Yancy's Invitation Apparently Comes With A Plus One.

In spite of Leo’s sudden confession before Val left Riverside, normalcy returned to everyday life almost as soon as we stepped foot back into the palace. I was whisked away back to Val and I’s room, while Val was dragged away, imprisoned in the work he’s shirked while away on his spontaneous trip. Lame!!! Those old guys in charge could stand to be nicer to the boy. What, can’t function without young blood to feed on? Leeches, the lot of them!

At least, that’s how I imagine them. I’ve never actually met any of the guys Val has to deal with on a daily basis. I’m just the cat.

Though the days feel like they’re dragging on by so SLOW. I miss getting to spend all day with Val. Maybe I can somehow convince him to take me with him to work one day. It’s so boring I’m even starting to miss the weird cats from Leo’s greenhouse. Even the weird orange one that kept staring. At least it kept me on my toes!

Even Yancy, who was helping Ms. June care for me, has started appearing less and less due to her new apprenticeship. I can’t even get maid gossip! Lame, so LAME AND BORING! First they work my Prince to the bone from sunrise to sunset, and now they take my Yancy from me too! Ugh. At least give me a consolation prize.

The only light that’s on in the room is the warm glow of the electric fireplace. After the showers of the previous month, the weather grew colder. Ms. June felt bad leaving me in a cold room, so she turned it on. She checks back in a bit more often to make sure everything is okay. I have to hide the book I managed to steal off Val’s bookshelf when she comes, I don’t want her taking it from me when I’m in the middle of the good part. It’s all I have right now!

A soft knock at the door causes me to jump, scrambling to hide the book under Val’s bed comforter and act casual. Though, it’s weird. Ms. June usually doesn’t knock so softly.

The door creaks open, and Yancy’s head pops in, looking around before meeting my gaze with a smile.

”Princess!” She calls before entering, closing the door behind her.

YANCY MY SAVIOR FROM BOREDOM! She somehow comes when I need her most! I get up from my rest place on Val’s pillow and trot to the end of the bed, meowing to greet her. She giggles, petting my head in greeting.

”Ms. June said she needed to check up on you, since she turned the fireplace on. I offered to do it for her since she has a few other things to wrap up before turning in for the night. Is it nice and warm? I can at least tell her you’re perfectly fine.”

Giving her a mew in response, I return to my spot, uncovering the book I’d stolen to show her I managed to entertain myself while alone. Barely.

“Ah, I see. You got a book to read!” She smiles. “Maybe I can bring some new books for you to read soon. It should be easy enough to sneak in with how many His Highness has.”

GODDESS. YES PLEASE. BLESS. It’s been a while since we’d gotten anything new, mostly due to Val’s schedule. I’ve been rereading the same books for a while. I could cry. Thank you Yancy.

She giggles, straightening out the bed, when the door opens again. Val stumbles inside, clearly tired from the day’s work. Yancy jumps a bit at the sudden entrance, and Val mirrors her when he notices she’s here.

”Oh.” He says. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here…”

”M-My apologies, Your Highness!” Yancy bows. “Ms. June turned the fireplace on to keep Princess warm as the sunset. I volunteered to check on her to make sure everything is ok.”

Val glances over, as if to confirm there was a fire in the fireplace. He nods, giving her a smile.

”Of course. Though, I would prefer for someone to stay in here if they’re going to turn it on.”

”I will let her know right away, Your Highness!” Yancy responds. They stand, neither moving, and I can feel the awkwardness seep into my bones. Ugh, come on you guys. I know you both can do better than this! Impatient, I bonk my head against Yancy’s arm, meowing as I turn back to my book. Her eyes light up, as if she understands what I’m trying to get at. Though Val looks over, curious, and beats Yancy to the punch.

”Were you reading to her?” He asks. “She really likes that one book, I think we’ve read it at least 10 times this month.”

Yancy lights up. “Oh, really? I’ve read it, it’s a good book. The ending always makes me cry.”

”Haha, I might be exaggerating a little, but it’s definitely one of her favorites.”

”Then… have you read that author’s latest book?”

”They released a new book?”

”Yes! It’s very good. It’s not really a romance like the original, though you could read the ending as romantic in my opinion. I think that’s part of the fun of it, personally!”

”Interesting, I will have to see if I can get my hands on it, then.”

Yancy smiles, but then nervously looks to the side, hands grabbing at the skirt of her dress.

”U-uhm… Well, if you want to pick up the book and maybe some others… th-there’s a book fair happening in town starting on Monday. That author will be there, so will a lot of others, big and small. Would you perhaps… want to join me…? I planned to go for a short while to pick up some new things to read…”

Val stares at her for a second, looks off to the side where he meets my gaze. He ponders for a beat, before nodding.

”Yeah… I think that would be fun.”

”R-really?!” Yancy looks up, her brown eyes sparkling. “I would be honored if you joined!”

”When does it end? I may not be able to join on Monday, but maybe a day later in the week…?”

