Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 206 - First You Interrupt My Rest, Now My Research?!

K: [I don’t want to annoy you by asking the same thing again when you are likely preparing for tomorrow. That’s why I’d like to propose something else. Instead of meeting somewhere for dinner, can I order something for you tonight from the same place that I will eat? You won’t have to go out that way and I’ll still get to feel like we’ve shared a meal.]

My thumb hovered over the keyboard while considering how and whether to reply right away. Vrika sends me warm impressions of approval, but I ignore the wolf in favor of reading the message again.

It’s a slow step forward for her, but there’s something almost clever about that kind of compromise. Saying no to it... and not feeling like I’m being harsh for no reason would require me to come up with extenuating circumstances.

Essentially, she dismantled all of the viable routes of refusal without ever making an actual demand! My fingers start typing before I’ve fully decided whether to compliment that tactical sort of psychology or not.

C: [That’s... actually quite thoughtful. Yes, you can arrange that.]

C: [But I choose what we eat.]

K: [Of course. Whatever you’d like.]

> As expected she agrees. She probably would have agreed to anything that meant I said yes. Should we have asked for more... more what? <

The uncertain thought makes me feel powerful and guilty in equal measure. But I push that aside to deal with the other messages demanding my attention. First to Anise.

C: [Yes, I’ll come by before the interview. And yes, you can very much apologize in person for all the tricks that night. But no more tricks.]

Then to her assistant.

C: [Thank you for whatever it actually is. Though if you picked terribly, there is no way I will ever forget it.]

I sent all the responses as quickly as I could type, then set my phone aside and force myself to get up from the fairly comfortable mattress. Focus on plugging in the extension cord I bought and checking that the controls worked just as had been described by the saleswoman.

Then I pack everything up and the whole container goes back into the | Single Parent Stash |. If I’m going to have this interview tomorrow, I really should spend less time on this and more on research for just what I’m walking into. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖

Back at my apartment, I settle onto the couch with my phone and begin diving into the research links Claire sent me. The first few articles are basic - [What to Expect at Your First Modeling Shoot] and [Building Confidence for the Camera].

> Most of this is common sense. Stand straight, make eye contact with the lens, don’t fidget. Things any royal learns before they can properly walk. <

My wolf has checked out of all of it as I dig deeper into the portfolio examples and video tutorials. I do start to see the subtleties I might have missed eventually. Like the way a slight tilt of the chin that might not make sense person to person can change the entire mood of a shot for the better.

Or how ideal hand placement can convey either confidence or vulnerability that benefits the entire composition. One video on this in particular catches my attention - a behind-the-scenes look at a spring formal collection shoot.

The model is striking, with pleasing cheekbones and a warm quality that the camera loves. But what impresses me most is how she quickly transforms between shots.

Watching her swap from ethereal and distant to soft and approachable with one unhesitating sweep of changes shows me a lot of what they may expect. That much of it will be a full performance... whose moments can all be caught rapidly.

Because just like me they pick the best shots of the bunch. All in all, it is not just about looking pretty. Even more of it was about embodying whatever story was being queued and told by the photographer.

> Which I should be excellent at, considering how much of my life had been performance. Playing the dutiful princess, the gracious host to ambassadors, the political asset scaring away suitors... <

The key difference is that those performances were about hiding my true nature. This would be about revealing chosen aspects of it. To prevent the uncanny feeling of falsehood that can be seen in some of these more overwrought expressions in the link of ’bad’ examples.

"Why does her face look like that...?"

I’m so absorbed in studying and mimicking common poses asked for in these sessions that I almost miss the knock at my door. When I check the time, I’m surprised to see it’s already well into evening.

Through the peephole, I can see what appears to be... a familiar Rimecoat member holding two large bags. One is clearly food, the other is probably Claire’s mysterious purchases - and the scent neutralizer they promised would be coming.

"So this is what you wear when inside?"

Luca looks at my jogging outfit when I open the door and immediately starts speaking. Using a combination of my usual dismissive head tilt and a hand position I just learned, I answer back with a question of my own.

"So this is what you do for pocket money?"

"It’s what I do to keep the peace."

> Sounds like an awful life. Dealing with being her Beta and Claire’s... hm. Eventuality? <

While I nip and fight with Vrika when it brings up the similarity between our circumstances, he raises out his hand that held some sort of large thermally sealed container. I take it without much thought, even though it’s probably heavy.

"I’m not convinced that the different ways both of them are enamored with you are justified, but that’s not the point. Kyrie would never calm down if someone else had been here."

As he attempts to offer me the other box after saying this, I raise my chin and squint. It wasn’t really an insult, what he just said, but I can hardly let that slide as it is... can I?

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