𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝙰 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙾𝙵 𝙰 𝚀𝚄𝙴𝙴𝙽
Summary: You are a kind and beloved princess of a peaceful kingdom. Heir to your father, you have spent your entire life preparing to become Queen. Sukuna is the cold and cruel Royal Advisor. He does not want a woman on the throne. He wants the throne for himself—and you as nothing more than an ornament on his lap.
Warnings: Misogyny, Obsessive behavior, Violence, Sexual Content.
You wished the sun was warmer.
That way, you could easily blame the heat for the obvious color on your cheeks, but you knew the weather was not the reason, not even close.
You had been like this ever since you woke up. To be honest, your face had been burning ever since Sukuna touched your body for the last time the night before. It was like a fever that would not go away. The bed was empty in the morning, leaving behind only the memory of Sukuna’s presence in the sheets, yet he was still all over your skin.
Maybe it was better this way, you thought. You would not know how to react if you woke up and found yourself wrapped around Sukuna. The embarrassment and shame that moment would bring would not be worth it, not even to excuse how much you missed him. Even so, one stubborn part of your mind wondered if he felt the same way and had gotten up earlier because of it. Or maybe he simply did not care and had not even thought about it.
Your fingers tightened around the fabric of your dress without meaning to.
“Didn’t you like this one, Princess?” Shoko’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you looked at the woman who had just finished smoothing the skirt of your dress. God, your expression must have looked so terrible that the poor servant thought your frustration was directed at her.
“No. It’s not that.” You quickly answered and forced a smile. “This one is perfect. I was just lost in thought.”
Shoko nodded and stood up. She walked around you to make sure everything looked right, and you tried your best not to move and get in the way while she finished dressing you. “Which tiara would you like to wear today, Your Highness?”
Before you could answer, a knock at the door interrupted you. Once, then twice. You knew that signal and immediately knew who was on the other side of the door. “You may come in, Suguru.”
Your guard entered your chambers a few seconds after receiving your permission, respectful as always. He bowed to you and returned to his formal posture. “The King requests your presence, Princess.”
You frowned and looked at the door that connected your chambers to the King’s chambers. Sukuna had not been there when you woke up, so you had gone back to your own room to get dressed and start your day. The fact that he had sent someone to fetch you instead of coming himself annoyed you, but Sukuna had always been petty. You rolled your eyes but walked toward the door anyway.
“He is in his office, Princess.” Sir Geto stopped you before you could head toward the King’s chambers.
“His office?” You became even more confused. Why would Sukuna need you to go to his office just to talk?
Suguru simply shrugged. “That is all I was told.”
Shoko gave you a small encouraging smile. “At least you’re ready.”
Sukuna was not alone in the office.
As soon as the guards opened the doors, your eyes immediately found him. Sukuna was sitting comfortably on the other side of the large desk in the center of the room. Your whole body shivered, and it took all your strength not to lower your eyes in embarrassment. Unwanted memories of the previous night filled your mind and took over every thought you had.
You felt your face begin to grow warm again.
Only then did you notice the man standing by the window, looking at you as well. General Zenin. He wore simple armor, but it was completely different from the armor your guards and the other knights of the castle wore. His looked more refined, and much more intimidating. You did not have a real opinion of Toji. In truth, you barely knew him. You had only seen him a few times in the castle halls since Sukuna appointed him as his General.
But there was one thing you did know.
And you did not trust any Zenin.
“Your Highness.” His deep, firm voice echoed through the room as he bowed to you.
It took you a moment. You were sure you looked foolish during the silence, but you nodded to the man and returned the bow “General Zenin.”
Then your eyes returned to Sukuna. He was looking at you with amusement, clearly noticing how tense you were. “You requested my presence.”
“I did,” Sukuna answered calmly. Then he nodded toward his General. “Have you met Toji yet?”
You frowned again and shifted your weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I was there the day you appointed him as your General,” you reminded him flatly.
