ᴛᴡᴇʟғᴛʜ.

She stared down her food while listening to her twin brother and the King. She has no appetite but since they are at the castle and they are invited by the King, she has no choice but to go there. She is wearing the white gown with gold flower embroideries that the King gave as a gift. She paired it with her flower belt made with gold and sapphires. She felt the Prince's stares on her but she ignored it. She has no energy to deal with him or any of his antics. 

One of the reasons why the King doesn't want to know about Lady Fuyu is because he thinks that the Prince is still childish to handle such responsibilities like marriage and having a family. The King trusts her enough that she will be able to handle him once he decides to have them agree to the arranged marriage. These thoughts have been bothering the King lately. Sho is reaching his thirties soon and he's already old enough to make decisions for himself. 

The King received protests from the monarchs when he brought up the idea of Sho and Fuyu getting married in the future. They thought that the King was only thinking of that because they pity the twins for losing their parents during their childhood. It's more than that. The King felt like he owed the Hasegawa family when their parents died during the chivalry. They were part of the high-ranking Knights of the monarchy. They were given proper burial and honorarium and the twins got support from the monarchy. 

The twins are looking at the simpler side. They received the manor and support as payment for their parents' lives. The inheritance they got is well-kept under the older twin's care and supervision and Fuyu trusts her brother about it. After finishing Philosophy, she pursued Law. Makoto finished Engineering and when he was scouted to be a Knight, he declined. It is because he has to take care of his only family, which is Fuyu. 

"Please excuse me, my King. I would like to stay in the garden for a while." She stood up from her seat and this made the Prince feel guiltier. This must be one of the consequences for what he has done to her that day. 

"If you need something, just tell it to the servant." The King said and she smiled faintly before doing a curtsy and walking out to the garden. 

"Are you still mad at me?" The Prince asked when he followed her out to the garden. She didn't answer and just stared at the roses in front of her. 

"I am deeply apologizing for what I have done that day. It is my fault. I hurt you and made you cry. I will bear the consequences of my mistake." He knelt beside her and reached for her hand to hold it gently. 

"Please. I'm begging, Milady. Please don't leave the country anymore. Please stay here." He kept kneeling until she turned to face him. 

"It's just like that day." She said softly and squatted in front of him. She smiled sweetly at him and kept her hand touching his. 

He stared at her for a while and realized that she is the girl who played around the castle when they were still kids. He remembered her wearing the same white and gold dress and then, her parents came to bring her home already. It was his first and last time to see her. It's him who forgot about that day. 

「 👑 」 

Little Fuyu stumbled upon the rock at the garden and she started crying when she saw her knees bleeding. The servants rushed towards her direction but she pushed them away because her wounds are painful when moving. The Little Prince came with an annoyed face. He has been memorizing the law as punishment but her cries disturbed him and he had the urge to confront her. When he saw the wounds on her knees, he quickly knelt in front of her and carefully blew the pain away. 

She stopped from crying and watched him take the strips of clean cloth from the servant. He covered her wounds and stopped it from bleeding. After that, he helped her get up from the grass and she smiled widely before giving him a kiss on his cheek. Her parents arrived with her twin brother and the Little Prince just watched them leave the castle. 

"Mother, who were those people earlier?" The Little Prince asked the Queen while lying down on the bed. It is already his bedtime and his mother tucked him in. 

"They are Knights. They are protecting the country. When you grow up, do you want to be a Knight?" The Queen asked and he shook his head. 

"I want to be the King. I will lead the country and help everyone to have a good life. I will make that girl my wife and we will have children." He said while looking at his mother. 

"Silly kid. Will you marry Little Fuyu? Do you like her?" The Queen asked and he just yawned before closing his eyes. She chuckled softly before covering him with the blankets. 

The Queen walked out of his room silently and proceeded to their bedchamber. She smiled softly when she saw the King still awake and reading a book. She changed her clothes into a chemise and went to his side. It was an interesting day today. The Little Prince finally met the only daughter of the Knights of the Hasegawa family. 

"Our son took interest in Little Fuyu. He said he will marry her and have a family." The Queen said softly. 

"I'm betting the Royal sword that he will be able to forget his plans and even Little Fuyu until he grows up." The King said and the Queen just nodded her head while smiling.