonating being the only thing that is heard.

As soon as the prince is no longer in his sight, Meguru can finally notice the glances that others are throwing at him, Nagi himself with his eyes fixed on his side, scrutinizing him.

"You really are his favorite" He hears Kunigami tell him, as everyone starts to get up and leave the dining room.

Bachira doesn't answer, not really knowing whether to deny it or not.

"How you saved him, it was so cool, maybe now you are one step ahead of us, but I plan to give you battle. So, get ready" Kunigami declares, with his fist on his chest to give it more emphasis.

"Too many rivals behind me, my monster starts to get excited" It's his answer and he doesn't really care that he sounds crazy, the atmosphere of the selection it only stimulated him more.

He was prepared to beat whoever was necessary, he would not back down so easily. He wanted the prince to consider him his own and at the same time, he also wanted it to be his.

Bachira goes to his room, leaving everyone else behind, not realizing that two pairs of eyes, some gray and some purple, have him in their sights, both turn around to go somewhere unknown.

Chapter Text

*Special thanks to @Shushuy and @YoLo_MeLOn for the ideas of the Bachisagi date!*

In Bachira's room, you could perceive impatience, the four people inside nervously walking around, none being able to keep still.

Nia had already cleaned the room twice, cleaning the furniture with the duster  to remove a dust that no longer existed; Yukine unfolded and folded the clothes in the closet  robotically, giving insistent glances at the door; and Erina was finishing sewing  the  sleeve of the suit he would wear today for the report, although in her opinion, it didn’t need another stitch.

On the other hand. Meguru was sitting at the desk, trying not to move so as not to spoil the hair and makeup that the girls had fixed up.

The maids had decided to remove the coat from his suit, leaving only the steamy white shirt and tie, so his appearance was more relaxed and lighter than before, perfect for the afternoon weather.

It was already 2 o'clock and the prince showed no signs of appearing, Bachira  completely ready to receive him for more than an hour. He really hoped that he could solve whatever happened soon and he wouldn't have any problems, because he was too excited to last still a second longer.

He had no idea what they were going to do on his date, the prince had only told him that he would go to pick him up and had mentioned that they would walk through the gardens, but everything else remained a mystery. For him, what was really important was that he could spend time alone with Isagi, the prince's company mattered far more than anything else.

Isagi could literally take him to organize and fill out tedious reports and he would be delighted.

However, seeing him with such a rigid posture, the 3 girls throw glances at him from time to time, looking distressed by him.

"Don't worry Mr. Bachira, I'm sure the prince will arrive soon" Yukine reassures him, leaving what she is doing while giving him a kind look.

"I'm not worried, just anxious," he replies, giving her a smile. "I know he's  busy, he's the prince, I will wait for it as long as it takes"

Nia claps pleased, approaching the boy to give him a high-five.

"That's the attitude of a consort king sir!" she congratulates him enthusiastically, making the suitor laugh.

In the short time he had be with them, he could already get an idea of their personalities, all three being so different but complementing each other greatly.

Yukine was the boss, responsible and very sure of herself, careful with the details and always taking the time to ask him if he needed anything else. Erina was shyer, speaking slightly and quietly, but always with a smile, working efficiently and fast. Nia, who was the youngest and most energetic of the maidens, always knew what to say and had already given him several wise advices, also being the one who seemed to be happiest to serve Bachira, perhaps identifying with the fact that both had been fives.

"Thank you, Nia, but I think I still have a long way to go to be a worthy companion for Isagi" the boy says, lowering his gaze "I mean, there are so many intelligent and charismatic suitors"

The girls can sense his insecurity, immediately jumping to cheer him up.

"Do not be overwhelmed Mr. Bachira, not even the king was born knowing, you will learn a lot in the selection, and, if you want to know something specific, you can always visit the library, all the information of the kingdom is there" They console him, Yukine putting a hand on his shoulder as support.

"Besides, you already have the important thing, you like the prince, that's already much more than some suitors can say" Erina adds, all having to pay close attention to her to be able to hear what she states.

Bachira was aware that many of the 45 boys really just wanted to win the crown, caring very little about the prince's feelings; In fact, he had already made a list in his mind of those who were only there for power, prepared to avoid them like the plague.

The boy thought that winning the prince's heart was much better prize than a stupid crown, but he understood that objectively, only few people could fall in love with someone just by watching them on television. The further the process progressed, more people would fall for the charms of the prince and that scared him.

He had to start playing his cards from the beginning, so no one could get ahead of him.

"I think he's coming," Erina whispers, sticking her ear to the door.

As soon as the soft knock resonates in the room, the four straighten their backs, trying to appear as casual as possible, although the tense position betrays that they were actually waiting for him.

The orange-haired maid opens the door, revealing the prince, who seems to have run a marathon, with his hair ruffled and the coat of his suit hanging from his shoulder, breathing heavily to catch his breath.

"Hello, can I see Bachira?" Isagi asks, addressing the girl, who is sweating from surprise, as she didn’t expect the prince to talk to her.

"Your highness, of course, in a moment he’ll come out," she tells him before slamming the door in his face, her expression changing to one of terror as soon as she realizes what she has done.

Bachira and the other girls laugh at her mistake.

"Don't mock me, I've never seen the prince that close before" Erina is red as a tomato, running until she disappears into the closet, hiding her embarrassment.

Nia goes after her, laughing loudly at her clumsiness.

"We will take care of Erina, you enjoy your date, Mr. Bachira" Yukine assures him, putting the last touch of perfume in his clothes to let him go. "As soon as you come back, we will hurry to prepare you for the report."

"Thank you, girls," he says goodbye to them, opening the door and meeting Isagi, who looks confused.

"Did I say something bad to her?"

"No, she's just shy"

The two stands for a few seconds in the hallway, not knowing what to do or say, just staring at each other as if they wanted to record the opposite in their memory for all eternity.

"Hello" they say at the same time, causing the two to let out a nervous chuckle.

"We always start conversations like this," the suitor emphasizes, relaxing a little. "We should look for a new way to greet each other"

Isagi comes closer to him, his blue eyes penetrating him with admiration.

"You're right, what do you think of this? " And he stretches out his hand, seeking the warmth of his touch.

Bachira grants it without hesitation, being surprised as soon as the prince brings his hand to his face to kiss it, with such affection that the blush is inevitable.

"Better?" Isagi also looks a little embarrassed, but he doesn't let go his hand, clinging to his grip and guiding him down the hall with tranquility, glad to be with him.

"Yes, I think I could get used to that," Bachira replies, his voice full of his usual joy.

Isagi doesn't seem to be able to take his eyes off him, turning to look at him sideways at every opportunity and smiling, neither wanting to break eye contact. The path to the garden feels ephemeral, not even noticing when they reach their destination, time passing too quickly when they are together.

The place is barely away from the palace, in the right corner of the garden, surrounded by several bushes with flowers of all colors. In the center of this,  a large cherry tree blooming at its best greets them,  with some petals floating through the air and butterflies soaring into the sky, the sun making them shine as they move away.

At the foot of  the tree, a small table with desserts and tea was laid, chairs for two people at his side. In addition, a wooden easel is recharged against the trunk, several canvases, paints and brushes at their complete disposal, making the heart of the suitor fill with warmth.

"Do you like it? I know you love to paint, so I told them to bring it” he says, releasing his hand so the suitor can get closer to observe the easel.

Bachira doesn't know what to say, surprised because the prince considered his likes for their date.

"It's perfect! Thank you so much Isagi" he exclaims radiantly, running to hug him by the neck, catching him off guard.

"It was nothing," he assures him, reciprocating the embrace calmly, tangling his hands between the golden curls of his hair.

Because of this,  the boy can confirm that the choice of his perfume was successful, because Isagi is inhaling the sunflower essence from his neck, completely lost in his arms. After a few seconds, the prince seems to understand what he is doing, withdrawing a little so he can talk face to face with him.

"We should sit down" He proposes taking his hand to start walking to the table in the center.

The boy lets himself go, bowing as soon as Isagi drags his chair to help him sit up, demonstrating his refined manners.

After Bachira takes a seat, the black-haired man grabs an object from the table, suddenly remembering that there was something else he should tell him.

"Oh right, the media wanted to bring cameras and take pictures for an article, you know, as it is the first date of the selection, luckily I managed to convince them to only give the camera to me, so there will be no one to bother us" he explains, taking a small camera in his hands "They wouldn’t come out in such good quality, but I'm not a bad photographer, you don't have any problems, right?"

"Of course not," Bachira denies delightedly, instantly posing for a photo, his brown hair moving with the wind.

The prince rushes to take it, thinking that even if he didn't know about photography, there was no way that photo would go wrong with such a beautiful model.

As soon as the polaroid comes out underneath, the boy grabs it and observes it, confirming that the camera has captured Meguru's beauty perfectly.

"All done, I'll give you a copy later" he says as he puts the camera aside, moving on to have his full attention on Bachira "Do you want to eat something?  I asked them to do a lot because I didn't know which dessert you liked more" And then he points out the huge and varied number of desserts on the table, enough to feed an entire family.

Bachira lets out a small laugh before answering him.

"I've never really eaten any, so I wouldn't know which one to choose."

The prince opens his mouth so wide that it’s funny.

"Never?"

"Unfortunately, in my house it was eating or buying desserts" He reveals, making the prince look at him with letdown eyes "But it's okay, now that I'm here, you can tell me which one tastes better"

Isagi brings several dishes to his table side, beginning to tell him the name of each of the sweets and describing their taste, also adding if he personally likes them. In the end, after receiving his recommendations, Bachira decides to start with the lemon cheesecake, which is the prince's favorite dessert.

The taste is something he never tasted, sweet but bitter, balancing the dessert and making it not so cloying. He likes it, but feels he couldn't finish it without his stomach hurting.

