The Prince & I
ηεδΈζ
-----------------------
-
-
-
-----------------------
. Summary .
AU. Prince Natsume had just been issued a verdict by the King: Marry or forfeit the throne. Now he faces the fate of countless balls, simpering ladies, and a very confused and clumsy princess... Natsume and Mikan pairing.
-----------------------
Disclaimers: Gakuen alice does not belong to me...I am just subjecting the characters to my cruel sadistic imagination.
-----------------------
-
All for the sake of throne...Oh the torture.
-
-----------------------
Chapter one: Balls, ladies and lack of brains
A fortnight later after the very eventful once upon a time, we find our dear princeling stuck in the first of the many to come balls cum match-making sessions and contemplating the various ways to commit murder on his sick cousin a.k.a. King Narumi...
Dress to kill in a light blue tunic (at least, according to his valet. Natsume couldn't care less.) with a jeweled sword hanging by his side and a scowl on his face, Prince Natsume, the hero of our tragic tale, finds himself suppressing the urge to scratch his neck.
Damn but the cloth was itchy.
Natsume mentally sighed as he noted the winding line of aspiring princess-wannabes lined up in front of the dais he was seated at, waiting for their turn to meet him.
He was so going to kill Narumi when he gets the chance to.
A soft giggle distracted his wandering attention back to the female beside his side, who was fluttering her long lashes (Natsume idly wondered if they were fake) furiously at him in an attempt to flirt.
"Something in your eye?" Natsume asked in a voice far to pleasant to be called, well, pleasant.
Behind him, the reluctant but appointed "match maker" Lord Jinno (tortured and beleagured advisor to King Narumi) hissed discreetly to Prince Natsume, "Be polite."
Natsume promptly ignored him.
Beside him, the girl blinked at him in incomprehension in her vacant blue eyes. Apparently, the jibe had not been able to penetrate her thick skull. She seemingly pondered on it some more before she dismissed it and proceeded to smile at him again, lashes aflutter.
Natsume glared at Lord Jinno, who quickly hastened the girl away with a loud" Next!"
The pink-gowned girl who sat next to him immediately reminded Natsume of a flamingo, in looks as well as intelligence.
"Isn't the weather lovely your highness?" She cooed out, smiling at him flirtatiously.
Natsume cast an ironic look at the window.
It was raining hard enough to flood the entire country.
"I am sure it is. For someone with an eye-sight deficiency." He added on for good measure. One could practically make jell-o out of the thickness of the sarcasm in his tone.
"Next!" Lord Jinno hastened the girl away before she could be slaughtered by the ill-meaning Prince.
And Natsume found himself nearly blinded by the glittering jewels embedded in the female's dress.
"Your highness." She smiled.
And Natsume found himself staring at the gold teeth in her mouth.
As soon as she had left, Natsume turned and pierced the unhappy looking advisor with a look.
"They are all sorely in need of an human organ called the 'brain"." He drawled out in disgust, arching a dark brow at the man as though daring him to say otherwise.
The man, smart as he was, simply heaved a sigh and pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.
As though in accord, both men turned simultaneously and glared at the King who was seated comfortably far away at the balcony above, directly in their sight from the dais they were seated at.
Almost as if he could feel the power of their glare, King Narumi turned his head and winked at them cheerily before blowing them an air-kiss, which both men promptly dodged with disgust.
"How much longer must I keep this up?" The prince demanded as he flicked a disinterested crimson look at the ladies waiting to make his acquaintance.
"Until Princess Sumire of the Sakura Kingdom arrives, Your highness." Kokoroyumi, the then silent right-hand man to the prince piped up, a small smile on his face. Then again, there was never a time when one would see Koko without a smile.
King Tsubasa and Queen Misaki of the neighboring Sakura Kingdom had agreed to a match between their esteem daughter and Prince Natsume, which Natsume had been violently against and which Narumi had agreed to without consulting him.
With much constraint, Koko had managed to plead with the prince to meet up with the chit because he could still turn the offer down if he didn't like her.
"And when is that?" He asked with a long-suffering sigh.
"I am sure you will know when she comes." The new voice interjected cheerfully, eliciting a soft snort of laughter from Koko.
Natsume didn't even have to look up to know that Lord Ruka, Viscount of Elbough, Earl of Kensington, Duke of Thais and his childhood friend, had arrived.
One only had to hear the ladies sigh and have a few faint to know that.
Alas, that was what both men had to endure daily, much to their disgust. This is especially so for Ruka when he smile.
One infatuated lady had even gone to the extent of waxing lyrical about the "beautiful sunshininess of Lord Ruka's smile", something much of an embarrassment to Ruka and of much amusement to Prince Natsume, much to Ruka's chagrin.
It was also something the Prince had never let the blonde forget.
"How goes the beautiful sunshininess of your smile Ruka?" This was asked with a smirk on the prince's face as Ruka took the seat that had been hustled up for him by the servants.
"Shut up." Lord Ruka retorted with a dark scowl. "Speak for yourself." He retorted as he returned a smile an acquaintance gave him.
On cue, a few ladies fainted, having been exposed to the otherworldliness of Lord Ruka's golden smile.
"Jesus." Natsume muttered in disgust under his breath as he saw the sight.
"Stop smiling." He commanded the unwitting Ruka, "You are messing up the place."
"Huh?" Came the unintelligible answer from the young lord before he spotted the sight of the fainted few. " Right." he mumbled and promptly wiped the smile off his face.
"Sometimes, I get this feeling that they see me as a blank bank cheque with legs." Lord Ruka grumbled to Natsume, who snorted.
"I have the added advantage of a shiny crown to top it off."
"You are right." Ruka nodded to another acquaintance, remembering this time to keep the smile off his face.
Still, someone or two fainted with a rather impressive 'thud' onto the marble floor.
"You should be exiled from this Kingdom." Natsume muttered under his breath.
"Speak for yourself, your highness." The blonde retorted.
Before the verbal war could continue, a loud announcement from the heralds stopped them.
"Announcing the arrival of her royal Highness, Princess Sumire of the Sakura Kingdom!"
"Good vocals." Lord Ruka complimented approvingly.
"And they say hell comes in the form of a woman."
Hell indeed, hath cometh.
-----------------------
A/n: I am alive! Lol...no really..finished this chapter first so posted it :)
Hope you guys will enjoy this!