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His smirk simply grew as he realized who she was. "Well, I'm always up for helping a pretty lady out. May I escort you to the throne room?" he asked as he held out a hand. His long and slender fingers were covered with different styles of carved rings. One intricately carved ring was hanging on a chain around his neck.
Her eyes flickered down to his hand, studying the rings for a moment before she took the offered hand. "It would be much appreciated, thank you. Though I think the term pretty might be stretching the facts." He looks….familiar.
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He chuckled and led her through the hall. "You're too modest, milady," he insisted, still looking down at her as he walked through the hall to the throne room. So she's one of the women my mom handpicked for me to choose from? I wonder how this whole thing will turn out to be.
"Or not." She said, shaking her head as her blush deepened just a bit. She reached up, tucking a loose tendril of golden hair behind her ear. "It's nothing more than a fact." She turned her gaze to their surroundings, figuring it best to learn the route.
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Soon enough, they made it to the throne room. "You weren't too far off, just missed a turn," he said. He opened the double doors and swept a hand towards the room, gesturing for her go ahead. His emerald green eyes brightened yet again in amusement when he saw her blush.
"That explains it." Lily nodded, wrinkling her nose at herself. "Something tells me it'll continue to happen, for a while." She turned back to him, once she had stepped into the throne room, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, for the directions. I probably would have continued to get more and more lost. Er-I never caught your name?"
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His eyes sparkled as he offered her a lopsided smile. "It doesn't matter. I'm no one worth knowing." He left with a small wave before she could respond, heading over to his chambers to change. That was where he was originally going to go before Lily had run into him.
She frowned in confusion, tilting her head as she watched him disappear. Strange man. Shaking her head, she turned around, looking around the empty throne room. She was early, apparently, giving her time to gather herself as she waited.
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Five minutes later, a bunch of noble-looking women started streaming into the throne room. They all glared at each other and bickered and participated in petty arguments over who was the best fit for the prince. Not long after the last woman entered, the Queen herself entered the throne room and sat on her elegant throne. "Silence," she ordered calmly. All of the women shut their traps almost immediately.
The Queen looked down at them from where she sat on the dais. "I present to you all, Crown Prince Rhydar." Her elegant and dignified voice rung loud and clear through the silent room. She looked off to the side, where a door was opened by two guards. Walking through the door, the prince emerged. He was now changed into the outfit his mother picked out for him.
Lily had kept quiet as the other women entered the hall, watching them bicker with a slightly bored expression. They all seemed to take this too seriously, as though their entire lives hinged on this. Ironic, considering. The Queen's arrival caught her attention, and she turned to watch the woman, admiring her ability to shut the women in the room up with a single word.
It was the Prince's arrival that garnered a noticeable reaction from her, though. Her eyes widened as she recognized the man who had given her directions earlier. The man she'd walked right into, too busy reading to even look up. Oh, dear Gods.
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Rhydar stood at attention next to the Queen on the dais, though he did have a bit of a bored look on his face as he scanned the women gathered before him. His gaze snagged on Lily, and the barest tug could be seen at the corner of his lips before he moved on.
The Queen folded her hands over her lap, back straight and lips turned down in a slight frown. "You all know why you are here—to earn the honor of being the bride of the Crown Prince. I do not care how you seek to accomplish this goal of yours, but I do request no violence or sabotage. Balls and dinners will be held for this event, where you can attempt to earn this honor. Are there any questions before I send you all to your chambers to await tonight's ball?"
There's a ball tonight? Oh, great. Lily bit down on her bottom lip, gaze flickering between the Queen, and Rhydar. She didn't have any questions, none of that much importance, anyway. She wasn't here to win his heart or hand in marriage. And that was the second flicker of hesitation. He had seemed…nice. Paired with his sister's obvious care for him, this looked like it might be a bit harder than she'd originally planned.
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(Question: Is there a specific reason she wants to kill him? Cuz there kinda needs to be a motive)
The Queen flicked her fingers in dismissal, standing up once again and exiting the throne room. The women were allowed to mill about for a few minutes before they had to retire to their chambers in preparation for the ball. Rhydar stepped off the dais, and all the women instantly flocked towards him. He deftly avoided most of them but some he stopped to flirt with for some time before moving on.
((There IS, I'm just a dumbass and trying to flesh it out. I'm thinking it'll tie into her backstory? But we all know I'm stupid and can't brain for shit))
Lily turned to leave as soon as they were dismissed, her hand reaching into her pocket to pull out the photo she carried for comfort. Only-it wasn't there. Blinking, she patted her other pockets, brows pulling into a frown. Did I drop it somewhere?
