When Katsuki Yuuri—Earl of Hasetsu, son of Baroness Katsuki Hiroko of Sagashima—first received the summons, he assumed it was a mistake. When the courier assured him that, yes, the royal summons were indeed for Katsuki Yuuri, Earl of Hasetsu, son of Baroness Katsuki Hiroko of Sagashima, he then assumed that this was some sort of cruel joke. His island was just a tiny part of the kingdom, with Hasetsu being tinier still, so there was absolutely no way that Crown Prince Victor Nikiforov would know that he even existed, titled or not.

The courier patiently waited for Yuuri to finish giving his reasons as to why Prince Victor wouldn't know who he was and giving his own evidence otherwise. Once Yuuri had run out of arguments, he then read the full summons.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Victor Nikiforov, would like to offer Earl Katsuki Yuuri his hand in marriage. If the earl chooses to accept, then he…"

The courier said some other things. Well, Yuuri assumed that he did. A thick static seemed to fill his ears, blocking out everything except for the one word repeating itself in his head.

Marriage.

Marriage marriage marriage marriage.

Marriage to Prince Victor.

At some point, he registered that the courier had stopped speaking and was looking at him intently for his answer. Yuuri stared at him for a moment, static still deafening him to the outside world and rendering him silent. Until…

"Yes."

Of course he would agree to marry the prince.

What else could he do?

Yuuri had seen the prince just twice in his life: once as a child, and once just a year before the proposal. Both times he had been utterly entranced. The first time, he'd been left buoyant. The second time, he felt as though he needed to be scraped off the floor.

The first time, he'd been twelve. With his sister Mari settled into adulthood and showing no sign of wanting to take on the Barony, he'd been the one to take up the mantle of being Earl of Hasetsu (well, just in name for now). So, to acquaint him with court life, his mother had brought him to the mainland for the annual Senate meeting.

It had been a dream. So many lights! So many people! It had been a little nerve-wracking—after all, Yuuri was used to his quiet little hometown—but there was so much to see and do that he had pushed through his nervousness and enjoyed himself. He hadn't liked sitting through the long talks about laws and boundaries and treaties much at all, but this was his future. So, spectacles on the edge of his nose and sitting straight in his seat, Yuuri did his best to pay attention to what the adults were saying.

But that concentration was shot when the royal family walked in on the meeting.

Everyone rose and gave a bow to the Nikiforovs. While Yuuri copied his mother, he made the grievous error of looking up while bowing. A glint of silver caught his eye, and he couldn't help his gasp as he locked eyes on the most beautiful boy he'd ever seen in his life.

Looking back, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised. The Nikiforov family was known for their miraculously good looks, and Prince Victor was certainly no exception to that family trait. He was sixteen then—his silvery hair spilled over his shoulders like water, and he moved through the Senate hall with a careless grace that made something in Yuuri ache. He paused, body poised like a dancer waiting for a cue, and with a very slight turn of his head, met Yuuri's gaze.

Immediately, Yuuri turned his eyes downward, clenching his jaw hard as he felt his face heat up. That was stupid. And rude! If Victor said anything, he'd definitely be thrown out. And at his very first trip to the court, too!

But, despite the way his heart hammered in his chest, he wasn't really scared—even with how quickly he looked down, he'd still caught the way Victor's lips had turned up.

The meeting continued once the king and queen had sat down, now ready to join in the debates and discussions. Yuuri had tried to resume his focus from earlier, but his eyes kept sliding over to look back at Victor. While he'd been the picture of grace as he'd walked in, he was very clearly a teenaged boy now. He couldn't keep still for more than a moment; he fidgeted in his seat, he braided and unbraided his long hair, he tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair.

He was absolutely fascinating to watch.

"Don't stare, Yuuri-kun." At his mother's gentle reprimand, Yuuri felt his face go bright red, and he focused as hard as he could on the boring topic of how to disperse this year's harvest among the territories. And, more importantly, he focused doubly hard on not looking at Victor.

Thankfully, the meeting ended fairly soon after the Nikiforovs' entrance. While the barons and baronesses mingled with the king and queen afterward to catch them up on what had been discussed, Hiroko nudged Yuuri.

