Royals. (Prince! Komaeda Nagito x Fem! Reader x Prince! Hajime Hinata)

6. The Rose Garden.

The next day, I was awoken to a brigade of 3 maids entering my room, whisking me out of bed and preparing me for another day in the castle. I was dressed in a knee-length blue dress and escorted to the dining room for breakfast, just as any other day.

However, as we were eating our breakfast, our meal was suddenly interrupted by the chiming of a glass. I directed my attention to find Prince Nagito standing up at the head of the table, a small smirk adorning his lips.

"Good morning, ladies," the prince greeted, causing some of the girls to swoon and let out sighs of admiration. "Today I thought we would spend the morning in the garden, if you all would be so kind as to join me."

The other girls let out words of affirmation, but I was too stunned to form a response. I recalled our encounter on the balcony the night before, and felt a shiver crawl up my spine. The timing of everything seemed a little too... convenient.

What was he plotting?

"Ah, miss (y/n), I don't believe I've heard your reply," Nagito stated, staring at me from across the room with those piercing silver eyes. I suddenly felt dozens more pairs of eyes on me, my cheeks growing hot at the sudden attention.

"I would be delighted," I sputtered, nearly choking on my words. I felt the tension in the room dissipate as I spoke, though my gaze turned to Prince Hajime, who bore a look of worry on his face.

"Excellent!" Nagito exclaimed, clasping his hands together in delight. "Well, once we finish eating, my brother and I shall meet you all outdoors. I am excited to show all of you one of the palace's finest amenities!"

The rest of the meal passed by uneventfully, and ended in us being escorted out to the courtyard. The sunlight beamed down from the sky above us, and I took a moment to survey the neatly manicured rose bushes. It was true— the roses did come in every color imaginable. It was a rare sight indeed, considering the only flowers I ever came into contact with at the bakery were weeds.

"(Y/n)," a voice called, jolting me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw one of the other girls standing with her hands on her hips, accompanied by two of the other girls at her side.

"How may I help you?" I asked, though my words came out shaky.

The girl scoffed, a look of disgust spreading across her face. "Are you joking me? How dare you ask such a stupid question!"

My eyes widened in shock— I was unsure of how exactly to respond.

The girl continued on. "Say, (y/n), I have had about enough of you. It's evident that you are winning the favor of the princes, and I am entirely fed up with your little act."

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. What was she talking about? I felt like I was moments away from being sent home at any second. "I... I don't understand, sorry."

"Well, I will make it very clear for you," the girl continued, her brow furrowing as she spoke. "My father is an elite government official for the kingdom. I have the power to put you and your sad little bakery out of business at the snap of my finger. There is no way the princes would ever give you a chance to wed them considering your status. So, I suggest you leave this competition at once, for your own sake. Or else I will be sure to take matters into my own hands."

My eyes widened in shock, taken aback by the girl's threat. To threaten me directly is one thing, but the bakery...? The image of my poor mother being left to panhandle on the streets crossed my mind, and I felt my stomach churn.

"Come on, Lily. There's no way the princes would ever seriously consider settling with a street rat like her anyways," one of the other girls interjected. "Let them have their fun with her, alright? Girls like her are meant to be played with and thrown away."

The other girl's words cut through me like a blade. I felt my entire body begin to shake, and I directed my gaze to the ground below me.

Before I could have a chance to respond, the princes made their grand entrance to the garden through the castle doors, causing all of the nearby girls, including the three who were attacking me, to curtsy as they entered.

However, I saw my opportunity and took it. I quickly dashed away from the other girls without another peep, letting the surge of adrenaline coursing through me drive me deeper into the garden.

Their words played through my mind again and again. They were cruel and painful, but worst of all, was the fact that I thought they could be true. Was I really just a pawn in this game, being toyed with by the princes for their own enjoyment.

Suddenly, I was alerted to the sound of a small cry, which caused me to stop in my tracks. I closed my eyes and listened intently, hearing the chirping once again. I followed the sound of the noise and eventually stumbled upon a little blue bird sitting in the grass by a nearby bush.

Instinctively, I crouched down next to the bird, watching it try to fly away and fail repeatedly. I frowned as I watched its desperate attempts to fly away, and proceeded to scoop the bird up into my hands.

"There, there..." I whispered, cradling the bird gently. It was then I noticed that one of its legs had been bent an injured, rendering it unable to move. I set the burn down again gently and ripped a small segment of my skirt off, the bird letting out another feeble cry.

"It's ok, they probably don't expect a peasant like me to take care of a dress this expensive anyways," I muttered, taking the piece of cloth and wrapping the birds fragile limb with it.

"Lady (y/n), what are you talking about?"

I jumped and turned to the source of the voice, shocked to find Prince Hajime standing over me with a look of concern spread across his face.

"I... my apologies, your majesty," I sighed, directing my gaze away from him and back to the bird. I finished tying the fabric around the birds limb with a single knot, slowly placing the bird back on the ground.

To my surprise, the bird flew away without a moment of hesitation. I stared at it in awe as it extended its sky blue wings and took off, leaving me in the dust.

"You saved that bird, didn't you..." the prince sighed, his eyes widened in surprise. "My word, (y/n). That is incredible."

I felt my cheeks grow hot in embarrassment, averting my gaze from the prince. "It's nothing, really. Back at the bakery, wild birds would end up injured in the alleyways all the time. It was only natural for me to figure out how to patch them up."

"You're astounding, (y/n)," the prince replied, extending a gloved hand out to me. I hesitantly took it, allowing the prince to hoist me up so we were at eye level.

"Thank you, but it's nothing," I replied dismissively.

The prince placed both of his hands on my shoulders, a small smile spreading across his lips. "Lady (y/n), I do not want you to think for a moment that your status as a peasant makes you unworthy of being here. We selected you for a reason, my dear. And you have some traits and beauty that a noble lady would sacrifice her entire inheritance to have."

I swallowed and looked up at him, his olive green eyes meeting mine.

"Listen," he continued, suddenly averting his gaze. "As you may have known, I did not come from the wealthiest background myself. I came from the coal mining districts, so I understand what it is like to feel like you don't fit in here, with all of the fancy rules and accolades. But you have every right to be here, (y/n). I swear to you."

"Thank you," I replied softly. "And you do as well, your majesty. Your character and personality is that beyond royalty, and I am lucky to be able to be in your presence."

The prince's eyes widened in shock, clearly taken aback by my words. It seemed like he wasn't used to being praised in such high regard, but it was the least I could give him considering his reassurance to me.

"Thank you, my lady," he replied. He then began to stroll away, but not before stopping and extending his hand out to me"You are too kind. Let us go reunited with the others, shall we?"

Hesitantly, I nodded, taking his silky gloves hand into mine. We then began our walk through the garden back to join the others.

((Whew I love writing this story! Please leave a vote if you enjoy it!))