Be My Princess; A Royal Mixer
Keith Alford
"This is between you and I, got it Jan?" I whispered in warning as I pulled him over to a corner.
"But.. but.. My Lady…" Luke stuttered, his eyebrows furrowed in disagreement. It was obvious that Luke was unwilling to help me with my small request.
I was having our usual afternoon tea with Prince Keith when my friend had called me. Apparently I had taken too much a time with my phone call as Luke was sent out to hurry me. That is also how Luke had overheard most of my conversation with my friend.
My close friend had informed me of an impromptu mixer with our university classmates in an hour time. As much as I had tried to reject her invitation, she had promptly signed me up without my permission. Furthermore, she had ended our conversation abruptly with an 'I will see you later', without even giving me any chance to speak. I sighed inwardly at how the day is going to turn out.
"But… Prince Keith wouldn't like you to attend such gatherings…" Luke hurriedly waves his hands around, as if saying that I could change my mind.
No, Luke, I don't want to go too, but… I looked away in guilt. I knew I could just leave my friend alone but she is someone who has been with me since young, someone who had actually accompanied me to study abroad in a foreign land, in Charles.
"I am sorry, Luke." I smiled awkwardly at Luke. "Well… He doesn't have to know!" I nodded convincingly.
Both of us had understood Keith's personality full well to know that a royal tantrum would be thrown consequently if he was to find out about where I am going to.
"Well, I have to go now, just remember what I had said! If Keith asked where I had gone to, just say that I have to hurry back to Charles for a sudden school meeting!" I started to turn for the main door. Luckily I had only brought along one belonging which is my purse that is hidden in my jean's pockets.
"Don't worry! I will explain to him properly after that." I patted Luke's shoulder reassuringly as a very flustered butler look at me uneasily.
"Explain what? Where are you going?" A loud voice boomed from down the corridor unexpectedly. The only sound in the suddenly silent corridor was the loud taps of Keith's dress shoes against the polished wooden floors.
"Shoot." I cursed under my breath. Luck just wasn't on my side as Keith has had to approach us at this timing.
As much as I love my boyfriend, Keith could be hard to talk to at times. Both of our personalities are too similar at times, both stubborn and opinionated.
"Your- your highness…" Luke bowed quickly as the daunting figure approached us.
"Keith..." I squeaked meekly, suddenly intimidated by my beloved. It was as if I had been caught doing something wrong.
Argh, is this the feeling of being caught in between of my lover and my friends?
"So, where are you going?" Keith frowned at us, repeating his question. I struggled to think of an appropriate answer but Luke just had to let slip everything out.
"Ah, it's nothing. Miss Yui is just going for a mixer- I mean…Miss Yui has a sudden school activity!" Luke spluttered, beads of sweat doting on his forehead as he grew more and more disconcerted.
"What?" Keith widened his eyes in surprise while I shot a murderous glare at the pitiful butler.
"Luke, you!"
I should have known better than to depend on Luke to make stories up, or even to lie. Luke's inability to lie was something that I had not counted on, and his innocence had definitely made me ashamed.
Luke's face reddens as he apologized timidly, "I am sorry! I have something to do… I have to clean some… vases!" Then, Luke practically flew out of the place in a moment.
"So... what was that about?" Keith lowered his voice, staring at me with suspicion. He closed the distance between us in a few seconds, pinning me to the wall with no escape.
"Argh…" I mumbled as I felt the cold texture behind me. I had absolutely no way to run.
Keith's emerald eyes bore deep into mine as he waited for my answer. Beautiful... I thought to myself, getting lost in his enchanting gaze.
I shook my head quickly, this is not the time to be doing this! As if impatient, Keith leaned forward even closer, just inches away from my face. I can see his long eyelashes as they fluttered in the wind; hear his steady breathing and breathe in his strong and sweet musky smell…
"Keith… too… close…" I immediately dropped my gaze as I felt uncomfortably hot from the intimacy.
Keith smirked, smiling as he came closer and closer, before leaning in for an unusually gentle peck on the lips. "I might do more, you know, my adorable Yui." Keith grinned, mischief twinkling in his eyes.
"Argh, fine." I puffed my cheeks out in frustration, admitting defeat. I was actually quite thankful that Keith was feeling playful today. Usually he would start an argument with me on the spot.
As I pushed Keith away tenderly, I gave a quick explanation on how my friend had signed me up for a spontaneous mixer. As I had felt bad to reject her, I had decided to go along with it.
All the while, Keith was shaking his head as he listened quietly to my story. However, his reply surprised me immensely.
"A mixer…" Keith scowled before deciding, "Well, I have to protect my beloved fiancée. Since you have to go and I have no way to stop you, then I am tagging along too!"
"…What?" I asked in astonishment, somewhat perking up at his insistence to join me.
