Hey, Be My Princess fans! This is Cakedecorator again! This is basically just the prologue in what I think would be my point of view and Prince Ivan Chernenkov's route, also in my eyes. None of the content for Be My Princess and its sequel game is mine in any way, shape or form. IT ALL BELONGS TO VOLTAGE INC. There are also going to be song-fictions in some of the chapters, too, and from time to time, we'll look at Ivan's side of the story, as well.

Basically, the MC (yours truly) gets caught up in Ivan Chernenkov's world and she will stop at nothing to get out of it. One way she's going to make her thoughts and feelings clear is by…

Not Holding Back

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." A man with brown hair, green eyes, wearing a nice suit says, at my apartment door.

"M-My marriage interview?!" I ask out of nowhere.

Okay, it's a morning like any other… Or at least, it was supposed to be… Instead, in my hands, is a letter sealed with the coat of the arms of the royal family…

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince."

A potential bride. As soon as I heard those words, my life as a pastry chef and nothing more was down the drain… and world I initially wanted nothing to do with sucked me in…

You're probably confused about this; how did this happen? Let me back up a bit… It all started yesterday morning at my workplace, Patisserie Brown. For me, it was the usual routine…

"Carly. When you're all done with that batter, why don't you take a break?" My boss, and surrogate father figure, Yosef Brown, the owner of the store, said to me.

"Okay! Thank you!" I say.

"I really appreciate you coming in to work so early," Yosef said to me. "Oh, I nearly forgot! There's supposed to be a big parade down main street, so why don't you go take a peek?"

"A parade? For what, exactly?" I ask Yosef.

"Didn't you know? Today's the day two princes are coming to visit Nobel Michel." Yosef said to me.

"Now that you mention it…" I say.

I overheard it on the news last night. Prince Ivan, from the northern kingdom of Sanct Sybil, and Prince Aslan, from the desert kingdom of Shaharazal, were coming for a Royal Visit. Must be some of their public duties or whatnot…

"I'm sure there will be plenty of girls there, screaming for the princes. I don't suppose you would be very interested though." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that.

"No kidding. I've never seen a prince in the flesh before. It's like they live in a totally different world from me." I say.

Let's get something straight here: all I want in life is to become a top pastry chef, and open my own store somewhere, plain and simple. This was a childhood goal I've always had. I've always put my career first and my love life second. I don't need a man to help me achieve my goals. This isn't a Disney Fairytale movie…

"It's a big world out there. It wouldn't hurt you to spend some time learning about it." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that…

I go to main street and I see cars, confetti, and crowds everywhere; I myself have a hard time handling a lot of noise, especially in big places like this. It's not like I've ever been good in crowds, anyway.

"Squee! It's Prince Ivan!" One townsgirl screams; I cover my ears.

"Prince Aslan's such a hottie!" Another girl screams.

It really isn't that big of a surprise that they're such girl magnets. I'm just not one of those girls who thinks that princes are all that. All I see are just some high-profile politicians with more money and manners than the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned, they're on the same level as us.

"It is our pleasure to visit you all here in Nobel Michel." Prince Aslan says.

Prince Ivan, next to Prince Aslan, had his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. I shudder at the iciness of his stare.

"Ooh, Prince Ivan!" A boy says.

"He's even cooler in person!" A second boy says.

A group of boys were trying to push their way past me, and try to get a glimpse.

"Careful, you guys. What's going on?" I ask them.

"I wanna get his autograph!" The first boy said.

"Prince Ivan's a black belt! He's really strong!" The second boy says in reply

I'm wondering whether or not they're going to land themselves in hot water by approaching him. I just hope for the life of me that they don't.

"Hold it!" I say, trying to hold the boys back.

They just scampered through the crowd and rushed towards Prince Ivan.

The first boy asks Prince Ivan, "Can I have your autograph?"

Prince Ivan hesitates and the atmosphere goes dead silent. I know better than to approach a prince, but if need be, I'm going to step in and protect those boys.

"Get away from His Highness, you kids!" A cop says.

"But we just…" The first boy begins, but the cops started to rush in and surround the boys.

They'd better not be thinking of arresting those kids just for something as simple as a signature! If they are, I am NOT above making a scene!

"Wait." Prince Ivan says; that's flipping the script.

Prince Ivan stepped out of the car and began to approach the boys. I start giving Ivan the stink eye, albeit not trying to make eye contact, and I'm ready to get in his face.

Silence filled the air, but Prince Ivan strode towards boys, slipped through the cops, and took the pen and paper from the boy.

He's giving the boy his autograph? Really? That's… unexpected. Prince Ivan pats the boy on the head, gives the pen, and paper back to the boy, and then returns to the car. I sigh in relief…

"Wow…" I say; what a relief…

My eyes meet with Prince Ivan's for a second, but then he turns away from me. That's actually something I thought would never happen…

Nice to see he isn't all stone…

Back at the bakery…

"Say what?! A message from the palace?" I ask Yosef.

