ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝗍𝗁𝖾
❝𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆, 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿?❞

"Ah shit," Lanhua muttered under her breath as she watched you bolt from the room. Standing up, she said, "I guess we have to go get her."

"It looks like the princess was not happy about that answer," Yeonjun said, trying to keep his voice as solemn as possible. But he didn't even attempt to mask his delighted smile. "98 points to you, Lee Minho. That's going to be hard to beat."

"Oh screw the points!" Riley exclaimed. "You just hurt her feelings, Minho!"

JJ just glowered at him as she stood, offering one hand to Mya and the other to Renee.

"Excuse us, the girls have to help their friend," Lanhua sniffed, linking arms with Robin.

"Way to go, Minho," Alaska glared at the prince, who didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on his lap.

Riley and Alaska led the way out of the room towards the grassy moor that you had escaped to. The five other girls marched along behind them, all business. Even though they weren't all equally close yet, they'd gotten to know each other in a short amount of time, and they already cared about each other, to some extent.

You sat alone, next to a small stream that cut through the grass. You'd barely registered where you were going as you fled the mansion. You just knew you had to leave. It would be even more embarrassing if Minho, along with the others, saw you cry. Why had you been on the verge of tears so much lately?

Oh right, Minho.

Back at university, you'd been happy. You rarely if ever cried, or even got upset. Of course, school could be stressful sometimes, but you loved it. You loved hanging out with friends, getting to know new people, and flirting with boys. And, perhaps best of all, no Minho.

But now that you were back at home, you got basically none of that. Now, you were married to Minho, the one person you'd been avoiding for years. You got to spend time with your friends, yes, but it was all on television. There was no freedom or fun in that.

And now, after less than two weeks of being back at home, you'd almost cried twice, which was 200% more than you had in the last year.

You wished you had never let your guard down. You wished you had never let Minho back in. Maybe if you had just ignored him that night at the courting dinner, none of this would have happened. You would just go on simultaneously hating and loving him, and he could hate you. No room for complication, no room for messiness, and most definitely no room for the complete humiliation you'd just experienced.

"Wow, are you like, in your emo era, or something?"

You glanced up at the sound of Lanhua's voice. Sighing in relief that it wasn't Minho, you smiled at your friend. You glanced behind her to see the rest of the girls, who were all watching you.

Behind them, a lone cameraman raced across the field, clearly eager to catch whatever conversation was about to ensue. You groaned inwardly. Clearly, you weren't going to be having any serious talks with them around.

"You know I haven't been emo since the seventh grade, and I will never go back," you replied, patting the sad little grassy patch you were sitting on.

"So, how are you feeling?" Mya asked as all seven girls settled down next to you in a little circle.

Judging by how far away the cameraman was, you had about thirty seconds to spill how you really felt before he caught up.

"I wish I could be pissed," you began, plucking a few sprigs of grass from the ground. "But I'm just not surprised anymore. It's like he's out to embarrass me. And I fell for it, as I always do. I thought that he might actually like me, but it just keeps backfiring on me. Sorry I'm talking so fast by the way." You mimed a camera, glancing over Riley's shoulder, who sat across from you.

The girls nodded in understanding. Everyone was already getting used to the fact that a camera would be on them at all times, save for the bathrooms and when they were sleeping. No deep conversations could happen outside of that.

"I can't believe he had the audacity to do that to you," Alaska replied fiercely. "I really thought that he might change while the cameras were around, but clearly not." Discretely peering over her shoulder to see the cameraman a few feet behind them, she sat up straight, pasting a fake smile on her face. "Well I think we should all rank the men based off who we each think is the hottest!" she exclaimed, a little too excitedly, even for her.

"Girl, you're more boy obsessed than anyone I know." Riley shook her head.

"Don't pretend like you can't relate!" Alaska scoffed. "I see you with-"

JJ jabbed her in the ribs, and she stopped short.

"Ah, I see you with the men back at home! You can't stop staring!" Alaska corrected herself hurriedly. "Anyway, don't change the subject! Rankings, now! From everyone!"

"What if we don't know everyone yet??" Renee exclaimed, clearly distressed about the prospect of ranking eight guys right off the bat. "Brains - and personality - counts for a lot too!"

"Maybe for you," you cut in with a smirk. "As long as he's hot and got a big package, I don't care."

"Girl, you're married!" Robin snickered. "Do you have something you want to admit about your husband?"

"Ewe, no!" Mya gasped. "I mean, not ewe! Yum! I mean-"

"Yum is right," Riley agreed. "I'd like to know."

"Why are we talking about Tessa's husband's package??" JJ snorted. "He's literally the only guy who's off limits."

"Ugh, you're right," Mya nodded. "Who's gonna give their ranking first? I don't want to go! Are we allowed to have ties?"