"You should try this one, I think you will like it"

The prince shows him a plate with a tall, fluffy cake, which has a golden biscuit  on top and is covered by icing and sugar. As soon as he takes a bite, the sweet taste of honey along with a hint of mint makes his taste buds explode, his eyes tearing from the incredible taste of the cake.

"It's delicious..." He murmurs happily, causing the prince to urge him to take another bite "It's the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Isagi looks satisfied, watching as the suitor eats bite after bite with so much zeal that it’s cute, making a mental note to remind the cooks to make more of that cake.

"It's a honey and mint cake, you can ask for it to your maids whenever you want, I'll make sure they always have it ready" The prince promises him and  Bachira is so grateful to him that he reaches his hand and intertwines his fingers, caressing his palm with affection.

"Thank you, this is the most beautiful thing someone have ever done for me" He confess with an expression that is a direct blow to Isagi's heart, which is beating rapidly inside his chest.

"You deserve much more than this, Bachira," he declares as he brings his free hand to the corner of his mouth, wiping away some crumbs that settled on his lips.

And so, their afternoon continues, the two talking about anything that comes to their minds while they finish eating the sweets on the table, without stopping holding the opposite hand as was their custom.

Bachira tells him about her mother, describing the beautiful paintings she makes and  how she had always been there for  him, also telling him that she had given him a pair of hand-painted sneakers on the day of the transfer, as a  parting gift.

"They are beautiful, she really put a lot of effort into making them for me, I wanted to wear them today, but my maids thought they were too casual for the occasion"

Isagi listens very interested, the need to meet the suitor's mother growing up by how well her son talks about her. She sounded very different from her mother, but they both had their own ways of caring for them and always supported them in everything they needed.

"I'd like to see them, if your mother made them, they must be as cute as you," he mentions, making the suitor jump in place for the compliment.

"I can show them to you," Bachira exclaims, with a small blush on his cheeks that makes him look even prettier, full of life.

Isagi is enthralled with him.

"You should use them today in the report"

"Really? I don't think they look good with the suit" He replicates, but actually, he also wants to stop wearing those uncomfortable dress shoes and go back to sneakers.

"Those shoes are very special to you and your mother, I'm sure she will be excited to see them on TV" he tells him and the suitor is impressed that he has considered the feelings of his mother "Besides I do not care how you dress Bachira, you always look good with anything you use"

The suitor thanks him with a squeeze on his hand, nodding excitedly.

"Then I’ll use them! Pay close attention to me today during the report."

"Of course, I will be waiting for it"

As time passes the plates are left empty and their stomachs full, Bachira sighing for how delicious everything was, grateful for having the opportunity to even enjoy tremendous delicacies.

When the two are done, the suitor decides it's time to demonstrate his art skills to the prince, wishing to impress him.

"I think I’ll start  painting now," he warns him, Isagi looking curious at the thought of seeing him do what he loves most in life.

"Sure, you can paint all you want, don't hold back just because I'm here."

Bachira appreciates the encouragement, reaching over to the easel to pick up a blank canvas and arrange it.

"Anything in particular that you want me to paint?" He asks, the prince thinking about it for a second.

"Paint the thing you love most in this world," he replies as he approaches, standing behind him so he can see the canvas.

Bachira gives him a smile.

"That's easy"

And the boy begins with the painting, with expert and quick strokes, mixing colors and adding textures in ways unimaginable to Isagi, who is amazed by the boy's talent.

"It may take a while, in the meantime you tell me, how is your wound? I am very worried about you "

"It is just a scratch, it doesn't hurt at all" He reassures him, passing his sight through the purplish bruise on his neck, which is the only one visible to him "I'm so sorry you ended up like this because of me, if I had been stronger you wouldn't had to stop Kira, I..."

Bachira won't even let him finish, turning to put a paint stain on his nose.

"Please don't say that, Kira took advantage of your trust, you obviously weren't expecting something like that and your reaction was totally normal." He declares seriously as he continues to leave small traces of  paint on his face, emphasizing every word "You’re the strongest person I know Isagi, you are the prince and future king of a great nation like Japan, the only suitable person, your strength is not in your physical strength, but in your incredible mind;  You will be the best king this country has ever had and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

The prince is stunned by his words. Also, a little shocked because he had put paint on his face, approaching the glass table to see his reflection.

When he sees himself, he notices that Bachira was not making random strokes,  but that he was writing on his face, some of the words that he can decipher being "Smart", "Kind", "Beautiful" and "Special".

A small tear furrows his cheek, the recognition of the suitor burning inside his chest.

"Trust in yourself Isagi, just as I trusted in you" Bachira holds the camera in his hands, asking permission to take a picture of him.

Isagi grants it, staying still until he hears the click, immediately reaching for the polaroid that Bachira gives him.

His expression looks melancholy, his face colorful and full of beautiful words of encouragement. The prince really needed that and that the suitor was able to know what to do and say to make him feel better, making the butterflies come back to fly inside his stomach.

Isagi will treasure the photo forever, hugging it close to his chest completely overwhelmed.

"Now come here, I'm going to wipe your face" Bachira says, realizing that perhaps he has gotten a little carried away. "Even if I clean them, everything I wrote is what I think about you, Prince Isagi. When you forget it, you can always ask me to tell you again, and if I'm not here anymore, this photograph is for you, to always remember how precious you are."

The suitor takes off his tie, using it to remove the paint, soaking it in the water he is using to paint. Isagi can feel the care he has with him, melting from all the affection he shows.

"Every day, you fulfill your promise," he murmurs, so slowly that the words are carried away by the wind, not allowing Bachira to hear them.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I thought things through before doing it” he apologizes, finishing removing the paint and drying his skin with the sleeve of his shirt.

"It’s okay, I like you’re so unpredictable"

Bachira laughs, his personality never having been described as "unpredictable", people tending to use more cruel adjectives.

"Changing the subject, sorry if it's a bit sudden, but why did Kira try to kill you? It is not because I’m gossipy, but, although I found his attitude very strange, my head cannot imagine a reason why he would reach such extremes"  He asks, not surprising Isagi, who already knew that the conversation would lead this way "Maybe it's because I love you, but I would never try to hurt you even if my life depended on it"

The blood goes down his cheeks, but the prince doesn't let the statement take him off the main topic, focusing on giving him an accurate answer, knowing it's a sensitive issue .

"It’s bit complicated but I'll try to summarize it as best as possible," the prince adds, starting with the explanation of the conspiracies against him and his assassination attempts.

As Bachira listens to Isagi's story, he understands that the life of a prince is harder than it seems, feeling bad for everything he has had to go through because ambitious and power-hungry people.

He would like to help him, to be able to take away all those problems and carry them on his back, letting him rest even for just a second.

But he is just another boy, a choice to make. He was not the smartest suitor, nor the strongest. Who was he to offer his help? If he wasn't even completely sure he could do anything to lighten his burden.

"I know it sounds like something very alarming, but please rest assured, I'm already doing everything to fix it" Isagi doesn't want Bachira to worry about him, having told him only because he felt he should, that he could trust him.  "It will be difficult, but if everything goes as planned, I will fire the whole council and find out who is trying to kill me."

At that moment Meguru realizes that the prince is not asking for his help, but for his support.

"I know you'll be able to solve it" Says to encourage him, looking away from the canvas "I can't do much, but you know I'm always here for whatever you need, Isagi"

The prince looks happy for his words.

"Thank you Bachira, I appreciate that very much, I usually have a hard time taking my mind off the problems, but whenever I am with you, I can only think about you"

The atmosphere changes, time seems to stop around him, the petals stop falling, the birds stop singing. The only thing that seems to matter now is the blue irises seeking his lips.

Bachira had never felt like this, as if he could do anything he set his mind to effortlessly, his body light, like a feeling of floating on clouds. Only Isagi could cause that in him.

"You too, even if you are not with me, you do not leave my mind"

His eyes shine gently, and the sun does nothing but give a special touch to the moment, its light piercing the leaves of the trees to create shadows on his skin.  Isagi believes that this is what heaven should look like, an angel in front of him, welcoming him with his graceful beauty.

Although his intention was different, the prince approaches him to cradle his cheeks, bringing his noses together to rub them, in a movement that is even more intimate than a kiss of the lips.

Bachira holds his breath, closing his eyes at the innocence of the gesture, his eyelashes brushing against the prince's eyelids. His hands move up to his shoulders, the heavy shirt fabric between his fingers, crumpling it to cling to something, too lost in the feeling of his hot skin rubbing against his nose.

It may not have been a normal kiss, but for some reason it's as if it had been, too special for Bachira to be disappointed. His heart and his monster are happy, the throbbing of happiness ringing in his ears.

Soon they separate and both boys cannot stop smiling, his red and hot ears giving away that they feel pleased.  

Everything returns to normal, the wind running again between them and the magic fading. But that doesn't mean they're done, just beginning to find each other’s feelings.

Bachira takes him by the hand again, but this time he pulls him delicately, starting to run around the garden with the prince. Isagi doesn't know why, but he follows him, standing by his side and swinging his arms, laughing at the strangeness of the situation.

The suitor just wanted to release so many emotions that he had accumulated,  his satisfaction exploding and coming out of his pores. They look crazy,  running through the grass and flowers together, laughing out loud and shouting at every opportunity.

But they don’t care how they look, it only matters that they are now together, feeling the breeze and the sun as they stop at one of the little mountains in the courtyard, getting closer so as not to lose balance.

"Sorry, I'm just too happy!" The suitor exclaims, jumping and turning in place.

"You are adorable!" It's Isagi's response, who looks at him as if he's the prettiest person in the world.

In a short time, they have generated a strong and unconditional bond, Isagi discovering Meguru's sweet personality and believing him fascinating, someone worthy of having by his side. On the other hand, Bachira seems to understand all the feelings of the prince, wanting him to always feel well and forget everything that torments him in his daily life.

It is as if whenever he was with him, running away from his problems was easy, distracting himself with the soft smile on his pink lips and the sound of joyful laughter reaching his ears.

