Different Lives ||•{Klance Royalty AU}•||

Chapter 4

Quiet steps echo in the hall, filling my ears with something other than Shiro's voice. I send him a glare, hoping that'll shut him up. Yet, it does not.

I groan, annoyed, "Can you not?"

"What?" He looks at me, seeming confused.

"Humming,"

"Oh. Well, then what's the magic word?"

"Bippity-boppity-go-fuck-yourself,"

Shiro pretends to be shocked, "Oh, I am insulted."

"You should be," I smirk.

We playfully throw insults and jokes back and forth to each other while the footsteps from earlier get louder. Soon, I spot him out of the corner my view. The Prince of Altea.

He strides towards us as we straighten, trying to seem professional and mannered. He stops in front of us. Eyeing Shiro first then me. His lips crack open into a soft smile, "You two can breathe around me. I don't mind 'ill-mannered' guards."

I note the playful pitch on 'ill-mannered' and let out a low breath. My gaze still set on the prince.

He shifts his weight to his right side, propping his hand on his hip and extending his other towards me, "The name's Lance-- Well, technically, it's 'Prince Lance of Altea', but you get my point. What are your names?"

Shiro and I trade confused glances. Shiro gives me a shrug in response to my 'should I?' look. I shake my head slightly before I take the Prince's hand, "Uh... I'm Keith."

We shake hands lightly before simultaneously letting go. He turns to Shiro, still smiling, "And you...?"

"I'm Takashi Shirogane," He smiles brightly down at the prince, shaking his hand lightly.

They let go and Lance looks between us. He puts a finger to his lips, putting a puzzled expression on, "So, if my guess is correct, you two must be Prince Lotor's guards?"

"Oh, what gave it away?" Shiro playfully asks.

"Many things," Lance smiles at us, "One, I know all the staff personally, including the guards. Two, the Altean guards don't have armor quite like yours. Three, you're the two who were talking earlier when my father and the Prince of Daibazaal were speaking."

Shiro and I look to each other then back to the prince.

"You were the two that caught my attention," He says, now leaning forward, looking up at both of us, his hands behind his back, clasped, "Sorry, that you had to witness my father's," he pauses for a moment, "Temper."

Shiro gives a slight nod of assurance, "We've encountered far worse. Your father- er- well, The King of Altea is fair from troublesome."

The prince seems to hum to himself in slight joy as a taller man approaches us, accompanied by two Altean guards. He turns his attention to the tan prince in front of us, asking, "Lance, what are you doing here?"

The prince smiles, teetering from ball to heel of his feet, hands still behind his back, "Simply conversing with the Galran guards. Is that forbidden?"

"Well..." The taller, ginger-haired man seems to be uneasy, "You know your father-"

The prince's expression turns foul as he grits his teeth, "To hell with my father's rules."

"Now Lance, we've talked about this. You-"

"Must respect my father's terms until married off." He says in a mocking tone, blue eyes rolling. He looks to the man, "Look, Coran, what my father doesn't know won't kill him."