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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄"Look, I'm not going to say this again". Leon's hands clung to his hips like a mother's when scolding her child after sneaking out of the house. Not too roughly, of course, or he would ruin the suit that was pressed and readied especially for tonight's event. He was late, again, even when the event was in his own palace. All it took was a walk down the stairs and across the hallway to the ballroom, and it's not like Leon disliked these kind of events, it's just that tonight's in particular was not one he was looking forward to. "You need to stay here, you got it?". The white feline's tail swayed lazily from side to side as it stared blankly at his owner. The prince let out a sigh, lowering his arms and shoulders in defeat. Reasoning with a cat was impossible, that much he knew. "Whatever just don't eat anything weird". He didn't know why he was bothering to instruct his pet. Cats are notorious for doing whatever they want anyway, much like himself. After checking his phone one more time, he all but sprinted to the ballroom. By now it was probably packed with royals, politicians and their families. All awaiting for the grand announcement his father, the king of Atria, had promised them.

Leon already knew, of course. He and Rosalie had known for about a month now. Leon felt about it now just the same as he did a month ago. He was completely and utterly against it. The last thing he wanted was for his sister to have to marry some guy she didn't love, let alone someone she's never even met before. But the King didn't care about his opinion on the matter, just like he didn't care about Rosalie's when he decided to marry her off to some random prince. Finally reaching the ballroom, he stepped inside, attempting to be as unnoticed as possible so daddy dearest wouldn't have anything to lecture him about. Unfortunately, he failed. "Oh, young prince you finally made it". He was suddenly bombarded with welcoming guests from every angle. Under normal circumstances, he would be more than happy to great everyone. However, this was not helping his sneaking. "Ah yes, hello! Hi! Welcome! Thank you for coming!". He worked his way out of the small crowd that had formed and immediately navigated to his phone. The prince knew his sister would need all the support she could get tonight, which is why he had invited Mateo. It had taken some convincing, but he had managed to talk a couple of guards into letting him in. All that was left now was the "all goof" from Matti, letting Leon know he was inside. Unfortunately, there was still nothing.

Immediately after putting his phone down, he spotted a familiar face just a few feet away, lost and desperately looking for something. Their eyes met and he offered her a reassuring smile from across the room. Making sure not to run anyone over, he quickly worked his way through the crowd and several hellos, finally making it to her. "Miss Rosie cheeks, you look absolutely stunning" he said, albeit a bit too dramatically. There was a pause before he continued, uncertain of the answer he was expecting to hear. "Have you met him yet?". Judging by her surroundings, he assumed she hadn't, and in the back of his mind Leon hoped that she never would. Maybe the prince would have a change of heart and decide to not come tonight and not get married to a girl he had never met. That's the kind of thing that happened in fiction novels, but this wasn't a book nor was it fiction. This was real life, and real life never worked like it did in books.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ As expected, the faceless prince hadn't shown up yet and a small piece of Leon really hoped he wouldn't. Not that he had anything against a man he had never met, but Rosalie marrying him would mean that she would be miserable for the rest of her life. Well, it was a possibility at least. Just like there was a small possibility that Rose and this prince would eventually learn to love one another and live happily ever after, but that was a risk Leon did not want his sister to have to take. She was anxious, that much was obvious. Rose wasn't the type to judge someone she'd never met or seen only once or twice. Letting a soft smile settle onto his face, he gently squeezed both her hands for reassurance. At the moment, it was all he could do. There was nothing that Leon wanted to do more than swoop in and save her, and get her out of this mess, but at this point it was out of his hands as much as it was out of hers.

The least he could do now was give her some words of encouragement. Rosalie knew, or at the very least she should know, that her little brother would always be there for her, even if it was just to lend her a shoulder to cry on. Still, it was always nice to be reminded, which Leon intended on doing before the night's authority figure came waltzing in, cutting off his inspiration and whatever it was that Rosalie was trying to express. Behind him followed two impossibly tall men, very stoic and handsome. They both had the kind of looks Leo always wished he could have. Casually taking his sister's arm, he gently wrapped it around his own. He may not have looked like much to these intimidating men, but one thing needed to be made clear. He was there to protect her. Their father kept the introduction short and sweet, as always not bothering to waste more words than necessary as if they cost a thousand euros a piece, and just like that he was gone. Leaving his children alone with the two strangers. There was a short silence, during which Leon always felt it necessary to say something, but turned out to not be necessary. ""Wow, you must have drank a lot of milk as a kid.". The prince looked nothing but confused, and Leon couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his sister's sudden outburst. "Ah, uh- sorry. You're just really tall." Leon couldn't contain his smile, suddenly feeling like he was the oldest of the two.

