Your hand dragged gently across the red, silky petals. The sun's warm beams landed on your face, highlighting your graceful features. A soft smile appeared on your face as you crouched down to the rose bushes, examining their beautiful blood-like color.
"..How beautiful.." You mumble to yourself, tilting your head.
You were just about to smell the flower's fragrance when a timid voice called out to you.
"Princess Y/n? It's time for lunch."
Turning your head towards the female voice, you saw your servant, Rhoslyn. You smiled happily and stood up from your crouching position, brushing off your F/C velvet dress. You picked it up by the sides, and did a small curtsy.
"Thank you for the reminder. I'll be going now." You grinned slightly, leaving your servant to be dumbfounded.
"U-Um, I should escort you-"
You cut off Rhoslyn, hushing her. "Ah, ah. I won't ask you to do that. I can take care of myself, you know?" You smile.
Rhoslyn just stood there, shocked as you left in her wake. You practically ran to the dining room where your family sat, and Rhoslyn sighed.
"Act least act like a proper lady."
Your name is Y/n M/n L/n. Your title is a princess, and you go by Princess Y/n. You almost never leave the castle, whereas everyone else in the village can do as they please. It's not your fault, though. As a royal, you simply aren't allowed to leave, because you may risk getting hurt and ruining that precious face of yours.
You hate it.
You dream of leaving this prissy life behind, starting anew. You want to explore the world, and everything it has to offer. You hear tales of powerful travelers and gods, wanting to meet everyone in this world. Every single race, and every single item. You want to learn about how this world came to existence!
But the one thing you really want to do is find the legendary dragon that lives in the forest not too far from your village.
Ever since you first heard of the story of the dragon, you practically fell in love. The stories described it as powerful, being able to use both fire and ice. You thought that the dragon was the coolest thing in the whole entire world.
Unfortunately, others disagreed. They laughed at you when you tried re-telling the story.. but you still believed.
You believed with all your heart, that you will finally meet this dragon for yourself.
As you barged through the mahogany door, you yelled. "I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" You pant, running into the dining hall.
The room was silent as your family turned their head towards you. They all had disappointed looks on their faces, and it made you chuckle awkwardly as you straightened your posture, dusted off your dress, cleared your throat, and put on a bashful smile. "I-I mean.. Please forgive me for my lack of time keeping. I was distracted in the garden."
You said in posh tone as you walked carefully to the dinner table, sitting down in the seat you always have had. You looked at your family member's faces once more, only to blink and smile at them nervously.
"Eheh.. so.. What are we having for lunch? Meat? Like always? Aweso- I mean.. that's delectable."
If you weren't already awkward and sweaty, you are now. Everyone's eyes were on you, and the air was filled with the silence you created. You scratched your neck and avoided making eye contact.
Then you heard your mother sigh out in a disappointed manner.
"Bring out the dishes.." Your mother waves to the chef, and you let out a sigh of relief.
The room was soon filled with chatter, and you leaned back in your chair slightly. You looked off to the side, not being able to converse with your high-maintenance family. They were all so different compared to you, only caring about wealth, marriage, and proper etiquette.
Things only royals would worry about.
Food was placed in front of you and your family, and soon enough, your plate, as well as their own, was filled with meat and other delicious sides. You stared at the brown, seared, meat, blinking.
"Aren't you going to eat, Y/n? Are you trying to lose some weight so you can finally get a fiancé?"
You turned your head to your sister, shrinking down in embarrassment. You watched as she let out a fancy laugh, practically mocking you. To make matters worse, your older brother chimed in.
"I bet she wants to marry those flowers in the garden! That's all she ever talks about, anyways." He snickers evilly.
You sigh out, not bothering to bicker with them, as you will only find yourself in trouble. Grabbing a utensil, you picked and prodded at your food. Everyone around you looked so gleeful..
And you were the only one who seemed unhappy.
.•.•.
After dinner, you walked towards the garden once again, happy that you were able to finish up lunch without many complications. You hummed to yourself quietly, walking towards the mahogany gate. Pushing it open, you were greeted by the fresh smell of..
Burning?
The sight you saw made your stomach turn. The entire garden you worked so hard to make was on fire. You heard distant laughter, and you immediately felt tears well up in your eyes.
"No!" You cry out, grabbing a bucket near the well in the garden.
You filled the bucket up as quickly as possible, running towards the source of the fire. Throwing the cold water on the flames, you heard it sizzle, so it must be working. You repeated this until the flames were finally defeated.
