love story | seaycee au (ON HOLD)

4

The next time Kaycee left her house was on yet another errand run on behalf of her mother.

The ball had just barely passed, a mere couple days separating the day of the dance from the day they were currently in the midst of, but it still felt as if it were just yesterday.

At the same time, the whole thing seemed blurred in Kaycee's mind. Obviously, she remembered most of the large events- dancing with Sean, discovering he was a Lew, and then dancing with Joshua (and luckily making no discovery of a background which involved past family feuds)- but when it came to the reason they had gone in the first place, it took quite a lot of focus to remember.

Oh, and the help of Devon, who couldn't seem to shut up about it.

As soon as they entered the carriages that night, Kaycee barely able to take a breather, Devon had begun to blabber on about how incredibly well his meeting with the royal family of a country Kaycee didn't know about went. Apparently the king thought him to be a perfect fit, and especially liked their father, so he may as well have handed his blessing over on a silver platter.

Kaycee slips on her other boot frustratedly, huffing when her dress gets caught and she gets stuck in a crouched position. Who believes in love? Not I, she thinks to herself, nearly tearing her dress as she tugged it free.

Kylie took note of her struggles as she watched silently from her bed, shaking her head with a smile. "You really have been in quite the mood these past few days. Ever since the ball, in fact. What happened there?"

"Nothing of importance," Kaycee replies back quickly. "I danced, as I said I would do. I got yelled at by mother, as I assumed I would do. And then I came home, as I knew I would do."

Kylie raises her eyebrows, clearly not buying it. "How poetic. But obviously not the whole truth."

"Well, what more would you like to know, dearest Kylie? I believe I copied down a word for word dialogue, perhaps I can find it for you-"

"No need for your sarcasm," she remarks. "Anyway, you have plenty of time to tell me about it on the carriage ride into town."

Now, Kaycee raises her own eyebrows. "You're coming along with us? But why? There can't possibly be that much that mother needs."

"No, but she did say something about watching over you. Keeping you out of trouble, as an older sister does."

Her words make Kaycee groan, rolling her eyes. "Of course she said that. Why not go herself then, if she intends to turn an easy errand run into such a challenge solely because it is me doing it?"

"Because she finds some sick joy in watching you get frustrated? I'm not sure, I guess I'm not our mother," Kylie remarks, slight sarcasm laced in her tone.

Huffing, Kaycee decides that she can suffer through no more of the conversation, turning on her heel to head downstairs and await the others. Figuring she has nothing better to do, she stops by the kitchen, where her mother is preparing lunch for her sisters. "I heard you hired a babysitter for me. I figured I should come down and thank you myself."

"Oh, she told you about that, did she?" her mother says distractedly, too preoccupied with the food she was making. "Can you truly blame me? You can't seem to be able to tell our worst enemy from a normal, well-respected man, so I figured Kylie could help prevent any confusion."

Kaycee grits her teeth. "Is it my fault that the people we consider enemies are actually human beings who do not demonstrate any of the traits you warned us about?"

"Yes, it is your fault, because he obviously did exhibit those traits. You were just too lovestruck to notice."

Once again, there's that word. Love. Kaycee holds in her own choke, shaking her head a bit too hard. "I would never and could never be lovestruck. Not with a man, who has no other intent but to suppress me"