TEMPESTUOUS - Ichiji/Niji/Yonji x Reader

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Accompany

I really am a slave now, huh?

"To leave Germa soil, you must be wearing this device. Stray too far from the receiver and the device will detonate, resulting in the loss of, at the very least, half of your arm. Do I make myself clear?" Judge explained to me in a gruff voice, clipping a thick cuff around my wrist. "If you try to remove it, the result shall be the same."

All I could do was nod. Losing my arm was not ideal, but I hadn't been planning on trying to make a break for it anyway. I could be quick on my feet, but every member of the Germa Kingdom had extensive training and assassination experience. I wasn't that stupid.

It's heavy, though. I don't wanna lug it around all day...

"Ichiji shall be in possession of the receiver. You must stay within a twelve foot radius of him at all times." Judge was looking down at me with furrowed brows, but it wasn't as bad as it once had been. Sure, he was speaking to me like I was beneath him, but at least he was giving me a chance.

"U..understood, Your Majesty." I bowed my head and kept it down until he had moved away from me, muttering something to his eldest son before returning to the castle. We had broken away from the main formation and docked on the coastline of a large island, likely for supplies.

"I trust that you have no complaints about remaining by my side for the day?" I turned when Ichiji spoke, slipping something into his inner breast pocket, which I assumed to be the receiver.

"I'd...be glad to, Your Highness." I murmured, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice. "Will Prince Niji be joining us today?" My question seemed to irritate the red head a bit, but he didn't act on it, motioning for me to follow with his head as he began to walk.

"If he hasn't already gone off to fool around with the local women then he would have shut himself in his room. He isn't fond of exploration, or shopping, so he typically designates members of his squadron to do the work for him." Ichiji replied, occasionally glancing back to me to make sure I was following, especially once we had made it down the docking ramp.

Well, it definitely sounds like a thing he'd do...

I tried to keep a decent distance between myself and the Prince, wondering why on earth he had requested for me to join him. He unnerved me, but at least I could get away from Germa for a while, plus I felt like I owed him for what he had done.

We wandered for a while in total silence, entering the large, bustling town, and it made me think back to my home in Alabasta. Children playing in the street, vendors shouting out for customers, smiling men and women alike.

"When I said that I would have you accompany me I didn't mean for you to be following me like a lost dog." Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I very nearly bumped straight into Ichiji, who had stopped to look back at me.
"Oh, uh, sorry, Your Highness." Quickly, I moved to his side, which seemed wrong to me. He was different than his brothers. I couldn't see how we could ever walk on equal ground.

"I have no business here, so if you see any place you want to visit, go ahead." Now I was the one who stopped, blinking up at him in confusion.
"Wait, so you're just out here for my sake?" I questioned, taken aback.

If I could gave seen what was hidden behind his sunglasses I may have had some kind of idea of what he was thinking, but his stoic expression gave nothing away.
"If you're thinking that I have some kind of ulterior motive, then you would be correct, but it's nothing to concern yourself with."

Oh, wonderful. I'm concerned.

Opting to leave my questions for later, I continued to walk alongside him, peering around to see if anything caught my eye.
"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to do this." He really didn't, and the fact that I knew it wasn't from the goodness of his heart, which I knew only served to pump blood, made me all the more sceptical.