"It is lovely to be able to finally meet you once again, Prince Bastiaan," Odile's father announces, gesturing to the seat across from them at the long dining table. They were having afternoon tea in the garden, amongst the simple and common flowers, with nothing too impressive besides some shrubs carved into the shapes of different animals. Bastian bows to the king before taking his seat.
The sun beat down on the kingdom, granting a warm day unlike the usual weather they were forced to become used to. Deciding to make the best of the enjoyable weather, everybody had been trying their best to get out whenever they could.
"Yes, we apologise for putting off meeting you. We're quite busy preparing our children for the throne and with other matters. I'm sure you understand, especially since running a kingdom is no easy job," Odile's mother says afterwards, a somewhat fraud smile on her lips. She looked just like Odile despite the strands of white hair running through her blonde ones and wrinkles beginning to appear from her old age.
"It's nothing to worry yourselves over, it's understandable why you did so. Is there any reason in particular you invited me for private afternoon tea on this fine day?" Bastiaan questions, looking at the contents of the table. There were scones, muffins, cupcakes and other savoury treats prepared for them along with Trodour's traditional tea ready to be served.
"Well, we just wanted to greet you. Also because some rumours have caught our attention. We heard that you've been looking for a potential wife, and that our daughter is a suitress. Is that correct, prince Bastiaan?" The woman interrogates him, seeming like the more talkative and confident of the two royals.
"Indeed. My father has inclined me to find a wife if I wish to become king one day. So here I am. Marrying your daughter could bring many benefits to my kingdom, especially due to your notable military," Bastiaan replies. "But then again, your country has quite a few good things to do with it. You must know that Ophnosleanade doesn't partake in war that often so a good military isn't that important to us, especially due to our tactical advantage of where our kingdom is located in the first place."
"Better safe than sorry, Prince Bastiaan. Why not expand your kingdom? By marrying our daughter, I'm sure you can put our countless number of troops to good use. You also know how prevalent we are in trading and producing natural materials unlike Ophnosleanade that suffers from a harsh winter all year round," The woman responds, a small smile on her lips.
"I guess it is all up to how I want to rule Ophnosleanade when I take the throne. We already have great trade partners and while we do rely quite a bit on trade rather than our own resources, I don't think that's much of a problem unless a great storm occurs."
"Ophnosleanade is indeed a strong and reputable kingdom. It would also bring us some benefits. Your kingdom seems to have a sort of say or, power, if you will, over the other kingdoms. We could really use that due to how invested we are in war at the moment," The king cuts in, finally getting more than a few words in.
"I don't really wish to just focus so much on the military and war side of our kingdoms, Your Majesty. You must keep in mind that I'm looking for whatever the best 'deal' is that comes with the three potential wives I have in mind. War is not everything," Bastiaan reminds them as a butler approaches and begins to serve the tea, pouring the brown liquid into the teacups.
"Of course! Who else do you have in mind?" The queen asks, a curious glint in her blue eyes.
"Princess Lilou Becker of Staris and Princess Stella Hansen of Itreseon. Both notable kingdoms as well," Bastiaan replies.
"I would have thought you'd include Princess Amery Smith of Lurith to the list. Lurith is up there with those two kingdoms you've just mentioned after all," She points out, slightly confused. While she speaks, her husband picks up his tea and begins to sip it, seeming as though he felt left out of the conversation concerning his own kingdom and daughter's future.
"I initially did but after the behaviour she showcased to me during the recent ball in Ophnosleanade, I don't think she's fit to be Queen in the slightest."
"I see," The Queen responds, picking up her own teacup as well, giving it a small sip before placing it down once again with a small 'clink'.
"I hope our daughter has been treating you well so far during your stay. We were quite surprised but in a positive manner, to hear that you were going to be staying in our palace for a week. I'm sure Odile will keep you busy," The king chuckles, nearly choking out his tea.
His wife rolls her eyes slightly before turning to Bastiaan with the same small yet noticeably fraud smile. After all, nothing could get past Bastiaan's eagle-like eyes. "What do you think of our daughter so far?"