"I love you Isagi!" As soon as those words come out of his mouth, Bachira has no regrets, it was as if he was destined to tell him. He wanted Isagi to know, that he will always think on him. "I will love you forever!"

Even so, he doesn’t wait for a response, knowing that it is too early to be reciprocated.

"But you don't need to answer, I understand," he clarifies when he sees that the black-haired boy is debating what to say.

"I'm sorry" He apologizes, but Bachira doesn't even look upset, guiding him back down to ground level.

Both resume their walk, with the two playing and talking about trivial things as they walk around the garden, either slowly or running, the prince following the suitor's wishes.

When they return to the tree, the sun is already a point forward, indicating that are past 4 in the afternoon. Isagi and Bachira are sweating from the effort of their odyssey, tired but with a feeling of euphoria bubbling up in their chest.

To rest, the two recharge on the trunk of the tree, sitting on the grass.

“It's been a long time since I've moved that much. " the prince says, who is more exhausted than Bachira. "I don't usually run, let alone such a long distance" Seeing that Isagi has a hard time catching his breath, the suitor decides to help him.

"You can rest on me," he suggests as he pulls him closer by the neck, getting the  prince's head to settle on his lap, though getting some resistance from the prince.

"I’m sweating, you’ll get wet"

"It doesn't matter" he downplays it, because it's not as if his sweat is something disgusting to him. "Lie down and breathe deep"

Isagi listens to him, he knows that it is not a correct thing for a prince, but having already taken so many liberties, one more is insignificant, in addition,  last night he only slept about 3 hours due to the whole incident with Reo, so his eyes are literally closing from fatigue.

"Well, but if I fall asleep, please wake me up, what kind of date would it be if I let you alone?" He asks, but Bachira's thighs are so comfortable that he doesn't think he can stay awake for long.

"Sleep Isagi, you deserve it for everything you did to me today"

His hectic breaths are the only thing it hears, inhaling and exhaling at the same time to slow his heart's rhythm. Isagi lies down completely, his hands lying on the fabric of the suitor's pants and his legs stretched out on the grass.

Bachira caresses his back, his fingers running  along the line where his spine passes, giving the prince a chill. The minutes pass and although Isagi is comfortable and calm, for some reason he cannot sleep, too excited by the busy day he has had.

Seeing that the prince still doesn’t fall into unconsciousness, Bachira begins to hum a lullaby, the same one that his mother sang to him every night when he was little.

~Duerme príncipe, sueña con las golondrinas.

Tus ojos zafiros, tus labios rubies, se posan sobre mi vida.

Descansa príncipe, sueña con los ruiseñores.

Tu sonrisa de oro y tu corazón, repletos de esplendor.~  

~Espero que duermas feliz, sabiendo que estoy a tu lado.

Yo cuido tu soñar, sin esperar nada a cambio.

Y si algún día me voy, que sepas que no es por tanto.

Ten por seguro que regresaré, a verte despertar.~

"Do you know spanish?" Isagi asks, in a low and sleepy voice.

"My mother made me learn, there are very pretty songs in spanish and it helps me for work" Bachira didn’t know how to speak it perfectly, but there was no way he could missing a song he’d heard millions of times.

"Your singing is lovely; I understand why people paid to listen to you"

"You don't need to pay me, I can sing to you anything you want," he offers, Isagi shaking his head on his lap.

"I like the one you're singing," he replies, his eyes closing once more.

The suitor continues with the melody, suddenly feeling nostalgic, remembering the times when life was so easy, just him and his mother against the world. Even though he didn't understand the meaning of the song's lyrics back then, he always had a hunch that it didn't really mean anything to him.

Now that he was with Isagi, he was grateful to have learned it, because singing it to his prince made him  feel so hopeful. Whatever happened, no one could take away the memory of the smile of the prince of Japan sleeping placidly against his legs.

Bachira doesn’t notice the passage of time, too focused on not moving so as not to wake the prince, his sight only on Isagi's face. From that close he could count how many moles he had -20,  the most beautiful being the one he had attached to his lower eyelid- and  feel how his chest rose and fell to the rhythm of his calm breathing.

The whole day had been perfect, Isagi's company being just as he had imagined it. Now that he had been with him, he feared that he would not be able to leave, as he would probably miss him forever.

He needed him to choose him, failure was not an option, it had never been but now he depended on Isagi wanting it to be his. Because his heart already belonged to him and if  he didn't want it, it would be a rejection he couldn't bear.

Now Bachira turns to the other great star of the sky, the king of light.

"Please make him choose me," he asks to the sun, in a pleading tone that would have made even the strongest of human’s falter.

Whether the sun heard him and was merciful remained a mystery until the final day of the selection, where Bachira finally meet his fate.

...

When Isagi wakes up, Bachira greets him  with a smile, the orange light of sunset giving luminosity to his skin. Based on the  fact that the sun is about to set, he has slept for at least two hours.

Meguru has numb thighs, tingling from not having been able to move them in long time, although he hadn't even noticed it, procuring the prince's sleep and not caring about anything else.

As he sits down, carving his face to eliminate the rest of the somnolence, Isagi finds himself squarely with the canvas that the suitor had used to paint, turned over, not allowing him to see the painting. He had completely forgot about it, but now that it is in front of his face, he becomes very curious to see it.

"Are you done yet?" He questions, Bachira loosening his legs in circular motions.

"Yes, I took the opportunity to give it the last details while you were asleep" he says, remembering that although it had been very uncomfortable because of the position, having to hold the canvas with one hand so as not to load it on the prince, the truth is that it had been relaxing to paint with Isagi on his lap.

"Can I see it?"

Bachira nods, taking the wooden frame to show him his artwork, an emptiness in  his stomach at the possibility that Isagi doesn't like his painting.

But the fear is unfounded, because Isagi's blue eyes had never glowed so brightly, as when he saw his portrait, his face embodied with paintings of all colors.

It was not his best work, having millions of portraits of Isagi that he had made with time and much effort at home, but there was something about that painting that he loved, possibly the inspiration that came from having the model admiring his skills.

"Is it me?" Isagi asks, touching his face, as if he wants to make sure that his features hadn’t suddenly changed, "Am I what you like most in this world?"

 Bachira's gaze is shy, suddenly embarrassing a little.

"I thought it was obvious," he replies, pulling the canvas closer to him so he can hold it.

Up close, the prince could see many more details that he had previously overlooked, such as that Meguru had put all the moles on his face in their exact place, had given light to his skin with a fluorescent greenish color, creating a good contrast with his eyes, which looked crystalline and reflected a blue sea.

"You are the best painter in the world, no one had ever made a portrait as accurate as this" He flatters him, because although many others had tried, Bachira had managed to make Isagi want to hang that painting where everyone could see it.

The suitor gently denies, caressing the dry paint with his fingers.

"I'm not the best, I've just watched you so much that I can capture all your beauty in the painting" He excuses himself, but he is so happy that the prince likes his work, that he can't stop smiling.

"For me, you are the best Bachira"

The act of speaking without thinking returns, both startled by how those words resounded in their hearts, as if it were the purest truth.

Isagi doesn’t make the effort to clarify what he meant, because it is quite obvious that yes, for him, Bachira is the best suitor of the entire selection. But for others it was too?

"Bachira, you... I like you; I like you so much" the prince confesses, startling the boy, who opens his eyes in disbelief. "Please, during the report...  Remember that, ok?"

He gets no response, Bachira too shocked to blurt out words. 

"Just... today was wonderful, it had time that I didn’t have such a good time" Isagi adds with a little insecurity "I like you"

Meguru's golden eyes soften.

"I also like you Isagi"

Then, the prince stands up, the canvas tightly grasped in one of his hands and with the other helping Bachira get up, the night almost reaching them.

"It's time to go," he tells him, almost sad to have to separate. "We will see each other again soon, but I will miss you"

" I will also miss you "

"Let's have another date, I'll let you know"

"Ok, then, good night Isagi"

"Good night Bachira"

And as soon as the two return to their respective rooms, they suddenly find themselves longing for each other's company. But none of them have time to think, because the report will start soon and they had to prepare very well, for what was coming.

...

A few hours before the date between Isagi and Bachira, Barou Shoei, the prince's personal guard, had risen at his usual time -5 am- to perform his preliminary preparations before starting his work.

It had been a shitty week for Barou, still hurt by everything that had happened with Isagi and the selection. You just don’t stop loving someone overnight.

But he was confident in his strength and didn’t think of breaking down from a broken heart when he still had responsibilities to fulfill. Isagi would be happy, he would ascend the throne next to a person who deserved him and help him rule. That was more than enough, it had to be more than enough.

Normally, after finishing dressing and tidying up his room, the boy would head to the kitchen to help with the royal family's breakfast, going to take care and protect Isagi until later in the day.

But now that the nuisance named Kira was locked up in the dungeons, his duty was to go feed him, having no orders to do anything but talk to him. Oh, how he would enjoy giving him psychological torture after everything he had done to the prince.

As soon as he collects the prisoner's tasteless little breakfast –bread, water and a piece of ham– Barou takes the stairs to reach the basement, where the palace dungeons are located.

The place was dark and gloomy, silent but and, as currently only Kira was locked there, guarded by a single jailer, who was the only one with the key capable of freeing the prisoners.

When he finishes descending, the light of the torches being what allows him to guide himself between the hazy corridors, he can hear some drowned gasps of pain in the darkness, alerting him.

Arriving at the cell of the white-haired man, the guard who is supposed to be vigilant receives him lying on the floor, a pool of blood indicating that unfortunately he is lifeless, his eyes pointing to the exit  and one of his hands clinging to his neck , trying to stop the bleeding. That was a stab wound, clean and quick.

Barou sharpens his senses, trying to discover if the attacker is still at the scene or if he has already fled, not seeing or hearing anything that makes him suspect that someone else is in the basement.

Afterwards, his reddish eyes look through the bars, searching Kira with his eyes.

What he manages to see leaves him frozen.