"Ah, I think what my sister meant to say was, it's nice to finally met you" he spoke finally, deciding to do all the formal meeting and greeting to save Rosalie the trouble. He felt odd looking up at the prince. The man was significantly taller than him and his face was more than slightly intimidating. Still, Leon knew better than anyone that one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. "Welcome". As much as Leon wanted to blame this man for what was happening, he knew all too well that he was not at fault nor did he want the prince and his brother to think that, so he smiled brightly in hopes of easing the awkward tension that had slowly accumulated around them.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Mateo was still entirely clueless as to why it was so important that he showed up to his event. Leon hadn't explained much to him other than the occasional "It's important!" and "Rosie is going to need both of us there", which was more than enough to convince the Spaniard. He was given special instructions by the prince as to how he was going to get inside what what he should do once he got there. Mateo planned on following his instructions to the T, if he could only get to the palace. Of all the days he had asked for overtime and extra work, tonight was not the day to receive it. He didn't say a word to his boss, of course. He didn't want to ruin any future chances. But the man was anxious. Anxious to leave work, anxious to get to the palace and know what was going on, anxious to see Rosalie's smiling face. He had seen her just a few days before, but it already felt like centuries.

After many hours of working diligently and as quickly as possible, he was finally set free. Leon had given him a run down of how the staff would dress at the event, which happened to be very similar to his work attire. Adding on a black vest for good measure, he finally settled into his old chunk of metal and all but speed the whole way to the palace. He was already late and if he didn't hurry, the event would already be ending by the time he arrived.

[To: Leo On my way!][/size]

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ As much as he loves to read, Leon has never been good at reading people. Still, even he could tell the prince was uncomfortable with this situation, and who's to blame him? Had it been Leon in this situation, he may have opted out of showing up at all and just hid for the rest of his life. He felt a sense of admiration for this man, and his sister as well, for confronting this situation. Maybe this was why their father preferred Rosalie over Leon. She had always been much more responsible when it came to her royal duties. The air between the four siblings felt a bit rigid. They were all on edge which made these kinds of situations even more difficult to handle, still, Leon had no problem navigating through the awkward conversation.

There was an agreement to show Stellan around the next day, and considering the fact that his brother would be leaving tonight, the prince assumed he would be the couple's chaperone. Not that they needed one, but Leon could almost guarantee that Rosalie would force him to go along. "Sorry about all this." the small prince was brought out of his thoughts by the man's voice. It had been almost hard to hear before because of the bustling of the party guests, but everyone now had began to quit down. The moment of truth was finally here. Before they parted ways, Leon sent his sister off with a soft kiss on her forehead. It was his way of saying "you'll be okay", though he didn't know that for a fact.

The two made their way up to the small platform beside the king and Leon almost felt nauseous. A month of knowing this was going to happen and he hadn't been able to do anything about it, now it was finally here. In felt unreal, in a sense, like this was all some kind of weird dream. But as he stood just a few feet away and listened to his father's announcement, it was impossible to ignore. The room suddenly erupted with noise, mostly applause, but also murmurs of confused and surprised party guests. The noise was a bit too much for Leon's ears, but he resisted the urge to leave. Rosalie would need him there. "Engagement...?" the familiar voice snapped Leon back to reality. Looking in the direction where it came from, he came to find a very confused looking Mateo having suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Matti? When did you-?" stopping himself mid-sentence, Leon quickly reached for his phone. As expected, he had three unopened messages from the Spaniard. He let out an apologetic sigh before putting the device away. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to miss your messages"

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Mateo had been beyond thrilled that he made it inside the palace without any problems. The guard at the gate didn't question his being there and the guards at the palace entrance let him walk right in. Mateo figured it was thanks to Leon. Grateful that he hadn't left him to mend by himself, he had sent him a message. <I'm inside. Had no problems getting through. Thank you!> But now he was at a loss for what to do. Should he just walk over to the ballroom in integrate himself as one of the night's staff? Should he wait for Leon to come and get him? The Spaniard was a bit uneasy, and the last thing he wanted was to get caught out of place. After waiting a few minutes for Leon's response, but not getting one, he decided to head over to the ball room. He would just have to pretend to be one of the waiters for the night until he found the siblings.

The palace was just as enormous and expensive as Mateo remembered it being. He had been inside several times, back when he was just a small teen. The king hadn't always been against his being there. There was a time when the man actually welcome Mateo inside and let him spend time with his children. That was all before the queen passed away. After that day, Matti had not been allowed to set foot anywhere inside or near this palace, as if he were to blame for the queen's death. To some extent, Matti understood why the king was acting the way he was. Losing someone you loved dearly was never easy, and Matteo was not family. NOr was he a friend of the king, he was merely a friend of his children. Mateo didn't hate the king for treating him differently, but that still didn't mean it was right.

