Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Rate: T (it may or may not go up in the future, it depends on the development later)
Pairing: Both of Yuuram & Wolfyuu (I'm a wolfyuuram fan, because I like a mutual relationship. It's far more realistic.) ;3
Genre: A mix of Romance/Adventure/Drama/Humour/Suspense/Angst/Mystery
Beta Reader: Becca2793
Comment:
Hello there, welcome to Learning the Verity! From the summary I bet you've known that the issue in this story (about Wolfram's love) is something unusual in KKM fandom, but that's what I got from watching the anime five times. So I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it :)
Thanks!
Important Note:
This story takes place after season 3 of the anime, and I think of it as the fourth season in my head, lol. I highly suggest you to watch all of the episodes first, although my friends still understand this story without watching all of the episodes first.
Glossaries:
Shin Makoku: New Makoku
Shou Shimaron: Small Shimaron
Dai Shimaron: Big Shimaron
Maryoku: the Demon Tribe's magic, controlled by using Majutsu (the Demon's power).
Houryoku: the God Race/Shinzoku's magic (a race from a country named Seisakoku). Humans also can use houryoku by holding red stones (houseki).
I use the Japanese way to call the countries because the anime's subtitles used them. Thus, I think you can feel more familiar with those Japanese names. And about the magic things, I use those names just simply to differentiate between the Demon's magic and the Human's magic. =3
LEARNING THE VERITY
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Truth #1:
The Cute Eavesdropper's Revelation
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Today was not an ordinary day in Shin Makoku. Everybody in the Blood Pledge Castle seemed to be busy, running around the place from very early that morning. Smiles spread across almost everyone's faces in the palace, their eyes beaming with felicity as if they wanted to shout their joy to the world. But, when it came to the words 'almost everyone', it meant that some people didn't share the same smile as the others. And in this story, those people were the oblivious twenty-seventh Maou of Shin Makoku and his stubborn fiancé.
"What's everyone doing?" was the question that came from our famous double black's lips. His eyes scanned throughout the whole yard, where soldiers and maids carried large baskets filled with something he wasn't sure of.
"They're busy preparing for the party tomorrow, Your Majesty," Conrart explained as he walked beside Yuuri, one hand pointed to Darcascos who was panting because of bearing a huge box on his back. Though Conrart's smile was plastered perfectly on his lips, he did not even seem to care enough to help the poor bald-headed man who groaned from back pain.
"I see... What party? And it's Yuuri, Conrad!" Not taking his eyes off of the view in front of him, he muttered to his Godfather. Although he'd met Conrart for quite long time already, he still couldn't say the name correctly.
"It's a birthday party for my sweet little brother, Yuuri," Conrart replied with a light chuckle, taking a glance at the blonde behind Yuuri.
"Heh? Wolfram's birthday party?" Yuuri briefly trailed his eyes to the grumpy, angelic boy, who was pouting the entire time since Yuuri arrived at Shinou's Temple's pond. The youngest son of Lady Cecilie even didn't say a thing when he accompanied Yuuri to change his wet clothes in their bedroom earlier. That was strange.
"Why are you sulking like that, Wolfram? Shouldn't you be happy?"
Green eyes shot right through Yuuri's dark ones, two hands balled up tightly, as if Wolffram was ready to screw Yuuri up at anytime for saying those sentences.
"I'm not a child anymore! There's nothing special with my birthday!"
"But?" Cringing, Yuuri defended himself with both palms lifted before his face. "So you don't want the party?"
"He's been like that since my mother and Gwendal arranged the plan last week," Conrart's soft chuckle metamorphosed into laughter. His dear baby brother shot him the most terrifying glare, but he skimmed it lightly as usual, covering his lips with his palm to prevent the laughter from bursting out too harshly.
"But why, Wolfram?" Yuuri insisted, walking forward towards Wolfram and cutting their distance. Wolfram was taken a back slightly, surprised for the sudden encounter from the Maou.
"Like I said before, I'm not a child anymore! Humph! They always hold a party every year and it's never succeeded in making me happy at all!" Crossing his arms over his chest, Wolfram threw his nose up, acting almighty like he usually did.