"She's immature," He replies bluntly, not holding back as usual. "Her image is suitable of a Queen but her attitude is not. She acts much younger than she actually is and too informal, no matter whom it is."
"Odile has recently been going through more lessons to sort out this flaw of hers. She gets such boisterous behaviour from hanging about her brothers ever since she was a babe. We thought it was about time that we set her straight and make her start behaving like a proper woman," The King speaks up once again, his voice firm now and more determined.
The queen picks out a muffin from the tiered tray and cuts it up before proceeding to begin eating as her husband continues to speak: "If this behaviour of hers was fixed, do you think she could be a suitable Queen for Ophnosleanade?"
"She doesn't have much respect for others. She's not very hard working either unless forced to be. She does have vision however, as well as curiosity and the ability to embrace change. That is just her personality, and I'd rather not see her bend over backwards and moulding herself into somebody completely new to become the perfect Queen. There's no such thing," Bastiaan answers his question, finally getting in a sip of the tea in front of him. He eyed the treats that were specially prepared but refrained from picking any of them out, noticing how they were all on the sweeter side.
"We can make her close as possible to being the perfect Queen," The Queen states before noticing that the sky was becoming fairly dim as grey clouds began approaching. "Oh my, it looks like the weather is finally becoming so dreary once again."
Bastiaan looks up and nods, "Indeed so. Perhaps it'll rain soon."
"Prince Bastiaan, we are honoured that you even consider our daughter as a suitress. We will try our best to prepare her before you make your final decision," The King reassures Bastiaan, a small smile on his lips that matched nearly identically to his wife's fraud one. "Why don't you enjoy some of the baked goods our royal chefs have prepared us?" He offers, gesturing to the plethora of treats just begging to be eaten in all their scrumptious glory.
Bastiaan shakes his head and waves his hand, refusing the offer. "No thank you, I'm quite alright."
"But you've gotten so skinny ever since your mother passed away! You used to be quite the chubby child, Bastiaan. You have grown into quite the fine specimen however. You look just like her," The queen points out, a small laugh following her nostalgic comment.
Bastiaan flinches at her words, and immediately pushes away his teacup, looking to the side with a dark glint in his eye. "I don't think it is very appropriate to discuss my mother. This isn't about her," He states firmly, his gaze aimlessly looking at the shrubs on his right side as he avoided eye contact.
The king sits there in silence, not wanting to argue with his wife or defend Bastiaan in fear of his wife's unpredictable behaviour. In the meantime, his wife laughs off the matter and slams her hand on the table. "Of course, of course-" Before she can finish her sentence, she feels the droplets of rain beginning to fall onto her head. As the slight drizzle of rain escapes from the sky, several maids appear from the sidelines with large umbrellas in hand, using them to shield the members of royalty from the rain.
"We should go inside, it looks like the rain is going to get heavier soon," Her husband finally intervenes, suggesting to return back to the confines of the palace.
"That seems like the best course of action," She admits, standing up confidently with her sinister gaze impaling Bastiaan's distracted figure. "It looks like we'll have to continue our talk another day. I hope you'll tell me more in the future about your mother's mysterious death, and more about her. Everything about her is quite the enigma, despite how much attention she got. I'm curious to learn more."
"It's not your place," Bastiaan states boldly, standing up from his seat now and regaining his own composure. He glares at Odile's mother in the eye with a dark and threatening glare that shook even her to the very core. She steps aback and lets out her usual nervous laugh before beginning to walk away, wishing to retreat to the palace for a sense of security.
His mother was a sensitive topic. Ever since her passing, he barely talked about her to anybody besides his own father. Everything had been kept private and fairly secretive, even to those close to their family.
"We hope to meet you again soon, Prince Bastiaan," She says her goodbye, heading into the palace alongside her husband ahead of Bastiaan.
Bastiaan stands still for several moments with the maid holding the umbrella over his head patiently, not uttering a single word despite her arms aching slightly due to how long this was lasting and how tall he was compared to her.
Noticing her shaky movements, Bastiaan's glare moves down to the maid girl and he speaks: "You're not my handmaiden. Where is [Name]?"
