The date of the party’s kickoff approaches so quickly that I feel as though I was waxed to hell just yesterday, even though it was a good few days ago. I went to bed last night feeling really nervous as to what to expect.
Anything can happen at big parties like this.
And to my luck, the day starts off just as unexpected…as I expected.
It’s the break of dawn and I’m being shaken like a god damn maraca in my bed by 4 hands too rough to be considered a gentle wake up call. Still half asleep I throw my fist out hoping to hit one of the assailants straight in the jaw. I sit up with a start and open one sleep encrusted eye to see Sehun laughing boisterously and Chanyeol protecting his face with his arms. I put my fist down and open my other eye so that I can glare at them effectively.
It’s basically fucking 2 am.
All of the lights in my room are on.
I’m not happy about any of this right now, and their light smiles are making me even more aggravated. “What the fuck do you two want?” I ask hoarsely.
“The party starts today.” Chanyeol says with a lift to his voice.I yawn ugly.
“Okay, so what? Why do you two seem so damn excited about it?”
Chanyeol answers first again. “Because I get to spend the entirety of the next 3 days with you.” His cheeky comment makes my stomach turn, and since it’s so early and I’m out of it I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. Who does he think he is to be flirty so early in the shitting morning?
I bite back with “Don’t you both do that anyway?” they’re always with me. Literally. I can’t catch a break.
He shrugs. “No. You aren’t usually afraid of everyone, and now you’re going to actually need me.”
“Who says I’m going to be scared.” I snap.
“You will be.” Sehun finally chimes in. I smack my lips in agitation and wave my hand in a dismissing motion.
“Whatever. Go away. I want to sleep until the very last minute. Goodnight.” I pull the covers back over my and settle in, until Sehun takes it upon himself to start shaking me again.
“You have to get up. They’re going to come into your room at any minute now.”
I don’t move when I respond. “What are you talking about?” I mumble. Sharping knocking at my door forces me up with another jolt. Chanyeol smiles fully again.
“Time to get ready for the party, princess.”
My room is invaded by a small army of Gaia and as soon as they break through the door, my Charmers retreat to the side of my bed giving them enough room to pull me up. Already knowing where this is headed, I don’t fight back at all.
I’m pulled to the bathroom and stripped of my clothing. My huge swimming pool sized tub is filled to the brim. I’m guided into the basin, and I lower myself into the lukewarm water slowly. It’s extremely fragrant.
“This water has been infused with oils and products that will lower your exhaustion levels for the day, and also prevent sweating.” One of the women tells me when she sees me holding a handful of it to my nose.
A wave of water flows over my head, and I gasp loudly. The women begin to physically scrub and bathe me. I’m still too tired to do or say anything besides just letting them do what they came here for. I catch Chanyeol and Sehun near the vanity with small smirks on their faces.
Little shits.
They’re enjoying their selves.
A hand is held out in front of me and I take it gladly and pull myself up out of the water.
“You!” Another woman motions to Sehun and tilts her head in my direction. He holds both of his hands out and a huge gust of wind blows all the water off of me in one go. I stumble back at the force and close my eyes while he air dries my body. A towel is wrapped around me while my eyes are still closed.
I open them as I’m pushed to the vanity chair and sat down. I sigh and close my eyes again so that they can do what they want. I don’t want to see it. They push and pull at my face and head as they style my newly regenerated hair and make up my emotionless face.
“Which dress is she wearing?”
“Do her makeup to match the teal one. It’s classy and fits the first day atmosphere.”
“The Queen will wear grey today, and that will go beautifully with hers.”
“Open your eyes sweetheart, I need to do your eye makeup.”
“Up or down?”
“Down. The Queen’s will be up. Curl the ends lightly and make sure to put on the tiara that Your Majesty gave us for her.”
I open my eyes so that the woman can do my eye makeup and I watch in the reflection of the mirror as a small silver tiara is clipped to the crown of my head. I pucker my now bright pink lips.
