𓏲ּ𝄢 | Gregoryy

⋆ᨒ˚.⋆Leona⋆.˚ᨒ⋆

‧₊˚ ┊ Even as a child, Leona was keenly aware of his position in life. While his older brother was the prized crown prince next in line to the throne, Leona was merely another pawn in this grand game of politics. He knew a betrothal would come sooner or later, so he hardly batted an eye when his father announced that you'd be the person he'd one day marry. Of course, Leona was bitter that such an important aspect of his future was being used to secure alliances and political power, but he accepted his fate nonetheless.

‧₊˚ ┊ Leona had no interest in marrying you, let alone getting to know you. He did his best to outright ignore you whenever your family came to the royal palace to celebrate your betrothal. Sure, Leona did his best to play nice and keep up appearances, but it was still pretty obvious that he wasn't happy with the arrangement.

‧₊˚ ┊ Leona couldn't imagine you were happy with the arrangement either. Sure, marrying royalty sounds like a dream come true, but not when said royalty is a mere second prince with a bad attitude and terribly destructive unique magic. In truth, you were both just pawns to be moved about the board without any will of your own. Perhaps it wasn't obvious to you then — you were still both children, after all — but Leona could see the truth of the matter plain as day.

‧₊˚ ┊ Knowing that you too were as unhappy with the situation somehow lessened Leona's negativity towards you. It's not like you asked for this, so it makes no sense to blame you for the misfortune you both have to endure. With that said, don't expect Leona to suddenly be all buddy-buddy with you. To him, you're still just some annoying little pipsqueak prince that he wants nothing to do with.

‧₊˚ ┊ For the most part, Leona continues to ignore you throughout the years. Any letters you send go without a response, but Leona reads and keeps all of them in a box under his bed. Truthfully, he finds the letters… sweet. He's usually an afterthought to everyone else in his life, so for you to take the time to write to him means more than he'd care to admit.

‧₊˚ ┊ With time, Leona grows to resent you less and less. He might write you a letter back on occasion, but it's a once-in-a-blue-moon typa thing. You'll really see the difference in his treatment of you when you visit the palace. Instead of just pretending you don't exist, he'll reluctantly accept you into his space. If Leona is willing to pull himself out of bed, he'll take it upon himself to teach you how to play chess. He's not an easy teacher, so don't think he'll go easy on you just because you're gonna be his husband one day. Additionally, Leona might lend you a book to take back home once it's time for you to leave. He'll play it off like it's no big deal, saying he only wants to make sure his future husband is well-read and properly educated. Leona's definitely not softening up to you or anything like that, so don't get any ideas!

‧₊˚ ┊ Leona, being a tiny bit older than you, has already been held back once or twice by the time you arrive to join him. Truthfully, he's glad to have you there. While Leona was happy to get away from the palace and Falena, he found himself missing you. Of course, he still received your letters, but he only got the chance to see you when he returned home for break. Now, Leona can have you here at NRC all to himself where the pressure of your betrothal doesn't weigh so heavily on your shoulders.

‧₊˚ ┊ Leona still keeps you at a distance for a while, only ever letting you in on his own accord. Things, of course, change after his overblot. Although Leona was even more reluctant to let you see him raw and vulnerable, that didn't stop you from being there for him in the aftermath. He argued and pushed you away, but you just kept coming back until he relented. It's during this time that Leona truly fell for you.

‧₊˚ ┊ You'd already seen the worst side of Leona, but you still chose to say. Not out of any obligation, but because you truly cared about him. Leona stopped lying to himself, stopped denying how much you came to mean to him, and finally, let you see all the parts of himself he'd long kept hidden. To your credit, you didn't shy away. You stood firm and supported Leona with a quiet resilience that he came to rely on.

‧₊˚ ┊ Ever the prideful lion, Leona never outright admitted how he felt for you. Instead, he simply changed his behavior. Instead of waiting for you to come to him, he began seeking you out himself. Spending time napping in his strong embrace became common. Whether or not you were aware, Leona began engaging in typical lion courting behavior. Given your quiet nature, he knows you won't call him out for all the scenting, biting, and grooming he does, but he also knows that you're not clueless enough to not see what he's doing.

‧₊˚ ┊ Leona never thought he'd actually care for you and for a time he was dead set on doing the exact opposite. You, however, had to go and show him genuine unconditional love and kindness. It took Leona far too long to realize that you were always that stable, caring presence in his life, but now that he has, he's never going to take you for granted again. He's got a ways to go before becoming the husband you deserve, but you're the one person he's willing to put in the effort for.

༄⋆.˚Rielle˚.⋆꩜

‧₊˚ ┊ You and Rielle were mere children when your betrothal was announced and, in the beginning, he was very much not happy about the situation. The young prince was a hopeless romantic that dreamed of finding his true love and living happily ever after. Instead, his father took that chance away from Rielle simply because marrying the young prince off suited his political interests. Being the stubborn, willful child he was, Rielle did everything he could to get his father to cancel the arrangement. Of course, the opinion of a child has very little sway, so the betrothal remained intact.

‧₊˚ ┊ Rielle's first contact with you came via a message in a bottle. He was poised to ignore it, and in turn your existence, but his father eventually made him read and reply to your letter. Surprisingly, that's all it really took for Rielle to change his tune and start to like you. In your letter you introduced yourself as the prince of a small kingdom on land, which immediately caught Rielle's interest. Even then, his infatuation with the world above the sea was in full force, so his heart immediately softened upon realizing you were a part of the world he desperately longed to see for himself. With a newfound appreciation for your betrothal, Rielle sent you a letter back.

‧₊˚ ┊ For some time, the two of you engaged in this back and forth correspondence. It was the best you could manage given the geographical separation between the two of you, but you made it work. Over time, Rielle began to form a genuine affection for you. He kept all your letters, reading and rereading them time and time again until he could replicate your handwriting by memory. For years, you sent messages in a bottle back and forth, each one more fond than the last, before finally, Rielle would make his way onto land.

‧₊˚ ┊ The very first thing Rielle did upon arriving at RSA was to seek you out. It was quite difficult to find you among the sea of students, especially since he was still quite new to being on land at the time. Rielle found himself rather overwhelmed by everything at the time, but thankfully you were there to swoop in and save him!

‧₊˚ ┊ Rielle always believed in love at first sight, but seeing you face-to-face for the first time only cemented his belief. You were even more handsome in person compared to the pictures you sent along with your letters. To Rielle, you were the picture prefect prince straight out of a fairytale — gallant, charming, chivalrous, and devastatingly handsome. If he could, he would have exchanged vows with you right there on the spot, but he refrained from doing so to avoid stoking his father's ire.

‧₊˚ ┊ Rielle very easily fell into a rhythm with you. The two of you balanced each other out incredibly well, with him being more energetic and outgoing and you being more calm and shy. Rielle can be a bit… awkward at first, especially with his massive crush on you, but he's just a boy in love, so forgive him for any embarrassing things he does. He might accidentally move too fast, too soon in terms of romance and the like, but he never means to push any boundaries or make you uncomfortable. Rielle's spent a long, long time wanting to be close to you, but he respects you enough to tone down his affections at your behest.