Finally making his way inside the ballroom, he was suddenly overwhelmed. The large space was packed from wall to wall with people of different shapes, sizes and ethnicity, and every one of them looked important. Taking advantage of his height, Mateo stretched his neck to look over the heads of the party guests. It didn't take him very long to spot Leon and Rosalie. They were off to one side of the room talking to a pair of very tall men. By the way they were dressed, Mateo assumed they were extremely rich and extremely important. Not wanting to interrupt whatever conversation they had going on, he decided to take a step back and wait until they were finished. He knew better than to stick his nose into royal family affairs. From afar, he could see the king making his way onto a small platform at the center of the ballroom. This must be the announcement Leon had mentioned. Mateo watched silently, confusion slowly taking over as Rosalie parted ways with Leon and joined her father up on the balcony along with one of the strange men. A very odd and uneasy feeling began to settle into his stomach as the king began to speak, his words barely registering in Mateo's mind. Rosalie...prince...engagement. It all began to blend together and before he knew it, he had made his way to the front beside Leon. "Engagement?". Leon looked surprised, but not as surprised as the look on Mateo's face. Rosalie and the prince made their way down from the platform. Mateo felt paralyzed, like he had just been drenched in buckets of ice cold water. "You're getting married...?" he said, his voice almost noticeable shaky. "Congratulations...". The word was empty, just like his forced smile.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Leon had estimated that Mateo's presence would be good for Rosalie, given that she was as close to him as she was to her brother. Unfortunately the looks on both their faces said otherwise. Granted, Leon made the estimation on the assumption that Mateo already knew about what was going to happen. Rosalie always told him everything, so he didn't understand why she would keep such a life changing event like this for him. Especially for so long. They had known for almost over a month, you'd think she would have brought it up at some point.

The confused prince watched in silence as Matti congratulated his sister on the engagement. It didn't sound at all sincere and Rosalie could clearly tell. Suddenly the suffocating tension in the air was beginning to build up again, but this time for an entirely different reason. Leon opted out of saying anything. Whatever was going to happen would be between Mateo and Rosalie and he had no business sticking his nose in it, so he just nodded in understanding when his sister decided to head out. She had covered for him before and got him out of messes on several occasions, the least he could do now was do the same for her.
He watched as she and Mateo went their separate ways, probably planning on meeting up somewhere else, and he couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. Inviting Mateo to the announcement was probably not the best idea he'd ever had. He frowned subconsciously, now feeling like he had made Rosalie's night worse instead of better.

"they dating or something? Rough." Leon didn't mean to flinch, he had just been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized Stellan was right beside him. The smaller boy responded with a nervous grin, not entirely sure how to respond to the question. "Not exactly..." he said, not really thinking about his next few words. "At least not that I know of...I think she would tell me if they were. I hope..." the last couple of words came out almost as a mutter, his mind now turning over the idea of his sister keeping something like that a secret from him. He didn't see why she would, but he also didn't see why she would keep the news of the engagement to herself either. "He's a childhood friend, almost like family" he finally added, not sure why he was trying to explain the situation so detailed, it's not like Stellan had a reason to care nor did he sound like he did. "Uh- did you want a drink?" he said suddenly, deciding that changing the subject was the best course of action right now. "There's wine, vodka...whiskey probably" he said, biting his lower lip in thought. "Or maybe step out for a bit? We've got a really nice library" for all Leon knew, Stellan didn't even like books, but the library had always been the first place Leon went to when he needed a breather, so naturally it was the first thing that came to mind.

"Or maybe..." realizing he had probably already talked too much, he quietly cleared his throat, giving an apologetic smile. It's not like Rosalie had listed taking care of Stellan as part of covering for her, but something about meeting strangers made Leon babble. Most didn't mind it, but people like Stellan usually found it annoying. "I'll just..." he said, pretending to zip his mouth.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Ever since they were kids, Rosalie had always shared the smallest of details with Mateo. The Spaniard couldn't forget the time she told him she lost her favorite paintbrush, and with every bit of penny he had saved he had saved he bought her another, just like the one she had before. She didn't need him buying her things, but he always loved to help her and see her happy again. This wasn't any different, which is why Mateo couldn't understand why she had kept something like this from him and who knows for how long.

Part of him felt betrayed, but the other part just felt heartbroken. As to why, he didn't know. It's not like he didn't know this would happen eventually. He knew, Rosalie knew as well. Royals married other royals. It was a social rule that no one could deny. So why did he feel so miserable? He had half a mind to turn down Rosalie's request to meet up somewhere to talk, because just looking at her in the eyes brought him pain, but in the end he couldn't get himself to do it. So he agreed, like he agreed to everything else Rosalie ever asked him to do.

Getting out of the palace was even easier than getting in. No one so much as even looked in his direction. Most were probably preoccupied by the news. Some looked happy, others indifferent, but most just looked confused. He couldn't deny he didn't feel the same, although confused didn't come close to summing up how he felt. Walking around the extremely large estate, he finally made it to Rosalie's window. He had been here several times to help her sneak out, but somehow this time it felt different. He couldn't keep himself from fidgeting with his fingers as he waited for her. The wheels slowly turned in his head as he tried to come up with something to say, anything, but the only thing that came to mind was one question. A question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

Finally, after what felt like a century, Rosalie's face popped up from above. He helped her down as quickly as possible, all but had to sew his mouth shut to keep from asking her right then and there. This wasn't the time nor the place. Getting away from the palace was first priority right now. The last thing they needed was to get caught. Rosalie would most definitely be in trouble and there's no doubt in Mateo's mind that the king would send him to jail. So he took hold of her hand, just as he always did, and they ran for a bit to get as far away from the palace as possible. Mateo wasn't sure where they wee going yet, but at this point it didn't matter.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Still feeling a bit intimidated, Leon made a mental note to control his rambling. Stellan didn't seem to mind it, but he could just be pretending so as to not be rude. Although, if being around so many strangers made him uncomfortable, maybe it didn't hurt to have someone talking to him. At the very least he could step in on the chance that anyone asked for Rosalie's whereabouts. Leon was fairly quick on his feet when it came to things like this.

