... ONE MONTH LATER ...
[Two weeks until Y/N's wedding]
Y/N sat in her room in Lady Fayette's manor, nursing a glass of wine as she reviewed the notes from the past few weeks. She had already shared most of them with the rest of the council, having sent most of them along with Alette's and Ozul's notes, but there were still a few in the most recent days that had yet to be reviewed by them.
The council had agreed, almost unanimously, to pull the other investigative teams from the other two manors, and focus entirely on Lady Fayette to make sure that nothing went wrong. The team that had been three, was now six. They had been joined by Theron and Tein in the past week after the council decided to pull the other two teams. Thankfully, Theron now shared a room with Ozul, while Alette and Tein shared a room, meaning that Y/N was free to think by herself. She wondered if this had anything to do with her status as a high-born lady. She was not high in rank, but she was still higher than the other four.
"Y/N! Y/N! Hurry!"
Y/N shot up from her seat as she heard Alette's voice approaching outside her room. She flung the door open to reveal a panicked Alette on the other side.
"C'mon," she hissed, grabbing Y/N's hand. "He's here!"
"Who's here?"
"The prince!"
⚔⚜⚔
Y/N watched as Malleus and Lilia descended from the carriage, followed shortly after by Silver and Sebek. Of course, they would come with him. There was nowhere Malleus went that they too didn't also go. Y/N fought back the urge to smile at how loyal the two boys were.
"Prince Malleus of Briar Valley," the footman called.
Everyone bowed to the prince, and Malleus took the opportunity to scan the crowd and see who was there. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Y/N standing near the back of the crowd, dressed in a beautiful black and f/c dress. Her fan was clutched in her hand, as it usually was, and her hair was pulled back into an elegant braided bun that sat where her hairline met her neck. As she raised her eyes, Malleus thought his heart would stop beating right there. She was stunning. He wanted to run to her and throw his arms around her, demanding an explanation as to why she left the school so quickly, but he knew that in front of a crowd, she would claim that she had never before met the prince. She would keep her professional air about her, no matter what she wanted.
"Welcome to The Stella Manor, Your Highness," Lord Delwyn said, taking a step forward. He bowed to the prince once more as his family stepped up beside him. "This is my wife, Lady Ivy," the lady curtsied to the prince as she was introduced, "And my daughter Lady Fayetta."
"Wonderful to meet you all," Malleus said, forcing his eyes off of Y/N's figure near the back.
"And I trust that you are aware that your council has sent members to stay with us and ensure that our daughter is the right choice for you?"
"Yes." No. He had not been informed of this information and made a note to speak with Lilia on the matter.
"Shall I introduce you to them?"
Malleus nodded and followed beside Lord Delwyn as he introduced Malleus to the crown's council. "Lady Alette, Lady Tein, Lord Ozul, Lord Theron, and Lady Y/N."
Each bowed or curtsied as their name was called, and Y/N forced herself to remain upright as she was introduced. She kept her eyes averted from the prince's knowing that if she were to look him in the eyes, no one would be convinced that they didn't know one another. And besides, it wasn't proper for him to look the Prince in the eyes when she was a low-born noble.
"Now, Your Highness, may I offer a cup of tea in the main parlour?"
Malleus nodded again and followed Lord Delwyn, clenching and unclenching the hand closest to where Y/N had been standing. It ached to reach out and take her by the hand, pulling her close and acting as though she were the one he was here to wed, not Lady Fayetta. But instead, he held out his other arm to Lady Fayetta and escorted her into the manor.
⚔⚜⚔
That night, Y/N sat by the fire in her room, watching as Ozul and Theron played a game of chess. Ozul was hunched over the board in concentration, while Theron sat back, his pointed ears twitching every few moments in content smugness. He had challenged Ozul to this game because he knew he would win, without a shred of doubt. He played chess daily and had yet to find someone who could beat him. But with five hundred years of practice under his belt, it was to be expected. Alette and Tein had elected to sit out on the balcony and watch the moon as it rose past the clouds.
Soft music drifted through the room, and Y/N glanced over at the old radio that she had been given for her stay here. Her room was often where the council members gathered when they weren't in the sitting room. It was larger than the others, or at least, it seemed that way due to the lack of an extra bed.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Y/N frowned. Who would be knocking this late at night? She got to her feet, allowing the others to continue in their activities, and padded over to the door, making sure to keep her spot in her book.
She pulled open the door and her eyes widened when she saw Lady Fayetta standing on the other side of the door.
"Lady Fayetta," she exclaimed, glancing back into the room. Ozul and Theron had paused in their game, and Alette and Tein were standing at the door of the balcony. "What is it?"