Yuuri blinked as the puzzle slid within his average brain. He certainly didn't understand why there was someone who hated celebrating his own birthday. Conrart's never ending laugh seemed to gain his attention, resulting him to send a questioning glance to Conrart.
"But this year will be different, Wolfram," Conrart inhaled deeply to collect himself, afraid that in a second balls of fire will be thrown to him. "Because now you have His Majesty."
Yuuri flinched. "Hmm... What do you mean?"
He still wasn't used to any term related to his engagement with Wolfram. Actually, he never got used to anything connected to gay or homo relationships, and he never would as long as it was still considered as taboo on earth. That was what he always told himself, despite the fact that sometimes he got amazed by his fiancé's beauty. Well, who didn't? Wolfram had an outstandingly pretty face that could bring numerous of dying humans to back alive again.
"Well, it's true I guess." Pink colors tainted Wolfram's pale cheeks, but he didn't forfeit his attitude from earlier, sticking up his nose high in the air.
"So, what does it mean? Wolfram? Conrad?" Feeling uncomfortable, Yuuri raised his voice to dig further information from the siblings before him. He didn't like it when he became the only one who was being left clueless in a matter.
"Your Majesty, every year almost all of the single nobles - men and women - come to Wolfram's birthday party. They aimed to win Wolfram's heart and claim him as their life partner. Wolfram always ended up running around and throwing tantrums to outcast them," Conrart expounded, face filled with something that could be called a stupid pride of having a beautiful younger brother.
"And he wanted to say that now I have you as my fiancé, my situation will be different. Your duty is to protect me from their hands!" Wolfram added, his eyes sparking with an aura which Yuuri caught as a threat. He must agree to protect him, or at least he ought to nod at the blonde's statement, otherwise he'd be fried.
"So... That's the disadvantage for having such a pretty face..." Yuuri laughed awkwardly, rubbing his back of neck. "Well, I will protect you."
Wolfram blinked. "Wait, you agree?"
Yuuri's smile faded into a pout, eyebrows furrowed. "Why? You want me to decline?"
Wolfram stayed in still, staring at Yuuri's eyes for awhile, before shaking his head slightly. "No, I was just kidding. I can protect myself, you shouldn't interfere. It wouldn't be good for you."
"Wouldn't be good?" Yuuri tilted his head to the side, tried to figure out what Wolfram meant.
"Now that you mentioned it, I agree that it wouldn't be good for His Majesty," Conrart made a serious face, hand rubbing his chin, signalling that he was being pulled into deep thought.
"What? What do you mean?" Yuuri shook Wolfram's shoulder as his curiosity started to eat him up. Once again, he hated being left clueless in this kind of situation.
"Yuuri, you have no idea how persistent my admirers are," Wolfram shoved Yuuri's hands off, only to get a protesting look from said boy.
"But I want to help you!"
"No you don't, wimp!"
"Well, I do! And don't call me wimp!"
"Your Majesty~!"
A smooth, but depressing voice called him dramatically as a figure of a tall, handsome, purple-haired man ran towards him in a ridiculous speed. His hands were stretched out in front of him, ready to crush Yuuri in a moment with the deadly love hug.
"Gün...ter...can't... breathe..." Yuuri struggled to talk between the broad chest of a man and the muscled arms which wrapped him tightly.
Stop hugging me! Eeek! Don't... Don't rub your cheek to my cheek!
"Oooh, Your Majesty...! I apologize for not welcoming you in the Great One's Temple! Ooh... I wish my beautiful Demon King will forgive me!" Günter whined, still with his infamous exaggerating praise, burying Yuuri under his arms.
"It's... not... a... big... problem... Argh...Conrad,... Wolfram, help!" Yuuri's air stock started to escape from his lungs, hands groping in the air to get help.
"You're killing His Majesty, Günter," Conrart reminded the royal tutor, causing Günter to yelp again, still with his dramatic effect.
"Ooh! I deeply apologize, Your Majesty! I'm really ashamed, but how can I live without expressing my love for you, Your Majesty?"
"...You don't have to," Yuuri commented lazily, but he was ignored by the twirling, dancing, and twisting figure before him. Günter might call his moves the dance of love or something like that.