A body hangs from the ceiling, his hands trying with all their might to free themselves from the rope tied around his neck, several moans for air coming from his lips.

Seeing him in the shadows, the boy moves desperately, asking for help with his body language. He really looked pleading, too much for someone with his crimes.

The guard makes no attempt to move, leaving the ex-suitor to suffer for a few more seconds, feeling the agony of death calling to him.

As soon as he sees that Kira is about to lose consciousness, Barou finally approaches, opening the door to hold the boy with his two arms and save him from dying, cutting the rope with the dagger of his belt.

"Who did this to you?" He asks sternly, the prisoner's brown eyes fixing on a spot outside the cell, pointing at something.

As soon as the guard turns to it is too late, hearing the sound of metal from the door being whipped and locked. On the other side, a tall, thin figure watches them, his black eyes being the only thing visible under the robe.

Only then, Barou's brain processes everything that is happening.

The guard immediately releases Kira, who falls to the ground with a thud, staying there like a lifeless doll.

"Who the fuck are you? Get away from my prince!" he  shouts, lunging at the bars, but unable to move them one bit. The figure walks away, fearing that he can see his face in the dim light.

"... But he's not your prince anymore, or is he, Barou?"  He sneers, causing the guard's blood to boil. "We will not support a king like him"

His voice is sharp and gloomy, Barou remembers hearing him somewhere, but any sound would be heard that way in such a miserable environment, so he couldn’t get carried away only by that.

"Watch his back, because we come for his crown"

And the man begins to walk, leaving behind the black-haired guard, that violently hits the metal, looking for a way out.

"I won't let you get away with it! I will protect him! "

The stranger stops for a moment, his macabre laughter echoing through the walls.

"Oh, you're sure?" It's the last thing he says, stepping out of his range of vision as he gets lost in the darkness.

The guard stands there, locked in, banging on the stone wall to release all his stress. He wouldn't let them lay a hand on Isagi.

First, they would have to pass over his corpse.

Chapter Text

Itoshi Rin had lived in the palace for 16 years. To say that it was like his second  home might fall short for people who didn’t know him, but the reality was that Rin had never considered that damn place as a home, but, as the cage that held his brother captive.

Sae and he had been close, since Rin was born, his older brother had always been there for him, accompanying him in any adventure, supporting him with his dreams and giving him all his love and affection.

Their parents were royal ambassadors, their job being to handle issues of the different provinces of Japan, so, they were almost never with them, leaving the two brothers growing up together among royalty, only having each other.

He still remembered the promise they had made, as if they had made it yesterday and not 10 years ago.

It had been a particularly hard day for the youngest, he had just received a scolding from his mother for talking too much at one of the royal balls, having said some inappropriate things in front of someone important.

He was barely a 6-years-old boy, but his parents had always demanded that he behave like an adult, his small and inexperienced mind not  understanding why he couldn’t play, laugh and talk nonsense like other children his age.

In the afternoons, while he spent his time in the library with his tutor, learning about culture, economy and history, the shouts of joy of Prince Isagi and his friends, who played ball or some other children's game, filtered through the window.

Little Rin always asked why he couldn't play with them, but everyone told him that he had to work very hard if he wanted to be successful and that he didn't have time to spend on insignificant things like having fun.

Now that his mother was yelling at him, calling him incompetent for not having followed exactly the instructions he had  been given,  Rin was lost in thought, trying to figure out why they were scolding him if he had only said what it went through his mind, not intending to offend anyone.

That's when he realized that the adult world was fake, full of flattery and empty words, spoken only with the aim of getting something in return, in this case, connections that would be useful later.

And his parents, who were part of that world, would never understand his childish desire to be himself and say the things he wanted.

In that instant, all the illusions of his child brain died, at the hands of his parents.

After a blow had been scarred on his lower back, where clothes would cover it, his mother had forced him to leave, leaving Rin crying silently, lost in the hall.

Sae had found him, carrying him in his arms even though he could hardly hold him and carrying him into the darkness, while saying comforting words to calm him down.

He cured him, putting an ointment on his skin so that the bruise would fade quickly and then wrapped him up, starting to read him a children's book so he would forget about the bad time and fall asleep.

"Brother, why do they hate me?" Rin asked him once the story was over, hiding a part of his little face between the sheets. "I can never do what I want, I just do what they tell me"

"They don't hate you; they just want the best for you," Sae replies, his voice monotonous but caressing his hair.

"But I don't want to be like they say! I just want to go out and play with Prince Isagi's friends, why can he enjoy his afternoon while I must stay to study?" He exclaims, pouting.

"He is the prince, he has his own responsibilities that he takes care of fulfilling and his benefits, if you want to have his freedoms you must be just as powerful," Sae explains, although he seems to be repeating a speech, it was probably something his parents had told him before.

In the end, the redhead was also an 8-years-old boy, but he, due to all the faith placed on his back and having to take care of his little brother, had matured very quickly, his language and way of behaving being unbecoming of a boy of his age.

"So, if I got to be the future king, could I go out and play with you all day?"

Sae holds back a chuckle, his green eyes bright.

"No, but if you were king, our parents would be very happy."

"Would you be too?" For Rin, that's all he cares about. But his brother does not answer him. "That way, would you be proud of me?" The black-haired boy insists, getting up from his bed to hold his brother's hands.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. Anyway, being king sounds like something impossible."

"I'll make it possible! Even if I have to marry that spoiled child, I promise I will become the king!"  Rin exclaims with determination "In return, promise me that you will always be by my side"

The redhead thinks about it for a second, but nods.

"I promise"

And it is then, when his memory becomes blurred,  maybe he was too tired and fell asleep halfway through conversation, clinging to his elder brother's hand.

Perhaps Sae forgot that promise, thinking that Rin wouldn’t remember it, years passing and them growing up, until there was not even the memory of their childhood. But the youngest always kept it in his mind, thinking that he could go through any difficulty if he had his beloved brother by his side.

However, as soon as Sae had taken the position of royal advisor, suddenly everything had plummeted without any explanation, Rin ceasing to see his brother for very long periods of time and getting nothing but indifference from him.

He didn't understand what had happened, one day counting on Sae's unconditional love and the next simply being a hindrance to him, his annoying younger brother.

And he missed him, very much, he was barely 14 years old and he was alone in that enormous castle, never receiving visits from anyone, neither his parents nor his brother.

Books had been his companion during this time, finding stories that distracted him from his pain and sorrow, reading fantastic tales of brothers working together to save a world behind a closet, of sisters going about their day-to-day life while their father fought in the war.

Why did the characters in his books have such a good family relationship and he was sitting on the  floor, shedding tears on the papers while longing to have Sae by his side?

Did he deserve that?

The Rin of that time thought not, but his parents had told him otherwise, in one of those routine calls to give him orders on what to do, what to say and with whom to relate.

"Sae is now with people of higher category, Rin, he has no time for you because you are still a nobody" His heart broke at those words, feeling the rejection of his brother and parents only because he hadn't achieved anything yet.

He was still the young son of the Itoshi’s and Sae was the royal advisor. Of course, his brother would rather be with royalty than with him.

All this was proved on his 15th birthday, a sunny autumn in which going out to the garden was ideal, the wind moving the withered leaves.

Rin expected Sae's visit that day, at least a little congratulations from him, but it never came, the hours passing as he waited for him sitting on the floor of his balcony, his head between the railings so he could see the trees mocking him.

Late at night, when he had resigned himself that his brother was not going to see him, he saw them, walking along the paths with the lights of the lanterns and fireflies following them.

Isagi Yoichi, the prince of his nation, hung on Sae's arm, his hair disheveled and watery eyes indicating that he was not feeling well, staggering with every step he took. The redhead wasn't smiling, he didn't even seem to want to be there, but for some reason, his green eyes looked sympathetic, softening at the sight of the boy falling apart in his arms.

Suddenly, Isagi was just hugging his elder brother's neck, his wails and sobs being so loud that even Rin could hear them. Sae made no effort to push him away, putting his arms behind his back to comfort him.

The youngest of the Itoshi’s felt jealous, he had not received a hug from his brother for years and that mediocre prince was crying on his shoulder, in a way so inappropriate for someone of his position that disgusted him.

Did he deserve his brother's affection? Just because he was the prince?

He had never liked Isagi, his personality being too soft and boring for his liking, but now that he had seen him next to Sae, a deep hatred grew inside him, the voices in his head telling him that someone so incompetent could not be taking away his quality time with his brother.

From there, Rin began to hide his emotions, developing an icy countenance that hid the tornado of feelings he wanted so much to release, crying every night until he fell asleep.

He had become a disaster inside, but on the outside, he fulfilled everything his parents told him, tying ties with important people and creating a name for himself, the prodigious Itoshi Rin, the perfect boy.

"He's so smart" "So handsome" "He's good for everything" he heard them say about him, everyone approaching to try to take advantage of his fame. That's how it was in high society, everyone always wanting to have more power, more money, more allies.

Rin became a puppet of his parents to gain recognition, so that the name of the Itoshi’s will resonate in the minds of nobles and politicians. And he really went out of his way to please them.

Unfortunately, it was not enough, because everyone always expected more  than he gave them, his parents always ordering him more and more and his brother not even turning to look at him. 

It was frustrating, getting nothing in return for everything he was sacrificing, his fists clenching tightly and his eyes getting emotionless whenever people  mentioned his qualities, not caring about the opinion of those extras.

He just wanted his brother to congratulate him, recognize his successes and be as close as when they were little.

But, after a year of behaving exactly as everyone in his life expected, he realized that was never going to happen. No one was ever going to see him as the best, not when Isagi Yoichi existed.

Why associate with the surly and perfect son of the Itoshi’s when you could talk to the approachable prince of Japan?

His power was superior to his, his position inherited by birth but bringing many more benefits that Rin couldn't even imagine, something he couldn't have no matter how hard he tried.