"Yes! There was some sort of mix-up, and they never received their order of flour!" Yosef explains. "So, they sent a message here asking if we could spare some. I told them we had plenty of extra flour because of all the orders lately, and they asked if we could deliver some to the palace."

We get to go to Nobel Michel castle?! That's amazing!

"We get to go to Nobel Michel palace?" I ask, my eyes lighting up.

Sadly…

"Of all the times for the car to break down!" Yosef complains.

The car breaks down and we're stuck on the side of the road on the way there, and we're pretty much in a bind.

"This old piece of junk… I've been meaning to buy a new car for ages now, but…" Yosef says.

"We'd better just head back to the bakery and get a truck." I say.

"That's probably best. We can't just ignore an order from the palace, after all." Yosef says to me.

However, a light flashed in the rearview mirror.

"A car's coming, Yosef! I'll go flag them down!" I say, and then get out of the car.

"Excuse me! Please stop! Our car broke down and it's an emergency!" I shout.

The car screeches to a halt, and I notice how fancy it is. I ignore it for the moment, as the backseat window opened up and a man poked his head out the window.

"Is something the matter?" He asks me.

He had a cheerful smile on, but I felt there was something in his eyes that seemed… off. I ignore it and then I tell him, "We were asked to deliver flour to the palace, but the car broke down…"

"You're delivering flour to the palace?" He asks me aloud, and I nod in reply.

He helps me get the flour into the trunk and then I get in the backseat with him.

"Thank you SO much for your help! You're a life-saver!" I tell this man.

"My pleasure. We should all help each other out when we can, right?" He asks me.

"I concur!" I say, with a big smile.

I can tell that his clothes are high-end, and his manners are exemplary. If he's a dignitary or something, he really knew his stuff.

"Forgive me if I was keeping you from anything…" I continue.

"Don't worry about it. I was going this way anyway," He said, but then he started to laugh. "I'm sorry… It's just that you looked so serious, I couldn't help it. Hehe…"

"Do I really look that strange?" I ask him.

"It wasn't odd or anything. I've just never seen someone make that face before," He tells me. "Forgive me. I don't have the opportunity to meet many ordinary people."

That sort of caught me off-guard. That statement said to me that he's of a different class, mainly higher…

When we get to the palace, I look at it and how beautiful it is. I'm soon in the front of the courtyard, trying to find my way to the kitchen.

"Geez… That person who helped was very nice, but laughing at me? That was a little uncouth…" I muttered.

When I asked for his name, he said he was someone whose name wasn't worth knowing, and that gave me a hint that he's either some celebrity that didn't feel happy about it or something…

"Eh, what are the chances we'll ever meet again?" I ask, driving the truck towards the delivery gate.

"Eek! It's Prince Kuon of Oriens!" A woman shouts, and then a fancy car pulled up.

A man dressed like royalty stepped out, attracting a huge crowd. Typical…

"Prince Kuon, why don't you give them a smile?" His butler asked.

Prince Kuon just gave a 'humph'.

I see that I'm in the way, so I begin to move, when a bag of flour fell off the back.

"Oh, snap!" I say.

Prince Kuon walked over and helped me pick up the flour bag.

"Thanks…" I say, a little suspicious.

"Don't worry about it." He says, smiling. "Not the best spot is it?"

"No kidding," I say. "I was about to move the truck…"

"Are you taking this to the kitchen? I'll carry it for you." He says to me.

"Now, hold on! There's not really a need for it, Your Highness! I can do it myself." I insist.

"Please, it would be my pleasure." Kuon said to me.

I sense his earnestness and then I nod.

"Prince Kuon!" His butler shouted. "Everyone is waiting for you. Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"So let them wait. I'm not going to ignore a lady in need. I don't recall being raised with such poor manners." Prince Kuon says; his mouth's corners were twitching up.

"B-but, Your Highness, be that as it may…" Prince Kuon's butler says, but…

"I'll be there soon, so you go on ahead," Kuon says to his steward before turning back to me. "Let's go."

"Let's do it." I say, with a smile.

After Prince Kuon helps me carry the flour, once we got to the kitchen, he leaves. Well, that's to be expected. I'm sure he has a reason to be here, and I'll bet that it's not kitchen-related.

"Are you here with the flour?" A pastry chef asks me. "Thank you, I really owe you one. I'm the head pastry chef here."

"Really?!" I ask, elated.

This person is the #1 pastry chef in the world! And I'm talking to this man. Now I need to make sure that I'm poised and confident.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long." I say.

"No, no… I'm the one who should be apologizing for making you come here," He says, and then looks me over. "By the looks of you, you're a…"

"Oh, I'm a pastry chef, too! Well… to a degree. I'm still an apprentice." I tell him.

"You are? Well, then, do you think you could help me with something? What with all the confusion about the flour, things are a mess back here in the kitchen. Would you mind lending us a hand with the dessert?" The head pastry chef asks me.

