A/N: This is an AU chapter based on the song "Cantarella" Original music video above if you want to listen to the song

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It was a windy afternoon. James was inside the study room, busy writing a letter. He looked out the window to see that there was a carriage stopped by the front yard.

The carriage door swung open and a figure of a boy stepped out. He was wearing a big sunhat, making his face not visible from the prince's point of view.

The wind blew again, blowing away the hat and exposing the boy's identity. James dropped the pen he's holding upon seeing who it was.

All of a sudden, Emilia burst through the study room's doors. She looked at her brother, and with a single glare, James understood that she's asking him to follow her immediately.

They left the room and headed downstairs. At the living area, there sat 3 people: The two queens of the Yuzuki clan, and their son, prince Ash.

The pink haired boy's eyes lit up. He tried to remain calm and not show his excitement.

Their parents, King and Queen Lumi, were currently talking with the queens, they decided to move onto the garden for some tea and desserts. Emilia joined them to give her brother space to talk to the other prince.

Ash sat on the couch, fiddling with his hands. James sat on a chair across him. After a few silent moments, the blue haired boy decided to speak up.

Ash: It's.... nice to see you again

James: Same here. It's been a while since I've seen you. How've you been?

Ash: It was okay. Nothing much happened ever since I left

James was about to say something else when a girl walked in and suddenly hugged Ash. James' happy expression suddenly darkened, but he tried not to show it.

James: Who's this?

Ash: Oh, I forgot to mention. This is Yuki, she's my.....

He tried to say the words even though he was quite uncomfortable with the subject.

Ash: Fiance. We've got together on an arranged marriage.

Yuki kept her smiling face and looked at James

Yuki: It's so nice to meet you, prince James, Ash has told me so much about you

James: Is that so? Well it's....nice to meet you too. If you will excuse me, I have to assist my sister

He stood up and went to find Emilia. The princess was currently eating a cupcake when her brother grabbed her arm and dragged her to another part of the garden away from the higher royalties.

She was about to scold her for interrupting like that, when she saw that her brother had a vile emotion on him.

Emilia: Are you okay? Your face is odd

James: No, I'm not okay.

He told her about Ash's new love interest. He asked her for help. Emilia thought for a while and then came up with a plan that's certainly foolproof.

At around 6 pm, the Yuzuki clan was heading out the door. Before they could leave, James asked Yuki if she won't mind to join her for a teaparty tommorow morning in the garden. She happily agreed to his offer.

The next day.....

Yuki had arrived at about 9:00 am. A maid led her to the garden and told her the prince would be ready in a few minutes.

The servant informed the siblings that their guest is here. As the maid left, Emilia quickly went through a small box and took out a small bottle of poison then gave it to her brother.

He put the bottle in his pocket then headed to the garden and joined Yuki at the table. When Yuki was distracted, he took out the poison and secretly poured it in her tea.

He slipped in the bottle back to his pocket before anyone noticed and waited for his plan to work.

The princess picked up the cup and drank its contents. The prince also consumed his own drink while a malicious grin was plastered on his face.

As soon as she finished her drink, Yuki suddenly felt dizzy. She dropped the cup and lost her balance, making her fall to the ground.

James quickly stood up and called for help. He made himself look as distressed as possible to hide his true motif.

A few moments later, Yuki was already brought to the hospital. She was dead on arrival.

The siblings quickly threw away the evidence. Yuki's body was to be buried in the other side of the country where she's from.

They were all saying goodbye to Yuki's family. James glanced at Ash, expecting him to be crying already, but to his surprise, he wasn't.

He just stood there, emotionless. There was no sign of him being sad whatsoever, it was like.....he didn't care.

After saying farewell, the royalties went back to do their individual tasks. Ash headed to the fountain and sat there quietly. James decided to check up on him so he sat beside him.

James: Hey, are you okay?

Ash: I'm fine

James: Sorry for your loss. You must be feeling really distressed right now

Ash: Not at all

His statement left the pink prince in shock. Why wouldn't he feel upset about this? What is wrong with him? He thought to himself.

Ash: Actually, I'm glad

James: What?

Ash: I'm happy

James: Why would you be happy after that?

Ash: I never wanted to get married to Yuki in the first place. She's so obnoxious, and I know she's only using me to get rich

James: I....see

The blue prince held the other's hand, making James blush a little.

Ash: Enough about that, let's focus on something else. Say, are you going to that party on the next kingdom?

James: Well, I did get an invite, so I suppose I should go, along with my sister

Ash: I've been invited too, we can spend time together there

James: S-sure

He gave him a warm smile, making James' heartbeat go faster. He loved that smile and wanted to see it all the time.

