the crown prince becomes interested in you.
notes: i know NOTHING about royalty so i made stuff up, this might be too slow. Also if this is too “x oc” in personality, let me know (for future tagging)!
The level of the tea in the cups wobbles only slightly when you take steps like a metronome. It’s the only thing you need to focus on, since the rest comes naturally. If you had no tray, you could go with your eyes closed. And at this time of day, you would know where you were by when light shines on your form.
You slow when your peripheral vision catches the door of the Duchess’s chambers ahead.
The door is left open. You tilt your head.
“Stand up straight.” Their words are sharp. “You’re slouching still. Is this how you want the future king to see you?”
Your vision goes back and forth between the door and the inside of the room as you approach. The Duchess sighs loudly before continuing. “You should be focused but not desperate. Wait, but only a few moments before responding.” The daughter nods.
She suddenly stands and takes quick steps. “Stop that. Stop it right now.” She grabs her daughter’s hands and drags them up. “You know better, don’t fidget.”
Your eyes linger, but when the Duchess notices, she briefly motions her hand for you to come inside. You move inside and stand, like a child waiting for a parent, in front of the two of them with your tray.
“Let’s move on.” The Duchess takes a step backwards.
“His favorite color is turquoise, so we will all need to wear something of that color. He likes horseback riding and literature so have something to say about those things. Don’t bring up anything related to his duties or his future as king. He wants to forget about it, so let him for now. And don’t bother with the other brother tonight.”
“Do you understand all this?” She doesn’t wait. “Now go.” The daughter turns around as the Duchess waves her out. You set the tray down for her as she sits.
Her shoulders drop, and after a moment her eyes land on you.
She reaches out and tucks some stray hair behind your ear. “You will be coming to the banquet as well. The outfit for you is already provided.”
You nod as well. With nothing else to engage you, you suddenly remember something she sometimes asks after their conversations. “Would my lady like for me to rub your shoulders? Or draw a bath?”
“The shoulders would be nice.”
When you return to your room, you notice the outfit right away. It’s laid out on the bed. It’s teal, and it shimmers even in the dim light as the day ends. It’s softer than the blanket your fingers brush against when you pick it up.
You hold the clothes up to yourself, and it looks like it fits.
It doesn’t really look like it’s meant to be in your room, even though it’s nothing compared to the outfits of the Duchess. You look around for somewhere to put it besides your bed. There’s a small dresser. But on top of it already is a half broken cup you decided to keep, with freshly picked dandelions inside, and next to it is your comb. There's a wooden chair by the door though. You can have it there for now.
You wonder if you’ll be allowed to keep these clothes.
You're standing against the wall of the banquet hall. There’s numerous conversations going on, but it’s all noise. The region you all come from is near the border of the country, so the language at this banquet isn’t comprehensible. The Duchess has said you aren’t here to be having long conversations anyway.
Her glass is full and her clothes are smooth. She’s not looking at you.
That’s good. All you need to do right now is watch.
The mention of the crown prince catches your ears. They look around the room, but don’t seem to find anything in particular. One man sets his glass down firmly and starts speaking for a little while as another person shakes his head slowly. The Duchess brings up another familiar name she’s spoken of before. A princess he was supposed to marry. Even if you knew the language, they spoke too quietly for the tone of the conversation to be understood.
Eventually, someone waves their hand and speaks audibly again. They shift their chairs a bit to allow everyone to lean in and look at the same thing, the other prince speaking to a group of people across the room. They nod along this time.
Your eyes drift away from the Duchess’s group as you shift your feet back and forth. Her daughter is speaking to a small group of women. She’s laughing, and she bends her head down before stifling the noise with her hand. You’re not used to it.
“Go see how my daughter is doing for me.” You snap back, not realizing the Duchess had approached. With a bow of your head, you leave to check on her. She seems tense when you approach, even though there’s nothing off about her features that you can point out.
“I do not require anything from you.” She nips any talk in the bud, speaking quickly.
Maybe you shouldn’t be surprised, but your hand awkwardly fidgets with the fabric of your outfit. You're unsure of what to say.
“B-but, your mother asked…”
“I know. What my mother says.” It’s firm but hushed. She then sighs and shakes her head after a few seconds of silence.
You glance back at the Duchess. You can’t just go back to her with nothing, and even saying what her daughter told you will be a problem for both of them. You bow again, and decide instead to go the opposite way, outside.
Greenery catches your eyes, and you decide to walk in that general direction, following the stone pathway. It smells nice, like flowers. And there are flowers! Colorful ones, a little different looking than the ones at home. One turquoise flower stands out, that would be perfect for your room. Nobody is around, so you won’t be taking up too much space if you decide to go and hold them in your hands.
Your walk hastens as you move over to look at them. But before you can even peek, there are footsteps. Two people, dressed in uniforms of servants, one of them holding a drink. You turn around, and because of it you catch their eye. They’re shuffling over to you now, and when they call out something you tell them “I’m sorry, I do not understand…” right away.
They speak to you in a louder voice than is necessary, and are pointing at your clothing. You look down, and nod a little. You’ve known from the beginning it’s a bit unusual for you to be wearing this.
