An Unexpected Rejection
The scene where Cinder is asked by Prince Kai to be his personal guest at the 126th Annual Peace Ball but she declines- in Kai"s point of view!
Kai was late.
He really needed to see Dr. Erland, but apparently, time wasn't on his side.
He spotted the nearest elevator behind him and as it was about to close, the elevator operator was able to hold it.
"Please hold," the voice announced.
"Sorry, sorry," Kai said to the person inside the elevator, practically slipping into it, "thanks for the hold--"
His voice caught when he saw the person inside.
Linh Cinder was leaning on the elevator wall, arms crossed, and she seemed genuinely shocked to see him standing there.
"Linh-mèi?" Kai blurted out.
She froze. She pushed herself off the elevator wall, something that Kai should have told her not to do and risk her being uncomfortable.
"Your Highness," Cinder muttered quietly, bowing.
Kai could sense the tension radiating off her. He wished he could do something to ease it.
Silence filled the elevator. A minute passed before Cinder spoke.
Cinder cleared her throat. "You should, um, just call me Cinder. You don't need to be so-" She slammed her mouth shut.
Kai's mouth twitched into an almost-smile.
Stop! Act normal! Kai scolded himself.
"All right, Cinder," he said, thankful his voice was steady. "Are you following me?"
Cinder frowned, which made Kai a little guilty he was teasing her. "I'm just going to check on the med-droid," she said. "That I looked at yesterday. To ensure it doesn't have any remaining bugs or anything."
Kai nodded. This was not going well. "I was on my way to talk to Dr. Erland about his progress," he told her to cut the silence. "I heard through the grapevine that he may have made progress with one of the recent draft subjects. I don’t suppose he said anything to you?"
Cinder fidgeted with her belt loops. "No, he didn't mention anything. But I'm just the mechanic."
They didn't say anything after that.
She doesn't know.
The elevator stopped. Kai motioned for her to exit first, then he followed her.
"Your Highness?" said a young woman in front of him. "I am so sorry."
"Thank you, Fateen," said Kai quietly. He kept walking.
Cinder frowned, confused.
Not a dozen steps later, they were halted by a man who also gave his condolences to Kai.
Kai saw Cinder shiver beside him. She stopped.
"You haven't seen the net this morning."
A heartbeat later, Cinder's eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Kai was surprised, but it faded away easily. He ducked his head. "Good guess."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know-" she stammered frantically, her voice hinting at a million apologies.
Kai tucked his hands into his pockets. "I wish my father's death were the worst of it."
Cinder's eyes clouded over. Was something wrong? "Your Highness?"
Kai turned to look at her. He was getting sick of all these "Your Highnesses". Of course- not when Cinder said it. Wait-
"You can call me Kai," he blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Excuse me?"
"No more ‘Your Highness.’ I get enough of that from…everyone else. You should just call me Kai."
Cinder seemed momentarily dazed before he continued. She blinked like waking up from a daydream. "No. That wouldn't be-"
"Don't make me turn it into a royal command," he said, smiling.
Cinder scrunched her shoulders up by her ears. "All right. I suppose."
"Thank you," said Kai gratefully. "We should go then."
After a bit of quiet walking, he asked curiously, "What was wrong with the android?"
Cinder scratched at an oil stain on her glove. "Oh, I’m sorry. She’s not done yet. I’m working on her, I swear." She's talking about Nainsi.
"No, I meant the med-droid," said Kai, pushing down the urge to ask more about Nainsi. "That you fixed for Dr. Erland?"
"Oh. Oh, right. Um. It was…it had…a…dead wire. Between its optosensor and…control panel," she stammered.
Kai raised his brow. She was lying.
Cinder cleared her throat as if to clear away the awkwardness. "You, uh, said that something was worse? Before?"
Kai said nothing.
"Never mind," said Cinder, shrugging. "I didn't mean to pry."
Dammit, Kai. You just blew it.
“No, it’s all right. You’ll find out soon enough.” He lowered his voice. “The Lunar queen informed us this morning that she is coming to the Commonwealth on a diplomatic mission. Supposedly," he told her.
Cinder almost tripped, and Kai felt a pang of guilt as she stumbled after him. "The Lunar Queen? You can't be serious."
“I wish I weren’t. Every android in the palace has spent the morning taking down every reflective surface in the guest wing. It’s ridiculous—like we have nothing better to do.”
“Reflective surfaces? I always thought that was just superstition.”
“Evidently not. Something about their glamour... It doesn't really matter."
“When is she coming?”
“Today.”
Cinder looked horrified.
“I’ll be making an announcement in half an hour," said Kai.
“But why would she come now, when we’re in mourning?”
Kai smiled grimly. “Because we’re in mourning.”
He stopped.
Shoot, Nainsi.
Kai turned toward Cinder nervously. “Look, I really appreciate your helping with the med-droids, and I’m sure the best mechanic in the city has a million jobs to prioritize, but at the risk of sounding like a spoiled prince, could I ask that you move Nainsi to the top of your list? I’m starting to get anxious about getting her back. I—” He paused long enough to catch the anxiousness in Cinder's face. “I think I could use the moral support of my childhood tutor right now. You know?” He wanted her to know he was lying. He needed to let her know he was lying. Lying for something far more important than childhood attachments or moral support.