I don’t look awful.
Shocking.
Next I’m moved to my large closet where my dress and a pair of heels are lying out on one of the chaises. I drop my towel before they can grab it, and let the feeling of fabric wrap around me magically. Lacy black underwear and a black corset that is tight enough to crack a rib. It tightens around me and then loosens slightly. My tits are pushed up and look impossibly perky, and if I tilt my head down I can touch them with my chin, easily.
They all help me into the teal dress and I realize that the lack of sleeves might be an issue, but they tighten it and my fear of it falling vanishes.
Getting out of this is going to be a bitch.
I turn slightly, and the full skirt swishes around me. Both of my hands are held as they help me into the nude colored pumps. I grow 5 inches. I stare at my reflection in one of the full body mirrors and nod in appreciation.
I actually look like a princess or something. Who would have ever thought I would end up like this? I hold one of my hands out to look at my short and light pink nails.
From rags to riches as fuck.
The Queen’s favorite Charmer enters the crowded closet and bows before all of the women without looking up from the ground. “Your Majesty requests your presence at the first floor when you are done.” I open my mouth to respond, but one of the Gaia wave him off dismissively. I close my mouth and sigh through my nose in agitation. There was no reason to be so rude.
Once he is gone, they all flit around me doing last minute things. Fixing out the skirt of the dress. Brushing at stray hairs. Clipping on earrings and putting necklaces and bracelets on me. I start to fidget and swat them away from me.
“I’m finished and would like a few moments to myself!” I shout. They all stop. “Leave.” I say as commanding as I can. They look shocked at the sudden authority in my voice and most of them appear to be in disbelief. I clear my throat nervously. “Thank you.” I mutter. They begin to file out after bowing their heads. I see annoyance on some faces and pride on others.
Once all of the women are gone, I collapse on the couch and press a finger to my temple. “Sehun! Chanyeol!” I call out. The two peek into the closet and walk in slowly. “Close the door please.”
The three of us are alone in the closet and I remember the smug smiles on their faces while I was woman-handled. I look up at them with a deathly glare. “You both are so dead later on.” I growl out.
Chanyeol lets out an annoying laugh and leans on his knees for support and Sehun start to do a mix between screaming and laughing and I click my tongue at them. Shitheads.
I sigh and stand up, not even that angry anymore after listening to them laugh so freely. “What’s so funny, huh?” I ask seriously.
“You just look so cute, but you’re so mad. It’s funny.” Chanyeol says.
I frown and shift my weight nervously. “Cute? I’m not cute.” I mumble. Chanyeol walks over and squeezes my made up cheeks.
“You’re right, you’re not cute. You’re adorable.”
I shake his hands off. “Who told you that you could touch me, huh? Keep your hands to yourself, Red Fern.” Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows confused and I look at Sehun -who is just watching our interaction- silently asking him ‘is he serious?’. I roll my eyes at Chanyeol. “It’s a tree, you big red haired idiot.”
He makes cooing noises and I swat at him weakly. “Sehun, help me.” I whine desperately. He blinks and turns away but grabs Chanyeol’s wrist in his.
“Come on, we have to take you to the Queen.” He mutters shyly. I grin and wiggle my toes in my shoes before following behind them. Sehun is such a fluff. He keeps trying to look like an asshole but he’s actually so caring and silly it’s adorable.
Sehun my secret little fluff.
They fall behind me as we descend down the staircases, and I feel regal in this ball gown with the two men behind me. Both of them are wearing simple dress pants and shirts, but they look great. It even looks like they’re wearing more makeup than usual.
Cute.
We descend the last set of stairs, and like my first day here, the front doors are wide open and the bright natural light filters in and bounces off the pretty reflective floor. Solar stands in front of the door in a thick light grey dress with her large jeweled crown atop her head talking to another woman.
