A Hesitant Prince

The night was approaching, and with it, Iscodaya and Kaus prepared themselves for what the dark sky brought. Ever since Yusuke had announced that they had been picked for a dance party his father helped host, the two Phirinian boys researched the dress code for the party, finding out that it was different styles of clothing from nations in the continent of Europe.

They found it perfect, due to the fact that some European countries’ formal ware was very similar to Phirines’. And as they researched about dancing, it was also very similar, to the point it only took the two about three days to learn it. Along the way, Senodaya and Daranya helped out as partners, though they didn’t know the reason why Iscodaya was suddenly interested in becoming a dashing Prince, after Kaus secretly told them, they were shocked.

But still, they decided to support their brother, for he really did look determined. As the clock landed at six, and Daranya and Senodaya were finishing checking the two out, the first Prince, while making sure everything was perfect, decided to say some words to Iscodaya.

“Isco,” he called, not even facing his brother.

The second Prince’s eyebrow raised as Daranya fixed up his collar, “Yeah, what?”

Then, as Daranya saw that everything was fine, he patted Iscodaya on the shoulder. “Even though it is a party not of royals, put your best foot forward for Phirines, show them the elegance of the Second Prince,” encouraged Daranya as a proud smile came over him. Iscodaya could only look on with a smile, as he nodded, determined. “Also make sure you win over your Princess tonight okay?”

The statement took Iscodaya by surprise, “W-what! H-how did you know?” But before anything else happened, a knock came from their front door, and Daranya used it as an excuse to not say anything.

“Welp, your friend is here, you two get going.” Before he could even say anything, Iscodaya and Kaus were pushed to the front door, with Senodaya opening it and Daranya shoving them out and closing the door.

Outside was Yuuma, whose father would drive him and the two to the party. He was also wearing formal attire, but as he looked upon Iscodaya and Kaus’, he was surprised, “Wow, talk about fitting a clothing style.” He inspected Iscodaya closer, seeing that his hair was carefully done, and his overall look made him very regal, “You’re like, an actual Prince.”

Kaus couldn’t help but playfully smirk at that statement, with Iscodaya nudging him to stop, “A little bit too much there Yuuma,” Iscodaya replied, “But we should go now, I got a text from Rin that most of the guys are already there.” The three rushed to Yuuma’s dad’s car, with the three talking about how excited they were.

When the car had arrived, Yuuma’s dad told them to have fun and don’t be a hassle. Iscodaya and Kaus thanked him for the ride as they made their way to the building. The three showed their invitation at the reception as they were guided to an elevator that brought them to the highest level.

The elevator was made of sturdy glass, and the three could see the entire city as they went up. Iscodaya was amazed at the beauty of it all. And as they went up, Yuuma got a message, “Oh! It looks like they already waiting for us at the top.” As the elevator made it to the top level, Iscodaya turned to the door.

And as it opened, he saw her. The most beautiful Princess he had ever seen, wearing a colorful yellow gown, befitting of her radiance, with white gloves that reached to her elbows. Her medium-length black hair now had a few curls to it, and her face was as shining as ever.

Iscodaya hadn’t even realized that most of the people around him were awestruck by his appearance. He was just too focused on her, at Kei. But as Kaus tapped his shoulder, he was brought back to reality, “Bro, you went far and beyond,” Yusuke remarked as he walked around Iscodaya, observing his black and red attire.

Iscodaya embarrassedly smiled as his eyes began to wander, but they yet again took a look at Kei. And as their eyes met, he couldn’t help but look away, much to Kei’s confusion. She felt that he was a little tense, even with his dashing clothing, so she decided to lighten him up.

“Wow, all my Prince comments led up to this point, you literally look straight from a fairytale,” she playfully remarked while walking closer to him. She rubbed his hair a bit just to see how it moved. Kaus and Yusuke both took glances at each other, as they weren’t so confident that Iscodaya could confess tonight.

As the group moved to the eating area, the party started. There were a lot more young people than they realized, a fact shown when there were dozens of girls coming up to Iscodaya and Kaus. Yusuke’s father was the emcee for the night, and he guided the party to its stages.

He invited them to eat and socialize, and as Iscodaya greeted a lot of people, Yusuke and Kaus came up to him and pulled him to the side, “Okay Iscodaya, here’s the plan me and Kaus just made.”

“Yusuke told me that after this, his father is going to invite the entire party to take part in social dance. Yusuke’s going off to dance with Rin, and I’ll make sure no girls or guys interrupt you and Kei’s availability for each other. All you have to do, is ask her to dance,” Kaus conveyed, causing Iscodaya to nervously look away.

But he had no time to hesitate, for Yusuke’s father invited everyone to dance in the center of the room. Yusuke and Kaus nodded at each other as Yusuke went to Rin. Iscodaya’s heart was beating fast as he saw a lot of people coming up to the middle, he could barely hear Kaus telling him to go.

But when his eyes hesitantly hovered to Kei, he saw her face. It had a sad smile, as her eyes pointed at Yusuke and Rin dancing. And as he saw this, all fear went away, as his legs begin to move.

“Stop thinking of yourself,” Iscodaya said to himself as he walked up. His thoughts were so loud that he couldn’t even hear all the invitations from the girls around him to dance, he just walked forward, “Kei, never once did you think you were equal to Rin didn’t you? Never once did you think you were beautiful, didn’t you? Screw all of that, tonight, I’ll make sure no one will be above you.”

As Kei watched Yusuke and Rin dance, her heart was aching, she bowed her head in shame, “I should be happy for Yusuke and Rin, so why? Why am I so… so…”

“Good evening, Princess,” a voice called in front of her, a voice so soothing. She looked up to see a boy she had seen in a crosswalk, his black hair shined with the lights, and his scarlet eyes burned gently. Iscodaya was kneeling in front of her like she was some sort of Princess.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, “What is this? A proposal?”

“Yeah,” Iscodaya bluntly remarked, taking Kei off-guard. He reached out his hand and smiled, “Care for a dance? Kei?” He asked, his hand patiently waiting for Kei’s answer. The girl didn’t know what was happening, why was Iscodaya acting like this?

She initially thought that it was just a joke, and that she was going to make a playful remark of it. But then she saw his eyes. Determined, and passionate, this was no joke, it was a heartfelt gesture. And immediately, her face began to heat up.

Her hand shakingly reached out for his, as Iscodaya patiently waited. And as her fingers reached his, his smile grew bigger, “Come, let us dance,” Iscodaya stated. He stood up, and Kei followed. She still had her head down due to embarrassment, but to her shock, Iscodaya lifted it gently with his other hand, “Do not hide your face, for it is the most beautiful one here,” he declared, before gently assisting Kei to the dance floor.