The prince was beautiful, his blue eyes for some reason causing men and women to fall at his feet, his sweet and kind personality contrasting completely with the fierce way in which he took care of his enemies.

Everything Rin tried so hard to achieve, Isagi got it just by entering the room, everyone's gazes focusing on the prince and forgetting about anyone else.

As much as he wished for it at night, Rin would never be him. And he didn't want to marry him either, even if he had promised it to his brother.

But the straw that broke the camel's back was when finally, after 2 full months without even seeing his face, Sae deigned to step on his room, his arms crossed and his indifferent face in its usual place.

"Rin" had called him, his name sounding like a nuisance to pronounce for the way he had said it.

Rin hadn’t looked into his eyes, too much tension in his body posture.

"What do you want?"

Sae was standing in the middle of the room, looking at his brother sitting with a book in his hands; "Hamlet" could be read in the cover, some of the papers stained with drops of salt water.

"Father and mother asked me to come and see you, apparently you have been behaving strangely" he says and Rin’s blood burns in his veins, his eyes giving him a sharp look.

"Strange in what way? I always comply with everything they ask" The redhead doesn’t respond, knowing that his brother knows exactly what he means "It seems that they are never satisfied with anything"

The two are silent, the atmosphere heavy and dense. Neither seemed to want to talk and after a few minutes, Rin leaves the book on his bedside table, standing up to face his older brother.

Despite being 2 years younger, Rin is clearly taller and with a larger  build, but Sae doesn't look a little intimidated, his brow frowning in displeasure.

"Do you come to see me just because they asked you to?" He asks, not being able to avoid the tone of disappointment.

"Why else would I?"

Something in Rin broke, or rather, his already broken heart shakes, the pieces moving between his bowels, causing him great pain.

"Maybe because I'm your younger brother? Or did you forget about that too?  You promised that we would always be together" He bitterly speaks, the hope he still harbored evaporating along with his affection for Sae.

"You remember that?"

"Of course, I do! I have always been waiting for you to look at me! Making you think I was worth it was my goal, I wanted you to be proud of me! "

Sae's green eyes darken.

"Why would I be proud of someone as weak as you? You're lukewarm, Rin. Did you think that if you became powerful and famous, I would come back to read you bedtime stories and hug you every time father and mother shout at you?" Sae's decision falters a little when he sees an indescribable pain on his brother's face, but he continues, becoming increasingly mean "Now you are nothing but the living reflection of our parents, their prodigious little Itoshi Rin, you disgust me completely. I'd rather you were never born than see you become a soft, stupid kid looking for my attention."

Rin is unable to respond him, the ground moving under his feet and his legs failing him, not falling to his knees just because of his incredible willpower. His eyes itch but he refuses to shed one more tear, striving to turn all his disappointment into hatred and anger, his cheeks turning red from all the fury.

"After everything I did for you..." He murmurs, the redhead rolling his eyes over the words.

"I never asked you to do anything for me." He spits rudely "Get over it, Rin, now we are both from different worlds, you will continue to daydream about the old days and I will become the best advisor Japan has ever seen. I will forget that you are my brother from today, you should forget about me too and focus on what is truly important."

And Rin, instead of arguing, turns around, starting to take all his belongings out of the closet, throwing things on the floor and listening to them shatter.

“…What are you doing?" Sae questions him, having the decency to look surprised by the outburst.

"I'm leaving, it's no use me being here, I'll go to dream with the old days away from you" he tells him and start to throw things inside a suitcase, not even stopping to see what he is carrying.

His brother... No... Sae just watches him, not trying to stop him or do anything about it, his arms crossed.

As soon as Rin thinks it has been enough, she puts on his shoes and grabs the book he was reading earlier, giving the  redhead one last look. Inside, the boy wanted Sae to try to keep him from leaving, to ask for forgiveness and to agree to keep his promise again.

But it was wanting too much.

"...Do what you want" It's the last thing he says and Rin leaves the room slamming the door.

To any nobleman you asked, he could tell you the funny story of the younger brother of the Itoshi’s walking out the main gate of the castle at midnight, with a suitcase with clothes hanging and his hair messy.

But none know the story of the Itoshi's older brother, kneeling among the pieces of glass on the floor to rescue a photo from a portrait frame. In it, the two Itoshi’s, 10 and 12 years old respectively, were in the library, books surrounding them, Rin leaning on his shoulder so he could see the illustrations of the book he was reading to him.

"Hansel and Gretel" had always been his brother's favorite book.

Sae kept the photograph, but his motives are unknown to everyone, but him.

...

Of course, Rin had had trouble after rushing out of the palace and arriving at his parents' house in the early morning. He didn't really want to go there, but he knew that in the house there was only the servitude;  his parents were on a 2-month business trip in a province far from Tokyo and didn’t plan to return anytime soon, even if they had been warned about their youngest son's rebelliousness.

Anyway, nothing saved him from telephone scolding, insults, threats and bribes. But Rin didn’t give his arm to twist, looking determined to never return to the palace.

After two months, when his parents returned, he had already planned the perfect excuse to get rid of his punishment.

He told them that he had already perfected his relations with all the nobles residing in the palace, now thinking of expanding his horizons to important people from other provinces, so that he could gain influence everywhere and not only in the capital.

He sold it in a way that it was promising, using the skills they themselves had taught him, lying and offering them something in return that interested them enough to leave everything else in oblivion.

If his parents didn't believe him, they didn't say anything about it, letting him stay on the condition that he really put effort into relating with powerful people, which he didn't like at all, but it was better than being close to Sae.

He really hated him, with all his soul, crying out for vengeance every time he went to sleep. But he couldn't find a way to shake up his world, Sae was so indifferent to things that it would have destroyed someone else. For him, the problems were only a small setback.

Rin needed something that would really jeopardize his status, something that would make him feel just as insecure as he had been.

His opportunity presented itself, with the letter of the selection.

As soon as he had the piece of paper in his hands, suddenly his mind began to plot the perfect revenge. Finally, he would force Sae to look at him, he’ll make him realize that he should not have underestimated his little brother and regret everything.

He was going to show him that he did keep his promises.

His parents were happy with his decision to participate, having Sae arrange the ballot boxes so that only his name could be chosen among Tokyo's suitors.

That part wasn't much to his liking, but it was all for a greater cause. Besides,  as far as he knew, his brother didn't know that it was all his plan, so he let him think that his parents had devised it against his will.

Rin was going to marry Prince Isagi and become king. He would win the stupid selection and prove to everyone how valuable and powerful Itoshi Rin was.

Much more powerful than his brother, who would have to beg in order to keep his position and ask for his mercy.

Once he recognized him, everything would return to how it was before and he wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in his way.

However, things had not gone as Rin had planned.

He had been in the selection for two days and already wanted to tear out his eyes with a fork of such falsehood floating through the air.

Most of the suitors –if not all of them– were there just for the crown, trying to please Prince Isagi with cheesy phrases and empty promises, which Rin did not intend to do no matter how much he also wanted to win. It would be hypocritical to complain about his intentions when he too wasn't there for the prince, but at least he was sincere with his feelings. The others were just deceiving themselves.

The most disgusting thing was that Isagi seemed to believe it, blushing at any compliment as if he hadn't received thousands since he was born.

The prince was disgusting, increasingly confirming it after the short conversations they had had.  Even though it had been almost two years since he had seen him, he was still the same spoiled, gullible, weak child he knew.

His heart was completely against having to fall in love with that inept prince.

Nor is it as if Rin was a Casanova, not being able to get along with Isagi, who surely was not accustomed to the coldness and hatred of his gaze. But now that he had finished reading "10 Steps to Making Someone Fall in Love with you" he felt ready to put advice into practice.

All to prove to Sae that he could also make sacrifices for success.

In 2 hours, it was the first report , in which the ranking of the first phase of the selection would be announced and Rin was confident that there he would see his brother again. He was not nervous; he was more concerned about the ranking of the selected ones than about Sae.

He wouldn't blame Isagi for putting him in a low position, in the end it was a competition and he hadn't proven to be a good suitor yet. He was certain that his past successes would help him move through the phase, but there was also the case that the prince simply didn't want anything with him –just like himself- and he eliminate him.

If it were to happen, it would really bother him, but it would be completely his fault.

From now on he would do his part to conquer the prince, fulfilling his promise and his revenge once and for all.

...

The maidens who had dressed him were like a blurred stain in his memory, he hadn't even bothered to learn their names, they were insignificant to him, just like the other suitors.

He vaguely remembered the white-haired man who had been so stupid to attempt to assassinate the prince and his brave and childish savior, Bachira Meguru. But from there on out, they were all just stones in his path, it was not  worth it remembering names of eliminated persons.

Even Bachira, which had defied him the day they met, was just one more threat to eliminate, replete with unfounded confidence that would be his downfall. No matter how much the prince liked you, if he had learned anything from royalty it was that they could never choose for themselves.

The real key to winning the selection was to please the council, having Isagi in the palm of his hand would only make things easier.

Thanks to this, Rin was millions steps ahead of almost all the suitors, having fame, fortune and a recognized surname. All those pieces that he hated so much, would now be his tools to prove that he could be the best future king.

Only,  there were some suitors that he should have in his sights, like that purple-haired boy and his damn company or the idiot German prince. Because, if they managed to please the public, the council and the prince, then he was screwed.

But now, watching everyone in the recording studio, dressed in a turquoise suit and a black tie, he could make out several who should be eliminated as soon as possible.

Some were falling from nerves, about to vomit or something similar, no wood to be king; Others had cero fashion sense, or their maids didn't know how to dress them, whatever, wearing fluorescent suits looked horrible, more on camera;  Several were simply ugly, unpleasing to the eye and that - although they wanted to deny it - was also important.

He could even see Bachira wearing yellow sneakers with little drawings that didn’t match the suit at all. Was that really the boy who had so confidently challenged him the day before?

