The Crippled Prince.

“I lost one eye long ago,” Sol replied. “Since then, Her Majesty had given me this prosthetic eye-emblem as a gift. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” Hitsuki continued to stare at her eyes. He couldn’t focus, for both of her eyes looked stunning.

“You look good with your eyes open,” Hitsuki added. “You look cute. Why do you close your eyes?”

“I am flattered.” Sol blushed. “But it’s for secret missions.”

Sol closed her eyes in an instant, as Hitsuki heard footsteps getting closer to them.

“Why are you guys standing here? And aren’t you hungry?” Hanahoshi said, stepping before them. “Come on now, he is waiting for the new guest!”

“I guess this conversation is over.” Sol smiled. “Thanks for your compliment, though.”

Hanahoshi looked at Hitsuki with wary eyes. “You can’t seem to pick up girls wherever you see the chance, do you?”

Hitsuki felt chills coming from the other side.

Sol suddenly turned cold. “You were hitting on Hanahoshi…?”

Hitsuki felt Sol’s silent anger burning in the surroundings around her. But Hanahoshi stopped her.

“It’s nothing like that.” Hanahoshi laughed. “It’s just that his personality is charming, that’s all.”

“I would say ‘different from normal’ to be frank,” Sol added. “Her Majesty seemed to be quite intrigued by his sarcasm and humor.”

But their conversation halted as another screech came from Hitsuki’s stomach. They both laughed as Hitsuki sat down in embarrassment.

“I am freaking hungry, you idiots!—someone said,” Sol replied.

“I guess the food is running cold!” Hanahoshi added, pulling on Hitsuki’s sleeve.

*****

The doors creaked as they entered the room, and the aroma of different dishes surrounded Hitsuki, deepening his hunger even more.

“I know you haven’t eaten for about two days now, but I want you to stay respectful,” Sol whispered as Hanahoshi happily opened the door.

“We are here, brother!” She exclaimed, jumping inside the moment she opened the door.

Inside, all Hitsuki saw were rows of food of various kinds—a gigantic omelette, small portions of meat, rice with fried seeds, and a light soupy sauce that had the strongest of all scents.

Sol immediately jabbed Hitsuki in his guts. “Manners. Introduce yourself first.”

“Right, can’t forget that!” He replied.

Though the food was tempting, he looked at Hanahoshi’s brother—a prince—for the first time. He was looking at the suns through the window that spanned the whole room. But what was interesting was that he was sitting in a chair with wheels, the wheelchair of this world.

Hitsuki looked in awe at him. For he didn’t look anything like his sisters. He looked… different. Pale and lifeless at heart.

“Nice to meet you, I am-”

“OH!!” His face brightened as he saw Hitsuki’s face. “IT’S YOU WHO SAVED MY SISTER’S LIFE!!”

He was a bit too excited, for he fell out of his wheelchair.

“Brother Mukonoshi!! What are you doing!!?!” Hanahoshi panicked. Hitsuki couldn’t react, but Sol dashed through the room and picked him up.

He saw the same trail from Sol’s dash as Chiyoshi. But it was cyan instead of purple. Hitsuki stood there, trying to understand the chaos.

“Ah, my bad!” Prince Mukonoshi apologized. “But seeing the savior of my sister was such a blessing indeed!”

“Brother, you are already sick!” Hanahoshi yelled. “You can’t do something like that!! What if you get injured?”

“My apologies,” Mukonoshi said, now looking at Hitsuki. He had the same eyes as Hanahoshi. “I am the third Prince of the Kingdom of Lizrab, Mukonoshi. Nice to meet you. I feel my health is a lot better just by seeing you!”

Mukonoshi stared at Hitsuki’s attire and his resemblance to a vampire. But he wasn’t scared. Rather, he was curious. The difference between what he wore and what he had worn today made his eyes glitter.

“You look… interesting…” he replied. “I am sure you have heard about your resemblance a lot, so I won’t bother bringing that up.”

“I really appreciate your well-wishing thoughts,” Hitsuki replied.

Mukonoshi laughed. “I really like your attire. It suits you very much.”

But Hitsuki’s stomach knows no royalty. It needs food, and it won’t stop until it gets its desires fulfilled.

“Gosh, I am getting second-hand embarrassment…” Hanahoshi said.

Hitsuki crumbled into a ball. “…then guess how I am feeling…”

Mukonoshi just nodded. “It’s our fault for not treating our savior well. I have heard you have gone through our trials. Honestly, when I heard that, I was furious. When did our Kingdom stoop so low to punish the savior of a princess?”

“You… you are too kind for this world…” Hitsuki cried comedically.

“Let’s continue our chats after the meal, shall we?” Mukonoshi smiled. “I have a lot of tales to hear from you!”

*****

“So, you can’t go outside due to some physical condition?” Hitsuki asked.

“Yes,” Mukonoshi replied. “It honestly affects everything in my life. Sometimes it brings me guilt. Like this time…”

“Why? What happened now?” Hisuki asked.

“Brother, please don’t tell him-”

“My idiotic sister Hanahoshi set out to get some Hattim’s eggs a few days earlier, on the singularity day, as you remember,” Mukonoshi added. “I was sick back then, and it was my favorite dish, so… yeah. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh, so that makes sense!” Hitsuki nodded in agreement.

Hanahoshi covered her face. “Don’t embarrass me like that…”

“It’s your fault, Princess Hanahoshi. Breaking the rule of singularity is a serious offense.”

“I am sorry…”

“I am just curious, but can I ask you something?” Hitsuki whispered to Mukonoshi.

“Sure!” Mukonoshi jumped in excitement. “Curiosity is a wonderful virtue to acquire!”

“How did you uhh…” he glanced at the wheelchair.

Mukonoshi turned serious for a brief moment, but soon went back to his usual self. But that glimpse of expression was deep.

“I was born that way. It’s all a necessary sacrifice to preserve the royal bloodline.” Mukonoshi said after a pause. “Our Queen and mother of me, sister Hanahoshi, Chiyoshi, and Masayoshi has five concubines. Three of which are her brothers, and two of whom are her sons…”