𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓

THREE.

Edited: 29/11/2024

Three hours had passed.

Y/n did not know what he was still doing in the same place he had been three hours ago; namely—he had been with the Crown Prince for hours. His plight was almost inescapable; for their conversation had just gone on and on and showed no sign of stopping. He did not dare to interrupt Aristidis, for fear of offending him. It would have been pleasant to talk to him; for they had much more in common than he had realized, but time was ticking by.

Y/n almost thought that this whole thing—was orchestrated out. Was Aristidis doing this on purpose out of playfulness, or perhaps amusement to see Y/n sit there, unable to budge? How fitting of a love yandere game protagonist. They were sadists at heart, Y/n seethed inwardly.

Well, it wasn't like Y/n really had anything to do. But he was partially nervous; of letting anything slip by. And he needed the Crown Prince to leave, for any minute now Angelina would come in, and his whole plan would be ruined. Aristidis would take one quick look at his sister, fall in love, and proceed to destroy the whole Empire.

That was a reluctant thought.

"Your Highness," Y/n finally mustered the courage to interject (wow, a grown ass man feeling shy...Y/n as a tad mortified), "I apologize for interrupting, but I'm afraid I must attend to some urgent matters."

Fibbing, again. The only urgent matter Y/n had in mind were rushing back home to take a long scented bath with wine on the side.

But hey, priorities.

Aristidis paused mid-sentence, his piercing dark eyes narrowing—jeweled blue, like shards of diamond— as he tilted his head. The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of the prince's gaze almost — suffocating.

Y/n was starting to regret interjecting.

However, to Y/n's surprise, a mischievous smile slowly curved on Aristidis' lips.

Y/n blinked. The hell?

"Urgent matters, you say?" Aristidis repeated, his tone laced with amusement. "And here I thought you were enjoying our little conversation. "

Y/n's brow furrowed in confusion. Aristidis's response was not what he had expected. It seemed as though the prince had been aware of Y/n's growing restlessness... wait, did the prince deliberately prolong their discussion to test his patience? The fuck?

"I...know what you are doing," Y/n said at last, "I can see...right through you." A frown appeared on his face, as he crossed his arms. "I'm not some mere child that can't see your little plot. Aren't you a little childish to be doing this, Your Highness?"

The words fell out of his mouth before Y/n could stop them. He could have kicked himself.

"Hmm? Then what exactly am I doing? Enlighten me, dear lord." The last two words were said in an amused tone, but Y/n knew it was just to aggravate him.

"You're fooling around," Y/n huffed, "people like you feed off the power they hold and the control they exert. It's a game to them — a skewed amusement — watching as people struggle about trying to recover from being emotionally tormented —no doubt you are one of them."

"You should really become an author. Your imagination is wonderful."

"That's not what I was —!"

Aristidis' lips only tugged up more. "So, so you think I'm one of them? A sadist, as you put it?"

"You said it, not me." Y/n mumbled under his breath rather petulantly.He was now realizing that it would be fun to tease the playful Crown Prince to make him get what he deserved—tit for tat, as one would say—"there you have it. The Crown Prince, the Sun of the Empire and his Royal Highness, is a (fucking) sadist."