"I can go," Alaska offered. "Everyone already knows my number one though."

"Ugh, yeah you're basically married too, aren't you?" Robin whined. "That's like cheating, isn't it??"

"No!" Alaska protested, cheeks red. "You know I can't actually be with him, so it doesn't really matter anyway."

"Well give us your rating anyway!" Renee encouraged.

"Okay, so Felix is number one, obviously," Alaska paused, thinking. "The other guys are so handsome too... but I would probably put Changbin next." She chanced a glance at Lanhua, but her face remained passive.

You wondered when she'd gotten so good at a poker face.

"Then I would probably put Jisung and Christopher next, because I know them best," she continued.

"And then I think Seungmin and Jeongin are tied, because I would probably do either of them," she shrugged, sitting back. "Oh, but Minho would be second to last, because he's been really disrespectful lately. and Jinnie is last, for obvious reasons. He's like... lower than last."

"That's kinda rude," JJ commented, but Alaska just shrugged.

"Okay, my turn!" Lanhua moved closer, as if she was about to tell a secret.

"I'm gonna put Changbin and Jeongin up at first, because I like a guy with muscles. And then Christopher is next because of the same reason, but I he's not as... intimidating to me as Jeongin and Bin are. I like that." She nodded. "And then I would say Seungmin and Felix, because they're also from Moonstone. And then all the other guys are kind of tied for me."

"That's a pretty good ranking," Mya agreed enthusiastically.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" Riley shot back. "You wanna give us your ranking?"

"Hey, no fair!" Mya whined. "You do yours first!"

"Fine," Riley crossed her arms. "I would put Minho first, because even though he's an asshole, hes really hot and this isn't about personality. Then Jisung, because he's pretty hot too, and Seungmin and Changbin because Seungmin is funny and hot and let's be real, Changbin is ripped. Then Felix, because he's really sweet, but he's basically already married, and Hyunjin is next because he's basically my brother, and Jeongin is last because I know him better than most of the other guys and he's not really my type, ya know?"

"Ahem, it seems like youre missing someone." You pretend coughed. Why was she leaving out Christopher? That seemed extremely suspicious.

"Yeah, why didn't you include Chris??" Alaska demanded.

"Maybe because he's so high on her list, she didn't think she needed to add him," Lanhua smirked.

"Ah, right I knew I was forgetting someone!" Riley chuckled nervously. "Okay, he'll go next to Changbin and Seungmin."

"Girl you're not kidding anyone." Alaska shook her head.

"Okay, okay my turn!" JJ interrupted. "Because all of you guys are sleeping on the hottest guy here!"

"Ooh, JJ do you have a crush??" You gasped. Your friend was never the same level of boy crazy as you and Lanhua were. She was always the chill one who didn't really care about guys, or anything, really. That's what attracted so many men to her, you supposed.

"Of course I don't have a crush," JJ rolled her eyes. "I don't have crushes, remember?"

"Girl, don't lie to us," Lanhua tsked. "Who do you think is the hottest??"

"Hyunjin, obviously!" JJ groaned, shaking her head. "But-"

"Eweee! JJ what the hell??" Alaska mimed gagging dramatically, falling over into the grass.

"He's like our brother!" Mya shook her head. "He's a no from me, sorry."

"Yeah, he's such a weirdo!" Riley agreed.

"You didn't let me finish!" JJ exclaimed. "I was going to say but he's the most annoying guy I've ever met! Why is he so pompous and dramatic all the time? He's judgy and snooty and I hate that. Why does he have to be hot?"

"Well, he's not," Alaska replied, finally recovering herself and sitting back up. "So that solves your problem."

"He used to make fun of me all the time back in middle school," JJ continued. "He knew I didn't want to be a royal, so he would always remind me to curtsy and shit when we were in etiquette classes. I hated it."

"He would do that, wouldn't he?" Alaska rolled her eyes. "And you still find him hot??"

"Okay, give us the rest of your ranking," Riley sighed. "Even though I don't think we can trust your taste after hearing that."

JJ ignored her. "I would say Seungmin is really handsome so he's next. He's my friend though, so I wouldn't want to date him. Then Felix, because he's a sweetie. Jisung is cute too, so he would be next. Then Chris, because he seems really cool. And then Jeongin, because I like quieter guys. Then last would be Changbin, and then Minho. He's kind of on my blacklist now."

"She does have a good list," Renee pointed out.

"Okay, we want to hear your list next then girl!" You prodded. Anything to stall your turn.

Renee blushed, but relented. "I haven't really thought about all the guys like that, yet," she said hurriedly. "But if I had to pick..."

"Girl, we know you want Kim Seungmin," JJ encouraged her friend.

