Duke Pine and King Applegario stood outside the chamber where Straw and the Princess had been all day. The hallway felt longer than usual, heavy with silence broken only by the king's restless footsteps. He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, then stopped, then paced again. Duke Pine leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable, though his foot tapped lightly against the floor. Time dragged. Too much time.
Finally, the chamber doors opened. The barrister stepped out first, his coat slightly disheveled, sweat visible along his temples. Behind him came Straw and Berryanna.
The moment Straw saw Pine, her face shifted instantly from bright confidence to an oh oh kind of expression. It happened so fast it was almost comical. Her shoulders stiffened. Her eyes widened just a little before she masked it with a crooked smile.
Berryanna, on the other hand, walked with her usual composure, though her face betrayed her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked swollen, redder than before, unmistakably marked from a tongue kiss.
The barrister glanced at the newlyweds, then at the king, who was still pacing like someone whose wife was in labor. He swallowed, straightened himself, and bowed low.
"Sir Philly, what is the problem? Is everything okay? You have been coming out and going in," the king said.
He spoke quickly, sharply, and before the barrister could even open his mouth to respond, the king's attention snapped to his sister.
"Little sister, is everything okay? Did she spit out the name of the maid who brought her to your chamber? And why did you take so long? Why is she still alive?" the king continued, not giving a chance to breathe between his words.
The questions came rapid fire, each one louder than the last. Then his gaze narrowed. He noticed Berryanna's cheeks. Then her lips.
"Why is your face all red?" he asked, squinting. "And is that lipstick on your lips?"
Before Berryanna could respond, Straw stepped forward without hesitation.
"Hey, Mr. King, will you calm down?" she said casually. "And plus, isn't your little sister allowed to have lipstick on her soft lips?"
As she spoke, Straw reached up and placed both hands on Berryanna's cheeks, her thumbs brushing lightly against her skin like she owned the right to touch her. Berryanna did nothing. She did not flinch. She did not pull away. She simply stood there, allowing it, her eyes forward, unreadable. The king froze.
"What is happening?" he muttered, confusion clear in his voice.
Berryanna finally moved. She gathered herself, lifted her hand, and gently but firmly removed Straw's hands from her face. Her expression returned to calm, controlled royalty as she turned to the barrister.
"Sir Philly, thank you for your time today," Berryanna said. "You will be summoned when needed."
The barrister nodded quickly. Relief washed over his face as he turned to leave, but before stepping away, he glanced at Straw one last time. There was no anger in his eyes now. No resentment, instead, he bowed. Not as a courtesy. As respect, to the princess's new wife..Then he left.
"Can you two leave us for some time?" Berryanna said next. "I need alone time with the king."
Straw nodded immediately, far too agreeable for someone who had caused this much chaos. Duke Pine hesitated, his brows drawn together, but followed her anyway, still trying to understand what was happening.
They stepped outside, the heavy doors closing behind them.
Both Straw and Pine stood there as the two royals began their discussion inside. Their voices were muffled through the thick walls. Berryanna and Straw had agreed beforehand that they would be the ones to break the news of their marriage to their siblings on their own. For Straw, it mattered more. They walked toward the royal fountain and stopped beside it. Water flowed gently, the sound filling the silence between them. Pine kept stomping his foot. Once. Twice. Again.
"So what was the summon about?" Pine finally voiced out, turning to stare at his sister. Straw did not hesitate.
"I am officially a wife," she said. Then added, "A royal one. To the princess."
The words hung in the air. Pine blinked. Then he laughed.
"You must be joking, hahaha."
"Nope," Straw replied. "Totally married. All I need now is a ring to show off instead of talking."
The laughter faded. Pine blinked again. And again. His smile dropped slowly as reality tried to settle in.
"How?" he asked. "How is that possible? Why would you be married to the princess? The deal was supposed to be me with the princess and you with the king."
"Well," Straw said, shrugging slightly, "a switching has been made. You can have the king if you want to."
"Excuse me?" Pine said sharply.
He began pacing, tapping his fingers against the bridge of his nose, his thoughts clearly spiraling.
"Okay, just know this, brother," Straw continued quickly. "I had no choice. The princess fell head over heels just because of a one night stand. When she brought up the marriage agreement, I protested. I told her this was wrong, impossible, and that my brother is in love with you."
Her voice softened deliberately. She leaned closer.
"But the princess threatened to kill you and Mother," Straw said. "I had no choice but to sign the paper. I could not stand the thought of losing my lovely brother. I was thinking about your safety. I will do anything just to protect you." She paused. "I'm sorry, brother."
Pine stopped pacing. Then he laughed again. Not amused.
"No. No, no, no, no," he said. "You, Strawlita, have never been sorry in your life."
He pointed a finger at her, anger flashing in his eyes. "You always do things to your own satisfaction. You and that devilish mind of yours always wanting things that I want."
He began pacing again, faster this time.
"I knew it," he said. "You coming along would be trouble. And now you stole my princess."
"Okay, I have heard enough," Straw snapped. She straightened.
"First of all, I thought she was a maid. Second, she kissed me first. I did not seduce her or anything. Matter of fact, she seduced me. And thirdly, she was never your princess to begin with." She stepped closer.
"The princess likes a girl," Straw said. "And it's me."
"That's it," Pine said.
He lunged. Both of them went straight into the fountain, water exploding everywhere as they hit the surface. The splash echoed across the courtyard. Straw came up sputtering, grabbing Pine's collar. Pine slapped water into her face. She returned it with a fistful of wet fabric and hair.
They slapped, shoved, and pulled at each other, shouting and cursing, water splashing wildly as the fountain turned into a battlefield. Guards nearby froze. They looked at each other, then looked away.
Only one guard broke off and ran toward the palace doors to notify the princess.
"Wow," a voice said calmly. "Isn't this the Fayrouza twins again?"
Straw and Pine froze mid fight. They turned toward the voice.
The figure stood against the sunlight, his form dark at first, face hidden by the glare. As he stepped forward, the light shifted, revealing a young man with sparkling silver hair. A hooded mask partially covered his face, his presence calm and unmistakable.
"Prince Vinegario," Duke Pine said immediately. The prince crossed his arms.
"When will you two ever stop this childish act?"