Disclaimer: I don't own anything from this manga and anime unfortunately.

Kudos to the lovely Talye Kendrin on doing a fantastic job of beta-ing my works. Please check out her profile and support this fandom.

Characters: Izana Wistalia

Pairing: Possible one-sided Izana

Wordcount: 992

Rating: General, Romance

Timeline: Between Chapter 41 and Chapter 49

Quotes: "Is a man satisfied, merely because he is perfumed himself, to mingle with a malodorous crowd?"
― Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward

Ting.

Ting.

Izana Wistalia, First Prince of Clarines, Crown Prince of the Royal House of Wistalia, glanced up to his right, when he heard the faint sounds like crystal bells ringing.

He stood still, waiting for the sound to strike again, ignoring the staff nurses quietly bustling about the Royal Pharmacy and Healing Wards of Wistal Castle. Although spring season was a welcome respite from the bitter cold weather experienced by the Kingdom of Clarines, spring also meant it was the start of the flu season. Teenagers, toddlers and old people had been coming in and out of the local hospitals. And because of the influx of patients in need of treatments, Wistal Castle even opened up its doors to admit patients who had otherwise been turned away due the limited vacancy of hospital beds in the wards. Hence, it was with this urgency that he obliged Garack Gazelt's request to meet with him. They needed to discuss the initial stages of improving the country's healthcare system by building more hospitals and introducing new techniques of treatment and immunization that would greatly benefit the kingdom.

The squeaking sounds of the wooden wheels of a cabinet trolley distracted him momentarily; a young female staff wearing a white, clean apron curtsied in front of him before continuing her duties of delivering and restocking supplies in each of the eight wards under Garack Gazelt's care. Staff nurses were busy taking care of the patients, and the only reason his meeting with Garack was cut short was because one of the pregnant patients began to experience labor pains. She hurried away to assist in the birthing procedures. He promised to come back later; Garack vaguely mentioned to give her two hours so they can resume their meeting. So here he was, distracted about the flurry of activities in the Healing Ward. Maybe he should have gone back to his private quarters and waited for the agreed time.

Ping. Ting.

There it was again.

Knotting his brow a little, curious about the sound, Izana proceeded to follow the trail of tinkling glass. He has nothing else to do yet; his next appointment with the various diplomats is still in the afternoon. Besides, he'd been doing a ton of paperwork this week, and he needed a break. He might as well indulge himself in a little exploring on his own. A hide and seek game for one.

He found himself standing before a nondescript door, one of the dozens that lined the branching corridors of the Recuperating wing. It took him a full minute to properly understand the words written on the plaque adorning the door.

Shirayuki

Garack mentioned about setting aside some of the vacant rooms for the apprentices in healing and pharmacy; a space to call their own, an office if you will, where they could de-stress if they wished; do their own work in peace, pore over research books without disturbing others and study in their own private sanctuary.

His brother, Zen, did mention that Shirayuki could be found here most of the time. He never bothered to find it, frankly because she did not have enough warrant to occupy his full attention; any information he needed about the commoner who had monopolized the attention of the second prince could always be obtained from other sources. Their opinions of the girl in question proved to be insightful and valuable, and he only ever needed to interact with her very seldom.

However.

Twisting the latch of the door, he felt it give way easily. Either she was not in and he could be imagining things, or someone was in the room with her.

He frowned. He hoped Zen was not inside initiating Shirayuki in the seduction department. He would not allow his brother to associate himself further with that wench!

He pushed the thick oak paneled door with a little bit more force than he intended, expecting to see his brother entwined around the arms of the wench. He didn't care if he would catch them in a state of undress. Better him than others, for Zen's newfound proclivity for the redhead could be exploited in a political manner. He could almost hear the seedy rumors circulating: the second prince has a penchant in wenching cheap apple pies. He almost shuddered at the vulgarity of his imagination. Even he shouldn't be caught dead with a commoner. All the eligible ladies would be willing to entertain Zen should he get the sudden urge; but he had gone far south with his taste by taking a fancy with a lightskirt that sports red hair.

A lightskirt with brains, he amended begrudgingly to himself. Shirayuki, despite her undesirable background, had more brains than a highborn lady's pinky. He wouldn't mind his brother keeping her in his company had she a proper upbringing and a good family title. It would have provided the solution to his problem. Shirayuki would make a formidable consort, even a ruler on her own. However, that was not the case. And if he could still prevent her ingratiating herself further with his brother, he would be doing his utmost to succeed. His goal was, first and foremost, to protect his brother from critics at all cost. Already, a lot of their advisers were having difficulty accepting how he befriended Shirayuki so easily. A foreigner. The old guards were always hostile with foreigners whose agenda were not clear to them.

The door gave a small squeak of protest.

Instead of bare limbs, flush faces and heady groans, he was momentarily blinded by the mid-morning sun shining through the windows of the light and airy room. Even as he closed his eyes against the sudden bright light penetrating his irises, he became aware of sensual scents assailing his nose; something citrusy, flowery and woody pervaded the air around him.

When at last he could open his eyes again, he blinked twice just to make sure that he was still inside a room.

Notes:

I was inspired to write this bit when I saw BBC's documentary on Perfume. I've always loved perfume and I took care to research some of the scents and oils I depicted in this short multi-chapter series, hoping I can communicate better with the readers on the scents I am trying to make Izana remember memories that he has forgotten.