❝𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫❞ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

❝𝐁𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠❞

"You asked to see me, Your highness?" You bowed your head, kneeling in the presence of your princess.

"Mmmm, yes. You know, I like you, Y/n." Her words shock you into looking up, blinking at the princess on her throne. She studied you carefully, crossing her arms. "You're obedient, quiet, polite... etcetera etcetera. I would've like to keep you in my division for a long while yet." Your face flushed slightly, you averted your gaze.

"Th-Thank you, Your Highness." She smiled lightly, leaning back into her icy throne.

"Yes, yes. I just wonder what someone as placid as you could've done to catch my little brother's attention." You tensed, anxiety creeping through the back of your mind. "I saw you creep up to his little 'alone time' balcony, the one with the broken stairwell. I saw him follow you with a curious aura, though I doubt that would put you on his radar. So tell me, Y/n. What was it you did to make Prince Scaramouche so suspicious of you that he insists on having you in his division?" Oh god. You were screwed.

"W-Well, I was talking to Ms Katya, the new maid, about the royals. I told her about each of you and.. may have, implied that he was... a jerk." She stared at you for a moment, wide eyed, before bursting with laughter.

"Oh gods! No wonder he wanted to keep an eye on you! That's hilarious. Good luck, Y/n. You're good as dead." You paled, biting your lip. "Oh, poor thing. So little and nervous. A word of advice." She leaned forwards, her regal aura returning as she lifted your chin with two of her fingers. "Be placid. Be obedient. Be a good little servant, don't make any waves, you should survive at least a week that way." You nodded, gulping. "You're dismissed. Report to Prince Scaramouche immediately." You dipped your head and stood up.

"Thank you, your highness." Columbina smiled. You groaned as you exited the room, burying your face in your hands.

"Y/n! Oh gods, Y/n!" You glanced up, Head Maid Alexis was rushing over with a worried expression. "Oh sweet girl, what have you gotten yourself into?" You laughed nervously.

"I have no idea, Ma'am. I said something rude about Prince Scaramouche and got caught. Now he's going to 'keep an eye on me'." Her eyes widened, she shook her head rapidly and grasped your hands in hers.

"No, Y/n, I've seen this before. You cannot fall in love with him." Your eyes widened. "Don't even deny it. That's what she did too." She stared into space, pulling away momentarily. "My best friend Ava, she fell head over heels for Princess Columbina, it ended in a bloody execution. It was so many years ago now, I pledged to never let anyone fall in love with a royal again. Promise me. Promise me you'll never fall for him." You blinked, shocked by her story.

"I- I promise, Alexis." She smiled, relief evident on her face.

"Stay safe, lovely. I know you'll do great." You embraced her, smiling sadly.

"I sure hope so."

─ ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅─

You sighed, rubbing your temples to ease your pounding headache. The Head Maid of the sixth division, Maya, was strict and unkind, she'd rushed you around to prepare for an audience with your prince while pointing out your 'flaws'. 

"I suppose we couldn't do much better with what you have." You clenched your jaw, biting back a response. 

"Is there a reason for my uniform being so... different?" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

"How am I supposed to know? Ask the prince. His office is two doors down on the left." She gave you a not-so-gentle shove out the door, slamming it behind you. You huffed in irritation and made your way down the hall. You knocked on the door the Head Maid had directed you to.

"Enter."  You hesitated, contemplating running away. 'If he's really as bad as everyone says... is it worth trying to stay alive? Or do I make a run for it?'  Until you remembered Katya. The girl had probably found a million new friends already, but it'd hurt to leave her. You wrinkle your nose and push open the door. "Took you long enough. Thinking about bolting?" You tried to mask your surprise at his accuracy. He was sitting at his desk, he barely glanced up at you from his paperwork. It was the first time you'd seen the prince wearing something informal, as he was simply in a t-shirt with reading glasses. "I can see I was right. So tell me, what made you stay?" 

"I made a pledge to serve the royals, Your Highness," you lied, "and I'm not one to go back on that. Besides, I have friends here I couldn't bear to leave." You decided to tell part of the truth, even if your loyalty wasn't your prime reason for staying.

"Interesting. You mean Ms Katya of Mondstadt? Small thing with bright red hair?" You tensed. 'How does he know who I spend time with? Surely he's too busy to keep that close of an eye on me?' He smirked, obviously able to tell he was right. "And Columbina's head maid, I presume. Treats you all like her children. I assume you know now that my division is a touch more... harsh." Prince Scaramouche finally looked up at you properly. "You'll be my personal servant from now on, so the uniform I designed for you will reflect that." You inhaled sharply, but tried to mask it with a cough. He wrinkled his nose at you. "Go on then. It's late. I'll call for you when I need you. If you're asleep, the Head Maid will wake you up." You shivered, assuming her methods would be as cruel as her words. "Dismissed." You hurried out of the room, into your new sleeping quarters. You imagined an environment much like your old one, but it was quiet and there was tension all throughout. You sighed, climbing into your bed and pulling the covers over your head. 'This isn't gonna be good.'