Ash: I need to go back home, I'll see you on Saturday

He let go of his hand and stood up. He smiled once more at him before walking off.

A small smile formed upon James' lips. He was about to stand up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see his sister standing there with a grin on her face.

Emilia: Hey, bro. You look happy

James: That's because I am. I finally have Ash back. You look happy too, did something happen?

Emilia: Heh, I just got to prank prince Venomania again. He's so mad at me right now

James: You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?

Emilia: It's a hobby. Also, don't go thinking Ash is yours again

James: What do you mean?

Emilia: Both of us know that he's a catch to some people. You still have a lot of competition ahead

James: You're right....what can I do about it?

Emilia: Simple: Make him yours

James: And how do you suppose I do that? In a moral way please

Emilia: Ask him out. If he's already tied the knot with you, then other people won't attempt to make a move on him

James: I.... can't do that. I don't know how

Emilia: You're so useless

She quickly scribbled a plan and gave it to her younger brother.

Emilia: There. Good luck on that, and don't mess it up

James: Thank you, I'll try this as accurately as I can

Emilia: Good. Now excuse me, I need to hide from Ezra before he whacks my head with a notebook

James watched as his sister ran off. Emilia is a pro at giving him plans and tips, but sometimes he feels like the older sibling due to her acting a bit childish from time to time.

He took a peak at the plan again. It seemed easy enough. He headed to his room for some rest.

Saturday........

It was 30 minutes before the party started. James was trying to wake his sister up. Emilia proposed they arrive a little late so they wouldn't look too eager, so she took a nap to kill time. Unfortunately she slept too much that they might miss the gathering if she didn't get up.

James: Emilia! Get up already, you dozy slob!

Emilia: 5 more minutes.....

James: You said that to me 20 minutes ago! Wake up!

He pulled the blanket off her. He was expecting her to be wearing pajamas, but to his surprise she was already wearing her dress for the party.

Emilia arose from the bed with a yawn and looked at the younger sibling.

Emilia: Let's go-- why aren't you dressed yet? Come on, slowpoke, try to catch up

James: How did you--

Emilia: Shut it, loser, no time for questions, get ready

She stood up and went downstairs. James went to his room to quickly get changed. He was in such a rush that he didn't notice he was wearing mismatched shoes. Luckily Emilia saw it and asked him to change them.

They hopped in the carriage and made their way to the next kingdom.

Once they arrived, James expected his sister would help him with the plan, but as he was about to ask her, Emilia had already gone. He looked around the place to see where his sister had went. He saw that he was busy chatting with a few of her friends.

James: (Guess I'm on my own now)

The first thing he needed to do was find Ash. He thought it would've taken him hours to find him in such a large crowd, but a few seconds later the blue Yuzuki ran in and called out his name while waving his hand.

Ash approached prince Lumi with a glowing expression. James' heart was racing. "Maybe I don't need the plan after all" he thought

They talked to each other for a while. Each moment he spent with the other made him happy. It was going well until some other guests suddenly dragged Ash away to chat with him.

Seeing that there are still other people interested in him, he decided that the plan is back on again.

He headed to the bathroom and changed clothes. He put on masquerade mask to cover his identity.

He took a wine glass from one of the waiters passing by and took out some sleeping pills. He crushed the pills using his hands and sprinkled it into the drink.

He approached Ash and tried to get a conversation out of him. After a bit of talking, he offered the glass to him.

Ash accepted the wine and drank it. He started feeling dozy and a few seconds later, he collapsed. James swiftly caught him in his arms before he hit the ground and ran towards the exit, away from the other guests.

He carried him to a space behind the castle. He looked at the sleeping boy. The moonlight shone on him, making him more visible. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you...."

He laid him against the wall and sat beside him. He was glad he could have him all to himself, but a part of him was feeling..... regret.

He hugged his knees and dug through his pocket. The empty bottle of poison was there. He had Emilia hide it somewhere, he didn't know she hid it in one of his clothes.

James: The poison.....stealing you....lying to everyone....I must be crazy

He glanced at the sleeping prince once more, then looked up to the sky. The moon was shining brightly, just like how it was before.....

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10 years ago........

James: Tag! You're it!

Ash: Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!

Two young boys were playing tag in the castle. James was running away from the other so he wouldn't get caught. He took a left on the next hallway and stood there quietly in hopes he won't be found.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to catch his breath, that's when Ash suddenly pounced on him from behind. They both fell down onto the floor and couldn't help but giggle.

Megan, one of the maids and also Ash's mom, spotted them.

Megan: Ash! Don't play too roughly with the prince!

James: It's alright, I don't really mind as long as I get to play with my best friend

James gave his friend a hug. Ash gave him a warm smile while her mother looked at them in awe.

