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.
(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?
(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."
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?"
"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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
"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."
She nodded. "Alright then. And here we are," she announced, stopping at a door. "Your new chambers, complete with a large bedroom, walk-in closet, attached bathroom with a large bath, a sitting room, and a small dining section in the sitting room." Cinthia clasped her hands behind her back, hoping that Lily liked it.
Apparently, astonishment was going to be a common emotion Lily felt while staying here. Complete with wide eyes. "I-Cinthia, isn't that too much?" She eyed the door, before turning to look at Cinthia, almost looking worried.
She shrugged, crossing her arms loosely beneath her chest. "No one's using it, and the other guests have slightly smaller rooms, but not by much. It's the King and Queen's chambers that have all the grandness and all that. We get a slight improvement from the guest chambers."
"Well-thank you." She said, shooting Cinthia a small smile. "As long as you're sure it wasn't too much hassle, or anything." She carefully pushed open the door, her mouth parting in shock at the size of the room visible from the doorway. "It's…already bigger than my last apartment."
The first room you walk into is the sitting room. From there, the bedroom was to the left while the bathroom was to the right. Cinthia peeked over Lily's shoulder. "Trust Mother and Father to make everything bigger and better. I could do with less grandness, but what can I do? Complain I have too much?" She rolled her eyes just at the thought of her parents' response to that.
