5 Princes and I

Routine for a Week

The next day, after I woke up and changed into some clean clothes. The queen came into my room to discuss some matters regarding my stay.

"So I really have to pretend to be your real niece who comes from another country?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Unfortunately, yes." She said and looked at me apologetically. "It seems that your presence has caused some rumors."

"What rumors?"

"That you're a mistress is a mistress."

"What the f-" I cussed at the absurdity of it.

"Ah ah!" The queen chastised. "None of that foul behavior." She said. "So anyway, the story will be like this. You're a princess from another country with 7 older sisters and 8 older brothers."

I stared at her. "Lady? That story alone is bull-" The queen glared at me. "bulldozing my imagination. I mean, that's a lot of sibling."

"Just play along!" The queen huffed. "So because you always feel crowded in your home, you decided to move in with me and become my adoptive daughter."

"So what will happen to the princes? I thought that they were here because you have no heir. Now that you adopted me then..."

"Oh you will still choose. Think of them as your 'marriage' candidates."

"What!?"

"Not for real. When you leave we still need a next ruler. It's just all 'pretend'." She says.

"I-" I started. I rubbed my eyes at how ridiculous this is. "From your niece from a foreign country to become your adoptive daughter. Wow. Amazing. Truly." I said sarcastically.

The queen must not have heard my sarcasm because she seemed oblivious. "I know, right? No one would question such a fine tale!"

I gave her a look. Is she for real?

I couldn't help but be glad when someone knocked on my door.

"Why can't you be punctual!?"

Judging from the scream, it was PRINCE with all the capitals.

"Oh dear." The queen gasped. "I must have taken quite a lot of your time. You should head out now."

An idea suddenly formed in my mind and I grinned. "Actually, auntie-mom." I smiled sweetly. "Why don't we go out together?"

The queen seemed touched at my offer that I felt a bit guilty.

I said a bit.

Together we went for the door and I made sure that she went out first. As I opened the door, we saw that PRINCE Ace was about to knock one again, but paused when he saw the queen.

His mouth was hanging open and I couldn't help but snicker in delight. Serves him right. "Your highness I-" He started. I waved at him to get his attention. When finally looked, I gave him a teasing grin and stuck my tongue out. Then I pointed at the queen and made a slicing gesture through my neck and pointed at him. You dead.

He glared before looking back at the queen and bowed his head. "Forgive me for my rudeness."

"Off with his head!" I declared. Both the Queen and Ace gave me a look. "What?"

"Honey, we are not barbarians. We are civilized." The queen said. Civilized? Yeah, right. Says the one who kidn*pped me. "Prince Ace, it is alright. And thank you for being serious on Rose's education. I know that it isn't easy."

"Indeed it isn't. Her attention span is below average."

"Hey!" I protested.

"Thank you again. And please do your best. As for the matter regarding the ball...?" The Queen gave me a side glance to confirm my participation. "It would be troublesome if you don't want to, but we'll manage-"

"Yeah yeah. I'm going. Might as well see what a real ball looks like." I said nonchalantly.

"Great!" The Queen clapped her hands in delight. "Have fun with your training, darling!" He waved us goodbye before she walked away.

"Come on." Ace said and started walking in the other direction. I followed him hesitantly. He's not retaliating? This is new.

"Today you'll study about all the important names in each kingdom. That includes the Dukes and Duchess along with their heir. Later I will give you a quiz. Rest assured that everything will be reported to the queen."

So this is his retaliation. Not fair.

***

The lesson with Ace was brutal and I thanked my schedule that I only have a few hours with him. He made me memorize a lot of names. He would even give me surprise quizzes by showing me small paintings of the Dukes and Duchess and ask me for their names.

I, of course, having forgotten their names, gave them new ones. He wasn't happy about it and made me study them again and again. If I were still a kid, then this would be child a***e.

I got out of the library, feeling like my soul just left my body. Do I have to come here again? Because I clearly don't want to.

"Hi, princess!"

"We're here to escort you."

Oh great. The twins are here.

