Only the Strong (Yandere Prince x Powerful! Reader): remake

8. Too Good to be True

Theodora made you promise to attend the next dinner. "I won't let them bully you again." He said. "I'll be sensitive and respectful." He said. He made it very clear that he wanted you to show up, that he valued your presence.

He praised you on your intelligence, stating that only a few people in the assortment of women had even gotten close to actually having meaningful conversations with him. You were one of the few, out of three.

The way he compared you all made you a tad bit uncomfortable, but you supposed that was the name of the game. He was supposed to compare you to the others. He was shopping for a wife after all.

You and Theodora sat together, talking about the differences in your cultures and laughing. It felt more like two friends chatting, but you didn't really know much about Theodora and he didn't really know much about you either. So even though he felt friendly, he was still ultimately a stranger.

"You said there were a bunch of cats?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, tons of 'em." You paused. "Tons of them I mean. There were tons of cats." You corrected. Theodora laughed, covering his smile with the back of his hand. His slicked back hair had lost its shape with how many times he had ran his fingers through it. He looked at you, his blue eyes bright unlike they were before.

"You're fine." He said, smiling gently. "How many times do I have to tell you to relax?"

You shook your head, sighing. "Well... it's only been a day or two hasn't it." You murmured. It really only has been a short amount of time. A day or so ago, you killed two people; and three days ago, you were still enjoying the company of your family. Back then, you didn't know how anxiety inducing your duties were going to be. "I still don't quite..." You looked up, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I don't really know you."

The prince looked taken aback, "What?" He almost looked offended.

A butterfly fluttered passed, its wings a soft yellow color. The sun had made it look vibrant, so lovely and gorgeous and woven with gold. You didn't know it was considered a common butterfly. "Maybe it's just your status that is making me uneasy. I don't know you–what you're okay with and what you aren't..." You looked towards the prince, smiling sheepishly–trying to reassure him with your smile. "But I would like to."

You saw the prince visibly relax at your words, his face holding something softer and sweeter than what he was feeling before. "So give me some time," You said softly. "Please give me time to lose the formality."

He smiled. The prince smiled so bright that you were sure it was going to blind you. Once again you saw what felt like a rare genuine smile. It was as if he were forced to smile all his life, but you could see in his eyes that he was truly overjoyed. "You want to know me?" He said, his face flushed.

You grinned. "If that's alright with you?"

He learned back, using his arms to support him as he sighed dreamily. "People are never really interested in that..." He leaned back a bit more, laying himself down on the grass. "You don't want something from me?"

"I do." You answered honestly.

He let out a knowing laugh, a slightly bitter laugh, and you responded with a huff. "But I want a partnership too if that makes sense. That would be better for the both of us, wouldn't it?" You said.

Theodora nodded slowly. "A partnership." He muttered. He almost thought it was too good to be true.

But it was true.

"I'd like that very much." He said.

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After that, there was a pleasant hour of just talking. You learned quite a bit about the prince, nothing of political importance but rather, things of personal importance.