Runaways [MikaYuu]

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Today is the day.

The day everything would either go exactly as planned, or become an absolute disaster; it all depended on what happened within the next twelve hours.

It goes without saying that Yuu was extremely terrified of the latter option.

It didn't help that his mother was rushing about the church, shouting commands at all the royal help to make sure it was scrubbed and decorated to perfection for the wedding. Yuu knew any dirt and grime had been cleaned three times over, but his perfectionist mother wanted every corner of the space to be spotless. After all, the entire city was invited to the wedding, and his mother didn't care about anything more than making a good impression.

Yuu couldn't even sit and watch the fiasco unfold, because suddenly he was whisked away by two seamstresses into one of the dressing rooms, wanting to putting final touches on his tuxedo. As one added minute adjustments to his blazer hem, the other ran a comb through his knotted hair, tidying up his messy bed head hairstyle.

The wedding was to begin at noon, which was a little over a half hour away. People had already begun to file into the seats of the gigantic church; friends of the families and the nobility got the reserved, plush seats in the front, and the old wooden benches were available for the common folk. Considering how many people had showed up to his father's speech, Yuu had a feeling there would be hundreds of people squished into the benches. It would probably break the law for maximum capacity, but no one cared about health codes on the morning of the biggest wedding of the decade.

Judging by the excited chatter that was already radiating from the church hall, Yuu confirmed that no one was going to mind the lack of personal space, as they were too excited to see the heirs of the Bruxbergian and Drelacian thrones unite in holy matrimony.

Imagine the shock on their faces when they find out that one of the heirs had disappeared without a trace tonight, Yuu thought amusedly to himself as the seamstresses continued to pull and tuck at his outfit.

"Ladies, please," Yuu stopped them by holding his hands to his chest when he couldn't take it anymore. By this point, they were just fiddling paranoidly. "That will do. Thank you."

They shared a look, a matching pair of nervous blushes forming on their face. Nodding, they bowed before exiting the tiny dress room without a word. With the women gone, Yuu allowed himself to stare at his reflection in the mirror. With his hair brushed, his fringe flipped unexpectedly nicely to the side instead of sticking out in all directions like usual. His black, marine-like outfit gleamed with gold buttons and embellishments. He pulled the tight white gloves over his fingers, wriggling them nervously.

A knock on his dressing room door alerted him out of his reverie, and he poked his head out the door hesitantly, only to find his father standing there. He was dressed in a fancy tuxedo underneath his royal robes, velvety and purple, his crown set atop his head.

"Yuichiro," He said calmly, a hidden edge to his voice. Yuu knew his father still hadn't forgiven him from their fight, and he wasn't sure if he ever would. For the slightest second, he regretted not making amends with his father before he left, but a small voice of reason in the back of his mind told him his father wouldn't change his mind last minute even if he wanted to. "I hope you understand why you're doing this."

Of course he understood, but that doesn't mean it was something he wanted. "Yes, I do, Father," Yuu bowed his head. "I just wish you'd accept me for who I am."

"Whether I wanted to accept you or not, there's nothing you can do about it. This wedding is happening, as it will save the lives of many," He explained. "You're doing a good thing, Yuichiro, by marrying Shinoa. It will bring peace after many years of tension."