One of them comes closer to pinch your clothing, moving their thumb back and forth to feel the material, which makes you remember that there’s a bed of flowers right behind you. You repeat yourself, that you don’t understand what they’re mumbling to you, as some lint is picked off your shoulders by the other person.
There’s another voice that makes everyone turn to them, the person leaning against the wall of the building. It’s not loud, since he doesn’t need to be for them to realize who they’re talking to. The two of them let go like they put their hands on the stove. They say something with a laugh, the tone making you think it’s an apology.
He says something to you, and pushes himself off of the wall. When he gets a few feet away, he speaks again. The way their voice ups in pitch at the end of the sentence makes it seem like a question.
But. …his collar isn’t folded the right way. The top few buttons on his coat aren’t done. The sleeves are rolled up a little, and they’re all wrinkly too. If something were to be done, the collar would only take a few seconds. You blink, and now you’re starting with putting your hands on that collar.
Blinking again, you’ve flinched and taken a step back. Your hands. They’re stinging. You give him a look while rubbing your hands together to soothe the pain. What comes from that mouth is still short and bitter.
You speak in reply, but no matter what you tell them, their response is the same because–
Oh. You don’t speak the language.
He sighs, pressing fingers to his forehead. The bitterness must have drained out of him, since now his voice is gentle. Which you can’t understand. He just stares at you for a minute, crossing his arms.
Waiting for a few moments more, he takes a step forward. “Good?” Another sigh. “...Okay? Bad?”
A nod from you. He brings his hands up, shaking them a little, eyes widening. “What.” You’re not really sure what’s so confusing, but he keeps on moving his hands around and waving them. And then the hands drop back down. “Nothing…!” He walks right past you, plopping down on a big stone.
“I can not do that. I am not better to them when. For you, when I…” You tilt your head. He’s talking a bit more now. You glance away from him, back to the sound of the banquet. The Duchess and her daughter are there. His clothes, despite their dishevel, are very good. One of the best.
You take a few steps forward, and seat yourself on the grass a few feet away. He’s back out of your language, syllables pouring out of his mouth like water. Some languages have different tones to them. Or something. Maybe it naturally tastes bitter to you?
You keep on nodding with him as it flows. You could hug him or rub his shoulders, the stinging mostly gone, but being swept by current isn’t preferable. What are you supposed to do though? He isn’t telling you a thing, but he wants something.
Ah. There’s something to be recognized here, hearing the Duchess and her daughter by name. You’re finally making eye contact. But then he looks up at the sky. What could he be thinking? He collapses on his back, not watching you perk your head every time it’s mentioned.
You collapse, going along. Your view of the same sky is obstructed by blades of grass. That current eventually becomes peaceful waves. His hands are still gripping the grass, and it all makes sense now. That’s it, then. He’s not thinking about doing anything important at this moment.
“Sorry.” It’s all of a sudden while he’s talking, as he rests his head on his hand. “I don’t know, what–”
You get up and walk away. He lets out a groan, but it’s okay. You have something for him. The one thing you know about him is that he likes seeing turquoise. So you lay the gift at his feet. It’s that flower from the garden, in his favorite color. It’s everything you have, all for him.
He stares at it for a minute. You can’t read his expression. He lets out a cold laugh, though his face is hot.
He gets up, and walks away without a word, holding the flower.
The rest of the night goes on without event. You do not see him again. Even when you apologized to your lady for disappearing, she said you did a wonderful job tonight. She lightly chides her daughter for dismissing you. “It was expected.” When her daughter talks about nobody saying a word to the Prince tonight.
Eventually, he will have to visit. That was only one event.
It just means more tasks to complete on that day. Most of your time is spent helping to prepare, the food, the cleaning, the likes. There are many of you to shoulder what’s more than normal.
You count the number of times the broom sweeps the floor. There’s not much else to do, other than double check there’s ‘not a speck of dust.’ Though, you’re not sure how to count how many specks there are. Huh. Staring at the ground, can… you see any?
There are voices you can barely hear at the turn of the corridor. “Please, forgive me for last night. It is very unlike me to treat a subject that way.” He holds out his hand to your eyes, and slowly glides it to your lower back, taking brisk steps to a door leading outside.
He lets out a sigh of relief once it shuts. “Thank you. That night, I was…” There’s a soft smile you haven’t seen before. “I was…”
Your eyes dart around for something to think in this silence. His hand is still holding your back, and he’s just standing there, not far from your face.
“Haha, I like you. Your gift.”
He moves away from your back, instead using that hand to hold your chin, redirecting your eyes and keeping your face still. It’s warm.
“You are full of something precious I have not seen before. It would be a shame to not see it at least once more. I find myself thinking that I have been blessed by the heavens, to reveal a hidden gem to me after so long.” His voice is low, and melodic in the way he manages to turn the syllables to music. Emphasized by the contrast of previous stutters.
"For you." He tilts his head and smiles more widely, before taking your hand. He lets go after a moment, and you look down and see what he has given you.
Impulsively, you decide to blow on them. Some of the seeds float into his hair.
He doesn't pick them out.
The two of you have been staring at each other for a moment. Well, you are looking at the dandelion seeds, resisting the urge to pick them out after what happened with the collar. He notes the color of your eyes.
But he looks away when he hears his name being called inside. He shrugs his shoulders and turns around with a laugh.
