Swan Lake

Ideas of Fun

"I don't know, Aelia... he hasn't shown any interest in Felix. I don't think Felix likes him either..."

The two queens watched as (Y/n) and Felix pointedly ignored each other, both buried nose deep in their books of choice.

"Am I supposed to care if they show interest or not? This is an arranged marriage. They don't need to like each other."

Eilika bit her lip, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other as her son continued to ignore his future husband.

"But... I don't want to force him into anything..."

Queen Aelia turned to her with an intense glare, ice-blue eyes filled with warning.

"We both know that the (L/n) Empire is falling. Soon enough, it will be nothing more than dust across the wind. You need my aid, and I want your resources. If this marriage does not go through, you can forget about receiving so much as a ytic from me."

With that, the conversation was over. Both queens continued to watch their children in silence, Eilika still nervously fidgeting about.
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(Y/n) kept his gaze on his cards, trying so very hard to ignore the deadly look Felix was giving him from across the table.

Neither of them enjoyed the other's company, but their mothers were forcing them to spend time together. Something about public image. The younger prince flinched as Felix reached over, plucking a card from his hand. He seemed disappointed by the draw.

"Your turn."

With trembling fingers, (Y/n) grabbed a random card from Felix's hand. A king of hearts, the match to his king of diamonds. The cards were placed down in front of him, and Felix growled in frustration.

"Are you cheating?"

"How can I be cheating at Old Maid?"

The older didn't respond, snatching a card from (Y/n)'s hand rather rudely. He then placed two cards face-down next to him, giving Felix a total of four pairs against (Y/n)'s six.

As the minutes ticked by, (Y/n) quickly found himself annoyed and bored. They had already played another round of Old Maid, four rounds of War, and one game of Cribbage. Now they were trying their hands at Crazy Eights.

Games with Felix were no fun. He constantly accused (Y/n) of cheating if he was winning, and yet he would rub his own victories in (Y/n)'s face. How was he expected to be friends with someone like that?

With a sigh, (Y/n) set his cards down and stood up.

"I've had enough of this for today. I think I'm just going to read or something."

Felix glared at him, his heterochromic eyes burning with frustration.

"Oh sure, just walk out in the middle of a game. How rude."

He continued to mumble curses under his breath while (Y/n) ignored him, taking a book from one of the many shelves surrounding them before collapsing down onto the chaise longue in the corner of the room.

If nothing else, (Y/n) had to admit that the Hassan family castle had a very nice and luxurious game room. Seven bookshelves, a hardwood table with comfortable chairs, and plenty of soft places to sit for reading.

He soon got lost in the book he grabbed, falling into a world of dragons and knights with each passing second. (Y/n) never even noticed when he began to drift off.
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Felix glared at the interloper dozing away on the only chaise longue in the room.

To Felix, (Y/n) was a foolish young prince. The cretin didn't even seem to realize just what their parents expected of them.

Well, Felix knew well enough, and he would rather die than marry an empty-headed buffoon like (Y/n). Was he supposed to care if their empire was about to fall into the sea? The weak must be culled, and nobody should interfere with natural order like that.

Besides, (Y/n) simply wasn't Felix's type. If he were to marry the other, he'd be stuck sleeping with one eye open just to ensure nobody could assassinate the foolhearted prince under the cover of night.

Felix had no desire to be a bodyguard to his spouse. If he really had to marry, he wanted someone strong, capable, and-

"Felix."

The stone-faced prince stopped his thoughts there, glaring at the younger prince before him while his mother placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You've shared your thoughts on this... imbecile already. While I understand that he isn't a quality product, the resources of his empire shall make our kingdom strong."

"But mother-"

Aelia's ice-blue eyes peirced Felix to the core.

"Do not talk back to me. You may do with him as you please after the wedding."

The dark prince looked away from his mother, staring intently at the wall as her hand slipped off of his shoulder.

"Just don't make a mess. I think you know well enough what happens when suspicions get too high."

Then she was gone. Felix looked at (Y/n) one more time, huffing his displeasure while the younger prince slept on.