"Uh...were you aware that you're being followed..?"

As I walked through the village street, Laoise, one of my closer friends, was very obviously staring over her shoulder. I had taken the liberty of grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the way of several crates, a wheelbarrow, and a roving chicken.

"How could I not be? I have a nose." I muttered bitterly, Ichiji's scent overpowering everything else I could have possibly had the chance to smell.
"His hair is stupid." Laoise scoffed, finally turning to face the right way again. "Your kids are going to have stupid hair, (N/N). I'm so sorry."

Not if I have any say in the matter.

"Or I could just elope with your brother and have a whole entire bunch of cute, strawberry-blond babies." I snickered, bumping my hip into hers. Laoise was Corbin's younger sister, by a year, so it didn't surprise me in the slightest when she began to feign a gag.

"Please quit reminding me that you two get nasty with each other. It's actually heinous." She looked over her shoulder again, but this time her head whipped right back around. "He's gaining on us. Fight or flight?"

As much as I would have loved to haul ass and get away from the Vinsmoke prince, I knew he would easily catch up. Not only that, but we were actually supposed to be spending the day together. A very firm request from both of our parents, much to my dismay.

"Just ignore him. He'll get bored eventually and go bother somebody else." I sighed, though I had barely gotten the breath all the way out when I felt something impossibly warm against the back of my neck through my hair.

"Is that any way to treat your future husband, Princess?" Ichiji whispered from behind me, right up close. I hunched myself over a little, throwing a scowl over my shoulder as I tried to rein in my poor heart that was going a thousand miles an hour.

Damn it, why does he have to have such an effect on me?!

"Not at all. Hence why I'm treating you like this." I muttered, speeding up my steps and dragging Laoise along with me. Even as she nearly tripped over another chicken, she snorted.
"You tell him, girl." That earned her a sneer from Ichiji, who made no move to back off, now falling into step at my other side.

"That's an awful lot of disrespect towards royalty." He lowered his voice to seem intimidating, but my dear friend was having none of that.
"You're no royal of mine. What's with sunglasses, anyway? You just look like some guy with a bad haircut and a hangover."

Clutching my stomach, my laughter nearly caused me to choke. Several passers-by gave me funny looks, but I didn't care. I would always laugh at any form of Vinsmoke slander. Ichiji muttered something under his breath, likely some kind of insult or threat, but I couldn't care less.

"Anywho." Laoise slung an arm over my shoulders and planted a sloppy kiss to my cheek. "Sorry to love you and leave you, but I have to go help my Ma with chores. I'll stop by tomorrow. Have fun with...Yeah, seeya." With that, I was left with my least favourite person.

"The fact you allow that insolent little bitch to act like that in your presence is-" Ichiji began to speak, but I quickly cut him off.
"The only insolent little bitch here is you. Why are you even here, anyway? I don't want you tailing after me, and I know for a fact you don't want to be here either."

It was slight, but I saw Ichiji momentarily clench his jaw in irritation. If we had been alone, I was almost positive he would have taken a swing at me, but he couldn't risk his family's reputation in public like that.
"Our families want us to go on a date, so I'm doing just that. Though what we're supposed to do in a shit-hole like this, I have no idea."

He did not just call it a shit-hole?!

Siochail Village was one of my favourite places, second only to the forest. It was quaint, and filled with the people I so adored. Livestock wandered about freely, and the smell of hay and freshly baked bread filled the air. I couldn't fathom how somebody could dislike it.

"I'd rather choke to death than go on a date with you." I muttered bitterly, opting to breathe through my mouth so his scent couldn't get to me.
"Fine. Next time Niji tries to drown you, I won't intervene if that's your preference."

Actually...

Halting in the middle of the street, I almost reached out to grab his shoulder, but opted against it. Ichiji barely took an extra step before he stopped too, turning his head until I could see my reflection in the lenses of his shades.
"Speaking of...Why did you save me?" How could I not be curious or sceptical? We hated each other. It would have made more sense for him to join in.

Ichiji's expression gave absolutely nothing away, which wasn't anything new.
"Would you have rathered I let him continue holding your head underwater?" He asked flatly, slightly tilting his head to the side.
"No, I just-" Shaking my head, I had to look away from him. Damn this fated mate bullshit. It was confusing.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Princess. It was purely political. There isn't another Arden daughter for me to marry if you get yourself killed." Ichiji sighed as he started to walk again, which lead me to have to jog to catch up to his long stride.

"B..Bold of you to assume that we'll actually get married anyway!" I snapped, ignoring the few bystanders that looked in my direction. Ichiji uttered a faint chuckle, a smirk playing on his lips.
"If you hadn't noticed, we're fated, on top of arranged. You don't exactly have a choice in the matter. It would serve you well to just shut up and accept it." He didn't even bother looking at me when he spoke. "Actually, you don't even need to accept it. Just shut up about it."

I wish I had a Devil Fruit that let me blow people up with my mind!

