Chapter Text
Shouta was convinced this entire process was unnecessary as he listened to Tensei, the head of his guard, converse quietly with the Head Priestess of the Temple of Sol.
He turned to survey the temple’s entrance - large marble pillars and elaborate golden trimmings decorated every inch of the structure.
It was almost as fanciful as the Castle itself, Shouta thought absentmindedly.
The Castle that he and the other residents had been forced to retreat from after rumors that the League’s riots were a distraction with ultimate goals of infiltration. He scoffed, he was sure he could have thwarted any assassins that the League threw at him.
But Tensei had insisted that the risk wasn’t worth it.
Instead they had snuck away to find solace elsewhere in the city while the other guard units combed through every inch of the Castle to ensure it was safe to return.
Tensei had used his connections with the Head Priestess of the Temple of Sol, Kayama, for temporary shelter in the meantime.
It was a strategic move on his part, Shouta could appreciate that much.
The temples in the city were closed to visitors due to the riots in the streets and even the League was smart enough to keep the chaos away from the divine structures that were littered throughout the city limits.
Their power was in their sympathizers who they could rely on for distractions like these riots, and to target any of the deity centers could isolate them from their pawns if they happened to disrespect the wrong shrine.
So it was relatively safe and quiet in the temples.
Shouta suspected that Tensei’s connections with Head Priestess Kayama were the only reason they were being granted access to begin with.
He wondered where they had taken the Prince for shelter…
“We’ve come to an agreement,” Tensei announced as he and the Head Priestess stepped back over to him, eyes hard and determined, “While the temple should be off-limits to any of the League, Priestess Kayama has suggested your retreat into the tunnels below the temple to remain undetected. She says it is safest there.”
Shouta nodded slowly, turning to eye the tunnel entrance that was at the back of the temple.
Tensei grimaced, “She has but one request…”
Shouta raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting over to take in the neutral expression on the Head Priestess’ face.
Kayama bowed her head to him respectfully, “I request that the guards remain in the temple, your majesty. It would be respectful to keep the intrusion to a minimum.”
“I suppose I can understand that,” Shouta conceded with a small shrug of his shoulders, “It doesn’t bother me.”
“Do you think it’s wise, your grace?” Tensei asked, stepping closer, “To leave yourself unguarded?”
Shouta looked to the head of his guard and couldn’t keep the scowl from pulling at his lips, “We both know that I can fend for myself.”
Tensei flinched apologetically, “Of course, King Aizawa.”
Shouta reached out to pat the other man on the shoulder before he took a step toward the tunnel entrance.
“Your grace,” Head Priestess Kayama reached out, giving him pause as he turned to her, “I’d advise you to stay near the entrances to the tunnels… the shrine room is restricted to the temple caretakers only.”
Shouta raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say a word as he turned and disappeared into the tunnel entryway. He could feel Tensei’s unease as he left the others behind, but he paid it no mind as he ventured deeper into the dark tunnels.
The looming mass of stones towered above his head as he ignored the solitary echo of his own footsteps, noises from the temple fading out of existence the deeper he went.
How many years had it been since he’d gone anywhere without the presence of his guards, aside from his own bedroom?
He missed those days, when he could venture out on his own without anyone fretting over his absence or restricting him from leaving. He’d never intended to live a life without freedom.
But he couldn’t be bitter about it… not for what he owed to Yagi…
He startled when the tunnel opened into a large room with ceilings nearly twice the height of those in the tunnel, a huge cavernous expanse that stopped him in his tracks.
He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he must have wandered all the way down to the shrine room.
His grey eyes scanned the room dispassionately, not surprised that the walls around him were just as ornate as the temple above. The room was cut into the stone underground, the ceiling a latticework of holes that opened to the sky above and allowed sunlight to sprinkle into the shrine.
The room was bordered by a circle of corinthian marble columns with gold trims that surrounded the large statue of a man in the center, Shouta eyeing the construction momentarily before he sauntered further into the room.
