This Crown Prince Hates Things Like That The Most

Nocturne came out from the transformation a little groggy. When the pain disappeared, it was like he'd never ached before. He felt like he'd been trapped in a long, long sleep, dreaming like he'd lived his entire life. And that was basically what happened to him, after all.

The gentle hands in his hair felt so good – and that was coming from a person who hated people who touched him. There had been more than a couple of confrontations because someone placed their hands on him without his permission.

Nocturne felt amazing. He felt like his body had been newly wired, replacing all the old broken parts. Everything just felt so much more alive. Cautiously, he tried opening his eyes. The burst of colour was almost too much for him to handle, and the light seemed so much more blinding than he remembered it being.

The figure next to him remained, stroking his hair, even after noticing he was already awake.

When Nocturne's eyes landed on the person next to him, it felt like all the colours had faded out of the world, concentrating solely on the person. He had never seen such an ethereal person before. It felt like the light was shining down on him like a halo, casting him in a light that made him look soft and fragile.

He had never heard the people around him whilst he was asleep talk about appearances, but he thought that whatever description they had wouldn't have done the teen justice anyway. Although the teen still looked like he was in his young, Nocturne could already tell that no one would ever be able to outshine the way this person held himself, both in aesthetics and dignity.

Hair so dark it looked black, it shone with a blue sheen under the light. Looking into his eyes, Nocturne felt like he was looking into the vast galaxy. He felt like he could sink into those eyes for all eternity and lose himself there. Whilst the teen's features were delicate, the way that he carried himself revealed no trace of femininity and instead radiated a fresh masculine and valiant charm, similar to a general on a battlefield.

Nocturne was instantly enchanted. His heart was beating hard, drowning out all the other sounds in the room, leaving only his loud heartbeats echoing in his ears, as the blood rushed to his face.

He remembered the way the teen had stroked his hair gently whilst he had been suffering vast amounts of pain. The way he had asked him whether or not he consented to the experiments, the way he barked out orders at his subordinates and the soft teaching voice he used when teaching. Everything abruptly blended together to give him a strange new feeling.

What was this? What was this feeling? Was this…love?

Nine looked at Black's awestruck, infatuated eyes and frowned. Black's eyes were a deep shade of violet, shining with unspeakable emotions. For a moment, she lost herself in those eyes, feeling like his charm had exploded after the transformation. There were subtle effects that had applied to his appearance, giving him a devilish charm as compared to when he was asleep. The emotions his magic radiated was more intense now that he was awake. In comparison, it was like she had been seeing his emotions through a foggy glass before.

She could feel herself pull back now that he was awake. She clamped down on any fuzzy feelings she had earlier whilst he was trapped. It wouldn't do for him to get any ideas about her.

Nine paused, realizing that a Vampire's innate charm was leaking out. Charm was a racial trait all Vampires shared to make hunting for targets easier. She hadn't remembered in her anxiety earlier, leading to this careless mistake. Slightly embarrassed, she pulled the charm back, nodding in satisfaction when she realized that some of the infatuation in Black's eyes faded as his emotions struggled.

Unlike what Nine thought, Nocturne was struggling with himself, but not because she had pulled back the effects of a Vampire's charm. It had never worked on him even before his complete transformation. Love? This was love? He was experiencing love for the first time in his lifetime. He had never felt this way before. But…the other person was a male! He was extremely conflicted at this moment.

He put aside his conflicting thoughts for the moment, instinctually realizing that Nine could read his emotions through his magic. He could see it from the way the teen's eyes focused on something vague, just like how his mother had reacted whenever she interacted with someone else. Since he still wasn't sure of himself, then he would hide it for now.

Nine's eyes flashed in amazement when she realized that she could no longer read Black's emotions from his magic. What had he just done? A soft smile curled on her lips. Interesting. But no matter, he was still giving out signals from his body language even though he tried to hide it.

Nocturne looked at the smile hanging on the teen's lips and felt like flowers were blooming. The teen's dominant aura lessened slightly when he smiled, giving off a softer feel, making one feel like they were getting intoxicated just from the smile alone. Nocturne felt extremely tangled at this moment. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the divine looking person in front of him. That smile was permanently imprinted in his memories.

Nocturne got up, landing nimbly on the floor. Not controlling his newfound strength, the floor cracked under him. He froze before deciding to ignore it, dropping into full formal bow that his country used, showing his utmost appreciation and gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Nocturne Asher. I give you my utmost gratitude for your actions. Even though you could have left me, you still saved me," he said, dropping into a kneel. It was something that a Crown Prince should never have done, but at this moment, it didn't matter to him. What he wanted was to convey the full amount of his thanks.

Nine looked at the man kneeling in front of her. Although she didn't know who he really was, she could feel that he wasn't an ordinary person. His words rang with sincerity, though, and she wasn't one to put up pretentious airs.

"Then, you owe me three favours," she said, leaving no room for negotiation. "Nine Destan. Crown Prince of the Cosmos Empire," she said simply.

Nocturne imprinted the teen's name in his heart. Nine, he thought, his eyes growing slightly misty. He suddenly came to the conclusion that it didn't matter what gender Nine was. Since it didn't matter, then he should make a move before anyone else got there first, right?

"Please let me stay by your side, Nine. I've already fallen in love with you."

Nine's eyes grew frosty. They looked as hard as ice. Really didn't think that he would be this kind of person. She gave a chilling laugh. "Love? Based on what? My appearance? Love at first sight? How shallow," she said. She stepped forward into Nocturne's personal space as he knelt, running a finger under his jaw, tilting his head up to look her in the eyes. She bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Let me tell you, this Crown Prince hates things like that the most." Nine's voice was glacial, devoid of any warmth. With that said, she left the room without any additional words. Any pleasant feelings she might have had upon successfully managing to awaken Nocturne from the forced eternal sleep was gone now.

Nine's closeness sent a pleasant shiver down his spine, but her following words left him feeling like he'd been sent into an icehouse. He remained in the kneeling position for an indeterminate amount of time. He had never been rejected before.