You stepped back to look at the damage the fire inflicted. The beautiful roses were now ash. The bushes were charred, and not a single piece of greenery was in sight. You tried so hard to hold in your tears, but no matter what, you couldn't do it.
The hot, salty liquid cascaded down your face as you stared in shock and in complete and utter sadness. You were so in shock, however, that you failed to notice the guffaw behind you.
"Hahahaha! Aw.. Is someone sad because their pretty wittle garden burned to a crisp? How pathetic is that?!"
"Pretty pathetic if you ask me, B/n!"
Recognizing the snobbish laughter from behind you, your jaw locked and your teeth grit against each other. You turned around slowly, seeing both your brother and sister with fire starters in their hands. They had condescending smirks on their face, and it made your blood boil.
"W-Why.. would you do this? I didn't even do anything to you both-"
"Hah! You being born was enough hatred to stem from us! You put the L/n family to shame!" Your sister yells harshly.
"Exactly! You and your disgusting behavior! You never act like a lady, you tell random stories of that.. that dragon! Not to mention, you are so stupid! You are deluding yourself just by thinking that you'd ever live another "fun" life!" Your brother laughs out loudly.
Then he paused, staring at you with an unreadable expression.
"Well.. you could live another life if you just died."
You stared at your two siblings for a very long time. You couldn't even think straight, and every thought you had boiled down to one thing.
Get your ass away from them.
You didn't even say a word. You picked up the sides of your dress and took a deep breath in, resulting in your cheeks becoming puffed. You furrowed your eyebrows and turned your body away aggressively.
Your siblings were confused. They wanted a reaction out of you, and you didn't give them that satisfaction. You felt proud of yourself, yes, but you were still heartbroken about your garden.
Stomping all the way towards your room, you left both the charred garden and your dumbfounded siblings behind. You didn't look back either. All you did was head straight towards your room.
"Lady Y/n-"
"Can't talk now! If you wanna talk to me, come back later!" You interrupted whoever tried speaking to you, making them startled.
You grabbed the golden door handle of your bedroom door and basically flinged it open, entered it, and slammed it shut, an echo ringing in the hallway.
Clenching your fists, you turned around and growled loudly, running towards your bed and grabbing a pillow. You swung it everywhere, hitting the wall, yourself, and a very expensive vase.
"STUPID SIBLINGS! STUPID FAMILY! STUPID EXPECTATIONS! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!" You scream, throwing the pillow at the wall harshly and stomping your foot against the poor ground.
You flew off the handle. All your life, you've had to endure this abuse from your siblings, and sometimes your parents. You were expected to be this perfect little princess, with a perfect life. You had to be pretty to get married, you had to have manners..
You had to be fucking princess.
Screaming at the top of your lungs, you slammed your body onto your bed, muffling your livid screams. You've never felt this rage before, but that was mostly because it was "improper" to scream or yell because you were angry.
Eventually, you calmed down. Rolling onto your back, all that pent-up rage left your body, leaving only a couple of tears welling up in your eyes.
"..I hate.. hate being a royal.." You squeak out, voice hoarse from all of your angered screaming.
Wiping your tears from your eyes, you sniffled and stared at the ceiling. You thought about something that could make you feel better, so you thought about all the tale of the legendary dragon you loved. It made you crack a small smile, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to lift your spirits.
"..Lady Y/n? Are you alright?"
You heard a timid voice outside of your door, and figured it was Rhoslyn.
"..Mhm.." You sniffled and sat up, slapping your face gently. "Yes.. I'm alright."
"..Very well. I take it that you already know about your garden..?" Rhoslyn asks solemnly.
"..Yeah. I know."
.•.•.
It was time for dinner. You fixed your hair, combing it with a wooden brush, yawning, your eyes dry and tired. You patted down your dress and inhaled deeply, and exhaled the same way.
"Time to face hell, I suppose."
Walking towards your door, you opened it up slowly and peeked your head out the door. Seeing that the hallways were empty, you exited your room and began to stride towards the dining room. The area was quiet, and the only thing you could hear was quiet chirping of the crickets, as well as the distant chatter somewhere in the castle.
You saw the mahogany door come into view, making you swallow thickly. Taking a deep breathe inwards, you placed your hands on the door and pushed it open slowly.
"Eheh.. Hello.." You greet, watching how the attention was, again, directed on you.
A bead of sweat formed on your brow, and you look straight at your siblings, only to see smug looks on their faces. You shake you head and sit down in your chair, and it was almost too quiet in the dining room.