"You know that a mixer doesn't really end at the end of a meal. You will never know what sort of men might follow you home. I can't let my beautiful girlfriend be in such a risk."
"Beautiful…" A small smile crept onto my face as he praised me. Suddenly, a realization hit me. "How many mixers have you been to before?!"
Keith chortled and patted my head affectionately, "I am coming."
"How do I look?" Keith stood in front of Luke and me. He was dressed lightly in a blue polo shirt and pants, casually dressed, donning a pair of black spectacles. The prince seems to be having fun with his disguise.
"The same." I pointed out as my boyfriend seemed to be oblivious to how he had actually looked.
"I think you will be fine, Prince Keith." Luke nodded, while I stared at Luke in disbelief. "You don't have to go along with him!"
Really, sometimes Luke is so compliant and submissive, I wonder what had happened to the fierce and stern butler I had met on the first few days.
"Alright, call me Ken now. Let's head to Charles, shall we?" Keith displayed a triumphant smile as he held my hand tightly.
"Argh…" I sighed in submission as we left Liberty in Keith's personal car.
The two of us left for Charles and headed down to the designated café. Despite Keith's supposedly disguise, he had still attracted many onlookers. Well, it is indeed hard to cover up Keith's good looks with simply just clothes.
"Don't you think that that guy looked like Liberty's Prince?" Two girls murmured to each other, turning around to glance at Keith every now and then as they walked past us.
"Heh, looked like my charm seeped out of my disguise anyway." Keith proudly announced to me as we walked side by side down the street.
"…Yeah." I puckered, feeling slightly jealous with all the stares on my boyfriend. As if noticing my discomfort, Keith squeezed my hand firmly.
"I will give you all the attention you want, later tonight, alright?" Keith whispered into my ear seductively. I froze for a second after processing his words.
"Ke-Keith!" I haphazardly pushed Keith off the pedestrian steps as I blushed deeply, still not quite used to his sweet and flirty words.
"O-oy, idiot!"
The small café was decorated with flowers of different varieties, there were many pressed flowers framed up on the wall. The soft music playing in the background brought about a rather romantic ambience in the small enclosure.
Most of my classmates were more of an acquaintance hence I had felt slightly comforted when my close friend waved enthusiastically to beckon us over.
"Hello!" I awkwardly bowed to my classmates in my university when I had noticed them sitting at the corner table.
"This is Kei- Ken! He is my friend." I hurriedly introduce Keith, who was standing behind me.
"I am Ken." Keith gave a short and formal bow, befitting that of the royalty he is.
My female classmates gasped in surprise at Keith's handsome features and even the males were attracted by Keith's charming aura.
"Hello, Yui!" A sandy haired man greeted me cheerfully, as he gestured for me to be seated beside him.
"Oh, hello Alexander!" I smiled pleasantly, noticing my lab partner from Chemistry. I don't attend mixers regularly and even more so after I had started dating Keith. Thus, it is a definite relief to have someone who was being so friendly towards me.
While the girls were trying to strike up a conversation with Keith amicably, I noticed that Keith was glancing in my direction constantly.
Cough cough, Keith cleared his throat loudly. I didn't really take heed of Keith's little signs for my attention as Alexander was telling me an interesting story of our Chemistry professor.
I laughed delightfully at his story when Keith interrupted.
"…So, Miss Yui," Keith asked loudly, disrupting all the ongoing conversations as well. "Say, would you like to share something about yourself?"
Heh… So this is what that is all about… I thought to myself, as Keith raised his eyebrows at me before sending a glare in Alexander's direction. Keith wasn't happy with the conversation between Alexander and me.
"Ohh, an icebreaker!" A girl, seated beside Keith, clapped her hands in curiosity. It was apparent that she is more curious in Keith's introduction rather than mine.
"Hmm…" I thought for a moment before continuing, "I like travelling and designing clothes. Hmm, well, I enjoy making different types of outfits for my loved ones." I thought back to the tie I had made for Keith's birthday.
"Loved ones huh…" Alexander's ocean blue eyes twinkled impishly as he turned to stare at me. "What sort of guy would you go for, Yui?"
I giggled inwardly, this is going to be interesting. "Eh… I guess someone who is polite and sweet… probably caring too." I smiled in reply, shooting a glance in Keith's direction.
"Well, I am sure that means you have to be polite and sweet, yourself first." Keith smirked in challenge.
This is actually how we converse every day. Although it may have seemed to be provoking and rude on the surface, but we knew that deep down, we love each other too much to fight for real anyway.
"Oh, and what does that mean?" I asked on purpose while titling my head innocently at Keith.
"Maybe, you have to be more lady-like at times?" Keith raised his index finger thoughtfully, "Like being dainty and demure, like a princess I believe all girls should be."
"…Oh?" I gripped my purse tightly, amused by how Keith is bringing in these yet again now. We had argued more than once on my rather un-princess like behavior.
