an illusion of mind

Later that night, the group met up in front of a large hall building which was very obviously reserved for a big party.

Regina came wearing a green sparkly dress which was a deep emerald in colour, it was a one shoulder long dress which showed off one of her thighs along with one of her shoulders, it was quite a revealing dress but considering the purpose it was acceptable.

Rica ended up coming as well, she got teased by Regina a little but the idea of alcohol was just too interesting to miss out on, she had never been one to go to parties but she knew she should wear something good, she came wearing a dark blue dress which sparkled in the night.

They all met up in front of the building and Adam could not help but stare at Regina, the smug girl with an interesting personality had never been seen by him outside a school uniform or casual clothes, he had never gotten to see her like this and he had to admit, she was stunning with that same smug smirk.

"Let's go, the others are waiting inside." Regina said gesturing with her head at the door, the guards standing in front of the door just nodded and moved to let them in.

They walked in to see an expansive hall with food and drinks put on each table Regina just continued walking prompting the two others to follow her, they were a little confused why she was ignoring where all the people were but she walked towards a door and knocked on it, Amanda opened the door and her face flashed with recognition.

Amanda was wearing a cyan dress that was just revealing enough for parties but not revealing too much like Regina's.

"Ah! you came!" She opened the door and let them in.

Inside there were a couple more figures and Adam immediately recognized them despite them having worn different things with different looks, Arron was surprisingly there along with Suzi who was wearing a black and grey dress which suited her, there was also David, a guy Adam didn't know too well but apparently he was close friends with Arron, he only knew him from the first survival mission he still remembered when the dude antagonized him back then.

And the most surprising of all was Evan? Adam couldn't hide his surprise seeing the prince of the empire here.

They all sat at a couch which was put in a U- shape in the room which was supposedly a VIP room, he took a seat close to Arron while the girls sat on the opposite side.

"So you guys made it?" Amanda smiled happily, there were a few bottles on the table in the middle, Adam guessed they were whine bottles and intoxicating beverages.

"Don't worry, only one of these is actual alcohol~ haha!" Amanda corrected him putting her hand on a fancy glass bottle with a silver cap.

A hand flew towards it as Regina grabbed it stealing it away from the others.

"Ah! finally! what I came here for!" Regina held the bottle close to her as she grabbed a glass and opened up the bottle she poured herself a drink and set the bottle down, this earned her looks from everyone around but she didn't seem to care.

Rica opened her mouth about to ask for a drink as well she only wanted a taste... Was it wrong to want a taste? Rica pondered unable to find the courage to ask for Regina to pour her some as well.

"Have you done this before?" Amanda asked laughing as Regina held up the glass bottle, "No, but I heard it's good." Regina replied as she put the glass to her lips, about to take a sip.

"Wow, you're just not scared huh?" Adam commented from the side earning him a snicker from Regina who pulled the glass away from her lips still not having took a sip.

"I'd like to think I'm pretty brave, you only live once right?" She chuckled as she felt a tap on her shoulder, Rica gave her an empty glass gesturing at the bottle with her eyes.

"OOOH~~ Look at that! Rica wants some as well!" Regina took the chance as she spoke in an unnecessarily loud tone.

"No! don-" She covered her face with her hands immediately regretting asking Regina for anything.

Regina poured her a glass and handed it over to Rica who was still embarrassed but she still took the glass.

"Alright, here I go if no one is brave enough to take the first sip! I'll do it!" Regina declared as she brought the glass to her lips for a second time.

Everyone waited to see if she would do it and Regina tilted the glass up high and took a large swig of the drink immediately regretting it after, she felt her throat burn from the alcohol as she forced it down with a gulp, she coughed a couple of times cursing herself for drinking so much on a first drink.

"Gah! this is... It burns..." Regina clutched her throat trying to adjust to the burning sensation she felt her control of her body becoming less and less lucid, "And it's pretty disorienting..." She said looking at the palm of her hand her fingers blurring in her vision.

"Woah... This is trippy..." She said as she looked back at the glass, there was a strange 'good' taste that came from the burn which Regina weirdly liked.

She immediately took another large sip emptying the glass, seeing this Rica was slightly encouraged to try it as well, she brough the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip, she felt a prickly sensation on her tongue that was sort of funny feeling, the numbness was not too bad.

Rica smiled, "This isn't too bad..."