Surely enough, it didn't take long for someone to approach him. Leon listened quietly from a few feet away as Mr. Kang spoke to Stellan. It all seemed to be running smoothly, that is, until he asked for his bride to be. Leon didn't miss Stellan's nervous glass and quickly followed after him, but not before telling Mr. Kang all about how Rose's bride's maids had planned a surprise for her after the announcement was made and Leon was in charge of looking after her fiance for the time being. The man seemed pleased enough and walk off with a satisfied grin on his face. Leon couldn't help but wonder when he had become such a good liar.

Meeting up with the impossibly tall man at the bar, Leon contemplated having a drink. Technically, he could not legally drink for several more months, but being the prince had it's perks. "You sounded unsure before. You think she would keep something like that from you?". Leon casted a glance in his direction, suddenly feeling a little uneasy again. The thought of Rosalie keeping something so important from her own brother, whom she claimed to trust 110%, felt almost impossible. Especially since he was as close to Mateo as she was. Leon's large chocolate eyes stared at the marbled counter for a moment before tilting his head in Stellan's direction. "No, i'm sure she would tell me" he said, partly to answer Stellan's question, and partly to convince himself that it was true. The bartender came around a second time and Leon gave him a soft smile. A smile that the man already knew all too well. "You know, one of these days your father will find out and he'll have my head" the almost middle aged man said playfully, to which Leon responded with an innocent laugh. "I'm sure he's got much more important things to worry about besides his underage son drinking. Besides, in a few more months you won't even have to worry about it". The man gave in with ease and passed Leon his usual. Leon had never been a big fan of alcohol, but on nights like these he needed something a little heavier than coffee. Putting his cup down, he slipped off the stool before turning to Stellan. "Library?". He assumed the "asocial" prince was more than itching to leave the crowded ball room and Leon on his part wasn't opposed to getting a bit of fresh air.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Not speaking felt really strange...awful even. Anytime Rosalie and Mateo were together there was chatter. Of anything and everything under the son. Rose loved to talk to him, and Matti loved to listen, but tonight was different. She wasn't speaking, and whatever she may have to say to him, he wasn't sure he would want to listen. They spoke briefly, deciding on where to go to get away from the real world for a while, and settled on a childhood memory. A place Rose, Leo and Matti had created as kids. Mateo would hide with them there on the occasions that they wanted to escape the royal life and just...breathe. Somehow, the air always felt clearer. So there they went, hoping to find some piece of mind among all the confusion.

When they finally arrived, Mateo almost didn't recognize the place. The only thing that stood proud still was the tree, as if it had stayed frozen in time while everything else moved forward. The Spaniard watched silently as Rose made her way to it. There was a pause, slightly suffocating, before she spoke. Mateo didn't really have a response to what she said. All this time to think and he had still not thought of anything to say, other than his initial question. [color=#00ff00["How long have you known?"[/color]. Perhaps she had just found out that morning or the night before. It would explain which she had never brought it up on the times they had meet before. It was unlikely, a large part of him knew that, but a small part of him hoped he was wrong.

His eyes didn't leave hers. Maybe he wouldn't like what she had to say, but he needed to hear it regardless. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn't gone to the party at all. Would she have told him anything, or would she have kept ignoring it until the day of the wedding. He couldn't help but feel a little angry, betrayed, hurt mostly. It wasn't even rational for him to feel this way, it's like Rosalie belonged to him. And yet, deep down it felt like she did and this stranger was taking her away from him.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Leon let out a quiet chuckle at the bartender's expression. The man had clearly not registered Stellan's comment as a joke. Not that it would really matter. The terrified bartender wouldn't have to come up with excuses to give the king because the king wouldn't ever ask. If it has nothing to do with his politics or ways of becoming even more rich and powerful, his highness could not care less. Sometimes it was convenient. Other times, not so much. Leon was ready to step out and take a breath of arrogance-free air. The aristocrats crowding the ball room were all too busy chit chatting and making connections. No one would even notice Stellan's or Rosalie's absence. If they did, Leon would just explain how they had left for a bit to get to know one another in a more calm and quiet setting. And he was there with them, of course. Otherwise, the rumors and gossip would be never ending.

The smaller prince watched curiously as Stellan helped himself to an entire bottle of whiskey. A bit excessive, maybe, but most definitely amusing. An entertained grin decorated his face as he was told to lead the way, meanwhile the bartender stared after them in utter confusion.