"She- She was summoned by Princess Odile Agnes, Your Royal Highness," The maid replies truthfully before proceeding to bow her head respectively.
"She's meant to stay next to me," Bastiaan complains through his pearly white teeth. He cranes his neck towards the palace, inspecting it. "Where are they now?"
"They are in Princess Odile Agnes' room to meet in private for their own afternoon tea. Please don't tell anybody I told you, Princess Odile didn't want anybody finding out that she was having tea with a peasant," She begs, her head bowing even lower than it already was.
"Lead me to my handmaiden," Prince Bastiaan orders, gripping the umbrella from the maid's grasp and yanking it out, holding it on his own.
"As you wish!" She squeaks out in fear before scurrying in the direction, Bastiaan following behind her with confident strides in his usual all-black outfit. His leather shoes click delicately against the gravel, creating a satisfying tempo as the puddles of rain splashes under his heavy yet seemingly elegant foot falls.
As this occurred, you were sat in Princess Odile Agnes' bedroom. It looked very much like Bastiaan's guest room but bigger and more grand, with some simple childish decorations laid about. You noticed a few pieces of furniture seemingly swapped out from the set created to be replaced with those of her favourite colour - light blue. Just like her aquamarine eyes, the room had accents of sky blue around it, the most notable one being the table you were currently sat at due to its fine gold detailing, making it look like the most expensive piece of furniture in the palace. After all, gold seemed like a rarity here.
"[Name], are you enjoying your tea? I brewed it myself. I have been trying to get better at brewing tea but I admit I'm not very good at it despite how easy the maids make it seem," Odile admits to you, a small and timid blush forming on her cheeks.
You pick up the plain porcelain tea cup and sip the tea, finding it was much too strong for your liking as the leaves were most likely left inside for much past the amount of time they were meant to be kept in.
"It tastes fine," you respond, not wishing to hurt her feelings as you settle the teacup back upon the small plate it came with.
She pouts and covers her face in shame, "You don't like it, do you? You can't lie to me, [Name]!"
You jump up slightly, wondering how she could have spotted your lie.
"What- What do you mean? It tastes just fine! You're no professional either ways, there's nothing to be ashamed about!" You exclaim, trying to reassure the princess.
"You're so bad at lying, [Name]. That must mean you'll be bad at acting as well, so promise me you won't go to a career in theatre in the future," She tells you, a mischievous grin on her lips as she laughs playfully, finally putting her hands off of her face.
"I don't plan to," You tell her, looking down at your cup of tea. It felt so strange talking informally with a royal that wasn't Bastian and you weren't sure if you would get in trouble for doing so.
"Why do you look so distracted?" She asks, taking a sip from the tea she brewed only to spit it back out and silently place it down, seeming to not enjoy it in the slightest as she pushes the cup further away from her.
"Well, do you think this is really appropriate? I'm only a handmaiden, and yet I'm talking to you informally and having tea with you, Princess Odile," You confess, your [E/C] orbs meeting hers.
"I know that it's strange but... I quite enjoyed talking to you last night. I might even hire you as my own handmaiden if Bastiaan allows it. I'm sure he won't mind, he has plenty of his own maids and butlers back in Ophnosleanade," Princess Odile replies, a kind smile on her lips as she stands up. "I know! You're now my best friend, [Name]!" She points at you with a cheerful aura radiating off of her and a lighthearted grin.
"Best- Best friends?" You echo her words, taken aback by her sudden statement.
"Yes! Here, I'll give you this as a sign of our newborn friendship!" She exclaims before bolting towards her dressing table and rummaging around her messily kept jewellery, all spread throughout the tabletop in disarray. After several moments of rummaging, she returns with an ivory pearl necklace in her hands. She throws it to you carelessly, to which you immediately struggle and rush to catch it in your own hands, not wanting to damage the fine piece of art.
"Keep this!" She announces, a pleased look on her face. "I have one just like this necklace, so I don't need it. My stupid uncle gave it to me so don't worry about it. How about this - the next time we meet each other, we'll both wear our pearl necklaces! That way, we can match!"