“But you’ve never actually spoken,” Sukuna insisted with a shrug, making you roll your eyes before you could stop yourself.
“I’m sure the Princess has better things to do than spy on the royal guard, Ryomen,” Toji said with an amused smile, and you could not help noticing how casually the two men spoke to each other.
Your gaze settled on him, then moved back to Sukuna. “Was I brought here just so you two could make fun of me?” you asked seriously, your patience already gone.
The General straightened his posture, though the irritating smile at the corner of his mouth never disappeared. He bowed first to Sukuna and then to you once more. “Your Majesties, I must return to my post.”
His footsteps were heavy as he left the office. The frown on your face did not disappear when the door closed behind him. If anything, it only grew deeper once you were alone with Sukuna.
“A situation has come up in the North,” he began as he stood from his chair. “Something about a rebellion among the vassals. I’ll deal with it myself. Toji and I leave tomorrow.”
Your posture immediately became more serious. “Well, I would like to go with you. I could-”
“No.” Sukuna cut you off before you could finish “You’ll stay here and serve as my Regent.”
You blinked. Once. Then twice. Sukuna’s expression did not change. He did not laugh or look at you like he had just told a joke. He simply watched you seriously, waiting for your answer, as if he wanted to make sure you understood exactly what he had said.
“R-Regent? I… I don’t think I understood what you meant.”
“I meant exactly what I said.” He walked around the desk until he stood directly in front of you. Face to face, he looked you up and down for a brief moment before a small smile appeared on his lips. It annoyed you, but you ignored it. “I won’t be gone for long. Probably only three days. Even so, the kingdom can’t be left without someone in charge. I need someone to represent me.”
“And you chose me?” you asked in disbelief. It still made no sense to you, even though the idea secretly excited you a little.
“Well, you were the most suitable choice.” He shrugged. “You live here, you’re already used to the Court, and somehow that bastard managed to teach you something about ruling.”
Your body filled with anger, and a look of disgust crossed your face when you heard the way Sukuna referred to your father. You were ready to answer back, but he did not give you the chance. He simply kept talking.
“And I’m sure you won’t betray me.”
“And how can you be so sure?” you mocked.
“You won’t.” His answer came without hesitation.
You let out a dry laugh and slowly shook your head. His arrogance irritated you. The way he spoke as though he held every truth in the world only made your anger grow. “No. You didn’t choose me because you think I’m the best person for the position.”
He simply raised an eyebrow.
“You chose me because you have no other choice. You can’t trust anyone. That’s what happens when you conquer a kingdom through fear instead of loyalty.”
“That may be true.” Sukuna looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if something in its decoration had caught his attention.“But it doesn’t change the fact that it works.”
“And leaving the heir to rule in your absence seems practical to you?”
“You don’t have any heirs,” you reminded him.
“Not yet.” His eyes dropped briefly to your stomach, and you fought the urge to hide from his gaze. Sukuna picked up his cloak from the chair and, with effortless grace, draped it over his shoulders.“Anyway, now you’ve been informed.”
His words were final, and you did not even feel like arguing anymore. Your mind was still trying to process everything he had said, searching for some hidden trick behind his words, but there was none. Sukuna walked toward the door to leave the office, but before passing you, he stopped.
His fingers gently lifted your chin, exposing your neck. A small look of displeasure crossed his face before he leaned closer and spoke in a low voice near your ear. “Hiding the beautiful marks I gave you? That makes me sad, darling.”
A shiver ran down your spine, and you found yourself biting your lip without meaning to, your face burning with embarrassment. While helping you get ready, Shoko had done her best to discreetly hide the love marks Sukuna had left all over your neck. You had never directly asked her to, but there had been a silent understanding between the two of you that it was better not to show them so openly.
Your eyes slowly lifted until they met his. “I would rather not cause a scandal.”
