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

30. A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.

Waking up the next morning, all I could feel was a pounding in my head. When I tried to sit up, the feeling intensified, to the point where it was almost unbearable. Defeated, I fell back to lay down, unable to shake the feeling that this sudden migraine and the events of the day before were connected.

Run away with me...

The words seemed so raw, so real. That was who Prince Hajime was: raw, genuine, and honest. The same could sadly not be said of his brother, who seemed to take any possible opportunity to wedge a lie in.

I heard the sound of a gentle knock at the door, snapping me out of my thoughts. Assuming it was my maid, here to help me get on with the day, I groaned out a reply. "Come in."

Of course, my assumption was incorrect. Turning the doorknob was none other than Prince Nagito, a strange smirk on his lips. I suddenly became hyper aware of my appearance, embarrassed at my bed ridden, night gown wearing state. Judging by his silence, however, it appeared as if that was the least of my worries.

"Good morning, (y/n)," the prince greeted me, his tone cold and calculated. The door shut behind him with a click, and I immediately knew I was in trouble.  "Sorry for intruding this early, but I figured this was urgent."

I cleared my throat, the prince's steely gaze boring in to me. "How so?"

The white haired prince let out a chuckle. "I think you are well aware of that. Yesterday, following our time in the bedroom, my necklace went missing. And then I come to find out Prince Hajime has reappeared, leading me to believe that there is only one possible culprit for this crime."

I nearly choked at his words. He had connected the dots so quickly! I silently cursed myself for trusting that Prince Hajime would help me get out of this situation. As I sat there alone with the apparent heir to the kingdom, I began to question whether I would leave this situation unscathed.

"But," the prince continued, "the thing is, my lady, I cannot hold you with contempt for it. I have fallen into a dangerous habit of associating you with his actions when, in fact, his manipulation towards you is not in your control."

I resisted the urge to chuckle. Prince Hajime, manipulating me? Regardless, Prince Nagito spoke with such sincerity, a hint of sadness in his voice. Though it was hard to see through his lies and trickery, I had a nagging feeling he was telling the truth. His truth, at least.

"Even so, I have to admit that I have not been the kindest towards you during your time here. I apologize that you have been caught in the fallout of my aggression towards him. I promise you, that was not my intention," he sighed. "And I can understand if you never forgive me for what I have done to him."

I nodded silently, unable to form any words. Prince Nagito, apologizing? Showing remorse towards his adopted brother? If my migraine had any hopes of dissipating, they were surely gone by now. "Thank you, your majesty."

"I have one selfish request," Prince Nagito continued, reaching out to grab both of my hands and hold them in mine. He stared down at them for a moment, running his fingers over mine, before looking up to face me, his silvery gaze meeting mine. "Please, lady (y/n), promise me you not leave the spouse search just yet. I swear to you, I will make up for all of the harm I have caused you."

I felt my cheeks begin to flush, taken aback by his request. It was so simple, so mundane, and yet the prince seemed so desperate to hear my reply. Was he really so convinced I would leave?

Run away with me...

I felt a chill travel up my spine, reminded of Prince Hajime's words from the night before. Although I feared refusing Prince Nagito's request, I feared the consequences of lying to him even more.

"I will stay," I muttered in reply.

"Excellent!" Prince Nagito exclaimed, grey eyes glimmering as a grim formed on his face. He then lifted one of my hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. "In return, I will repay you with a promise of my own. Once the time is right, that is."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but before I could, the prince had let go of my hands, placing one of them on my forehead gently. His eyes widened at the contact, quickly pulling his hand away. "Goodness, you are burning up! Do not worry about attending meals today, I will arrange for you to have them in your room. In the meantime, please rest for me, alright?"

"Thank you, your majesty," I replied softly.

"No need to thank me," he assured me, a sheepish smile on his face as he gave me a shallow bow. "I am sorry I cannot spend more time with you, as I have important business to attend to, but I hope you feel better, lady (y/n)."

With those words, the prince made his swift exit out of the door, leaving me alone in the bedroom.

—

"(Y/n), wake up!"

My eyes fluttered open, greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling looming above me. As I sat up, I realized the ceiling was familiar after all— in fact, I was back in my room above the bakery.

I was home.

Suddenly, the door to my room swung open, my disappointed mother at the entrance. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "My word, you slept forever! Please come downstairs, we need your help!"

We? My brain was still foggy from slumber, but nevertheless, I willed myself out of bed and stumbled onto my feet. I then followed my mom out of my room, disregarding any need to change or take care of my appearance.

I made my way down the creaky stairs leading to the bakery, following behind my mother wordlessly. Once we made it downstairs, I noticed a familiar figure in the kitchen, kneading a large piece of dough. As I entered, he turned his head to me, green eyes glimmering.

"Good morning, my sweet (y/n)," Hajime smiled at me, abandoning his dough to approach me. He pulled me into a tight embrace, planting a tender kiss on my forehead. Once he pulled away, he reached out and stroked my face, his fingers gingerly rubbing my cheek. "Sorry for forgetting to wake you this morning. You looked so peaceful when you were sleeping, I could not bring myself to wake you up."

I felt my cheeks heat up at his words, taken aback by his earnestness. "You watched me sleep?"

The prince let out a hearty chuckle. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds strange! We have been sleeping together for months now, my dear. It is only natural I would steal a glance or two at you, and especially with a girl as beautiful as you, I unfortunately can barely look away."

My heart fluttered at his words, butterflies swimming around in my stomach. I could not help but crack a smile myself, though our solace was quickly interrupted.

"(Y/n), what are you doing?" My mom yelled, her voice causing me to snap out of my trance.

"Wake up! For real!"

I was suddenly snapped out of it, opening my eyes to a more familiar ceiling. Sitting up, I found myself encased in the palace walls, my entire body drenched in sweat.

Defeated, I flopped back onto the bed, letting out a shaky sigh.

"So it was a dream after all."