[BL Fanfiction (R18)] The Prince in Love (17)
If you have any trouble, I'm always here to help.
I don't need it. I'm fine on my own.
Is that so... Arakita-san, please make sure you come back safe.
Yeah...
The man called Kuroda seemed to have gone home.
Arakita returned to the house.
Shinkai hurriedly went back to bed, pulled the covers over himself, and pretended to be asleep.
Click.
Arakita entered the bedroom.
...
Arakita stared at Shinkai's sleeping face.
He leaned in close and gently kissed Shinkai on the cheek.
He then got into bed and lay down with his back to Shinkai.
There was still some time before he had to return to the castle.
Thinking he would take a short nap, he closed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
"!!"
Arakita instinctively reached under the mattress.
He sprang from the bed and rolled forward.
He steadied himself with his back against the wall.
Click!
He aimed his gun at Shinkai.
"...!"
Shinkai's eyes widened as he watched the fluid, natural movement.
"Hah!"
Arakita wore an expression of regret at his own actions, which he had taken out of a conditioned reflex.
"What was that...? That movement of yours, it was like you'd been trained..."
Shinkai, who had frozen while sitting halfway up on the bed, asked with a look of surprise.
"..."
Arakita remained silent, still holding the gun.
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
The sound of their two heartbeats echoed through the room in the middle of the night.
"Just who... are you, Yasutomo..."
He asked, looking straight into Arakita's eyes.
"...Were you listening...?"
Arakita opened his mouth.
A single bead of sweat ran down his forehead.
"Plan B is... my assassination..."
"...!"
He found out....
Arakita resigned himself and lowered his gun.
"I am... a person from the Kingdom of Bianchi."
Arakita confessed while putting his gun away in his pocket.
"From Princess Maria's country...?"
Since the gun had been lowered, Shinkai sat back up on the bed.
"My true identity is a member of the Bianchi royal guard. ...In other words, a ninja. A unit that handles intelligence, covert operations... the country's dirty work."
"A ninja..."
"Princess Maria knows nothing. She probably never even dreamed that such a unit existed in her own country."
"Your master... wasn't my old man, but the King of Bianchi?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Shinkai asks about the things he is wondering about, one by one.
"Did you approach me... as a honey trap?"
"!! Don't be an idiot. If I were going to use a honey trap, I would have sent a kunoichi from the start."
Arakita denied it immediately.
"Ending up in a relationship like this with you... was completely unplanned..."
"..."
Hearing that, Shinkai's stiff expression softened slightly.
"The marriage arrangement between you and Princess Maria was decided months ago."
"...From that long ago?"
Arakita begins to explain.
"...My country, the Bianchi Kingdom, is being invaded by the neighboring country on the opposite side of this Cervélo Kingdom."
"...!"
"The military and my unit have been fighting to stop them the whole time. ...But with our national strength, we can't possibly compete. ...So, our King Bianchi resorted to a last resort."
"That means..."
"That's right. To be absorbed by your country, the Cervélo Kingdom. We are selling the whole country. ...King Cervélo promised to save the Bianchi Kingdom."
"My old man..."
Our King Bianchi dotes on his only daughter, Princess Maria, to an extreme degree. He was quite hesitant to marry her off to another country, but he made the decision for the sake of the nation's survival.
...
Once that was resolved, my unit immediately set out to investigate the Cervelo Kingdom. There were still several months of preparation before the wedding and the unification of the countries. We wanted to find out what kind of country was going to swallow ours up in the meantime.
...
Shinkai listened in silence.
But there was nothing to worry about. This Cervelo Kingdom was far more peaceful, prosperous, and wonderful than I had imagined. ...So, my unit decided to investigate Princess Maria's marriage partner next.
My...?
Princess Maria is a precious asset to our country. It would be a pity if her marriage partner turned out to be some good-for-nothing playboy.
Good-for-nothing playboy...
Shinkai slumped his shoulders, feeling sad.
I wanted to see the marriage partner for myself, so I volunteered for the investigation and went in alone. I was fired up, thinking that if he was a jerk, I'd re-educate him myself! By the way, King Cervelo doesn't know that I'm a spy from the Bianchi Kingdom.
Jerk...
Shinkai held his head in both hands.
But... the prince I actually met was...
Arakita stared at Shinkai and said.
He was a handsome, kind, sincere, and pure... nice guy...
"Yasutomo..."
Shinkai looks up.
"I... to someone like you..."
-- I've fallen for you --
Arakita swallowed those words.