'I…should I make a run for it? What if I get abandoned here…no, Crown Prince Kaiden is not that kind of man. But still…I don't know anything about him…'
The only thing Shuu knew about the crown prince was the fact that he had marked Shuu and that he was the chosen hero of the current generation.
Actually, Shuu had no real idea what that even meant. He had never been allowed to attend classes with others, and his basic knowledge came from being self-taught.
Currently sitting in this high-end shop all alone felt nerve-wracking, and he wanted to shit in his seat and he wanted to leave. But he could not abandon the crown prince and risk getting punished.
While he was deep in his thoughts, the shop's door was pushed open and a pair entered the shop. They paused as soon as they noticed him, and he saw their expression sour.
"Tsk, what is a low-life like him doing here?"
"I thought this shop had class and only served 'worthy' people. Ugh, let's go back. If we do our shopping here, then our clothes will stink of weird smell as well."
'They are talking about me. I…just know they are talking about me. Do they know who I am?'
Shuu's face was a mixture of pale and white. Every instinct told him to get up and leave the room so as to not bother others.
But his body refused to move.
He did not want to look up and see those blank stares looking at him. So he continued to look down and grab his…or rather, Prince Kaiden's shirt he was wearing.
The pair lingered around for a minute before the female spoke up once more.
"Tsk, looks like the weird smell won't go anywhere, so we should take our business elsewhere."
Shuu did not even feel humiliated when he heard that. He had heard such words so many times that he only felt tired when he heard them now.
He heard the sound of footsteps, and he waited to hear the door open. But instead of the expected noise, all he heard was a loud gasp, and he suddenly realized that the footsteps were sounding as if they were coming closer to him.
"H-Hey, isn't that…?"
"The crown prince? No way-! Why is he here? And with a filthy low-life like that?"
"Shhhh. Prince Kaiden is the 'Chosen Hero'. He must have seen that unfortunate soul and decided to help him out because he's such a pure person."
"I feel sorry for the crown prince. He is helping out someone who is beyond salvation…eppp."
The lady suddenly went quiet half-way through her words and turned pale. She looked up, only to see a pair of cold eyes looking back at her.
Her partner by her side also froze, too scared to say anything else. The hero's glare was too much for them.
"This shop truly has no class. Let's go, Shuu. You are too good for a place like this. These normal clothes will clearly not do. I will have my personal tailor make clothes for you from now on."
Crown Prince Kaiden sounded annoyed, but his hand felt soft and inviting as it extended toward Shuu. He could only see the hand through his bangs, as he had no strength to look up.
Kaiden did not seem to mind as he reached out to grab Shuu's hand.
"Let's go now."
Kaiden's hand felt warm, and Shuu felt his body follow without his own input. As he walked past the couple who had been bad-mouthing him, he noticed that one of them collapsed on their knees.
The other was shaking as well, but the door closed behind him before he could react to them.
"Don't pay attention to what others say, Shuu. Remember, you are someone I need, and you already agreed to give yourself to me. What no one else says matters at this point."
The crown prince's voice sounded the same as ever, but Shuu had a feeling he was a little on edge.
Shuu's internal feelings were complicated, but the crown prince's attention made him feel a little better.
He was not naive enough to think that the crown prince was doing all this for him simply because he liked him.
Ah, but whatever the reason was, Shuu did not care anymore. He just wanted to enjoy this situation a little longer.
So he squeezed the hand holding his as he followed after the hero. They walked for a while before Shuu noticed something…
They were not going anywhere, and the crown prince looked a little annoyed. He was also walking just a little bit funny…
"Prince Kaiden, are you alright…?"
"Shuu, just know that I am not a pervert…well, not a complete pervert. But do you think…you can help me? I think I got a little excited a while back…"
Shuu had a sudden feeling that he should not look down. He needed to look at the crown prince's face, but the red cheeks made him feel shy.
So, despite telling himself repeatedly not to look down, he decided to do that, only to feel his face flame because he could see an obvious tent in the crown prince's clothes.
'T-That is…what even got him excited?'
Shuu wanted to ask this question, but the crown prince's expression made him go silent.
"I…Prince Kaiden, do you need help?"
Shuu wanted to hit himself as soon as those words escaped his mouth. He wanted to take those words back immediately, but it was too late.
"You want…to help me? I did not expect you to tell me that. But if you are sure, I won't mind taking your help. Come with me. I know a place where we can have some fun."
Shuu realized that it was too late to get away when the crown prince grabbed his hand and pulled him behind him.
He was dragged all the way to a bathhouse which had no customers because it was bright outside. The man at the front desk immediately noticed us and welcomed us…before his eyes widened as they landed on Kaiden.
"C-Crown prince, how can we-"
"Get me two pairs of fresh clothes and make sure no one comes to the baths for the next few hours. And if anyone asks, I was never here."
The crown prince ordered and the bathhouse owner quickly bowed to show that he understood the orders.
Within seconds, Shuu was dragged inside the bathhouse and the door closed behind him, signaling his impending doom that was about to come.