Now for my version of "The Pastry Chef And The Vermin" in Sieg's route! I hope you like it!I'll give you a hint: he falls in love with the MC at first sight. Think you know who I'm talking about?

If not, you'll find out when you read the story. The prologue chapter will be identical to the one from "The Pastry Chef And The Vermin", but with the obvious change being the prince I choose, and a few other edits; songs will still be here, too. Here, let's see how she does when she…


Doesn't Give Two Cents

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." A man with brown hair, green eyes, wearing a nice suit says, at my apartment door.

"M-My marriage interview?!" I ask out of nowhere.

Okay, it's a morning like any other… Or at least, it was supposed to be… Instead, in my hands, is a letter sealed with the coat of the arms of the royal family…

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince."

A potential bride. As soon as I heard those words, my life as a pastry chef and nothing more was down the drain… and world I initially wanted nothing to do with sucked me in…

You're probably confused about this; how did this happen? Let me back up a bit… It all started yesterday morning at my workplace, Patisserie Brown. For me, it was the usual routine…

"Carly. When you're all done with that batter, why don't you take a break?" My boss, and surrogate father figure, Yosef Brown, the owner of the store, said to me.

"Okay! Thank you!" I say.

"I really appreciate you coming in to work so early," Yosef said to me. "Oh, I nearly forgot! There's supposed to be a big parade down main street, so why don't you go take a peek?"

"A parade? For what, exactly?" I ask Yosef.

"Didn't you know? Today's the day two princes are coming to visit Nobel Michel." Yosef said to me.

"Now that you mention it…" I say.

I overheard it on the news last night. Prince Ivan, from the northern kingdom of Sanct Sybil, and Prince Aslan, from the desert kingdom of Shaharazal, were coming for a Royal Visit. Must be some of their public duties or whatnot…

"I'm sure there will be plenty of girls there, screaming for the princes. I don't suppose you would be very interested though." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that.

"No kidding. I've never seen a prince in the flesh before. It's like they live in a totally different world from me." I say.

Let's get something straight here: all I want in life is to become a top pastry chef, and open my own store somewhere, plain and simple. This was a childhood goal I've always had. I've always put my career first and my love life second. I don't need a man to help me achieve my goals. This isn't a Disney Fairytale movie…

"It's a big world out there. It wouldn't hurt you to spend some time learning about it." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that…

I go to main street and I see cars, confetti, and crowds everywhere; I myself have a hard time handling a lot of noise, especially in big places like this. It's not like I've ever been good in crowds, anyway.

"Squee! It's Prince Ivan!" One townsgirl screams; I cover my ears.

"Prince Aslan's such a hottie!" Another girl screams.

It really isn't that big of a surprise that they're such girl magnets. I'm just not one of those girls who thinks that princes are all that. All I see are just some high-profile politicians with more money and manners than the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned, they're on the same level as us.

"It is our pleasure to visit you all here in Nobel Michel." Prince Aslan says.

Prince Ivan, next to Prince Aslan, had his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. I shudder at the iciness of his stare.

"Ooh, Prince Ivan!" A boy says.

"He's even cooler in person!" A second boy says.

A group of boys were trying to push their way past me, and try to get a glimpse.

"Careful, you guys. What's going on?" I ask them.

"I wanna get his autograph!" The first boy said.

"Prince Ivan's a black belt! He's really strong!" The second boy says in reply

I'm wondering whether or not they're going to land themselves in hot water by approaching him. I just hope for the life of me that they don't.

"Hold it!" I say, trying to hold the boys back.

They just scampered through the crowd and rushed towards Prince Ivan.

The first boy asks Prince Ivan, "Can I have your autograph?"

Prince Ivan hesitates and the atmosphere goes dead silent. I know better than to approach a prince, but if need be, I'm going to step in and protect those boys.

"Get away from His Highness, you kids!" A cop says.

"But we just…" The first boy begins, but the cops started to rush in and surround the boys.

They'd better not be thinking of arresting those kids just for something as simple as a signature! If they are, I am NOT above making a scene!

"Wait." Prince Ivan says; that's flipping the script.

Prince Ivan stepped out of the car and began to approach the boys. I start giving Ivan the stink eye, albeit not trying to make eye contact, and I'm ready to get in his face.

Silence filled the air, but Prince Ivan strode towards boys, slipped through the cops, and took the pen and paper from the boy.