Seeing this the others chuckled at the two girls, while one was slowly devolving into an alcoholic the other was drinking with moderation enjoying her drink.

Regina poured herself another glass her hand moving groggily as her face reddened and she drank another glass, she finished it in one gulp.

Amanda was getting concerned for her as she took the bottle away and Regina looked at her in anger, "Give it back!" she spoke up her words slow and slurred as she tried to snatch the bottle away from Amanda but it was easy for Amanda to dodge her attempts since she was drunk.

"No! you've drank more than you should have! You're clearly drunk!" She said fighting more of her attempts off.

Rica shook her head at Regina but she also felt that she was getting groggy as well, I should stop now...

the others chuckled at the scene in front of them, especially Adam he had never seen this side of Regina, she was always a smug and cunning troublemaker who knew her way with words, it was honestly hard to believe she was a princess of a ruined kingdom, now she just looked... vulnerable? Adam had no clue but he didn't mind seeing her like this.

Regina had stopped trying to snatch the bottle from Amanda and instead crossed her arms and grumbled to herself her face red from the alcohol.

Amanda made sure the bottle was out of reach from her intrusting it in Suzi's hands who was far enough away.

"So guys, we should play a game!" Arron suggested, "A normal games... I don't want to get drunk..." Arron said ruling out any drinking games which came to mind.

"Yeah, Let's do that." Evan said looking towards Regina's drunk figure, she was looking at her own hand and laughing clenching it and letting go, Evan had a disappointed expression on his face, ever since he learned that she was not in fact a Varcan, but instead the princess of a ruined kingdom he saw her in a different light, almost like an equal since they were both royals even though she isn't anymore.

"Alright, let's play truth or dare!" Rica suggested, she was also slightly groggy but not as much as Regina was, at the suggestion Suzi nodded "Yeah! let's do that!"

Regina's ears twitched and she jumped up her eyes half lidded "Yesh~ Le's do it~" Regina slurred her words as she giggled to herself.

"Should we let her play?" Adam asked in concern seeing her not very lucid state right now, Amanda just shrugged, "It's just truth or dare, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Alright guys! the rules are whoever this bottle stops on has to choose between truth or dare! and we will choose accordingly!" Arron clapped his hands bringing everyone's attention to him.

"Alright, here I go!" He said as he spun the bottle, it spun around in the middle of the table passing over everyone as they waited for it to land on some and it landed on... "Amanda! truth or dare!" Arron giggled as he spoke.

"U-uhm... Truth!" Amanda said a little startled that she's first.

"Coward..." Regina said from the side slurring her words but the meaning was still there, Regina might have been speaking more than she would want to let on now that she was drunk...

"Okay... uhm, What's the person you think the most negatively of here in the room with us?" Amanda put a hand on her chin unsure if she wanted to answer the question.

Evan looked a little nervous right now, "Well..." Amanda trailed off crossing her arms, Evan was even more nervous, chances are she was going to answer with him.

"Probably Regina since... You know~" Amanda pointed at Regina's drunk state the way her personality was everyone could understand, Evan breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded in understanding.

"Well fuck you too!" Regina cursed at her, her words slurred which startled everyone,

"But then again she might be bad at showing it but she's got a good heat, I'm sure of it!" Amanda said chuckling trying to laugh off the insult.

"Y-yeah, let's spin the bottle again..." David chuckled awkwardly as he spun the bottle, it spun around skipping over everyone until it landed on...

"Adam! truth or dare!" Adam pointed at himself in surprise as he answered, "Truth!" he answered deciding to go with the safest option.

Arron smirked having already prepared a perfect question to ask, he had been hoping it landed on Adam, "Do you have a crush on anyone in this room? And if so! Who is it?" Arron finished his question.

Adam was slightly taken aback but he composed himself quickly after, "Well... I don't think I do." He answered calmly shrugging his shoulders.

"Hah?! That can't be true." Suzi said her expression sceptical.

"What do you want me to do? I just am not romantically interested in anyone here." Adam just shrugged again, Arron did not believe him but he would let it go for now, he seemed to be confident in himself, he turned towards the bottle and spun it again.

It turned skipping over everyone and landing on.

"Me?" Regina giggled to herself as the bottle pointed to her, she swayed her head around in happiness, "Yay~ it's my turn~" She giggled some more.

"Truth or Dare Regina!" Suzi and Rica seemed eager to get back at her as they spoke at the same time.

