𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀 𝙂𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙉 » 𝙨. 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙞

03

There's no end in sight
Is there a way out?

—

"Can you please stop following me around?"

Shoto couldn't help but chuckle as he continues to ignore what you're saying and watched you wash the bedsheets on a large wooden tub near the river stream in the servant's quarters.

"Nope. Don't you like my company?"

Shoto asked you with a cocky, lopsided grin on his lips. He watched you do your work, crouching down beside you with his chin rested on his palms. You found it very annoying as this guy kept pestering you ever since you met him in the library a week ago.

You wondered why does a guy like him, and from the looks of it, he is surely from a noble family, kept on bugging a lowly servant like you? Is there anything he can gain from bothering you? You couldn't think of anything, and yet he was still attached to you like glue.

"I don't like being bugged a lot. So please, can you just leave me alone, sir?"

Shoto almost coughed a laugh but was able to hold it in. He didn't expect that someone inside the castle or even in this country would not know his face. But it was good that you didn't know, it'll be easier to approach you without you getting all flustered.

Who would think that a prince would chase for a maid, right? But the thing is, Shoto is that prince. A hero of the empire fell in love with a maid? To him, title didn't matter, he found you finally.

After living three lifetimes in earth while searching for you, he didn't care about all the material things around him. He was too busy searching for you and thus, just by chance he finally found the person he was looking for.

She was as beautiful as the day I lost her.

Shoto felt his heart pang. He never wanted to go through the same thing he went through in his first life in which he failed to convey his love for you. Corny? Yup, it sure is, but loving makes all embarrassing things not embarrassing to him.

Shoto's eyes were glued on the annoyed maid who was washing the bedsheets with a smile. His hand reached over to your fringe and you flinched as soon as you realized he was tucking your hair behind your ears.

"But I like being around you."

You were left dumbfounded while you stared at him. Your gaze met with the turquoise and ash colored eyes of the person who was sitting beside you.

You wish you didn't blush so fast, you suddenly wished that you had some ability to keep your emotions to myself. In an instant your cheeks are rosy and Shoto immediately saw your feelings as if you wrote them in little notes and handed them out.

You immediately shot up from your seat, "I-I remember I have an important matter to attend to. I must go."

Without looking back, you started to march away from the young prince with a now beet red face. You knew that you were running away but you were quite taken back to even banter with the young man.

"pfft."

Shoto couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter. He found it very endearing that you were subconsciously acting like you were in your first life. The (y/n) from Yuuei who wore her heart in her sleeve, and that is what it makes it really adorable to him.

Thank you for letting me see her again.

Shoto buried his face under his palm as he hid to smile. His heart was pounding really hard inside of his ribcage. He was indeed happy. He never felt this happy when he lived his past three lifetimes after getting reincarnated.

she's my happiness.

But little did you knew a pair of crimson colored eyes were looking at his back for a while now. A blond man that was leaning on a pillar and has been watching for a while now had let out a sigh before closing the book that he was holding before he started to walk away from the place.

Shoto spend most of his days bugging the young maid and it kept on going for atleast a month now. He was having fun but he did it in secret in where you could only see him. He doesn't want to make things hard for you especially that everyone has recognize the prince.

"Looks like you're having fun."

Shoto lifted his chin up to see who was talking to him. It was his older brother Touya, the crown prince of the empire. He immediately stood up from his seat and slightly lowered his head to greet his brother.

"It was nothing, your majesty."

Even they're brothers, their position still differs. The royal family prioritize positions the most and it was a must to greet each other based on their titles.

Touya shrugged his shoulder before he sat across his younger brother. Shoto was hiding in the library, under the pile of books to avoid anyone from bothering him, he did not expect that he would even meet Touya, who has a lot of responsibilities than him.

"You looked like you're happy these days. I'm guessing you're in love?"

Shoto froze up. He knew that Touya had sharp senses but he didn't expect it to have it found out it much more earlier than he anticipated.

"I'm afraid my personal affairs has nothing to do with you, your highness."

Shoto respectfully replied before he flipped another page of the book that he was reading. He wasn't going to let anyone know that he was seeing a maid as it would only put you in trouble if anyone knows. If this love can be a secret then he will stay silent as long as possible.

Touya chuckled as he rested his chin on his hand, "I supposed so. Anyways, I'm just telling you that you're engaged with the daughter of Duke Yaoyorozu, please don't stir any trouble for our family."

Shoto almost dropped his book. He hasn't heard about the engagement and yet his brother was already telling him he was engaged to some Duke's daughter.

No, no, no, no, I am not going to lose her again.

Shoto shot up from his seat, which made Touya's eyes widen at the sudden rash action of his you get brother. It was the first time that he has seen his brother get so agitated to the point that he was not wearing his usual cold demeanor anymore.

"I'm not going to marry anyone."

Shoto declared right in front of the crown prince before he stormed out of the library, slamming the door behind him, leaving the ivory haired prince behind.

Touya immediately smacked his head in frustration as he realized that Shoto was going to go against the emperor if this goes on.

A prince's spouse has been decided since they were a child and the Duke and the Emperor has a great relationship since they had myriad of contributions for the growth of the empire. Touya felt a sudden headache surging up as he held his temples while he groaned.

"Atleast wait for me to become the emperor before you said something like that, younger brother."