He's giving the boy his autograph? Really? That's… unexpected. Prince Ivan pats the boy on the head, gives the pen, and paper back to the boy, and then returns to the car. I sigh in relief…

"Wow…" I say; what a relief…

My eyes meet with Prince Ivan's for a second, but then he turns away from me. That's actually something I thought would never happen…

Nice to see he isn't all stone…

Back at the bakery…

"Say what?! A message from the palace?" I ask Yosef.

"Yes! There was some sort of mix-up, and they never received their order of flour!" Yosef explains. "So, they sent a message here asking if we could spare some. I told them we had plenty of extra flour because of all the orders lately, and they asked if we could deliver some to the palace."

We get to go to Nobel Michel castle?! That's amazing!

"We get to go to Nobel Michel palace?" I ask, my eyes lighting up.

Sadly…

"Of all the times for the car to break down!" Yosef complains.

The car breaks down and we're stuck on the side of the road on the way there, and we're pretty much in a bind.

"This old piece of junk… I've been meaning to buy a new car for ages now, but…" Yosef says.

"We'd better just head back to the bakery and get a truck." I say.

"That's probably best. We can't just ignore an order from the palace, after all." Yosef says to me.

However, a light flashed in the rearview mirror.

"A car's coming, Yosef! I'll go flag them down!" I say, and then get out of the car.

"Excuse me! Please stop! Our car broke down and it's an emergency!" I shout.

The car screeches to a halt, and I notice how fancy it is. I ignore it for the moment, as the backseat window opened up and a man poked his head out the window.

"Is something the matter?" He asks me.

He had a cheerful smile on, but I felt there was something in his eyes that seemed… off. I ignore it and then I tell him, "We were asked to deliver flour to the palace, but the car broke down…"

"You're delivering flour to the palace?" He asks me aloud, and I nod in reply.

He helps me get the flour into the trunk and then I get in the backseat with him.

"Thank you SO much for your help! You're a life-saver!" I tell this man.

"My pleasure. We should all help each other out when we can, right?" He asks me.

"I concur!" I say, with a big smile.

I can tell that his clothes are high-end, and his manners are exemplary. If he's a dignitary or something, he really knew his stuff.

"Forgive me if I was keeping you from anything…" I continue.

"Don't worry about it. I was going this way anyway," He said, but then he started to laugh. "I'm sorry… It's just that you looked so serious, I couldn't help it. Hehe…"

"Do I really look that strange?" I ask him.

"It wasn't odd or anything. I've just never seen someone make that face before," He tells me. "Forgive me. I don't have the opportunity to meet many ordinary people."

That sort of caught me off-guard. That statement said to me that he's of a different class, mainly higher…

When we get to the palace, I look at it and how beautiful it is. I'm soon in the front of the courtyard, trying to find my way to the kitchen.

"Geez… That person who helped was very nice, but laughing at me? That was a little uncouth…" I muttered.

When I asked for his name, he said he was someone whose name wasn't worth knowing, and that gave me a hint that he's either some celebrity that didn't feel happy about it or something…

"Eh, what are the chances we'll ever meet again?" I ask, driving the truck towards the delivery gate.

"Eek! It's Prince Kuon of Oriens!" A woman shouts, and then a fancy car pulled up.

A man dressed like royalty stepped out, attracting a huge crowd. Typical…

"Prince Kuon, why don't you give them a smile?" His butler asked.

Prince Kuon just gave a 'humph'.

I see that I'm in the way, so I begin to move, when a bag of flour fell off the back.

"Oh, snap!" I say.

Prince Kuon walked over and helped me pick up the flour bag.

"Thanks…" I say, a little suspicious.

"Don't worry about it." He says, smiling. "Not the best spot is it?"

"No kidding," I say. "I was about to move the truck…"

"Are you taking this to the kitchen? I'll carry it for you." He says to me.

"Now, hold on! There's not really a need for it, Your Highness! I can do it myself." I insist.

"Please, it would be my pleasure." Kuon said to me.

I sense his earnestness and then I nod.

"Prince Kuon!" His butler shouted. "Everyone is waiting for you. Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"So let them wait. I'm not going to ignore a lady in need. I don't recall being raised with such poor manners." Prince Kuon says; his mouth's corners were twitching up.

