Beauty and her Beast (Nokto)

Belle

Sariel: You will be choosing one of the princes here to be the next king of Rhodolite.

(Are you serious?! You want ME to choose the king?! I have enough trouble choosing what to eat for breakfast!) All other thoughts went clear out of my head as enormity of what Sariel was suggesting hit me.

Veronica: But why me?! I mean... this is a decision that affects every single person in Rhodolite! Who am I to decide that?

Jin: I'm curious to know the answer to that myself. What was the deciding factor for you, Sariel?

Sariel: The way she slaps.

Jin: Haha! It was that good, huh?

(Ugh, I'm never going to live that down! Hang on, but that means-)

Veronica: So you were at the festival as well, Sariel?

Sariel: I see you are insightful, too. Yes, I've been searching the town for someone suitable to be the next Belle. When I saw the brilliant way you handled that scoundrel in place of Prince Chevalier... why, I was charmed on the spot.

Veronica: You do realize I did that out of desperation, right?

Sariel: The more desperate a person is, the more they expose the truth of who they are. Your superb judgement, your decisiveness, and your refusal to give up on even a scoundrel all showed your impartiality, and your beautiful heart. There is no doubt that you are an exceptional person, more than worthy of the title of Belle.

(I know you're complimenting me here, but-) The more satisfied Sariel sounded, the more uneasy I felt.

Sariel: You caught my attention, and you should always take pride in that fact.

Veronica: Look, I'm really grateful you think so highly of me, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to choose-

Nokto: You do realize if you turn Sariel down, he might start crying?

Clavis: I'd kind of like to see that... but we also don't have much time.

Veronica: Wait, what's that supposed to mean?

Clavis: It means we really need to be quick about choosing a new king, since the last king just up and died on us.

Veronica: He...wait, are you saying the king of Rhodolite is dead?!

Sariel: Prince Clavis... that information is meant to be kept a secret from the people.

Clavis: Oopsie, how careless of me! You can still go ahead and cry if you want?

Sariel: ...Hmph.

(Did you really just harrumph? I didn't think anyone could get the better of you! Maybe I should take lessons from Clavis...)

Sariel: I suppose the truth has been revealed, then.

Veronica: Why would you hide that from the people of Rhodolite? That's a really big deal, and they deserve to know!

Sariel's smile had a bitter edge to it, but after a moment he let out a soft, resigned sigh. e\He gestured to the wall behind me, and I turned to find it covered with a large map.

Sariel: The kingdom of Rhodolite is a small nation, surrounded by three other nations. Benitoite is our ally, and Jade remains neutral, but we have worked to build relatively good relationships with both. However, Obsidian is a powerful nation, and they desire Rhodolite for their own. They keep a very close eye on us. I assume none of this is news to you.

Veronica: No, not really...

Sariel: If news of His Majesty's death spreads while the regime is so unstable, they may take advantage of the confusion and invade.

Veronica: Oh-

Sariel: In fact, when His Majesty first fell ill, they caught wind of that information from somewhere and invaded our borders. This resulted in our kingdom's own princes having to head into battle themselves to repel the invasion. Do you understand what thiss so obvious now that I'm surprised I didn't see it right away. But-) I was now the only  commoner in Rhodolite who knew the truth, and the weight of that knowledge felt almost too heavy to bear.

Veronica: ...I won't tell anyone that His Majesty has passed away.

Sariel: This alone is not sufficient. There is one more thing I want you to say.

Veronica: Look, Sariel...

Sariel: As Prince Clavis mentioned, we must choose a new king urgently. Your fate is already tied to the fate of the kingdom. You will accept the role of Belle, will you not?

Veronica: Look, I get what you're saying, I really do, but I think I need more time to-

Sariel: Very well. Prince Leon, Prince Chevalier, if you will recognize her as Belle, please raise your hand.

(Hey, I wasn't even finished talking! And I sure as heck didn't say yes!) But before I could say another word, Chevalier's hand lifted into the air.

Nokto: That was quick, King Highness.

Luke: You're our leader, though, should you really just be agreeing like that?

Chevalier: I don't care who becomes Belle. It's irrelevant to me.

Veronica: Wait, he's your leader? But I thought-

Sariel: The princes are divided into two factions-one centered around Prince Leon, and other centered around Prince Chevalier. One could say Prince Leon's faction favors domestic politics, while Prince Chevalier's faction favors foreign politics. The princes's opinions generally converge along these two opposing viewpoints, so they often entrust the final votes to their leaders.

(Well, I guess that makes sense. Wow, I'm learning a lot about what goes on in the royal palace. I feel like I should be taking notes, or-wait, what I am thinking?! This isn't the time for that!) I'd gotten caught up in the conversation, forgetting the very important matter that Sariel was trying to decide without my input.

Sariel: Prince Leon, what do you think?

All eyes in the room turned expectantly towards Leon, and then his amber-golden eyes met mine, as bright as sunshine.

Leon: Veronica, I want to know your thoughts.