His answer was a small smile. It was not quite a laugh, and he made no real sound, but the smile was there.“Cute,” Sukuna said and looked at your neck one more time, as if he wanted to say something else, but changed his mind. Then he finally walked past you and left the office, leaving you standing alone in the middle of the room.
He never said it but he did not have to, you had heard it anyway.
The distraction in your mind affected the rest of your afternoon as well. In front of you, a short distance away, the target hanging from the tree seemed to shake, but it was completely still. You sighed once more and relaxed your muscles and your breathing. Your eyes became sharper, your fingers tightened around the bow, and you released the arrow.
It landed far from the target.
You let out a frustrated groan. A few steps behind you, Suguru gave a quiet laugh. You did not laugh with him. You were not in the mood for it. Quickly, you reached into your quiver, took another arrow, placed it on the bowstring, and raised the bow again.
“It really is a shame that such delicate hands are used for such masculine activities. Does your husband approve of that?” The voice behind you caught your attention and immediately put you on alert. You knew exactly who it belonged to.
Slowly, you turned around. Lord Zenin stood before you, as flawless and arrogant as ever. You looked at him over the tip of your arrow. Your grip on the bow never changed, and you did not lower it. Instead, you kept it raised, aiming directly at the man’s chest. You wondered what it would be like to simply let go of the string and send the arrow straight through Naoya’s heart. It would certainly cause a great deal of trouble, but you knew Sukuna would not punish you for it.
The sound of Suguru clearing his throat quietly reminded you that you should stop. Keeping a bow pointed at one of the kingdom’s Lords for that long was probably not a good idea, even if you enjoyed the strangely nervous look Naoya was giving you. Slowly and reluctantly, you lowered the bow and looked at the man in front of you with open contempt.
“My husband has enough responsibilities without worrying about my hobbies.” You released the arrow from the bow and let it sink deeply into the ground. For the briefest moment, Naoya’s body stiffened, and you had to hide your satisfaction.
“I can imagine. A King’s duties are certainly demanding.” He answered, and you immediately noticed the way he emphasized the word “King,” clearly trying to provoke you.
“Can I help you with something, Lord Zenin?” you asked impatiently, in a tone completely improper for a princess. Naoya looked at you with disapproval, but you did not care.
“Your Majesty has just informed us during the council meeting about his plans to leave the castle for the next few days,” he said coldly. “And about his plan to leave you in charge as his Regent.”
You raised an eyebrow. “Yes. And?”
“Obviously, none of us agreed with that.” He continued speaking while you rolled your eyes and picked up another arrow.“But the King made it very clear that he has no intention of changing his mind.”
“Good. Then we’re all on the same page.” You forced a smile and turned back toward your target, making it clear that the conversation was over.
Lord Zenin clearly disliked your attitude and stepped toward you. You did not see it directly, but from the corner of your eye, you noticed him stop the moment Suguru stepped forward in a threatening way.
Naoya looked between the two of you and let out a quiet, mocking laugh. You did not flinch or react, you simply positioned another arrow on your bow. As you stretched out your arm, Naoya’s eyes drifted toward the wound on your arm from the attack, which had barely healed. His smile grew wider.
“It must be unsettling to know that even inside your own home there are people willing to end your life,” Lord Zenin said as he turned to leave. “I will pray to the gods that no assassin haunts your halls again.”
His footsteps faded into the distance, and only then did you let out a breath you had not realized you were holding. Your eyes focused once again on the target hanging from the tree. It no longer seemed to shake.
“Suguru.” You called for your guard, who immediately stepped forward behind you. “Who besides Sukuna and the Healer knows about the attack?”
“Only two trusted guards and your maid, Princess,” he answered without hesitation.
“The council?” you pressed.
“None of them were informed. The King ordered complete secrecy about what happened.” His voice was no longer as relaxed as before.
Your eyes drifted to the scar on your outstretched arm for a brief moment before returning to the target. This time, you released the arrow slowly, one finger at a time, until the bowstring slipped free and sent it flying through the air.
This time, the arrow struck the center of the target.
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