"B-but, Your Highness, be that as it may…" Prince Kuon's butler says, but…

"I'll be there soon, so you go on ahead," Kuon says to his steward before turning back to me. "Let's go."

"Let's do it." I say, with a smile.

After Prince Kuon helps me carry the flour, once we got to the kitchen, he leaves. Well, that's to be expected. I'm sure he has a reason to be here, and I'll bet that it's not kitchen-related.

"Are you here with the flour?" A pastry chef asks me. "Thank you, I really owe you one. I'm the head pastry chef here."

"Really?!" I ask, elated.

This person is the #1 pastry chef in the world! And I'm talking to this man. Now I need to make sure that I'm poised and confident.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long." I say.

"No, no… I'm the one who should be apologizing for making you come here," He says, and then looks me over. "By the looks of you, you're a…"

"Oh, I'm a pastry chef, too! Well… to a degree. I'm still an apprentice." I tell him.

"You are? Well, then, do you think you could help me with something? What with all the confusion about the flour, things are a mess back here in the kitchen. Would you mind lending us a hand with the dessert?" The head pastry chef asks me.

I smile brightly; this is a dream come true for me, and I roll up my sleeves. I tell the head pastry chef, "Let me at it!"

Staff were rushing back and forth; running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but I ignore it and help out kindly.

"Chef! We've finished baking he cakes, but they still need to be decorated." One of the staff members said.

I see undecorated cakes lined up on the counter. There's a lot of cakes, so I assume a really big party is going on.

"You said your name was Carly, right? Could you do that one?" The head Pastry Chef asks me, pointing to one of the cakes.

I may still be just an apprentice, but I'm confident that I can impress.

"Leave it to me! I'll pull out all my tricks!" I say, and then I get to work on decorating the cake.

The pressure's on, and I tie on my apron. If there's one thing I love, it's a challenge!

"Chef, what do you think?" I ask, as I finish up the cake, and show it to the chef.

"You went with a pretty simple design, huh?" He asks me.

"I tasted a little of the cake; the flavor was very complex, so I thought a more simple design would highlight that complex flavor." I explain.

His mouth was covered with his hand, and I shudder a bit.

However, he gave me a smile, and then he says, "This is wonderful. I knew you were the girl for the job!"

This causes me to grin brightly, and I feel so happy.

"Thank you so much!" I say to the head Pastry Chef.

"How about helping us with some madeleines next?" He asks me.

"Yes!" I say, with a big, wide smile.

I follow behind the head pastry chef, I overhear some of the staff talking.

"Did you hear? The princes are all here because they're looking for brides." "I wonder what kind of girls the princes are into."

I listen to the staff, but I subtly roll my eyes. What grief are those men going to get? They're so popular that they're going to have the pick of the litter of girls.

"Time to bake!" I say, distracting myself, and beginning to bake.

I decide to cut through the gardens to get back to Patisserie Brown, and I'm sore all over.

"Sheesh, it was a battlefield in there…" I say, but then I notice how huge the garden is.

'It's beautiful out here…' I think, and then I see the roses. I kneel down to get a better look at the roses.

"What beautiful roses…" I say. I see how beautiful they were; they are shimmering in the silver moonlight and dew.

I'm about to take out my phone to take pictures of these roses so that way I can figure out a way to make them into a great cake decoration in that exact color, when…

However, I hear something rustle in the bushes, and I back off; I put up my fists, ready to fight.

However, someone pops out of the bushes and I cry out in surprise.

"Sh! Quiet!" He presses both of his hands over my mouth.

"M-mph!" I try to speak, but my mouth is shut. I don't care who this guy is; I'll crush his foot if he tries anything!

However, rather than doing anything inappropriate, he just yanks me into the bushes with him. My mind is racing…

'What's going on?! What should I do?!' I think.

"Prince Aslan! Where are you?" I hear someone call out from the distance.

"That party's about to start! Prince Aslan!" The same voice shouts.

'Prince Aslan?!' I think.

"Why won't she just leave me alone?" Prince Aslan asks aloud.

I look up at him, my arms still behind my back. The face bathed in the moonlight was the same one I saw at the parade earlier.

'Oh, snap… It's really him…' I think, my mind going blank.

I was pressed tightly against his chest and his scent was filling my nose. I decide not to make a fuss. Judging by his voice and his body language, he did not want to be found out, so I keep quiet.

"…You smell really good. Sweet, almost," He says to me; I go red in the face at this comment, and he smiles. "Are you a baker or something?"