My shoes click as I make my way over to the pair. The other Gaia turns and sees me first, and I immediately recognize her face. The blonde hair and cold blue eyes of the woman who oversaw the choosing. Solar’s happy gasp shakes me out of my thoughts. I look away from the other woman’s blank face and speed up my steps towards Solar. She motions towards me joyously.
“You look gorgeous baby.” She says. “I can’t believe you look so stunning.”
I feel the heat in my face at the compliment. “Thanks Solar.” I say softly. The other woman ‘tsks’ loudly.
“You let her address you out of turn?” she asks Solar. Solar hits her arm softly.
“Lighten up Amanda.” Solar turns to me with her bright smile. “June, this is Amanda. She’s over all the Kingdom’s military and protective measures.” I bow to the woman I’ve already met. Her occupation fits. She’s a cold blooded killer. That much is obvious. I make a mental note to not be caught alone in a room with the dangerous woman.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Madam.” I say politely. She ‘tsks’ again and faces Solar, totally brushing me off. I feel embarrassed at the cold shoulder I received.
“I’ll be in the grand ballroom awaiting the first of your guests.” She says monotonously. I watch her walk away with narrowed eyes. What’s up her ass?
“Why did you need me so early in the day?” I ask Solar once I have glared a big enough hole in Amanda’s back.
“Ah, yes.” She claps her hands and I see some of the Charmers and Gaia milling around look our way. “We are going to be greeting people for a good few hours. I needed you here before the guests so that we can greet all of the women who show up, personally.” I look outside to see that a long carpet has been rolled out for the guests. “We will give them event lists, and then they will be shown around the areas of the castle that are open for party goers. After that, they will be escorted back to their rental residencies off the castle property.”
I nod attentively. Makes sense. All seems easy enough. Greet people. I can do that. “Can Chanyeol and Sehun stay with me?” I ask her. She glances at them before giving me a look.
“You’ve grown quite attached to you Charmers haven’t you?” she asks.
“I have. They’re the only friends I have here outside of you.” I admit. She turns back to them and pats both of their shoulders. I see them both flinch at the sudden contact, but she pays it no mind. “You’ve both done wonderful jobs of keeping my baby happy, and for that your services will be rewarded.” I smile at the praise given to the boys, and they each turn a bit pink. I’m glad that she can see how much they mean to me.

---

“She’s so cute where did you get her?”
“She’s so precious.”
“It’s so hard to find such a model human, you really lucked out your Highness.”
I smile and bow to the women who come in to meet the Queen. Their comments about my behavior are both appreciated and hated. They keep discussing me like a prized puppy, and I’m surprisingly not that mad. I’ve come to terms with the fact that some Gaia see me as just that.
A pet.
And I’m the Queen’s pet. I have to behave politely even if their view of me makes me want to start throwing punches.
While some women gushed over me in front of the Queen, others would only give me a sideways glance and say nothing to acknowledge me as they talked to Solar. I didn’t like those women. Regardless, Solar would find some way to bring me in to the conversation and brag about me as if I was her very own child. I would nod and smile shyly at the raining compliments coming from her mouth.
She’s so proud of me.
And I don’t have the slightest clue why. I haven’t done anything besides…exist.
But maybe that’s all she needs me to do.
The guests that rolled in felt endless and I would greet them with a smile as my Charmers stood silently behind me. Groups of Gaia were bustling around. Touring the castle and being ushered around, and Charmers attended to any miscellaneous needs and requests.
By 8 o’clock I was starving. I knew that Solar and Sehun and Chanyeol had to be too. They were here just as long as I was. My stomach growls loudly and I press the palms of my hand to my tummy to soothe it.
Solar turns to face me surprised at the monstrous sound that came from my body. She squeezes one of my cheeks. “I’ll send some food to your room. Go ahead and rest for the night. The real party doesn’t begin until tomorrow.” She pats my bottom and I hug her quickly before grabbing the wrists of Chanyeol and Sehun and dragging them right up to my room. Making sure my door is closed behind me, I sit at the table near the door still fully dressed and slouch ungracefully.
