Daybreak

Fifteen - Kenta

Kenta had followed Saihi into the woods. The prince seemed to know where he was going.

    Kenta wanted to ask Saihi where they were going, but he'd already questioned the prince multiple times today which was already disrespectful enough since the prince was Kenta's master.

Kenta remembered from the last time he'd overstepped his boundaries between being friend and the prince's samurai, that Saihi could only take so much before snapping. To the prince, duty came first before friendship. Kenta supposed it was partially why he respected the prince so much.

However, Kenta soon realized that he didn't need to ask Saihi to know where they were going. The path through the woods soon came to a familiar wet path littered with growing shrubs. The path narrowed before widening. Kenta stopped walking and squinted at the footprints that were left from whoever had crossed the area before them. To make sure there were no mistakes, he bent to his knees to compare the imprints.

The footprints belonged to the prince, which meant this was the path the prince had taken when he'd disappeared to go hunting the previous night.

"Your highness," Kenta tried being more formal. "If this is about the queen's gift?" Kenta glanced nervously at the thinning woods. Yes, this place was very familiar. "Your highness," Kenta called out again. "If we keep going like this, we will be in Hikizu village. It's no longer the capital."

Now the prince stopped and looked back. "Really?" he asked, but his tone was sarcastic so Kenta realized that the prince already knew.

Saihi turned and continued walking without saying another word so Kenta had to scramble after the prince. "Saihi!" Kenta ran to catch up and slid to stand in front of him. "Your highness," Kenta repeated more calmly, steading his breath. "For your own safety, I forbid you from going further."

Saihi stopped, but frowned, crossing his arms. "My safety? What's over there that you find dangerous?" The prince leaned forwards and squinted up at Kenta since the bodyguard was slightly taller. "Do you also know...?" asked the prince.

Kenta stood still, refusing to budge. "Know what?"

Saihi rolled his eyes. "I'll show you." Saihi attempted to push past Kenta's barrier.

Kenta held his ground and looked at the prince defiantly. "You're the only heir to the Kuroba throne and you're out here in the woods in plain sight. Is this important enough to compromise your safety?"

Saihi scoffed. "It's as important as that bird of yours."

Kenta was forced back in surprise, his neck burning a shade of red. Looking smug, the prince breezed past Kenta without another word.

When the two were soon to break the surface of the forest, Kenta held the prince back and lifted a finger to tell the prince to keep quiet.

"Are you sure you're disguised enough that the public wouldn't recognize you?" Kenta whispered. The prince shrugged Kenta's hand away.

"Don't worry," the prince adjusted his borrowed garments. "When I was here last night, I introduced myself as you."

"M,me...?" Kenta shook his head. "Your highness, a lot of things can go wrong with that. Besides, some of the people here know me."

Saihi blinked. "Really?" Then after some thought, "but as Merlin, right? Isn't that what those two girls called you?"

"Emiko and Odilia? Yes, but-"

"That's perfect!" interrupted the prince. "I can be Kenjiya Kenta, the samurai, and you are just my friend, Merlin."

"I'm just not too comfortable..." However, the prince was no longer listening as something beyond the woods had caught the prince's eye. Saihi pushed past Kenta and ran towards the lake which stood, as Kenta was embarrassed to acknowledge, was beside Odilia's house.