Don't Come Near Me, I'm Just a Background Character [BL Harem]

29 - Sitting on his Lap

I left the ballroom with steam rising from my ears. The prince followed close behind me with an embarrassed and somehow satisfied expression. He let out an awkward cough and was about to speak. My ears grew redder with rage and I increased my pace silently. He closed his mouth after that.

We both were following the Madam's swift silhouette, wondering where she would take us after the strange etiquette lesson. We walked for longer than ten minutes, maneuvering the hallways and the staircases until we reached the bottom floor, on the easternmost side of the palace. The pleasant sounds of birds chirping sounded peacefully around the small garden. There was not a single noble in sight, and it seemed like the place had restricted access.

We walked through the small unpaved path until we eventually reached a gazebo overlooking a small, shimmering koi pond. There was a small tea table set next to us with puff pastries and cakes lining the surface of the table. The madam stopped and turned back to look at us, snapping her notebook shut with her pencil placed inside the pages.

"You both will be practicing eating in informal dining areas. Sit down." She pushed up her upturned glasses and stepped to the side. We sat down and tucked our hands into our laps obediently. Her eyes flitted from the prince to me before she turned to walk away, announcing, "After an hour, I'll return, and I would like to see you socializing properly at that time."

Her steps faded away and all that was left was the sound of gentle ripples on the water and the breeze whistling past the trees. Eventually, after a long while of silence, I finally couldn't hold it anymore.

I lifted my head and glared at him straight in the eyes. "You! Why did you do that!"

He looked at me with innocent eyes. "Do what?"

"Wha- Shameless! I should tell the King! I should tell him that his young son touched me like that! That'll teach you!"

He blinked blankly and looked down at his lap. "You... h-how could you think such thoughts!"

I glowered at him, processing his words while fuming. Within moments, everything fell into place. My face grew redder with outrage and I screamed. "How could you have such a dirty mind!"

"You have a dirty mind!" He shot back.

"You're the one who touched me! You have a dirty mind!" I slammed my fist into my lap with a soft thump.

"Y-you!"

"Me? Me what!"

"Hah! I bet if in the end, if I told you to sit on me, you would think of those things again!" He blushed.

"I never thought of those things! Accuser!" I stood up, slamming my chair back, and trudged over to him with puffed cheeks. I pushed him back into the chair from his half-seated position and promptly slammed my butt into his lap.

----

I turned around to face him and declared with a righteous smile, "See! It's you, you! Dirty prince!"

I laughed and watched his face growing frozen and his eyes hastily turning away. I turned around to face him and declared with a righteous smile, "See! It's you, you! Dirty prince!"

After a few seconds of laughter, the garden fell silent once more, and the realization of the predicament I had put myself in began to sink in. Hastily leaping off his lap, I sprinted to the far end of the gazebo, feeling an overwhelming urge to bang my head against the floor. I must be really easy to manipulate, huh.

The prince's eyes darted this way and that, and just this once, I decided to let him off the hook. Maybe she won't notice me leaving...

I slowly inched my way towards the entrance to the gazebo, sliding along the wall with two macarons stuffed in my pocket. Just as I was about to leave, a tight bobbing bun flew in front of me, followed by two upturned villainess eyes.

"Guh—!" My heart thumped out of my chest and I jumped back in fright.

The madam pushed up her glasses and stared me dead in the eyes. "Young Lord, where are you going?"

I whimpered inwardly and slid back to my seat. "Nowhere, Madam."

She stepped closer, her shoes clacking on the uneven stone floor. "Well. Since you seem to be... familiar with informal etiquette, let's move on, shall we?"

I studied her expression warily. Is it just me, or is she blushing a bit?

"Yes, Madam Rosé." The prince answered.

"Yes, Madam Rosé." I hurriedly followed. I nervously toyed with the ends of my hair, attempting to conceal the inexplicable unease that had taken hold of me.

She moved us out of the gazebo, leading us to a spot by the pond where we could watch the koi fish gracefully gliding through the water. She guided me downward, her legs drawing near to where I sat. I subconsciously tried to move farther away from her. As I leaned back, I felt the warmth of a shoulder against mine. I yelped and realized I had pressed my back against the left side of the prince's body.

The madam kept her thin, eagle-like legs beside me, firmly keeping me pressed against the prince's shoulder. I uncomfortably shifted a bit to try to ease the strange situation but ended up breathing into the prince's ear.

The slight splashing of the water beside us slightly eased me into complacency. The madam impatiently smacked the tip of her pen onto the worn sheets of paper. From below, I could see her sharp chin and saw the enunciated picture of her upturned eyes.

Getting more uncomfortable by the second, I raised my voice. "...Madam, what might we be doing here?"

She stared at me then to the prince. I swear I saw a subtle wicked smile grow on her face.

I shivered and inched closer to the prince to try and get away from her. I have a bad feeling about this...

(A/N: I'm losing inspiration. If there's an ikemen reading this, reply.)