"I think you've listened to enough boring discussions," she said with a little wink. "Unless you're really set on meeting the king and queen, you can head back to our rooms. I'll be there in just a little bit."

Yuuri shifted his weight awkwardly, scanning the room for long, silver hair. He didn't want to listen to any more about territories and taxes, but if Victor was still here…

"Do you know the way back, Yuuri-kun?"

Yuuri blinked. "Yeah, I remember," he assured. "I…I think I'll head back."

Hiroko watched him for a moment, then smiled. "The Capitol is a bit much, isn't it? Take a rest, then why don't we see if we can find some decent katsudon in this city?"

He nodded distractedly, still looking for Victor. But it seemed like he'd ducked out already; a twist of disappointment hit Yuuri right in the stomach, but he supposed it was reasonable. Victor clearly hadn't wanted to be there at all, and a quick glance certainly wouldn't have convinced him to stay. With a little huff of disappointment, Yuuri made his way out of the Senate room.

The Senate was adjoined to the palace, which is where the Katsukis—as well as the other dignitaries—were staying during this session. So, theoretically, it should have been easy to find his way back.

Except that the palace was massive.

Yuuri couldn't keep track of where he'd turned and where he had been. There were so many doors, and the few he'd dared to open had been to ballrooms or libraries or galleries. Was he even on the right floor for the living quarters? How many floors were there, anyway? Oh god, what if he never found it? What if his mother couldn't find him? Would he die here in the Nikiforovs' palace? Would they ever find his body? Oh god, oh god, he was lost, he was so lost and he was never going to get ou—

"Hey! You! I recognize you!"

Yuuri let out a relieved breath as he heard the voice—thick with the mainland's accent—behind him. At least he wouldn't die in these halls. He turned around with a smile, only to choke as he saw Prince Victor standing there. Oh, god. What did he do? What should he say? He was only twelve, how was he supposed to know what to say to royalty?

Victor either ignored or didn't notice the way Yuuri stiffened up. He gave the boy a bright smile.

"You were sitting in on the meeting. You must be one of the new pages!"

Yuuri wanted to correct him, but his tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth. He watched mutely as Victor's head fell back with a melodramatic sigh.

"It's so boring, isn't it? I can hardly stand it. But you know, it's always 'Vitya, you need to prepare for your future' and 'Vitya, one day you'll be making and passing these laws'." Victor sighed again, then looked back down at Yuuri with his fair brows drawn together. He set his hands on his hips. "What are you doing in the East Wing, anyway? Pages normally stay over by the Senate."

Finally, Yuuri managed to wrench his tongue free. "I…I was looking for…for the living quarters. Where…where the, uh, the people i-in the Senate are staying."

"Oh! Well, that's over in the South Wing. Which is…" Victor blinked a few times. "Which is…" He pressed a finger to his lips, brow furrowing. "Hm." All at once, he sent Yuuri a wide, bright smile; if his heart hadn't been securely in his chest, Yuuri was sure it would have melted right to the floor. "What do you say we find it together?"

It took a few directions from servants and several retracings of steps, but eventually, they found the South Wing. Yuuri finally was able to find the right door to his room. Before he stepped inside, he quickly turned back to Victor and bowed stiffly.

"Thank you for helping me, your highness!"

"Of course! Um. What was your name again?"

Yuuri sucked in a breath, keeping his position. "Katsuki Yuuri! E-earl of Hasetsu!"

Victor was silent for a long moment. Yuuri felt a muscle twitch in his back, but he kept his position. He'd already been rude enough today; he could hold this until Victor deemed it time to leave. That was what he was supposed to do, right? Oh, god, maybe he was supposed to stand now. Or kneel? What did you do when royalty helped you find your room? Even if it wasn't really great help, he still—

Yuuri's thoughts stopped at a light touch to his shoulder. He looked up, meeting bright blue, smiling eyes.

"Well, if you're an earl, that means one day you'll be boring me with all that Senate talk."