The air felt lighter the second the two stepped out of the ballroom. It may have had something to do with the tall prince trailing behind Leon. His muscles very visibly relaxed as soon as they stepped away from the crowd. Leon had never minded large crowds and he had always been very social, so he couldn't imagine how Stellan felt being around so many people he had never even met, on top of already having to deal with an arranged marriage to a girl he had also never met. Luckily, the library wasn't a far ways away, but hidden enough for them to hide away from the people in the ballroom which is essentially what Stellan wanted. As soon as the large double doors opened, the fresh air from the opened balcony doors brushed past Leon's face, leaving his hair just a tad messy and out of place. Not bothering to fix it, his attention switched to the small, white ball of fur curled up on Leon's favorite couch. He smiled at the sight and ran a hand through the soft fur blanket. "Well look at you behaving like a normal cat for once" he joked, to which the feline responded with a soft purr and continued to sleep, completely disregarding Stellan's presence.

The atmosphere in the library felt light and fresh, unlike heavy tension that surrounded the ballroom. There wasn't much to do here other than talk or read, so Leon could only hope Stellan was okay with this. At the very least it served it's purpose of giving him a break from the crowd. "I'm sorry you got stuck with me..." the petite prince said lightly as he settled beside his pet on the couch. It was probably a bad idea considering he was wearing a nice black suit, but at this point that was the least of his worries. "You'd think you came to marry me instead of Rose" he added with a soft chuckle. Not that Leon minded keeping the man company, in fact, he liked having someone to escape royal responsibilities with. But he couldn't tell if Stellan felt the same and didn't mind having to hang with him, or if it was purely because Leon was the only person there that he sort of knew and thus felt obligated to follow him around. He could only hope it wasn't the latter.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Rosalie's answer left Mateo breathless...as if someone had punched all the air out of him for the second time tonight. All of his hopes crumbled. A month was a very long time to keep something like that a secret from someone she considered her best friend. Yet, somehow, the fact that she had kept it a secret for that long didn't bother him nearly as much as the engagement itself did. It was illogical, Matti decided, to think that way considering he should have felt betrayed over her keeping such a secret.But instead he felt heartbroken, unable to bear the thought of seeing her marry someone else. A lump caught in Mateo's throat the moment he say Rosalie's tears. He had always been there for her when she cried, but now if felt as if he were going to break down and cry at any second.

She didn't want to marry this prince, that was made very clear. And somehow that gave Mateo a feeling of...relief. Whether she wanted to or not, it didn't really make a difference to the king, but it made a difference to Mateo. A big difference. He felt his anger towards her slowly begin to crumble as the tears rolled down her face. How could he be angry with her when she was clearly having a really hard time already. Mateo had promised when they were younger that he would always be there to keep her safe, and he fully intended on keeping that promise, no matter the consequences.

Taking the necessary steps towards her, he stopped so they were face to face, merely inches away. She looked so fragile and broken that it made him feel the same way. Mateo had always towered over her, even more so as they began to grow up and she stayed relatively the same height meanwhile he continued to sprout upwards. Still, she had never looked as small as she did now, here, standing in front of him with her face covered in tears. Mateo felt a little bit of guilt for having blamed her for this, when it clearly wasn't her fault. She couldn't seem to think of a reason as to why she had kept the news from him all this time, but at the moment, Mateo didn't really care. All that mattered was that she was hurt, and he felt the overwhelming need to make her feel better.

"Shh...it's okay" he finally said as his arms slowly wrapped around her. He pulled her against his chest, just as he always did when he hugged her, and held her as tightly as he could without breaking her. With his chin resting lightly on top of her head, his big blue orbs stared at the tree bark behind her, the memories of when they were younger suddenly flooding his mind. The day after the queen had passed away, Rose and Matti had come here to talk. He remembered very clearly how he hugged her for hours while she cried. That was the first time he had ever seen her shed any tears, but back then there was nothing he could do about it. Now, he was determined. He didn't know how, but he was determined to get her out of this mess.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Leon hadn't expected the prince to talk to him as much as he was. Not that he had been judging, but at first glance the man appeared to be kind of...cold and unwelcoming. Clearly that was not the case. They had barely known each other for just under two hours and Stellan was already speaking to him as if he'd known Leon for much longer. The younger prince watched in silence as Stellan mumbled for a bit, trying to explain himself, only responding with a quiet, almost childlike chuckle. It was nice to see he wasn't the only one that rambled. well thanks...I think" he responded, his face twisted into somewhat of a confused grin.

The last part of his statement, though, lingered in the back of his mind for a moment. It was unusual to find someone as important as a prince to admit to something like that so easily. Of course, Leon had no idea how things worked in Sweden. For all he knew, that was normal. Unlike upright and conservative Atria where it was considered "disgusting" and "immoral" and in the words of King Song, "unfit for an Atrian citizen". Many of the locals thought the same way. Leon never understood why, nor did he try to. He didn't plan on falling in love with another man anytime soon, or woman for that matter.

"Did you know cats can't taste sweetness." Leon quickly looked up, the prince's voice bringing back down to reality, kind of relieved by the fact he was attempting to make conversation. His gaze switched from the prince's face to the sleeping fur ball that had now moved to his lap and tilted his head in sudden realization. "Is that so?" he said, his eyes inspecting the feline's face. Surely Leon had read a book about cats at some point or another, but whatever he had learned is now long gone. "So that's why you never eat my cookies you little brat" he sighed, gently patting his pet's head. He paused for a moment before adding "or maybe they're just horrible". Leon loved sweets of any kind, shape and size, but he hardly ever made them himself. His favorite bakery usually had them delivered first thing in the morning.

