'I can do this,' I mentally encouraged myself, staring at the office door of a certain black-haired emperor.
Sarah had informed me that my schedule was clear for the rest of the day, and we will be having dinner in our rooms as his majesty had some work to take care of.
It was now dinner time and hopefully his majesty is free now, since I had heard some of the ladies wished to speak with him when we arrived back at the castle. They should be eating now so I would be able to speak with him.
I knock, clearing my throat before announcing myself. "Your majesty, it is Lady (y/n). I wish to speak to you if you have some time to spare."
"Come in." His answer is almost simultaneous.
I open the door, walking in. To my surprise, he is not alone. Perched on a seat across from his majesty, sat a certain lady who seemed to detest my very essence.
Lady Annabeth snarls at the sight of me, and I freeze at the sight of her.
"My apologies, am I interrupting? I can come back later..." I felt like a deer caught in headlights, though I felt more awkward than scared.
"No need. Lady Annabeth and I were just finishing up," Emperor Kruos smiles at me, before nodding at Lady Annabeth, a silent dismissal.
Lady Annabeth whips her head to look at his majesty, opening her mouth to protest, before shutting it at his straight face.
"Of course. Thank you for your time, your majesty." She stands and bows at him, before walking in my direction. I stand to the side, allowing her space to leave. As she approaches the door that I have propped open for her, she pauses, glaring a glare so full of hatred, I couldn't help but shiver a bit, before leaving.
I watch her leave, silently, before gently shutting the door.
"Were you actually finishing up?" I questioned him, a little doubtful with how upset she appeared.
"I was. I am unsure if she was," he waves it off.
"Why have you decided to grace me with your presence? Not that I mind." He sits up, more interested.
"No reason, I just wished to speak with you..." my cheeks light up.
This was horrific. I have never attempted to woo or even get close to a man, and it was blatantly obvious.
"Have a seat." He gestures to the chair in front of him.
I sit down, staring at my thumbs which twiddle in the silence, unsure of where to start. I should've come up with a better plan...
His majesty takes my silence as a cue to speak, and for once, I am grateful, for I would have fainted had the silence become any more awkward. "How did you like horseback riding?"
I snap my head up at him, leaning back in my seat as the awkwardness dissipates. "It was quite fun, though I am unsure why you had me up front with you. We weren't even going that fast, your majesty."
Emperor Kruos leans forward on the desk, a knowing grin on his face. "I just wanted you near."
"Why?" I blurt bluntly.
Well...Lady Aria did say to find out his intentions...though I am not sure I am doing a great job at being discreet about it.
"Is it a crime for me to attempt to become close with my suitresses?" He remarks.
"Well...no. I am just wondering why me." I emphasize my point.
"Why not you? You are a suitress, no? Besides, you seemed to be avoiding me all morning," Emperor Kruos throws in, surprising me. His tone was clipped.
"I—" I attempt to justify my actions, though close my mouth as there was no way out. "Okay, you're right. I was avoiding you." I sigh.
He raises an eyebrow at me, urging me to continue.
"I just feel like the ladies will see me as a rival or competition if I attempt to get close to you in a group setting," I explain. It sounded extremely lame when I said it, but that is exactly how I felt.
"Are you not?" Emperor Kruos questions me.
I give him a surprised look. "Well...I do not wish for the ladies to see me as competition. I want to get along peacefully with everyone."
Emperor Kruos chuckles at me. "Silly girl. You will always be in competition with the other ladies as long as they are here, even if you try to get along with them. Many of them don't seem too fond of you, despite your attempts at appeasing everyone."
He had a point, unfortunately. I slink down into the chair, confidence diminishing.
"Well, at least I have made a friend through my attempts." My confidence comes back at the thought of Lady Aria.
Emperor Kruos's smile drops a little bit at that, his tone hardening. "Ah, I see. But remember, your objective here is not to make friends."
"It doesn't hurt to make some where I can, while I am still here," I sulk.
"While you are still here? How long do you expect to be here for?" Emperor Kruos tilts his head at me, curious.
I purse my lips before shrugging. "As long until you eliminate me, I guess."
"And how do you know I will do that?" He asked, amusement in his voice.
I furrow my eyebrows at him. "Well...I am not for certain, but I have all the odds against me, so it is unlikely I will be chosen."
Emperor Kruos hums. "Ever heard of the phrase, 'defying all odds'?"