"I think that being humble and not being arrogant is a more admirable quality instead of being dainty and ah, demure." I tittered in my most charming voice as I gazed into his eyes firmly, giving him my trademark innocent look.
I watched in amusement as Keith scowled at me, his lips pursing into thin lines as he search for a rebuttal. I knew that I had hit Keith's soft spot, as he had once admitted shyly to me, my smile was his weakness.
There were a few moments of silence as the two of us stare at each other. I could see Keith admitting defeat as he sighed promptly.
"Oh hey, guys, relax and chill!" Alexander hurriedly intercepts our conversation, panic plain on his face. It was obvious that Alexander was worried that Keith and I were going to start shouting at each other the next second.
Keith stared at Alexander in surprise, before slowly grinning at us. "Well, don't worry, Alexander. I had actually thought that Yui's opinions on her ideal partner were rather interesting."
"Really?" Alexander asked quizzically, before I nodded teasingly.
Well, that is how our relationship works. Keith and I could be shouting at each other one moment and the next we would be hugging and comforting each other. This had driven Luke up the wall many a time.
"Phew, that scared me." Alexander sighed in relief before laughing to himself in enjoyment. "Well, now that we are on this topic, Yui, say… What do you think of me?"
Alexander turned side way, facing me with a completely different and serious look. His unexpected question had brought the whole table to a complete silence. The girls murmured among themselves in hushed voices, "Finally! Is Alex going to confess…?"
"Uh..." I fidgeted nervously, how did the conversation turned into this all of a sudden.
I thought for a few moments, unable to stare at him straight as he waited patiently for my answer."You are a really nice friend of mine… I guess…."
"Oh.. Heh." Alexander puckered his lips for a moment. "I expected that." Alexander grinned, ruffling my hair awkwardly.
"My friend." He repeated quietly with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"I believe that friends should remain as friends then." Keith answered with a smug look. It was evident that Keith was pleased with my answer as he smirked at the rejected look on Alexander's face.
"You are interested in Yui too, right?" Alexander asked as a matter of fact as he eyed Keith carefully.
"Yeah, I love her." Keith declared, professing his love for me openly.
"…What?" The girl seated beside Keith stared at us incredulously, before shooting me an accusatory look. "Lucky you."
"Yui is a sweet and gentle girl." Keith continued zealously with an effulgent smile. "No doubt, she is a stubborn girl who loves to challenge people. But I am going after her, and nothing can change that. I like her a lot."
"Eh…" I stuttered, my heart pounding with his sudden declaration of love. "I-I…" I struggled to form words in my blank mind, unable to react under his intense stare.
"Well then," Keith smirked delightfully at me as he stood up, his hand outstretched, waiting for mine to grab hold. "Well, thank you for this interesting mixer. Would Yui like to go on a date with just myself now then?"
"Eh…?" I mumbled in shock as his figure towered intimidatingly over mine. As I hesitated, Keith promptly grabbed my hand roughly, tugging me out of my seat.
"Ah… Thank you and see you guys in school!" I quickly bowed as Keith dragged me out of the café.
"What was that for?" I asked exasperatedly, we are barely in the café for an hour before leaving so suddenly.
"Nothing." Keith asserts innocently, the mischievous smile never leaving his face. "I did nothing except to tell them to back off from my girl."
"…Really, Keith." I sighed dramatically as my heart glowed warm at his obvious possessiveness. "You are such a handful."
"Hmm?" Keith pretended not to hear my last sentence.
The two of us ended up wandering aimlessly down the streets of Charles, simply enjoying the tranquil environment as the sun began to set slowly.
"I am serious." Keith broke the silence, "I don't like how that guy look at you. And I only want you to look at me." He murmured as he stared into my eyes enchantingly.
"I love you for the way you are. You are a unique and special person to me. It wouldn't be fun without you to challenge me. And I love you for that."
I giggled blissfully, understanding his words. "Really, Keith. Don't you think we took it too far just now though?"
"Did we?" Keith laughed.
Keith and I came to a stop at the central park of Charles. We sat under the shade of a majestic oak tree, enjoying the cool breeze and the lively chatters of children playing around us.
"Say, let's bring our child here, one day, in the future." I whispered, watching a mother drying her child's tears as he fell onto the ground. The child stopped crying after her mother patted him comfortingly on the head, and he gave a big jovial smile in return.
"Of course." Keith watched the same pair of mother and child quietly. He is, without a doubt, wondering like me, how our family will turn out in the future.
"Hey Keith?"
"Hmm?" Keith's arm tightened around my waist in reply.
"I will tell you everything from now on." I beamed at him. "And that, I love you so much." I kissed him tenderly on his cheeks, love overflowing from my body for my beloved.
"Me too." Keith blushed adorably at my bold move, before cupping my cheeks for an even deeper kiss on the lips.