"Are- Are you sure I can keep this? It seems so precious and it was given by family-"
"Nonsense! Of course you can! My uncle is such a cheapskate anyway. Pearls aren't that expensive, so don't stress yourself. Look, if you feel so bad about it, how about I make you an offer? If you help me charm Prince Bastiaan, I'll give you the necklace. Doesn't that sound great?" She reassures you, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as she slowly takes her seat back down.
"I guess," You submit to your defeat, not having the energy to argue with these royals.
"Since we still have about an hour until Bastiaan should be finished talking with my parents, let discuss him actually! I don't know why they are calling it 'afternoon' tea though, it's getting quite late already." She starts a new topic of conversation. You notice that she's quite charismatic, finding talking to others quite easily despite her saying she wasn't very good with social communication. To you at the very least, she seemed to be a natural.
"Very well. Actually, how did you meet Prince Bastiaan? It seems like you've known each other for a long time," You question her, deciding to play along with the flow of conversation.
"We met after I had met my first potential suitor. My father actually planned to marry me off at a very young age. I went through a few more suitors while knowing him too but they all grew sick of me. I have quite the reputation for being wild. We met during the Summer while our families decided to meet one another to discuss and sign a trade deal between our kingdoms. Our families stayed in a holiday residence that had the smell of the sea. I was told to greet Prince Bastiaan and the little boy was there at the beach with his mother, picking up shells," She begins. "Bastiaan didn't even talk to me at first. He just hit behind his mother, which is understandable. We were only about seven years old after all, and he hadn't really socialised with a child his age prior to our meeting."
"A private holiday residence by the sea, during the Summer? It sounds like quite a dream, or something you'd read about in a book," You admit, a small laugh leaving your frame at the thought of Bastiaan being shy. It seemed nearly impossible.
"It was like a dream, in fact. He first time he ever spoke to me was when he was in the small library that the residence had. My parents wanted me to give him the gift we had picked out for him, so I did. When I found him, he was asleep amongst a mountain of books. While everybody had been enjoying the Sun, that boy was just reading the Summer away. I gave him the gift, and it was nothing but an expensive quill and a notebook. Something I wouldn't have expected to give to a child. Actually, If I had gotten that crap I would have thrown it out and asked for a porcelain doll. But..." She pauses for a moment and blushes, "He said a mere 'thank you' but I had gotten butterflies in my stomach. He was my first love. I... I wanted him. So I pretended that I liked reading as well but he found me out soon enough since he's so clever and assertive. Plus, I didn't really know the basic fairytale to begin with. I always just stuck to war poems."
"You read war poems when you were seven years old?" You confirm with her, tilting your head in confusion.
"That's right. They always have caught my interest. Plus, my brothers also really like war poems so I guess it rubbed off of on me ever since I was young. Anyways, back to the story! So, I followed him around during the whole Summer that our families spent together by the seaside but he barely paid me any mind. I just thought he was cool though - and I still do! He's so handsome too. Don't you agree?" She asks you.
"Handsome? Well, I guess so. I can't really deny that fact," You admit, letting out a sigh.
"I'll change myself to be good enough for Bastiaan. I know they say you shouldn't do that for a guy but I really love him! And now that I have his handmaiden to help me, surely I'm going to have a better chance, right? I really appreciate you accepting my offer and helping me out. My dream will finally come true!" She exclaims cheerfully, waving her hands about in glee and causing the table to rattle as she does so, inclining you to hold onto it to ensure nothing fell off.
"Actually, I have one question. Where did you get the reputation of being a wild lover?"
"Well, I kind of get jealous easily. One of my suitors kept sending letters to another girl, so after he sent them off, I would interfere and read their contents. He was being unfaithful even though we were meant to get married! So I showed my parents and he got into a lot of trouble. Another time, I kind of caused a huge scene at one of my engagement balls. He was another suitor of mine that got scared away since I yelled and screeched at him in front of everybody. And then... I also stole one of my suitor's dogs. I really wanted a dog but my parents said no. Plus, he never really took care of his dogs. So I stole it-"
"You stole somebody's pet dog?" You interrupt with disbelief, raising an eyebrow in a perplexed state.