Gently pushing Snickers off of his lap. Leon got to his feet and shrugged off the suit jacket. He felt a little stuffy in it, and on the off chance he would have to go back to the ball, he didn't want it to be covered in white cat hair. Adding his cream colored bow tie to the pile, he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled them halfway up his arms. He would have much rather taken everything off and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, but the night was still young and he would most likely have to go back down to the party to send off the guests. Sitting back down on the couch, Leon stared at his lap for a moment before meeting the man's gaze. It may have been the lighting, but his eyes looked deeper and darker than they did down in the ballroom. Almost like a deep forest green. "I'm sorry about all this...honestly. I know my father won't ever apologize, so I'll do it for him". Of course, Leon had no more control over the situation than they did, but apologizing felt like the right thing to do and since Rose wasn't here at the moment, it was up to him.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Mateo had expected Rose to accept his hug, and stay in his arms for hours just as she had last time. But she didn't. She didn't even return the hug. After lingering for a moment she pulled away. He would be lying if he said he wasn't hurt by that. She didn't have a reason as to why she had't told him, yet Mateo could understand, somehow. Putting himself in her shoes, he probably wouldn't have had the courage to tell her either. Why? That was both the most simple and complicated question. Mateo had briefly thought about a few times before, but was always quick to discard the thought. Their relationship was fine as it was. It wasn't Mateo's right to ruin it.

But now, in the light of all things, he couldn't help but think about it again, and again. Now it felt as if it were the only logical explanation to everything. Why he felt so hurt, why he felt so heartbroken, why he felt angry because random stranger had suddenly stepped in to steal Rosalie from him. He knew nothing about her. He didn't know her likes, her dislikes, her fears, how her eyes shine when she's excited or how she tends to mess with his lip when she's nervous. Someone that doesn't know those things can't possibly make her happy. Mateo knows her, every part of her, almost better than she knows herself. She should be the one marrying her, not that stranger.

"This- no, I can't, oh god." her words echoed in Matti's head as if they were his own. For a moment he wondered if he had been the one to say them. His eyes a dark blue in the night's light and as large as dinner plates, stared down at her in both shock and confusion. "Rosie..." suddenly, as if everything had clicked into place all at once, he dropped down to his knees in front of her. His large eyes scanned her for a moment before his hand touched her cheek, gently lifting her head so they were face to face. "I don't care...I don't care that you didn't tell me, and I don't care what it is I have to do just...please don't marry him...".

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Leon knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Were it up to him, Rosalie would get to marry whoever she wanted whenever she wanted, Stellan as well. For all he knew, Stellan had someone at home he would much rather be with, yet he was being forced to be here between strangers. The prince sighed, slowly getting to his feet. It really was all bullshit, because here they were apologizing to one another when in reality the ones that should have been apologizing didn't see how wrong all of this was. "You haven't done anything wrong either" he finally said, running his hands along the spines of the books, his eyes searching for the one he had been working on finishing. As much as Leon would like to blame him, the prince had no fault in all this. He was only a pawn in the kings' chess game, just like Rosalie.

"You don't have to apologize either...especially not to me" his words were soft, yet firm. Leon's subtle examination of the books told him that some were out of place. Of course they had maids to put things such as these in order, but when it came to the books, Leon preferred to do the job and the maids knew this well. When it came down to it, he's the only one that really knew where the books went. He had been the one to put them all in place in the first place. Each author had their own section. "We're not upset because you're here..." he added, pulling out one of the books that was out of place and scanning the shelves for it's respective spot. After a bit of searching, he spotted it's place just a few shelves above his head. "so please don't feel like we dislike you or anything like that. We don't, er..I don't. I can't really speak for Rose but..." reaching up over his head, it suddenly dawned on Leon that he was just a few inches short of reaching the shelf. He raised himself on the tip of his feet in an attempt to reach. "I know her well enough- I know she'll like you too. I'm sure of it." he said, his words almost cutting off from his efforts to reach the empty spot on the shelf. After several attempts and getting nowhere, he gave out a sigh of defeat and lowered his arm, slightly glaring at the book in his hand. "I know this is...well, bullshit, but we should look on the bright side" he said, offering the prince a genuine smile. If he couldn't stop the marriage from happening, the least he could do was make the burden a little bit easier on them. "At least you get a pretty awesome brother-in-law in the process"

