Most of the conversation beyond that was fairly prosaic. Of course, we joked about the stupidity of some of the constituents. (*Who tries to get hit by lightning and doesn't expect to get killed?*) Yet otherwise, we were unnervingly calm.
The only other interesting topic we discussed for a while was the subject of his eyes. I told him it was odd how he and his sister had green irises when both their parents' were dark brown. I figured it was the work of magic or some item, but he promptly chuckled and refuted my hypotheses.
"Recessive genes? I saw that in some science book in the library, but none of that jargon makes sense to me. I know my eyes have been this color as long as I can remember."
*I've never heard any fucking terminology like that! Are you sure you can read correctly?*
I shrugged at him, more confused than I was before. He seemed to pick up on that and dropped the topic, moving on to some useless bits of color theory to not divert too far from what we discussed.
However, the prince caught me off guard with an unexpected talking point after I was settled for around forty-five minutes.
"So Ophelia."
I perked up when he directly addressed me.
"You've been meeting my sister for the last couple of months, yes?"
I tilted my head, wary of his sudden curiosity. "Yes. We have lunch together most days. Did King Hikaru inform you?"
"She told me herself. We talk frequently, for obvious familial reasons."
"I should have figured."
"What's the relationship between you two?" he asked with a perfect poker face. He seemed to grow tired, or perhaps he had this question in mind from the start. It would have been a reasonable motivation for him to chat with me.
I froze up. Though Koharu and I never agreed to keep our relationship private, it felt as if there was some unspoken law that dictated that would remain the case. It was our delectable secret; no one could encroach on our mischief and fun while we ran behind their backs and did as we pleased. Regardless, with her confession about the magician, it was implied that we didn't need to flaunt that fact. Thus, it seemed dire for us to not mention our relationship to anyone—even to her own family.
*Especially to her own family.*
I kept a cool demeanor, giving him a thoughtful look. "Friends, perhaps? It feels weird to say I've befriended someone of a higher status than me, but that would be the best way to describe it."
Akiyoshi blinked at me. "Ah. Interesting." That was his most blank response.
One of the maids knocked and entered with a bowl of cherries. It was strange timing, I figured. She placed them on the glass and left quietly with a bow of the head.
Before spitting the pit into his empty teacup, Akiyoshi popped one in his mouth.
I did the same, relishing in the taste of the fruit. "These are sweeter than usual, aren't they?" I tried distracting him from the topic at hand, not wanting to further explain myself.
The prince gulped down the pulp as he hummed. I took that to be a good sign until he stared at me intently and pointed a stem towards me. "I never pegged you to be the type to lie straight to my face."
I spat the pit harshly, but I kept the action from being too aggressive as to not arouse suspicion. "Pardon, sir? I told you the sincere truth." The accusation—rightfully so—angered me.
*What did I say to get that kind of response from you? If Koko wanted you to know, she would have told you!*
"Really?" he asked with a sharp, doubtful exhale.
I nodded my head, glancing down.
He clicked his tongue. "Then, explain why I saw you kiss her in the dining room of the other castle a few months ago."
*Pardon?*
I had no words for him, but I had to fabricate some to quell his allegations. I was mortified, and the abundance of cherries solidified that feeling. They weren't there by coincidence; I knew then I was screwed as I tried to dig myself from a coffin underground.
"But I didn't—"
"Don't worry." Before hearing me out, he held a hand straight in the air. "I'm not mad at all about that." He ate another cherry. "I'm only hurt the two of you have been lying to me. Koharu's enough of a smooth talker that she was able to deflect it when I asked her, but I wanted to confirm with you."
He sighed, contradicting his next words. "I'm glad for the two of you. I recall the days she went on about her little schoolgirl crush on the advisor's daughter. Thank goodness I'm not going to have to hear it from her anymore." He gave me one of his few genuine smiles after removing another pit from his mouth.
I grasped the teacup between both my hands to warm them, even though they were sweating. I brought it to my mouth to take a sip as I stared shamefully at the ripples.
"She mentioned something like that if I recall. I wouldn't have expected it at all from a noble."
Akiyoshi joked, "Neither would I."
