K.TH || PRINCE CHARMING

ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ ᑎIᑎETEEᑎ

He holds my gaze and peruses my face. I wish I knew what he was looking for, but once he finds it, he smiles and gives me a reassuring nod.

With that small gesture, I melt. Not figuratively or romantically, I quite literally melt in my seat.

Losing all composure type of melt.

My back slouches, one bare foot slides off the chair, and I lean to the slide against the armrest.

He's given me the okay to go ahead and give him my endless list of reasons why he should be turned off from me.

I bury my face in the endless ruffles of my skirt and sigh once more, feeling like a deflated sack of rotting turnips.

I know for sure now that I'm going home.

This isn't exactly how I intended it to happen, and I wanted my family to enjoy some ease a little longer, but I just don't think I can last here.

Maybe I actually overestimate myself this time.

Venting to the Prince and getting sent home once he realizes I came with a lot of baggage wasn't my plan.

But I guess it's not all that bad.

I'll never be able to afford the consultations the higher ranks get when they're stressed, so I guess this is the closest thing I'll get.

I look back up to see him still looking at me, with his bright eyes, high nose bridge and uneven lips.

Beautiful boy.

It's a shame he is the way he is. Spineless, inconsistent with confidence and meek. Everything Yeonjun wasn't.

Yeonjun randomly popping into my thoughts again was a jump scare.

Even when hating him, I compare him to others, and nobody measures up.

I know it's not right to compare the two, but I can't help it.

I wonder what kind of expression the Prince would make once he finds out about my opinions, my life, and how messy it is.

I reach for one of the bobby pins in my hair and begin removing them. "I don't even know where to start," I huff.

I wasn't lying. There's so much on my mind right now that I'm unsure what part to throw at him first.

"Just say what's bothering you the most right now," he says as he makes himself comfortable...well, as comfortable as you would expect a prince to get in front of their subject.

I take a few moments to think: what's bothering me the most?

This place? No, it's annoying, but it's not the worst.

The other contestants? I hate them, but there's some good there as well.

Is it basically being a part of our country's increasing illiteracy percentage? Cause that's one that pisses me off.

Yeonjun? Oh absolutely. And the fact the girl he was with is gorgeous is messing with me, too.

What? Did he think I was ugly or something? Was my jawline not sharp enough, or was my hair clean enough? We're my bosoms not plump enough and sitting pretty like hers. Are her teeth straighter and whiter than mine? Does she know how to prepare a chicken? Does she know how to fix a roof after a heavy rain storm? I know I do, but what about her? what skills does she have that I don't?