Royals. (Prince! Komaeda Nagito x Fem! Reader x Prince! Hajime Hinata)

4. A Poisonous Meal.

After my arrival, it became clear that the stakes were quite high if one desired to become the future queen of Kibougamine. I couldn't help but be discouraged, ruling myself out as a potential marriage partner.

Perhaps I should attempt to stay as long as possible to gorge myself on the expensive food, I thought. It all seemed too uncertain, a precarious situation I could not wrap my head around.

The next day, I was dressed bathed by a group of bubbly servants, my (h/l) hair trimmed and neatly arranged before I was slipped into a thin (f/c) gown. I was taken aback by my reflection for a brief moment, though I was quickly swept away towards the dining room, where breakfast awaited me.

The room contained a single, long table, where the two princes sat on each end of it. I was astounded to find that my seat was directly towards the right of prince Hajime.

"Good morning, Lady (y/n)," The prince stood up to greet me, a warm smile on his face. I curtsied to him before taking my seat, servants scuttling in to serve everyone beverages.

"And a good morning to you too, Your Majesty," I murmured in response, though I couldn't find myself able to meet his gaze. I glanced around to find the group slightly sparser than it was in the throne room yesterday, indicating other women had been sent home. But how many?

"How does it feel to be in the castle, my lady?" The prince asked, leaning towards me as he spoke. The other girls shot me jealous looks, which caused my cheeks to grow hot. "Surely it must be a drastic change from your home life."

"M-Most definitely, your Majesty," I replied, watching a maid pour a pale green liquid into the teacup before me. "What is that?"

The prince chuckled slightly, seemingly amused by my naivety. "It's a blend of mint and green tea, my lady. It's one of my favorites, so it would please me immensely if you tried it."

I nodded obediently, observing my reflection in the liquid for a moment before lifting the pale blue teacup to my lips. I then took a sip, the warm yet brisk liquid dancing on my tongue before coming down in one swift gulp. I couldn't resist taking a few more, eager gulps of the tea, causing a few of the other ladies to groan in disgust.

Once I set the teacup down, the prince stared at me blankly for a moment. I felt a pang of worry hit my stomach, fearful that I may have just sent myself home with that little stunt. However, the prince erupted into laughter, his face flushed as he covered his face to conceal his amusement. "I'm astounded! I've never seen someone drink hot tea that quickly.

I giggled in embarrassment, rubbing the back of my neck apprehensively. "A-ah, sorry... I suppose I'm used to the temperature, working in a bakery and all..."

"No need to apologize, my lady," The prince assured me, gently placing a gloved hand on top of mine. I felt my heart skip a beat at the contact, fearful that some of the other girls may be plotting my demise at the moment. "You see, I was born in the coal mining district, so I empathize with you, my dear."

"A-ah, yes," was all I could offer in response, my memory jogging back to my few visits to the mining district. I couldn't help but wonder if I had run into him before, perhaps when we were small children. Although the motivation and circumstances prince Hajime's adoption into the royal family remained as a mystery to the public, I had this weird unshakable feeling that perhaps-

"Have we met each other before?"

The prince stared at me in bewilderment, opening his mouth to reply to me. However, he was cut off by a tapping sound coming from the other end of the table. I turned and saw a rather impatient prince Komaeda sitting there, his gaze focused directly on me.

"A-hem," The white haired prince cleared his throat, placing a gloved fist onto the white tablecloth. "Good morning, ladies, my dear brother, and his, erm, little friend."

I felt my face flush bright red in embarrassment, terrified at the thought of hundreds of eyes focusing on me. Why did the prince call me out like that? Thankfully, all of the girls were too focused on greeting the prince back for them to pay me any mind. I turned to prince Hajime, noticing that he was gripping the handle of his teacup so tightly that his veins were bulging out.

"Wonderful," The white haired prince hummed in response, his silvery eyes closing for a brief moment as he beamed in response. "Now, I'm sure you all must be starved, correct? Let's enjoy this splendid food!"

With the snap of his fingers, food was placed in front of us, everyone enjoying the exquisite cooking of the palace. I picked at my food for a moment, having lost my appetite after prince Komaeda's cold demeanor towards me.

In the midst of the hum of everyone's eating, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I jerked to find prince Komaeda's hand on me, the pale prince smirking at me with a sly grin. "Why, dear lady (Y/n), you're going to eat, aren't you? A maiden with such hope would only be done a disservice if she didn't supply herself with the proper nutrients."

I stared straight into his eyes for a moment, his piercing gaze cutting into me. It seemed all too familiar, but from where...?

Before I could offer a reply, the prince had already taken off, slipped back to his seat on the other end of the table without a trace. I tried to shrug it off, slowly bringing myself to try a bit of the food. I looked back up to prince Hajime to find that he was seemingly avoiding me, engrossed in the food in front of him.

After what felt like hours, breakfast had finally come to a close. But, that was not without its consequences. About 20 or so girls were asked to stay behind, ensured it would only be a minute.

But that was the last we would see of them. They were sent home.

Many questions came to me, ones I would never find the answers to. Why were they sent home? What did they do? Where did I meet prince Hajime before? Why can't I get those damn grey eyes out of my head?

And perhaps, the most pressing one of them all:

Why was I even here?