The room falls silent. She knows how uneasily the other women are staring at her, like how anyone would look at a landslide waiting to happen. She knows that King Enji might literally burn her alive with how intensely he's staring at her.
But all she could feel is the Prince's mismatched eyes on her. Maybe he doesn't mean to, but his curious gaze is heavy on her. She tries not to shake under his gaze.
After a long beat of silence, Enji exhales wearily. "We will know when the time comes, won't we, Princess Uraraka?"
The King turns, taking all the thick tense air with him. General Miruko salutes them and quietly trails behind the king, leaving a glaring Shouto, an exhausted Fuyumi, an unaffected Camie, and a drained Ochako whose head is spinning from her outburst.
"Wow, Princess Ocha, talking back to the King on your first day," Camie says with a teasing smile on her full mouth. "Color me impressed. I think I heard the sound of Prince Shou here falling in-love. Might not take long for this curse to get kicked in the butt, huh?"
Fuyumi reprimands her quickly. "Camie, you talked back to the King a fair amount too! And you as well, Shouto! Why can't any of you mind your manners in front of him?"
"I'm sorry," Ochako says weakly, cheeks burning. "I shouldn't have said anything..."
"Don't be sorry," Prince Shouto tells her bluntly. "That old man deserved that and more."
" Shouto. "
"He threatened to kill her," the Prince points out. "It's good that it's General Usagiyama who went with him this morning, and not Hawks. He would have killed the Princess where she stood, no questions asked."
Ochako shudders thinking about the straw-haired man. It's too easy to believe what Shouto says about Hawks after what she went through last night.
Fuyumi sighs. "I know. We really need to apologize to you, Princess, don't we?"
Ochako stammers, "N... no, it's not your fault, Princess. I'm sure this wasn't your idea..."
The white-haired woman smiles sadly, onyx eyes shining in shame. "No, it wasn't my idea. But all of the scheming and plotting and... and kidnapping happened under my nose, and I didn't do enough to stop it, so..."
Camie makes a frustrated noise behind her. "Of course you can't, Princess Fuyumi. You were too busy running the kingdom on behalf of King Daddy, right?"
"That's not an excuse. And please, don't call him that," the white-haired princess says, nose wrinkling in distaste. Shouto makes a similar face. "Princess, based on your brave words earlier, you have every intention to help us with Shouto's... affliction."
"Yes."
"Knowing full well what it entails?"
True Love. They have been saying it over and over since she got here, after all. Ochako sighs. "... yes, I do."
Fuyumi looks at her carefully. "I know you're doing this out of kindness, Ochako, but this isn't an easy thing we are asking of you. You would be giving up your life for us."
The reminder is painful, but Ochako only nods in understanding.
The pale woman smiles at her gently. The kindness in her gaze almost drives Ochako to tears. "Thank you for this, princess. Know that I and Shouto will take care of you, whether you change your mind or not. Now then..."
She clears her throat and motions for Camie to come closer. "I've asked lady Utsushimi to wait on you, Princess. She will stay with you in the quarters below and help you with anything you might need from now on."
"Yep! We'll start with clothes. You did a number on all the dresses I picked out for you, Princess Ocha," Camie says with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Though I have to admit, Shou's shirt on you? Real sexy~"
Ochako's beet red before Camie is done, but luckily Fuyumi speaks over her. "Camie, dear, you will dress her starting today, please. I'm counting on you tonight as well."
As Camie puffs her cheeks after being reprimanded, Shouto looks at his older sister in as much confusion as Ochako. "Tonight? What's happening tonight?"
Fuyumi looks at him with a mysterious gleam in her eyes. "Well... we have to convince Father that we're actually working on you two falling in-love with each other, so I had to come up with something... "
"Something." Prince Shouto's monster ear twitches uneasily.
Camie smirks. "I helped Princess Fuu plan this out~ the two of you have a long night of fiery passion to look forward to~ well, not as fiery as me an' Tenya have every night, but--"
"Camie, you're scaring them," Fuyumi says. Despite this, she looks at the flustered couple in amusement. "And don't implicate Sir Iida like that. The man's terrified of you as it is."
"Maybe so, but I'm gettin' closer and closer to having a steamy night of my own~," the servant girl says with a mischievous grin before taking the anxious Ochako's arm. "So! I'm gonna give the Princess here a makeover you won't forget. Prince Shou, I gotta steal her from you for just a few hours, 'kay?"
Ochako feels mismatched eyes burning over her skin and the buttons of the borrowed shirt. For a long moment she wonders if he'll demand to have his stupid shirt back again, or if he's going to say something rude to her. Like I don't care, do what you like. He would be so blunt.
"I'll leave it to you, Utsushimi. Princess Uraraka, I look forward to seeing you tonight."
He bows in the most princely way she's ever seen. She gives in to the impulse to curtsey back, even though she is only wearing a dress shirt. "I'll see ya--I mean, I look forward to this as well, your highness," she stammers back.
Soon, Camie is dragging her out of the room with a teasing smile on her face and obvious inappropriate thoughts. Ochako manages another glance at Shouto and the unreadable line of his mouth.