"Aah, by the way, are you busy preparing for the party too?" Tired of waiting for Günter's never ending dance, Yuuri changed the topic quickly. Günter halted his moves and turned serious, which Yuuri preferred a lot more than his other frequented emotions.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Since the ten nobles and their relatives will also come, I should organize the party very carefully. Apparently, Lord Waltorana von Bielefeld's really ecstatic for his nephew's birthday."
"Humph, I'm eighty-three already, I don't need a party anymore!" Wolfram threw his face to the side, declaring his age and the fact that he was already considered as an adult, though for Yuuri eighty-three was not only an adult age. In fact, considering it as an elderly age would be better.
"Eighty-three, huh... " Yuuri mused. Something hit his head out of the blue, causing him to feel weird emotions within his heart. Wolfram was going to be eighty-three tomorrow, and compared to his sixteen years of life, eighty-three was much, much longer. And to think that this eighty-three elder was being engaged to a sixteen years old high school boy was way too much.
Wolfram was getting older just like him, Yuuri was aware of that now. He knew that he shouldn't hang onto Wolfram's feelings any longer, or said boy would not be able to find his true life partner. A girl probably, or perhaps a boy other than him, that was up to the blonde. And Yuuri himself needed a girl rather than a strong guy like Wolfram to be his love interest.
Moreover, Yuuri now completely understood that he must not wait until Wolfram celebrated his nine hundred and ninety-ninth birthday. Ah, by that time Yuuri himself would be dead already. If he still grew normally like humans, that is. So he realized that the current important thing he had to achieve was this: solving his strange bond with Wolfram soon.
...But how?
He couldn't just break his engagement, could he? And the sounds of annulling the engagement was... A little bit unacceptable for him.
"Wolfram, it means that you're loved by everyone," Conrart stated in a pleasant tone, smiling brightly like a saint. His statement was greeted by Wolfram's flushing face, but as usual, he masked it with his bratty attitude.
"I don't care!"
"Eighty-three, huh..." Once again, Yuuri's mumble slipped out from his lips. His eyes found the floor as an interesting object to see. His mind clouded, as his fingers curled up one by one along his counting of his age gap with Wolfram's. Said boy eyed him and noticed that Yuuri's face fell into a frown.
"What, Yuuri? Are you practicing for... Ergh... Mathimakus?"
Yuuri snapped his face to the blond as his psyche jerked back to Shin Makoku. Smiling sheepishly, he scratched his head.
"It's nothing, Wolfram... And it's mathematics."
Slightly confused with the unfamiliar word, Wolfram nodded, muttering something like 'weird name' under his breath. Squealing, Günter clasped his hands and told Yuuri about how wonderful the sounds of mathematics were, and how magnificent the Maou's way of counting with his fingers was. It was definitely a must to write down the adorable counting with fingers thing to Shin Makoku's history. It will be one of the attainments in Yuuri's reign.
Sensing his fatigue increase by Günter's speech, Yuuri faked a laugh and promptly headed to search for Greta. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the smiling Conrart, who was bringing up that there were a lot of to do as a king. Groaning, Yuuri sighed in defeat as they now walked straight towards Gwendal's office to process the Maou's duty: Signing Papers. He'd have his fingers cramp again from writing his infamous too long signature, Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Fuuri...
Inside the Great One Temple, in the Oracle's room, two figures could be seen. The first one was a blond with extravagant clothes, which looked out of place with the current era. The other one was standing before him, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. His black hair was a perfect match to his dark eyes, and his clothes were normal, far more normal than the other man's outfit.
"Everyone seems busy. My favorite boy's birthday is tomorrow," Shinou remarked, totally amused to see how the residents of the Blood Pledge Castle were busy.
"Looks like the birthday boy isn't as excited as the others," Murata replied with a chuckle.
Shinou clapped his hands. "Well, well, now my Great Sage can read people's minds."
"Spending so much time with them makes me understand the three brothers' personalities very well. But not as well as knowing your personality, Shinou. I'm getting tired to baby sit you."
"You're really the only one who can say such things to me," Shinou shook his head, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"That's why I know that you're keeping a secret now," Murata simply said, his eyes pierced right towards Shinou's.
