The Royal Engagement
A/N: Originally written for SoRina/SouEri Week Day 2: Royalty
She was a princess.
He was a nobody—a mere traveler by the looks of it.
But for the life of her, she cannot fathom how on Earth had this low class citizen entered the castle and managed to get permission from her grandfather to have an audience with her.
An audience with her.
Her. Princess Erina Nakiri. Heir to Totsuki Kingdom. Bearer of God's Tongue. The most sought out princess throughout the world.
Princes and chefs from kingdoms far and wide were fighting over to get a chance to present themselves or their dishes to her. The castle she was in was heavily guarded to prevent any unwanted intruder to even have a glimpse of her hair. And yet this man was able to get inside the Nakiri castle with only short notice.
;
He came to the palace two days ago.
She had just left from the Royal Library after finishing her studies and was about to get her snacks from the Royal Kitchen when she saw him. His dirty outfit was so out of place inside the room full of clean and neatly organized cooking tools that her head immediately screamed in alarm.
"Thief!" she had cried then called for the guards.
The man abruptly faced her in surprise and she quickly grabbed the nearest thing within her reach (which was a rolling pin) then pointed it at him in defense.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? And how did you get in here?" she asked as threateningly as possible while trying to calm herself. She glared at the intruder, refusing to display any more signs of fear aside from her panicked scream earlier.
The intruder raised both of his hands and attempted to slowly inch his way towards her but she held her weapon higher in warning, effectively halting his movements.
"Whoa, easy there princess."
She heard the hurried footsteps of the guards and though she was relieved, she didn't dare avert her eyes from him. That is, until Julio, the palace chef, entered the kitchen from the adjoining room.
"Princess Erina!" Julio exclaimed, bowing his head as he got between her and the stranger.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but this man meant no harm. I assure you that he is not a thief or an intruder. He was interested in culinary so the King place him under my care and gave him permission to observe in the kitchen."
Despite Julio's explanation, Erina couldn't help but narrow her eyes in confusion. Why would her grandfather, the King, let this man inside the palace? She returned her gaze over Julio's shoulder and the man gave her a tentative grin in which she returned with a glare.
He was wearing a simple brown tunic, black trousers with black boots under a rag (a brown cloak, but she saw it as a rag nonetheless). Strapped around his shoulder was a black satchel and nothing more. If she were the one that saw him in front of the palace gate, she would have sent him away without a second thought for daring to come into her castle without bothering to dress formally. She was wondering why the guards didn't do exactly that but the only reason that she had fished from them afterwards was because 'he made the most delicious food'.
She was disgusted. To think that the most elite guards of the Nakiri Empire could be bribed by food. Her grandfather just laughed when she requested for those guards to be fired. He said that their claims were verified.
This only increased her terrible mood. She had no doubt in her mind that whatever 'that man' had served was drugged because there was no way that her grandfather would let any stranger get close to her.
She angrily made her way towards her quarter, her shoes clicking on the marble floor.
Her maids efficiently helped her out of her morning dress and into a comfortable night gown before showing their way out of her room to give her privacy.
The sky was getting darker and the air was getting chilly. If she was in a better mood, she would have opened her glass window that leads to a balcony and watch as the sky turns to orange.
She didn't know how long she stayed silent when a knock was heard outside her door.
"Come in."
A maid entered the room carrying a tray with what she presumed to be her dinner.
"What is this?" She asked incredulously when she saw what her maid had set up on the small round table at the center of her room.
There were two bowls on the table, one contained white rice while the other contained what appeared to be scrambled eggs. If she didn't know any better, she would assume that the dish in front of her was a Japanese Fukikake Gohan. But there was no way that Julio would serve her that kind of simple dish. No way.
"Umm, this is the food that was prepared for you, Princess Erina," her maid replied nervously.
She eyed the table dubiously before flipping her hair and dismissing the poor servant. If Julio prepared this, then there is surely something special behind this ordinary looking dish, right?
She picked her chopstick and was about to have a bite when another knock was heard. Thinking that it was one of her maids, she called out her consent only to be surprised when 'that man' entered her room.
She stood up and crossed her arms, glaring the man in the process.
"And what do you think you're doing here?"
The man was not deterred. "Your Highness," he greeted with a bow.
"Forgive me for my earlier rudeness, princess. I hope you're enjoying my little token of apology."
"I received no such thing," she said coldly. She wasn't going to accept anything coming from him.
"Sure you have," he answered excitedly. "You were about to eat it if I hadn't arrived."
With this admission, Princess Erina was quite sure that the dish was indeed Furikake Gohan. With him on the room and his dish sitting atop her table, there was no denying that it made her blood boil.
"How dare you. First, you infiltrated my castle, then you almost dirtied my kitchen, and now you dare to serve me this-this plebian dish? I am Princess Erina Nakiri and my tongue can only be satisfied by the finest cuisine. Did you really think that something like this is worth my God's Tongue?" she stated coldly and proceeded towards the door to get the man out of the room.
"Who's to say that this is just an ordinary Furikake Gohan?"
Pleased that he had caught the princess's attention, the stranger with red hair picked up the bowl containing the scrambled eggs and gave the heiress a smirk. She narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't stop her curiosity. How could he possibly improve that kind of dish?
"I present you, Yukihira style Transforming Furikake Gohan." He stated proudly as he poured the contents into the rice bowl.