Understanding flashed across Cinder's grease-coated face. “Of course, Your Highness. Sorry, Prince Kai. I’ll take a look at her as soon as I get home.”
Kai would have hugged her.
Oh, Cinder, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Kai stomped down his ridiculous thoughts and gestured at a door that had Dr. Dmitri Erland's name labeled on it.
As soon as they entered, Erland leapt to his feet. "Your Highness--I am so sorry. What can I do to help you?"
“Nothing, thank you,” said Kai. Then he reconsidered. "Find a cure."
“I will, Your Highness.” He pulled his hat on. “Of course I will.”
Cinder looked at Dr. Erland and guilt immediately clouded her eyes after a few seconds.
Kai cleared his throat. “I found your pretty new mechanic down in the lobby, and she tells me she’s here to check on the med-droids again. You know I could get you funding for some upgraded models if you require it.”
Oh shoot shoot shoot, did I just call her pretty? Kai thought furiously. What was I THINKING, oh SHOOT.
He willed himself to ignore her.
“No, no, they only needed a touch of maintenance,” said Dr. Erland, reassuringly. “Nothing to worry about, and I would hate to have to program a new model. Besides, if we didn’t have any malfunctioning androids, what excuse would we have for asking Miss Linh back to the palace from time to time?”
Kai saw Cinder glare at the doctor from the corner of his eye, and he couldn't help smiling.
“Doctor," Kai started, “I heard a rumor that you’ve made some sort of a breakthrough in the past few days. Is it true?”
Dr. Erland seemed as if he could slap anyone who started the rumor, but so far he seemed calm. “My prince, you should know better than to ask after rumors like that. I hate to give you hope before I know anything concrete. But when I do have solid information, you will be the first to see the report.”
“Right. In that case, I’ll leave you be and hope to see a report cross my desk any day now.”
“That could be difficult, Your Highness, considering you do not have a desk.”
Kai shrugged, unprovoked, and turned toward Cinder. "I hope our paths will cross again." He bowed his head a little.
"Really?" asked Cinder, grinning quite stiffly. "In that case, I guess I'll just keep following you."
Regret shined in Cinder's eyes for half a breath before Kai laughed.
Kai took Cinder's hand before he could stop himself. Panic crossed her face as he lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.
Kai let go of Cinder's hand and bowed, exiting the room.
Then he got an idea.
An idea so crazy, it just might work.
"Gracious," whispered Dr. Erland as Kai opened the door.
“Pardon me, but might I have one more brief word with Linh-mèi?”
Dr. Erland gestured toward the mechanic. “By all means.”
Kai turned to her, still in the doorway. “I know this sounds like very poor timing, but trust me when I say my motives are based on self-preservation.” He inhaled a sharp breath. Please let this work. “Would you consider being my personal guest at the ball?”
Cinder froze for four heartbeats and a half. Her eyes were big and scared.
Kai waited.
And waited.
Then he raised his brows to catch her attention.
She blinked. "E-excuse me?" she stuttered.
"I assume you are going to the ball?"
“I-I don’t know. I mean, no. No, I’m sorry, I’m not going to the ball.”
The hope rushed out of Kai in a millisecond.
SHOOT.
“Oh. Well...but...maybe you would change your mind? Because I am, you know.”
"The prince," Cinder completed for him.
"Not bragging," Kai blurted out, feeling sweat trickling at the back of his neck. "Just a fact."
"I know."
After a long moment, Cinder said, “I-I’m sorry. Thank you—I… thank you, Your Highness. But I must respectfully decline.”
Kai took a moment to process what she said. Once he did, he attempted a grin that hurt his face muscles. “No, it’s all right. I understand.”
In truth, he didn’t.
Hell, she was probably in love with someone else.
“My sincerest condolences, Your Highness,” said Dr. Erland. Kai nearly forgot he was there. “In more ways than one, it seems.”
Cinder glared at the doctor. Kai found it cute when she narrowed her eyes at him, scrunched her eyebrows and pressed her lips together.
Kai blinked a few more times to clear his head of that ridiculous thought.
“It was nice to see you again, Linh-mèi,” said Kai.
The look of annoyance was peeled off Cinder’s face and was replaced by panicked apology, but Kai couldn’t stand a second longer in there. Her mouth was just opening when Kai wrenched open the door and closed it behind him quietly.
Kai leaned against the wall beside the door to Dr. Erland’s office and dragged a hand down his face. “Stars,” he breathed. How could he be so foolish?…
Kai heard the doctor’s faint voice through the wood.
“What a shame you cannot blush, Miss Linh.”
Overwhelmed and exhausted, Kai cleared away his confusion at the doctor’s statement.
Can my life get any worse?
Tags:
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@cerenoya
@just2bubbly
@impossiblesuitcase
@thetlctrash
@opakitty
@winterrhayle
@cindersassasin
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