Chapter Text
The castle was spotless as always. Maids and butlers did their jobs perfectly here, there wasn’t room for mistakes. Not now that my father has put me in charge of managing servants. Everything stayed in perfect order, exactly how my notebook intends. Every assignment timed to the millisecond, every chore done with practiced speed and precision.
Doppo Kunikida to family and press, your Highness to most. It’s late September, the leaves are beginning to change and fall, the weather keeps getting colder and the sun sets earlier. Dinner is about to start, my father is sitting at the head of the table like every night. Butlers come out with our plates quickly, tonight was steak. The table is silent, until.
“Doppo, I have something to tell you that you must know.” My father, King Fukuzawa, spoke up. Something I must know?
“Yes, sir?” I set my utensils down, politely to give my full attention. I watched him give my mother a knowing glance, before his gaze turned right back to me.
“Now that you’re 21, we’ve found you a suitor. A fiancé." He said. I felt my shoulders grow tense. A suitor. Someone I don’t know.
“A suitor..? May I ask who?”
“Osamu Dazai, our neighboring kingdom’s son. It’s an easy peace marker, to solidify alliance.” The name sent an angry shiver down my spine. A royal nuisance. Osamu Dazai, notably a disaster. From his secretive upbringing to his eccentric behavior, nothing about him is good news. Not for our kingdom, and certainly not for my own personal life.
“With all due respect father, why on earth is it him?” I asked. The irritation in my voice was thick, palpable. He was the last person I assumed.
“Recently, our kingdoms haven’t been on the best terms. Having him become part of our family would ease tensions.” He answered. The cool tone only served to further annoy me, so I had to pause and take a breath.
“Great. When will I meet him?” I sighed. What a shame that my love life was turned into political gain, but who am I kidding? That’s what got my parents together, it was fate from the start.
“In 2 days. You two will have a private dinner, hopefully get to know each other.” 2 days, barely any time. Any time to prepare, to plan! What was my father thinking-
“Alright then.” I quietly accepted, continuing to eat now in the silence of the dining room. I can’t explode at my father, not over something so trivial. 2 simple days, 2 days to wonder how it’ll go. 2 days until my life will be more political than ever, a real step towards the throne.
Osamu Dazai was nothing short of mysterious, the title described him perfectly. His childhood was a secret, it wasn’t until he was 15 that his parents presented him to the public. Makes me wonder why, what good could his childhood have been if he was locked inside for over a decade? Why was it 15 that he was finally shown off to the public? Confuses me to no end. Besides his guarded childhood, everything about him is disastrous. He’s loud, disrespectful, messy, annoying, and lazy. Everything royalty wasn’t! It feels like a nightmare waiting to happen, a taint on our kingdom when his name is associated…
—
The day between was gone in a blink. It was the evening of our meeting. I picked out a nice outfit, one to show how serious I’ll take this. An ironed black button down, green waist coat, black slacks. I decided on a tie, some black dress shoes as well. My hair was tied back with a tight, red ribbon, no fly aways. My crown felt heavier than usual, like the weight of making a good impression that was sitting upon my shoulders.
“You look great, your Highness.” My butler, Atsushi, spoke up. He was the youngest on the team, only 18. He was notably shy.
“Thank you, Atsushi. Everything is in place for his arrival, yes?” I asked, watching him fumble with the clipboard in hand.
“Y-yes! The dining room is set, chefs are working on food, and uh… everything is perfect around the castle!” He showed me the checkmarks, soothing my subtle stress.
“Perfect. That’ll be all, you’re dismissed.” I waved the young man off, who quickly bowed and shuffled away. Everything was in place, this couldn’t go wrong. I made my way to the dining hall right on time, greeting my servants as they politely bowed their heads before sitting down. 15 minutes later, he was supposed to arrive. But, at 16, he wasn’t in his seat. Not even in the room.
It took an extra 10 minutes for him to come strutting into the dining room, accompanied by one of our guards.
“I see you’ve finally arrived.” I broke the silence, my voice a little bitter. Mostly due to his late arrival, maybe due to the situation itself. Either way, my eyes locked onto the prince standing before me.
“Yes! I do apologize for my tardiness, I couldn’t decide on what to wear! This is quite the occasion, you know? Meeting you, my fiancé~!” He smiled, putting his hands on his hips. His excuse was childish. What to wear? Seriously, that’s what caused his late appearance?
“Well, that aside… I’m Doppo Kunikida.” I stood, gesturing to the seat for him and waving the guard off. He walked over, shaking my hand. Good lord, he was freezing!
“Osamu Dazai. My, your hand is so soft. I thought they’d be a lot rougher, I heard you’re quite strict- that you do a lot of writing, things with your hands.” He held on for longer than necessary, causing me to tug away first and sit back down.
“I write a lot, yes. But that doesn’t make my hands any rougher. Please, sit.” I sighed. He obeyed, sitting down across from me. In the silence, I took in his appearance. Short brown hair, even darker brown eyes. He was rather pale, quite skinny too. Even from a bit of distance, I could tell he was stunning. Perfect genetics no doubt, there was something soft and a bit feminine to his otherwise sharp features.
“Like what you see, Kunikida?” His voice and giggle snapped me out of my staring.
“Is it a crime to inspect my future husband? Don’t make claims like that right out the gate, we’ve only just met.” He only laughed more at my defense.
