× diaries of a prince.

@miyeon [ LONG TIME COMING BUT ILY ]

his gaze that was transfixed on the screen of his ipad turned into a frown, thick brows furrowed in worry amongst other emotions. caspian did not sport nothing more than a serene polite grin on the daily basis, an ever ready hello albeit awkward on his lips but at that very moment, sitting under the yellowing ginko tree, he looked a different man. perhaps it was the stern regality he looked at the news with or maybe it was the way his shoulder rolled back in an attempt to ease the tension in his muscles.

"Genovia's coronation has been confirmed just today evening by the Queen Dowager herself and further good news await the country of golden pears!" the anchorwoman exclaimed in a tone to shrill to be pleasant or genuine to his ears. pearly whites sank into his lower tier, gnawing on the plump flesh in anxiety as he watched the video and prayed with all his might that what he thought didn't actually happen. "Insiders have peeped us a bit more of juicy royal details: the crown prince, the ever-handsome prince Caspian Alexander will pick a wife at the Christmas ball and together, they shall be the king and queen of Genovia! What a new beginning await our country!"

Caspian's heart sank into the bottom of his stomach, dread filling him right then and there— the crown, he'd always been prepared for even if he was certain there was no correct way to lead a country other than gut instinct and a sense of justice but to be wedded? surely, his grandmother was jesting!

love had always been a fickle thing, the kind that seemed a bit far-fetched for someone like him; he was surrounded by his kind, especially the pompous and overly pressy ones who wanted his title and richness more than anything else. it was fleeting, as if a child who proclaimed his love for the color yellow one day only to realize he truly prefers the color green come the morrow's dawn. caspian didn't want someone who changed with the wind; he wanted an equal, someone who could look him in the eye to both proclaim their love and also chide him for what he's done. perhaps it was arrogant for him to want something or someone as elusive but he could only dream of it.

and perhaps, his grandmother had taken it upon herself to make that dream come true. caspian trusted the old woman, far more anyone in the parliament anyways, and was sure she would maybe give him options of fine ladies to consider. but the screams of rejection and disagreement screamed at the back of his mind, faint but very aware of his inner turmoil. he'd defied the rules and laws this once and while it was arguable that he lived still like the royal he was, it was still an attempt at normalcy. something he could never—

his eyes snapped up to the visage of the girl who'd made crouched just enough so she was eye level to him, her grin pleasant and an attempt to be friendly. the flick of his wirst was sharp as he closed his ipad so she couldn't see the screen and the panic that rushed through him, placing it down on the table top as he nodded to the seat in front of him. he remembered her; they shared English Literature class together and although there had been little to no opportunity of acquaintance, she'd left an impression on him int he way she spoke with grace and an impressive knowledge of books. not that he was shy but generally, it was a strange thing when he was approached for more than a simple borrow of a pen or passing hello. it flustered him greatly to have her stand there, so he nodded, gesturing politely to the seat in front of him.

"Of course miss," he murmured, offering her a gentle smile, the kind that showed off the little dimples at the corners of his mouth, prodding his cheeks boyishly. a cackle of giggle rose and his eyes flit to the group of girls, a brow arched in their direction as he watched them whisper in excited hushed tones amongst themselves. it was such an elven thing to do, a group of girls no older than he was merrying around with themselves. caspian chuckled, bringing his attention back to the girl in front of him. What is going on?

"H-how are you doing today, miss?"

[post deleted by owner]

@jaehyun ₂ {} I'M CRYING I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED SFBSDHRSBFS PLS DON'T MIRROR OR FEEL INTIMIDATED SFFSDJFS

The earthy petrichor that filled the streets, from fallen gingko leaves and drizzled precipitation, was a unique quality that Areia had attributed to the arrival of autumn. Every early morning, people slipped into something just a little bit warmer as the seasons shifted and the sweltering temperatures that once set the thermometers ablaze whittled down to temperate and soothing breezes throughout the day.

Autumn was her favorite seasonㅡmore than she liked to admitㅡonly because it gave her the excuse to thoroughly convince her friends to accompany her over to a café where they would spend the majority of their afternoon lost in everflowing conversations about their classes, romantic endeavors, dream careers, travel, and all of things that seemed to plague people who were in their twenties. They were a jovial group. Occasionally, one of them would crack a witty joke and send all three of them into a fit of laughter which echoed between the buildings that lined the narrow road. Perhaps the caffeine dosage from the cups of lattes and espressos had made them more livelyㅡalbeit raucous, and it earned them some glaring stares. A few, though, were kind enough to gift them smiles, soft chuckles, and a shake of their head as the group's rambunctiousness reminded them of their own youthful years.

It was this laxity that Areia would miss the most when she'd have to go back and face the wrath of her parents, the demise of her wishful dreaming. But she brushed this thought away as her friend, Tatianaㅡan attractive young woman with lush golden tendrils and a pixie faceㅡnudged her in the side and inquired with a raise of her brows, the end of her question lilting in exaggeration, "What about you, Areia? When are you going to let yourself get swept up into the wind of evanescent love?". A nervous laugh left her as her eyes shifted downward into her spiced chai latte that had cooled into a lukewarm concoction, her thumb tracing over the lip of the ash-brown ceramic mug as she contemplated on what her response should be.