"Yes, I am." I say to him; I try not to look stupid, so I just be objective with my response.

I felt really confused, and after that, my mind blanked out. Whether it was caused by the fact a man was holding me, or I was talking to a prince, I don't know, but it freaked me out.

"Hm… A baker, huh? That might not be so bad…" He says, looking up at the night sky.

I had no clue what he meant, and I was about to get snippy and ask him, when…

"Your Highness, where are you!? Please come out! Think about the position you're putting me in!" That woman's voice says again, her voice on the verge of tears.

"I guess I have to go," The Prince sighs, in resignation, and then he let go of my arms. "I'm sorry if I surprised you."

He turned away and he left; I sigh in relief. I like the fact he was self-aware about whether or not it caused me to panic, but he still scared me half-to-death.

"Surprised me? He almost made me go into cardiac arrest!" I say, before slapping myself in the face.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and then the head pastry chef came out to find me.

"Thank goodness you're still here." He says to me.

"Chef! What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I've been looking all over for you. He wants to see you." The head pastry chef explains.

"Um… "He", meaning who?" I ask.

"Prince Hayden, the Prince of Philip." The head pastry chef explains to me.

"Say what?!" I ask aloud, in surprise, but I go along with it.

I've seen some pretty fancy parties in my time, but this takes the cake, no pun intended. I see how big, and beautiful the ballroom is, and realize that I felt a little out of place wearing my chef's uniform, but I ignore it for the moment.

'I just want to get out of here… What does Prince Hayden want?' I think. I have more important things to worry about.

"Ooh, look!" "Prince Hayden's coming out way!"

I see a man with blond hair and blue eyes, in a white military jacket, and a red sash on. He approaches me, and I stiffen up a bit.

"Are you Carly?" He asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say; I see his focused gaze on me, but I try to force down my nerves. "The head chef says you wanted to speak to me?"

"Where did you learn to decorate cakes like that?" Prince Hayden asks me.

"Eh?" I ask.

"The cakes you decorated. Where did you learn that style?" He asks me.

Now I get it.

"It's more or less my own original work," I say. "A customer wanted one for a small wedding, so I…"

He listens intently to me, but I try not to ramble.

"I made her a cake, and she really liked it. I thought the style I used back then fit the cake this time around, as well." I explained.

I'm betting that he hated the simplicity, but the next words I heard were out of nowhere.

"I will be having a memorial service for my late grandfather, soon." He says to me.

"King Wilfred?" I ask.

Everyone knows King Wilfred is Prince Hayden's grandfather, and was known as a just and benevolent ruler, even though his older brother, Stephan, was the firstborn son. His death was heavily mourned over, and with good reason.

"Yes. We will have an official ceremony, but I would also like to have a private funeral, just for my family. I would like the cakes for the private ceremony to be decorated the same as this one. I was hoping that you could write down some instructions for my royal pastry chef." Prince Hayden says to me.

So that's what he wanted. Whew…

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" I say; anything related to baking fires me up.

"If you'd be so kind." He says to me.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." I say to him, with a polite bow.

The thought that he liked my cake caused me to smile up at him.

"Hm…" He says to me, with a smile; I start to feel a little nervous and my guard goes up.

I hide my hands behind my back and I stood up straight.

"What's wrong? Why are you hiding your hands?" He asks me.

"No reason…" I say; as if I can tell him I'm nervous talking to a royal!

"Show them to me." He asks me, before grabbing my hands, roughly.

"My hands are covered in cuts and burns," I say. "I'll bet in the eyes of someone like you, they're probably quite revolting."

Now I know I'm being a bit critical, but that's how I am. I tell it like it is, I don't hold back.

"Oh? I think they're beautiful, actually." He says to me.

His hands cupped my own, and saying that my hands, all covered in labor scars, are actually beautiful, is either a big stretch in his good manners or he really meant it. However, I was sure that it was the former.

"Prince Hayden is smiling! And he's holding some girl's hand!" "But she looks like she's just a servant!"

I feel a thousand pinpricks across the back of my head. I am so close to just letting my tongue loose.

"Give me a break…" Prince Hayden says. Looks like he hates this, too…

"Hey there, Hayden!" Another voice said, and then we turn to see a man in a red and black military jacket and a white sash approaching us.

He had a woman in tow, and he split through the crowd to make his way to us.

