The next day was Renjun and Yangyang's reception for the German royals. The two boys seemed better put together in comparison to the pair before them.
"Nara, we prepared a dress for you, but I'm not sure if you want to wear it." Yangyang said to her during breakfast.
"Did you give it my maids?" Nara asked. The boy nodded his head.
"I'll take a look at it and I'll make my decision later." Nara told him.
"Sounds good, your highness." Yangyang replied before excusing himself to continue with the preparations.
Once breakfast was over, Nara walked with Heeyoung around the halls, watching as Yangyang and Renjun prepared for the dinner.
"Renjun is really calm." Heeyoung whispered from beside her. The boy was gently placing a vase full or narcissus on the table before taking a step back, admiring it. Once he thought it was decently placed, he nodded his head before doing the same for the next table.
"He'd make a good king." Nara quickly turned around to see a woman standing behind them.
"Mother!" Nara exclaimed, giving the Queen a big hug. She smiled at her daughter.
"The preparations for this reception seem to be going very well." The Queen pointed out. Nara nodded in agreement.
"Don't get your hopes up just yet, the preparations for the last one went smoothly too and you know how that one turned out." Heeyoung mumbled. The Queen waved her hand.
"It's fine, it's their first time. My reception wasn't fantastic either." The Queen told them.
"It wasn't?" Nara asked. Her mother shook her head.
"Heavens no. One of the girls order white chrysanthemums which was a big mistake since we were hosting New Asia's royals. There, white chrysanthemums symbolize grief." The Queen told her.
"That must have been disasterous." Nara said. Her mother nodded her head.
"It was, especially for the King and Queen. Thankfully, the princess found it quite funny and now we're best friends." The Queen said with a chuckle.
"Anyways, I'm going to go talk to Haechan and Mark and see how they are after yesterday since they seemed a little glum. Don't worry too much about it and just focus on today's reception." With that, the Queen gave her daughter's hand one last squeeze before walking off.
...
Interesting choice, Nara thought as the maids brought out the dress Renjun and Yangyang had selected for her.
"Is something wrong?" The maid asked. Nara shook her head.
"No, this dress is fine. What do you have in mind for hair?" Nara asked her.
"Curled hair with the front pieces twisted and pinned back?" The maid suggested.
"Alright, let's do it." Nara said, smiling.
...
Renjun and Yangyang's reception went surprisingly decent. They served beer, sausages, and bread as planned and the orchestra played for them. Elias and his friends were decently pleased.
The one thing Nara would have to say would be the colour of their suits. Yangyang wore a beige suit while Renjun wore a light pink one. On the other hand, the German males all wore dark coloured suits, making the two of them stand out.
Once the reception was over, they bid farewell to the royals. Yangyang was in deep conversation with Elias as Nara stood there, watching him with Renjun.
"What did you think?" Renjun asked her. Nara turned her head. "About the reception."
"I think you both did a good job." Nara told him. Renjun nodded his head.
"I heard what happened with Jeno." Renjun told her. Nara widened her eyes. He found out that we kissed?
"You did?" Nara asked. Renjun nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sorry that my painting made Jeno jealous, I didn't mean it like that. But we talked so I'm assuming everything is alright with him now?" Renjun said.
Oh, that's what he was talking about.
"Yes, we're back on good terms now." Nara told him. Renjun nodded his head.
"It would be a shame if you weren't." Renjun said. What is that supposed to mean?
Nara wanted to ask but Yangyang had seemed to have finished saying goodbye to Elias so instead, she asked another question.
"Renjun, would you like to get lunch with me tomorrow?" Renjun tilted his head, clearly onfused. Nara could tell that he was trying to read her face but must have faileda as he nodded his head.
"Sure."
...
"These lilies are stunning!" Heeyoung exclaimed as she saw the centrepieces Jaemin and Jeno were preparing.
"Jeno selected these himself." Jaemin said with a wink. Nara turned to the boy.
"Really?" Nara asked, picking a bowl up. Jeno nodded.
"Yes, do you like them?" Jeno asked her.
"Those are her favourite." Jaemin told him, making Nara's cheeks turn red. Nara put the bowl down.
"Well, preparations seem to be going well. If you may excuse me, I have to get to lunch with Renjun." Nara noticed Jeno's face fall as he bit on his bottom lip. She gave him a small smile before turning to him.
"Jeno, would you mind walking me to the gardens?" Nara asked. Jeno immediately put the bowl in his hands down.
"Of course, princess." Jeno said with a smirk. She smiled as she took his arm.
They made their way down the halls towards the gardens. Once there were no maids or servants around them, Nara stopped, pulling Jeno back with her. "Jeno."
"Yes?" Jeno asked, giving her innocent eyes. She smiled as she shook her head.
"Jeno, this is still a competition. I can't do this if you get jealous every time I go on a date with someone else." Nara told him. Jeno gave her a pout.
"It's hard, you know." Jeno told her. Nara narrowed her eyes.
"How can I make this easier for you?" Nara asked him. Jeno looked both ways before grabbing her waist, pulling her close as he placed a small kiss on her lips, surprising her. He smirked as he took a step back.
"Alright, you can go now." Jeno told her. Nara widened her eyes.
"What?" Nara blurted out. Jeno chuckled.
"You can go on your date with Renjun now." Jeno said.
"That's it? You just wanted a kiss?" Nara asked. Jeno nodded his head.
Nara couldn't help but shake her head as she looked at the boy across from her.
"Whoever said girls were confusing clearly hasn't met you." Nara said to him. Jeno gave her a peck on her cheek.
"You shouldn't keep your Selected waiting." Jeno teased as he whispered into her ear. Nara gave him a look.
"Fine. Good luck preparing for your reception and I hope you survive Heeyoung's nagging." Nara said. She sneaked a peck on Jeno's cheek before walking off to meet Renjun, walking as fast as she could to hide her rosy cheeks.
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