He wasn’t sure what he felt so curious to find, an offering table or some strange ritual space perhaps?
He had never understood deity worship, personally.
“A visitor?”
Shouta nearly startled at the voice behind him, stiffening instinctively as he turned to track the sound.
Standing at the edges of the shrine, partially concealed by the shadow of one of the massive pillars, stood a man who looked to be a few inches taller than the King - though everything except his face was swallowed by the darkness on the edges of the room.
What really drew Shouta’s attention were the unique color of the man’s hair and eyes - bright golden strands that hung far past his collarbone and crimson red orbs that seemed to shine in the dim lighting from the ceiling.
He had facial hair as well, something already uncommon to begin with, that was fashioned in a style Shouta had never seen before - two pointed, mustached tips on his upper lip.
Perhaps this man was the Head Priest of the temple?
Shouta blanched, remembering the Head Priestess’ words about the shrine room being a restricted area.
Still, what was the point of retreating down into the tunnels lest he go the whole way?
“You’re awfully quiet, less chatty than the ones who usually come down here,” The man spoke again, his melodic tone soft but still seeming to echo around the shrine room.
Shouta blinked and fixed him with an even stare, “If that’s the case, then surely my presence won’t be a problem?”
“Well, it is my shrine you’re standing in,” The man returned, voice pitched upward with amusement as his eye twitched, “But I make exceptions.”
His shrine?
Definitely the Head Priest then, Shouta thought.
“Usually visitors have requests,” The man continued, his effervescent gaze wandering over Shouta’s body as his eyebrows twitched expectantly, “Or offerings.”
Her smirked as he met the King's gaze once again.
“Do you know who I am?” Shouta asked, disbelief coloring his tone as he eyed the man across from him. The stranger's blasé confidence was a surprise, but Shouta wasn't about to let his shock show on his face.
“Your features are unmistakable,” The golden-haired man tilted his head to the side, the shadows accentuating his sharp jawline, “King Aizawa…”
“Then shouldn’t you be kneeling?” Shouta drawled, jutting his chin out as he eyed the other man, “And making me an offering instead of disrespecting me to my face?”
The golden-haired man scoffed as his lashes fluttered, “Kneel? Do you know who you’re addressing, King?”
“You’ll address me as ‘your majesty,’ ‘your grace,’ or ‘your excellence’,” Shouta corrected disinterestedly, “And I don’t have a care for your name or your standing.”
The man stared at him evenly for a long moment before his eyes narrowed, “Is that so? Not even if I told you I held more power than you could dream of?”
“I don’t dream of power.” Shouta answered with a dismissive shrug, “Why would I dream of something I already have?”
His gaze hardened, “Now , aren’t you going to kneel for your King?”
“Oh,” The man’s eyes flashed with something heated and he grinned wickedly, “Is that what you would dream of then, having someone like me kneel at your feet?”
“It would be respectful.” Shouta ground out, watching as the man stepped out from the shadows.
He inhaled sharply as the man’s body was revealed, unable to keep his eyes from wandering in curiosity at the first sight of sharp, defined shoulder blades in the light.
While Shouta was dressed in the stiff layers of his ceremonial garb, the man standing at the edge of the shrine was draped in a simple white robe that criss-crossed across his chest, hung haphazardly around his waist, and barely concealed anything more than his privates and part of his chest.
Shouta felt hunger coarse through his veins as he let his eyes drift over the miles of tanned skin on display, the taller man’s body built with lean muscle that spoke to the power he held. He was easily more attractive than any of the companions that had shared Shouta's bed in the past.
Shouta quirked a brow, but let nothing else show on his face.
Thoughts like that, about a High Priest? He nearly laughed at himself.
“I would hate to disrespect a King, ” The golden-haired man said as he sauntered closer, his crimson eyes flashing, “But the thing is… I don’t even know if you’re deserving of my respect to begin with.”
Shouta gritted his teeth and straightened his shoulders, knowing a challenge when he saw one, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means if you want me to kneel, King,” The man’s tongue darted out to trace his pink lips, “Then make me.”