"Eek! Prince Oliver!" Someone shouts.

Prince Oliver of Altaria?! Exactly how many royal men does that make it today?! Seems I'm meeting royal after royal today, and it's getting a little overwhelming…

"You're the center of attention, as usual!" Oliver says.

Prince Hayden does not answer.

"But that's the world famous Prince Hayden for you! There's no need to be shy." Prince Oliver says.

"I'm not." Prince Hayden states.

"There you go again." Prince Oliver says.

During their banter, the crowd gets larger and larger. This is as helpful to my nerves as leeches on a dead person. I try to stand my ground and ignore it.

"Who does that pastry chef think she is, hogging all the princes!?" Someone asks.

Hey! Don't bark up the wrong tree! I didn't ask for this to happen. I just want to say that so badly!

"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" Prince Oliver asks me, cocking his head to the side and looking mat me in curiosity.

"It's nothing. I'm just…" I begin, but…

"Do you not feel well?" Prince Oliver asks me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Prince Oliver says, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and dragging me through the crowd. "Here, let us through! We're in a hurry!"

"Now hold on, Prince Oliver!" I begin, about to give him a piece of my mind.

"You can just call me Oliver." He says to me.

"As if I could do that!" I say, and I'm saying it with good reason. As if I can become friends with a prince right off the bat.

"It's fine, really." He says to me.

Laid-back, much? Maybe a little too much… If he's going to be a king, this sort of attitude is going be like biscuits without any baking powder in them.

He continues to drag me out of the hall along with him and then we're soon out of the banquet hall, before hiding us behind a large pillar.

"We should be safe here," Prince Oliver says to me. "We can't go making all the ladies jealous on purpose, now can we?"

I get it: he helped me escape from all of the spiteful women in here.

"Thanks…" I say to him.

Although he's laid-back, I can see he's good-natured, and I like that kind of guy. And NO, I am NOT crushing on Oliver. I'm no idiot…

"Hm… I bet I know what you're thinking right now." He says to me.

"Oh, really?" I ask, crossing my arms.

However, he gave me a pleasant smile and places his hand on my head.

"I think this might have been fate. I'm sure we'll meet again," Prince Oliver says to me. "Until then, Pastry Cutie."

After Prince Oliver leaves, what he said runs through my head. "Fate"? What was he talking about? The chances of me meeting a Prince more than once are so small that it's nearly impossible. But then again, what am I saying? I just met five in one day! And calling me 'Pastry Cutie'… Well, that's a first.

"I should book it before something goes wrong." I say, but then someone bumps into me.

A woman in a dress bumps into me, and she spills her wine on me by mistake in the process.

"Oh my, excuse me! Oh, you're a pastry chef?" She asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say. "Don't worry about the wine getting on my uniform. This type of attire is designed for this sort of thing."

"Hm, just from your outfit, I take it you aren't one of the candidates." She says to me.

"Candidates for what, exactly?" I ask, a little confused.

Out of nowhere, the banquet hall goes dark and then spotlights light up the stage; the dazzling lights are so bright that I have to cover my eyes for a few seconds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce our princes!" The host of the show said.

I look at the stage, and I see six men standing there; I recognize the one with the purplish-color hair.

'That's the man who helped with the car! Don't tell me he's a prince, too?!' I think.

Remember when I said that I have already met five princes in one day? Scratch that and make it SIX!

"Wait, he's a prince?!" I mutter, trying not to stick out.

"And now that Prince Sieg has safely arrived, we can move on to tonight's main event." The host began.

I meet Prince Sieg's gaze, but I try not to look at him; however, he gave me a smile from up on the stage, and I look at him in confusion. Either he remembers me, or he thinks I look weird with red wine on my uniform; add to that the fact that I'm the only one in here wearing something other than a nice dress, and I really do stick out like a sore thumb…

"Before too long, we, along with two new princes, will hold the Nobel Expo." Prince Hayden says, and the banquet hall fills with excited murmurs.

Even I don't know what the Nobel Expo is.

"In the spirit of international cooperation and cultural understanding, we have put together this exhibition for the enjoyment of our peoples," Prince Hayden says. "We hope that you will enjoy attending as much as we have enjoyed preparing this event, and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all there."

"What's the Nobel Expo?" I ask a waiter.

"What, you've never heard of the Nobel Expo? Why, its…" He begins, but then something interrupts us.