I let the silence grow stale over us before I spoke again. "Since the cat's out of the bag here, I have something to ask you."
"And what would that be?" He sat with his elbows on his knees to lean forward.
*It can't hurt to pry, right? I think I deserve to know something after he learned my secret.*
"What do you know about a magician's curse on you and your sister?"
His eyes widened, and he chewed on his lip. "Did she tell you already?" Placing a palm on his forehead, he looked down. "Of course she did. It's Koharu."
I sipped on some tea. "Hm?"
"Nothing." He straightened up. "I guess you have a right to know as well because it affects you now. But I know so little myself. I think Koharu can remember more since she's older."
Continuing, he said, "I know a lot of people were angry about my parents' marriage, mainly because of the uncertainty of an heir. This is still a common notion, but it's not like anyone can do much, especially now Haru and I are adults. Most people lack the magic necessary to be considered a threat, so it just became an inherent bitterness in the population. It's nothing too intolerable. I'd even dare to say the majority are supportive of my parents. There's just always a loud minority who are all bark and no bite."
He cleared his throat and proceeded, shaking his head. "Or so we thought. I think I need to digress a moment. Leo is this kingdom's protector. You're well-aware. I've always held this belief that a sort of dichotomy exists in this world."
"How so?" I took another cherry from the bowl after my cup clinked against the glass.
He held his hands apart. "There's the sun and the moon, the sky and the earth, the physical and the mental. There's Dad and Father. Heck, even me and Koharu. Everything has its opposite comprised of everything it lacks. You're following, right?"
I nodded. Every word of his made my muscles tenser, and a seeping nervousness in my body anticipated his next statements with reluctance.
"I would like to think Leo has his opposite, too, and it's in the form of an unnamed magician. They beat around the bush and are rude and intolerant—all the things Leo isn't made of."
*The first two are debatable…*
"You know they threatened me and Koharu as children, correct?" he asked.
"Koharu told me, yes." I was on edge as I stiffened during what I perceived to be his interrogation of me.
"We didn't think much of it at the time. Why would we have? We were very young. But as we got older, it became drilled once more into our consciousness with subtle reminders from our parents." He chuckled. "Actually, they weren't very subtle. They never let us leave the castle except under specific circumstances. They still don't."
I turned to him and scrunched up my face. "That seems kind of ridiculous. Isn't there a spell or something that can be used? Koharu used one to talk to me about this. If there is,"—I narrowed my eyes at him—"why aren't you using it, too?"
Nodding, he told me, "Yes. That's why I think my parents are overreacting, but they keep us locked in here. You probably wondered why you never saw us at many public events before. And about the spell… Leo's nearby, so we'll be fine here. He's usually in *this* castle, so that's why Haru was probably acting like that."
"Ah."
"Anyway, I've just resigned myself to the fact I'm stuck in here for the rest of my life." A grim smile covered his face. "I think it could be worse. Somebody nice might come along here. Maybe they already have."
*You look miserable. It's not even about love at this point: It's about being deprived of typical life experiences like friendship, travel, and the scent of morning air in the town. Do you miss those if you've never had them? Is it some intrinsic desire?*
"I don't know why your parents would think you're only out to fool around. That's not the only thing in life. It sounds like they didn't even think about the possibility of a child who doesn't like people in that way."
He dug a fingernail into the pulp of a piece of fruit and peeled it from the core. "I want to agree with you. I really do."
"Why don't you?"
Our phrases became more heated, but they lacked a fiery tone. As I looked at Akiyoshi, he leaned his head down so that I could hardly see the whites of his eyes as shaggy clumps of hair draped over his face.
"Because I'm sure they have our best interests in mind." Biting his lip, he glanced up at me. He opened his mouth as if to continue, but he closed it quickly.
Pushing my teacup aside, I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to sound like I was being rude. I just wanted to know more about the situation for Kok—Koharu. It seems absurd to me to freak out over something vague like that, but that doesn't mean it isn't real." I shook my head. "I have nothing against the kings or you."
"I never thought you had bad intentions. It's just…" I was shocked when his voice cracked. "You know? Never mind. Don't worry about it."
*If it hurts you like this, I can't imagine how much it hurts Koko, but she also buries the things that bother her.*