I smile brightly; this is a dream come true for me, and I roll up my sleeves. I tell the head pastry chef, "Let me at it!"

Staff were rushing back and forth; running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but I ignore it and help out kindly.

"Chef! We've finished baking he cakes, but they still need to be decorated." One of the staff members said.

I see undecorated cakes lined up on the counter. There's a lot of cakes, so I assume a really big party is going on.

"You said your name was Carly, right? Could you do that one?" The head Pastry Chef asks me, pointing to one of the cakes.

I may still be just an apprentice, but I'm confident that I can impress.

"Leave it to me! I'll pull out all my tricks!" I say, and then I get to work on decorating the cake.

The pressure's on, and I tie on my apron. If there's one thing I love, it's a challenge!

"Chef, what do you think?" I ask, as I finish up the cake, and show it to the chef.

"You went with a pretty simple design, huh?" He asks me.

"I tasted a little of the cake; the flavor was very complex, so I thought a more simple design would highlight that complex flavor." I explain.

His mouth was covered with his hand, and I shudder a bit.

However, he gave me a smile, and then he says, "This is wonderful. I knew you were the girl for the job!"

This causes me to grin brightly, and I feel so happy.

"Thank you so much!" I say to the head Pastry Chef.

"How about helping us with some madeleines next?" He asks me.

"Yes!" I say, with a big, wide smile.

I follow behind the head pastry chef, I overhear some of the staff talking.

"Did you hear? The princes are all here because they're looking for brides." "I wonder what kind of girls the princes are into."

I listen to the staff, but I subtly roll my eyes. What grief are those men going to get? They're so popular that they're going to have the pick of the litter of girls.

"Time to bake!" I say, distracting myself, and beginning to bake.

I decide to cut through the gardens to get back to Patisserie Brown, and I'm sore all over.

"Sheesh, it was a battlefield in there…" I say, but then I notice how huge the garden is.

'It's beautiful out here…' I think, and then I see the roses. I kneel down to get a better look at the roses.

"What beautiful roses…" I say. I see how beautiful they were; they are shimmering in the silver moonlight and dew.

However, I hear something rustle in the bushes, and I back off; I put up my fists, ready to fight.

However, someone pops out of the bushes and I cry out in surprise.

"Sh! Quiet!" He presses both of his hands over my mouth.

"M-mph!" I try to speak, but my mouth is shut. I don't care who this guy is; I'll crush his foot if he tries anything!

However, rather than doing anything inappropriate, he just yanks me into the bushes with him. My mind is racing…

'What's going on?! What should I do?!' I think.

"Prince Aslan! Where are you?" I hear someone call out from the distance.

"That party's about to start! Prince Aslan!" The same voice shouts.

'Prince Aslan?!' I think.

"Why won't she just leave me alone?" Prince Aslan asks aloud.

I look up at him, my arms still behind my back. The face bathed in the moonlight was the same one I saw at the parade earlier.

'Oh, snap… It's really him…' I think, my mind going blank.

I was pressed tightly against his chest and his scent was filling my nose. I decide not to make a fuss. Judging by his voice and his body language, he did not want to be found out, so I keep quiet.

"…You smell really good. Sweet, almost," He says to me; I go red in the face at this comment, and he smiles. "Are you a baker or something?"

"Yes, I am." I say to him; I try not to look stupid, so I just be objective with my response.

I felt really confused, and after that, my mind blanked out. Whether it was caused by the fact a man was holding me, or I was talking to a prince, I don't know, but it freaked me out.

"Hm… A baker, huh? That might not be so bad…" He says, looking up at the night sky.

I had no clue what he meant, and I was about to get snippy and ask him, when…

"Your Highness, where are you!? Please come out! Thinkg about the position you're putting me in!" That woman's voice says again, her voice on the verge of tears.

"I guess I have to go," The Prince sighs, in resignation, and then he let go of my arms. "I'm sorry if I surprised you."

He turned away and he left; I sigh in relief. I like the fact he was self-aware about whether or not it caused me to panic, but he still scared me half-to-death.

"Surprised me? He almost made me go into cardiac arrest!" I say, before slapping myself in the face.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and then the head pastry chef came out to find me.

"Thank goodness you're still here." He says to me.

"Chef! What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I've been looking all over for you. He wants to see you." The head pastry chef explains.

"Um… "He", meaning who?" I ask.

"Prince Hayden, the Prince of Philip." The head pastry chef explains to me.

"Say what?!" I ask aloud, in surprise, but I go along with it.

I've seen some pretty fancy parties in my time, but this takes the cake. I see how big, and beautiful the ballroom is, and realize that I felt a little out of place wearing my chef's uniform, but I ignore it for the moment.

'I just want to get out of here… What does Prince Hayden want?' I think. I have more important things to worry about.

"Ooh, look!" "Prince Hayden's coming out way!"

