gashinaya

4 • home

Stella drowned in her mortification for the rest of the day. She couldn't believe that she had personally had a conversation with the prince, not only that but she basically dissed him. "Oh my God, why am I like this?"

She flopped onto the bed in the room assigned to her and sighed, the extensively painted ceiling reminding her of how this was not her setting. Xia had escorted each of the participants to their rooms, with the women in the west wing and the men in the east. The other girls seemed to be acquainted with each other already so Stella didn't try to make friends. Most of the time, she kept to herself in the town, even if she was on good terms with most people.

She closed her ears and took a deep breath before she heard a knock on her door. "Come in."

About 3 different giggles sounded before a trio of young girls just like her entered her bedroom, except a bit more polished. As Stella sat up, she took in the intruders. One was curly haired, her jet black locks creating a halo effect around her head and her slanted eyes were charming along with her kind smile. She was quite tanned, like her counterparts. The short, red-haired and black-eyed girl next to her greeted. "Hi, we just wanted to say hi to you."

"Yeah, we noticed you looked a bit lonely back there." The third one said. Her hair was blonde and dead straight, which was a contrast to her mahogany skin. She had wide set eyes that made her look a bit alien but with her straight nose and full lips, she was an overall stunner. "My name is Samira. I'm from the village of Krae. Along with Astrid over here."

The curly-haired girl raised her hand and smiled. Finally, the redhead spoke and went to sit next to Stella, "I'm Twyla of Gaia."

"Oh, nice to meet you. My name is -"

"Stella. We know." They all said in unison which freaked the townsgirl out a bit.

"How do you know that?"

Astrid chuckled and pulled the chair from behind the door. "Well it's not like everyone turned to see the prince coming from your side when he was called up. You're the talk of the ... class, I guess."

"Yeah, and don't think anyone missed the way he winked at you, either." Samira jumped on the bed and leaned against the headboard.

"Make yourself at home, I guess." Stella raised her eyebrows comically. "I don't know what I did to deserve all this attention but it's not as big a deal as you're makin it."

"It's NOt a BiG dEaL." Astrid rolled her eyes, "It's not a big deal, my ass."

They all laughed at the mockery, chatting and getting to know each other for the rest of the afternoon. Stella didn't expect the girls from wealthier towns to be so kind and relatable, and she was glad she was wrong. One thing that didnt cease to shock her, though was how often Astrid and Samira cursed. "Okay, but seriously. Stella, I think the prince likes you."

Stella snorted, to which Twyla just punched her arm. "I'm serious."

"You have absolutely nothing to base that off of."

"Uhhhh what about the fact that his eyes kept going back to you while he made his speech?" All 3 of Stella's new companions agreed with each other, not even letting the girl object. "Stella. Darling. We are your new best friends. Therefore everything, and I mean EVERYTHING we say is right. Listen to us."

It wasn't long before it was dark outside and they were called by one of the Palace servants to go downstairs to the dining hall. Since it was a bit chilly, they agreed to meet there so they could each get their overcoats. Stella still felt a bit intimidated as she walked down the hall plastered with expensive wallpaper. She passed several mirrors before getting to the stairs, where she was relieved to see her new friends at the bottom of, waiting for her. Stella had the furthest room in the wing, which made it a bit scary for her, seeing as it wasn't far from the other end of the hallway which led to the north wing that held the members of the royal family.

"Let's go, Stella, stop daydreaming, I'm starving." Astrid grabbed her wrist and the girls hurried to the dining hall, remembering the directions given to them in the tour earlier."

They found a few of the other guests seated at a long oval table. It, too, shined and reflected the chandalier that lit up the room. They had designated seats so the girls looked for their own names and found that they were split in half. Twyla and Stella were sat next to each other in the middle of the right side of the table, while Astrid and Samira were opposite them on the left. The table was so wide, however, it wouldn't have been practical for them to speak from across each other.

Gradually, the room began to fill up until finally, the Royal Family arrived and they all stood. They walked as a unit as they entered and the King and Queen took their seats at the opposite heads of the table while the children had the freedom to choose their seats from those that were left. The table was set up so that the participants of the programme were placed from the middle, with the Royal Family more outwards, so as to symbolize protection from the most powerful people in the room.

Stella kept her eyes on Prince Yeonjun, watching at his mother's right, while Princess Mia sat on her left. Prince Changkyun and Prince Minhyuk sat on either side of their father, and finally, all the seats had been occupied. The King gestured for every person to sit down and as they did, Yeonjun and Stella caught each other's eye. Remembering their earlier encounter, Stella quickly looked away even though she could feel his eyes boring holes into her skull.

King Hyunjin cleared his throat, "Good Evening to you all. It is a pleasure to host you for the duration of your stay. We, as the Royal Family, aim to make you an comfortable as possible in this setting, so we urge you to loosen up and treat us as normally as you can. In here, we are your family and we will support you in any way we can. Let us eat."

It was a warm welcome and it set the mood for the rest of the night. Everyone ate as if they were right at home, conversing with each other and making as much noise as they pleased. Occasionally, Stella stole glances at Prince Yeonjun, who seemed to engage in conversation with one of the other students seated next to him. She was pretty, with pearl white skin, and chestnut brown hair. She smiled as she spoke and did it with confidence. From her clothes, she looked to be of noble status so it was no wonder she was so comfortable with Prince Yeonjun. Stella felt a slight pang in her heart and zoned out in their direction, feeling a bit dejected as he laughed at what she said.

Twyla snapped her out of it before anyone noticed and Stella continued eating her food in silence, not noticing how every once in a while, the young Prince's eyes jutted to her and back. The same could not be said for the Queen who caught on to her son and studied the interaction between the two carefully. The Queen had no judgements based upon status however she did know that Stella was the only candidate from Kindred Fall, the poorest town of the Autria. She was very protective of her middle son, more so than any of her other children for a reason not known to many outside the Royal Family.

Without hesitation, she pulled his arm towards her and whispered in his ear something that made Yeonjun's gaze darken, "I see you making eyes at the baker's daughter. I do not approve and I do not expect to see any more of your shenanigans regarding her. Understood?"

The prince only pulled back and looked at his mother with confusion at the same time as defiance. Nevertheless, he "understood."

Little did they know, the noble guest to Prince Yeonjun's side heard what the Queen said, and intended to make sure her words were obeyed no matter what.