A/N: Merry x'mas everyone and Happy Birthday Victor Nikiforov! I struggled to write this so I could give this chap as a christmas gift for my beloved readers. Thank you for reading, favorite, follow and especially to those who review - thank you so much!
Character age:
Katsuki Yuuri ( Yuurella) : 17 yo;
Prince Victor Nikiforov : 23 yo (his birthday is the night of the ball);
Stepbrother Yurio : 15 yo
Stepsister Mila : 19 yo
Stepmother Lilia : 40 yo
Attendant Yakov : 48 yo
Tailor Phichit (Yuuri's friend) : 16 yo
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Chapter 4
The Evil Witch
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Victor was boring.
Yes... when he said boring. It was really boring.
Tick, tock, tick, tock...
And the clock kept ticking away.
Nothing could excite him, not when he was inside of his office, signing those boring paperworks. It was the same old routine. Woke up, practiced his swordmanships, bathing, breakfast, signing paperworks and more paperworks. Sometimes, he would heed to his people's problems and he would have to give some decisions between two unagreetable parties.
"I am bored."
He wanted to skate but Yakov, the old man, had threathened him to take his skates away if he abandoned his duty.
Slumping onto his table, he closed his eyes and sighed quietly. He did not want to do this but he had too. He was the Crown Prince and after his parents were killed in the planned murder - the perpretators had been captured and punished (killed) - he was the only candidate for the King. But, he had yet to become the King because their kingdom rules stated that he would need to marry and gain himself a Queen or Prince Consort before he could officially become one.
And he knew his own responsibility.
He would need to find a bride this upcoming birthday of him. No matter if he loved them or not, he would have to find one and marry them. His only wish that, he would be able to find his Life and Love amongst those people.
He sighed, - right cheek still plastered onto the table surface - looking at the window with longing in his icy blue eyes. He wanted to skate and the colour of the sky reminded him of the frozen lake inside the forest where he frequented a few years back when he was in his teen years.
Speaking of that...
He still remembered the first friend he made when he was twelve. The boy was younger than him maybe about five to six years. But, he was good in ice skating for his young age and Victor was his teacher. Their first meeting was when Victor got so bored studying about the law and kingdom when he snucked out of the castle and found himself in the forest near the castle. It was winter at that time, coincidentally, he brought his skates with him hoping that he would find any frozen surface to skate.
Fortunately for him, he found it.
It was beautiful. The frozen water looked like a crystal when the light reflecting on its surface. Victor was in awe and he instantly fell in love with the place. Placing his skates in his feet excitedly, he gingerly put his foot and another one before he starting to skate and dance like no tomorrow.
Freedom.
That was what he feeling whenever he skated.
But, it was short live.
"Wow! So pretty!"
Surprised, the young Prince stopped and glared at the intruder who had the gallant to interrupted his peace. But, his glare faltered when he saw a black haired boy about six, staring at him with sparkles in his shining brown eyes.
Silently, Victor regarded the younger boy.
"Who are you? Are you the fairy of this forest?"
Hearing that, the young Prince almost choked on his own saliva. "W-what?!" He skated closer to where the younger boy was. He tried to scare the child off with his intimidating aura instead the black haired boy leaned forward and touched his long platinum silky hair.
"So pretty..." the child looked up with innocent chocolate eyes. "Your hair is so pretty, fairy."
"Your Highness!"
Yakov's voice woke him up from his remembrance of his younger days. He instantly sat up straight and was looking at the old man with innocent blue orbs. "Oh, hi, Yakov!" He smiled sheepishly, "what are you doing here?" he unconsiously touched his now short hair.
The Prince's attendant heaved a low sigh. However, his eyes became strict the moment they landed on the Prince's icy blue orbs. "Have you done with the paperwork?"
"I have yet to finish it."
"And what did you do?" Another question was fired.
Smiling innocently, the younger man just shrugged his shoulders and continued with his paperwork. Knowing that he kept answering Yakov, the older man would not stop questioning and scolding him.
