4am. - hitoshi shinsou x f!reader

4 - merry go round of life

a/n - song inspo : merry go round of life by joe hisashi (found in howl's moving castle)
this is non canon just for the vibes rn LMAO
quirkless au, (y/n) is a princess and shinsou is a prince, both 19, from different countries :)

yes this is simply because i love howls moving castle, so wHAT?

(y/n)'s pov

the castle was bustling with extra movement and noise today, the servants running around to finish up all final preparations before 5 pm. i walked past, watching them hard at work as i did my best to quietly stay out of their way.

sophie, my personal and main maid, grabbed my wrist and started to pull me away from the workers, "what are you doing out here? we need to get you ready for the ball!"

a soft, tired smile found its way onto my face, "sorry sophie... you know how much i dislike these events."

she nodded as we entered my bedroom, "yes, yes. i'm well aware by now. but we only have... my god! only an hour to get you ready!!!" she pushed me into my closet, "ladies! we'll have to hurry this one up if lady (y/n) is to be ready for the ball!!"

at one of the fastest speeds i've experienced before, they took off my casual outfit and began to put me into the usual formal gown. the corset cinching my waist, obnoxiously large hoop skirt pulling on my hips, and the extra frivolous detailed material to top it all off.

following the outfit, the maids quickly fixed my hair, putting it up in a quick and loose bun, pinned with my usual hair stick that doubled as a weapon. loose strands framed my face and brought the whole look together into an elegant hairstyle.

luckily, due to the rush of time, my makeup was much lighter than sophie would have liked, but to my joy. it was basic and simple, creating a natural look that accentuated the best parts of my face.

one of the maids hurriedly entered the room, bowing to me, "lady (y/n)! the king and queen await your presence as the carriages begin to arrive!!"

i shot a grin toward sophie and the other maids, "thank you ladies, you did a great job. i'll be heading out then~"

putting on my crown carefully on my head as the final touch, i left my room and headed toward the main hall where my parents would be waiting.

as usual, we greeted the attendants, who were all of high status, and had the usual small talk of 'how's your kingdom?' 'oh, i heard that the suoh's went to france!' 'when can we set the marriage?'

to say the least, it was tiring. the pleasantries were boring, discussion was exhausting, and the food was average.

i was practically counting down the minutes until i could go back to my room and rest, already very tired of the fake smiles of everyone around me.

everything seemed to be even worse once our guests of honor arrived to the ball. coming down the grandeur staircase, the small family of three waved to everyone with smiles, except for one. i didn't pay them much attention, listening to the music play instead.

they headed straight to my parents, greeting each other with forced and small smiles for the sake of manners and kindness.

unintentionally, i zoned out of the conversation since i wasn't included, gazing around the large room and listening to the music from our orchestra. honestly, it was a shame that no one was dancing, the momentum of the song building up with a powerful and swaying melody.

i was in my own little world until i heard my father speak, "of course! of course! we're getting things ready and finishing up the final documents. soon enough, (y/n) and hitoshi can get married!"