"Oh..." Shinou's eyes widened. "My Great Sage is surely great."
"If you have time to praise me, why don't you tell me what's going on in your mind."
Shinou shook his head again, eyes closed and lips curved upwards. "I'm only worried with my successor and his fiancé's relationships."
Murata walked nearer to the original king.
"You can't fool me. Ulrike said that she sensed something blocking your powers lately."
"Aah, the maiden. So she told you already," Shinou acted as if he didn't remember about Ulrike at all before.
"You could hide nothing from me," Murata grinned mischievously. "Then, what's this thing blocking your powers?"
"Well..." Shinou paused. His red cape swaying along his walk as he moved to lean his body at the temple's wall. "...I don't know," he continued, his eyes suddenly darkening and causing Murata to stiffen his jaw. "There's something bad that's going to happen, I can feel it. But I can't see through the thick mist."
"Mist?" Murata raised his brows.
"The block. It's a thick mist."
"Have you experienced it before?"
Shinou's eyes wandered the floor, golden locks framing his face. Folding his fingers into a fist, his stern lips finally released his voice as Murata eyed at him in alert.
"No... Not in the last four thousand years."
"What's Anissina inventing now?" Greta talked to herself as her little feet took her to Anissina's laboratory. The three maids were too busy to play with her, and Wolfram was tagging along with Yuuri in Gwendal's office. Greta wanted to see her half-human father, but she knew that she had to wait until Yuuri's job finished. To kill her time, she decided to check on Anissina's new invention.
Arriving at the door, as she was about to knock, she heard Gwendal's low voice inside the room.
"I wonder if Gwendal's helping Anissina again?" Greta giggled, the image of Gwendal was captured by Anissina playing in her mind. Feeling a bit curious, Greta opened the door slowly and peeked inside.
There, Gwendal was standing in front of a long table with many weird things which were pumping and smoking. Obviously Anissina's inventions, which functions were unknown, and Gwendal would never want to know. But he was always forced to know anyway. His forehead was full of wrinkles, and his lips' corners were pulled downward, showing his foul mood. Across the table, Anissina stood with wicked grin on her lips, hands on her hips, and her pony tail swinging because of the wind from the opened window.
"I really have no time to do this! I have to give the king his paperwork!" Gwendal barked, acting strong to scare Anissina. But Gwendal should have known better, he would always lose to her.
"Günter will do it for you," Anissina smirked confidently, pointing to a queer machine on the table. "I'd like you to test this love detector."
Gwendal's left eye twitched.
"Why should I... Urgh. Didn't it work well when you tested it to Günter last time? I believe it's the same machine with the thing you used when we found the bearbees," he tried to be calm, his heart hoping so that he didn't have to be Anissina's guinea pig again. None of Anissina's inventions were safe to be tested, that was what he already learned since the first time he met the red-haired devil.
"I've modified its efficacy. Because that time when we searched for His Majesty and Wolfram, at the time the bearbees came to the castle, it couldn't detect Wolfram's love."
"Hn? What do you mean?" Gwendal finally surrendered to his wonder, asking what Anissina meant.
"Remember when I showed you those knitted dolls? This machine could detect your love to them, and Günter's love to His Majesty was also detected. Plus, it detected Conrart's love to His Majesty. But only one person's love couldn't be detected. It was Wolfram's," Anissina elucidated, her hand flicking her hair.
"Impossible. Among all of us, Wolfram has the biggest love to that kid," Gwendal countered, but then corrected his line. "No, perhaps his love's the same amount as Günter's."
Anissina nodded repeatedly. "That's why I think it was either the fact that this machine was defected or Wolfram didn't love His Majesty."
Gwendal wrinkled his forehead more, brows tweaked, but he said nothing.
Indeed, that time when Yuuri and Wolfram found the bearbee's cocoons, he had seen this love detector's work. In order to search for Wolfram and Yuuri, Anissina even made Günter to pour his love to pull Yuuri with the love magnetic feature. And when finally Yuuri was found together with Wolfram, the machine formed a little heart shape for Conrart's love to Yuuri. But strangely, Wolfram's love wasn't detected at all...
