how we meet
After a few minutes, Sebastian exits the bathroom, looking slightly more composed. He walks back over to his breakfast, sitting down to eat without a word to Marco. He's clearly still upset, but at least he's not yelling anymore.
As he eats, he glances up at Marco occasionally, his expression guarded.
He polishes off his breakfast in record time, then pushes the plate away. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his bare chest as he looks at Marco.
"I suppose I have no choice in the matter, do I?" he says, his voice heavy with resignation. "Fine."
**********
As the night falls, the maids come to Sebastian's door with his gala outfit, but Sebastian has other plans.
He arrives at the gala late, when his whole family has already arrived in their royal attire. Sebastian, however, looks like a guest who just wants to attend the party and vanish as quickly as possible. He's dressed in a complete black four-piece suit, which he always wears to business parties.
His arrival causes a stir among the guests, many casting curious glances at the rebellious prince.
He scans the crowd with a bored expression, clearly unimpressed by the gathering. He spots his father glaring at him from across the room, no doubt displeased with his late arrival and casual attire.
Princess Florence watches her brother approach the drink station, pouring himself a glass of wine with a scowl. She pushes through the crowd to reach his side, looping her arm through his.
"Sebastian," she hisses under her breath, "at least try to look like you want to be here."
Sebastian takes a long swig of his wine, the bitter taste matching his mood. He glances down at Florence, his expression softening slightly despite his irritation.
"I'm here, aren't I? That should be enough for Father," he mutters, scanning the room for any potential escape routes.
"You're not here just for that, Sebastian... There are so many pretty princesses waiting for you for a dance, if you know what I mean," Florence says, trying to sound encouraging.
Sebastian chuckles darkly, his eyes narrowing as he watches the simpering princesses flutter their eyelashes in his direction.
"Dancing and batting eyes? How utterly tedious," he says, leaning in close to Florence. "Perhaps I should spice things up a bit. Dance with a scullery maid instead."
Florence rolls her eyes, annoyed. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Sebastian..."
Just then, a child running around with his friend slips on Florence's long, silky gown, and as he stands up, his dirty shoe prints are left on her dress.
"Oh my god!" Florence exclaims, her eyes wide with horror.
Sebastian's lips twitch with amusement as he watches the scene unfold. He bursts out laughing when the child's friend accidentally steps on the other end of the gown, causing it to rip. Princess Florence's face turns beet red with embarrassment as she tries to salvage the situation.
The boy quickly stands up and bows. "I am sorry, miss... it... it was my mistake."
Florence looks at him with anger building inside her, her wrist tightening as she takes slow steps towards him. A beautiful girl with a worried face rushes to his side.
"What happened, Jacob?" she asks, her voice trembling slightly.
Jacob's lower lip trembles as he looks up at Princess Florence, his eyes welling with tears. "I-I tripped, and then my foot got caught on her dress..." He sniffles, his voice trailing off as he awaits her wrath.
The girl's eyes widen as she realizes that the woman she's apologizing to is a princess. She bows deeply, grabbing Jacob's arms. "I apologize, Princess. This won't happen again." She speaks with a respectful manner.
Florence's expression darkens. "You ungrateful creatures."
Sebastian's eyes widen in shock as Florence slaps the girl hard.
Sebastian quickly steps forward, grabbing Florence's wrist before she can strike again. "Florence!"
**********
Leo, Sebastian's older brother, notices the commotion from across the room and decides to step in. He makes his way through the crowd, his calm and authoritative presence commanding attention.
As he approaches, Sebastian turns to face him, his grip on Florence's wrist tightening as he glowers at his older brother.
"What is happening here, Florence?" Leo asks, his voice calm and even, completely ignoring Sebastian's presence.
Sebastian scoffs audibly, rolling his eyes at Leo's blatant dismissal of his presence. He releases Florence's wrist with a dramatic flourish, stepping back as if to say "be my guest, deal with this mess."
Florence's face is red with anger as she speaks to the girl and her brother. "You two are nothing but worthless peasants. You dare to ruin my dress and then have the audacity to apologize? You should be grateful I don't have you both thrown in the dungeon!"
Leo's gaze falls on the girl, who is standing protectively in front of her brother. "What is your name?" he asks, his voice firm but not unkind.
"Elara," the girl replies confidently, her eyes downcast but her presence commanding.
Sebastian raises an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth as he listens to the girl's response. "Elara," he murmurs under his breath, as if testing the name.
The crown prince simply replies with one word: "Go."
Florence's eyes widen in surprise. "What!..... they just ruined my dress and you are just saying go to her?"
Sebastian pushes off from the wall, his interest piqued as he watches Leo handle the situation. He expects Leo to back down, to give in to Florence's outrage, but instead, his older brother remains firm in his decision.
"Elara, take your brother and leave," Leo says, his voice firm but calm.
Elara nods and quickly grabs Jacob's arm. As soon as she turns around to leave, Florence shouts, "No. I won't...".
Just as Florence is about to walk towards Elara to stop her from leaving, Leo grabs her arm and stops her from making more drama. He whispers in her ear, his grip tight around Florence's arm, almost painful as he looks around at the crowd watching them.
"Florence, don't make more drama, people are watching..... I don't want bad attention to us....." he glares at her in a threatening way to stop her from this childish, mean behavior around their kingdom. "You have a reputation if you care about it."
Sebastian watches closely as Leo silences Florence with a whispered warning. He can see the tension in Leo's jaw, the cold fury in his eyes. He's seen that look before, directed at him many times. It's the look of a prince who's used to getting his way, no matter the cost.
Sebastian feels a twinge of satisfaction at seeing Florence put in her place. He's always found her to be a spoiled, attention-seeking brat. Leo's warning seems to have the desired effect, as Florence's face flushes with anger and embarrassment, but she remains silent.
As she pulls her arm out of Leo's grip and looks away, trying to look mad, but at least she's not making more trouble.
Leo sighs and adjusts his coat, walking to the guests with a smile, as if nothing had happened.
Sebastian watches as Leo smoothly transitions back to his role as the charming host, as if the entire incident never occurred. He's always been impressed by his brother's ability to maintain composure in front of others, even in the face of such blatant disrespect from Florence.
Florence takes a deep breath and then looks at Sebastian, his bad-boy smirk visible on his face. "What?"
Sebastian pushes off from the wall, sauntering towards Florence with a smug grin. "You know, if you ever decide to grow a spine and stand up to dear old Leo, I'd be more than happy to support you."
He leans in close, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
Florence rolls her eyes. "Idiot."
And walks away.
Then Marco comes close to Sebastian and whispers, "Did you see my prince? What happened?"
Sebastian shrugs nonchalantly at Marco's question, his eyes never leaving Florence's retreating form. "I know."
"Just the usual. Your precious princess throwing a tantrum because she didn't get her way."
He looks back at the crowd, as if searching for someone in the sea of people.
Marco notices and asks, "Who are you searching for, my majesty?"
Sebastian's gaze lands on a familiar face, and a slow, predatory smile spreads across his face. "Oh, just someone I owe a dance to."
He claps Marco on the shoulder, leaving him behind as he makes his way through the crowd towards the object of his focus.
Marco raise his eyebrows as he had never expected this from Sebastian before. Sebastian was never this type of guy who wants to dance with any girl, then who that lucky girl is which have got his attention?
Marco searched in the crowd, his eyes widin in shock as he spot Sebastian walking towards Elara in the crowd.
Sebastian approaches Elara, his movements graceful yet purposeful. He extends a hand to her, his voice a low purr. "Dance with me." It's not a request, but a command, his eyes boring into hers with intense focus.
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