Erina watched as golden cubes fell into the rice, morphing its white color into gold. Not being able to resist the temptation of an undiscovered dish, Princess Erina unconsciously returned to the table, not noticing her companion's victorious smile. She picked her discarded chopsticks and, without making her curiosity too obvious, took a tentative bite of the so-called Transforming Furikake Gohan.
The moment it entered her mouth, Erina felt like her legs were about to give out. She felt like she was floating to the clouds, with angels singing a beautiful melody while her body relaxed. She felt divine.
She wasn't even aware that she have taken a couple of bites and it took all of her remaining self-control not to moan out loud from the sensation she was feeling from her mouth.
"I told you." The man said, successfully breaking the spell that momentarily bound the princess. As Erina opened her eyes, she couldn't help the frustration bubbling inside her chest at seeing the smug smile that was thrown in her way.
"It was good, wasn't it?" The excited glint in his golden eyes told her that he already knew the answer.
She was embarrasses and angry with herself for losing control.
"It was..." she stopped. She couldn't finish the sentence. Embarrassment, mortification and uncertainty warring inside her head but a quick glance at the shit-eating grin of red head made up her mind.
Cold purple eye met the hopeful gold ones.
"It was disgusting." She spat. "Get out!"
He was too stunned to argue.
When she was left alone in her room, she angrily stared at the bowl.
How dare he? She angrily thought as she finished eating.
;
Now here she was, sitting in a velvet chair at an elevated part of the Audience Chamber while glaring at 'Yukihira' who was standing in front of her.
He eyed the young man warily. She was wondering why he was still here.
He was wearing a fancier attire— a blue and white prince's outfit. Probably provided by the palace. She thought disapprovingly.
Although he was dressed accordingly—or as regal as one can be, she begrudgingly admitted—she couldn't help but find a flaw. His red hair was not gelled and a little messy; his smile was polite but had a hint of mischief; his left eyebrow was scarred; and was that a bandage on his wrist? How sure are they that this man was safe?
Before she can throw any insult or criticism to man in front of him, the huge doors opened to reveal his grandfather.
"I heard that there was a bit of a commotion yesterday?" Her grandfather boomed as he made his way towards the center of the room. His tone wasn't angry or patronizing. It's not even threatening, which means that he doesn't have a slightest care on that matter.
"Forgive me, you Majesty." 'Yukihira' knelled down in front of the King but Erina recognizes the tone in his voice. It was the same one he used while addressing her last night and now he was also using it to address the King. He spoke with a hint of familiarity as if the presence of the royal family doesn't bother him at all.
"It was only a little… misunderstanding" he said playfully while looking directly at her, his eyes saying that he knew something that she didn't. This time, Erina didn't hide her scowl.
"Doesn't matter," his grandfather cut in, ignoring the interaction between the two, and motioned for Erina.
Confused, she rose from her seat and slowly made her way towards the two men. Yukihira made a small bow of acknowledgement before turning his attention to the King, and Erina (though reluctantly) doing the same.
"My dear, as I know that you are very much aware that in a few weeks you'll be turning 18."
Erina felt her stomach drop. She knew where this conversation was heading. Why were they having this conversation at this moment? And most importantly, why were they having this conversation in front of him?
An unpleasant scenario entered her head and she tried her best to convince herself that it was impossible. He's not suggesting what she thinks he was suggesting, right? There was no way.
"I know that you have never favored any one of your former suitors, but dear, I am not getting any younger. And it has been tradition that if the princess cannot choose her intended partner before her 18th birthday, then the King must choose for her. You have to present someone on the night of your celebration party. And you have to know that all my decisions have always been made by putting the county's and your best interest in mind."
Princess Erina listened as calmly as possible. She knew this was coming. It was her fault for turning down all of the suitors that have sought her but it wasn't her fault that all of them were way below her level. Even putting her feelings aside, those princes weren't worth considering. None of them displayed the quality of a future ruler. They were all self-important princes who only knew how to brag and to look good.
Her gaze returned to the man in front of her. No matter how many times she assured herself, she doesn't know where he fit in all of this, except for one.
She was hoping she was wrong and that he was just a mere messenger from a faraway kingdom.
"Erina dear," her grandfather said, a telltale that he was finally going to announce the biggest decision that he made for her life.
"I present to you your betrothed, Prince Soma Yukihira," he said, turning to the redhead and thus fulfilling the thing she had dreaded the most.
Her grandfather continued to explain but Princess Erina heard only bits and pieces. Her face was set in a grimace as she appraised her betrothed. He was a chef, and a good one if she heard it right. But how can this man be a prince? Where were his aides? His guards? His entourage? He was dressed as a commoner when he came to the palace! How can he be a prince?
"So what is it, Princess?" Soma Yukihira asked, cutting her reverie while flashing her that annoying grin while his hands were tucked on his pockets. His demeanor told her that he knew she hasn't been paying attention and did nothing to hide his amusement.
"Tell me what you want so that I can satisfy that tongue of yours." He said as he accepted her hand from her grandfather and bowed to kiss her knuckles.
She looked down at him and, for a moment, relished in the fact that she was still in control. No matter how much arrogance Soma Yukihira project, he will always bow down to her while she would look down to him. She had no intention of changing this arrangement anytime soon.
"And tell me, Soma Yukihira. What gave you such confidence that you could satisfy my godly palate?"
"Well, you just have to at least let me try."
His eyes glinted with challenged as he met the princess's gaze and for a brief moment, Erina let a smirk graze on her pink lips.
"Oh, believe me. I would enjoy nothing more than to see you try in vain."
;
.thatgirl.