꧁ LIFE and DEATH ꧂

PETALS (Part 1)

Requested by @molarloo :)

A little spicier than usual~ ;)

If there was one thing Nene hated about being a princess, it was the clothing.

Dresses.

Skirts.

More dresses.

More skirts.

More--oh my god, was that a pair of pants?

Oh, wait, no--it's the absurd undergarments she had to wear under the skirts.

Still--being royalty had its perks. For instance, all the cute suitors. Boys, left and right; girls if she asked. Nene could have anything in between if she wanted.

But there was really only one person she could ever really want.

The next crown prince of Astralregnum, Amane Yugi.

Known on the battlefield as 'Hanako', he was smart, self-sufficient, and brave. He also had a face that could woo anyone. Although she had really only seen him once, Nene was already in it for life.

But today, on her 16th birthday, she had invited him to stay at Kamome Palace for the week.

That said, Nene was forced to invite other rich, powerful people, but she had no intent to flirt with them. What was power worth when it came to love?

The answer, Nene had decided, was nothing.

So, when the guests arrived, she bypassed the flirtatious, more affluent visitors and headed straight for the ravenette.

But a different amber-eyed boy got to her first.

"You're Nene-chan," he sang, eyes glowing. Nene bit back a sigh at the unwelcome conversation.

"Y-yes," she stammered, recognizing Amane's twin. Nene was really focused on the other amber-eyed ravenette, the one who she was certain was sneaking glances at her. "I—"

Her next words were cut off by an arm slinging over her shoulder.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?"

By the wobbly tone of his voice, Nene could tell the boy behind her was drunk. She spun around, coming face-to-face with a blue-eyed brunette. He was cute, but not as cute as Amane.

It's only midday . . . how is he already drinking?

"Ya know, I hear it's your birthday," the boy said, a sickly smile spreading over his face. "Why don't we have some fun back in your room?"

Nene knew that the security had been relaxed due to the party. But her usual despising of the weapon-toting workers was now overrun with fear.

Stostopstopstop—

The steady chant in her mind reached a crescendo as the boy took a firm hold on her wrist.

Desperately glancing around, Nene searched for Tsukasa. But the rat child was nowhere to be seen.

"S-sir, please stop," Nene whimpered. She tried to pull away, but this boy was strong.

Nene had demanded that, as a royal child, she should know how to protect herself. She was the top of her class in martial arts. Despite being the only girl in wrestling, that hadn't stopped her from taking on opponent after opponent.

But the training had started to fade; years of luxurious living and having maids to do her every whim had softened her abilities.

She made a mental note to pick up that training again.