#uninterested reader

[Mc’s GN but will still be referred to as King/have traditionally male title]

——

Imagine a yandere prince who’s set to marry the king of a neighbouring kingdom, finding out his future spouse may not have an ounce of space for him in their heart. Especially when it appears like the their faithful, royal advisor might’ve beaten him to it.

This was it, Karim told himself. He was finally going to muster up the courage to ask you out. While you two were already engaged and had a set date for the wedding, he wished to catch your interest the old-fashioned way; the proper way, that is.

He straightened out his shirt and combed through his dark locks one last time before knocking on the professionally made oak door. A voice from inside-which was undoubtedly yours- said ‘enter’ in a monotone pitch.

You were sitting at a large desk(probably for all the paperwork and clutter to have a home), writing in documents that he had no idea what they were for. Your were not alone in the room, though. A tall man stood beside you, seemingly waiting for your every beck and call. His long red hair was tied into a low ponytail that draped over his right shoulder. The man was none other than the royal advisor and the childhood playmate of Kingdom X’s proud monarch, Caecilius. Karim felt a drop of sweat roll down his neck as Caecilius stared at him with such an irritation that he felt wrong for even breathing in the same room. He tried ignoring it and gulped. He guessed the silence was suppose to be an indicator for him to speak first.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty, “ he bowed “I don’t mean to disturb you, but-“

“Then don’t.” You said gruffly, glancing up from your paperwork. Noticing him flinch slightly, you realised it might’ve come out too harshly. You closed your eyes and sighed, silently counting to five in your head before saying, “sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so bitter.” Pinching your eyebrows, you waved with your arm, signalling your fiancé to continue.

He fixed himself(straightening out any wrinkles on his clothes and dragging his fingers through his hair, again) the moment he got your full attention. “Ah, yes, well I was simply wondering if Your Majesty would be interested in joining me in the gardens this afternoon?’ He looked up at you with a glint of hope his eyes, still ignoring Caecilius.

“For what purpose, exactly?” You inquired while resuming working and going over the pile of documents on your desk.

“Oh, um, tea- and other things, of course! I had the cooks prepare muffins and cookies.”

“No.” You said without doubt. If you actually had been looking your fiancé in the eye, you would have seen his shoulders slump in a manner that would have his mother scold him. She’d definitively go on about how many recorses went into raising him and she refused to let him disgrace them by being mopey.

“O-oh, that’s alright. I apologise for disturbing you.” Karim muttered, sounding weak and ashamed by the end.

It might not have been intentional, but you kind of felt like he was trying to guilt trip you. “Karim.”

Said man glanced up at the sound of his name.

“It’s not because I do not enjoy your company. The reason is that I have a lot of work that needs to be done. So please, don’t be disheartened.” You encouraged him with an assuring voice. “We will have tea and snacks together another day, alright?”

Blushing, he responded, “Yes, certainly, Your Majesty.” Karim smiled, and it would’ve all ended well there if it wasn’t for the third person in the room.

“There is no reason to lie, Your Majesty.” Caecilius’ smug tone was like nails on a chalk board to your fiancé. The royal advisor put his hand on your shoulder before facing Karim. “Their Majesty actually doesn’t like tea, and sweets are something they can’t have too much of lest they feel ill. Although, this is something you should have knowledge of considering your position?” The red-haired man let the insult hang in the air.

Karim’s smile had instantly wiped off and he stood there in complete silence, trying to control his emotions while thinking of what to say back.

You were no fool and easily sensed the hostility between the two men who were supposed to be your closest companions for the rest of your lives. Not wanting things to blow out of proportion, you sent a warning look towards your advisor.

“Cecil.”

You were far from in love with Karim, but he was still your future spouse, and that meant he wouldn’t be treated however. At the end of the day, cavil was simply an advisor- albeit a royal one.

“My apologies, Your Majesty.” He stepped back and neutralised his expression, understanding he went too far this time.

You sighed and shook your head in both frustration and disappointment. Your fiancé appeared to have pulled himself together, he slowly excused himself from the scene. “Thank you for your time. I will wait for a day when your are less busy.”

You gave him a nod, an acknowledgement to his departure. The tan young man spun around and left, closing the door softly behind him. And as he did, he thought he saw a slight smirk on the advisor’s face.

——-

It was later in the evening that Karim returned to his chamber. He flung himself on the lavish sheets of his bed and laid there spread out, pretending to be a starfish living in the vast ocean. At least a starfish wouldn’t have to deal with unrequited love, he thought. He would only have to worry about..whatever starfish did.