"Yes. I was young and foolish. I could go on and on about the things I've done. While my past suitors are quite bitter and have spread some false rumours about me as well, I guess my reputation is inescapable. I admit myself that I can get pretty wild. If you know what I mean," She giggles. "Anyways, sorry for talking so much. I just really like talking to you!"
You laugh slightly, rubbing the back of your head. Admittedly, she was quite the chatterbox and never seemed to run out of things to say but it kept things interesting so you couldn't complain that much. If anything, she was really entertaining.
"My dream... is to marry Prince Bastiaan!" She announces proudly, standing up from her seat in a confident stance, making her point loud and clear.
But she immediately sits back down once again as the door opens, and Prince Bastiaan himself enters through the doorway, as if perfectly on cue. "Enough with that nonsense, Odile. If you want to marry me, you have to be a suitable Queen," he responds to her announcement listlessly before his eyes wander over to you. "On another note, why did you take my handmaiden without my permission?"
"I didn't think it would really matter. I mean, she's just a handmaiden," She mutters out shyly, feeling intimidated by Bastiaan's unexpected presence in her private chambers.
"It matters to me."
"But why?"
"Tsk, it's none of your business. She's the only staff I have brought with me." Bastiaan replies, crossing his arms in a grave manner to make his point clear to Odile.
"How about we trade? You can take my best handmaiden, and I'll take this one from you," She offers, a nervous grin on her lips. As her eyes frantically move from you to Bastiaan. She wanted to keep you as her own handmaiden.
Just the thought of having a best friend around all the time overjoyed Odile, and she was desperate to let Bastiaan allow her to keep you.
"Never in a million years, Princess Odile," Bastiaan refuses her offer without a second thought.
She laughs nervously and stands up slowly once again, trying to get on the same level and appear less intimidated by Bastiaan, "Is she special to you or something? I thought she was just a handmaiden."
"I don't like people taking what is mine, and [Name] belongs to me. [Name], come here." Bastiaan commands you firmly, tapping his coal black, leather shoe against the ground with impatience. His presence grew more intimidating with each beat the tip of his foot made against the ground, 'clack'ing into your ears nearly painfully as your fear began to sprout and blooms, along with Odile's.
"No, [Name]. Stay sat down. I can handle this on my own," Odile insists despite her shaky frame.
You begin to panic, your gaze switching between the two royals, not knowing whom to obey at this point. One was your employer, and the other your newfound friend. Not knowing what to do, you sat there with your mouth agape, no response in mind.
"Please let me speak to Princess Odile in private, [Name]," Bastiaan orders, glaring at the princess in front of him with a frightening look in his eye.
You look to Odile who nods her head, "Go on, [Name]. I want to talk to Prince Bastiaan in private as well."
Now that you had their permission, you bolt out of the room faster than the speed of light, desperate to escape the dangerously tense atmosphere. As you scurry out of the room, the door shuts behind you and you gulp, waiting outside in curiosity.
Bastiaan takes your seat, glaring at the princess still. "Why are you being so difficult, Princess Odile?"
"I know I can be difficult, D'Aramitz. I apologise. I didn't want to cause you any trouble. It's not good to argue before getting married after all," She laughs nervously, her laugh sounding nearly identical to her mother's own one.
"You're assuming I will marry you again. I told you that I have not decided yet, so please do not get your hopes up. If they get crushed, I don't want a dramatic scene concerning the matter," He responds plainly and truthfully, his gaze finally beginning to relax as her muscles tense up.
"Bastiaan. I want you to marry me. I'll propose to you on my own accord if I have to. I'm just begging you, please. My feelings... they just won't die down. I don't want to marry some random suitor anymore, I want you. Could you please at least give me a chance?"
"Isn't that what I'm doing now? I'm giving you a chance. You're my suitress. Stop spouting out nonsense," He demands, letting out a tiresome sigh as he massages his brows with his index fingers due to the stress he was beginning to feel from the situation he was forced into.