"What does she want," Nox hissed, making Y/N's hand twitch behind her back. For the past few weeks, it had seemed as though Nox and Luna had been getting more and more out of hand. Normally, Y/N was able to control them and keep their troublesome thoughts at bay, but this past month, it had seemed near impossible. They, Nox especially, were being extremely vocal.
The young lady looked up and down the halls for a moment before stepping into the room. Y/N shut the door behind her and guided her over to the armchair that she had previously been occupying.
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night, Lady Y/N," Lady Fayetta said softly as she sank into the chair. She glanced around the room at the other council members and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She hadn't been planning on walking in on what appeared to be their relaxation time, but there was something that she desperately needed to get off of her chest.
Y/N glanced around at the others, and they all quickly got the hint and left. Ozul glanced back at Y/N and met her eyes as he shut the door behind him. None of them had any idea as to why Lady Fayetta would come to Y/N's chambers so late at night, especially on the night that the prince came to stay.
"Please say that Malleus scares you," Nox snapped. Y/N glanced over to the chair across from where Lady Fayetta was sitting. Nox was sitting in the chair, her arms crossed as she glared at Lady Fayetta.
"Lady Y/N," Fayetta said, her voice quavering, "I don't know what to do!"
"What do you mean, Lady Fayetta?"
"Mother and Father wish for me to be married to the prince, but I do not want it!" She reached out and took Y/N's hands, clutching them as though they were her lifeline. "Y/N, please tell me that I do not have to go through with it!" She inhaled sharply and looked away. "He frightens me."
"HA!"
Luna and Y/N both sent Nox a look, but she continued to sit there, looking rather smug and pleased with herself. It wasn't a look that Y/N found comforting, especially knowing that Nox was a part of her. The vindictive and petty side of herself made her wince nearly every time she said something.
"How so?"
Lady Fayetta twisted her gloves around her hands and tugged at the lacy hem. "He... he is so silent. He says hardly anything, and when he does, his voice is so low and it seems almost impossible to hear him at times. And his eyes! And his horns!" Her head dropped into her hands and Y/N sat down on the edge of the seat, wrapping an arm around Lady Fayetta's shoulders.
"I can assure you, my lady, that the prince is not as frightening as he first appears."
Lady Fayetta shook her head wildly, throwing her curls from side to side. "He scares me, Y/N! I cannot marry a man who scares me!"
Y/N sighed and knelt in front of Lady Fayetta, taking her hands and gently rubbing the backs of her hands in an attempt to soothe her hysterics. "Lady Fayetta, you trust me, right?"
Lady Fayetta sniffed and then nodded. "Yes, Y/N. You are my most trusted friend."
"Then I ask you to trust me when I say that the prince is not frightening." She sighed and glanced around at the walls of the room. "I was once a friend to the prince. A close friend. And I was scared of him too at first, but as time progressed, I realised that he was just as scared of me as I was of him." Y/N bit her lip, wondering if she should be saying all of this.
"My lady, can you promise me that what I am about to tell you, you will keep in your strictest confidence? Can you promise me that you won't ever tell another soul what I am about to tell you now?"
Lady Fayetta frowned and nodded. "I promise."
Y/N nodded. "My mother was on the council when she was younger, and my father was a high-ranking officer in the royal army, so I spent much of my time wandering about the castle when I was a young fae. For the first while, I was completely by my lonesome as I wandered the corridors, but one day, I stumbled upon a young boy. The prince. I was lost and he showed me the way back to my family. From then on, I would actively seek him out. My parents had not told me that there was a prince. As far as I was concerned, they were always meeting with the queen. It wasn't until after I befriended the prince that I found out that his mother was dead, and had been for some time.
After that, I started visiting the castle more as I became friends with the prince. It was only then that he confessed that he was scared of meeting new people. He had spent his entire life living in that castle by himself, with only Lilia to watch him and care for him."
Y/N smiled at Lady Fayetta. "Just talk to him. Once you get to know him, I am sure that you will become at least friends with him, if not grow to love him as a husband." She winked as she got to her feet, ignoring Nox glaring into her back, "He's quite charming once he comes out of his shell."
Lady Fayetta laughed and allowed Y/N to pull her to her feet. "Thank you, Lady Y/N. You have helped me more than you know. Now, I shall bid you good night and leave you and your companions to your..." she glanced down at the table to see what Ozul and Theron had been playing, "chess."
"Goodnight, Lady Fayetta."
"Goodnight, Lady Y/N."
Y/N escorted Lady Fayetta to her door and watched as she walked down the hall. She looked around, wondering if her companions had decided to stick around, but when she saw no one, she shrugged and turned to go back inside.
"Wait. Y/N. Please, we need to talk."
Y/N froze, the door half closed behind her. But the handle slipped out of her grasp as someone pulled the door open. She turned around and felt all the colour drain from her face.