"Now for a special surprise… Ladies and gentleman, the bouquet toss!" The host says, causing women to cheer out in delight.

I didn't get my answer about the Nobel Expo, but I cover my ears in pain. Why are they having a bouquet toss at this kind of event, anyway? This isn't a wedding…

"The lucky lady who catches the bouquet will have the pleasure of getting to dance with whichever prince threw it!" The host says, and then all the women – minus me, of course – mob the stage.

"Prince Hayden, throw it to me!" "Prince Sieg, over here!" "Choose me, Prince Aslan!"

I see the women going at it for the bouquets. I just roll my eyes in annoyance. What harpies… It's not only got nothing to do with me, but I don't dance. Doesn't mean I can't, but I just prefer not to.

I decide to book it and get back to the bakery before I get caught up in something ridiculous.

"Better get going while I still can…" I say, and I start to make my way to the hall exit.

A drumroll begins, and just as I turned away from the stage…

"Alright, Your Highnesses! Whenever you're ready!" The host says.

I hear the rustling of hundreds of skirts behind me, but then…

"Ouch!" I shout, and it was that one hit in the head that caused my life to do a complete one-eighty…

I'm dragged to a dressing room to change into a dress. Long story short, rather than catching a bouquet, I was hit in the head with one.

This isn't the first time wearing a dress, but a gown like this, is a first for me.

The maids do my hair and makeup, and I felt like someone else. I'm no stranger to this sort of thing, but… I didn't expect this to happen.

"I wish I could just leave… But since a Prince is waiting on me for a dance, what choice do I have?" I moan.

I move into the banquet hall; I'm used to wedge shoes, but heels, that's new for me, so I stumble every now and again, but I'm otherwise fine.

"Is that the same girl as before?" "Wow, that prince really has good taste!"

People are talking about me, and I just roll my eyes; I'm used to pressure, so I feel okay as everyone's gazes are upon me.

"You're the one who caught the bouquet, right?" I hear someone ask, and I turn to see Prince Sieg.

"U-Um, yes…" I say.

"Here, take my hand," He says, with a warm smile; he holds out his right hand to me. "Follow my lead."

I gently take his hand; I feel quite stiff and I go off to the dance floor with him. As the music begins, I manage to follow Prince Sieg's lead and I do at least somewhat fine… In my opinion, at least.

I can see that Prince Sieg is a really good lead at this; normally, my best dancing comes from freestyle dancing. Ballroom dancing, not so much…

I decide to break the ice.

"Thank you for the ride earlier," I say, trying to be polite. "I was unaware you were a prince. If I was rude, then…"

He smiled brightly, before leaning in to whisper something in my ear. He said, "And why should I announce myself to some stranger?"

"Pardon me?" I ask.

"Especially a stranger who makes princes haul flour," Prince Sieg says to me. "I hope you're ready to face the consequences of your actions."

"Consequences?! For crying out loud, all I did was ask for help," I say, being quiet enough to avoid drawing attention to us. "What's the problem with that?!'"

Okay, now I know my first impression of this lout from the car was completely off!

"I only did it because my steward ordered me to 'act like a gentleman'," He says to me. "Otherwise, there's no way I would've stopped to help some regular person. Do you really think I'd let some flour-covered girl ride in my nice car?"

Tch… Should have known he didn't pick me up out of kindness. He did it because he was coerced into it… I knew he was unpleasant in the car…

"What? Does that make you unhappy?" He asks me.

"No…" I say, with conviction.

"It's not easy being a prince," He says to me. "We have to put up with a lot of stuff regular people have no clue about."

"Isn't that to be expected?" I ask.

Other women begin murmuring and I manage to hear what they're saying.

"Who does that woman think she is? She's just a servant!" "Just because Prince Sieg chose her doesn't give her the right to dance with him!"

'Um, technically, since I was hit with the bouquet, and the rule is that the girl who catches it gets to dance with the prince, I actually do have a right…' I think, but since I know better than to talk in this situation, I keep my mouth shut.

However, I hear a ripped noise and squeak a bit in surprise; I see that I've stepped on the hem of another woman's dress. I end up losing my balance, as well.

"Careful!" Prince Sieg says, catching me. And once he did, he scoops me up into his arms, and begins to carry me, bridal style.

"Geh…" I say, a little surprised.

