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

4. Close and Personal

Sorry for any errors

"What?!" The pink haired woman shrieked. She covered her mouth, her face going completely red. No one said a thing as the prince just smiled like what he had said meant nothing.

You heard a fork clatter on the table as one woman with dark olive-toned skin and sparkling jewelry began shaking. She looked looked like she was about to cry, and then her face went completely blank.

You were trying not to clear your throat too loudly. A little water went down wrong. You were close to laughing and crying all at the same time. It was some form of hysteria that you really wanted to submit to, it took nearly all of your effort to resist. But was it wrong for you to feel the way you do? Would you truly look weak if you broke face just this once? All that you went through to get where you were and it all amounted to essentially nothing. It was almost hilarious, mostly in a dark sense, but you wanted to laugh. Because all the emotions that you felt had to come out somehow right?

It was growing increasingly difficult to ignore the painful pulsing attacking your skull. You glanced around the room through narrowed eyes, taking deep breaths to calm you mind and your heart.

Everyone seemed to just as grim a reaction as you—which was understandable. They all, just like you, killed others to be here. They had to fight brutally with girls in their districts, and then they had to train for years just to be where they were. They had to practice their techniques over and over again, not knowing which fight was going to be their last.

The prince could have at least announced it before the finals, before all the gruesome battles had taken place. It's not like he would be reprimanded for it. The laws weren't strict when came to nobility and royalty, He could have said anything at any time right?

"Re—really?" The pink haired woman spike once more, her cheeks matching her hair. She looked confused and hurt all at the same time. You chuckled awkwardly, not able to hold back much longer. You were laughing more in disbelief. You felt relieved yet you also felt betrayed and disappointed. However, despite all of those feelings, your light chuckle came off as if you were laughing at whatever it was that was happening and that was enough to get the prince to laugh too.

"'Tis but a jest," Prince Theodora chuckled. " as they would say in Grenwaal." he said, wiping a few tears from his eyes. It seemed that everyone in the room released the breath that they were subconsciously holding in. You sighed, massaging the bridge of your nose. The prince was more childish than you thought he would be. His joke wasn't funny, but you supposed it wasn't meant to be. He looked amused by the reactions. All he wanted was to see the impact caused by the power of shock value.

What a child.

You shook your head, reprimanding yourself for having such a thought. You were there to marry him after all, so you should remain neutral to him. But really? It was all a joke?

...

...

What a child...

How many times had he repeated that joke in his head before he came to the conclusion that it was okay to say aloud? The reactions he got, as negative as it was, seemed to be the exact ones that he wanted though. Clearly, he wasn't vying for laughs.

You could feel a heaviness in the back of your skull, a sort of dreadful feeling. You wanted to go home. It was your first day and you already wanted to go home. You had to steel yourself, take a silent breath, and then you reassured yourself. You were sacrificing yourself for your goals, you were prepared for that. No matter how much you disliked him, that would not stop you from trying to save your district.