I nod. "Yes, but do I look like someone who can defy all odds?" I give him a pointed look, pointing at myself. Even a blind man can see that.
He shrugs. "You would be surprised."
"What is more surprising is why you have chosen me to be a candidate," I subtly nudged him.
"Why do you think you were chosen?" He questions me.
"Well...I am not sure. That is why I am asking you," I say in an obvious manner.
"Why do you think I chose you?" His majesty grins.
'This man is unbelievable!'
"Stop answering my question with a question!" I growl, annoyed.
"What makes you think I am answering your question with a question?" His eyes light up in mirth.
"You just did it again!" I exclaim, frustrated.
"Did what again?"
"Stop it!" I vexed out.
"Stop what?"
"GAHH!" I throw my head back into the seat, covering my face in frustration. He is doing this to make me mad on purpose...and it is working!
A soft chuckle brings me out of my mental vent.
"Did you eat dinner yet?" Emperor Kruos leaves my question unanswered.
Two can play at that game.
"Did I?" I shoot back, puffing my cheeks.
His majesty looks at me, a hint of what seemed to be adoration swimming underneath the mirth.
"I have not eaten yet. Dine with me." He commands, standing and walking to the office door. He opens it, speaking to a maid who was waiting outside. I see her bow, before whisking off.
As Emperor Kruos takes his seat once more, another maid wheels in a cart, silver platters lined the top. A delicious smell wafted to my nose.
All desires of protest within me immediately died.
"Are you sure? I am not disrupting your work, am I?" I question, though the sight in front of me was hard to deny.
Emperor Kruos dismisses my concerns. "No, I need to eat, too. Since you are already here, you might as well join me."
His majesty moves a couple papers to the side, before a maid uncovers two silver platters, setting down a dish for each of us.
"Thank you!" I clap my hands together at the maid before digging in. That sandwich had only filled me up for the ride back, I was starving.
The maid bows at both his majesty and I, before leaving us.
Emperor Kruos seems to have no interest in eating his food, rather peering at me. While unnerving, I was too busy scarfing down my dinner to care.
"What are your thoughts on the castle?" His majesty asked.
Surprised, I cannot help but be slightly confused on what he meant. "What do you mean?"
He clarifies. "As in, what is your opinion on the castle? Do you enjoy or detest it?"
Was this a trick question? What happens if I say the wrong answer? Would he be offended? "I think it is nice," I go with a safe answer.
"Can you imagine living here?" I almost choke on my food. What is he going on about?
"I—uhh..." I rack my brain, urging it to come up with a decent answer. "I personally cannot see myself living here, but it is very nice and I am sure a lot of people would die to live here."
Thankfully, his majesty doesn't seem offended by my answer. "Hmm, I see. What would you change about this castle?"
I was no interior designer, which he seemed to believe I was. Regardless, I answer honestly. "I am not sure, your majesty. If it were me, though, I would maybe add more flowers...? It must be hard to get greenery here, since it is always snowing, so adding flowers around the castle may bring back some color and life."
Emperor Kruos nods his head approvingly. "What is your favorite flower?"
I twirl the fork around my plate, thinking about his out-of-the-blue, albeit interesting question. "I like hydrangeas. They're quite colorful and beautiful, and the gardens we had back home were full of them..."
"A hydrangea, huh? Kruos has a hard time growing flowers since they are always in need of moisture and sun, and our harsh weather is too unforgiving for them to bloom," he absentmindedly recalls.
I raise my eyebrows. "Do you fancy flowers, your majesty?"
"Not necessarily, I never cared for them much. I never found a reason to have flowers in the castle, since they don't provide purpose compared to other plants that provide fruits and vegetables. It is a waste of soil and water to upkeep a plant that does not give in return," he bluntly stated.
I purse my lips at his pessimism. "I wouldn't say that it doesn't give in return, your majesty. Flowers provide happiness and joy in your life! They add color and beauty to the world. While it may not give something physically, it gives something symbolically," I attempt to explain to him.
He looks intrigued by my explanation. "And what do they symbolize?"
I smile at his openness for me to elaborate. "Well...I love hydrangeas because they come in a multitude of colors and each represents something different. For example, blue stands for gratitude, white for purity, purple for pride, and pink for romance," I recalled the days when my mother would take me to the gardens and tend for the beautiful flowers, reciting the different meanings.