"I don't think so. I'm just not interested in a relationship right now.. I have other things to worry about."

And to that, her friends both rolled their eyes at her, having enough of her prudence. "Puhleeze. If you have time to tend to the thousands of books you read, you have time for one or two romantic rendezvous. It doesn't always have to be something serious," Tatiana mused.

"Yeah, you're always crying over the relationship between some...two characters but now, it's your turn to experience that in r e a l life," Willow, her other friend, added.

Areia laughed and shook her head in disbelief at the two people who she called her friends. "So...you want me to be sad."

"NO!" they both exclaimed before Willow clarified in a sing-song voice. "We just want you to fall in love. For your own good. Not that we'd be invested in what happens buuut...we definitely will. Won't we, Tiana?"

Instead of replying to her question, Tatiana's focus was drawn towards the handsome male that sat just a few tables away from theirs. "Waitㅡisn't that Caspian? From your English class?".

"Oh my god, Yes. That's him! I've seen him around campus. He's so hot," Willow uttered with a dazed sigh, and the other chimed in. "Yeah, wow. He is really good looking." Her friends nodded in unison while looking him over. Their attention was no longer on Areia's non-existent love life, and she couldn't complain. She was relieved.

"I would try to get to know him, but no one talks to himㅡAreia! You should!"

Just when she thought she was off the hook.

"Yes! You two would be so cute! Go talk to him right now!"

"Um, no. He looks busy and probably doesn't want to be bothered," she denied her friends' demands with a light sip of her drink, averting her attention from Caspian and to the display of breads and pastries in the café window. The contents from the mug nearly spilt out into her lap when Tatiana suddenly yelled out her name, which garnered a few looks from the people around them.

"You're going to get up off your little , walk your way over to the seat next to him, and at least say 'hello'. Now GO. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"Alright, fine! I'm going, geez.". Areia gave in with a soft huff and set her cup of chai back down into the accompanying dish before rising from her seat and taking a brief stroll over to the table where he sat, preoccupied with what was on his iPad screen. She would say hello, yes. But she had no intentions of pursue him in the way that her friends urged her to. Just a friendly hello, and that would be that. She stopped in front of him when it was enough for social comfort and crouched in the slightest to level with him then gave him a small wave, hoping he'd take notice of her. "Um.. hi. Caspian, right? Do you mind if I sit down with you for a moment?".

@miyeon fall semesters meant two things— classes had begun to pick up pace only for the festivities of the coming months to dwindle it all down. it was hectic but he loved that. it was his one chance at living the normal life of a man before responsibilities took over and he lived it, to the fullest of his capabilities. the parties that served awful beer in red cups that smelled of pee, the student council meetings where he could show off his prowess in international relations, he'd gone through it all and frankly, he would miss it when winter came around and he would go back to Genovia where he was meant to be.

that very Wednesday, he sat in class, idly twirling his pen between nimble fingers as he stared at the professor. nothing went through his ears, having lost focus the moment he'd stepped into the amphitheater where the class was held usually. truth be told, the european union was far too familiar a topic for him to discuss naturally. so he gave himself to the void of his mind, zoning out.

hours later, he briefly contemplated how he'd ended up there yet had no qualms about it— in a bustling café that sat right in front of the little convenient store, the afternoon dwindling down. it was a breezy summer evening, fall right at the world's doorsteps which had begun to be covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon. he loved the fall for it always seemed like the one season of the year that a higher entity seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it. Caspian was no believer but he knew when things were out of ordinary mundane hands and autumn had quite an ethereal mood to it. it seemed to awaken his soul and that life would start again the moment the air got crisp, nipping at the tip of his nose naughtily.

he sat at a table under a ginko tree, the orange and yellow leaves falling one by one in graceful waifs to the ground, crunching under footsteps as people walked him by. he was alone at a table, nursing a cup of iced americano and a brown paper of his favorite beef pastrami sandwich and he had his head bowed to his ipad, airpods stuck in his ears.

Caspian Alexander was a sight to behold with his pristine tan coat and windswept hair but he was a mystery to unravel— no one knew anything about him and while he was a generally nice soul, it seemed like eyes followed him everywhere. eyes he remained oblivious to as he sat there, taking a bite of his sandwich and chewed as he frowned at the screen of his ipad. what could possibly perplex the man?


[ inspirations: ]
- music: https://youtu.be/QPGwC3-OEr4
- caspian: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b1/ca/2f/b1ca2f2f1afdd678d967cde68c5e8a66.jpg
- fit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/62/26/18/622618b4db3061d743ef77051758d3e9.jpg
- setting 1: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/47/2e/36/472e36470d35259030b3e248876ef2f2.jpg
- https://i.pinimg.com/564x/28/15/7f/28157f40ea3baa2d4381ae6ebabb163e.jpg

@tentibot.exe {} thank you!

@miyeon @jaehyun ₂ [] happy roleplaying!