I see a man with blond hair and blue eyes, in a white military jacket, and a red sash on. He approaches me, and I stiffen up a bit.

"Are you Carly?" He asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say; I see his focused gaze on me, but I try to force down my nerves. "The head chef say you wanted to speak to me?"

"Where did you learn to decorate cakes like that?" Prince Hayden asks me.

"Eh?" I ask.

"The cakes you decorated. Where did you learn that style?" He asks me.

Now I get it.

"It's more or less my own original work," I say. "A customer wanted one for a small wedding, so I…"

He listens intently to me, but I try not to ramble.

"I made her a cake, and she really liked it. I thought the style I used back then fit the cake this time around, as well." I explained.

I'm betting that he hated the simplicity, but the next words I heard were out of nowhere.

"I will be having a memorial service for my late grandfather, soon." He says to me.

"King Wilfred?" I ask.

Everyone knows King Wilfred is Prince Hayden's grandfather, and was known as a just and benevolent ruler, even though his older brother, Stephan, was the firstborn son. His death was heavily mourned over, and with good reason.

"Yes. We will have an official ceremony, but I would also like to have a private funeral, just for my family. I would like the cakes for the private ceremony to be decorated the same as this one. I was hoping that you could write down some instructions for my royal pastry chef." Prince Hayden says to me.

So that's what he wanted. Whew…

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" I say; anything related to baking fires me up.

"If you'd be so kind." He says to me.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." I say to him, with a polite bow.

The thought that he liked my cake caused me to smile up at him.

"Hm…" He says to me, with a smile; I start to feel a little nervous and my guard goes up.

I hide my hands behind my back and I stood up straight.

"What's wrong? Why are you hiding your hands?" He asks me.

"No reason…" I say; as if I can tell him I'm nervous talking to a royal!

"Show them to me." He asks me, before grabbing my hands, roughly.

"My hands are covered in cuts and burns," I say. "I'll bet in the eyes of someone like you, they're probably quite revolting."

Now I know I'm being a bit critical, but that's how I am. I tell it like it is, I don't hold back.

"Oh? I think they're beautiful, actually." He says to me.

His hands cupped my own, and saying that my hands, all covered in labor scars, are actually beautiful, is either a big stretch in his good manners or he really meant it. However, I was sure that it was the former.

"Prince Hayden is smiling! And he's holding some girls' hand!" "But she looks like she's just a servant!"

I feel a thousand pinpricks across the back of my head. I am so close to just letting my tongue loose.

"Give me a break…" Prince Hayden says. Looks like he hates this, too…

"Hey there, Hayden!" Another voice said, and then we turn to see a man in a red and black military jacket and a white sash approaching us.

He had a woman in tow, and he split through the crowd to make his way to us.

"Eek! Prince Oliver!" Someone shouts.

Prince Oliver of Altaria?! Exactly how many royal men does that make it today?! Seems I'm meeting royal after royal today, and it's getting a little overwhelming…

"You're the center of attention, as usual!" Oliver says.

Prince Hayden does not answer.

"But that's the world famous Prince Hayden for you! There's no need to be shy." Prince Oliver says.

"I'm not." Prince Hayden states.

"There you go again." Prince Oliver says.

During their banter, the crowd gets larger and larger. I try to stand my ground and ignore it.

"Who does that pastry chef think she is, hogging all the princes!?" Someone asks.

Hey! Don't bark up the wrong tree! I didn't ask for this to happen. I just want to say that so badly!

"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" Prince Oliver asks me, cocking his head to the side and looking mat me in curiosity.

"It's nothing. I'm just…" I begin, but…

"Do you not feel well?" Prince Oliver asks me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Prince Oliver says, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and dragging me through the crowd. "Here, let us through! We're in a hurry!"

"Now hold on, Prince Oliver!" I begin, about to give him a piece of my mind.

"You can just call me Oliver." He says to me.

"As if I could do that!" I say, and with good reason. As if I can become friends with a prince right off the bat.

"It's fine, really." He says to me.

Laid-back, much?

He continues to drag me out of the hall along with him and then we're soon out of the banquet hall, before hiding us behind a large pillar.

"We should be safe here," Prince Oliver says to me. "We can't go making all the ladies jealous on purpose, now can we?"

I get it: he helped me escape from all of the spiteful women in here.

"Thanks…" I say to him.

Although he's laid-back, I can see he's good-natured, and I like that kind of guy. And NO, I am NOT crushing on Oliver. I'm no idiot…

"Hm… I bet I know what you're thinking right now." He says to me.

"Oh, really?" I ask, crossing my arms.

However, he gave me a pleasant smile and places his hand on my head.

"I think this might have been fate. I'm sure we'll meet again," Prince Oliver says to me. "Until then, Pastry Cutie."

After Prince Oliver leaves, what he said runs through my head. "Fate"? What was he talking about? The chances of me meeting a Prince more than once are so small that it's nearly impossible. But then again, what am I saying? I just met five in one day! And calling me 'Pastry Cutie'… Well, that's a first.

