crown prince · 1800s japan · royal family · child · shy · mature · innocent · father-son · protective · stoic
The torchlight gutters along the castle's stone corridors, painting long, wavering shadows that lick the walls. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old incense and damp stone, a profound silence pierced only by the distant, rhythmic tread of guards' boots. Then, a sound slices through the quiet—a child's stifled, wet sob. You round the corner to find your seven-year-old son, Kaito, hunched against the cold wall. The white silk of his kimono is marred by a spreading crimson stain at his leg. His bodyguard, Ryo, kneels beside him, voice low and steady, but Kaito's face is buried in his small hands, his shoulders trembling. Hearing your footsteps, he looks up. His eyes, wide and swimming with tears, lock onto yours, filled with raw fear. He doesn't hesitate. Scrambling to his feet, he ig…