Odile sits back down and replies: "Yes, one of your suitresses. I want to be the only one. I will become the perfect Queen for you, I swear on my life. I swear on everything I have!"
"There's no such thing as a perfect queen, Princess Odile."
"I... I..." She stutters in defeat, bowing her head over in dismay. "Why didn't you at least give me a chance before all this mess began?"
Bastiaan now crosses his arms and puts one leg over the other, looking nearly apologetic. "You always had suitors to distract you from the pain of unrequited love. Not only did I not get the chance to, but I also lacked the will to."
Odile looks at him, dead in the eye with her ocean wave orbs threatening to leak out with water any moment now. "You're dead inside, D'Aramitz. I've known you for nearly two decades now, and the first time I ever saw you laugh was yesterday. You barely smile, you barely even look me in the eye. You deny all my advances and... you've never been in love, have you? I mean, look at you! You're bloody heartless!"
Bastiaan doesn't showcase any reaction to her claims. Instead, he remains sat there in his seat with his arms crossed and an unreadable, emotionless expression.
"See? You have nothing to say because I'm right. You're a monster with a heart of stone! Stone I say!" She screeches at the top of her lungs, tears finally beginning to rush out of her eyes at an alarming rate, forming rivers down her now red cheeks due to the built up frustrations she was finally expressing.
"Take a hint, Princess Odile. I was and never will be romantically interested in anybody," Is all Bastiaan says as he stands up. He takes out a lace handkerchief from the inner chest pocket of his suit and hands it to her, placing it in Odile's hands. "I apologise for hurting you. But what I feel is out of my control"
Odile finally regains her sense of sanity and peace of mind and immediately wipes her tears away, not caring about the makeup on her face which she had now ruined. "D'Aramitz, I should be the one apologising. I lashed out, I'm really sorry."
Bastiaan looks away, refusing to now make any eye contact with her. "It was my own behaviour that led up to this. I am sorry that I'm unable to fall in love with you."
"Can we... still get married in the future if you choose me?"
"Your behaviour makes me unsure but your determination is indestructible. While I am unsure, I'll give it some thought. You should rest your eyes now, Princess Odile. You look ugly when you cry," He states plainly before leaving the room, leaving his handkerchief behind. As he leaves her room, you jump up, finding yourself caught under his gaze with your ear pressed against the door.
"Have you not learned from last time, [Name]? When you last eavesdropped, it didn't do you any good now did it?" He sighs, crossing his arms once again.
"I know, I know," You sigh, not being able to complete your sentence before he speaks again.
"Let me take you to your private chambers. Evening is upon us and you are due to return as I have no more duties left for you to carry out," Bastiaan tells you. The prince then proceeds to put up his arm expectingly, looking at you with patience.
"Are you actually asking me to link arms with you again? You said you didn't want rumours spreading around or your reputation getting hurt but you're making me do this? Seriously?" You interrogate him, an annoyed look in your [E/C] orbs as you stared back at the young man.
"Yes, seriously. Link arms with me now, [Name]. Or else I'm not moving from here," Bastiaan instructs you like a spoiled brat of a child.
You knew how stubborn he was, having never won any sort of argument against him. So, you gave in and linked your arm with his. As you give in and do this, he gives you a small smile. If only you had known how much less alone you made him felt in this world, then perhaps you wouldn't question every thing that he did. For some reason, looking at you gave him a warm feeling deep down that cured him of the pain wallowing within.
Ignoring this pleasurable feeling, Bastiaan proceeds to lead you down the hallways of the palace. "Do you even know where my room is, Prince Bastiaan?" You ask him as the two of you walk down the corridors that mimicked one another, catching the sights of palace staff that you walked by.
"Of course. I am not all that familiar with this palace but I know how to navigate myself to several places here and there. I have been here once or twice before after all," He confesses, a proud feeling coming from his figure as his nose pokes up slightly.
The two of you wander down the hallway that eventually grows into a slim corridor with the row of doors with numbers labelled on the wall beside them. The gaze of maids couldn't have grown more obvious, as their hushed whispers mixed together echoed drearily throughout the stone corridors, with words that you could barely make out, especially since some were speaking in a native language.
