In Sickness And In Health (Yandere M. Genius x F. Reader x Yandere M. Prince)

Chapter 28: Sweet

Haru had still not returned from wherever he had rushed off to, and (Y/n) was finding herself becoming more and more irritated with her boredom. There was no work for her to do, and because of the amount of regular upkeep the Vethelan staff did, the embassy had no chores whatsoever. Even Bastien was occupied playing with the ambassador's daughter and Kazuya, as always, was making an avid attempt for his case to be heard. Though, with Haru's recent actions and with the lack of an apology yet, it was clear the regent wanted nothing to do with him.

She tried walking and looking around the palace grounds, and while the terrain seemed never ending, somehow, it still wasn't fulfilling. Even when she went inside the palace, hoping seeing something shiny would give her some kind of excitement, there was nothing. The castle's interior was certainly something, a kind of opulence not easily found in other countries. However, in the end, stuff was just stuff, and she wasn't entertained.

There was no joy to be made out of talking with the castle staff either. People weren't exactly things she liked to interact with meaninglessly. That is; small talk was never her thing and it was useless to befriend the servants. Or, rather, aside from friendship, a very fickle thing, there was not much to be gained. And when there was nothing to be gained, the (h/c) haired girl did not make a move.

Sooner or later, upon her vagabond-like walk, she discovered Celith. He was sitting alone in the corridor, talking to someone. When she got closer, the person disappeared, and immediately, his eyes shot to hers, the small boy giving a panicked expression. He looked around hectically, but, with much distress, discovered that he didn't have anything to give her. As a result, he shivered before fleeing, presumably to get something as an offering. Though she probably could have told him it was unnecessary, it would have only encouraged his presence around her. That was not something she wanted. As always, she tried to distance herself from her "kind".

Still, out of curiosity, only because he had presented her with something from her childhood, she followed slowly. There was no urgency in her pace, the girl not really wanting to ever catch up to him. However, sooner or later, she did run into him again, finding he had stashed himself in a kitchen. It was not one she recognized, but she definitely knew who it belonged to, probably because of the choice in decoration. What was odd, however, was that it was not the kitchen's owner that was cooking in it. She tilted her head at the sight of a woman, wondering who would be so bold as to intrude on the fourth prince's territory.

It made far more sense when the woman turned just slightly to grab a tray and she could see it was his aunt. Observing from afar, the (h/c) haired girl noted that she was a lot unlike the rest of her family. Though it was something that she saw in Orion as well, the princess was gentle. She had a very small presence but the gestures and her posture made it clear that she was - and always had been - royalty of the highest calliber. Graceful and relaxed, she only hummed a small song as she enjoyed the art of baking.

At least, that was how it appeared until a flame appeared in the oven. Once that happened, she lost all poise and began to speak in a panicked tone. Since it was in Vethelan, there wasn't much that (Y/n) could decipher. However, it appeared as though she was asking for help. When whomever she was asking help from did not come to her rescue, instead, Celith made the flame disappear. The girl narrowed her eyes at that. Unlike her, he was not exhausted after doing such basic actions. Envy.

"Thank you," she cooed at the silver-haired boy, pulling out a tray of charcoal, "but it looks like this batch is ruined. The kitchen is a mess, too. How disappointing."

The boy pouted. He put on an unhappy expression and held out his hands demandingly. Celith wanted to be compensated for his assistance. That wasn't so surprising, but she didn't have much to give him. The woman began to apologize, explaining that the cookies she was trying to make were nothing but ash. He, however, wanted to hear none of it, not that he could interpret what she said anyway. He had helped her, so it was only right she returned the favor and give him something sweet.