forum Kill The Prince, Steal The Crown // Private rp

Started May 30, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

Yvonne moved silently through the palace halls, a bundle of fabric held carefully in her arms as she made her way towards her destination. She had learned early on never to make a sound while working, to remain faceless and unnoticed. Servants weren't supposed to be seen. They were just supposed to get their work done.

And her job right now was a delivery. Uri, the head of staff, had summoned her to give her the job, handing her the dress she'd been ordered to pick up by the Queen before sending her off. It really was a gorgeous dress, the red fabric soft and silky in her arms. But somehow, it didn't quite seem like something the small woman it was meant for would wear. From what Yvonne had seen, she preferred blending in, not standing out, no matter the fact that it didn't seem very easy for her to here. Hopefully, she would like it, though- "Oh, dear! I am so sorry! I wasn't looking where I-your Highness, please, forgive me."

~~

Lily hummed happily as she fiddled with the flowers in the vase on the nightstand in her room, a soft smile gracing her lips, which was somewhat of a rarity. Already, the servants had apparently picked up on her love of flowers. Ever since she and Rhydar had gotten back, she'd been buzzing with a strange sort of warmth at something like that being noticed, and further given to her. It was such a strange occurrence, but it made her happy.

The song she hummed filled the room with a particular energy, a charged but serene feeling like that of a cool breeze, or the water of a small stream lapping at one's feet. If someone looked close enough, they could almost see it. Little thin ribbons of color in the air, barely even visible, but shimmering as the flowers in front of her shifted, petals folding a little and opening again, along with her song.

Wolf was strolling through the palace, searching for his twin so they could match outfits. It was a thing they liked to do, especially for big events like this ball. Though it made them stand out a little more, it also kept them safe from people trying to sweep them off to the dance floor, as it gave them an excuse to stick together. They'd usually hang around the concession stand, Cinthia swiping sweets and Wolf nursing a drink or two…or three. He glanced around the hallway and, upon seeing no one, stopped and peeked into the future, momentarily going blind. In his mind's eye, he saw Cinthia putting a green dress on, her hair straightened with the help of some magic.

A small body hit him, and he blinked, his eyes going back to normal—as normal as possible, as he had green colored contacts in. He grabbed onto the person that had bumped into him, and he smiled softly at the female servant furiously apologizing. "No forgiveness needed, hun. We were both to blame for the simple mistake." He glanced down at the bundle in the woman's arms and tilted his head to the side. "Who's that for, might I ask?"

"Oh, um, it's for Ms. Song, your Highness. One of the Crown Prince's 'guests'." Yvonne stuttered out, carefully avoiding actually looking Wolf in the eyes. She wasn't supposed to talk to anyone that high up. She did, however, keep her gaze on his face, which might have been pushing it a bit. But she was talking to a prince, and there was something weirdly exciting about that to her. "The Queen ordered the dress to be delivered, so I was on my way to do so."

Wolf tilted his head to the other side like a curious puppy, letting go of the servant girl after knowing she was steady. "Ah, in that case, I can deliver them. I was just about to go on my way to my twin's room, and they're not that far apart. That is, if you don't mind. I can escort you there if you'd rather." His lips twitched up in amusement and appreciation at the girl's boldness as she spoke to him with her gaze on his face. He wasn't used to it, and it was a nice breath of fresh air. He might keep an eye out for this girl. He opened his mouth when he realized something, smiling softly. "I don't believe I caught your name."

Yvonne arched a brow, for a moment forgetting her place as she met his eyes, considering. It was her job, and she was supposed to follow orders. But he was a prince, and didn't that mean he had the right to give her orders? "If you would like to, you may." She said after a moment, holding out the dress somewhat. "What does my name matter? No offense, of course, your Highness. I'm just not exactly someone who's name matters much to anyone."

Wolf smiled and took the dress, careful of the fabric, as he's grown to know how women treated their clothing—not from Cinthia, of course. "No need for formalities, miss. And I might be a prince, but I'm still a simple man, and it'd be rude of me to not ask for your name." He smiled kindly and met her gaze, not discouraging her from treating him like an equal. Ranks didn't matter to him in the slightest.

"Yvonne, then." She said, tilting her head in greeting. Much easier than bowing, she had to admit. Preferable even. "Though, I find it very hard to believe the words 'simple man' could ever be used to describe you. In any context." Yvonne said, shaking her head and fighting a smile. "You know Ms. Song, then? What is she like?"