"I should book it before something goes wrong." I say, but then someone bumps into me.

A woman in a dress bumps into me, and she spills her wine on me by mistake in the process.

"Oh my, excuse me! Oh, you're a pastry chef?" She asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say. "Don't worry about the getting on my uniform. This type of attire is designed for this sort of thing."

"Hm, just from your outfit, I take it you aren't one of the candidates." She says to me.

"Candidates for what, exactly?" I ask, a little confused.

Out of nowhere, the banquet hall goes dark and then spotlights light up the stage; the dazzling lights are so bright that I have to cover my eyes for a few seconds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce our princes!" The host of the show said.

I look at the stage, and I see six men standing there; I recognize the one with the purplish-color hair.

'That's the man who helped with the car! Don't tell me he's a prince, too?!' I think.

Remember when I said that I have already met five princes in one day? Scratch that and make it SIX!

"Wait, he's a prince?!" I mutter, trying not to lstick out.

"And now that Prince Sieg has safely arrived, we can move on to tonight's main event." The host began.

I meet Prince Sieg's gaze, but I try not to look at him; however, he gave me a smile from up on the stage, and I look at him in confusion.

"Before too long, we, along with two new princes, will hold the Nobel Expo." Prince Hayden says, and the banquet hall fills with excited murmurs.

Even I don't know what the Nobel Expo is.

"In the spirit of international cooperation and cultural understanding, we have put together this exhibition for the enjoyment of our peoples," Prince Hayden says. "We hope that you will enjoy attending as much as we have enjoyed preparing this event, and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all there."

"What's the Nobel Expo?" I ask a waiter.

"What, you've never heard of the Nobel Expo? Why, its…" He begins, but then something interrupts us.

"Now for a special surprise… Ladies and gentleman, the bouquet toss!" The host says, causing women to cheer out in delight.

I didn't get my answer about the Nobel Expo, but I cover my ears in pain. Why are they having a bouquet toss? This isn't a wedding…

"The lucky lady who catches the bouquet will have the pleasure of getting to dance with whichever prince threw it!" The host says, and then all the women – minus me, of course – mob the stage.

"Prince Hayden, throw it to me!" "Prince Sieg, over here!" "Choose me, Prince Aslan!"

I see the women going at it for the bouquets. I just roll my eyes in annoyance. What harpies… It's not only got nothing to do with me, but I don't dance. Doesn't mean I can't, but I just prefer not to.

"Better get going while I still can…" I say, and I start to get out of hall.

A drumroll begins, and just as I turned away from the stage…

"Alright, Your Highnesses! Whenever you're ready!" The host says.

I hear the rustling of hundreds of skirts behind me, but then…

"Ouch!" I shout, and it was that one hit in the head that caused my life to do a complete one-eighty…

I'm dragged to a dressing room to change into a dress. Long story short, rather than catching a bouquet, I was hit in the head with one.

This isn't the first time wearing a dress, but a gown like this, is a first for me.

The maids do my hair and makeup, and I felt like someone else. I'm no stranger to this sort of thing, but… I didn't expect this to happen.

"I wish I could just leave… But since a Prince is waiting on me for a dance, what choice do I have?" I moan.

I move into the banquet hall; I'm used to wedge shoes, but heels, that's new for me, so I stumble every now and again, but I'm otherwise fine.

"Is that the same girl as before?" "Wow, that prince really has good taste!"

People are talking about me, and I just roll my eyes; I'm used to pressure, so I feel okay as everyone's gazes are upon me.

"You're the one who caught the bouquet, right?" I hear someone ask, and I turn to see Prince Ivan.

"So you're my dance partner, huh?" He says, and reaches his hand out to me, with an expressionless face on.

With a subtle scoff, I put my hand in his.

"Just so you know… This ain't my first rodeo in dancing." I say to him, trying to be as bitter as possible.

"Just follow my lead." He says to me.

"Tch, fine…" I mutter.

"Is there a problem with that?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"No." I state, clearly.

His expression showed no change, so I can't rely on body language to figure out what's on his mind. I let it go and I just decide to make small talk with him.

"Um, I saw Your Highness this morning in the parade." I begin, trying to make the topic pleasant.

He refuses to respond.

"You gave your autograph to those little boys who jumped out of nowhere, right?" I ask him. "It's nice to see you're not the type to make mountains out of molehills with young kids."

Prince Ivan once again refuses to speak, and I just smile at him; he does not even give me a second glance.

'Tch… Just as intimidating up close as he is from afar. Figures…' I think, and as the music begins to play, I tense up.

"Let's go." He says to me. FINALLY, he says something!

"Fine…" I say, as I follow Ivan, who strides to the middle of the dance floor.

"Now hold on," I say. "Are we going to dance in the middle of everyone?"

"Of course we are." He says to me.

The music begins to play, and I manage to keep up with the beat, but while I can dance, formal dances are a little new to me.

