I #2
Y/N's bedroom was modest and cozy, with a white double bed in the corner of the room, a wardrobe for all her clothing and necessities, a private washroom, and a little desk where she could continue with her studying.
The thing that made it special was the view outside the window, which gave her a perfect view of the palace garden.
She could picture herself sitting at her desk and wasting time admiring the scenery right in front of her when she should've been working.
She saw that all her bags had been arranged in a neat row next to the wardrobe and made quick work of unpacking her belongings and organizing her room.
She decided to display the few books she brought with her from home on her windowsill, considering that this room was lacking a bookshelf and her desk didn't have enough room for them either.
Once all her clothes and toiletries were put away, she sank down on her bed and felt relieved.
She allowed herself to enjoy the peace and quiet of her room and closed her eyes.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten in hours, and the pathetic sandwich she had packed for her trip hadn't done much to satisfy her hunger.
She sat up and turned to the clock. 6 PM.
She realized she didn't know when her food would be delivered, and she needed at least a small snack to hold herself over before then.
Defeatedly getting off her bed she decided to get directions from anyone working to the kitchen and get something to eat.
Entering the hallway outside her door, she saw no one.
She was met with the choice of whether she wanted to go left or right.
Realizing she should just retrace her steps to where she entered from, she turned right.
She looked at the decorations of the place in fascination.
She was impressed with how high the ceiling was and how the walls seemed to glisten with golden light flooding in from the windows.
The maids clearly took their jobs very seriously.
She continued making turns here and there and still couldn't seem to find her way back to the main entrance.
Growing slightly frustrated from her growing hunger and inability to navigate these winding corridors, she picked up her pace only to run right into a hard body.
Stumbling backwards in a bit of a panic she quickly makes to apologize to the stranger only to be met with an ethereal golden gaze. A man.
He too looked at her in surprise before making an expression that he was waiting for her to say something, but her words caught in her throat.
He was beautiful. His short blond hair fell over his face in a way that framed his strong jawline perfectly.
He held a sharp, golden gaze on her, and his lips had a light, dusty pink hue, accentuating his already beautiful face.
His skin had not one imperfection on it.
The red and golden suit he wore was tailored to perfection and looked like it had been made for his body, with his broad shoulders filling it out perfectly.
Being (height), Y/N could tell he was at least 6 feet tall, nobility of some kind.
While she was distracted in her assessment of his appearance, the man had grown tired of the girl wasting his time, not uttering a single word, so he snapped his fingers in front of her face to wake her from her trance.
Seemingly realizing she had been checking him out, Y/N regained her composure and finally started speaking, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"
The man scoffed, "Took you long enough. Do they not teach manners where you're from? Who do you think you are, wasting my time waiting for you to get your shit together and apologize for your mistake? Next time, try being aware of your surroundings like any normal functioning human."
Y/N gaped at him in shock. She hadn't expected such an ugly attitude from such a beautiful man.
She didn't know how to respond to his remarks and felt a tiny bit of rage in the pit of her stomach.
All she did was run into him and send both of them stumbling back a bit.
He acted like she had just insulted 5 generations of his family and did backflips on their graves.
The man was clearly trying to instigate something with her because he looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something back.
"I apologize from the bottom of my heart, my good sir. I understand how inconvenient it is for me to take up more than a millisecond of your time with my misstep. It's my fault for not having X-ray vision and being able to see through the wall and know that you were approaching.
I hope you can accept my sincerest apology," she spat at the man sarcastically with a fake smile on her face.
Aside from the fact that she was exhausted from all the travelling, starting to become overwhelmed by her new surroundings, and starving, the last thing she needed to deal with was a rude prick who clearly thought himself above her. The rich were the bane of her existence.
The man laughed half-heartedly at her response before taking a step towards her.
"You would do well to remember who you're speaking to right now. I am not sir; I am your highness. And you will watch your tongue around me, peasant, lest you want to be punished for speaking out of turn," he declared, staring down at her as he got closer, but Y/N held her ground.
Forget everything she had said about him being beautiful; looking at him made her sick.
She recalled the stories the girls in her village would pass on to each other about how charming and kind the Prince of Renetia was.
His words were as smooth as butter, and he could make you feel like you were the only girl in the world.
Flowers bloomed where he walked, and he was a kind and gentle soul.
Whoever his soulmate was was blessed by the gods and must've saved an entire nation in their past life.
Clearly his reputation was highly exaggerated.
"You're Prince Lennox?" she asked trying to hide her surprise.
"Yes, and you my dear are in my way. So, unless you plan to take responsibility for making me late to a council meeting with," he eyed her modest clothing "people who are much more important and powerful than yourself, you best move out of the way.
I genuinely cannot stand all the charity cases walking around the castle."
he states with a slightly disgusted look on his face.
His final comment left her speechless. A charity case?
Had he truly just made an assumption about her based on the clothes she was wearing?
They were clothes that the average person would wear.
Just because she wasn't dripping in gold meant he didn't need to treat her like a human being.
Her exasperation was immeasurable. What the hell was this guy's deal?
Realizing it was probably in her best interest to genuinely apologize to him, but being too prideful to do so, she walked right past him and continued her journey to find the kitchen.
Blessed by the gods my ass. I pray for whatever poor soul is stuck with that rotten bastard.
She wondered if her interaction with the prince would truly have any long-lasting consequences.
There were so many workers in the palace that there was no way he would even remember her face, right?
But then again, he didn't seem like the type to let people "disrespect" him and get away with it.
Y/N groaned in frustration. All she had wanted was something to eat.
She hadn't even been in the castle for a full day and already was managing to find herself in trouble.
It was only after going over the situation for the millionth time did she manage to find someone who could point her in the direction of the kitchen.
After a bit more walking, she began to pick up on the smell of the most delicious roast chicken that she began to pick up the pace.
Knocking on the doorframe of the kitchen, the head chef turns to look at her.
"Hi, do you happen to have any fruits or small snacks I could have before dinner?" she asked sheepishly.
The man looked at her, confused. "Dinner was just sent out to everyone."
Y/N looked at him exasperatedly. She had gone through all that mental anguish for nothing.
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