“I never knew talking could be so energy consuming.” I look at Chanyeol and shake my head in disbelief. “How do you keep your big mouth running all day without passing out?”
“Yah, I haven’t said a single thing at all today. Why are you attacking me like this?” Chanyeol calls out angrily. I grin at the reaction and relax into the couch. Sehun settles beside me and Chanyeol takes the seat across with a frown and crossed arms.
A soft knock the door alerts us all, and I shout for them to come in.
Big eyes peek in, and then the rest of Minseok appears. He holds a tray full of food, and I feel my saliva increasing at the sight and smell. “Minseok!” I call out to the chef and he grins and bows his head before making his way over to our table. The last few days, I’ve been trying to get to know the cook better. The day that he yelled at me, I thought that I’d fucked up, but I learned girls just aren’t allowed in the kitchen.
Liability reasons.
If I get hurt, one of his employees could suffer severe punishment.
So, I’ve stayed in front of the counter and spent a good amount of time trying to talk to him when I can catch him alone in the kitchen. I think we’ve gotten closer, but I don’t think he considers me a friend yet. Maybe an acquaintance. We’re friendly enough now to chat without the formalities though, and that’s enough for me.
For now.
“You look exhausted.” He observes.
“I am.” I complain. “And starving. All I’ve done since like 8 this morning is say ‘Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you I’m June’ and bow fucking 4 billion times. I’m legit ready to die.” He chuckles and settles the food on the table. I grab a stuffed bun and bite into it unsophisticatedly. “How’s it in the kitchen?” I ask around the food in my mouth.
He sighs. “Busy, but luckily staff has been upped for the festivities. It’s just managing everyone that’s stressful.”
“Have you been mistaken as a new kid yet, you know since you’re so small?” Chanyeol chimes in. Minseok smack the shit out of the back of his head and Chanyeol groans in pain. I laugh loudly in turn.
“I’ll will call Kyungsoo up here. You know he’s been interested in knifes lately. I’d gladly let him test them out on you.” The threat shuts Chanyeol up. Minseok’s unpleased expression vanishes once he faces Sehun and I, he shakes his head and turns to leave the room. “Eat well. I’ll send someone up to get your dishes.” He says.
“Okay, thanks Minnie.” I say happily. His steps hitch and I mentally smack myself again. Why the fuck do I keep letting these nicknames slip? He continues walking but throws a wave over his shoulder as he exits.
The 3 of us dig in to the food hungrily, and I almost have to physically fight them for the last dumpling in the bowl. Full and ready to go to bed, I stand up and kick off my shoes. Dropping back down to my natural height is weird, but my feet welcome the relief. I trudge to the closet and shut the door slightly before attempting to get out of the dress.
I reach around to my back and try to untie the laces, but it seems as though it’s gotten into a knot and my pulls are just making it tighter. “Great…” I mutter. I huff and look at the ceiling in despair. I don’t want to call them, but I need them. “Guys!”
They rush in and I hold my arms out to the side to show that I’m stuck.
“Need help?” Sehun asks. I nod pathetically and let them walk over to try and figure out how to rescue me.
“There should be a string in the back that loosens it.” I advise. Chanyeol goes to my back and Sehun looks over my shoulder.
“You really fucked this string up.”
“Wow thanks captain obvious. Just help me out.”
20 minutes pass with no progress. None of us can figure out how to get it off without ripping the fabric. Chanyeol places his hands on his hips and huffs in front of me. “I should just burn it off.” he grumbles. My eyes widen and his do in response. “I’m kidding! Kidding. I won’t burn anything. I promise.” He says with a reassuring grin. I let out a relieved breath and glance at Sehun who is staring intently at my chest. I cover myself with my hands.
“What are you doing!?” I ask in horror. He says nothing but pushes my hands out of the way and grabs at a string that is settled right above my breasts. Then he pulls.
