My room was connected to a bathroom. I washed up after growing sweaty from dancing and collapsed on my bed, wearing my bathroom robe. I stared at the roof. I should take this opportunity to plan how I'll be tackling every event in the game. I yawned. But a short nap wouldn't hurt anyone? I looked out of the window and saw that the sun was still out. Yeah, I'll just set an alarm and sleep...

Before I knew it, I was out like a light. The stress and exhaustion earlier had gotten to me so I was asleep for a long time. I only woke up when I heard a knock on the door.

"Your highness?" I wasn't awake enough to respond, trying to rub the tiredness from my eyes.

"Your highness..." the voice sounded exasperated. I was about to tell the person to come in when I heard a loud crack. I saw the door to my room fall to the ground. Standing with her leg stretched out was a maid. The maid from earlier. And now that I got a closer look at her, she reminded me of someone. Nevertheless, she'd just effortlessly destroyed my door so I had a look of terror on my face.

"Your highness—no, Prince Rael, if you don't get dressed to prepare for dinner, I'll do it myself." Her tone had changed. She sounded... dangerous. I tried getting away from her but she was quick. 

"No—!" Going to dinner meant meeting Rael's family. You know, the people who've neglected and abused him? I grabbed onto the bed pole as the maid grabbed my legs.

"You—are—going!" She was strong! I felt my grip slipping away and my face planted on the ground. I howled from the pain. My nose! It hurts so much!

I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I froze. "I've got you now." 

——

It took a lot of struggling but she allowed me to dress in peace. She stood outside the door—uh, room and waited for me. I adjusted the pants and shirt while staring at the mirror. I looked like a prepubescent child alright. I fixed my bangs before walking out. 

The maid, Peri, nodded. "You look presentable. Now hurry up, or we'll be late your highness." Peri walked behind me as I guessed my way to the dining hall. Peri was the only maid assigned to Rael. She cared for him as though she was his mother, being kind and considerate. If there was anyone that Rael could confide in, it was Peri.

And that same sweet, loving woman was restraining me with an arm hook. "Peri please!"

"Don't be difficult with me, Prince Rael. Don't you think I noticed that you're purposefully walking in the wrong direction?" But I'm not! I tried getting out of her hold but failed.

"Prince Rael, if you continue to act this way... I'll have to carry you the entire way." My face grew pale. Anything but that! I nodded and allowed her to walk me to the dining hall. It took a few minutes and she let go of me. "We're here."

"Yay." I forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. Peri rolled her eyes as I walked in. The dining hall was large and in the center of the room was a wide table. The table was already adorned with plates, napkins, and silverware beforehand. There were also baskets of what looked like bread. I approached the table and saw a few of my family members. 

The King glanced up at me before continuing his conversation with the Queen. She shot me a dirty look before giggling at the King's remark. Was it too late to walk out? I felt hands push me forwards. 

"Your highness, don't even think about it," Peri whispered threateningly. Darn! She knew me too well... I took a deep breath. Alright, I just had to survive this dinner. I already had one ally, Wei, so I had to mind my own business. And most importantly: be kind.

"Peri, where is my seat again?" The aforementioned maid gave me a weird look before leading me to my seat. She seated me down. It felt good having someone sit you down. 

I took this opportunity to figure out who was who. The seat in front of me was empty, but the two seats by me were occupied. I turned to my left and saw a boy with pink hair staring at me. I gave him a small smile. It wouldn't hurt to be nice, would it? The boy gave me a look of disgust and my smile dropped. Or not...

Guessing from his attitude, that was Crille Vandergarden, the first Prince. He was one of the smartest people in the nation at a young age and liked to flaunt it. But he was also rumored to be quite... difficult if he didn't get what he wanted. He was also the Queen's favorite child and she'd spoiled him rotten. That also meant he hated me as much as the Queen did. This seating order is horrible...

I turned to my right and saw a boy fidgeting. He didn't look up and kept staring at his hands and the table. This shy boy was Teop Vandergarden, the older brother of me and Wei. He didn't have much of a personality besides following around his older brothers like a puppet. That meant he disliked me too. Shit.

Not even a minute had passed and I wanted to leave. I clenched my fist. No. I had to make it through this dinner and... all the upcoming dinners until I started school. I rubbed my forehead. I was doomed. 

The seat that had been vacant opposite of me was suddenly occupied. I looked up when I felt a faint perfume permeating. And a boy with blonde hair was sitting there. We locked gazes and my eyes widened.

How could I forget? Heath Vandergarden was a love interest too! And seeing him in person made my bad mood disappear. Heath Vandergarden was the Crown Prince and the very definition of a perfect son. He was smart, nearly as smart as Crille, talented, and hard-working. I saw the king look at Heath and his eyes softened. I'm sure he's never looked at Rael like that.

To Rael, Heath was the perfect person. Rael wished he had even half of Heath's talents or charisma. Or the way he could light up a room by entering. He was the light to every candle. Rael adored his older brother. 

But Heath didn't feel the same. Heath's nose wrinkled when he saw me staring. My mood dropped. Right... he despised Rael. And that meant he hated me. I lowered my head. 