On other hand, Michael Kaiser, was again dressed as if he had put on his entire wardrobe, his cape being even bigger than his ego, with red decorations and  gold-plated shoulder pads. His servant behind him, as if he were his shadow.

The only one who looked more or less decent was Mikage Reo, who had opted for a sober suit with a purple shirt and a black tie; It was clear that at least he did know what he was doing.

The point was that as much as they wanted to make this show entertaining for the masses, it was quite clear who were going to be the finalists of the selection, the elite.

But surprises were the order of the day and one the few useful things his parents had taught him was that, in this business, you are never sure of anything.

He wouldn’t be careless; This was just the beginning.

Once the suitors were seated on their respective tribune, thousands of cameras pointed at them, the king, along with the prince's parents and council members take their places, the audience cheering and revering them.

So far, there is no trace of Isagi. But he can see Sae, sitting very straight next to the king. He doesn't turn in his direction and Rin decides to ignore him as well.

Later, he would force him not to take his eyes off him.

Then, the national anthem plays, a screen showing them what all of Japan is watching.

Rin almost never saw the report, not being necessary if he practically found out about everything in advance, but of course he knew how it worked.

The main news was boring and short, half of the set biting his nails from nerves. When Jinpachi Ego's triumphal entry finally began, everyone shouted with emotion, rising from their seats to applaud him.

Rin didn't get up, that guy had always given him a bad thorn.

"Good evening, unpolished gems, welcome to Japan's weekly report, presented to you by your server, Jinpachi Ego" he begins, with his usual phrase.

Beside him, the breathing of a boy with curly black hair is cut off, too disturbed to be able to realize that he is turning red from lack of air.

Apparently, cameras were starting to focus on their faces, showing the suitors one by one. Some try to smile, but the only thing that comes out is a strange grimace, there are also some who seem accustomed to the cameras, posing like they are models.

When his turn comes, Rin strives to give his best face of annoyance and exasperation, but the exclamations of surprise indicate that even so, his appearance is just as impressive as ever.

"Afterward the first and second day in the selection, after passing the first impressions and conversations, our dear Prince Isagi has come to know these 46 wonderful young boys and has begun to judge the best of them, wanting to share with all of you the first announcement of ranking of the selection, in which we will have the elimination of 16 selected ones, and we will discover the top 1, the suitor who has taken a vote of confidence from the prince and has managed to arouse his interest" Ego explains, his black eyes shining behind his glasses "Stay with us to be part of this wonderful moment and let's give a strong applause to His Majesty, the Crown Prince, Isagi Yoichi"

Everyone shouts the name of their prince, the black-haired man in question entering through one of the doors of the study, followed as always by Barou Shoei, his lapdog.

Rin must admit that his suit is a wonderful piece of haute couture, the crown with sapphires embedded over his hair and a light blue cape fluttering behind his back.

Isagi seems overwhelmed by so much noise, smiling foolishly as was his custom when he was nervous. His stomach skips a beat at the sight of it, but he refuses to dig too far into why.

"Here is the man of the moment! How are you, your highness? It's been a while since we've spoken."

"It's only been a week, Mr. Ego," Isagi replies and for some reason seems to need help from Barou to stand up, his hands clasped so that the shorter one can rest his weight on the guard's arm.

That detail doesn’t escape to Ego at all, who points it out almost maliciously.

"Are you okay, your highness?"  He asks and many suitors changes their faces to one of concern.

"I fell down the stairs, it's nothing serious, please don't worry" Isagi calm they down and straightens up, showing that he is apparently fine.

"Please be more careful your majesty, your integrity is the most important thing for our nation" And then, Ego continues with his dialogues, showing that he really couldn’t care less about the state of health of the prince "Changing the subject, I understand that today you had a date, am I wrong?"

Isagi's blushes and Rin suffers indigestion just from seeing him.

"In fact, the lucky one is here present, young Bachira Meguru. Do you have any words about your date with the prince?"

On the other side of the stand, cameras point to a smiling Bachira, who stands up so that the lights can hit him full.

"It was spectacular, Isagi really went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and special during the time we spent together, he is a very good conversationalist and a considerate person with everyone around him. I think that after this, I  have come to glimpse the real prince and I am very excited to get to know him more during my time in the selection" He speaks warmly, Rin sending him a scathing look at how terribly corny he sounds.

Isagi gives him a wink and thanks him with a nod, adding nothing else to the conversation.

"Very sweet..." Ego expresses, frowning "We have some photographs of that moment that will be shared by the magazine -Blue lock- in a week, in it you can find out all the details about the date, narrated by the prince himself" As always, the advertising couldn’t be missing. "But now, we move on to what brings us all together here, the ranking of the first phase of the selection"

Then a screen starts to come out of the floor, just behind Ego and Isagi. In it, the words "Top 29-11" could be read.

"I will explain how this will work, we will start announcing the survivors of low ranks, leaving  the top 30 for the end of the broadcast, as a small surprise" He says, with an evil smile "Then we will announce from top 10 to 1, the guys who will make up the provisional elite and will earn an additional benefit, do you want to know what it is?" He asks and the audience shouts in unison "The 10 suitors of the elite will be able to be present at the prince's birthday ball, which will be held in a week, being able to interact with members of the Japanese royalty and spend much more time with his majesty"

Many selected ones look excited about this, but Rin couldn't care less about this privilege; to begin with, he had already attended most of Isagi's birthday parties and these always ended in disaster, for some unknown reason.

He remembers the party number 12, where several nobles had fought over a foolish thing and ended up throwing the cake, their suits and the floor full of white meringue. On the 14th birthday, the central chandelier plunged to the  ground due to lack of maintenance and had shattered against the dance floor, thankfully, without resulting in deaths or serious injuries.

It was as if the first of April was a cursed date, bad luck chasing the prince whenever he had a birthday.

"And well, the night is short, so we better start with the announcement of the ranking, please suitors, once your name is mentioned, go to the bottom of the stage, next to your photo on the screen" He indicates and from his pocket he takes out an envelope, which apparently contains the results "We will start with the top 29"

Suspenseful music echoes in the studio, everyone tense up as Ego rips the envelope and pulls out a sheet of paper, slowly unfolding it.

"Gurimu Igarashi, from Ibaraki, six"

A bald guy with so little elegance that it frightens him raises his arm as if he had just won the world cup, jumping up and shouting the most vulgar things that have entered Rin's ears. Please, someone tell him this was a joke.

<In the top 28, Aiki Himizu, from Miyagi, three>

<Top 27, Akira Endoji, Province of Shiga, five>

Ego continues announcing the suitors, leaving a small waiting time for the boys to form in front of the screen, his name coming out triumphantly with golden letters  

<Top 26, Sokura Tetsu, from Fukuoka, four >

<Top 25, Nishioka Hajime, Osaka, five>

The personalities and appearances of the suitors are varied, from very imposing people with serious faces to smiling and kind young boys. Their castes are also diverse, because, although the majority of the selected ones are threes or fours, they are also persons of lower castes.

Obviously, this is done to keep any citizen, regardless of their socioeconomic position,  pending the selection, supporting the suitor with whom they identify or like the most, not necessarily the one from their own province.

In addition, as the majority of the population are fours, fives and sixes, it was important that they remain in the competition or riots would be caused in the prefectures, alleging discrimination. Everything was perfectly calculated, to sell a fairytale to the Japanese people.

<In top 24,  Kiyora Jin, from Nara, six>

<Top 23,  Reiji Hiiragi, Mie Prefecture, five>

<Top 22, Raichi Jingo, from Tottori, six>

Between announcements, the cameras also focus on the king and Isagi's parents, who are very attentive to the surviving suitors, perhaps having already found a favorite to support.

<In top 21, Aoshi Tokimitsu, Shimane Province, three>

<Top 20, Shizuka Haiji, from Ooita, four>

<Top 19, Haruhiko Yuzu, from Ehime, two>

For his part, Isagi – who surely already knew the ranking beforehand – was not paying attention at all, getting paler and staggering in the arms of Barou, who is about to send everything to hell and carry the prince on his shoulders to stop him from making effort.

Rin had never quite understood what was between the two, as a guard-prince relationship clearly was not. He always suspected that they were lovers, but  confirming it never seemed important to him. Now he would have liked to know, because he needed to consider whether Barou posed a threat to his plan or could leave him out of it.

Surely, the black-haired guard would be a formidable opponent, having years of advantage compared to any other selected one, but theirs was forbidden and a complete betrayal of his kingdom, so, unless Isagi was crazy, he didn’t think he had to worry about him.

<In top 18, Gagamaru Gin, from Aichi, six>

 <Top 17, Tsunzaki Taiga from Aomori province, three>

<Top 16, Aryu Jyubei, Shizuoka, three>

Almost finished announcing the lower ranks, those who have not yet been called are desperate to get a place in the second phase, harboring the hope of being part of the elite or being the last survivor of the night.

<In top 15, Oliver Aiku, from Tokushima Province, five>

<Top 14, Nanase Nijiro, of Gifu, four>

<Top 13, Otoya Eita, from Kouchi province, five>

<Top 12, Karasu Tabito, from Miyazaki province, three>

And Ego, leaving an air of mystery for more drama, finally pronounces the last name on the piece of paper, keeping it in one of his pockets.

"And finally, in the top 11, Yukimiya Kenyu, from Gunma province, two"

Many suitors begin to shed tears, covering their faces with their hands so as not to make a fool of themselves on national television.

He can also watch an orange-haired boy crosses his fingers behind his back, muttering a prayer or something to calm down, whatever. Two boys, one with cyan hair and the other with pink hair braided over his head, are with their hands intertwined, giving each other moral support.

Others are angry, already beginning to curse and threaten to create a scandal and, for Rin, this is the most cowardly thing they can be doing, because maintaining dignity is the best way to face defeat.  Less reason for them to stay in a competition that is so big for them.

At least he can recognize that Bachira is still smiling despite everything, balancing on the seat. His self-confidence is overwhelming.