Yuuri straightened up, feeling his cheeks heat up. The sting of Victor's words were eased as the prince laughed lightly before smiling at him.

"I look forward to working with you one day, Katsuki Yuuri."

Yuuri spluttered out something in response, then beat a hasty retreat into his rooms. Once the door was closed, he sank against it and breathed slowly. His heart felt as if it were filling his chest—suffocating, but not entirely unpleasant. He didn't know what this feeling was—he wouldn't know for a few more years—but even so, one thought was very clear.

He wanted to impress Victor. Somehow, he'd find a way to be the best baron possible.

And he definitely woudn't bore him at any Senate meetings.

It was nearly a dozen years later that he saw Victor again. A lot had changed since then: for instance, Yuuri had traveled abroad for his schooling in order to get a better idea of how other countries ran, as well as to become more well-rounded as a future baron. (A little too well-rounded by the end; the stress had gotten to him, and he'd had a few too many comfort foods for his own good. After one of his mother's famous pork cutlet bowls, he'd resigned himself to bean sprouts and broth for a few weeks. It was miserable, but necessary.) He'd also taken on more responsibilities in ensuring Hasetsu was the best village it could be—listening to complaints, raising funds for improvement projects, and other boring, necessary tasks. His mother had even given him a few of her own responsibilities to take care of.

The stress was high, but this was going to be his life once his mother decided to step down. So he did all he could to be the best Earl to the people of Hasetsu, and to prove that he would be the best Baron to the people throughout Sagashima.

Things had changed on the mainland as well. The king and queen had died suddenly earlier in the year, leaving Victor as heir to the throne. However, he wasn't king just yet. Through some stipulation that seemed to be quite secret, he merely remained the Crown Prince and was governing with the family's advisor, Yakov Feltsman. The entire population was nervous over the currently-unfolding events. Though Victor was known to be the picture of grace and an elegantly handsome young man, some rumors said that he was a vapid airhead. Less kind rumors said he was a spend-thrift, a playboy who would ruin the kingdom. The most vicious said that he'd been struck from the royal line completely, and would only be the ruler until some unknown relative—hidden away to prevent any harm—came of age and took their place as King or Queen.

Yuuri tried his best not to pay attention to the rumors. Even though it had been over a decade since he'd had his face-to-face meeting with the prince, he was still utterly enthralled by him. Throughout his teenage years, he'd done his best to keep up on any bit of news about Victor that came to Sagashima. Scraps about his travel and schooling, official portraits…somewhere along the way, he'd even learned that the prince had a poodle he adored. Most importantly, though, Yuuri always kept tabs on where the royals were visiting in the kingdom.

Sagashima, tiny province that it was, was rarely ever visited by the Nikiforovs. But despite this, Yuuri often found himself daydreaming of what would happen if Victor came to Hasetsu. The prince would obviously remember him from their little meeting, and he'd see what a competent, kind leader he was to his people. And, in private, Yuuri would be witty and engaging (this was his daydream; he could set aside his anxiety in his fantasies), and Victor would hang onto every word with wide blue eyes. He'd be so impressed by Yuuri that he would…that he would…

Well, Yuuri never got to that part in his daydreams, because he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted from Victor. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to be seen as a competent ruler and earn Victor's respect.

So, when Hiroko suggested that he go to the Senate to represent Sagashima, Yuuri saw his chance to make his daydreams come true.

While he'd since visited other big cities, there was still something electric in coming to the capitol. The lights, the people, the buildings…the moment Yuuri had stepped off the boat, he'd felt the same way he had at twelve, his eyes darting around to every bit of the city he could drink in. But as much as he wanted to explore, he was there for business. It was time to show that he was an active, valuable part of the kingdom.

He remembered where the South Wing of the palace was, and he spent the entire night before the Senate meeting going over his talking points.

"Our recent census has shown that Sagashima has seen a 12-percent increase of our population in the past year. As a growing part of the kingdom, I think it would be beneficial if we could see a slight increase in funding to our education and open up the possibility of allowing more of our workforce to easily come to the mainland…Our recent census has shown that Sagashima has seen a 12-percent increase of our…"

It was basic information that could have been sent via courier, honestly. But if Yuuri could prove himself in this tiny task, that meant he was one step closer to being the leader he wanted to be. And, almost as importantly, being one step closer to impressing Victor.