"Hey." I told them weakly.

The twins gave me a look of worry. "Wow. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm tired." I groaned. "I think I used up all of my brain cells for the day." I mumbled.

"Rose?" It was Nate. He looked at me worriedly.

Why are we all gathered outside of the library like this?

"Hey." I greeted him. "Can I skip the twins and head for our lessons? I wanna eat." I said. The twins frowned at my proposal. Nate just laughed.

"I wish we could. I wouldn't mind it." He winked. "Unfortunately, I have to speak with the queen on some matters. I just came here to inform the twins to escort you to your new room. Queen's orders."

"What?" I must be hearing things.

"You have been transferred to a new room on the 3rd floor."

I stared at him in wonder. "Transferred? Why?"

"There are two reasons." He started, "One, your room is a complete mess. Second, so we can keep an eye on you."

I don't have to be a genius to know that my room was a mess after all the things that I threw the other day just to make a makeshift rope. But what does he mean when he says that they can have a close eye on me?

As if reading my mind the Ren answered. "It's not like we don't trust you, okay? We are just looking out for your safety."

"Same floor as you guys? Even him?" I jerk my thumb towards the library. where a dragon slumbers.

"You better believe it." Said Nate as he leaned at the back. "But unfortunately, you're at the opposite wing. We're in the west while you're in the east."

I must have looked troubled because Dan quickly spoke. "If you're worried about Nate doing something to you then you don't have to worry. These wolves can take him." He said and hit his chest with his fist. Nate glared at the twins as they glared at him.

Nate glare at the twins and shook his head. "I would love to stay and chat, but I better go now so I can be back in time for our lesson. You guys better be nice to her. She's tired." Nate said to the twins

Ren rolled his eyes at Nate before turning his head in my direction. He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Shall we, my lady?" He mockingly offered me his arm to me and spoke in a deep matured voice.

I grinned. "Why of course, good sir." I said in a really bad accent as I mockingly took his arm. Dan came to my other side and offered me his arm as well, which I took. As if on cue, we all turned to the East wing and marched.

"Great. Just a few days in the castle and they already made her as one of them." Nate mumbled behind us.

Once we were at the East wing we stopped. "So which way to my room?" I asked.

"Before that, we want to show you something." Dan said and grinned.

I gave him an uncertain look. "Okay...lead the way then."

Dan and Ren nodded as they walked beside me. We walked straight for a few moments before they turned to a corner and finally stopped in front of a door. Dan turned the knob and opened the door wide as he took a side step. "After you." He said and stopped Ren from coming in once he took a step forward. "Woah there, brother. Have you ever heard of the saying 'ladies first? Where are your manners?" He gave Ren a disapproving look before turning his gaze to me. "Rose, forgive my imbecile of a brother. Forget that this ever happened because it would ruin our reputation as gentlemen. Now." Dan turned his gaze back to his brother. "If you'll excuse me. We have a lady waiting here."

Ren only rolled his eyes at Dan as he made a way for me to pass. Before I could fully pass Ren, he made a mocking face to Dan that only I could see that we started laughing.

"What was that all about?" Dan asked.

"Nothing." Ren and I said in unison.

The room - or should I say a giant walk-in closet - was very big and was filled with gigantic closets and shelves that hang different assortments of dresses, accessories, shoes, and etc. Heck, this room is thrice as big as my old room. And I'm talking about the room that I have here in the palace. It was like a library, but instead of books, it held clothing.

I stood in awe as I admired the place while Ren and Dan were busy looking for something. And by the looks of it, they were arguing about which pair to take.

After a couple of minutes, they were back with a pair of pink flat shoes.

Why does this scene seem so familiar?

I gasped in delight. So they do have flats in this world!

They placed the shoes on the floor and helped me wear them. After that I gave them a look. "Why is this room full of clothing items?"

"That's because it is a closet." Said Dan, confirming something that I already expected. "This room is stored with clothes for guests. Every palace has one." My jaw dropped. All these items for guests?! They sure do put a lot of hospitality on their guests.

