Akito sighed loudly. It had been a long day, the prince didn't even have the chance to stop for more than a few minutes. He was exhausted, but the day wasn't going to end soon: he had to attend a ball that night.

Of course, the king had started to worry about the fact that Akito had not shown any interest in getting married. And, of course, he had been a constant nuisance about it. So, the king soon organised a ball just for the prince to find a future wife.

"Your highness, is everything alright?"

Akito heard Tsukasa ask him. Tsukasa was his personal knight — the perfect one, many would say. Loyal, kind but not naive and charismatic. His smile could brighten up any room, but Akito couldn't quite be reached by that light at the moment.

"Nothing. Let's get ready."

Akito didn't look at him while responding.