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

29. A Dungeon Escape.

((A/n: so sorry for the late update! I was having really bad writer's block but I'm back now and excited to continue the story— thank you for reading!!))

I sprinted down the corridor, the sound of my pounding heart being the only noise I could remember.

My body seemed to move on its own as I dashed down the dungeon stairs, wasting no time as I ran toward the fated door.

"Prince Hajime! I am back!" I exclaimed breathlessly, fumbling with the shiny gold key around my neck as I finally made contact with the door. My fingers fumbled with the key, though it eventually made its way into the lock.

Though I had yet to hear a reply from the prince, the door twisted open, giving way with an effortless click. I made a quick look over my shoulder, relieved to find no one following in my wake, and slipped behind the door without a peep.

Upon entering, I was confronted with a starkly empty dungeon cell, no sign of life anywhere to be seen. Surely, in the few days time that the prince had spent in the cell, he would have made some sort of effort to call it home, wouldn't he?

Instead, the cell remained painfully empty.

I decided instead to focus on approaching the gap in the wall that led to Prince Nagito's secret study. Inside, sure enough, I was able to see a figure sat at the desk, his head turned away from me.

"Your majesty," I called to him, causing the brunette male to jolt out of whatever trance he was in and jolt his head towards me, green eyes widened in surprise.

The prince wasted no time in leaping from his seat, pulling me into a tight embrace. I hugged him back, noticing that his frame seemed to be thinner than last time I had saw him. As he pulled away, I couldn't help but notice the grey rings that had formed under his vibrant eyes, causing a pain to form in my chest. I knew his days trapped in the cell were agonizing, but to have changed him so much...?

The prince cupped my cheeks in his hands, cradling my face with a frigid touch.

"(Y/n)... my savior..." His words sounded closer to a choke than speech, and I could not help but notice his eyes beginning to grow misty under the dim dungeon light.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" I asked him gently, my hand magnetically traveling to touch his face as well.

"More than alright, thanks to you," he replied with a wry smile. "I am so proud of you, lady (y/n). To think you were able to get the key and make it out alive!"

"It was no small feat," I stammered in reply, my brain becoming instantly flooded with images of Prince Nagito and I in the bedroom just moments before. The necklaces on the nightstand, the shouting of the guard, Prince Nagito's lips on my neck-

"Well, I hope you do not mind if we make haste in leaving here," Prince Hajime interjected, his hand snaking down to grab hold of mine. "Although the time I have spent here has been long, I unfortunately do not think I will ever grow accustomed to staying in such conditions any time soon."

I could not help but crack a smile at his works, leading the prince through the threshold until we ended up in the dungeon hallway again.

"So, what did you find out?" I asked him curiously.

"Sadly, nothing," the prince replied, a frown on his face. Just as I felt my heart about to sink, the prince's face lit up, him letting out a hearty chuckle. "Joking, joking! But unfortunately, it was much of the same as before. Documents tying my brother to the Imperial Kingdom, but outside of that, I unfortunately was unable to find much else."

I nodded solemnly, instinctively rubbing my thumb against the hand he held mine in. I took a deep inhale, finally taking him all in— although he seemed tired, worn, and exhausted, he was still there. And that was enough for me.