"What do you think, Gwendal?" Anissina crossed her arms over her bosoms, giving Gwendal a challenging look. She wanted to know his opinion about Wolfram's love towards their King. But still, although she wished that Wolfram did love Yuuri, she still wanted to hear that her invention wasn't a failure.
Gwendal stayed in silence for quite a moment, before finally spoke up carefully, still in deep thinking. "Wolfram... If his love wasn't detected, then perhaps he..."
A pause.
"Perhaps he?" Anissina parroted, raising her brows.
"...Never mind. We can't conclude anything just yet," Gwendal shook his head, back to his usual grumpy self, inviting a groan from Anissina.
"Oh, Gwendal... Well, if you say so, let's just start our test, shall we?" understanding that she wouldn't be able to push Gwendal commenting about the topic any further, she then focused her attention towards forcing Gwendal to become her guinea pig. As predicted, Gwendal's scream could be heard soon.
Outside the room, the wide eyed Greta was standing in shock. Her hands were trembling and her legs felt weak. She couldn't believe what she just heard from the two nobles in the laboratory. She really couldn't comprehend the fact that actually...
Wolfram didn't love Yuuri.
Feeling devastated, she quickly ran outside the castle, her mind deeply occupied by the news that the two fathers of hers weren't in love with each other. It might make her lose her family again, just like before, if Yuuri and Wolfram decided to break the engagement. And probably, Yuuri wouldn't care about her anymore.
Stumbling upon a stone in the garden, Greta fell down right in front of the flowers which Lady Cecilie had planted. Her hands were now dirty and her clothes were slightly torn. Sliding her gaze towards the flowers she recalled as Beautiful Wolfram, her tears began to escape, her tiny shoulders shaking violently. Her weeping was heard, causing Yuuri, who was passing the garden, to notice her.
"Greta, what's wrong?"
Yuuri's face forming a concern look, walking slowly to reach his adopted daughter. He had managed to escape from the mountains of paperwork to play with Greta. He even got Wolfram's permission to go with an excuse that he missed Greta. He knew that inside of the heart of the stubborn demon, there were kindness and understanding. His problem was only Günter, since Conrart also loved to spoil him. But when he finally could escape from the tutor and find Greta, she was lying on the ground, crying.
Tardily lifting her face to his father, Greta wiped her tears with her sleeves. "Yuuri..."
"What happened? Did you fall? Are you alright?" Yuuri crouched besides her, grabbing her arms to help her stand. He checked his daughter to see if there were any wounds. Greta was a girl, surely he wouldn't want his precious daughter to have a scar on her body.
"Yuuri... You don't love Wolfram, do you..?"
Yuuri froze.
Did he hear that right? That his daughter had just asked about his feelings towards Wolfram?
Greta's eyes glistened with water, her lips pouted and her breathing was unsteady. She stared at Yuuri's blushing face with her hands clinging to Yuuri's black uniform.
"Gre... Greta, why are you asking like that?" Yuuri stammered.
Sighing, Greta lowered her head in despair. "As expected... You don't love him."
Falling into a panic attack, Yuuri frantically waved his hands in front of his face. "No, Greta, you're too young to talk about, uh... About love!"
"But I need to know...! If you don't love Wolfram and Wolfram doesn't love you, then I won't have two fathers anymore..." Greta's tears wet her chubby cheeks again.
Yuuri's eyes widened at the term. "What did you say, Greta?"
Wolfram doesn't love me?
Clutching tightly to Yuuri's clothing, Greta faced Yuuri and howled with a shaking voice. "I heard it! I heard from Gwendal and Anissina that Wolfram actually doesn't love you!"
Yuuri's heart twitched.
"Err... Greta, didn't you mishear it?"
"No, Yuuri! I know it's bad to eavesdrop, but I clearly heard that Anissina said her love detector couldn't detect Wolfram's love to you!" Greta shook her head violently.
Love detector? The thing Anissina used when the bearbees came?
"But... Greta, Wolfram declares his love to me all the time..." Yuuri felt his voice tremble in his throat. He didn't know why, but the tone he produced sounded like he wanted to make sure that Greta was wrong. Or possibly, he wanted to believe that the revelation was wrong.