"Surrounding yourself with color adds joy to your life, especially in a place where it is always white and cold," I point out.
Emperor Kruos finally picks up his fork, smiling at me. "I will keep that in mind."
I have no clue what he means by that, happily scooping more food into my mouth.
———
Yawning, I rub my eyes as light begins to peak from behind the curtain. Rapid knocks signaled a presence, one that disturbed my beautiful slumber.
"Come in," I groan out, voice raspy from a full night's rest. I roll over on my stomach, burying my face into the plush pillow.
After I had dinner with his majesty, I sat in there for a little while longer as he did some paperwork, on his insistence.
Normally, I would've declined, but alas, my plans have changed, and I didn't detest it as much as I thought I would have. His majesty kept his banter to a minimum, rather asking me questions I thought he would have never asked, ranging from what my family and home was like, to my interests and hobbies.
I am sure he had to have asked these questions to a lot of the ladies as he begins to get to know them on a personal level, but the conversation was not unbearable like I believed it was going to be.
Honestly, he didn't seem like the cold-hearted ruler that everyone made him out to be. If anything, I feel as if that was just a facade. Sure when I met him I was definitely intimidated, but there were no real threats to my safety since meeting him.
Maybe minus the threat on Therasis, but he had already promised he wouldn't invade so long as I participate, and I trust him to keep his word.
Besides that, majority of my fear came from hearing rumors about him, rather than through actually meeting him. The more I spoke to him, the more my fear dissipated and I realized many of those rumors were blown out of proportion.
Footsteps approach my unmoving form, before a familiar voice greets me. "Good morning, my lady."
With my eyes still closed as I try to savor every speck of sleep, I turn my head to the side where her voice came from, my cheek squished into the pillow. "Good morning, Sarah. Do I have plans today?"
She shakes her head in denial, before I hear something being placed onto my nightstand. I open my eyes, before they widen a little bit.
A gigantic vase full of beautiful, pink hydrangeas filled every crevice of space, creating a gorgeous dome of varying shades of pink. There were so many flowers that it had overshadowed the edges of my nightstand!
Leaning up on my elbows, I rub my eyes harder, unsure if what I am seeing is correct. "What are those for, Sarah?"
"His majesty has asked me to deliver these to you as soon as they come in, my lady." I sit up at her words, the blanket pooling around my lap.
I sit in silence for a few moments, before my mouth drops. "For me!? What for?"
Sitting up, I slide my bare feet into the slippers before walking to investigate said bouquet. Through the glass of the vase, the vivid green stems and leaves signaled that the flowers were quite fresh. Every petal of each flower showed no sign of wilting, as if they were hand-picked with only perfection in mind.
Sarah furrows her eyebrows. "I am not sure, my lady. I do not dare to question him."
Pressing my eyes closed, I bring my nose to the bouquet, smelling them. Oh, how I love the smell! "It must've taken him a long time to get these, as he told me that flowers do not bloom here."
Sarah nods in agreement. "Indeed, my lady. That is why we do not own a garden. But, thankfully, your words have, perhaps, inspired his majesty."
I scrunch my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"We have a few shipments of seeds coming in today. Apparently, they are for flowers that can bloom even in snow. His majesty has spoken to a few builders on getting a flower garden started," she looks excited.
I stare at the vase. "Huh...well that is great news! It will bring some life back into here. Will you thank me for him, Sarah."
Sarah hums, before politely suggesting, "Perhaps his majesty would like to hear it from your voice, Lady (y/n). After all, he seemed to be in a good mood after your dinner last night."
"Ah, you are right. I will be sure to thank him later." I run a finger across one of the petals, feeling the silky, soft surface beneath my fingertips.
'Why is he doing this all of a sudden? My words were a mere suggestion. I did not expect him to heed my words so fast.'
———
A/N: Someone said that our ML radiates bastard energy and that's exactly what comes to mind whenever I write him now LOL.
I posted my cat on a cat subreddit and it blew up (he's literally the cutest cat). Anyways, I checked the analytics of that post, which I didn't even know you could do, and someone cross posted him in a subreddit called "mildlypenis."
Turns out, it's a subreddit dedicated to things that kind of look/resemble a penis.
MY CAT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A PENIS 😭
The disrespect of my cat! 😪
Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Absolutely zero proofreading/editing so don't be surprised if things seem kinda funky.
Love yall! ❤️