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(You'll get there, I believe in you!)
Rhydar finally managed to escape the horde of women and came up behind Lily. "Looking for something?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement. He had her photo tucked between his index and middle finger, holding it up for her to see when she turned around.
Lily spun around in surprise, her eyes widening as she spotted her photo. "How-" She blinked, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes at him. "Either I dropped it, and you found it, or you're the reason it's missing in the first place. Something tells me it's not the former."
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He smirked and handed her the photo. "Option three is quite likely," he said, not outright admitting his theft. Then he winked at her and crossed his arms. "Told you I'm no one to know." He still had the usual plethora of earrings, the double brow piercing, and the lip piercing. The rings remained present as well, though the leather bracelets and the chain were absent.
"I think both of us know that's definitely not the case." She said, scanning the photo quickly for any signs of damage, before tucking it away once more. She had to admit, she could see why women were falling all over themselves to talk with him, at least appearance-wise. "Do you pickpocket all people you come across, or just a select few?"
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"Oh, don't feel special. I pickpocket everyone any chance I got. Pretty sure I just picked up a few pieces of jewelry worth a pretty penny," he said with a snicker, tapping his rings against each other as he talked. He was fidgety, and he usually moved his fingers in some way. Though, he was surprisingly steady and meticulous when it came to thieving.
"Because having my possessions stolen is what makes me feel special." She quipped sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I want so badly to tell you to return those, but I have to admit, they probably won't notice." Her jewelry free hands fidgeted with her sleeves as she flickered a glance to the women filtering slowly out of the room, looking back at Rhydar and Lily.
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He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I'm kidding. I don't have the spare pockets for all that useless stuff." He looked back over his shoulder and stepped away from Lily slightly. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you. Milady." He sketched a bow with a smirk, then started walking away.
She shook her head, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips as she quite fiddling with her sleeves to lift her hand in a small wave. "I guess I'll be seeing you tonight, then." She turned, her hands finding their place in her pockets as she made a face. Formal events were never her thing, on the rare occasion she had to deal with them. This should be interesting.
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Rhydar walked back to his room, immediately changing out of the snazzy clothes and opting for something more comfortable.
Cinthia snatched up Lily the moment she spotted her coming out of the throne room, linking her arm through hers. "I managed to get you a room next to mine," she said by greeting, "and I've made it my mission to pick out a dress for you. I'm playing matchmaker with you and Rhydar, and you can't say no."
"You're-what?" Lily blinked in confusion, attempting to wrap her head around all three statements. "You're picking my dress? And what's this about matchmaking?" She shook her head, trying desperately not to tense up at the sudden and unexpected contact. It was easier to deal with when she initiated it, or when she knew it was coming.
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Cinthia slipped her arm from Lily's, now sure that she would follow. "Yes, I'm picking your dress. And I've chosen you as my favorite person around here. I'm going to do my best to get you two to get all cuddly and in love." She, herself, didn't care much for contact with strangers, but it was mostly because of her Seer abilities. With close friends, she was always hooking an arm around them, hugging them, so on and so forth.
"You-you really don't have to do that. Either of those, you know." Lily said, her shoulders visibly relaxing as Cinthia released her. She was once again struck with the same self-loathing that always followed not being able to handle such an innocent touch, and her fingernails dug into her palms.
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"I don't have to, but I want to." She clasped her hands together as her eyes widened a fraction. "Oh, right. Wolf wants to meet you as well, so he can help judge as well. What do you say?" she asked, looking over at Lily with a slightly tilted head. Though she technically could order Lily to do as she said, she didn't want to. She didn't like using her power for things like that—if at all. She'd much rather ask for permission than forgiveness.
"That would be your other brother?" She looked over at Cinthia, tilting her head as she thought. It was a decent distraction, the new topic. "If you're sure he wants to meet me, the sure, I guess." She did appreciate the choices Cinthia gave her, knowing very well the other girl outranked her in every way.
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"Yes, my twin," she clarified, as she had yet another brother–Magnus, but he was out on a trip with his wife. "So you okay with everything?" she asked for confirmation, leading her through the halls towards the chambers of the royal children. They stayed in rooms separate from their parents, a fact that none of them minded.
She nodded in confirmation, her hands unclenching slowly in her pockets as they chatted. She wasn't quite sure how, but something about Cinthia tended to put her at ease. "Yes, I am. I'll likely have to meet him eventually, right? Better now than later."
