Royals. (Prince! Komaeda Nagito x Fem! Reader x Prince! Hajime Hinata)

23. The Study.

"Are you sure about this?"

I followed Prince Hajime down the dimly lit corridors, our paths only illuminated by the faint candlelight and setting sun peeking through the windows. The prince was urgent in his step, proceeding confidently down the halls, his pace slow so as not to stir up any suspicion. I followed by his side, my gaze fixated on the brown haired prince's stiff expression.

"Trust me, my lady," he whispered in reply, his gloved hand clapped tight around the study key. "The guards are ordered to avoid going near the study, so our chances of being spotted are incredibly low. Besides... I have my ways."

"Your ways?" I echoed, intrigued by statement. "What might those be?"

The prince let out a low chuckle, though he quickly shushed himself for fear of it drawing us unwanted attention. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, "you will have to wait at find out."

After leading me down a few unfamiliar hallways, we ended up at unassuming door at the end of a particularly narrow corridor. Prince Hajime fumbled with the silver key as he tried to insert it into the lock, eventually inserting it after a brief struggle. He then looked to me as he turned the doorknob, a surprised look on his face once the lock opened.

"Told you I had my ways," the prince whispered teasingly, a small smile on his face as he slowly pulled the door open.

The door revealed a relatively small study room, its only furnishings a desk, chair, and a bookshelf. Prince Hajime and I hastily entered the room, shutting the door behind us. However, neither of us thought to bring a candle or lantern, so the office was pitch black.

"Your majesty, I cannot see," I murmured to him softly, gently placing one of my hands on the wall to get my bearings.

"I shall go get us some light," the prince offered, slowly opening the office door again. "Be right back. Please stay in here in case anyone walks by."

I sighed as the door to the office shut again, leaving me alone in the pitch black room. In that moment, I began to question why I agreed to accompany the prince in this mission in the first place. Was it to spend more time with him? Or was it because I wanted to know more information about Prince Nagito?

I felt a chill travel up my spine, escaping my thoughts as I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. The office was dark and cramped, and it felt all too familiar to me as I was reminded of the time I spent as a prisoner of the Imperial Kingdom. Those cold nights I spent all alone, completely hopeless as to whether I would be able to see freedom again...

I felt tears well up in my eyes as the thought, the devious laugh of Prince Ouma echoing through my mind. I clenched my fist at the thought of him, desperately wondering whether he was still at large following my kidnapping.

After a moment, the door swung open again. Prince Hajime walked in with a smile, his face now illuminated by the lantern he held in his hand. "Alright, sorry for the wait... I'm back. Hey, wait, is everything ok?"

The prince did not hesitate to set the lantern down on the desk, moving to place his hands on my shoulders. "What is wrong, my lady?"

I looked up to him, my gaze meeting his concerned green eyes. I tried to tell him what was wrong, but I was not sure what to say, my emotions clouding my mind. The prince simply embraced me, holding me close to his body with his slender arms. I was able to feel his steady heartbeat, his calming presence causing my own to slow down as well, my breathing becoming more regular as well.

After a short while, I felt my tears subside, regaining my composure. The prince pulled away from me, grabbing his handkerchief and gently wiping the tears from under my eyes. "Are you feeling alright now?"

"Y-yeah, thank you..." I stammered in response. "I-I'm sorry, being in here, in the dark, reminded me of the Imperial Kingdom, and I..."

"(Y/n)," the prince whispered gently, positioning one of his strong hands on my shoulders. "You should not apologize to me, your reaction was completely natural. I am sorry you were reminded of those terrible memories. But more importantly, I am so sorry I left you here all by yourself..."

"It's alright, you didn't know," I replied, looking down at my feet. "To be honest, I never expected to react that way myself..."

"I will make sure you are not put in such a position again," the brunette prince assured me, gently rubbing my shoulder as he spoke.

"Thank you," I beamed up at him, causing the prince to crack a small smile as well. "A-at any rate, shall we start looking?"

The prince nodded, shifting his attention to the desk nearby. The desk was relatively unassuming, with the surface of it remaining nearly uncovered. The prince began to rifle through the drawers, flipping through some of the documents inside of it.

"Nothing out of the ordinary..." he murmured. "It seems like the standard castle accounting documents, along with some of his notes on them. I have yet to spot anything I have not seen before."

I directed my attention to the bookshelf, my eyes glazing over the colorful spines. One of the books stood out to me, its caramel colored spine grabbing my attention, I pulled it out and flipped through it, realizing it was a list of all of the girls who were selected to participate in the spouse search. My eyes widened as I noticed the first name selected on the list was none other than my own.

I looked over to Prince Hajime as he concentrated on the documents. A small smile formed on my lips as I shut the book, sliding it back on the shelf without a word.

As I continued to search the books, I found another one that stood out to me, gently pulling it off the shelves. I flipped through the pages again, letting out a shocked gasp as I did so, alerting the attention of Prince Hajime.

"What is the matter?" He asked, dropping the documents to approach me. Once he looked at the contents of the book, he could not help but be surprised as well.

The book's pages had been carved out, forming a small compartment used to store an object. The prince reached into the gap, pulling out a golden key.

(( thank you all so much for reading!! I hope you enjoy the story! ))