A Very Awkward Romance

The ball was magnificent. If you cared for such things. The reality behind such an extravagant affair lay with the royal family and their last-ditch effort marry off the Crown prince. They were hoping he would choose a bride he would be happy with, rather than having them arrange one for him. Unfortunately for the King and Queen, the Prince had questionable taste and unrealistic standards. Even when the daughters of Ally nations, royalty, attended these large events, he mostly ignored them. On this night, the daughters of nobles were specifically requested to make an appearance. Her 'parents' insisted she go and take part. Much like the Royal family, they too were holding out hope that their offspring would find a match among those present. If she were to catch the eye of the prince, even better. But she had no interest in getting married, and definitely had no interest in being married off to the Crown Prince. Despite her parents decking her out in the finest silk dress a Duke could afford, she was unconcerned when it came to the results of this ball. She had read the book, she knew the story, and she was destined to be engaged to multiple suitors, one after the other, until she gets kidnapped and rescued by a no-name knight, just for her family to marry her off to him as his reward for finding her. The book in her personal opinion, was tragic, and did not have any business being considered a historical romance. The ballroom, full of beautiful women, was the perfect place for her to blend in. She merely needed to find the right gaggle of girls to get lost in. Unfortunately for her, most of them were all about the Crown Prince and were following him everywhere he went. She sighed heavily. She watched as one young woman approached him, batting her eyes and giggling like an i***t. The Crown Prince looked absolutely miserable. She looked at her mother, who kept glaring daggers at her from across the ballroom, clearly unhappy with her for not throwing herself at the Prince. Honestly, she pitied the poor man. She noticed her mother gesturing in her direction as she talked to a young nobleman, drawing his attention towards her. She took that as her cue to see herself out. She slipped away from the crowded Ballroom to find the refreshments. That, at least, is what she would say if anyone stopped her. Her silk dress whispered across the marble floors as she walked down a seemingly empty corridor. As the music faded behind her, she took a deep breath and let down her guard. Humming happily to herself for making a quick getaway, she twirled before colliding with the Crown Prince, who was coming out of an adjoining hallway. He barely reacted; he simply studied her with his deep, black, blue eyes, sending a chill down her spine. His raven hair falling just right, his broad shoulders were not so broad as to make his trim waist look out of place. He was everything a Romance novel crown prince should be, physically, at least. The intensity in his stare would have made her swoon in her past life. With his looks and his commanding presence, she would have folded like a wet paper towel. "Lost Already? Lady Esbeth?" His deep voice could very well be described as velvety and deep. The kind that would make women shiver right out of their clothes if they did not know him as she did. She did read that ridiculous book and knew this man's playbook by heart. The main character, Esbeth, had loved him and pursued him relentlessly in the story. She was beyond elated to have woken in Esbeth's body, long before she started embarrassing herself. "Or are you avoiding me, specifically?" "Avoiding my mother, actually. Avoiding you, Prince Ambrose, would be much easier." The prince smirked in a way that did not sit right with her and it set off a lot of alarm bells in her head. He took a deliberate step closer, invading her personal space. His eyes drift down to her chest, and despite the many layers of the ridiculous Victorian-like layering, she felt very exposed in front of him. His gaze was like he could see her naked despite all the fabric between them and she shuddered mentally. "Most of the women here would give their left tit to be alone with me, and here you are, alone with me and all you can think about is avoiding your mother?" His eyes drifted back up to her face. She gave him the dullest look she could muster as he reached out and held the loose hair that framed her face, letting is slide between his fingers before it settled back into it's place. In the modern world she would have threatened to deck him for touching her, royalty or not. In this world, though, she was not trying to get herself executed. So she thought of another way out. "Do not take this personally, your highness...' She smiled sickly sweet at him. 'I could not care less about you. The very idea of becoming royalty makes me want to upchuck, very publicly, in the most unladylike fashion conceivable." Prince Ambrose's smirk turned into a full-blown grin. His eyes glittered with amusement. She frowned. This was not the reaction she was wanting. Disgust or revulsion would have been preferable. He leaned in, making her uncomfortable, and she instinctively took a step back, bumping into the wall. 'Ugh'' She groaned inwardly as it happened, 'cliché cringe moment.' She groaned inwardly as it happened, 'cliché cringe moment.' "Upchuck? How delightfully crass of you. Does your mother know you speak like that?" His tone almost sounded like he was threatening to tattle on her, and she scowled. "I feel like I should be offended at such a vulgar display of disinterest, but instead I am finding myself intrigued." "Don't be. If you show even the most remote bit of interest in me, I will be forced to behave in ways that will horrify your parents, and mortify mine." She threatened. His laughter was low and genuine, yet another response she was not wanting. "Lady Esbeth, if you could accomplish such a feat, I would be eternally grateful. My mother has been trying to marry me off for three years. What I would not give to see her face if you were to act like a proper hellion in front of them." He moved even closer, her back pushing hard against the wall. "You would give anything? As in enough money for me to escape my family and live abroad on my own?" She asked, trying to be as off-putting as possible. His eyes lit up with amusement as he leaned against the wall next to her, his arm brushing against hers. He was clearly enjoying this conversation and she was getting increasingly frustrated at his inability to take a hint and bugger off. He sighed heavily. "I could pay you enough gold to start a whole new life abroad....All you would have to do is create a scene so scandalous at my wedding that my father would disown me just to avoid the embarrassment." He said. "I'd offer you a small fortune - enough gold to start a new life somewhere far away from royal duties and meddling parents.