Wolf chuckled and ran his free hand through his hair absentmindedly. "Trust me, I'm not a very elaborate person, however my mother would love to make you believe. Same goes for…most…of my siblings." He shifted and bit the corner of his bottom lip, thinking over Yvonne's question. "She's a sweet thing. Not very outspoken, but kind and considerate. Cute, I suppose." He shrugged.

"A very specific type of person." Yvonne commented with a nod, folding her hands in front of her as she shifted on her feet, into a more comfortable stance. "She is the one who's been spending some time with the Crown Prince, yes? Another servant told me he's been avoiding the other guests." She wasn't much one for gossip, but it was kind of romantic, to her. "Pardon the question, but have you not yet found someone to court? And would that mean you would be partaking in an event like this at some point?" Maybe not a gossip, but curious.

Wolf laughed slightly, clearly amused by that. "Ah, if my mother were to throw an event such as this for me, she would be on her death bed before it would be effective. Besides," he added with an indifferent shrug, "having me wed might be ideal as a prince, but I'm the last in the line for the throne. It'd be pointless to waste her efforts on me." He rolled his eyes and made a sour face. "That is, pointless unless it was for some sort of political gain. If that's the case, you'd be seeing even less of me, even more so than my brother."

“So that makes you safe, then. From the pressure of marriage, for now.” She said, tilting her head as though asking for confirmation. Reaching up, she swept her reddish brown locks from her face, the strands coming loose from the bun she kept her hair in most times. “Do you ever wish to marry? Most people do, at some point.” Not herself. Marriage was something far from her mind, and she would much rather bring herself to a better financial situation before even thinking of such things.

He nodded in response to her first statement, then shrugged and shifted a bit awkwardly. "Perhaps, though that'd be a bit difficult." He smiled, though it held a tinge of sadness. "If I ever find the right person, I'll let you know how I feel about it then." The likelihood of him ever getting a love life was slim to nothing, and gaining approval from the masses would be even more difficult—if it was even possible. It was a hard thing to accept, but it is what it is, and there's nothing he can do to change that. He couldn't even fake it, either.

“I wish you the best of luck finding that love, then, your Highness.” Yvonne said softly, lips finally quirking up into that smile. She curtsied almost cheekily, straightening again and meeting his eyes. He hadn’t said anything about it, hadn’t told her to keep her place and remember who she was compared to him. “You’ll find it. The gods have plans for everyone, do they not?”

Wolf smiled back at her, bowing at the waist in an elaborate movement with an arm on either side of his torso, a kind grin finally making an appearance as he straightened back up. "I suppose they do, sweet. I should know." He tipped his head to the side and seed to come to a realization. "Right, speaking of, I should get this delivered. The ball is to begin shortly, and Mother wouldn't care much for the Crown Prince being late."

“Right, right, I should get along as well.” She nodded a couple of times, adjusting her skirts and motioning to the dress he was holding. “Make sure that gets safely to Ms. Song, or the Queen will have my head. Good day…What exactly would you like me to call you, your Highness? Other than your Highness?”

He waved his hand in a vague manner. "Wolf is perfectly fine. Preferred, actually. 'Your Highness' just feels stuffy and way too formal for my taste, like I'm playboy richy-rich." He scrunched his nose in distaste, then smiled. "I'll see you 'round, sweet. Perhaps at the ball?" He tilted his head in question.

“I will be working the ball, yes. Most of the staff are required that day, unless they absolutely can’t make it.” Yvonne arched a brow, smiling at him. “If you would like first pick of the appetizers, I can arrange that.” She was offering to stop and talk to him, if he wanted. It was nice, having someone else to talk to, beyond her coworkers. And he was one of the first nice royals she’d actually interacted with, all of the family’s guests preferring to send her off as soon as possible.

Wolf smiled at her in return, catching her meaning. "I'd love to," he responded with a wink, then sighed and took a step back. "Well, I should be on my way. I'll see you at the ball, then," he said, bowing his head to her with a smiling twinkle to his eyes, then turned on his heel and strode down the hall to the bedrooms. He hated just walking out of the conversation like that, but his mother would flay them both alive if things didn't turn out just perfect for her—mainly them both being late to their respective jobs. He wouldn't want to be responsible for Yvonne getting fired just for talking to him.