The dress comes undone and pools at my feet.
All of our mouths fall open in astonishment.
“How did you-” I start.
“I didn’t…” Sehun says just as surprised at what he did.
“I thought he was molesting you.” I smack Chanyeol’s shoulder hard and he moans dramatically in pain. “I’m going to have nerve damage from how much you hit me.” He complains.
“Shut up and untie this thing for me.” I point to the bodice and he quickly goes behind me to unlace it. It falls to my feet, my posture immediately worsens, and my tummy juts out. Chanyeol pokes it teasingly. I glare at him. I’m so ready to fight him to be honest. He can seriously catch these fucking hands.
It’s all out of love though. I want to fight him because I enjoy having his annoying ass around. His teasing reminds me of home.
I let out a huge breath now that I’m able to breathe fully again. Sehun hands me a shirt, and I throw it over my naked torso. I almost forgot my tits are just hanging out. It didn’t even faze me since they’d seen me naked so much these last few days. I stretch out my arms and the 3 of us make our way back to the main part of my room.
I sit on the edge of my bed and raise an eyebrow. “So, should I be expecting you both here in the morning at the same ungodly hour?” they share a look and Chanyeol tilts his head in my direction. Sehun frowns at the taller and then looks at me.
“Actually, that’s something that we wanted to talk to you about.” He glances at Chanyeol, and the taller nudges him to keep going. “We think that one of us should stay here with you at night until the party is over.” I give them a look.
“Why?” I ask. This time Sehun nudges Chanyeol, and the two start to hit each other back and forth until Chanyeol steps forward.
“There are a lot of new people here for the next few days, and we’re both just worried that someone is going to try something funny when we aren’t around.”
I purse my lips. “And by funny…you mean people trying to kill me in my sleep. Am I correct?” I ask bluntly.
“Yes.” Sehun responds.
The fact that I will be here with people who don’t like me is unsettling, and is quite frankly scary as hell. I had actually kind of wanted to ask one of them before they even brought it up, but I hadn’t wanted to weird either of them out. Having them ask me, is so, so much better. I’m glad I wasn’t the one to do it. I shrug my shoulder to try and appear nonchalant. “Sure, why not.”
They seem taken aback by the fact that I agreed. Why ask if they didn’t expect me to accept? “So who’s staying tonight?” they look at each other at a loss for words. “Did you dumbasses not think this far ahead?”
Sehun chuckles shortly before scratching the back of his neck. “Not…really. We thought we’d have to argue about it with you…and have you just…choose.” I look at them blankly. They really need to think harder when they come up with their plans.
“Sehun.” I say. “You stay tonight.” Said boy smiles, and Chanyeol pouts.
“Why not me?”
“You get to spend the entirety of the next 2 days with me remember?” I smile innocently. “If I’m not tired of you tomorrow you can stay then.” He sticks out his tongue and I stand up off the bed to push him to the door. “Night Yeol. I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well.”
“Wait but-”
“I said goodnight!!” I say louder in order to drown him out. I shove him out and close the door behind him. Loud boy.
“Sehun, go ahead and find whatever you want to wear.” I point towards the closet and he nods before plodding away. I jog to the bathroom to wash off all of my makeup before returning to my bed and flopping in the covers happily. I wrap myself up and sigh in content. I’m so ready to fall asleep.
My bed partner for the night comes out in a white t-shirt and loose boxers and while he looks comfortable, I’m slightly…stunned at how he’s dressed. I had assumed he would have covered up a bit more, but I did tell him to wear whatever…
I look away and listen to him crawling into the spot furthest away from me. Once he’s under the blankets, I clap my hands and the lights turn off. We lie in awkward silence.
I pucker my lips in the dark. “Goodnight Sehun.” I whisper. He hums in response. Already sounding half asleep. I sigh and close my eyes.
I should rest up; it’s going to be a busy day tomorrow.

Notes