I focus on my feet, but Prince Ivan stops.

"Looks like she knows a little bit of what she's doing." "I guess even ordinary people have some high-society talents. In her case, baking."

I ignore what everyone is saying, and I try to be as calm as possible.

"Prince Ivan, I don't think…" I begin.

"You aren't dressed very well. That dress looks terrible on you. It makes you stick out." He says to me.

Idiot… He didn't have to be so mean about it. If anything, I know it.

"Chin up and stand straight." He says to me, grabbing my chin.

"Hey!" I protest.

"If you do what I tell you, you'll fit in better." He says to me.

I can't tell whether he's being mean or trying to help me out, but I just go with it; I look up at him and square my shoulders.

"That's better." He says to me with a smile.

I roll my eyes.

"If you take smaller steps, you won't trip on your hem." He says to me.

I comply and keep my mouth shut.

"Just follow my lead." He says to me; again, no expression.

I relax my body in Prince Ivan's arms, and then I make it to the end of the song without any problems.

"Thanks for the advice," I say, bowing my head. "It certainly helped."

"…The next lesson will be proper etiquette." Prince Ivan tells me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask him as he's leaving.

"Zain, you take care of the rest." Prince Ivan says to the steward.

"Now hold on!" I say objectively, getting Prince Ivan to stop and look at me, expressionless. "What are the chances you and I will even meet again? I highly doubt it will happen, anyway."

Prince Ivan looks at me as I give him my hardest look and try to use my body language to make it clear that I didn't expect to see him again any time soon… if at all.

"Miss Carly. I'll drive you home." Zain says.

"Thanks so much," I say, with a smile, but my expression changes. "Is Prince Ivan like that always?"

"He always puts the good of his kingdom, Sanct Sybil, first," Zain tells me. "However, he's a wise ruler who doesn't let anything faze him."

So, he's a sociopathic prince who has his priorities straight?

"He doesn't usually partake in these events, but he looked like he was actually enjoying himself tonight." Zain says to me.

"That sociopath? His body language was impossible to read! I was completely fooled…" I say.

Once I'm home, I shut the door behind me and I breath a heavy sigh.

"I feel like I woke up from a dream…" I say, but I shake my head. "As if that's going to happen again, though."

I decide not to say anything about this to any of my friends. As if they'd believe me…

I just collapse into bed after washing my wine-stained uniform.

I wake up the next morning, and then I say, "Time to get working!"

I'm thinking about what I have to do when my doorbell rings.

"Who is it?" I ask, and then go to the door.

"Good morning, Miss Carly." Zain said, at the door.

"Oh!" I say. "Did I forget something yesterday?"

"Not at all." Zain says.

"Are you here to pay for the flour?" I ask.

"No, we've arranged payment for another day." Zain says to me.

"So…" I ask, prompting Zain to continue.

"I'm here to pick you up, Miss Carly." Zain says to me.

"Pick me up? I can walk to the store." I say to him.

"No, I'm afraid you misunderstand," Zain tells me. "I am here to escort you to your marriage interview."

"Marriage interview!? What the heck?!" I ask, floored by that statement.

"Carly, you have been selected as a potential bride for the prince. I am here to escort you to Nobel Michel." Zain explains.

My head is spinning, and I am completely shocked.

"The prince was actually looking for potential brides last night at the party. When he tossed his bouquet to you, he was choosing you as a potential bride." Zain explains to me.

"You expect me to believe that's the reason he chose me last night?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

"Here is a small token from Prince Ivan. His Highness selected this dress and accessories with you in mind." Zain says, opening up an extravagant box and holds up the dress for me to see.

"Now hold on! There has to be a mistake!" I say in protest.

I slap myself to wake myself up, but this is all too real.

The next thing I know, I'm at Nobel Castle, and I'm confused about everything…

"Please change into your dress and wait here." Zain III tells me.

He then leaves, and I realize that if they were to drag me all the way here, then the possibility that this is a joke is very small.

The fact that I, an ordinary pastry chef, would be invited to a marriage interview with a prince is just too surreal that it's reality… If that makes any sense…

This dress is the kind that takes more than one person to get on, and I feel like I'm being forced into something that I never asked for.

Then, a man in a white coat enters the room, and he asks me, "You must be Carly?"

"Yes…" I begin.

"I'm the doctor accompanying the prince from Sanct Sybil. I'd just like to perform a physical on you, if you don't mind?" He explains.

"Oh, no! No way!" I begin to protest, but I soon find myself doing routine checks.

"It seems like you're in perfect health." He says to me.

"Yes, I have a good immune system." I say.

"That's very good. Well then, please excuse me." The doctor said, before leaving.

I slap myself in the face, completely confused about everything. Once I get to see Ivan, I am going to make it one hundred and fifty percent clear that I have no intention of going through with this.

"Now that you've completed the health check, please proceed to the hall. You will be attending a ball hosted by Prince Ivan." Zain says to me, and I just follow his lead.