The next morning came, and Yuuri made his way to the Senate hall. Back straight, face composed, head held high, he tried his best to ignore the way his stomach knotted up. This would be fine. It would be fine. Sure, it was his very first time acting as the representative of Sagashima, and he'd be in front of over a dozen experienced leaders and he'd only ever done public speaking in front of a few of the locals over at Hasetsu and they would all be judging him and by extension judging Sagashima and if he messed this up he ran the risk of ruining the reputation of his island and ruining any and all future agreements and se—

"Ciao ciao!"

Yuuri sucked in a gasp as a strong hand clapped down on his shoulder, breaking his train of thought. He looked up and managed a weak smile at the man who'd snuck up beside him. Celestino Cialdini, Baron of Bellezza, grinned back.

"You were thinking too hard, Yuuri. I think you scared off a few pages with that face."

"What's wrong with my face?"

"It…ah, nevermind. I see you're taking over for Hiroko this year. Why don't we walk in together?"

Yuuri relaxed ever so slightly as Celestino chatted with him about Bellezza and the Senate ball that would happen that night—easy, mindless things. He'd more or less taken him under his wing while he'd been studying in Bellezza: walking him through public events, teaching him a few of the more delicate aspects of being a part of the aristocracy, things of that nature. Most importantly, he'd been one of the few able to talk Yuuri down whenever his anxiety got the best of him. Normally, a few minutes of chatting with Celestino had been enough to get Yuuri's head back on straight.

But there hadn't been anything at stake back then. He had his entire province to think about now, and how he would be seen by the people who'd soon be his peers. So, as Yakov Feltsman—standing in for the prince—called the meeting to order and Celestino gave him some encouragements he didn't quite hear, he sucked in a breath as he made his way to his seat.

Like the last time he'd sat in on a Senate meeting, it was long and boring. Taxes and territories and propositions and refusals…if it weren't for his nerves keeping him hyperaware, he likely would have fallen asleep. But he sat at rapt attention as each province gave their annual update, fiddling with his spectacles beneath the table as he went over what he had to say.

Our recent census has shown that Sagashima has seen a 12-percent increase of funding…No, that wasn't it. Our recent census has shown that Hasetsu—No, Sagashima!—that Sagashima has seen a 12-percent increase in population in the past year. As a growing part of Sagashim—as a growing part of the kingdom—I think…

His thoughts stopped as the doors opened, and he stiffened as he saw a glint of silver in the corner of his eye. The whole Senate abruptly got up and bowed, Yuuri included. This time, he kept his face firmly down, not daring to chance meeting Victor's gaze, not when he was this nervous. Though, as the Senate collectively sat back down, Yuuri's eyes moved of their own volition. He couldn't see terribly well with his glasses off, but it looked as though the prince was having a very quiet argument with his advisor. After a moment, Victor tilted his head back with an obvious sigh, then turned back to the Senate.

"Forgive my intrusion," Victor said, then gracefully took a seat beside Feltsman. "Please, continue. Yakov tells me we were at Sagashima."

WHAT?!

How had they gotten to Sagashima so quickly? Weren't there at least five other provinces to go before they got to him? Yuuri's heart hammered in his chest as he realized all eyes were on him. Even with his blurred vision, he caught Victor's blue eyes resting on him expectantly.

With a sharp breath, he rose stiffly to his feet. He fumbled with his notes before putting on his glasses to read them. His palms were growing sweaty. His legs felt like jelly. He could do this, he could do this.

"W-we…er, o-our…Sa-sagash-shima…"

Yuuri's mind went completely blank. A high-pitched sound rose up in his ears, drowning out his carefully planned report. He couldn't do this. Everyone was staring at him. He was failing.

He was a failure.

It felt like he was in a nightmare, standing frozen in silence as the entirety of the kingdom's ruling class stared at him. After what felt like hours, Feltsman finally gave a cough.