Another who seems zero disturbed by the situation is Kaiser, who is reclining in the seat with a smile, having a drink in his hand that who knows where he has gotten from.

Mikage Reo seems to be wearing a poker face, a cute and kind smile between his lips, Rin's himself not being able to figure out what he is feeling.

But the most extreme thing you can see is a white-haired boy falling asleep, covering his eyes so that the light from the spotlight doesn’t hit his face.

"Moving on, we will leave the top 10 for the end and continue with the top 9, which will be the first lucky one to accompany the prince at his birthday party"  Ego mentions, everyone paying maximum attention to him "This guy has certainly  won people's hearts with his heartbreaking past and incredible personality, currently ranked third in the official popularity poll and we hope he will find his way to Prince Isagi's heart in a better way, from now on."

From the description, it is obvious who he is.

"In top 9, Kunigami Rensuke, from Akita, Six"

The man gets up surprised and almost all of the suitors look happy with the  result, also receiving ovations from the public.

The reason why a boy from a lower caste got such a high position is pure marketing, just to keep the masses happy. But Isagi looks pleased, with the soft heart he has, it is obvious that he argued for Kunigami to be among the elite and, it was allowed, only because of the popularity that the suitor has.

"Now, the next selected one is someone who was very popular during his school days, according to sources, got the lead role in an international play and managed to win several archery championships when he was 15 years old.  He is one of the suitors with the best grades and highest recognitions, we will see if he can also get the heart of the prince. In the top 8, Nagi Seishiro, from Shizuoka Province, three.”

The white-haired boy who was falling asleep gets up, walking lazily until he perches on his side of the screen, his height diminished by how he hunches over. It is hard to believe that this lazy person is all that is said about him.

The applause is hesitant, because although Nagi is well recognized, he also has a very bad reputation for his personality.

"For the top 7, we have the son of some very talented and hardworking musicians, having given several violin and cello concerts at the national auditorium of Japan with his son, who is a perfect piano composer. He is Ikki Niko, from Iwate province, five."

That decision does surprise him, because Niko is not someone who had so many contacts or popularity, maybe they had another plan for him. If he had to guess, he'd say he'd been chosen to create drama or something like that.

"Following, the top 6 is a suitor of great beauty and fame, son of Olympic athletes who have brought grands awards to our nation, he himself,  has been champion of several disciplines in the national games and now, intends to win the heart of the prince with his skills and charms. In sixth place, Hiori Yo, Tochigi's suitor, two"

Hiori stands up and goes to his position, looking relieved but also with darkened eyes; He doesn't seem to be very happy with his position, but he can't figure out if it's because he wanted to be higher... or lower.

So far everything is going as planned, the elite being characters with great power, renown or something to contribute to the kingdom.  Based on that, he can tell who will be selected next.

"In top 5, a guy with a great knowledge in jewelry, precious stones and costume jewelry, if I understand correctly, right now the prince is wearing one of the pieces designed by him, which was given to him during their first conversation as a detail" Ego says and the camera focuses a small gold and sapphire pendant on the prince's neck. That had been a smart strategy. "For our fifth place, Kurona Ranze, from Hokkaido, four"

The guy is cute, short and thin with his braided pink hair on one side and pointed teeth that give him a tender appearance. Isagi greets him when he sees that he is going down and the suitor returns the greeting, they seem to get along.

It is obvious that he is quite rich, since in the castes, the most deceptive had always been the fours, who were usually in charge of economic activities and could earn a lot of money.

Most of those who became millionaires paid to move up in caste, but there were also those who didn’t, so many fours were even more powerful than the twos.

"Going on, in fourth place is who the whole nation considers the most beautiful  suitor of the whole selection, his beautiful eyes and silky hair having captivated all of Japan from the moment we paid our attention to him. In the top 4 is Chigiri Hyoma, Kagoshima's suitor, three."

The redhead smiles to the camera and half the studio melts before his pink orbs,  Bachira doesn’t stop moving his hands towards his friend, wishing him good luck and congratulating him for such a high position in the selection.

Surely, people considered Chigiri to be a very good ornament king for Japan, just being there to look pretty and please his husband in whatever he needed, but the redhead was very intelligent, Rin vaguely remembering that he had prevented Kira from bleeding in the middle of the room after being stabbed.  If he became king, it was clear that he would not allow himself to be trampled by prejudices towards his beauty.

"We finally got to the big leagues, so far, are you having a good time, sons of Japan?" The roars of encouragement are too loud for his liking, he expected them to hurry to announce the others or he would start to get annoyed "For our great third place, he is one of the most influential guys in politics today, being the son of very important figures for our kingdom and having obtained compliments even from the king of Japan himself"

Rin rolls his eyes at his description, looking so coldly at those present that a chill runs down their spine.

"Known for his glacial gaze, which you can clearly see right now, in the top 3, the young Itoshi Rin, from Tokyo, two"

People applaud him, too admired with him to do anything else. The sound is solemn, and there are so many people to pay attention to, but his eyes are only looking for Sae, who is also watching from the rostrum, judging him.

It seems that there is disappointment in his eyes, but at that distance, Rin wants to believe that he imagined it.

It didn't matter what Sae felt now, because when he became king, his opinion wouldn't matter anymore and he would just have to listen to him.

"For making this more interesting, I will announce the  two candidates for the top number one simultaneously, those who have managed to overcome the 46 pretenders thanks to their talents and dealings with the prince, those who are one step ahead of placing a crown on their heads."

Now that Rin can see the suitors from below, in a more flattering position, he can see that there are only three left to fulfill his predictions. Reo, Kaiser and Bachira, seeing who of the three will be the top 1 interest him, because that will be the main enemy to defeat.

"The suitors selected to get the top 1 are... Prince Michael Kaiser and Mikage Reo!" The murmurs of confusion are not long in coming after the revelation of the candidates.

The selected ones look completely stunned, looking sideways at Bachira, who is still as smiling as ever, but their eyes look a little droopy from holding back tears.

Isagi instantly makes the effort to start walking towards him, but Barou holds him by the waist, not letting him go. Isagi does not struggle, but gives him  the most conciliatory look he has to Bachira, his mouth forming the words "I like you" but without pronouncing them.

"A big surprise, don't you think? Our top 1 will be one of  the richest, smartest and most powerful people in the world. Will he be the prince with a complete country behind him? Or will the charisma of the magnate be able to against his title? Let's find out after a small commercial break, don't leave."

In their homes, all the people watching released curses of frustration, the marketing team taking advantage to put at least 10 minutes of commercials.

Meanwhile, many climb to the stands to comfort Bachira, including Chigiri and Kunigami. From below, he can't hear what they told him, but Meguru denies embarrassedly, looking much better than people would think he was.

He didn't feel any sorry for him, having challenged him without knowing what game he was playing. That he was not top 1, showed how little power Isagi had over this and that gave him an advantage.

All that remained was to gain the prince's heart and his revenge would be complete.

Then, he can see that Reo also approaches Bachira, giving him a few words of encouragement. Pure strategy, but at least he had the decency to be a little embarrassed by the situation.

For his part, Kaiser seems to believe he has already won, greeting the crowd as if he was already being crowned. That damn cocky prince, he dislikes him worse than Isagi - And that was difficult - because it was clear that he hated his family and his brother; If Kaiser became king, they would have a lot of trouble, and Rin couldn't let someone like him get over him.

After the advertising time passed, the screen shows Ego again.

"Welcome back unpolishes gems, I’m sure everyone is very eager to meet the acclaimed provisional first place of the selection, isn't it?" Again, applause is heard on the set and Rin is about to leave halfway through the report for how stupid it sounds "Well, so as not to make you wait any longer, please, the two candidates come closer"

Reo and Kaiser stand side by side, Isagi right in the middle of them. Kaiser gives one of his arrogant glances to the prince, who even though he is about to faint has enough strength to show him how much he hates him, rolling his eyes.

Reo, on the other hand, approaches to leave a chaste kiss on his cheek, startling everyone and almost getting Barou to release the prince of the impression. Isagi smiles at him and seems to relax a little with something the suitor tells him.

It becomes clear that Reo is much smarter than everyone here.

"And in our first place, the man that has impressed Isagi the most in this short period of time is..."

Everyone doesn’t take their eyes off the screens and the music stops, the nation of Japan that day was mute, witnessing one of the most important moments in its history.

Rin watches Isagi and for some reason he looks back at him. They don't say anything to each other, but they understand everything. This top was totally manipulated by the counselors and Isagi couldn’t do anything about it.

"Mikage Reo! from Kanagawa Province, two"

Everyone bursts into cheers, Reo covering his face instantly to hide his tears of happiness, which Rin can notice, are not sincere; no one else notices, because the heir is a very good actor, his expressions perfectly calculated, but he is experienced in reading people and Reo was exactly the kind of person he hated to deal with.

Michael Kaiser is stunned, his mouth wide open to start screaming or throwing a tantrum. But he seems to restrain himself, calming down to smile humbly again and applaud the one who stole his first place.

He didn't know what he was waiting for, considering that Isagi hated him deeply and, most likely, did everything in his power to make sure Kaiser wasn't the first place.

After the study has calmed down, Ego walks to  the purple-haired boy to  award him with a small gold medal with the coat of arms of Japan decorating it, a star in the center to demonstrate his high rank and distinction. It is typical of royalty, Isagi also owns one and uses it in some important events.

"This is the symbol of the royal family, a sign that demonstrates their title and their legacy as kings that has been passed from generation to generation, now it belongs to you, temporarily, young Mikage, I hope you know how to carry this honor with dignity" He explains as he lights the brooch on his chest, the gold shining by the lights of the studio.

"I will take care of it with my life" Reo says, clearing his throat to be able to speak "This is a dream come true for me and I intend to play my role as a suitor in a better way every day. I want to thank the prince for his trust and affection, I know that there is still a long way to go, but I can say with certainty that I will give my best effort to be what the people and Prince Isagi need. Thank you very much"

His speech draws more applause, the young entrepreneur's popularity reaching the skies after everyone realized how amazing he is. He would be a good king, but not better than Rin.