Maybe that wasn't enough to ease the tension of the situation, but it was the best he could come up with at the time. Leon only hoped Stellan didn't already have someone he was in love with or looking to date, otherwise that would make things twice as hard on him. This was one of the main reasons Leon had decided to stay as far away from love as possible. One day he too would have to marry some princess he has never even met before, and when that day came, he didn't want to have anything, or anyone, to lose. Looking at the book once more, he decided to give it another go. Normally he would go for the small ladder, but it had broken just recently, so his rather small figure was all he had. Stretching up as far as he possibly could, he reached for the empty spot on the shelf once again, but just like before, it was useless. If anything, it seemed to be getting higher each time he tried.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ There was a short pause as Rosalie and Mateo stared at one another, their foreheads touching gently, his hand still on her cheek. Mateo felt the overwhelming need to scoop her up in his arms and run away. Run as far away as he possibly could without looking back, and get her out of this mess. But he couldn't do that to his family, who depended on him to live. And Leon, who would have to deal with the mess left behind. They were trapped here, no matter how badly they wanted to leave. For a moment, Matti said nothing, his thoughts taking him somewhere he shouldn't have gone. It would only take moving his face just a couple of inches forward and...

"Shoot, I- I, uhm-" before he knew it, it was over. The Spaniard stared in complete shock as Rosalie scrambled for words. WHy was she apologizing? Had it been her that did that? Mateo could have sworn it was him. It was exactly was he was thinking of doing. Blinking several times as if it would get rid of the confusion, he took another step forward, carefully stepping over the look to close the gap Rosalie had put between them. Could it be that maybe...just maybe... she felt the same way about him. They had been so close all this time...why hadn't either of them realized this sooner. To think of all the time they wasted.

As if guided by pure inertia, Mateo's arms slowly wrapped around the princess' waist, being carefully not to scare her. His body seemed to move on his own as he slowly closed what little space there was between them. Before he knew it, their lips were touching again, but this time it was his doing. This he was certain of. He held her close, as if he were afraid that something were going to suddenly come and pull her out of his arms, and he kissed her. Something he had never thought of doing before, or rather, something he had never allowed himself to think before. Unlike Rose, Mateo didn't pull away instantly. Infact, he lingered as long as he possibly could, only pulling away after several long seconds. His eyes scanned her face for several seconds, looking for signs of approval. This was crazy. Insane really. "Rosalie I..." insane, even. This was the worst possible moment he could have chosen to say this, but that didn't stop him at all. "I think I love you.."

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Leon's hand slid down the shelves as Stellan easily put the book into it's place. What he wouldn't give to be able to do that. To be taller, bulkier, handsome rather than pretty. More of a man rather than a child. Leon tried not to think about such things too much, as they usually brought his normally cheery persona down several notches, but sometimes he couldn't help it. "Figures" he said with a slight smile as he turned to look at the feline lounging lazily on the couch. "Always gotta outshine me, don't you?".

Continuing his search for any books that were out of place, Leon was relieved that none of them had to be put into a spot that was out of his reach. Everything seemed to be in it's place, but Leon continued to search. If he wasn't reading, he had to be doing something. A book in his hands was the only thing that ever managed to keep him still. "Great Gatsby" he answered almost by reflex. It had been one of his favorite books ever since he could remember. "I've read it more times than I can count". Leon wasn't sure why he loved the book so much. He couldn't relate to Gatsby seeing as he'd never been so in love, let alone with someone that did not belong to him. Still, Leon loved the story and had come to love the characters greatly. "I'm actually the only one that spends time in here, usually" he added, settling on the arm chair across from where the prince was sitting, no book in hand. If he started to read now, Stellan would be left talking to himself. He watched with an almost surprised look as Snickers slowly made his way over to the stranger, almost immediately deciding to curl up beside him. It was unusual to see him warm up to someone so quickly. That was usually Leon's territory.

"for the record, It's really hard to piss me" he said, brushing the hair out of his face that had been placed there by a sudden gust of wind. "I promise that's something you won't have to worry about". In the course of his twenty years of life, Leon had only gotten angry twice. Once right after his mother had passed away and his father prohibited Mateo from coming to visit them. Leon had really taken that to heart, and yelled his little lungs out. Mateo was his and Rosalie's closest friend, and they hadn't even been allowed to see him when they needed him the most. The second time had been just a month ago, when he was told by Rosalie that she was to get married to a stranger. But just like that time before, that too had subdued. Especially after actually having met the prince. "As long as you treat my sister well, I promise you we won't ever have a problem" he said with certainty.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Mateo watched, dumbfounded, as Rosalie slowly put the pieces together. He was glad that she had been able to figure it out and he didn't have to explain what he meant. Because id he did, he might have just broke down right then and there, confessing everything he's ever felt towards her. This was not the time to do that, but man did he want to. He listened to the words leaving her mouth, almost in slow motion, and felt his heart plunge. Wha should have been a happy, beautiful moment of confession was transformed into the most painful moment he'd ever been through. He loved her...she loved him... now what....

Rosalie asked him what they were going to do, but Mateo didn't have an answer. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't think of one, because he was just as much at a loss as he was. Before he could give it any more thought, the sound of Rose hitting the ground yanked him back to reality. Eyes wide, he quickly moved beside her, helping her to sit and and make sure nothing was hurt or broken. She seemed okay...physically that is. "I'm sorry...." he muttered, taking both her hands in his. "I wish I had an answer...". In a way, he was lying....he did have an answer. It just wasn't the right one. Let's run away together! He wanted to say that more than anything, but that would solve nothing. If anything, it would only bring more trouble. Feeling a tear threatening his eyes, he swallowed them back. He had to be strong for the both of them.

