ᴇɪɢʜᴛʜ.

She gently brushed his arms off around her and walked towards the couch to take a seat. He watched her take her heels off, noticing the small wounds on her ankles. He got a box of band-aids from the first aid kit and then, he knelt in front of her to plaster it on the wounds. She reached for his cheeks and nuzzled it against her palms. It was warm and soft. He looked up at her and stared in her crestfallen eyes. 

"After this, I'll drive you home." He whispered and she slowly nodded. It will be more painful for both of them if they will stay there for a longer time. 

"I'm happy, Kazuma. You are my first kiss." More tears dwelled up and a sad smile formed on her lips. He looked down, not wanting to see her cry as he knows he has no rights to wipe it. 

"That will be my first and last kiss with you." He murmured, getting up to pick up his car keys from the round glass table. She bit her lips and covered her face with her hands to cry silently. 

He stood there and listened to her silent cries. He can't even do anything about it. He clenched on his keys tight, almost making his palm bleed. Barefooted, she stood up and ran towards him to hug him from behind. Her tears stained his shirt but he didn't mind that. He held her hand gently but later on, he let it go and released himself from the hug. 

「 ⚜ 」 

"We arranged a date for you and the daughter of Ishikawa Corporations. Make sure you'll be able to have a good relationship with her." His father said and he forced a smile, nodding his head after. 

"Yes, Father." He finished his cup of coffee before standing up from his seat and bowing his head to leave for his classes. 

The butler followed him outside the mansion, giving his school bag after opening the car door for him. He went inside and put his headphones on, listening to loud music as they were on their way to Royal High. He looked outside the windows, thinking about how he would be able to face the Sixth Princess during classes. Falling in love with her is the most forbidden thing that his father said. 

The Kawamura Dynasty has been reigning since the nineteenth century and as the youngest Kawamura, it is his destiny to get married right after he turned eighteen. The main reason why he can't be together with the eldest daughter of the House of Cheikh is because of the dispute between their ancestors since the twentieth century. Until now, both families are holding a grudge on what happened in the past; a despicable reason why they are suffering and can't fall in love with each other. He attempted to ask for her hand but he only received a threat. 

He got out of the car when they finally arrived at Royal High. Some female students greeted him a good morning but he just nodded at them as his morning was never good until he saw her. He walked inside the classroom and then, he saw her talking with their friends. He noticed her slightly puffy eyes. He is the reason why she cried and he can't forgive himself for not being able to stay by her side. 

"Gia is absent today. She has a fever." The Ninth Princess said and he approached the Fifth Prince to give him a pat on his shoulder. 

"Ohayou, Kazuma." The younger one smiled at him and the Sixth Princess looked away, making herself busy with her phone. 

"Ohayou." He greeted them and the two felt the awkward atmosphere. The youngest one smiled, rummaging her bag to get a band-aid. She gave it to him and he gave her a questioning look. 

"Patch it upon your broken heart." She said and he glared at her. He clicked his tongue and walked away from them. 

They still have no classes, so he went to the school grounds to play games. He got the toy rifle and started shooting the cans placed on the wooden dividers. In the end, he won the grand prize, which is a life-sized teddy bear. When he went back to the classroom, he saw that she was no longer there. He placed it on her desk after making sure that no one saw him putting it on there. 

"Kazuma, let's go to the hospital." The Third Prince suddenly appeared behind him and he almost shrieked. 

"What happened?" He composed himself and the older one gave him a serious look. He squinted his eyes but he eventually followed him to the parking lot. 

"Someone attacked Riku last night. Gia is at home and recovering from the trauma. Her nanny said that she is currently having a fever." The Third Prince explained and they went inside his car. 

"Why would someone attack him? Did he do something?" He asked and the older one started to drive. He let out a deep sigh and nodded. 

"His supposed-to-be fiancée is obsessed over him and when he declined the arranged marriage, her father decided to send a group of men to follow him and force him to take back his decision and marry his daughter." He felt like a headache coming when he heard those. 

"Arranged marriage sucks. Though the only arranged marriage I can accept is Itsuki and Gia's. By the way, do you know that the Yoshino Group of Companies are planning to make a deal with the Hasegawa Clan, making Hokuto and Fuyu get married to each other?" He asked, making the Third Prince press the brakes abruptly. 

"What? I didn't know that. We just accepted their offer to make a private museum for Fuyu." The older one said and they head loud honks behind them. He started driving again, feeling betrayed about it. 

"Private museum for what? Ah. I just remembered that she is into abstract paintings." The younger one said and he nodded.