Boy if I was one of them then I would never leave. But I actually left. Once.

"Alright, enough gaping and let's go." Ren ushered us out of the room and we started walking again. As we were walking, We happen to pass by one of the many large windows of the castle and got a nice view of the sky. It was a beautiful day for a walk. I just wanted to go out and breathe in some fresh air.

One thing I like about this world is that the air is fresh and unpolluted. The air is always cold even under the glaring sun. I love how this world is thriving without destroying anything. I guess being on a break from technology is actually good. I don't crave for wifi that much now.

"Tonight's a full moon." He said. Ren looked up and nodded.

"Yeah. Can't wait for our night run." Ren then stretched his arm out as if he was warming his muscles up for a run.

Mean

while, I only look at both of them in confusion. "Why are guys taking a night run? Can't you just do it in the morning? You know, before the sun rises?"

Ren and Dan both looked at each other and laughed. Did I say something funny?

"I think you got it all wrong." Ren shook his head as he laughed.

"When Ren says taking a might run, we didn't mean in our human form." Dan explained.

Not in their human form? Does that mean..."Are you guys saying that you guys are gonna run in...your dog forms?"

As soon as they heard the word 'dog' they stopped laughing and glared at me. "Werewolves. Not dogs." Dan corrected. "And don't ever call us dogs." Ren added.

By the looks on their faces, they were pretty much offended.

Hm...

"But aren't wolves in the dog family?"

"Yes, but wolves are more cooler and powerful than dogs." Argued Ren.

"Wolves have sharp teeth, right?"

They nodded.

"They have furs."

A nod again.

"Have sensitive noses and ears."

They nodded again.

"They howl."

A nod.

I grinned. "Dogs do those things too." I have to bite my lips to keep myself from laughing, because the looks on their faces and their reactions were just hilarious.

"WE'RE NOT DOGS!!"

"WE'RE WEREWOLVES AND ALPHAS FOR THAT MATTER!!"

"Oh, okay." I shrugged. "So fetching my shoes for me today and during my second day here in the palace have nothing to do with it?" They gave me a murderous look as I continued laughing.

"No!" Said Ren grumpily.

"Well that's a snappy-answer." I said.

Dan 'hmphed'. "And to think that this is our thanks for saving you the other day in the woods.

"Well, you can thank Ace for helping you navigate. Or else you'll get lost and turn into a WHERE-wolf." I burst out laughing while the twins gave me a dead panned look before they looked at each other.

"I say we leave her here and her jokes about werewolves." Offered Dan to Ren.

"Yeah, agree." Ren nodded and they both turned their back to me and started to walk away. I stared at their backs for a few minutes thinking that they were joking and would eventually come back. But when they were already a few distance away, that's when I figured that they were really gonna leave me here.

"Yes!" I silently cheered. Now I can walk to the garden! But I actually forgot the way there. Then I saw the window in front of me. I opened it and started to climb out when someone pulled me back.

"Hey!" I protested.

"We were pouting!" Ren said.

"You were supposed to console us!" Dan continued.

"So? Not my problem."

"Do you hear that, Dan?"

"Nope. I didn't hear anything."

"You've got to be kidding me!!" I whined.

"Oh what was that?" Ren feinted hearing. "That doesn't sound like an apology."

"I wasn't apologizing!"

"Even so, we have a lesson. And one of the lessons is to use a door and not a window." Ren said.

"You royals are so...proper."

"Exactly." They both said at the same time and grinned at me. I gave them my 'oh come on look' as I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Uh uh. That's not very lady-like, princess." Said Ren and earned a glare from me.

"Oh I have a joke." Dan inserted. "What do you call a person who bites a werewolf while sleeping?" I don't know why but Ren burst out laughing as soon as the question escaped Dan's mouth.

I raised an eyebrow at Dan. Curiosity eating my head. Why is Ren laughing? "What?"

A corner of Dan's lips move into a smirk. "Easy. You." If possible, Ren laughed harder while I stood there looking confused.