"When..." he felt the words catch in his throught, almost not wanting to finish the question. "...when is the ceremony supposed to be?". Mateo tried not to get his hopes up too high, but maybe, just maybe, there was enough time for him to come up with a solution. He hadn't a clue how to go about this, but one thing was certain. He was not going to let her go...not without a fight.

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L E O N. S O N G
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄Leon's wide, innocent orbs followed Stellan's movements as he spoke. He seemed to be convinced that Leon would come to dislike him sooner or later, but Leon didn't see his reasoning behind it. He'd only known the man for a night and he already felt they had many things in common, that they could be great friends even. Then again, there's a lot more to a book than it's cover and title page. Regardless, there hasn't yet been a person that has landed themselves on Leon's bad side, assuming there even is one. "Ah come on, you don't seem that bad to be" the younger boy beamed, adding in a genuine smile. Much like his sister, Stellan seemed to be having a bad night. Though it wasn't his job in any way, shape or form, Leon felt it necessary to attempt and cheer him up even if just a small percent. "Besides, I'm like a boomerang. If you push me away I'll just come right back!" he joked, his gaze following Snickers as the feline made himself comfortable around the guest.

He also listened carefully to the story about Daisy the fish and couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Daisy Buchanan walking around with a giant fish head. Leon bit down on his lower lip to control his urge to giggle and allow Stellan to continue speaking. "You and Rose are close then, huh? You're lucky. Not a lot of royal or socialite siblings are. It's all rivalries and bullshit." The younger boy tilted his head in perplexity. Yes he'd heard about rivalries happening between royal siblings before, but he never thought it to be that common, especially since he and Rose were like two peas in a golden pod ever since he was born. Most even mistook them as twins when they were toddlers. "I don't see the point in that..." he panders, subconsciously running a hand through his hair. "Rose is like my best friend. What's mine is hers and what's hers is mine." he says before quickly lifting his gaze and adding. "Ah, I mean- except you of course." and only a second later realizing how awful that sounded. He quickly waves his hands dismissively in an attempt to excuse his impulsive thoughts. "N-not that you'd belong to her or anything. It's just- well I meant- uh- never mind" deciding to stop talking before he digs himself into an even deeper hole, the small prince's eyes switch to the view outside the window while he racks his brain for something to say that could change the subject.

He can feel his cheeks threatening to catch on fire, though he should be used to it by now. It's not the first time he embarrasses himself in front of a stranger, and it most certainly will not be the last. "You and your brother aren't close?" he finally asks, only switching his gaze back on Stellan after the heat in his cheeks has subdued. Maybe he shouldn't have asked such a personal question, but Stellan seems like the kind of person that just won't answer if he doesn't feel like it, and Leon was deprecate for something to divert the man's attention from his stupidity.

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M A T E O. V A R G A S
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄Mateo could vividly feel everything Rosalie was feeling, mostly because they were the things he was feeling himself. Scared, confused, overwhelmed. The list could go on for days. But even if he felt like he was suffocating, he refused to let it show. Rosalie was already scared enough, there was no need for him to make it worse. At her her plea to tell Leon, Mateo only nodded. In a situation like this, Rose's younger brother was probably the only one they'd have on their side. Even though the young prince would have his hands tied just as much as Mateo and Rosalie would, it would probably make Rosalie feel a little better if her brother knew. Honestly, it would make Mateo feel better himself, just knowing that they're not alone in this even if it feels like it's literally them against the world.

Mateo's large hands kept their firm grip on Rosalie's, some part of him afraid of letting them go. They'd come this far, but now what? She was to be married in a month, or less, and Mateo didn't have the power, the movie or the strategic mind necessary to stop it from happening. And there's no doubt in his mind that the king would continue to do everything in his power to keep him away from the Song Siblings, which will only make this one hundred times harder. "Matti I don't want to lose you, I don't want this to ruin our friendship, I need you!" a little startled, Mateo looked down at the girl. The look on her face matched the desperation in her voice and it shattered his heart into a million pieces. "What-? No, Rosy I'm not...I'm not going anywhere!" he answered almost immediately.

He lifted his arms and gently cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look only at him to make sure she understood. "I don't care if he's the king...your father can't keep me away from you, understand?" he waited for her to give some sort of agreement before letting her cheeks go. A weary sigh escaped him as he fraught the urge to pace. They had to be rational about this. Making precipitated decisions and plans never turned out well. "Okay..." he said, turning to her once again. "Let's just...take some time to think this through.". He knew better than anyone that right now was not the time to try and come up with solutions. Not while their minds and hearts were all one collective blur. "We'll think of something...we will!" he said, forcing the tiniest of smiles. "You can talk to Leon tonight...or tomorrow. Whenever you're ready." he took a step forward and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, just like he'd done many times before, except now it had a whole new meaning. "We will figure this out..." he added, not sure he was trying to convince her or himself.