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

9. The Throne Room.

I was unsure of how long it was exactly, about a week or so. Nevertheless, time passed uneventfully, my interactions with the princes limited and scarce. Whenever I tried to approach them, they were swept away, either to the throne room to participate in division or by the other girls. The group of girls had continued to thin out, dropping from 27 to 16.

I still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to prince Komaeda about the three girls who had threatened me in the rose garden. Though it had seemed like they had just been eliminated like everyone else, I couldn't shake the worry that there might have been more to the story than that.

But still, it was surprising to think that 84 of the 100 girls who had arrived at the castle had been sent home. It had only been a few weeks since I first arrived here, but it felt like much longer than that. I couldn't help but wonder... did I really have chance at this? Why else have I been kept around for so long?

I decided I would head to the garden one day, just as I had been able to a few days before. However, when I made it to the familiar double doors, I was greeted by two guards standing at either side of the entrance.

"This entrance is closed," one of the guards stated bluntly. "The garden is off limits today."

I frowned, slightly taken aback by his words. Nevertheless, I decided I would muster up the confidence to reply "May I ask why?"

"Princely orders, miss. Now leave, or else we will have to remove you from the entrance ourselves."

I turned around and walked away without another peep, not wanting to cause any more trouble than I already had. But still, I couldn't help but wonder just exactly why the garden had been closed in the first place. This was the first time it had happened since I arrived here, and my mind trailed off to what exact reasons would cause such a closure.

Suddenly, I stumbled upon the opportunity to answer the questions on my mind. An unassuming door off to the side stood before me, seemingly unguarded like the others. I turned the handle ever so slightly to find that it had mercifully been left unlocked.

As I turned the handle fully to open the door, a pang of worry hit me. Was this really the best idea? There was a chance that I could be sent home, or worse, for getting caught entering the garden. I wouldn't want it jeopardize whatever I had built here over some simple curiosity, especially considering how I felt like Prince Hajime had taken a liking to me. Prince Komaeda, on the other hand... that was a different story.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Before I could make up my mind, a pair of guards stormed towards me, angry expressions peaking out from under their helmets. "Entering in to the gardens is off limits! Come with us!"

Before I could say a word, the guards grabbed me by both of my arms and practically dragged me down the the hallway. I didn't get a chance to ask them where we were going, nor did I have even the slightest clue myself. All of the hallways tended to look identical to me, which caused me great frustration.

Suddenly, the guards borderline threw me into one of the rooms, the door slamming behind me. I lost my balance from their abrupt handling, falling forward upon entry with a thud.

This elicited a chuckle from someone in the room. I looked up from the ground, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Prince Nagito was sitting in one of the tall thrones in the room, his legs crossed as he bore a smug smile on his face. The other throne, the one I presumed to belong to Prince Hajime, had luckily been left mercifully empty.

"Now, now, lady (y/n). Are you going to rise and curtsy to your prince?" The white haired boy mused, his silver eyes gleaming in excitement. "A little birdy has informed me that you were trying to sneak into the rose garden... that's grounds for dismissal, you knwo. Or worse."