"Hey!" Renee covered her face in embarrassment. "Okay, Seungmin is first, for sure. Then Minho, I know he's being an ass but he's kind of cute. Then Han, Changbin I think... then Jeongin, Felix, Christopher, and Hyunjin."

"Hey!! What's wrong with you guys and Hyunjin?" JJ demanded.

"I just find the others guys more attractive!" Renee cried defensively.

Robin went next, choosing Minho and Seungmin first, which shocked everyone. He was followed by Jisung, Christopher, Changbin, Hyunjin, then Felix and Jeongin tied for last.

Surprisingly, no one hated too hard on your choices. "Minho is at the top of course, seeing as he's my husband," you laughed aloud, but inwardly, you sighed. "Then Jisung, because I love how funny and random he is. Then Seungmin, because I know him pretty well. Then Changbin, Christopher, and Jeongin because they're all pretty hot. Then Hyunjin and Felix, I think."

After much pressure from Riley and Alaska, Mya folded before blurting that Jeongin would be her number one.

"We all knew that," Lanhua shook her head. "The two of you have so much tension, we have to hear what's going on with that."

"Yeah, we wanna know what's going on with you!" Alaska spun on her friend.

"We've been nice for long enough," Riley nodded.

Mya sighed, twisting her hands around in her lap. "I know, and I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you guys. It's just..." she strugggled for words.

"You can tell us anything." JJ prompted the girl as kindly as possible.

Mya nodded, steeling herself. "You know, the day of the televised drawing? That was the first time I'd seen him since high school."

"I didn't even know who he is," you said, trying not to ruin the mood. "Did he go to a different middle school from us?"

Mya shook her head. "No, but he didn't go to middle school with us. He was homeschooled. He joined us in high school, when we were already separated by kingdom."

"So what happened??" Riley prompted.

"Well, I didnt tell anyone this," Mya closed her eyes. "But Jeongin and I dated for eight months in senior year of high school."

"What???" Alaska gasped. "How did you date him without us knowing??"

"And why would you date someone in secret??" Riley cried.

"Well... we just wanted to keep it on the down low. Or Jeongin did." Mya's voice was hushed. "I thought he was going to tell everyone at some point, but he never did. And then... right after we graduated, he disappeared."

"What does that mean?" Lanhua frowned. "Like... he moved?"

"No, he just disappeared," Mya repeated. "He stopped talking to me, I never saw him again. I was terrified, I thought he'd gotten into an accident or something. I went to his house - castle - every day for two weeks, but no one would answer the door. Finally, I got a letter from his mother saying that he was unable to see me anymore."

"So... his mother broke up with you for him?" JJ said disbelievingly. "That's so cowardly."

"I thought I would never see him again," Mya admitted. "But then I saw him at the drawing, and he wanted to talk to me. He was begging for my forgiveness. It's been really hard being around him."

"You haven't forgiven him, have you??" Alaska demanded.

"You better make him beg on his knees," Riley declared.

"Hell yea," you agreed. "He couldn't even break up with you. You can't let a guy like that back in."

"I know," Mya said, her voice so small you could barely hear her.

Renee, who had been largely silent for the whole conversation, spoke up. "We should go back inside, talk about this later."

All eight girls got up, wordlessly following Renee back inside.

As you entered the mansion again, your mind was still reeling from the information Mya had just spilled. Why hadn't Jeongin attended middle school with everyone else? Royals were almost never homeschooled. And why had he disappeared randomly after high school? Had he really just broken up with Mya for no reason? That didn't seem likely. But you supposed you didn't know anything about him. He could be an asshole, you just didn't know it yet.

The girls took their seats again. Everyone was still basically in the same spot, but Changbin sat next to Minho, so you sat with Jisung and Christopher. You wondered what had gone on while you girls were outside gossiping. Honestly, they had made you feel a hell of a lot better.

Yeonjun stood up, grinning at everyone. "I'm glad you're back, Ladies. We've been patiently waiting for you. Minho is currently in the lead with 98 points. Because none of you were here, you're all stuck at zero points, except Robin. But we must continue. Who would like to go next?"

"We're still playing the game?" Jisung complained. "I'm hungry!"

Yeonjun shot the earl a glare, and he silenced.

"The rules of the game have not changed. The first date of the month is riding on who gets the most points. Now, I will ask again, who's next?"

laska's note —
oooooh! so much tea in such a short time! i know, a lot of this chapter was just the girls messing around and providing good content to the kingdoms lol, but i hope you liked it! just their silly shenanigans is so fun to write. and what about mya and jeongin? their backstory is slowly coming out! and next week, part two of the confessions is coming! get ready for more juice hahaha.

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟵 - 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