Grabbing a pillow, he screamed into it. What was he gonna do now? He’d already been living in your kingdom for months now, and the already scarce moment he managed to see you were becoming even fewer. Now two whole weeks could pass without him seeing as much as a glimpse of you. The closest he’d ever get to you was the whisperers of your name from the servants.

In the beginning, when he had first head of his upcoming marriage to you, he was honestly disgusted. That was because he had the impression you’d be a greedy, old man, giggling in his seat to take advantage of a young man. It was totally wrong! That impression was no where near who you actually were. You were neither old nor greedy.

During his stay, Karim had made it his mission to find out just exactly who you were before the wedding, and what better way to gather info than from the servants working in the palace. They work in the inner circle, they know everything! If anyone would know of the king’s bad habits, it’s them. Surprisingly, though, every servant he asked said nothing but positive things about you. While they obviously didn’t know you on an individual level, they couldn’t deny that you were a good person. To summarise all their thoughts : you were a fair and hardworking ruler.

A knock sounded at his door. Karim lifted his head to stare at the door. His personal servant bowed as a show of respect and then properly entered the chamber.

“Your Highness has not eaten dinner. Should I ask the chefs to send a meal up to your room?” She asked.

“No, I’m not hungry.” After thinking breifly he asked the maid, “Is there something in particular that Their Majesty likes?”

The maid was not prepared for this bold question. A little perplexed, she thought to ask to make sure she was correct in her assumption, “I’m not sure I understand completely, Your Highness. Are you referring to Their Majesty’s likes and dislikes?”

Karim nodded and repeated the question.

Feeling somewhat put on the spot, the maid ransacked her brain in what to say, thinking on the things Their Majesty says to enjoy. “Well, they are often engrossed in reading- from what I’ve heard. They go for strolls in the garden, as well.” She tried coming up with something more but found nothing. The maid apologised, “Unfortunatly that is all I can think of. Their Majesty works most of the time and does not have a lot to spare for hobbies.”

Karim held back a sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad for not carrying the answers he wished for. “It’s alright, thank you.”

“May I ask why His Highness ask? Perhaps if I knew the reason I might be of more help.”

Now he felt a bit embarrassed. “Oh..” he scratched his cheek, “Today, I went to request Their Majesty join me in the garden but they declined. The royal advisor even said they don’t like consuming too many sweets, so that may be why. Maybe they simply don’t like me?” Karim wanted to cry at the possibility. Sure, he and Their Majesty might not be getting married because they’re romantic sweethearts, but Karim had a hard time believing he was anywhere near repulsive. He shot uo from his position. “Quick, tell me their preferences in partners!”

“Ehm..”

“You must know something, tell me.” He urged.

The maid gulped and bit her lip. Should she tell him? She did know something; though it was only a rumour, it must hold some truth. She was a mere maid, nothing like the elegant, blue blooded people she in her surroundings. Telling him would surely be a violation.

“Wait!” Karim exclaimed and surprised the maid with his sudden outburst. “Or is it that Their Majesty has never expressed an interest in anyone previously?” It was certanly rare for royals not to have had any lovers, but not impossible. He had to admit, the though made him quite giddy. Imagine if he was Their Majsety’s first.

“Unfortunately, that is not the case, Your Highness.” She said timidly, and upon noticing his dejected expression, added, “Although, they are only rumours so they might not be true at all.”

“What rumours?”

She wondered again whether she was crossing a line but decided to tell Karim anyway. “There have been rumours circling around for a very long time about the king having a lover here at the palace- someone close to them.”

“And how long have these rumours been spreading?” Karim questioned to why he hadn’t heard anything about it and why no one ever bothered to inform him about them. He didn’t know how long was a ‘very long time’ but was keen to find out.

She took a second to answer, “For three years.” She answered finally.

Three years?! He’d be a bit more understanding if it’d just been a few months, three years however, that was way too long. Wincing, Karim contntinued firing questions. “Well, who is it? There has to be an idea of who the kings lover is, right? Tell me.”

Suddenly the maid seemed even more uncomfortable than ever. “You…you have probably already met. He’s always lingering behind Their Majesty- I don’t really think he has a life beyond these walls. And-“

The young man tuned out the maids speech. He was thinking deeply.

“Someone close to them”

‘‘He’s always lingering behind Their Majesty.”

“You have probably already met”

It was obvious who it was. Who else could it be? The clues in her speech pointed to one person. Karim’s mind filled with long, red hair, and those calculative grey eyes.

   Oswald limps up the stairs to your apartment, and in his hands he holds a small box with a bow.

He comes to her door to find it wide open. Peering inside, he discovers that all of the furniture has been wrapped up, with some pieces already missing.