The two boys stood up and continued to play. Each day was like this, Ash was the son of a maid and he gets to hang out with the prince since he and his mother stay at the castle.

After a long day of fun and games, they headed on to their separate rooms.

James was about to go to bed when he suddenly felt thirsty. He stood up and headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

After he had refreshed himself, he was about to go back to his room when he saw his older sister sitting on the countertop with a picture in her hand and a glass of water in the other.

She took a sip then put down the cup in the sink. She then looked at her younger brother.

Emilia: Can't sleep?

James: No, I just needed a drink. What's that you're holding?

Emilia: Oh, this? It's just a photo I snapped of my friends

James: Can I see it?

She held up the photo. It was a picture of her two male friends kissing. The little prince's face grew red upon seeing it.

James: I-I didn't know the same genders could do that

Emilia: Of course they can do that. Gender doesn't matter when it comes to love 

James: Love?

Emilia: Let's just say it's like "advanced friendship"

He tried to process his sister's statement. Emilia went to her own room leaving James there lost in thought.

The next day, the prince and the maid's son were playing in the garden again. James remembered his sister's words from last night.

He looked at Ash. He hesitated at first but had mustered up the courage to give him a quick peck on the cheek to show affection, thinking it's only a declaration of friendship.

Ash was oblivious about the gesture, so he just chuckled a bit and continued play.

What they didn't know is that Audrey, aka Queen Lumi, was watching them from the window of her room. Seeing her son's sudden action made her mad. She didn't want her son to be associated in such a way with someone who's not royalty.

She told her husband about what happened and they both agreed that they needed to be separated so incidents like this would never occur again.

At the end of the day, Audrey called in Megan. She said Queen Charlotte needed more staff and she recommended her. Megan accepted the offer after hearing it had a higher salary.

She was initiated to leave the next day. Ash had just came back from saying goodnight to his friend when Megan told him about the new offer. From the look in her son's eyes, it was clear that he didn't want to go, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he just nodded to what his mother was saying.

The next morning, James was expecting a morning greeting from Ash like how he does everyday. He looked around his room but there was no sign of his friend. He thought Ash was just asleep so he stood up and headed to his room.

He knocked on his room door. There was no response. He knocked again, but there was no answer. He was getting worried so he peaked through the door.

His friend was no longer there, along with his other possessions. Confused, he went out of the room and asked one of the servants where Megan and Ash are. They said that they had left earlier. He asked when they will come back but all he got for a response was a sigh.

James got the hint and looked down in disappointment. He sniffled and started crying. He headed to Emilia's space without saying anything. His sister spotted him and gave him a hug. She then let him sob and waited for him to let it all out.

For the next days, he kept on being quiet. Emilia was generally concerned about her little brother, while their parents never told them the real reason the mother and son left and just kept telling them that it was because of an emergency.

A few years later, Megan ended up marrying Queen Yuzuki and both her and her son became royalty. When Ash turned 18, he decided to go back to the Lumi castle for a visit, and to see his childhood friend again.

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James: How did it all come to this? I must be crazy.....

James: Maybe I should return you... you're going to hate me when you know what happened

He was about to stand up when he felt someone hold his hand. He looked beside him and saw that Ash had grabbed him.

Ash: I..... already know

James: W-what?! How?

Ash: Let's say a pink princess gave me context

James: (Of course, Emilia couldn't keep her big mouth shut)

James: I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused. It was so stupid of me

He continued to mumble words of regret and self hatred. He looked up and expected Ash to be furious with him, but he saw that the other had a small smile on his face.

James: W-Why are you smiling? Aren't you mad at me?

Ash: No, I wanted this to happen. I wanted to get back with you so I played along

James: Played along?

Ash: Mm. Emilia told me your plots from the very start. I knew there was no other way for us to see each other again like this, so I decided to go along with it

Ash held his cheek and used his thumb to wipe away a few tears from the edge of his eye.

James was glad he didn't hate him, but he was still feeling guilty about everything.

The blue haired prince noticed he was still feeling a bit down, so he decided to try to cheer him up with a gesture he learned 10 years ago. He cupped his face and gently pressed his lips against his.

After a few seconds, he pulled back and looked him in the eyes with a smile on his face that was as radiant as the light of the moon. 

Ash: Don't be so harsh on yourself. I would've done the same

He stood up and offered his hand to him. James looked at his hand with a blush on his cheeks. He accepted his grasp and stood up. They decided they didn't want to go back to the crowded gathering, so instead they headed back to James' place so they could spend more time together.

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I'm happy to announce that this chapter has reached 3197 words :D (Without the A/N. Total with author's note is 3261)