Your mother clears her throat, waving at the chef. "While we eat, I have some good news for our darling Y/n here." She states.
Good news? The hell is that supposed to mean? You slouched down, mumbling incoherent words to yourself. Your brother and sister began to converse, looking back at you every once in a while. You watched as the servants brought out your food, staying silent as a mouse.
You heard a small ding sound coming from your mother's way, and you looked over, seeing how she clinked her spoon on a metal chalice. You cringed to yourself, watching how her face contorted from bland to a fake smile.
"Quiet, please. I have good news for my youngest daughter, Y/n, here." Your mother looks over at you with an unreadable expression.
"I have received news that Prince Monoma is willing to marry you. You will be wed to him in a week."
The words that left your mother's mouth shook you to your very core. Your face became pale and you stood up immediately, breathing heavily.
"I-I'm sorry." You clear your throat, placing your hands on the table. The whole room was silent, the only thing being heard was a simple clank from dropping your utensil.
"What?" You question, eyes wide. Your mother sighs out and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"I know you dislike marriage, but Prince Monoma is a rich and handsome man. He is willing to be with and cherish you. You can't refuse an offer like that-"
"Mother!" You grab her attention, as well as everyone else. "You can't just marry me off to some prince! It will be loveless! I refuse to marry him!" You argue, gritting your teeth.
Your mother glares at you, picking up the chalice full of wine and sipping on it. "Don't be a child, Y/n. You will marry him whether you like it or not."
Your siblings snickered behind your back. Your mother wouldn't listen to you. Your father didn't have the voice to defend you...
Jaw locking in place, you slammed a fist on the table aggressively, making your mother spill blood-red wine all over her blue, silk dress. She gasped and looked at you in a livid manner, and the entire room stared directly at you.
Your father opened his mouth to say something, but your mother cut him off before he could.
"Why must you act like a dolt, Y/n?! You are just marrying a man so you can live a happy life! That's all I want for you-"
"You don't give a damn about me! You always set such high expectations for me! For everyone! You tell me I'm never good enough! B/n and S/n do the exact same! I hate this stupid family! I hate it so goddamn much!"
Your mother gasps in disgust, face becoming red with anger. She stood up and leaned over the table, grabbing your face.
"You will listen to me! I'm doing this for you! Don't you understand that I love you?!"
"No! I don't understand! You don't love me! You just want me to be the perfect angel so I don't tarnish the L/n name!" You grab her hand and throw it off, stepping back.
Your mother stared at you with rage. Your siblings smirked condescendingly, and your father just looked down at his hands.
"..I'm leaving." You stomp out of the room,your destination being your room.
"YOU! GET BACK HERE!"
You ignored your mother's cursing, now running towards your room with tears in your eyes. You wiped them off quickly, grabbing the sides of your dress so you don't trip.
Pushing open your door, you slammed it and blocked it off with your dresser. You grabbed a fistful of hair on your head, clenching it tightly. You shook your head and wasted no time to grab the small satchel you've always had hanging on a handle. You grabbed a spare change of clothes, a book about your favorite tale, a hair brush, and a small bag of gold for currency.
You grabbed a quill and a piece of paper and dipped it ink. You wrote something quickly, slamming it down on the desk. You folded the piece of paper up and left it on the desk, turning directly towards your balcony in your room.
You walked towards it, and you could here footsteps coming towards your room. You figured it was a servant, but ignored it. Inhaling in shakily, you exhaled in a rough manner, gaining some courage. You grabbed the strap of your satchel, and stepped over the balcony railing.
"Y/n? Y/n, I'd like to talk to you-"
It was your mother's voice. She tried opening the door, but it was blocked off by your dresser. She began to shake the door to get it open, and then she began calling out to you angrily.
You hopped down onto the ground from the balcony, looking around frantically. Knowing your mother, she would call guards to pursue you.
"Please let me make it out alive." You mumble out before running away from the castle.
Where did you go, might you ask? Well, remember the forest the dragon you loved so much lived?
If you guessed that specific forest, then you are completely right.
Guards busted through your door, knocking over your dresser. They forced the door open, and your mother rushed straight in.
"Y/n?! Where are you?!" She calls out frantically, looking around your room.
Her eyes darted towards your desk, finding the note you wrote. She snatched it off the wooden desk, and opened it up. What she saw made her face contort from frantic to complete and utter anger. The letter was written in messy letters, but she could read it just fine.
"This, is my great escape!"