"I don't get it."

Since Ren was too busy laughing, Dan answered me. "Well, my lady. If you haven't recalled, Ren and I were the ones who rescued you. Not only did we fight the rogues, but we were also the ones who brought you back." He said. "Ren here was the one who carried you on his back in his wolf form. And while you were sleeping, you bit him."

What did he say? I bit Ren?

I shifted my gaze to Ren who finally calmed a little. He met my gaze and he shrugged. "It's true. You bit me here- " He pointed to his right shoulder " - while muttering something about a deer potato salad."

A deer potato salad. I seem to recall having a dream about eating one of those after my encounter with a deer. But when I bit it, it tasted like.....fur.

Furr

My eyes went wide at the sudden realization as I looked from Ren to Dan. Both have a smirk on them. And just with those smirk, I could tell that everything they say is true. I gave them an embarrassed look. "I-I'm so sorry. It was all the deer's fault!"

"What deer?"

"Never mind." I muttered, pursed my lips, and shifted on my feet. "Um....thank you, by the way, for....you know.....saving me from the kitties-"

"Werecats." Dan corrected.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Would you mind? I'm trying to say thank you." Dan raised his hands in surrender and gestured for me to continue. "As I was saying...thank you both. And sorry for the trouble that I made."

"And?"

I raised an eyebrow at Ren. "And what?"

"And no more wolf jokes."

I sighed. "Fine. Just lead the way to my room." I said in defeat. The twins nodded at me in approval as they led the way. I followed suit as they led me up a set of stairs.

"So, Rose." Dan said after a moment of silence. "Since you're going to the ball, any idea on who would you pick as an escort?"

I looked at Dan. "An escort?"

Dan face palmed. "Oh I forgot. You're new to this 'ball thing.'" He quoted and turned towards me. "The Queen may not have informed you about this, but the ball is all for you."

"For me?" I asked. Slightly taken aback.

"Yes. Consider it as some sort of welcoming party." he said. To my right, Ren was listening intently to Dan. "So since you're the star of this party, you must enter with an escort."

I didn't say anything after that. I stared at Dan not knowing what to do next.

Dan rolled his eyes at me. "Rose? I was asking you if you have already decided one who your escort will be. Any person in mind?"

I made an 'O' with my mouth to show him I understood. "I don't."

He grinned and met his brother's eyes for a second before turning it back to me. "Good. Why not take Ren here as an escort?"

He motioned to his brother at my right.

"What?"

I swear that wasn't me who reacted. It was all Ren. If anyone should be reacting then it should be me.

But instead, I just stared at Dan as if he grew another head.

We turned to the right after climbing up the set of stairs.

"Why me and not you?" Ren questioned his brother.

"Because I am not you so it has to be you!" As if on cue, Ren and I both looked at Dan in a funny way. Can anyone make sense of what Dan had just said? Because it seriously sounded like blah blah to me.

Dan rolled his eyes at the both of us. "Kids." he muttered. "Okay. So how about this. Why don't we ask Rose if she's okay with you as an escort?"

"Girl you're talking about is right beside you." I inserted.

Ren looked as if he was thinking about it. "I don't know, Dan." He shrugged.

This time, Dan shifted his gaze to me and finally noticed my existence. Great! "So how about it, Rose? My brother as an escort? He's a great deal! He's a gentleman and he knows all about the ball and has experiences on how to escort a lady. Plus, who doesn't want the strong werewolf as an escort? They are good for being a bodyguard."

"Brother, you're making me sound like an item and not a person."

Nope. He just made you sound like you're a man-w***e.

Dan ignored Ren as he looked at me. "What do you say?"

I shrugged. "Sounds good." I said and turned to Ren. "You okay with that?"

Ren met my gaze and immediately turned away. "I guess so." he answered. I swear I was looking at Ren, but I could have sworn that I saw Dan doing a fist pump at the corner of my eye.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

We finally stopped in front of a huge double door. "This is it. Your room." said Dan and quickly cleared his throat. "So......is it final? Ren is your escort then?"