“Well, I like what I see. Could I braid your hair one day? I’m really good at it, my little sister made me learn. How long did it take to grow out? What’s your hair routine like? I’ve been meaning to get new shampoo, my old one dries mine out! Oh, where did you get your waist coat? The fit is perfect-”
“That’s enough, Dazai. One at a time.” I interrupted coldly. Does he ever stop talking, or will this be my everyday life now?
“Right, of course. Silly questions, ignore all of them. What’s for dinner?” He tilted his head, his eyes up at my crown. The topic switching could give me whiplash.
“Kujira. With soy sauce and garlic.” I answered. He seemed pleased by my response.
“I would’ve preferred crab, but there's always next time. Is there any chance I could get whiskey to drink? Or is it strictly no alcohol for our first dinner?”
“I didn’t give that any thought. If we have some I suppose one glass is fine, but no more. I don’t plan on having to deal with you being drunk, Dazai.” I sighed. He smiled and finally shut up after thanking me. Minutes later, a butler brought our food out. Dazai asked for a drink and was given it shortly after.
“This is really good.. Much better than what the chefs at home cook!” He praised, mouth full. Gross, how much more impolite could he get? Was he ever taught any manners?
“Please, don’t talk with your mouth full.” I spoke after swallowing, biting back a rude remark. Now is not the time to criticize his manners, that’ll come later.
“Sorry, my dearest fiancé~ Is that a pet peeve of yours? I’ll be more mindful.” He laughed like a child- finding it funny to tease me. I regret not taking any pain medication beforehand, I can already feel the headache forming.
“It’s not just a pet peeve, it’s basic manners, I…” I trailed off with a sigh, mostly to contain myself. “...Just eat your food.” He blankly stared at me for a second, then shrugged and resumed eating. For the rest of our dinner, we were relatively quiet. Silence that was broken up sometimes by Dazai’s questions revolving around the castle, since he’s due to move in soon. After we finished up, my parents came to meet him. He was far more polite with them, which left me confused.
Why was he kissing up to my parents? He didn’t have anything to gain from that, we’re already engaged… everything's been finalized. He’d have far more to benefit by kissing up to me. Not like I want that though, I don’t need his fake charms. Before he left however, he strutted up to me.
“It was nice meeting you, Kunikida. Your father said we have another meeting on Sunday.” He smiled. Being up close now gave me clearance to observe him more precisely than before. His teeth were straight, he had braces at some point. His brown hair curled around his cheeks, framing his pale face. His eyes were a deep brown, you could mistake them for black if it wasn’t for the faint red hue. The color made them look more unique up close. It’s impossible to deny his beauty, especially with his almost perfect thinness. It made him look like he could be elegant- if he actually tried.
“I’d say the same. I’ll see you on Sunday then.” I nodded him off, but he seemed hesitant to walk away. His ride was outside waiting. Just as I was about to speak up, his hand grabbed onto my wrist. He was still… very cold.
“I’ll be dreaming about you, handsome. Don’t miss me too much.” He batted his eyes at me, the length of his dark lashes was impossible to ignore. Miss him?
“...I won’t. You better get going, Dazai. It’s rude to keep your driver waiting.” I urged, but found myself waiting to pull my wrist away. His eyes distracted me. Nonetheless, I pulled away when I heard my mother’s heels walking away from the dining room. It was definitely time for him to go.
“I suppose you’re right. I’ll see you soon.” He gave me another smile, his shoulder brushing mine as he walked past me, leaving me standing there alone. I took a moment to just stare into space. There's something off about that boy, something I can’t quite put my finger on yet. No matter what it is, I feel this sort of pull. This interest in finding out what it is.
Lord, I need a debrief.
—
“Is everything alright with you, your Highness? You look troubled.” One of the maids smiled at me. Yosano, who was currently training to become a castle nurse. She’s a few years older than me, and I often find myself asking her for advice on more trivial topics.
“I’m fine, just… confused. Out of every odd interaction I’ve ever had, I think that date was by far the one that’ll leave the biggest mark.” I sighed, sitting down at my desk. She was supposed to be cleaning my bedroom, but I didn't mind that she paused to talk.
“Your date with Prince Dazai? Is he really as weird as people say?” She leaned against the edge of my desk with a smirk. She lived for drama.
“I wouldn’t say the word weird fully describes him.” I took my glasses off to rub my eyes. “He’s… a lot. Impossible to read. There's something off about him- but I can’t describe it. That’s why I can’t just slap a word on it, it’s more like a physical feeling.”
“Is that feeling… Love?” She teased, taking my crown from me and setting it back in its protective case.
“No. Don’t even start with that, I just met him. Being engaged doesn’t mean I love him already, or that I ever will.” I huffed, shutting Yosano down quickly. She laughed.
“Defensive, are we? You make it hard to believe that what you described wasn’t love.”
“It wasn’t, he just piqued my interest.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was getting late. “...You can finish cleaning later, Yosano. I have to shower and get some work done. And head to bed.”
“Of course, you're a workaholic. I’ll just go theorize with Ranpo. Have a goodnight, sir.” She bowed her head playfully and walked towards the door.
“Goodnight, Yosano.” I sighed, in sync with the click of the door. I took a cold shower after that, but it didn’t help. Even as I settled into bed, I couldn’t get Dazai out of my head. What was making him so alluring to me? Why was I so interested? No matter what I tried, I couldn’t shake him off.
Whatever, maybe some sleep will help.