"Finally, we arrived at the final stretch of the report, surely we were all waiting for this moment; The top 10, the last person to be part of the elite, will be revealed now" Again all eyes return to Ego "This boy is someone who deserves a place in the elite because of all the kindness he has shown, his bravery and courage helping him win the favor of the prince and even... to save his life. This suitor is the one who has the first place, in our hearts. Please welcome our top 10, Bachira Meguru, from Chiba, five."

He had never seen a more excited audience. Bachira receives much more acclaim than the first place, because everyone had seen how he loved the prince and he had actually sold them the most cloying love story he had ever been able to produce.

In reality, Meguru was a weirdo to him, a flaw in his system; I had never met a person as sincere, cheerful and childish as him, who opposed all the  information stored in the brain. He couldn’t understand how it is that someone so honest had survived in this world full of falsehood.

And Isagi finally seems to recover from his daze, looking at Bachira as if he was the last drop of water in the desert, and smiling from see him joyful.

They were pathetic, completely pathetic.

But, if that was what had worked to keep the prince so groggy, maybe he could learn a thing or two from Bachira.

"To say goodbye, I will announce the last of tonight's survivors, the lucky top 30 who has evaded elimination by a very thin margin. This person may not have fame or fortune, unknown to all the people present today, but he has known how to move his cards to remain in the selection, passing over many who surely believed themselves winners before knowing him. Loud applause for Shidou Ryusei of Yamagata, seven. Our last suitor standing! "

And, the suitor, a dark skin boy with dyed blond hair and the most diabolical eyes he has ever seen, walks slowly to his place, his hands in his pockets.

"The End" He utters as soon as he is on camera, with his deep and suffocating voice.

People boo him, perhaps because they believe he has taken a place away from his favorite, others just because they feel the evil aura of his person, but nothing seems to take the smile off his face, bowing a little when Isagi is in front of him.

Shidou came to break with all the rules and everything he had planned, his participation in the selection, was what made this was remembered, as the most dramatic of all time.

But what made Rin hate him as soon as he saw him was the look of interest that Sae gave him, something he had never received.

Chapter Text

Isagi was very impatient.

Sitting on the uncomfortable stretcher, all he could think about was the number of problems he had, and currently, falling down the stairs was the least of his worries.

It was the third time that week he visited the castle's infirmary, this time to have one of his ankles bandaged, which had been injured due to the fall.

The doctor said it wasn't anything serious, but it hurt as if it were. His head spinning from the impact of hitting the ground.

It had happened while he was descending towards the main hall, heading to the recording room where the report would take place. He was alone, having insisted that it would be faster without a companion, when Anri had offered to go with him. Now, he regretted denying his company.

Actually, Isagi was sure that fall has been his own fault, too much stress and pressure that made him lose track of where he was going, and he ended up misstepping on the marble stairs that led to the main hall, with his head and ankle bearing the brunt of the fall.

It was an unfortunate accident, but Barou was convinced it was another assassination attempt.

"I'm sure someone pushed you, your highness. You have never been clumsy, neither with your feet nor with your eyes. No matter how disoriented you were, you have walked the castle's halls thousands of times. It's impossible that you simply stumbled," he said, offering him a glass of water to ease the dizziness.

"I would have felt it, really, I promise you that this time it was just a careless mistake. My mind was elsewhere," Isagi denied, a little desperate for the doctor to finish examining his sprained ankle. The report had started about 10 minutes ago, and it was his duty to be there to announce the rankings of the suitors. "Please hurry, I need to be in the recording room in less than 15 minutes, or I'll miss the announcement," he urged the doctor, who immediately began applying the bandage faster.

His guard looked at him incredulously.

"Your highness, you're not leaving here until your ankle stops hurting."

"No, today is an important day, I can't afford to rest," he replied seriously, but Barou's firmness didn’t waver at all.

"You can injure yourself further, Ego can handle everything on his own."

Isagi shook his head, understanding that Barou was concerned, but it wasn't right for him to skip the report, and he would endure any pain for his people if he had to. What kind of heir would he be if he didn't?

"I'll worry everyone if I don't show up. I'm the Prince of Japan."

"You're also a human, you can be hurt like anyone else, and nobody should question that. Please understand that you need rest," Barou insisted, but Isagi looked at him in such a way that he already knew what his response would be, even before hearing it.

"I can't do that. The selected ones need me, my country needs me, and I'll do my duty even if I'm injured, sick, or dying," the prince declared, caring little about his well-being, and even in one of his worst moments, he still had the lucidity to say things like that.

The guard sighed heavily, running his hands over his face to wipe away the sweat. His expression was one of sorrow, trying to decide whether he should listen to his prince or prevent him from setting foot outside this room.

Internally, Isagi also wished to stay and rest, as he felt like he was about to faint, and he didn't think he could pay the necessary attention to the report, let alone participate actively. But for his honor, he couldn't miss it, and Barou seemed to understand that too.

"As soon as the stupid report is over, I'll escort you to your room and stay at the door until the doctor says you're completely healed. Understood?" he told him, and Isagi felt relieved.

Nobody understood him better than Barou, and he was glad that he could prioritize his duty over his love for him.

Once the doctor finished stabilizing his ankle, the prince tried to stand up, but the stabs of the torn muscle resulted in limited mobility and a pain that was almost unbearable.

For obvious reasons, he couldn't walk, so Barou's strong arms surrounded him, acting as support for him to move more comfortably.

And then, without realizing it, they were already in the studio, making a triumphant entrance and receiving the applause of over a thousand people in the stands, eagerly awaiting the words of their heir.

From there, everything else was like a blurry dream, the report turning into a complete disaster that he was already aware of and couldn't do anything to prevent.

Isagi only remembered two moments from the two hours he stood there, Barou's arms around his waist to prevent him from falling and the worried looks of everyone surrounding him.

First, he clearly remembered the expression of sadness in Bachira's beautiful golden eyes, his smile never faltering despite the tremendous robbery he had endured.

It truly hurt him to see Bachira like that, immediately feeling the urge to run to him and explain the whole situation. He had tried everything to keep him in the place where he belonged, but his efforts had been in vain.

As soon as he presented his ranking to the council, they almost instantly rejected it, making sure to organize it in a "better way" so it would be beneficial for the country.

Many suitors he didn't want to eliminate ended up outside the competition, while others he had already sent home were saved. His top 10 had completely changed order, removing his precious top 1 and pushing him to the bottom, as if Isagi didn't know what he wanted.

Then, the counselors had suggested putting Michael Kaiser in first place, giving him millions of reasons why he should be there, almost as if it were his birthright.

But Isagi wasn't going to allow that, using all his negotiation skills to convince the council that there was a perfect and better candidate for that position: Mikage Reo.

Isagi really like Reo, he was kind and sociable, handsome, very intelligent, and successful. Moreover, he knew him much better than any of the other suitors—except perhaps Bachira—and he knew that if the brown-haired, honey-eyed boy wasn't in the selection, Reo would be his favorite suitor.

His story and past had touched Isagi, instantly developing affection for him and a strong desire to see him happy again and overcome his ex-boyfriend. Putting him in the top 1 would help Reo understand his worth and that he deserved the best in the world.

On the other hand, he would prefer anyone else to be in first place rather than Michael Kaiser.

The council agreed to put Mikage in the top 1 mainly to keep the prince under control. It was obvious that their plan to make him marry Kaiser was still in motion, but they told themselves that there was still a long time before the prince made the ultimate decision. Later on, they would convince him to accept their proposal and marry the German prince.

In the end, they ended up putting Michael in top 2, which was still a high position, but it would prevent his ego from getting even bigger and becoming even more insufferable than he already was.

After announcing the winner of the first phase of the selection, everyone applauds, not doubting for a moment that something has been arranged, that their beloved prince has no control over his own selection.

That's why the second thing he remembers with complete clarity is Itoshi Rin, with their green eyes as cold as ice, looking in his direction while Ego announced the first place, indicating that he knew the truth, the manipulation the council had exerted over the ranking.

Rin had always been smarter than anyone he knew -Isagi even thought he was much smarter than Sae-. The fact that Rin noticed the strings controlling the selection was something the prince expected from the youngest of the Itoshi siblings, considering that he had personally witnessed how royal matters were handled.

What surprised him, though, was the small glimmer of understanding he could see in Rin's gaze, sympathizing with the prince.

Isagi wants to believe it was a hallucination, but what was completely real was what happened after the report ended. Something that made Isagi change his opinion about Itoshi Rin... for the better.

But that's a story for another day.

Top 10 (Isagi's Version):

1. Bachira Meguru
2. Mikage Reo
3. Chigiri Hyoma
4. Kunigami Rensuke
5. Kurona Ranze
6. Hiori Yo
7. Ikki Niko
8. Itoshi Rin
9. Nagi Seishiro
10. Michael Kaiser

Portrait by Bachira Meguru of the Prince of Japan, Isagi Yoichi.

Chapter Text

Hello! It's been a while :(
First I would like to apologize for disappearing without explanation and for so long, it has been almost a year since I started this story and although it was one of the things that motivated me the most and I liked doing, I abandoned it due to lack of time.
I currently live the life of a student-worker and have almost no time left. Furthermore, during the last few months I went through a breakup and the desire to write completely left me. However, after a journey of self-discovery, I have decided to return to my hobbies, including writing.
Currently I still like blue lock (which was one of the things that helped me stay afloat in these difficult months) and when I remembered this story, I wanted to go back to AO3.
I can't promise that I will write 10,000 words like before, nor with the same quality, but I hope that if you are still interested in reading this story you can join me on this journey.
Thank you very much if you waited! If not, don't worry, I completely understand <3 I love you all!
I hope to bring a new chapter soon! Probably at the end of April! And we'll see how this turns out <3

Ann.