A (Not So) Peaceful Morning in the Palace
Kun had survived the ceremony. Barely.
Now, he wanted nothing more than to sleep for an entire year and pretend last night never happened.
Unfortunately, fate—and Alice—had other plans.
The first sign of trouble was the loud, rapid knocking on his door.
Bang bang bang!
"Kun! Wake up!" Alice's voice rang through the hallway. "You're missing breakfast!"
Kun groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "Go away."
"You have ten seconds before I kick this door down."
"You wouldn't dare."
A pause.
Then—
CRASH!
The door slammed open, revealing Alice with a smug grin. "Good morning, sunshine."
Kun stared at the now slightly broken door. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You're slow. I got bored." Alice shrugged. "Now get up. We have things to do."
Kun sighed, rubbing his temples. "Like what?"
"Like eating," Alice said dramatically. "And causing minor chaos."
"I'm going back to sleep."
Alice grinned. "Oh, you poor fool. You think you have a choice."
Before Kun could react, Alice grabbed his blanket and yanked it away.
"Alice—"
"Oops, look at that, your blanket's gone," Alice said, tossing it aside.
Kun glared. "Aren't you still grounded?"
"You bet."
And so, reluctantly, Kun dragged himself out of bed and followed Alice down to the dining hall.
- - -
Breakfast Mayhem
The dining hall was unusually lively. Nobles and knights were gathered, enjoying a grand breakfast spread fit for a feast. Kun had barely taken a seat when Lizzy plopped down beside him, eyeing him critically.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly.
Kun sighed and sarcastically replied. "It's not obvious, huh?"
Alice sat on his other side, already stuffing his face. "Leave him alone. He's just not used to royal treatment yet."
Lizzy smirked. "Or tripping in front of an entire ballroom."
Kun groaned. "You're never letting that go, are you?"
"Absolutely not," Lizzy said, sipping her tea gracefully.
Alice snorted. "You should've seen the nobles' faces. Half of them looked horrified, and the other half looked personally offended."
Kun grabbed a piece of bread and pointed it at him. "You could have helped."
Alice grinned. "And miss the show? Never."
Kun sighed, about to take a bite—
Only for his chair to be yanked from underneath him.
He hit the floor with a thud.
The room went silent.
Alice and Lizzy looked down at him, unimpressed.
"Kun," Lizzy said, sipping her tea again. "Are you cursed?"
Kun groaned from the floor. "I wish I was. Then I'd have an excuse."
The nobles whispered among themselves, but the only thing Kun could focus on was Alice.
Who was laughing so hard he nearly choked on his food.
Kun shot him a glare. "I hate you."
Alice wiped a tear from his eye. "You love me."
Kun was about to argue when he noticed something—
Alice's boot was tied to his chair.
Kun narrowed his eyes.
"Did you...?"
Alice smirked.
Kun lunged at him.
Chaos erupted.
- - -
A Series of Unfortunate (and Ridiculous) Events
After breakfast, the three of them were kindly asked to leave the dining hall before they caused any more destruction.
Which, of course, only made them more determined to cause trouble.
Lizzy had planned to spend the morning attending a tea party with noble ladies. But somehow, Alice and Kun got invited—which was a mistake.
The event was supposed to be a dignified gathering. Delicate conversations. Graceful sips of tea. Nobles exchanging gossip in hushed tones.
Then Alice happened.
"Kun, what if I drink my tea with a fork?"
Kun raised a brow. "That's stupid."
Lizzy, already regretting bringing them, sighed. "Just act normal for once."
Alice grinned. "Define normal."
Before Lizzy could stop him, Alice picked up a fork, dipped it into his tea, and dramatically slurped from it.
The noble ladies gasped.
Lizzy facepalmed.
Kun snorted. "You're an embarrassment."
Alice wiped his mouth like he had just performed a great feat. "A legendary embarrassment."
The hostess, a prim and proper lady, forced a polite smile. "Prince Alice, Kun, I trust the tea is to your liking?"
Kun, trying to salvage the situation, nodded. "Yes, it's very—"
Alice cut in. "Needs more sugar."
Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed a sugar cube. And another. And another.
Until there was an entire pile in his teacup.
Kun stared.
Lizzy looked like she wanted to throw him into the nearest fountain.
Alice took a sip.
He immediately regretted it.
His face scrunched up, his body jolted, and he nearly spat it out—but he held strong. Barely.
Lizzy smiled sweetly. "Good, isn't it?"
Alice, tears in his eyes, nodded. "D-delicious."
Kun, barely holding back laughter, patted Alice's back. "More sugar?"
Alice shot him a glare. "Shut up."
The noble ladies continued to stare in stunned silence.
Eventually, Lizzy had enough. She grabbed both boys by the arms and dragged them out of the tea party.
"That was humiliating," she hissed.
Kun grinned. "You invited us."
Lizzy groaned. "I regret it."
Alice, still recovering from his sugar overload, just grinned. "Totally worth it."
- - -
The Grand Finale: Pranking the Knights
Of course, their mischief didn't end there.
While wandering the palace, they passed a group of knights standing guard.
Alice smirked. "Bet you ten gold coins I can make them break formation."
Lizzy sighed. "Do you ever stop?"
Kun crossed his arms. "How?"
Alice grinned. "Watch and learn."
He strutted toward the knights, cleared his throat, and said loudly:
"Wow! Look at that! The King is walking around in his pajamas!"
Instantly, three knights turned their heads.
Alice cackled. "Ha! I win!"
Kun laughed. "That was so dumb."
Lizzy groaned. "I don't know you two."
Then—
A familiar voice.
"Alice."
The trio froze.
They turned.
The King.
Standing right there.
Fully dressed. Not in pajamas.
Alice, ever the genius, pointed at Kun. "It was his idea!"
Kun smacked him.
Lizzy sighed. "I am not bailing you out this time."
The King pinched the bridge of his nose. "You three never change."
Alice grinned. "You love us."
The King sighed. "Unfortunately."
And with that, they were banned from palace events for the rest of the week.
Kun decided it was totally worth it.