Yvonne shook her head softly, huffing a laugh as she turned to continue on her way. Now that this was, essentially, completed, she had to report back to Uri, and receive her next orders. Her steps were light, still silent, but happier, after the friendly interaction.

Even the impending ball couldn't quite dampen Lily's spirits. It was like she was coasting along, on the warm memory of her and Rhydar's failed date. Failed or not, it had ended better than anything she could have imagined. He had told her he loved her so many times that the word felt tattooed in her memory, alongside the comfort of him in general. Fates, how had she gotten so lucky?

Wolf stopped when he found Lily's room, knocking on the door. "Lily?" he called, then added with a slight chuckle, "It's Wolf, your thief's baby brother." He and Lily hadn't really had any time to get to know each other, what with Rhydar sweeping her off her feet every chance he got. Maybe he could use this time to get to know her a bit better. It's not like he'd try to take her from his brother—he was neither cruel nor interested—so sticking around for a bit might not hurt. That is, if she didn't mind. He could come up with the excuse of knowing how to navigate dresses due to his twin constantly needing help.

Lily looked up from the flowers she was playing with, uncrossing her legs. She'd pulled a chair over a few minutes ago, and had the vase in her lap now. When her happy humming stopped, the magic in the air began to fizzle out, though it would linger for a little while longer. "Come in! The door's unlocked. And what does that mean, 'my' thief?" She added, tilting her head as the door opened, brows furrowed curiously.

Wolf smiled and laughed softly, closing the door behind him and setting the dress down on the bed. "It means you two are so clearly in love with one another—and that you've got my brother wrapped around that little finger of yours." He sat next to the dress and propped his elbow on his knee, holding his head up. "Clear to me, at least. Mostly because I've grown up with him and never actually seen Rhydar in love, despite him being a notorious flirt. Quite honestly, I thought he'd never find someone." He gestured to Lily with his free hand. "And then you came along and changed that."

Lily's cheeks flushed, and she looked down at the flowers in her lap to avoid the gaze of the prince, biting her lip for a moment. "O-oh. I didn't-realize we were quite that obvious…" She said, eyes flickering back up to him. "Has he really never been in love before either?" She asked, a moment of curious doubt giving her the confidence to ask. She wanted to know, from someone else close to him.

Wolf shifted and leaned back a bit, folding his legs so he was sitting cross-legged. "I, ah, I suspected that he was never really interested in anyone like that. The only reason he'd be eyeing someone up and down would be to see if there was anything on them worth something. No getting doe-eyed or helplessly in love with someone, no putting someone before his own needs, nothing he does with you." Wolf twisted his face up and groaned, flopping back on the bed with a sigh. "Wish I could say I'm any different, but I'm not that far off. For reasons. I guess he doesn't have any reasons beyond what I already told you earlier."

Lily set the vase back on the table, running a hand through her hair as she stood. "Doe eyed? I really don't-" She shook her head, figuring that it was sort of hopeless to argue with him. Especially because she knew, deep down, that if she made the same expression, he probably did too. "Reasons? I understand that. It was a surprise, to find myself feeling anything like this, after…everything. But my reasons were most definitely different." She stepped over to the bed, sitting gently down beside him and arching a brow. "Should you decide you need someone to talk to, about those reasons, I would be willing to lend an ear."

Wolf opened his mouth, then closed it, seemingly nervous. He would've asked if Lily would tell anyone, but one glance over at the girl told him all he needed to know. He supposed it would be good to finally confess this to someone instead of hiding it, bottling it up and letting it eat away at his heart. "I, uh, umm. . ." he started, hesitantly, wondering how he should even start. He settled on just telling her without being overly direct. "I've got a particular type that isn't, exactly, regulation. I highly doubt people would approve, and it just kills me knowing that I could never have a relationship like what you and Rhydar have."

Lily studied him for a long moment, innocent features cracking just enough to let through a scarily perceptive expression. Then she nodded, once, then a few more times. "You could have just said so, easily. My eldest sister Daisy was the same, just opposite." She said, the corner of her lip flickering up into a half smile. "Rhydar and I's relationship, or whatever it is, will never be….everything we want it to be. There are too many things in the way, not only limited to me being very far from the Queen's first choice for him. But you will get the love you deserve, Wolf. Regulation or not."