I follow into the banquet hall and I see a lot of other young women wearing gowns, as well.

I feel the piercing gazes on me, but I just roll my eyes in annoyance.

Zain leads me to a chair and he asks me, "Could you please wait here?"

"Sure. Zain, why are there other women here?" I ask him.

He lowers his voice and says to me, "Actually, it's a tradition for marriage candidates to be chosen by the bouquet toss. But for someone… like you… to…"

I get what he's saying.

"Someone not from the nobility. It wasn't intended to be a normal girl?" I ask.

"Yes, I'm afraid not…" He says. "It seems no one really though that anyone else would catch it… So the ministers of Sanct Sybil hurriedly assembled a group of young, noble girls."

"You mean that I'm just one candidate of many?" I ask.

"Yes." Zain says to me.

"Best news I've heard all day." I say with a smile.

"May I ask what you are talking about?" Zain replies to me.

"Since there are others, the chances of me being the chosen bride will be smaller, thus increasing my chances of getting out of here with nothing to worry about. I can go back to my normal life and just hope this was nothing less than a nightmare." I say.

"You don't wish to be chosen?" Zain asks me.

"Of course I don't," I say to him. "For one thing, I'm confused to no end about being dragged into a different world. I was just a normal pastry chef working at a store up until yesterday. So the fact that I'm suddenly attending balls and marriage interviews with princes is completely unreal."

"I sympathize. I thought you'd like this experience, but it seems you wish to return to your normal life as soon as possible." Zain says, summing it up.

"Exactly." I say. FINALLY, there's someone who gets it.

"The ball will begin at 11 A.M. Please wait here until then." Zain says to me before leaving.

Eleven o'clock comes and goes, but the ball has yet to start. I also get the impression that there's far too few people for a party, amongst other suspicious traits.

Some time later, Zain comes back, and he says, "Sorry to keep you all waiting. Prince Ivan is here."

The girls around me start to twitter while I keep my mouth shut. I initially decide not to line up to make my intentions clear, but Zain gives me a gesture that tells me to go and join the other girls. I roll my eyes and line up.

Prince Ivan appears, leading his ministers and followers. He is, in fact, dignified and handsome, as usual, he has this sociopathic aura about him; no expression on his face at all.

"These are all you invited?" He asked.

"No, we invited a large number of people. But unfortunately, a cold is making the rounds through the ranks of young, noble ladies. So there were many cancellations…" The Minister says.

"Pitiful," Ivan bitterly says. "I wouldn't want an heir for Sanct Sybil from those weak specimens."

Hearing this, I grit my teeth and shoot him a glare.

"Social Darwinist…" I mutter bitterly.

"What did you say?" A girl beside me whispers to me.

"I said 'Social Darwinist'." I say, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"I've never heard anyone talk like that before…" She says to me.

"I'm no noblewoman, let's make that clear," I say, with a sigh. "I was dragged here."

"You mean you didn't want to come?" She asks me.

"Why would I want to associate with a Social Darwinist sociopath like him?" I ask in reply, but then I go silent, as I am afraid of other girls talking smack about me with my comments.

"So everyone gathered here is healthy." Ivan says.

"Yes." The minister replies.

"Then you will dance with me in order." Prince Ivan says.

Another dance?

Prince Ivan holds out his hand to the nearest noble girl, and she says to him, "It would be an honor to have you lead me in this dance."

She curtsies gracefully, then allows Ivan to lead her out into the middle of the dance floor.

"Alesha's from one of the most distinguished noble houses. She dances as gracefully as a butterfly." "Yeah, we'll have to be as elegant as possible if we're not to lose to her."

Me, I'll be doing the opposite.

I see Prince Ivan's lead, and it's extremely fast.

'That creep! He's treating this more like a sport than a social dance…' I think, angrily.

I see the indifference Prince Ivan has as he makes his way through the girls one after another. I notice that while he's not even winded a little bit, all of the girls are dropping like flies into the chairs and are dead tired.

My turn…

"So you came too?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"More like I was brought here; I didn't ask for this." I say objectively.

"Come and follow my lead, like you did last night." Prince Ivan says, grabbing my arm, and starts dancing to an intense rhythm.

I leave the lead up to him, and follow his advice from last night; squared shoulders, look him in the eye…

I see how handsome he is, but all I see is ugliness and ice underneath…

I think my bitter thoughts are taking over my mind, as I end up getting my feet tangled.

"Whoops." I say, calmly.

"What, you done already? Prince Ivan asks me.

"Don't be an idiot," I say, rolling my eyes. "I'm fine."

"Really? Then let's dance for another five minutes." Prince Ivan says.

I give him a smirk and then say, "Bring it on."

Even though I ended up dancing with Prince Ivan longer than anyone else, I don't end up the least bit out of breath. Then again, as a pastry chef, you need high stamina.

