Is it wrong to treat your citizens like family?

Chapter 20

〔Ballroom - P.O.V. Change: *Regular*〕

Shoji let out a small groan as he entered the ballroom, cleaning his face with water magic to look more presentable before he heard the voice of someone who he didn't want to see. 

Lilith: "H-hold on!" she said, rushing up behind Shoji and holding her dress so she wouldn't fall. 

Shoji then let out another low groan before he continued into the crowd of people that had formed at the entrance of the ballroom. Everyone waited with baited breath, cleaning themselves up and even muttering vocal warmups to themselves to not embarrass themselves. 

Soon, the sound of metal armor clanking had silenced the murmurs as the sound got closer to the doors. A moment then passed before the door opened, a knight clad in gold armor looking around the room for a moment before he stepped out of the way to reveal the.. prince. 

Shoji: 'Huh?' he thought, 'Is the king still in the carriage or something?' he questioned.

Prince Kenning: " Um.. sorry, my father decided not to come." he said, "He had business to do else where, and I didn't want to be rude so I just came on my own." 

The nobles then looked surprised for a moment, that surprise then turning to disappointment as they realized the king wasn't coming, and then that disappointment then turning to a smile as they looked back to the prince. 

Noble man #1: "Why sir, it's quite alright." he said, "At least we have the prince himself for this party." he said, nudging another noble. 

Noble man#2: "Yes, yes," he quickly said, "Why don't you come join us in part taking the festivities, I promise the food is delicious!"

And just like that, all of the nobles flocked to Kenning. Showering him with praise and complementing him on the smallest things. It was like a flock of birds to a bread loaf. 

Shoji then let out a small sigh before he walked off, slightly aggravated that the king hadn't come, but over all relieved. He didn't know how he would've held himself in front of him, he didn't have the best control of himself at the moment.

Lilith: "Not going to greet the prince?" she asked, walking beside him.

Shoji: "Greeting the prince wouldn't give me anything." he said. 

Lilith: "But weren't you willing to greet the king?" she asked. 

Shoji: "The king is a different thing all together." he said, "The prince doesn't care about his subjects praising the very ground he walks on, so I don't think it matters if I see him or not." he said before he turned to her, "Now, leave me alone." 

Lilith: "But why." she whined, "Your exactly like the misjudged prince from my novels! Dark and mysterious with a sad past." 

Shoji then let out a sigh as he face palmed and then turned to face Lilith.

Shoji: "This isn't a fantasy, this is real.. very real." he said muttering the last bit, " I'm not some sort of way ward prince who needs someone to pull him out of some rut. I've killed, slaughtered and, manipulated everyone around me.. I am not someone who needs saving."

Lilith's eyes remained on Shoji as he spoke, though she did drown out a few of the words he said, she got the gist of it. It was even more like the novels then she had imagined! Specifically the one where the male lead was surrounded by death and needed someone to pull him out of the spiraling despair around him! She just needed to push a little more, and she'll be a heroine!

Lilith then cleared her throat before she continued. 

Lilith: "So what if this is real life, everyone deserves a chance at becoming better." she said, taking a line from a novel.