Dragon Heart | #Wattys2022

XI - House Arrest

Are you guys okay?" Haru asked the group assembled before him. He and Lex had been released from the hospital a few days ago and was ordered by Chona to stay at home to recuperate; Lex was sent to live with them too so they can recuperate together. But both he and the Slayer thinks there was a different reason why they were sent to recuperate together at his place; they wanted to monitor them as well as ensure whoever possessed them won't have an easy time getting to them since their house was heavily fortified with protection.

"I'm still processing the fact that you're a freaking prince, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Rin.

"I'm not really," Haru shrugged.

"Are you kidding me? Your mother is the freaking queen of a kingdom from another realm that we didn't even think exists, but it does and you even came with your own set of personalized bodyguards. What's not princely about that?" scoffed Kura.

"When you put it like that...it sounds pretty surreal," Red said wryly. "And prince or not, Haru's still one of us."

"I am not saying he's suddenly become so high up on the instep that he stopped being just one of us," Kura argued. "All I'm saying is I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is not just related to an aristocrat like most of our schoolmates, but he is a royal!"

"Yeah, a royal on the run because a relative of his is too damn greedy he wants to take over their kingdom," scoffed Inigo.

"I didn't mean to lie about who I really am, but my conception was kept a big secret by my mother and those close to her because of her half-brother's threat. She knew that as long as she produces an heir, Trident can't claim the throne even after he murdered all their other siblings and their siblings' offspring in line to take over as the next ruler of Doragon if my mother didn't beget an heir," Haru explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ru held up his hand to stop all conversations that were going on. "This crazy ass uncle of yours did what?!" He looked scandalized by what he just heard. He already painted this Trident guy as a villain, but for Haru to be a tad bit explicit on exactly how ruthless said villain was was something he didn't quite expect.

"Trident wasn't even considered to be in line for the throne," ZE took over explaining from Haru.

"Why?" Ru frowned.

"Because his mother was a conniving bitch who wasn't even one of the late king's concubines, but she drugged the king, got down and dirty with him then poof! Trident was wailing his way into this world," Steel answered.

The Slayers were given the 411 on the royal family's history by Gil shortly after it was revealed that Haru was their Rida. It didn't come as a surprise to the Slayers when they were told since they already guessed Haru was an important person to them even before they started getting the feeling that he might be their Rida.

"He's still the late king's son, doesn't he have the right to be in line for the throne?" Ori frowned.

"Because after his mother was hanged for committing a crime—"

"Sleeping with the king was a crime?" Rin frowned, interrupting ZE from explaining.

"—he was given to one of the late king's concubine who was barren. And the circumstance of his birth wasn't kept a secret, even to him, so he knew from when he was still very young that he won't be considered a candidate to become ruler of Doragon," she finished explaining without skipping a beat even after Rin interrupted her.

"Because he was conceived out of wedlock?" frowned Ru.

"None of the concubines were married to the late king, only Miss Kona's mother was," explained Wendy.