For a moment, the thought of the younger boy with warm, shining brown eyes dissappeared and was replaced with lots of paperwork.
He only hoped that tonight would bring miracle to his life.
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Tonight.
Tonight was the night he was waiting for.
The night of ice skating.
The night he might see his fairy friend.
And Yuuri was anxious and he could not help but being jumpy whenever someone calling or talking to him. He already messed up the breakfast - he got yelled by Lilia and was ordered to cook breakfast back and he was not given anything to eat - and even messed with Yurio's hair. He had been kicked and cursed by his younger stepbrother. He could not blame them. He was very nervous about tonight. Of course he felt joy and could not help waiting to skate on the ice rink but the prespective meeting with Vicchan was just too incredible.
Vicchan.
He wondered if he aged.
Well, he did hear from his late father's stories that fairies and magical beings did not age.
And maybe he could touch Vicchan's beautiful silky hair again. He sighed. It would be wonderful. But tonight Prince Victor wanted all the candidates to participate in a skating contest. And he only had that one program where Vicchan had taught him. It was hard for a younger him to understand eros. At that time, Yuuri was having difficulty to skate it but year by year...
He had managed it.
In Regards to Love: Eros.
It was opposite of Yuuri's personality but Vicchan had assured him that he needed that to move to the next level of ice skating. After years passed by, he had managed to perfect it he dare to say. And everytime he skated to it, he imagined his favorite pork rice bowl - katsudon. Sometimes, unintentionally he would imagine dancing - skating - to seduce the forest fairy. Though, it did make his face exploded in red whenever he tried that.
However, it had been six years last he seen the fairy.
"Vicchan..."
A sigh again.
"Yuurella!"
Snapping from his daydreaming, the orphaned boy quickly went to his stepmother - who was standing near at the door kitchen with stern face. "Yes, mother?"
"Are you hiding something?"
Brown orbs widened before the younger shook his head repeatedly. "N-No! I-I do not h-hide anything, mother," he stuttered - wishing that his stepmother would not notice his weird behaviours or the stutter in his words.
Lilia narrowed her eyes. There was definitely something wrong with the boy. Her brows furrowed together as her lips thinned. Perhaps, her stepson wanted to go to the Prince Victor's birthday ball. He would not dare. She would make sure that tonight, he would not step out of this house.
"Hm... Make sure you clean everything in this house, inn and onsen. Wash and scrub everything until it shiny."
Yuuri just nodded his head. Already trying to think if he ever managed to finish it all before the banquet.
She inwardly smirked when she saw the worries etched on the boy's childish face. She would prevent, even stop the boy from presenting himself to Prince Victor Nikiforov. She was going to make sure of that happened. No matter what dirty method she would have to resort to.
Lilia was sure, Katsuki Yuuri would not be going to tonight ball.
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It was already the time for the ball to start and Yuuri had not yet managed to complete all the house works given by his stepmother. Scrubbing the floor furiously, he watched as Lilia walked through the hallway with her daughter and son. They all were in a dress and costumes - for the ice skating competition. Meanwhile, he was still in his dirty shirt and pants complete with dirty apron and dirty clothe which he used to scrub the floor.
Yurio walked over to him and he looked up just in time to see a leg kicking the bucket and spilling the water everywhere which he had cleaned.
Brown eyes widened in astonishment.
"Ah... ah... the floor is dirty again." The younger boy laughed. "Piggy, looks like you would need a whole night to clean everything back."
Yuuri could feel his eyes watered.
Mila could only sigh while Lilia openly smirked. Shaking her head, the young woman grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him while the blond haired boy shouting profanities. "Let's go already."
Drops of tear fell down his cheeks from his huge brown eyes as Yuuri sniffed to himself. He looked over the floor. He would need to wipe it clean again and he did not have time. The ball would start and there was a chance he would not be going to it tonight. It was a chance for him to seek out Vicchan while enjoying skating but now, it all ruined.
"Vicchan..."
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A/N: Um... I do not ask much but just a little review from you as a gift for x'mas *puppy eyes*.