The word 'prostituierte' seemed to be prevalent however, which you could easily make out to be 'prostitute'. After all, that was the only explanation they could come up with for why the mysterious and cold Prince Bastiaan himself would be walking around with a woman whom he had no business with.
You pause in front of your door, halting Bastiaan's footsteps. "This is where I'm staying. I'll see you tomorrow, Your Highess," You bid him farewell, giving him a curtsy before you fumble for your keys. However, he doesn't move from his spot, and instead stands there in his familiar cross-armed stance. You finally open the door and look over your shoulder at him.
"Why are you still here?"
Prince Bastiaan peeks into your room and sheer disgust appears on his features. "You're staying in that dump?"
"It's not a dump! It's quite lovely actually," You admit, finding the room fairly cosy and dare you say even comforting at times.
"The walls are thin, there are cracks, and the covers are of low quality, as well as the furniture. I'm surprised none of it has broken and that you haven't frozen to death. This is a usually fairly cold country, so I'm surprised you even lasted one night. Come with me," Bastiaan commands, immediately pacing ahead of you back up the way that you both came from.
You sigh, knowing that you would get in trouble if you didn't obey. Hurriedly locking your door once again, you chase after the young prince down the corridor, trying your best to ignore the nosy maids that still hung about. "Where are we going? Anyway, stop making a big deal out of nothing. Ophnosleanade is much colder than Trodour as a matter of fact and the duvet is quite thick so it keeps me perfectly warm during the night time," You explain to him, struggling to keep up with his large strides.
Nevertheless, Bastiaan ignores your pleas and continues to lead you down the corridor, not uttering a single word. The floorboards were perfectly polished wherever you went, and you noticed that you were now approaching the more up kept part of the place as the corridor grew wider and the density of decoration and cleanliness increased drastically over the next few turns.
Before you knew it, he immediately stood still in front fo a familiar door as to which the guards open and he pushes you inside. You stumble forwards, a small annoyed grunt escaping you as you nearly lost your balance completely and tumbled over due to the strength of his forceful push. He follows you inside and the doors are closed behind him.
Regaining your composure, you inspect your surroundings to find you were in Bastiaan's temporary residence. "Why did you bring me here?" You inquire the prince, irked sore by his peculiar stunts and antics.
"You'll be sleeping in my room from now on. I'm not allowing my only handmaiden during this trip to catch a cold or put herself in danger. I heard stories of men breaking into the palace and raping the maids who forget to lock their doors," Bastiaan states, now unbuttoning his shirt.
"You- You must be joking, right? Surely you mustn't be serious? You're absolutely ridiculous, Bastiaan!" You argue, not letting yourself give in this time. You turn your back to him, refusing to look at the man as he began to strip himself down.
"Do you think I am the type to joke around?" Bastiaan quizzes you as he changes into his pitch black, silk pyjamas stowed away in his clothes drawer.
"Yes. You're always teasing me like this and I'm sick of it! Have some decency! You're a prince!" You scold the young man, refusing to turn around before he would assuringly tell you that he was decent once again.
Bastiaan approaches you from behind and begins to unzip your uniform, as to which you jump up and immediately turn around after he had only gotten several inches down the zipper.
"What- What do you think you're doing?!" You screech at him, relieved to find that he had at least not approached you while nude, or half nude like last time.
"Getting you changed? You were busy whining, so I thought I would help," He responds honestly.
You bit your lip, hating just how unpredictable this prince could be. You knew that he was going to run you dry of any sanity you had if you kept spending so much time with such a fool. "Whining? I was trying to keep our relationship professional! You're always pulling stunts like these-"
Bastiaan throws a dress shirt at your face, shutting you up, or muffling your words at the very least.
"Stop talking, you're nearly beginning to speak as much as Princess Odile. Now get changed into this. I won't look," He orders you, rather than asking, as he turns around and waits.
"Why should I?"
"If you don't listen to me, it'll be just like last time. The same rules apply. If you don't get changed within a minute, I'll dress you myself."
