ᖇ4Y : ᔕᗩTEᒪᒪITE

ᴠɪɪɪ

It wasn’t good.

I’m not okay with being labeled a princess.

When I told Khun about it, he responded by whistling obnoxiously cheerful tunes and insisting that it was perfect for the prince and princess to be close. But I repeated my disagreement. I didn’t want to sacrifice my job washing dishes just to practice for some event every night.

As soon as Vi heard about this, she smiled knowingly and revealed that she had already seen it in her vision. She’d kept it as a surprise for me. But this was not a pleasant surprise—I wasn’t happy about the whole princess thing.

"Why not? What’s wrong with being a princess?"

"I have to work."

"But you can still work on your free days."

"If I don’t go to work on certain days, we won’t make any money. We depend on ourselves, Vi. No one else is helping us—don’t forget that." My voice carried the weight of frustration, but Vi remained surprisingly calm.

"Think about it like this: If you win in the university round, the reward should more than make up for the lost time."

"But I’m not like the others—all neat and pretty," I lamented. "My only power is to control time, and I can’t even show it. How am I supposed to compete with those girls? I feel lost already. I’m just pasta without sauce, you know?"

"Huh? What’s pasta without sauce?" she asked, confused.

"So tasteless and bland."

"Ah... well, you certainly know how to make a joke," she said, forcing a laugh. "Let me give you a Russian pity joke—ha ha!"

I groaned. That darn corgi bot Khun programmed must’ve rubbed off on her.

"But you know," Vi added, "a lot of people like your smile."

"You told me I smile as if something’s stuck between my teeth."

"That’s only when you’re faking it," she clarified quickly. "Anyway, now that you’re the princess of your major, you just need to win. Okay?"

"No."

I didn’t feel any better. In fact, Vi’s radiant smile was making me uneasy, so much so that I needed to escape. I slipped out to the balcony and checked my phone.

A message from Khun lit up the screen, full of his usual assurances that having me as the princess was a brilliant idea and that it’d keep him entertained. Yeah, well, I’m the one bored now.

"Peek-a-boo! Hiding from me, huh?" Vi’s voice startled me as she hugged me from behind. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, while I furrowed my brows.

"What now?"

"I just had a vision."

"What did you see?"

"Four," she replied. "Standing on the roof of our apartment. 10:10 PM, I saw the time clearly on her wristwatch."

"Why would she go up there?"

"No idea," Vi answered with a shrug. "She sat on the edge, looking sad, her eyes fixed on the crescent moon. It looked beautiful, though there weren’t many stars out."

She added the last part as if it were a random opinion.

I sighed and glanced at the moon. That night, it was a pale crescent against a dark, misty sky. Clouds loomed nearby, making everything seem even gloomier. I looked down and replied flatly, "It’s none of our business. She can do whatever she wants."