𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 | 𝒂. 𝒌𝒆𝒊𝒋𝒊

𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅

A few days ago...

"Aiko-san, will you marry me?" Akaashi nervously, but formally asks as he kneels on one knee--like the romantist he is. Aiko blushes and turns her face away for a split second before turning back to make eye contact with Akaashi.

"Yes, Prince Akaashi... I will!"

Present

Akaashi tiredly stands on a stool while his seamstress is taking his measurements. Upon hearing the prince yawn, his seamstress smiles.

"Prince Akaashi-san, are you not excited for your upcoming wedding?" Akaashi blushes and purses his lips together.

"I am excited and delighted; the work before the wedding is just the hard part," Akaashi admits before yawning once more. His seamstress continues to converse while taking his last measurement.

"Well, at least you have four more days before the wedding." Yes, four more days until Prince Akaashi Keiji of the HQ Kingdom gets married to his fiancé. He is 17 years old and ready to grow up. "Well, I'm finished, Prince Akaashi-san." Respectfully, Akaashi bows and steps off the stool.

"Thank you," he emotionlessly thanks before walking through the big castle he calls home. As he passes by, servants, knights, and maids bow. To show acknowledgement, he just raises a hand. Once he gets to his destination, the garden he asked his fiancé--Akio--to marry him, he stops and searches beneath rose bushes and rocks. 'Found it!' he thinks to himself as a subtle smile appears on his face. There was hardly anything in the castle that could put a smile on his face aside from his books. Holding the hidden book in his hands, he brushes off the dirt and flips through the pages. "Any flower taken from this garden—the Garden of Eternity—will promise everlasting love to the person who gifts the flower to their beloved," he reads aloud.

"Prince Akaashi-san," Yukie, his maid, calls out, "dinner is ready!" Akaashi covers the book once more and hurriedly stands up.

"Coming." Usually, Akaashi would have dinner on his own, but today, the King and Queen have decided to have a family dinner. "Good afternoon, Mother, Father." He bows politely before sitting down in his seat.

"I hope you are properly preparing for your wedding, son," the Queen says as Akaashi eats. Before speaking, he swallows his food.

"Yes, I am, Mother. I've been rehearsing with the priest and just got my measurements..." Hesitant for the next part, Akaashi gulps. "Father," he calls out to his father who is simply staring at his food as he eats--uninterested in anything but his meal.

"What is it, son?" he asks, not even making eye contact with Akaashi. Shifting in his seat, Akaashi sits up as straight as he could.

"I have a request. May I go out of the castle to--"

"No," the King immediately replies which causes Akaashi to frown. However, unwilling to give up, Akaashi tries again.

"I am almost 18, Father. I will only travel for at least two days; where I am going is for my weddin--"

"I said, 'No,'" the King repeats--now a little irritated by his son. Akaashi returns the irritated feelings.

"Why not? I have never left the castle before, Father. I am a grown man who is capable of taking care of himself. If you want, I will bring assistance to my destination. Since my wedding is coming up, I would like to go to the Garden of Eterni--"

"Such a place like that doesn't exist! I can't believe you still believe in fairy tales and myths even though you are almost 18. You obviously have not grown and cannot leave this castle until I say so!" his Father bursts and gives Akaashi a stink eye. The Queen and maids watch in fear and guilt for their prince. Obediently, Akaashi just tilts his head down.

"I'm sorry, your highness," he emotionlessly says before picking on his food. Later that night, Akaashi lays in his bedroom and stares at the ceiling in frustration. "Ugh, it's been 17 years and he is still treating me like a child." Sitting up and walking out to his balcony, he stares at the lights in the distance; the lights were from the villages that he will eventually own but has never seen. "I will one day become a better king, husband, and father than he will ever be," he bitterly whispers to himself before an idea pops into his head. Sneaking out of his room, he heads to the kitchen and packs bread, butter, apples, and water. As someone is about to walk in, he immediately jumps into the corner--where a secret passage way is--and hurries back to his room where he prepares a plan to escape the castle tomorrow morning.

Date: 04 July 2020