Ava sighed. “People like us don’t belong in the Warden’s world. Which is why we have to stop him.”
I thought about all the things I could do once I took the crown. It actually made meexcitedto think the kind of impact a guy like me could have on this planet. I’d seen so much shit in my life, and I didn’t want my people to ever go through what I had.
I took another bite, but I barely thought about it. It was just… instinctual. Ava assured me there was enough to go around, and still, I didn’t feel like I could let any of it go to waste.
It’s okay to stop eating,Oberi assured me.There will always be more.
“It doesn’t feel like it,” I admitted. “I’ve never had this much food in my life. When you grow up with food as a limited resource, you learn to eat as much as you can when it’s there, because you don’t know when you’ll be able to eat again. And the food isso good. Growing up, a meal to me was a plate of mashed potatoes, or a piece of bread for dinner— that was it. I never had so many options. I don’t know what it’s like tochooseto just leave food off my plate.”
Ava placed her hand on mine. “You’re going to get used to it, because there’s no way Oberi and I are letting you go back to that place again. You won’t go hungry anymore, and you’ll always have a choice from now on.”
Her words were comforting, but I had to learn to believe them. It was so hard to trust that what I had wouldn’t be taken away.
I stuffed myself until I couldn’t take another bite. Just as Ava and I finished our breakfast, a knock came at the door, and the servants returned to take our plates. Several other people entered the room, and I heard the sound of something rolling in behind them.
“Sire, are you ready for your fitting?” Eddie asked.
“Fitting?” I wondered.
“Oh, yes, we have a very busy day,” Eddie said. “The royal tailor has accompanied me this morning to get your measurements, so you can be properly fitted into your suit. Our royal stylists have brought some outfit options for the princess as well.”
“Ooh, that dress ispretty.” Ava rolled toward the stylists, and hangers clicked together as she started looking through the outfits they’d brought.
You didn’t tell me there’d be hats!Oberi ran past me, nearly knocking my chair over.
“Eddie, I really don’t need a suit,” I protested. “I’m fine in my regular clothes.”
“The Emperor requests it,” Eddie stated. “You’re a prince now, and must look the part. Think of it as your uniform.”
If the Emperor required it, then I guess I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to show my grandfather I respected his position, so I would do as he said.
The tailor had me stand with my arms straight out while he measured what felt like every inch of me. I had no idea fittinginto a suit could be so complicated. I thought it was as simple as grabbing a suit off the rack in my size and slipping it on. Turns out it was more like an intricate science, apparently.
Ava found a dress she liked, and the stylists worked on her hair and makeup while I stood there with the tailor. He got my measurements, then had me sit for the stylists. Several people surrounded me all at once. Someone ran their fingers through my hair and asked how I liked to wear it. I didn’t care much for style, so I explained the way Ava liked it slicked back, and they began running gel through the strands. They even trimmed the beard I’d grown during our time on the run.
Oberi breathed a blissful sigh as one of the stylists brushed out his fur.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.
Is something wrong?Ava asked through the bond.
Nothing’s wrong,I assured her.It’s just new. I’m not used to getting services like this.
I really like watching you get pampered,Ava replied.Maybe manicures can be our thing now. I’m loving it.
Ava’s enthusiasm bled through our bond, and I found myself getting a little excited, too. It was definitely strange, being waited on like I was someoneimportant, but the way the stylists made conversation and were so nice to us, it felt natural. I didn’t want to see myself as above them, or like their job was any less important than mine. They were merely my colleagues, helping to run this kingdom alongside me. The less I had to worry about how I looked, the more I could worry about my people. We all had a role to play, and just because my job was more public didn’t make any one of these people any less valuable.
I vowed then to always treat these people as my equals. I wouldn’t be the kind of prince that let this stuff go to my head.
When the stylists finished, the tailor helped me into a suit. I thought suits were supposed to be scratchy and uncomfortable,like the one I’d worn during the Villain’s Ball, but this suit was soft and comfortable— like wearing pajamas.
Something in the room changed when I put that suit on. I felt like I stood taller, but there was also this energy coming off from everyone else that seemed… I don’t know… more respectful?
“How do you feel?” Ava asked.
At the same time, her internal thoughts slipped through.He looks so fucking hot. I can’t wait to get that suit off him.
I smirked. I stretched my arms out to the side, then took a few steps across the room. The suit moved with me like it was an extension of my body. Even the shoes felt form-fitted to my feet. I thought that in this suit, I would be respected.