Ren and I looked at each other and nodded before I returned my gaze back to Dan. "I guess so."

Dan beamed widely. "Great!"

Why is he so happy?

I looked at Ren again. "So, escort. Be sure to fetch me at the ball, okay?" I smirked as it took the twins at least 3 seconds to realize that I just made another werewolf joke.

Once the twins realized what I had just said, they both frowned. Their faces are a mirror of each other's expressions. It's amazing how they can be alike and different at the same time.

Ren suddenly smirked at me and nudged his brother. As if reading his mind, Dan smirked too. Ren looked at me. "Okay, Rose. Keep up with your jokes. But don't go out on the balcony at night when the wolf howls or you'll fall asleep."

I gave Ren a confused look. "Is that a riddle or a joke?"

"Both actually." He said.

I just shrugged as I now turned the door knob and opened one of the doors of my door - if that makes any sense. I first took a tentative step and stopped as I took in the sight of my room. It was huge - with a capital H. It was twice the size of my old room in this palace. I have two large windows on the side and in between them is a huge glass double door that leads to the balcony. To my far left is a vanity table - bigger than my last - and two meters to its right is a white floral designed rectangular drawers with a bunch of flowers held in a vase on top of it. At the center of the room is a white furry carpet that contradicts the golden colored tiles of the room. Pretty much the common colors in the room is white and gold. To my left is a Queen sized bed with two side tables on each side. I even have a mini lounge!

"We'll have your lesson in here." Dan said.

"In my room?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Ren asked. "It's bigger than the room we were using."

Now that he mentions it...

"Can my lesson for today be, how to sleep properly without getting a stiff neck?" I asked hopefully.

"No." The twins said at the same time.

***

After the twins left my new room, I felt like taking a nap. They were better ladies than I am. They know how to act properly and, believe it or not, know how to use the right words that would please the nobles.

I buried my face on my new pillow. "If you please. It would be my honor. The pleasure is all mine." I mocked the lessons that I just learned from the twins.

"The way you talk is like a noble already, but your tone is lacking."

I tiredly turned towards Prince Nate, who was now standing in the middle of my room. "Should I even bother to ask how you got in here without knocking?"

"I came in just as the twins came out." He said.

"Figures."

Without looking at me, Nate headed for the door and opened it. A few maids came in to bring us our food. There was a small tea area in my room that was set aside by the twin for our lesson. Nate gestured for them to put it back in the middle. "I hope you don't mind if we start our lesson." Nate says as soon as the maids left.

"I'm hungry anyway." I said as I got up. I sat on the chair that Nate pulled back for me. Today we were having soup and some pasta. I waited for Nate to sit before grabbing the napkin on the table and placing it on my lap.

"Very good." Nate commented.

"Hey, Nate? I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I don't exactly mind getting ignored by the maids, but why doesn't the queen have an escort? Or, what would you call it? Ladies who serve her?"

Nate seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't royal people have people following them in order to serve them better?"

"No?" Nate wrinkled his nose. "Is that what the royals do in your world? They sound lazy. We were usually trained to be independent. We would only call for servants when we really need them. I don't know what humans in your world do, but here royals should learn how to take care of themselves so we wouldn't be spoiled."

"Well that does make sense." I said as I grabbed the spoon with the larger head as I tasted the soup.

Nate seemed pleased. "Since you asked me a question, may I ask one in return?"

"You may." My eyes widened when I said that unconsciously.

"Wow!" Nate gleamed and gave me a small clap. "The twins did a good job!" He chuckled. I grabbed a forked and pointed it at him. He raised his hands in surrender.

"What do you want to ask?"

Nate rubbed his chin. "What do humans picture us as vampires in your world?"

I tried to think of any facts about vampires from the movies. Probably the most common one. "Hmmm...that vampires are basically dead corpses that have sharp teeth, cold skin, drinks blood, and can't stand in the sunlight."

Nate furrowed his eyebrows at the last part of my sentence. "Your books got most of the facts though, but I think that you guys have mixed us up with the undead."

