The Dandelion System

Chapter 8

"That hurts," Otto said with a weak smile. I realized I was still gripping his arm and quickly loosened my fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Otto!" I said, snapping out of my thoughts.  "I need to go—"

"You're going?" Otto asked with his doe eyes, looking hurt. "You've hardly stayed for a moment." I sighed in defeat.

"Oh, fine, I'll stay for a while." Although I wasn't glad at always being so easily swayed—especially by his sister and him, I couldn't help but smile once his face lit up.

"Thank you so much, Karina. Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to tell you I really like your name before." I smiled to myself, knowing this was the name his sister gave me. He patted the space on his bed and I wavered before I sat down rigidly.

"Thank you Prince Otto."

"Please don't call me prince. I'm not a prince here." He gestured at the grey room. "Here I'm Otto." I couldn't argue.

"Yes, Otto. Then I'll call you by that."

"Tell me, Karina, who are you? I'd like to know more about you."

I smiled.

"Well, I'm a Dandelion System contestant. I am a Middle Class contestant and I have an older sister. I only recently met Princess Oda at the ball and started living in the castle yesterday. It's beautiful, but it also feels a bit lonely because it is so big and people are always bustling about and doing their own thing. I can relate to you in that way, Prince Otto."

He nodded.

"Yes. I don't care for being King because that would mean I would have to continue living like this."

"Like this?"

"I can never leave this place." He looked at his lap. "The Kings of Taraxac aren't allowed to leave the castle because they have many enemies. Our royal family have done wrong to many people."

"Done wrong?" He looked at me and smiled softly, almost like in pity.

"Yes. You don't know, do you? I didn't either. Not until I came of age and had to learn about it. About the places we conquered, the people we made into slaves, the villages we pillaged, the wars we created, lives we killed." Tears fell down as he frowned, anger lining his face.

It was the first time I saw him like that.

"What do you want to do, Otto?"

"I—I don't know."

He looked helpless, too. I didn't want to see that face, so I quickly spoke again.

"Recently I made several new friends, like Princess Oda, Aideen, Oriana, Annabelle, and just today, two more girls. And you, too."

"That's wonderful," he mused.

"And what about you? How have you been recently?"

"Well, a few days before I met you, some strangers came into the tower. They said they only wanted my hair, and so they cut my hair and took it—not a piece of hair was left—and went away."

"That's funny!" He seemed truly happy talking to someone. It was like he had bottled everything up and was relieved to spill it to me.

"And one time, Oda came bringing me cake, pie, and many other pastries. Right after she left, Mother came, bringing me more. Then my daily cooks sent me sweets, too, I don't know why." I concluded this was because the prince's birthday had just passed and he was freshly eighteen.

"That must be wonderful."

"Oh no, not at all. By the end of the day I felt sick."

On and on we spoke like that. It made me realize how he viewed the world; every time he was yelled at it was like being hated by the world; every smile was heavenly bliss, in contrast. He also didn't seem to like his tutors and doctors. Also, since the King fell ill, the Queen, who was keeping Taraxac in line, couldn't visit him.