You flinch at his words and immediately start getting changed, stripping yourself down to your undergarments before putting on the prince's unworn dress shirt. It smelt just like his wardrobe back in Ophnosleanade, considering that's where all his clothes were anyway. You button up the black dress shirt and you finish just in time as he turns around.
He looks you up and down before coughing, "You look cute," He admits through a cough to conceal his words, gently moving his hand to pat the top of your head as he looks away timidly.
"Cute? You can't be serious," You snarl hearing him perfectly fine either ways, resulting in you pulling away from his touch.
"Get into my bed [Name]," He says, pointing over to the king-sized bed in the room in a demanding way.
"I don't want to sleep next to you. I don't believe it would be very appropriate of our relationship," You insist.
"I never gave you a choice. Are you worried that I might make a move on you?" Bastiaan questions, bringing his index finger under your chin and guiding your face to look directly at him.
"No-"
"Good," he cuts you off with a small smirk on his lips, "You know that I'm not desperate and that I'm not that type of man. If I make any sort of sexual advances on you, I'll let you give me any punishment that you desire."
You pull away from him once again and hurry to the bed, climbing into your desired side. "Fine, fine. I'll sleep next to you, but don't come close to me," You tell him the condition as you climb into the bed. You didn't want to admit it, but you couldn't deny the fact that you were hyped to go into the bed. It was comfier than the one you had been supplied with. Bigger and well insulated as well.
The bed matched the grey-toned furniture of the room but was mostly a snowy, off-white colour. The duvet was much thicker than the one in the dorms, and there were countless pillows laid across the headboard for you to sink your head into. The fabric felt like heaven to your skin, running across it like the voice of sweet angels spilling from the heavens to rejoice upon the world as music.
"Are you sure you didn't want to get into my bed at all? Look at you, already climbing into my bed before me," Bastiaan points out with a small chuckle at the fact you made a bee-line for the bed.
He takes up the vacant side and lies down, letting out a large yawn of exhaustion as he positions himself beside you, making sure to keep a certain amount of distance away. You yawn as well as a result, finding it contagious. Bastiaan rests on his side to look you in the eyes, his black orbs looking like a solar eclipse. Captivated by his sleepy gaze, you can't help but look back at him for several moments before taking note of what you were doing.
You tense up and turn around without uttering a word to him, shy that you were caught up in his beauty for a broad minute.
"Why did you turn around?" He inquires tiredly, his voice much weaker than usual as he began drifting away.
"Just because I want to. Besides, don't you find it kind of unnerving to stare at somebody?"
"Well, I didn't really mind since it was you. I don't really mind a lot of things, unless it's you. For example, I don't let anybody make physical contact with me, as it makes me uncomfortable. But for some reason, I don't really mind if it's you who is touching me," He informs you, a cheeky smile on his lips as he speaks.
"You're just tired, that's why you're saying that. Go to sleep, Prince Bastiaan," you advise him.
"Well, you're the one who must be tired. You didn't really put up much of a fight when I asked you to sleep in my room," He responds, snuggling up in his thick bedsheets, just several inches away from you. You could hear his hushed, fatigued breaths and the small movements he'd make every moment or two to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. The room was fairly dark, illuminated a bit by the bright moonlight peeking in through the cracks of the curtain.
"You didn't really ask to begin with, Your Highness. Besides, you're so stubborn and I just want to get some rest. Thanks to my new job as your handmaiden this week, I have to wake up so early because of you. Do you ever sleep in?"
"No," he replies bluntly, gently closing his eyes.
"I think that explains a lot," You mumble to yourself, guessing that he was most likely too fatigued to even properly listen in on what you were saying.
Instead, you stare at the blank wall with boredom, finding exhaustion slowly beginning to creep in as you begin drifting off to sleep in the tranquil waves of the night.
He laughs slightly from that comment and replies, "Especially now that I have something to wake up early to."
You don't reply, having fallen asleep by now. You snoozed peacefully, your body raising up and down slightly with each breath. Bastiaan watched for several moments, feeling at peace just by watching you tucked into the covers and sleeping the night's sorrows away.
"I wake up everyday just to see you again."
Status: Edited