Heath had been my favorite route to play. Mostly because of his actual personality. Heath Vandergarden wasn't the perfect Crown Prince like everyone thought he was. He was rude, haughty, and prideful. 

When Ophelia first meets him, she sees him through the same lens as everyone else. A kind, considerate, and very good-looking upperclassman. But one day, she walks in on him harassing Rael. Since Ophelia considered Rael a friend, she stays close to Rael and avoids any encounters with Heath. Until one day, Heath confronts her about what she saw and she tries denying it. He drops his friendly behavior and shows his true side. Ophelia is flabbergasted at his 180 shift and begins hating him. But when a series of events causes the two to be intertwined, Ophelia finds there's more to Heath than he lets on. His insecurities, his dreams, and his motivations. And she starts falling for him. Hard. 

Heath learns to become better thanks to her. He finally decides to become the king and marry her in the good ending. And the best of all: Rael isn't murdered! He's merely... evicted from the castle. But he takes it well and goes on a journey to discover himself.

All in all, it was a good ending and the one with the best closure. 

My hand twitched. I was trying to enjoy my soup but I could feel Heath's eyes bore into me. I ignored him. I didn't need him ruining this great meal. I carefully lifted a spoon full of the creamy yellow soup and tasted it. Tasty! My eyes grew wide as I took a sip. This tasted fantastic, it had a nice, rich flavor to it. However, it's missing one thing...

I stared at the breadbasket that stood in the middle. I reached to grab a piece of bread and saw the basket get snatched away. The bread thief smirked as he put the bread next to him so I wouldn't reach it. I wanted to curse him for being so petty— but I had to keep up the 'cute and sweet prince' facade. And that meant no cursing, mean names, or snarky remarks to anyone. At least to their face. 

"Big brother Wei, could you please hand me the basket?" Unluckily for Heath, he'd placed the basket by Wei. Wei, who'd been devouring his soup, looked up. He grabbed the basket before Heath could react and gave it to me. My smile was extra sweet.

"Thank you." I saw Heath's face turn sour as he watched me dip my bread into the soup. I almost cried from happiness. This was a heavenly combo. I regained my posture and sat straight, calmly eating my food. The best way to piss off bullies was by ignoring them. I was great at ignoring people.

I turned to talk to Wei when I finished my soup and bread, trying to strike a conversation. 

"Right, Wei, how did your debut go?" Wei looked up, putting his spoon down. He shrugged. "Decent? I mean I could dance so it isn't surprising that I was offered—" He raises his finger, showing off a ring. My eyes grew wide. 

"You're married?!"

"No! Engaged! How did you not know this?" I shot him an accusing look.

"Do you ever include me in conversations?" Wei coughed to hide his embarrassment. 

"Nevertheless— it isn't official until I've graduated school." 

I didn't know that he was engaged. Wasn't he like... 13? But this was common in otome games so I didn't blow a fuse over it. I couldn't help but glance in Heath's direction. Was he engaged? Maybe he might get engaged because of deviations?

Heath was talking with Roy, who came fashionably late and glanced at me. With a sly smile, he hid his hands under the table. I kept my polite smile but I was internally shouting insults at him. Damn him! Why does he keep being this difficult? I know I should just ignore him but this was a big deal, I had to know!

"Um, Heath?" The boy ignored me and continued talking. I raised my voice a little higher. "Heath?" He had stopped talking but was now staring into space. My calm voice grew rough as my agitation grew. "Heath...?

The boy finally turned to me. "Ah, did you say something? I thought a fly was buzzing in my ear. What was it you wanted?" He just compared me to a fly. A strained smile struggled to stay on my face. 

"Are you also engaged? Like Wei?" Heath finally cracked a smile. "I don't know, ask Wei." I blinked. And then realized I'd been baited. He had baited me to talk to him when I could've asked Wei. Feeling defeated, I didn't bother talking anymore and just shoved my mouth with food to swallow down the bitter taste of loss. 

However, I glanced and confirmed the lack of ring on Heath's fingers. Good, the plot hasn't deviated yet. I enjoyed the victory by happily munching on my steak. I melted as the flavors were too delicious for my brain to comprehend. I was so focused on eating that I didn't notice the weird looks that everyone at the table gave me. 

I finished the steak and lightly burped. Whoops. I hope no one heard that. 

I saw more food appearing and welcomed it with open arms. This felt like a paradise. Right before I took a bite, I felt a sharp pain in my shin. I buckled over from the pain and hissed. What the hell was that?! Did someone just kick me? I didn't bother staring at my other brothers, staring right at the culprit. He was innocently cutting his meal and raised a fork to his mouth. 

I waited... and kicked. Heath dropped his fork and the food fell on the table. Everyone glanced his way and Heath blushed. "It seems that I'm a little clumsier than usual." He laughed it off. I tried suppressing a giggle but it escaped my twitching lips. Serves him right. It seems Prince Charming isn't so perfect after all. I saw Heath turn and give me a look. And then he glared at me as if saying he wasn't done with me yet. I tilted my head, pretending to be innocent. He ignored me after that and focused on eating.