"Undead?" I asked. Is he talking about zombies?

"Undead." He confirmed. "They are the vampires who can't stand being in the sunlight."

I gave him a look as I tried to swallow his words. "Wait." I held up a finger. "Are you saying that there are other vampire breeds called the undead? You know, back in my world, the undead are referred to as zombies."

"Zombies?"

"Dead people coming to life and eating other people. The only way to kill them is by shooting their brain."

"That is disgusting." Nate wrinkled his nose as he stopped eating his pasta. "And no. All the vampires are of the same breed. I'm one of the living, a vampire who can stand in the sunlight and drinks animal blood to live. The undead, on the other hand, are basically the vampires that your book is talking about. They're dead. When a living vampire kills by draining the blood out of another supernatural, they die and are cursed to live in the shadows. They can't stand going out in the sun or they will dry. The only thing keeping them alive is by drinking supernatural blood."

I stared at Nate as I absorbed the new information that he just threw at me. So basically, their zombies are dead vampires coming to life. While Earth zombies are basically humans coming to life. Well humans don't really exist in this world so I guess their laws are very different.

Well it's not like zombies exist in my world in the first place.

"So what happens to the undead then? Do they also drink the good vampire's blood?" I asked.

The corner of Nate's mouth curved. "Interested, are we?" I glared at him. "Well, when a 'good vampire' becomes a 'bad vampire', we basically banish them from the kingdom. Now, they mostly live in the Kingdom of Tereau as their refuge. And yes, they do drink our blood. All types of supernatural blood."

I took in a deep breath. "Okay then. There are good vampires and bad vampires. Bad wolves and good wolves. What else? Grumpy old trolls?"

Nate looked to the side and shrugged. "You could say that. The world is vast."

I groaned and clutched my head as if the information that I was gathering was too much for my brain. Or maybe it was too much.

"It's weird you know?" He said as he looked at his untouched meal. "A few days ago, you were pretty much freaked out about the supernatural world. Now, it seems as if you're considering them. It's fascinating how much has changed in only a few days."

I only shrugged at Nate. "Well, I just kind of learned to accept it since....you know. I'm staying and all." For some reason, my voice seemed to become lower as I spoke.

He let out a short laugh. "I can't say I'm not happy about that, but just take it slow, okay? No rush. We're here to help you." He said and looked away as he spoke the next words. "And I'm glad that you're staying."

As if my lips have a mind of its own. It spoke. "Yeah. Me too."

Nate and I continued to eat. It was amazing how little he corrected my table manners this time. I enjoyed Nate's lesson a lot since it was the most 'chill' one out of all the lessons I am scheduled for. I would love to be in Fred's class to be honest, but comparing Nate and Fred's lessons well...I prefer to just sit and eat.

I'm sorry Prince Fred. You're still the best prince out there.

Once the lesson was done, Nate called for the servants to clean up.

He started to turn around as walked towards the door. When he was already in front of it, he paused as he turned to me. A small grin was plastered on his face. "I was about to ask you, you know."

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Just ask away."

"I was about to ask you if you'd like me to be your escort." He shrugged. "But I guess Ren beat me to it. But that's okay. I'll try again next time." He gave me a wink before he left. Making me wonder how he knew about it.

Once the door closed, a maid approached me and handed me a scroll canvas before she left. Out of curiosity, I unrolled it. What I saw there made me gasp. It was a sketch of me sleeping. The sketch was finely detailed as it followed the curve and outline of my face, hair, and dress. Whoever had made this has a skill in art.

Then my eyes darted towards the bottom right of the paper where the note was written in cursive.

The Runaway Princess

I chuckled at the title. I ran my thumb gently over the sketch. When I pulled it back my thumb was stained with charcoal. And my mind quickly had a mini flashback of someone holding this paper and gliding a charcoal pen over it while I was laying down on a bed.

Nate.

For some unknown reason, I smiled. I never really thought that Nate could actually draw or that he would be giving me a sketch.