"If the Earl has nothing to report, then let us move on."

Numbly, Yuuri took a seat. His whole body was shaking. He just had one thing, just one thing to do. And he'd failed miserably at it. Right in front of Victor Nikiforov.

Despite his best efforts not to, he darted a glance Victor's way. Despite the Senate moving on to the next province, his blue eyes were still fixed on Yuuri. Probably thinking about what a complete wreck he was. It was all he could do to keep from running right out of the Senate hall then and there.

The moment the meeting was adjourned, though, he shot out of the room as quickly as he could. He wanted to hide away until it was time for his next boat out. Well, honestly, he wanted to just melt right into the floor and disappear forever, but that wasn't exactly a viable option. Hiding would have to do.

"Hey! Sagashima!"

Yuuri froze in the hall, recognizing the accented voice. Stiffly, slowly, he turned around to face Prince Victor Nikiforov.

Oh, god, he was even more beautiful than he'd been before. His shoulders had broadened in the years since they'd last met; his long hair had been cut short—that was a recent development, since the last official portrait of him had still had long hair. But those bright blue eyes were just the same.

As Yuuri stared up at him, every daydream he'd had came crashing back at once. This isn't how he wanted their second meeting to happen. He clenched his jaw hard as he felt his eyes sting, and he abruptly bowed.

"I'm sorry, your highness!" Once he'd gotten those words out, he turned and made his way as quickly as he could back to the palace. Maybe it was rude. Maybe it was against court protocol.

But Yuuri didn't care. He'd already failed enough. Things couldn't get any worse.

"You know, you could just say no."

Yuuri jumped, crumpling a dress shirt in his hands as his sister spoke. He turned to look back at Mari with a frown.

"Would you have been able to?"

She shrugged and leaned in the doorway. "I wouldn't mind being queen. Especially not with a Nikiforov as my husband. But that's me, not you. You're obviously bothered by it."

Yuuri huffed as he stuck the shirt in his bag, refusing to answer. A majority of his things would be shipped out over the next few weeks; he just needed to bring what he immediately needed. That was…a little helpful. For the first time since the betrothal two weeks ago, he'd had something else to focus on rather than the fact that he was marrying Victor Nikiforov in less than three months.

Mari sighed, sinking lower in the doorway. "See? You're bothered. If it's this bad, you should have…"

"And how am I supposed to say no to the prince, Mari?" Yuuri snapped. Mari blinked, and he stood up straight, surprised at his own outburst. He sighed, twisting a tie in his hands. "I-I'm sorry. This whole thing's just stressed me out and…" He sat down on his bed, letting his head droop. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what I want. It's for the good of the kingdom, and it should be good for Hasetsu and Sagashima, too. And you saw how pleased our parents were."

"Yeah, because they know you've had a crush on the prince for years. They think you're happy about it."

Yuuri pressed his lips together, looking out the window. "I feel like I should be. But…I wish it was different." He sighed again and shook his head. "But it's my duty, and I know better than to shy from it."

Mari crossed her arms, watching her little brother for a long few moments. But finally, she shrugged.

"Well. If it's what you choose to do, I can't stop you." She started to leave, then paused and turned her head back to look at him. "Hey, Mom's getting a kimono made for your wedding. I think she and Dad would like to see you in it."

Yuuri managed a mirthless laugh. "It's already probably been decided what I'll wear."

"Yeah, but…if you go through with it, see if you can nudge them into letting you wear it."

He sighed as he stood up. "I'll see what I can do. Good night, Mari." He began packing again, once again focusing hard on what he was bringing and how to pack it.

Not a full day later, he was on a boat leaving Hasetsu's harbor, waving to his family and subjects as he set off to formally meet his betrothed. Once they were out of sight, he leaned against the railing of the boat, watching his island grow smaller and smaller.

Mari was right in a sense. He had been smitten by Victor since he was young. And really, while he'd never let himself fully entertain the thought, there had been a tiny inkling of hope that one day they would fall in love and marry. But after a relationship. After Yuuri had proven himself. Not from something as impersonal as this.

But what could he do? He had a duty, and he would see it through.