"That's it... That's why it's weird... But the love detector could detect Gwendal's, Gunter's, and even Conrart's love. Only Wolfram's..." Greta's eyes slumped to the ground again, not having enough courage to continue her words. Instead, she only continued her weeping almost inaudibly.
"So... Anissina said that it's because of Wolfram doesn't love me?"
Greta stared at Yuuri again, slightly shaking her head. Her hair tousled by the wind, causing the locks to cover her eyes, but Yuuri gently swept them away.
"...She said perhaps he didn't love you at that time, or the machine was a failure."
Yuuri gazed at his daughter's face even though his mind was sailing somewhere else. Anissina used past tense; meaning that Anissina still thought that Wolfram might love him by now. Or so she hoped. But whichever the truth was, if Wolfram really didn't love him, Yuuri could only think that he had been lied to.
And that made his heart hurt.
"Yuuri...?" Greta called, her head tilted to the side.
Forced back to reality, Yuuri promptly smiled to her. "Greta, you know that Anissina's inventions always cause problems, right? So you shouldn't take what you heard seriously. And eavesdropping is bad, Greta."
Greta's little eyes widened. "So that means Wolfram loves you?"
"Uhm... Yeah. I think so."
Or not.
"Thank goodness! I knew that nobody loves you as much as Wolfram in this world! Ah, but I'm not losing to Wolfram!" Greta shouted happily, her tears stopped, and she hugged Yuuri tightly. Her petite body pushed against Yuuri's chest as Yuuri also wrapped her with his arms.
"Ah... Hahaha," Yuuri forced a laugh. He winced at the little girl's words. Again, he still wasn't used to anything related to gay relationships, and he didn't know whether he should be happy or not with the words. He honestly didn't understand if he would be delighted or sad, if Wolfram really didn't love him. After all, he considered Wolfram as his important person, although he didn't have any romantic desire to him. Thus, he really couldn't register what he should feel or do currently. Not when his mind suddenly became distorted.
"Now, Greta, why don't we go to the kitchen to eat cookies?" Yuuri strived to drive out his brooding.
"No, I'm full. I want to see Wolfram now. Let's go, Yuuri?" Greta cocked her head up, pulling Yuuri's hand so that he would bend over a little.
"Err... Wolfram? But he just started to train his troops..." Yuuri resisted, he didn't want to be dragged to find Wolfram. "Let's just change your clothes, okay? Then I'll read a book for you."
"Emm... Okay," Greta nodded, although her lips transformed into a pout. But then her smile soon came back as she remembered the book she wanted Yuuri to read for her. "Anissina wrote a new story! Let's read it, Yuuri!"
"Haha, alright..! It's a deal then," Yuuri laughed as he felt a relieving sensation washed over him. Subsequently, he tugged Greta's hand and led her to their bedroom. They walked together slowly, chatted along the way, but Yuuri's mind didn't actually focus on what they talked about. Instead, the image of a certain green-eyed blonde monopolized his psyche.
Before Yuuri left Gwendal's office, Wolfram said that he didn't care about the party. Hence, the entirety of his personal troops must not be involved in the preparation. He insisted that he would train them, and Yuuri didn't want to interrupt him while Wolfram was in a bad mood. That was the reason behind his uneasy feelings when Greta asked him to meet Wolfram.
But deep within, he wondered if he refused to see Wolfram because he really didn't want to hear Wolfram's tantrums, or because of the news he'd just heard from Greta. He was just bewildered at the moment. But still, among all of the things he didn't understand, only one thing he was sure of. That was if Wolfram did lie about his feelings, he knew that his heart will be wrecked badly. And he wasn't interested in imagining that at all.
Suddenly, a scream startled him and pulled him back from his train of thoughts. Halted from his walk, he snapped his head to the direction of the voice and gulped. Cold sweats started to form on his forehead, as the realization gradually hit his head.
That was coming from the yard.
And it was... Wolfram's.
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(To Be Continued)
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A/N: Yatta! The first chapter is done.
Now I just want to tell you that anonymous reviewers are also accepted, you have no need to create an account to leave reviews :)
And of course reviews from registered users are much awaited as well~! :D