"Oh crap. I'm gonna be late." I muttered as I placed the sketch on my side table and went out of my room.

"Rose?" A voice suddenly said behind me, making me jump a little in surprise. I turn around only to see Prince Fred looking down on me. "I came here to get you. And," He raised his hand to show me the red cloak. "to return this to you."

"I thought I lost it! Did you go back and get it?"

"Actually, I found it in the garden." Fred said. Unsure of what he just said.

"Does it come with a magic to return to its owner?" I asked in wonder as I took the cloak and carefully folded it.

"It does since it would cause a conflict with its current magic."

"Thanks." I told him. "Can you wait here while I put this in my room?" I asked. Fred nodded. I quickly returned to my room and threw the cloak on my bed. I'll...fix that later.

When I returned I smiled at the sight of Fred. "How'd it go with the others?" He asked to change the subject.

I shrugged. "Well, Ace was pretty strict, the twins were brutal, and Nate was pretty nice and chill."

"Figures." He said and composed himself. "I hope you'll like my lessons like you do with prince Nathaniel."

I beamed at him. I was obviously biased to him from the start. "I'm sure I will."

Fred chuckled and offered me his hand. I looped my arm around his and we made our way to the ballroom. "You're not gonna take your decision back, are you?" Fred gave me a look as he asked the question. We were already in the ballroom and headed towards the center where we first practiced dancing.

"What decision?"

"The ball."

"No. Why?"

He smiled at me before turning his attention back in front of him. "Good. So now I will ask you a favor that I have been itching to ask."

"What is it?"

"Save me for your last dance?"

My throat went dry at his words. It was like I had forgotten how to speak. My ears couldn't believe what they had just heard. For a few seconds, I stared at Prince Fred and waited for him to say something like, 'Just kidding' and laugh at my face, but he didn't. Instead, his face was a mask of seriousness. But being the girl who had countless fallen for his jokes, I didn't buy it.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Who says I'm kidding?" He countered. I studied Fred for a long time. He wasn't kidding?

"So what do you say, Princess Rose?"

"Don't call me a princess."

"Well I have to say something to get your attention." He smiled at me playfully.

I thought about it for a moment. "Well...."

Fred noticed my hesitation. For just a few seconds, I saw disappointment in his eyes as we descended from the stairs, but it had gone quickly as was replaced with a smile which he directed at me.

He is serious, isn't he?

"Sorry. Forget what I-"

"Alright."

He must have been caught off guard at my response for he suddenly stopped walking just to look at me. There was a surprised look on his face as he studied me. His jaw dropped for a few seconds before he recovered. "Are you sure? Because if you don't want to then you can just tell me."

I looked at him. "What? Now you want me to tell you no?"

"No." I raised an eyebrow. Realizing what he had just said, he immediately corrected himself. "What I meant was.....I'd be happy to be your last dance for the night but-"

I held my palm up to shut him up. "You want me to go to the dance with you and I said yes. That's it. No need for explanation. This conversation is getting confusing the more alibis we give."

There was a ghost of a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "As you wish, princess." He said in a low voice that I wouldn't have heard it if I weren't so close to him.

"I don't get why the way you call me princess seems like you are teasing for some reason."

He let out a small chuckle as we started dancing. Instantly, the music played.

Throughout the whole time, I was glaring at Fred as I really tried to keep an eye contact.

Fred chuckled. "I guess this is the closest thing to an eye contact as we can get."

"Sorry." I admitted.

"It's alright. The ball starts in a week so we have plenty of time to fix your...glare."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

***In the Garden***

The little wolf kept hidden in the shade to avoid the glaring sun. He would often venture out into the woods to hunt and drink. But he would always go back in order to be close to her.

The little wolf whimpered as he saw his master dancing with the blonde man from before. He really wanted to meet with his master and bond with her. But the blonde man took the cloak and now he has no way to approach her. But he saw his master seemed happy, so he doesn't really mind.

He would just continue to watch over her until the time is right for them to meet.