Beauty and her Beast (Nokto)

The King and the Rose

Nokto: Well then, it'll be my pleasure to seduce you.

(You have got to be kidding me!!

Veronica: Thanks but no thanks!

Sariel: You do catch on quick, Prince Nokto. 

Yves: Ugh, I can't listen to another word of this! Seduce her? Seriously, Nokto, do you have any pride or even self-awareness of your position as a prince? 

Nokto: If that's how you feel, do me a favor and don't make moves on her. 

Yves: And why should I have to listen to anything you have to say?

I was still grappling with the enormity of what I'd agreed to, and it seemed surreal to hear them talk about it so flippantly. 

Jin: What's that, Yves? You're interested in seducing her after all? You're always so mercurial, you are. 

Yves: She may be a commoner, but she's still Belle. I need her to recognize that there's no one more suited to the throne than I am. 

Veronica: There are plenty of other ways to do that besides seducing me! 

Jin: Yes, yes, you're quite right. Totally agree.

Luke: Look, could you all stop already? You're making her uncomfortable. 

Luke stood up from his chair, and the others fell silent as he turned to face me. 

Luke: It was... Veronica, right? If you have any problems, you can come see me, yeah? 

Veronica: Thank you very much, Prince Luke. 

Luke: Ahh, don't do that. Just call me Luke. And no need to get all polite. 

Veronica: But-

Luke: You called Leon by his name, right? I don't really like the whole 'prince' thing. 

Veronica: Well, okay then. Luke it is. 

Luke: Mmm. 

Yves: Hang on, aren't you just seducing her too, now?!

Jin: Nah, not our Luke, he's just a natural flirt, that's all. But the rest of you oughta put your heart into it, too. 

Jin pulled a lollipop out his pocket, and popped it into his mouth with a grin. 

Leon: Jin, you make it sound like it's got nothing to do with you. 

Jin: It doesn't. I couldn't give a crap about the throne. 

(Wow, I wasn't expecting that from a prince!)

Nokto: Well, I could, so as a sign of how closely we'll soon be acquainted, you can just call me Nokto. 

Yves: I don't approve of any of this! Make sure you call me Your Highness! 

Jin: Heh, I'm not a fan of formal language. You can call me whatever you like. 

Veronica: Well, thanks, all of you. So, Nokto, Yves, and Jin it is. 

Yves: ...Hey, did you even listen to what I said?

Licht: ...This is stupid. 

(Wait-you've been so quiet I'd almost forgotten you were here, but-) It was the first thing Licht had said since he'd introduced himself, and I blinked as he stood up abruptly from his chair. 

Yves: Licht! You don't have to be so cold all the time. You'll end up with no friends, you know! 

Licht: I never had any to begin with. And I don't need them. 

Yves: There you go again, so determined to rush off all by yourself and- Ahh, wait! Where are you going, Licht! 

Licht: Back to my room. 

Nokto: Licht... aren't you interested in the throne? 

Licht: ...That's not even worth answering. 

Licht avoided everyone's gazes, his eyes remaining downcast as he slipped quietly out of the room. (I think I'm going to have trouble getting to know the real Licht.) 

Yves: Really, that boy... 

Veronica: So some of you really want to be king, and some of you aren't interested at all. 

Leon: We may be brothers, but we all have different mothers, and we're all very different ourselves. 

Veronica: So what about you then? Do you or don't you want to be king? 

I turned to meet that golden-amber gaze head-on, and he rewarded me with a smile that was more regal than I was expecting. 

Leon: I want you to decide on your own whether I've got what it takes to be king. 

Veronica: ...Okay.

I studied him, my thoughts whirling, and then the sound of hands clapping briskly together cut through the room. 

Sariel: I apologize for interrupting your pleasant chat, but I still need to show Belle around, so perhaps we could call it a day. 

Sariel led me out of the room, and soon we entered another grand room, even more opulent than any I'd seen so far. (This must be the throne room, right? Where the king hold audiences with his people. I thought I felt out of place when I first entered the palace, but... being in the throne room is just unbelievable!) Plush red carpet ran down the center of the room, leading all the way to the lavish throne that sat at the far end. Next to the throne was a pedestal, and atop it sat a single rose, sealed away inside a glass dome. 

Veronica: What's the rose for? 

Sariel: It is traditional for a single rose to be prepared when His Majesty The King passes away. And it is tradition that the next king must be chosen by the time the last petal falls. 

Veronica: So I have a time limit. 

Sariel: That's correct. The rose is of a unique variety, and it will continue to bloom for approximately one month. 

(I only have a month to figure out which prince deserves the throne? You do realize there's eight princes, right?) But I kept quiet as I followed Sariel into the room, until he stopped just before the throne and turned to face me again. 

Sariel: All other matters related to the position of Belle are recorded in this covenant. 

Sariel snapped his fingers, and several servants appeared seemingly out of nowhere. (Do they just follow you around, waiting for you to do that?!) I watched in disbelief as they placed a table in front of me, piling it high with pages scrawled with impossibly tiny text. 

Veronica: Please tell me you don't expect me to read ALL of this right now? 

Sariel: I'm surprised to hear you state the obvious as if it were a question.

(You can't be-damn, you really are serious, aren't you?! 

Sariel: Once you have read the covenant in its entirety, please sign your name here. 

Veronica: ...I feel like I'm about to sign my soul away to the devil here. 

Sariel: I'm afraid it's necessary. And once you have signed the covenant, I will show you to your room. 

Veronica: Okay, okay, but-wait, what? 

Sariel: Is something the matter?