"Are you okay?" Prince Sieg asks me, with a kind smile.

I don't know why, but that smile is just… Fake to me. It just gives me the wrong impression.

"Forget about me…" I say, not making eye contact with him.

"You didn't twist your ankle or anything?" He asks me.

"I'm fine." I say, being stubborn.

"…We should still take a look at it." Sieg says.

"Say what?!" I ask.

While still carrying me, Prince Sieg walked towards the exit of the hall, and I end up getting glares and daggers from the eyes from the other women in the room.

"W-What's that woman trying to pull!?" "We can't just let some lowlife steal away Prince Sieg like that!"

Sheesh… Hey, ladies, I never asked for this to happen! I really just want to holler that right now; I'm not trying anything, he's doing this on his own free will…

"Nothing's scarier than a jealous woman." Prince Sieg says to me.

"For once, we agree…" I mutter.

"But, I guess they don't get many chances to be jealous of a regular girl," Prince Sieg says to me. "It'll be a good lesson in humility."

What the…?! He's just looking down on everyone else! Albeit I understand what he's saying…

We make it outside, and then Prince Sieg deposits me in the car out in the lot.

"Zain, take her home." Prince Sieg says, as he drops me into the seat; there's a thud.

"Ow!" I say, in pain.

"Of course, Your Highness." Zain says.

This guy… Tossing me in here like I'm a piece of luggage or whatever… Prince of DresVan? Try Prince of Jerks!

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Prince Sieg asks me.

I give him a glare and I'm pretty sure he wanted to get out of dancing with me.

"You should be thankful you got to experience what it's like to be a member of high society." He says to me.

I don't say anything in response, and I just keep giving him a dirty look.

"Besides, don't you feel lucky getting to ride in such a nice car?" Prince Sieg asks me.

Forget the car or the dancing… I just decide to come out with my thoughts.

"I've got a question." I say to Prince Sieg.

"What?" He asks me.

I give him a look straight in the eye, and ask, "You picked me up and carried me out of there because you got sick of dancing with me, am I right?"

"So what if I did?" He asks me.

Figures that was the case…

"What? A girl can't be curious?" I ask, getting on the defensive.

Prince Sieg doesn't reply; he gives me a final chilly glance before walking away. Tch! He's the King of Jerks!

"Miss Carly. Please don't think too ill of him," Zain requests. "He has his reasons for acting like that."

"Really?" I ask, not convinced.

"Prince Sieg stopped dancing with you and took you out of there to spare you," Zain explains to me. "Women and their petty jealousies can be vicious."

I highly doubt that's the case; he really seemed to be enjoying himself trying to make me feel stupid. That's probably the first and last I'll see of him, and I hope that's how it stays.

"Please allow me to apologize on his behalf." Zain says.

"Don't bother." I mutter.

Once I get home, I close my front door behind me, and I breathe a heavy sigh.

"Talk about waking up from a dream…" I say, as I wipe my brow.

I was only going to be delivering flour, but then I ended up dancing at a ball and dancing with an actual prince… Talk about something out of fantasy…

"Not like that's ever gonna happen again." I say, before putting my stuff down.

I decide to keep the night a secret; it's not like anyone would believe me and I just leave me phone alone.

It was only a dream; one that could never repeat itself, so I just keep it to myself.

The next morning, I'm all ready for work.

"Alright, time for work!" I say, and I begin running through my responsibilities in my mind, when…

The doorbell rings, and then I go over to the door.

"Who's there?" I ask; what the heck would someone be stopping by here for this early in the morning?

I open the front door, and I see Zain.

"Good morning, Miss Carly." Zain greets me.

"Zain?" I ask; why's he here? "What's going on? Did I forget something?"

"Not at all." He replies.

"Are you paying for the flour?" I ask.

"No, we've arranged payment for another day." He explains.

Maybe he's here to ask me to help out in the kitchens again? Or offer me a position as a pastry chef in the castle?! That would be great.

"So…" I ask; I try not to get my hopes up.

"I'm here to pick you up, Miss Carly." Zain says to me, with a smile.

"Say what? Pick me up to go where?" I ask. "I have work…"

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." Zain tells me.

"EH?! Marriage interview?!" I shout, in surprise.

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince," Zain explains to me. "I am here to escort you to Nobel Michel."

What the…?! How…? Why…?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!


Here it is! Myself in Prince Sieg Lieben's route!