You and Jean share a burning disdain for each other. Insults, passive-aggressive comments, petty arguments. It wasn’t always like that. As kids, you were the best of friends. You’d run around and play whenever your kingdoms got together, playing pranks on the servants or sneaking out behind the backs of the guards.

Until one day, it just.. stopped. You slowly stopped asking your parents when you were going to see him again. The maids gossiped about his family behind closed doors, whispering words as if they were taboo.

As you grew older, your parents continued to feed you lies about his background, leading you to forget about your friendship with him altogether and foster a forced hatred in its place.

The first time you saw him again was when you were 15 years old, gathered in the ballroom for some event you didn’t care to know the details of. Although your parents had an ongoing rivalry with his kingdom, they were still invited regardless; all kingdoms in the surrounding vicinities were.

Turns out, your contempt for him was one-sided. He had spilled juice on your dress, seemingly innocent in his offer to help once you rushed to the bathroom- but to no avail. The dress was ruined. That night the two of you ended up in a heated argument turned make out session, having to be pulled away from each other by your respective parties. You never saw him again after that.

Today is your 20th birthday, yet your maids were nowhere to be seen as you dressed yourself. “Stupid puffy dress,” you muttered, hiking the corset up your chest and reaching to tighten the strings. That didn’t work, obviously. Sighing, you continued to struggle for a few more minutes before a voice sounded behind you.

“Need help with that?”

Your head whipped around quick enough to give you whiplash, an immediate sneer following the expression on your face not too long after. Jean. He leaned against the doorway with a smug smirk, reveling in your discomfort. What an entrance after five years.