Royals. (Prince! Komaeda Nagito x Fem! Reader x Prince! Hajime Hinata)

26. A Suspicious Morning.

The next morning, I awoke to a knock on my door. My eyelids fluttered open as I sat up to look for the source, though the gentle voice that spoke moments later answered that question for me.

"Lady (y/n), may I come in?" Prince Nagito asked from behind the door.

Before I could form a response, the door to my room swung open, revealing the white haired prince I had narrowly been able to escape from the night before. In his hand was a bouquet of small purple flowers. I could only watch as he entered, unable to form any sort of response to him.

"Pardon the intrusion," the prince sighed, a sheepish smile on his face. "I apologize for having to disturb you at such an early hour."

I suddenly became aware of my being— the prince had walked in on me wearing my night clothes. I opened my mouth to apologize, but not until I realized this wasn't the first time he had come into my room during sleeping hours. In fact, it was starting to become sort of a pattern.

The events of the night before replayed in my mind, the icy cold stare the prince had given me in the dungeon still fresh in my mind. I decided it would be best to play along with him, for Prince Hajime's sake— wherever he may be.

"No need to apologize, your majesty," I murmured in response. "I apologize for being unprepared for your visit."

The prince let out a laugh. "My lady, same to you!"

After a moment of hesitation, he approached my bedside, extending the bouquet of flowers to me. "These are for you."

"Are you serious?" I asked him in exasperation, which caused the prince to nod in response. I gingerly took the flowers from him, observing them carefully. Suddenly, I came to the realization that I had never seen flowers like this before.

"Thank you, your majesty. They are beautiful," I sighed, trying to keep my tone jovial and lighthearted. "May I ask what kind of flowers they are?"

"Petunias," the prince replied, smiling warmly. "I am happy you enjoy them. I had them shipped to us specially, as I thought no ordinary castle flower would serve as a sufficient gift."

I smiled at him in response. "Well, thank you for such a thoughtful gesture, your majesty."

The prince smiled at me in response, gently placing one of his hands on my shoulder. After a moment of standing there like that, the prince finally spoke. "That was all I wanted to do. I will let you get in order for breakfast now."

I watched as the prince made his way to the door, watching it slowly close behind him as he left. After a few moments, I struggled out of bed, beginning to prepare myself for the day. However, as much as I tried to focus myself, I could not stop thinking about the flowers the prince had gifted me. He had never completed such a kind gesture before— what was his reason for doing it, especially now, of all times?

This question continued to linger over my head as I made my way to the dining hall. I immediately noticed the table was set differently, causing my heart to begin to pound in my chest. As there were only 5 place settings at the table, questions of which candidate was eliminated began to flood my mind.

I took my seat, watching the others file in to the dining room. One, two, three.... I suddenly came to realization that none of the other girls had been eliminated after all. So why was the table set for one less person?

Suddenly, I felt a pang in my chest. Prince Hajime must have been the one who was excluded from the table. I felt my breath hitch, my mind filling with questions about where the prince could be.

Unfortunately, my worrying was interrupted by Prince Nagito's entry into the room. We all greeted him as he took his seat, his demeanor the same as any other day.