Our Strange Duet (Yandere Modern Princes x Reader)

Chapter 62: Libel

It was refreshing to be in the city after so long of being cooped up in the castle. There were far more sights that the younger girl had never seen, and the outside air put her at great ease. Ichiro certainly approved of the hint of a smile that tugged up at her lips. He found himself grinning along with her, walking with a skip in his step. It was a joy to be at her side, especially with the gossip circling around the two.

This was especially true when the news corporations grabbed a hold of their association with one another. It certainly would have made a shocking story. After all, the younger girl tended to be a central spark of debate without the royals getting involved. Something was sure to go amiss, multiple reporters beginning to swarm around them and asking intruding questions. It wasn't that Ichiro particularly minded the thought of the public picturing him and the young girl together.

Rei would obviously get a hold of one of the newspapers, if not all of them. The older male was sure to have hell to pay, being scolded and perhaps harmed by his brother. That being said, he reveled in the thought he could cause the blonde fear. It was alluring and thoroughly assured the bluenette he would be able to give his younger brother the same dread that he always had around him. It would have been vengeance at its finest, karma doing its work.

"Your highness, how do you get along with this foreigner?" a reporter asked, clearly against any notion of intermixed marriages in the royal family, "Does it sicken you to know that this girl, despite being a commoner, will become the next Queen of Vethela?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The nation is in an uproar over this proposed wife to our next ruler! She has infiltrated the royal family. Isn't it true that, when this girl's parents arrived at the castle - mind you, on a Saturday - a feast was thrown in which an Athain-styled meal was served? The main course was chicken."

"I-I couldn't say," the bluenette flinched, his eyes darting over to the younger girl.

(Y/n) was obviously uncomfortable, holding onto his hand tightly and shying away from the pictures of her being taken. She had attempted to hide behind him, but it seemed that when she did, a flurry of pictures were taken. They seemed more interested in her presence than ever, especially when their traditional values were being challenged. It would be an understatement to say that eating meat was taboo in their nation. Rather, it was viewed as an insult to their beliefs, the younger girl being blamed for it all.

"Well, then," the reporter continued, scribbling down notes in his journal, "am I to assume this is a friendly outing?"

"What are you implying?"

"Your highness, I must apologize for my insolence, but to me, it appears as though you are dodging the real issues. Aren't you frustrated that this girl, who has no royal blood in her, will be considered as a co-ruler towards our nation despite the fact you should have been considered as king?"

"I am a bastard," the bluenette huffed, his words coming out as strained, refusing to admit it to himself, "I would have never been considered."

"There are some who doubt the validity of that statement. Your mother has hardly proven to have integrity. Your thoughts?"

"I wasn't there when my mother conceived me. Ask her."

Ichiro's words were becoming more spiteful, filled with annoyance and spitefulness. He wasn't pleased with the questions he was presented with, especially those that made the (h/c) haired girl appear like the enemy. She hadn't done a thing to anyone. It wasn't her fault that Rei had made her life her own eternal punishment. Yet the nerve of the reporter in front of him only worsened her state of mind, especially when he turned from the bluenette to her.