Before I could open my mouth and start hitting him with petty insults and personal attacks, he swept my hand up in his own, holding tight enough to almost hurt.
"If you even have the slightest scrap of respect for your parents, then at least pretend you're having a good time with me. Your father wants Germa to have a positive reputation here. You wouldn't disappoint him just because you, what was it again?" He leaned down a little, lowering his voice so only I would be able to hear him. "Ah, that's right. Because you'd prefer to elope and have a whole entire bunch of cute, strawberry-blond babies with that mouthy bastard you like so much."

I stiffened when Ichiji repeated what I had jokingly said to Laoise earlier, while he had been actually good twenty metres or so behind us.
"Fuck you..." My voice was much quieter than I wanted it to be. "Like you haven't fooled around with other people. Besides, it was just a joke to annoy my friend..."

Come on, (Y/N), sound a little more convincing!

"Actually," Ichiji tugged me a little closer into his side by my hand, keeping that near-painful pressure. "I've been completely faithful. Even after I could smell that disgusting scent all over you the day we arrived."

That couldn't be true. No way. I had heard his brothers boast about all the women they had screwed more often than I would have cared to, so there was no way Ichiji hadn't been in on that. Right? Even if he had been, that was no reason for me to actually...

...feel guilty..?

"I..I told you, I-"
"Oh my gosh, (Y/N), Prince Ichiji, congratulations! You looked so perfect together at the celebration the other night!" A woman approached us, all starry-eyed, and Ichiji feigned a smile, pulling me right into his side.

"Thank you, Ma'am. We can't wait to finally be married, can we, my love?" Ichiji's attempt at a kind response was noticeably unnatural, but it seemed to convince the lady. I tried to throw on a smile too, and I was sure it was just as artificial as his tone had been.

"Counting down the days." It was a challenge not to speak through my teeth. I thought I was doing well keeping my cool, but when Ichiji pressed a kiss to the top of my head, I nearly blacked out. Even through my hair, his lips were warm, and it sent my senses into a frenzy. My heart thundered in my chest, and my cheeks grew far too hot.

"You two are simply perfect together! Reminds me of my courting days! Well, I won't keep you two lovebirds! Have a lovely day!" Slightly bowing due to Ichiji's presence, the woman left, and the second she was far enough away I yanked myself away from Ichiji.

"Never...ever...do that again..." I managed to spit out before turning tail and rushing away, leaving him in the middle of the village street.

I felt hot. Sick. Tingly. Violated. Embarrassed. A whole slew of conflicting emotions that I knew stemmed from this godforsaken link between us. I wanted it to end. Ichiji couldn't have this kind of hold over me. I wouldn't let him.

I have to figure out how to make it stop..!

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***ICHIJI POV***

Huh.

My lips felt strange. As I watched (Y/N) flee back the way we had came from, I slowly lifted my hand to my face, touching where my lips had made contact with her hair.

It was like a light, tingly sensation, one I hadn't experienced before. It seemed to be in my hand, too, where I had been holding onto hers to keep her from starting rumours about the morality of our upcoming union.

This wasn't something I was accustomed to. Whenever (Y/N) was nearby, there was a tightness in my chest that bothered me, and whenever she touched me? I couldn't explain it. Things I was not supposed to experience just...happened. Physical reactions that should have been blocked.

Clicking my tongue, I turned to head back to the palace, or at least the Arden's poor excuse for one. It was frustrating, having to stay there, listening to my brothers' non-stop bitching and complaining about how bored they were, how they hated the food, how the women weren't up to their standards.

How I couldn't take a single breath without catching (Y/N)'s scent, and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

Just as I reached the edge of the shitty little village, my transponder snail began to warble in my pocket, and I fished it out.
"Sparking Red." I answered flatly, already knowing who would be calling.

"Ichiji. Are you still entertaining the Princess?" My father asked gruffly.
"No, I'm alone. You can speak freely." I replied, looking around just in case somebody was lurking nearby.

"The surveying team has located the largest deposit, about twenty minutes south of the palace. We'll be beginning to test samples, and prepping to clear some of those damned trees away. I need you to keep that wild little Princess distracted, since she likes to wander the forest like an animal." He continued, giving me his orders.

"Yes, Sir. Consider it done." I responded, as I usually did, with complete obedience. I'd rather not have to deal with whatever it was that (Y/N) seemed to stir in me whenever we were around each other, but I would have to handle it.

"Good. By any means necessary." Even after he disconnected, my father's words hung in the air. By any means necessary. I knew what he meant by that, and usually it wouldn't have bothered me, so why was it now?

Shaking the strange thought from my head, I continued on my way back towards the palace, the dirt path scuffing the toes of my once pristine black boots.

I suppose if I need to gain her full attention...that bastard has to be forced out of the picture...

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(I took a big, fat mental health break from writing. Did it do any good? Nope, but I'm back anyway.

Wonder what Judge is up to?

Next Time: By Any Means***