the prince and the pauper ; kubokai royalty au

1 ¬ sweet summer day ¬

Prince Shun stared blankly at the ceiling of his bedroom chamber, his eyes still heavy from sleep. Rays of sunlight seeped in through the window beside him, and a warm breeze floated inside from the open window. Shun always hated summers, they were long and way too hot, and extremely uneventful - the palace hallways would be empty and barren, as any festivities wouldn't be held for months. Nothing remotely interesting had happened in such a long while, and every day seemed to be the same recently. He'd wake up, sit and read for a while, wander about the castle grounds, and sleep. And the cycle would continue. It's not like he could partake in any sort of sporting tournaments that occurred so frequently this time of year, because Shun HATED sport. So he'd simply lie about and wait for the days to end, with no one to talk to apart from his family and servants. Servants that he didn't mind having around, for sure, but they weren't his friends. They were paid to talk to him, show interest in his day, stuff like that. So most of the summer, he generally spent alone. 

"Good morning, Master Shun. Did you have a pleasant night?" One of Shun's favourite servants, Hana, entered his bedroom, carrying a small tray holding a cup of tea and some slices of toast. As ever, she was smiling cheerily. She placed the tray beside Shun and turned to the window, fumbling about with his curtains and letting more light into the room. Hana was young, around Shun's age, and was extremely beautiful, even if she only wore plain servant clothes. She was probably the closest person to a friend that Shun had.

"Mmm. It was okay, I guess. Did you?" Shun replied sleepily, rubbing his eyes. He started nibbling on the toast and smiled back at her.

"Yes, I did. Sleep does tend to come easier in the summer." Hana said dreamily, pausing for a moment to stare out the window, overlooking the palace gardens. "We seem to have nice weather again today. You should go outside if you get the chance."

"I probably will. So... do I have any jobs lined up for today? Please tell me there's some visitor, or a sort of law or decree I have to sign, give me anything, i'm begging you."

She frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry Shun, but you have another day off. I really don't understand you sometimes, you know, your siblings are loving this free time. Yet you're here so desperate for work."

"Because it's so boring around here. I have nothing to DO, and nobody to talk to. Like, It's not like we can run off together and slack off,  because you're always on duty. And my studies are suspended for summer, so I can't even pass time doing that. I just spend every single day by myself, doing nothing." Shun said huffily, hugging his knees. "Sometimes I just wish I was a normal kid." He muttered quickly, his voice muffled by the toast in his mouth.

"Oh, come on now. It can't be that bad, can it? Oh.. well, actually, I just remembered something that is happening today, but I doubt it'll be much interest to you."

"What is it?"

"A new servant will be joining us today."

"Really? Who?" Shun looked up at her, his attention caught. A new servant was something to be excited about - especially if this servant would be assigned to work with him. 

"To be honest with you, I don't know anything about them. Personally, I'm quite excited to meet them myself. But I do know that it is their first day today, so if you see a new face around, be nice."

"Do you think i'll get to meet them?"

"I'm sure you will. They'll be attending to you in the evenings after all."

Shun hadn't even thought of this, but the servant who had previously waited for Shun during the evening had quit last week. She was nice and did her job well, and Shun liked her. But she had found a better opportunity elsewhere and decided to leave. Hana had been filling this role temporarily whilst they searched for a replacement, which Shun didn't mind as he liked having her as company, but it was clearly tiring work. 

"Well, i'll leave you to eat. Your mother requested that you're dressed and downstairs by at least noon today, so she'll be pleased to know that you're up bright and early today. Before I go, Master, do you need anything?"

"No, i'm okay. Thanks for the food, Hana. See you later." He smiled at her again as she left the room. He wished all his servants weren't so formal. Well, obviously he understood that this is a job, and a very prestigious one at that, but it was kind of frustrating. He knew that he and Hana were two of the same deep down, and he always treated her as an equal, but there's no denying the welfare difference between them.  

As Shun finished his breakfast, he set about putting on his clothes for the day. Normally, it's custom to have a servant assist you for this, but Shun has insisted that he can do it by himself. The court respected his wishes, and considering he wasn't as sporty as most princes tended to be, he discarded the tight corset like garments that would normally need help to put on. Instead, he wears long, loose clothes that are airy and light, which are far more comfortable. Once he was ready, he decided to head downstairs and try and catch a glimpse of this rookie servant he'd been thinking so much about since Hana had mentioned it.

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