"Despite not really being able to dance, you fought well." Prince Ivan says.

"Please," I say with a scoff. "I don't even need to rest. I could have gone for an hour if you dared me to."

I am just so glad that this is all over and done with…

"Well done today." Zain says to me as I get in the car.

"Thanks." I say, stretching my arms.

"Are you leaving already?" Prince Ivan asks me, as he approaches.

"You came to see me off?" I ask him, surprised.

"It seems like there's a cold going around, so take care." He says to me.

What? He actually has a nice side?

"Okay…" I say, not impressed.

"It'd be a problem for me if my potential brides didn't have good health." Prince Ivan says.

"A problem? Really?" I ask, annoyed.

"Yeah. If you're not in good health then you can't bear me an heir." Prince Ivan explains to me.

I scoff and say, "Social Darwinist pig."

"What did you call me?" Prince Ivan asks, his eyes bugging out.

"Do I need to repeat myself? I said "Social Darwinist pig". Idiot…"

I understand that marriage is important in royals to continue the royal family bloodline, but does he have to be so… sixteenth century about it?

I head home, feeling relieved to get away from that warthog…

"Hi, Yosef!" I say, with a big smile as I come into the shop later that night.

"Oh, Carly, what's going on?" Yosef asks me. "Weren't you off today…?"

"Yes, but my appointment's done, so I thought I'd at least come in to help prepare for tomorrow." I say to Yosef.

"Aren't you tired?" Yosef asks me.

"Yes, exhausted, actually, but nothing stands between me and achieving my goals when the sweet smells of baking are in the air!" I say.

"Thanks, Carly." Yosef says to me.

Feeling like I'm back where I belong, I get back to work.

"Now to take out the trash…" I say, outside the store a little while later.

"Huh, Carly?" A woman with brown hair and eyes, wearing a pink shirt, and other jewelry says, as she sees me.

"May! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes today!" I say to May.

"You're still working at this hour?" May asks me, with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm quite late today." I say to May.

"I was worried. I texted you yesterday but I didn't get any reply." May says to me.

"Sorry, girl, but things have just been a bit zany…" I say.

May is an old friend of mine from back in my home country. While I work here at Patisserie Brown, May works at a fashionable boutique, and since we're still as good as friends as always, we keep in touch regularly.

"I thought maybe you were in bed with a cold…" May says to me. "I was going to stop by your place if I didn't hear from you."

"Thanks, I'm fine… Truth is…" I say, before going into detail of what happened.

"NO WAY! That really happened?" May asks me.

"Yep, it did, but my head's still a mess. I don't get what the marriage interview was about, why a doctor was there, and a dance… Ugh…" I say, rubbing my head.

"Who knows how these elite people think; I'm surprised you called Prince Ivan a 'Social Darwinist pig' right to his face. That part of you has gotten you into scrapes in the past, remember?" May says.

She's right… Listen, I've been told I'm a sweetheart – which, for a pastry chef, fits perfectly – but when I get angry, I get rude, and I don't hold back when I speak. I tell it like it is, but that attitude has gotten me into trouble before. I don't take kindly to people who act like Prince Ivan. I am just happy that it's all over…

Or so I think…

We hear the engine of a car, and I pull May out of the way, shouting, "Car's coming, May!'

"Whoa, thanks," May says. "Wow! That's a nice car."

A fancy car… Oh, no…

"Oh, no…" I say, as the car slows to a stop in front of us; definitely a Nobel Michel Castle car.

"What the heck?" May says.

"May, stall them! I'm heading inside!" I say, before beginning to retreat back into the shop.

"Wait, why?" May asks me.

"That car's for me! Why else would it stop in front of the store?!" I say to May. "I can't stick around or else something else troublesome is going to happen to me."

Just as I'm about to go inside, the man comes out of the front seat… But's it's not Zain.

He gives me a smile; he's tall, blond, and wearing a suit. I can also tell it isn't Ivan, either, but I recognize him from the party.

He opens the rear door, and out comes Prince Ivan.

"Are we there, Mikhail?" Prince Ivan asks his butler.

"Yes, we are." The butler, Mikhail, says.

Crud, they tailed me here!

"What do you want?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I wouldn't come all the way to a place like this if I didn't have a reason, would I?" Prince Ivan asks.

Ugh…

"Are you… working?" Prince Ivan asks me, seeing what I'm up to.

"Yeah, I work here as a pastry chef. Got an issue with that?" I ask, giving him he stink eye and using my voice and body language to make him leave.

"See, Mikhail. This woman went straight back to work after the ball." Prince Ivan says.

"It seems so…" Mikhail said.

"And what's the problem with me working?" I ask, getting defensive.

"You've passed." Prince Ivan says to me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask in reply.

"I like that robustness. Come with me to Sanct Sybil." He says to me.

Looks like I'm stuck sticking around with this guy for a while, yet… Next time, I learn more about Ivan and try my best to make my feelings clear to him… but he has other ideas…