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

Chapter 69: Non-Disclosure (Dis)Agreement (I)

The day of Orion's birthday finally arrived. The Vethelan palace was lit up and decorated luxuriously, portraying the full wealth of the country for the sake of their most precious prince. Even the thousands of servants and knights were provided special outfits to wear for the occasion, of which they all adorned with pride. At the same time, nobles and foreign officials attended in order to wish the boy a happy coming-of-age. Everyone tried to ignore the impending war, if only because they fervently wished to avoid it.

Orion had been preparing himself the entire day, trying to look as presentable as possible. After all, today was supposed to be the day that (Y/n) returned from her seclusion. So, obviously, with hopes of impressing her and swaying her to be with him, he did all he could. His great uncle and mother took the responsibility of welcoming the guests while he bided his time. Every now and again, he would glance down at the ballroom floor to see if the younger girl had arrived. He wanted to make a grand entrance to impress her all the more.

When he noticed Haru came, he figured she wouldn't have been far behind. And, thankfully, his assumption was correct. She came in a bit later. The orange-haired male stared at her when she arrived. There wasn't a moment where he didn't think she was pretty, but...Well, he just couldn't stop staring, his cheeks bright red. Even Presley commented on it, prompting him to feel embarrassed. However, he straightened his posture and did one more touch-up to make sure he was ready before he appeared

"Introducing his royal highness, firstborn of Princess Verona, fourth grandson of the previous Queen, only child of Sir Cadmus de Oshaka and the rightful heir to the throne of Vethela: Orion Trewin."

As expected, people burst into applause to welcome him, allowing him to walk down the stairs and make his entrance. He felt very excited at all the attention but he focused on the goal at hand, making a beeline straight to the (h/c) haired girl. She seemed unsurprised, giving him a gentle but somber smile. What did surprise her, however, is that he chose to hug her, leaning into her and giving a sigh. He had so missed being able to touch her, and, luckily, she indulged him, petting his head affectionately.

"Happy birthday," she mumbled, met with a bright smile from him.

"It's a very happy birthday now that you're here! O-Oh, but I should have started with how pretty you are! I'm so honored you dressed up for me. You look better in this dress than that green one. Where did you find this one? I want to go with you next time!"

"Well, your mother recommended - "

"Ah, was it Lillia's? That's her favorite! I just knew it was! Mrs. Lillia always makes the prettiest princess dresses! But...you know what would look better with your dress...?"

The prince motioned for Presley, the knight stepping forward with a present in his hands. Though the (h/c) haired girl stared at it warily, she nonetheless accepted it, silently pulling the ribbon apart to open the box. Her eyes settled on the silvery-pink accessory, a moment or two passing of pure bewilderment. But, in the end, she merely asked for help putting on the necklace. Orion was happy to help, complimenting her over and over again for how well it suited her. Though, of course, he had spent quite some time picking out something he thought would help her look ethereal.

"Then...would you mind if I asked to dance with you?" the male shyly muttered, glancing up bashfully, fearing rejection.

"I'm not...a dancer, I'm afraid."

"No? Maybe," A pause as he moved a bit closer to take her hands, "I could teach you."

It wasn't that the older girl didn't know how to dance. She just didn't like to. But her heart fluttered at his cute attempts to woo her. Usually, she would be unphased, but she wasn't lying when she told him she had feelings for him, even if those feelings were split between him and Haru. As a result, she had no choice but to give in to the dance, elating the male beyond words. He handed the box back to Presley before taking her to the middle of the ballroom, doing his best to show her how graceful he could be.