Kalia is a modern day princess. Living with her parents and three sisters in their royal kingdom in London, she had convinced them to let her go to a normal school and live a normal teenage life. And apart from the occasional ball and family dinners...
Step two from the royal, technically non-existent handbook, according to Kalia, was the dinner. This is where the King and Queen examined her dining etiquette, which generally starts from the moment she sits down, to her answers to the questions they ask in between, continuing to the conclusion of the feast.
Kalia found this step incredibly stupid. First, she thought, she had been living as a princess her whole life, it wasn't like she was going to suddenly forget how to eat at the dinner table as well as her manners on probably the most important day she'd need to exhibit them... and lastly, she doubted royalty flew across the world to just say 'Nope... she lacks dining etiquette, it's a no.' Although they did have the money for the time to do that, unfortunately, it just didn't work that way.
Something washed over her, urging her to look up, only to find the Prince suffocating her with his intense gaze. Again. After a second, he grinned, turning to Queen Lania, her mother, after she had asked him something. That conceited, condescending little-
"Impressive, isn't it, Kalia?"
She turns to the source of the voice, her father, who was giving Kalia his scary eyes.
"Uh, yes. Very," she says hesitantly, not aware of the context, avoiding his eyes.
This wasn't going well, she thought, both her inner princess and rational self in agreement for once.
"Dinner was delicious, Queen Lania." His voice broke her out of her thoughts, demanding her attention. When she looked up, Prince Elec wasn't looking at her this time, thank God, but was smiling at her mother. His teeth were white pearls, and his lips were their precious casing. He had a lovely smile, it was distracting and it was hard for Kalia to even admit that to herself, but even as this were true, she still wasn't re-thinking her escape from this proposal.
"Indeed," King Eltis nodded in agreement, followed by Queen Celeste. "Thank you."
"We have a wonderful cook," Lania credits, and after some more small talk between the two Kings at the table, Celeste makes a suggestion. "Shall we give Elec and Kalia a few minutes to introduce themselves before we get some rest for tomorrow's festivities?"
Damn it, she thought. She hadn't expected that turn of events - and she wasn't prepared to face him alone just yet. That was supposed to be reserved for tomorrow morning.
Her mother nodded at Kalia expectantly and Celeste gave her a warm smile.
"Kalia, why don't you show our guest the night garden?" She almost shot her mother a glare but she kept her demons in place.
Kalia forced a tight smile. "Sure, mother."
Getting up from her seat, she takes care not to step on the train of the dress, but over it. She had to admit that she was initially worried about the dress seeming a bit revealing with such an open back, and his lingering eyes had made her that much more nervous about that - but her long curls reigned free over her lightly sun-kissed bare skin, deeming it appropriate for the occasion.
Her mother seemed to be working hand in hand with Queen Celeste, making sure to disperse from the dining room and make conversation elsewhere, dimming the lights while they were at it. Once the two were alone, there was no escaping him.
"Elec," he formally introduced himself, offering his hand to her. Kalia looks at it and then back up at him, a scathing look on her face. "I know."
Elec takes his hand back, tilting his head slightly to the side, an overly amused look on his face. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"
You have no idea.
She started to walk toward the large window, overlooking the beautiful garden that was brought to life in the night. From where they were approaching, she could already see the blurred lights and colours, elegant in their own way, setting a mood.
His tall legs allow him to take long, effortless strides, and he caught up to her in an instant, meeting her at her side. "You don't seem very pleased to make my acquaintance."
"That's because I'm not," Kalia states matter-of-factly, not long after hearing her father's voice in her head, serving as a warning.
Maybe that statement was too harsh, she thought. She chanced a peek at him as they walked, and if he felt any anger or dismay by my words, he didn't show it, to her surprise. What was more annoying to Kalia was that he had a smirk growing on his face, and she didn't like that he had been constantly amused by everything she had done from the moment he stepped foot into the palace.
She stopped before the window seat, not bothering to take a seat as she didn't plan on their little acquaintance to last very long. The sound of his footsteps come to a halt, and once again, she felt his eyes burning away at her skin. It was very hard to ignore his demanding stare, she could admit, but it had to be done.
"You don't want to marry me, do you?"
"Congratulations. You're smarter than you look." It was ironic of Kalia to insult him like that given that she knew she couldn't even glance his way for more than three seconds without feeling violated. He would probably find that to be a compliment, anyway, and she had none of the patience required to deal with another amusing look from him.
Elec's deep chuckle fills the almost-darkness. "I'm not one to shy away from a challenge." His overconfidence bemused her.
"I'm not challenging you," I just want you to leave me alone.
'Do you, really?' Ophelia's inquisitive voice rings through her head without invitation, and she almost cursed aloud. She believed she was going mad.
"But you are."
She allowed him her attention now, watching as the moonlight glinted off his pale gray eyes, making them reflect an ethereal-like glow - almost white-looking at that favoured angle. It was hard to look away once he finally held her gaze, and now that she got a good look at him, she could confirm that he also looks really good from the front, too.
She could feel herself getting carried away in thought, imagining this marriage happening and the worst it could be, and that was when she had realised that his eyes held more than just a look of amusement, but held a power of persuasion and manipulation that Kalia had no power going up against - not when he was looking at her the way he was.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "We should call it a day." Kalia endeavoured to walk past him and toward the voices of their family members, desperate to be away from his company. He didn't make any objections, seeming to be tickled by his own train of thought, and she was grateful for that; not entertaining the energy needed to gather her wits for another round of wordplay with the ever-so-charming Prince of New York. Still, Kalia had a feeling this conversation wasn't over, but she felt safe for now.
Once she had bid the rest of their guests adieu and relocated into her bedroom, she leaned against the door, sighing as she slid down it's length before hitting the ground not-so gracefully. Today was a failure, she thought to herself, replaying the chain of events in her mind. She had managed to seemingly charm the skirts off the Prince's mother, and her efforts of drawing attention to Ophelia had failed miserably. She would have to have hope that things would work in her favour tomorrow at the ball, because that was her last chance to destroy any chance of being bound in any sort of arrangement with that arrogant man.
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Hiyaaaa!! Hope you enjoyed it!
What do you think of Prince Elec?? Do you love him? Hate him? Too early to tell?