”Y-yes, that’s fine! It’ll be here for a full week.” Yancy smiles. “Shall I stop by tomorrow to solidify the date…?”

”Sure. Feel free to stop by in the evening, I’ll be sure to have a few options we can pick between. I don’t want to interfere with your own schedule, either.”

”Thank you for the consideration! Then, I will see you tomorrow!”

Yancy bows, turning to me to give me a pat on the head before rushing out of the room. Val smiles, chuckling to himself as he sits beside me, motioning me to climb into his lap. I of course do.

”A book fair, huh… I’ve never been to one. It sounds like fun, though I may need to think of a way not to stand out. I’d rather casually enjoy the event than cause a scene…”

He idly plays with my ears, gaze indicating he’s lost in thought.

”I think going with Yancy would be fun. She seems like the type to know a lot about these kinds of events before going. I bet she’ll be a good guide for someone clueless like myself. I wonder if she’ll bring along any of her friends…” He looks down at me as I look up at him. “Well, I’ll be sure to bring back lots of new things we can read together. I hope you don’t mind waiting until then.”

BIG SCORE! Yancy, you’re incredible! Not only did you manage to ask Val out for a date, but he said yes and is even going to bring back new books for me to read! What more could a cat possibly want?

Well, I suppose it’s not a confirmed date yet. Val seems to think this could be an outing between friends. But I don’t think Yancy is planning on inviting anyone else. So maybe things will be more romantic once they’re there on their own, just the two of them~ Ahhh I can practically see the setting in my head! Val and Yancy walking together, holding hands, talking about their favorite books and chatting with vendors, ending the day as the sunsets~ UGH what I wouldn’t give to watch all of that unfold! Yancy will have to tell me everything, if Val doesn’t first!

This will be the perfect test to see if Val is more compatible with Yancy or Leo! Whatever the results of this little date are will surely determine who I should push Val towards! Hopefully. I don’t want to think about what would happen if they’re both on equal footing, I don’t think my little heart could handle it!!

Val makes good on his promise, the next day telling Yancy when the best time would be, and for how long he can be away. Yancy immediately lights up, beginning to plan for that day as she goes back to her room for the night. Val even seems a bit brighter, going to bed a bit earlier than usual.

Waiting for the day to come was excruciating! I want to know what’s gonna happen!! I can practically imagine how it’ll go right now~ I’m so excited for them!

When the day finally arrives, Val gets up a bit later than usual, well rested as he starts his morning routine. I also felt a bit lazy this morning, stretching out on the bed with a yawn. He chuckles as he watches, phone in hand.

”Look at you. Still sleepy after sleeping in? Lucky you, you can go right back to bed.” He turns his attention back to his phone, sends a text, and then tossed it on the bed. “I’ll be back in a minute. Time for a morning shower.” He rubs my head, fluffing the fur up before disappearing behind his bathroom door. He’s in a good mood; I’m glad. Between this and the visit to Leo’s greenhouse, he’s been doing more things for himself. Good! He needs to do this more often. What’s the point of being a rich and pretty prince if you can’t have fun every now and then?

My ears perk as I hear Val’s phone vibrate, notifications popping up on his home screen. I lean over, snooping on the texts that appear on screen. What? If he didn’t want me finding out, he shouldn’t have left it face up on the bed!

But to my surprise, it’s not Yancy’s name that appears on the screen, but Marius. I feel a bit silly being surprised, they’ve talked and texted almost every day since they became friends again. However, the texts that keep coming in do surprise me.

-What? Book fair?

-Oh, I’ve heard of it. The site looks familiar.

-Wait. Wait Val, my sister was planning on going to that thing. Something about wanting to find books for you, specifically.

-She heard you like books. She wants to go every day.

-Val, I’ll meet you there. There’s a cafe on the eastern entrance. I’ll be there around 11.

…

ex-CUSE me?!

I stare down at the phone horrified. Janice is going?! And what’s worse, Marius is inserting himself into Val and Yancy’s date!?!? This is bad, BAD! Marius is going to get in the way, and Val won’t even say no to him! I know he won’t! And Janice? Oh, Janice. If she sees Val with another girl, she’ll lose her marbles!! I don’t worry for Val, but I’m extremely worried for Yancy! Poor girl doesn’t have the guts for a confrontation of the magnitude Janice is capable of bringing! She might scare her away from Val, or worse, try to hurt her! I don’t put anything past her anymore, not after being cat-napped.

Val re-emerges from his shower, drying his hair as he picks his phone up. He flashes me a grin.

”Curious about the vibrations? It’s ok, it’s just a phone.” He finally reads through the messages, smile fading slightly, but recovering before it’s missed. Val beings typing out a response, nothing else further being said as he continues getting ready for the day.

I’m practically sweating as I watch and wait. Gosh, I need to do something! Don’t I? I can’t let those siblings ruin Val’s date! But what can I even do?