"All of you wer cowarrds~" Regina pointed at them slurring her words, "I choose dare~" she pointed at herself giggling.

"Jackpot!" Rica celebrated internally.

"I have the perfect dare!" Rica slammed the table earning the attention of everyone.

"Regina! If you are romantically interested in anyone in this room! I dare you to show it!" Rica exclaimed and Amanda gasped Suzi's eyes widened as a wide smile made it's way on her lips.

"That sounds fun~" Regina clapped her hands happily, Arron did not feel like taking advantage of a drunk girl like this was very fun...

Regina stood up and everyone tensed, Regina barely held herself up because of the alcohol but she managed to get on top of the table crawling forwards, this action had caused everyone to gasp and exclaim.

Regina was making her way towards...

"A-Adam! holy shit!" David exclaimed as he saw Regina look towards Adam her face red, she was clearly not in the right mind, a wide smile was on her face as she fixated her eyes on her target, she put her hand on his chest and pushed him back on his seat she rested her knee in between his legs as she leaned closer brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she leaned closer.

Adam was completely stunned unable to move from the shock of the situation as Regina got closer to him. Everyone's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as Rica's jaw could not close no matter how much she tried.

She was about to do it in front of everyone! How shameless can she be?! Suzi could not keep her eyes off the sight a blush slowly creeping on to her face from the lude situation.

Adam could feel her breath on his face as his eyes widened his face hot from the closeness of their bodies, her hand was still on his chest tracing circles on his chest another hand on his cheek cupping it gently her lips were mere inches away from his when she was pulled away forcefully by Amanda who's face was just as red as all them.

Amanda had managed to stop Regina from doing something she would regret while she was drunk, but she felt she was a little too late, since she already revealed something...

"Let go!" Regina forcefully ripped her shoulder away from Amanda's grip as she fell to the floor her body limp from the alcohol, she started whining like a child, not that that behaviour was different from her original self but now she was saying things that Amanda did not want to hear.

"Why did you stop me~~ I was so close! I almost had him! His face was so cute why did you pull me away~~" Regina spouted out which reddened the faces of everyone present and Amanda had to forcefully cover her mouth before she said anymore things she would regret.

Adam was practically a tomato as he heard her, he put a hand on his cheek where her hand had been previously before being yanked away.

"H-holy shit..." Rica said as she put a hand on her cheek, she felt really embarrassed one from what just happened and the other from being the one who dared her to do it...

The night was basically ruined after that, the atmosphere became too awkward to continue the game, so they left one by one, Amanda decided to be the one to help Regina get home, Rica decided to help as well since she was partly at fault for what happened.

"Oh god... How would she react when she sobers up..." Rica shook her head a readjusting Regina which was being hefted over by Amanda and Regina from both arms, she was giggling to herself hysterically neither of them had any idea what she was seeing or hearing.

"... Now that I think about it I have no clue how she would react... She's too unpredictable..." Amanda sighed shaking her head.

"I think giving her alcohol was a bad idea..." Rica said looking at Regina who had randomly fell unconscious along the way.

"You think?" Amanda turned to her as if saying 'Duh'.

"We're almost there... This was a mess... I should have never gotten alcohol in the first place, we're not supposed to drink till we're 21." Amanda said shaking her head.

"Don't blame yourself too much, none of us would have know she was a bad drinker..." Rica consoled the princess as they finally reached the dorms, they made their way up the stairs with great difficulty holding up another person, so they just decided to drag her on the floor. She might wake up with bruises but she deserved it, Rica thought.

"Haa~ we finally made it, her keys should be somewhere with her, check her pockets." Rica said as she let go of Regina's hand which fell limply on the floor.

"There, I found them..." Amanda said as she unlocked the door, and walked in, the room looked... Plain? was that the right word, Regina didn't seem to have any belongings, she just had a single book on top of a study and a strange circular device next to it.

"I didn't take her to be a simplist." Amanda said walking up to the desk and opening the book on top of the desk.

Regina's very secretive diary.

It read, "A diary? I also did not take her to have one of these, but each to themselves I guess." Amanda said Rica's ears twitched hearing the word diary and she threw Regina's body on the floor not minding the thud and she just walked over to the desk and looked at the diary chuckling slightly at the title.

"... Do you think we should..." Rica looked at Amanda who vehemently shook her head, "No! that would be a violation of her privacy!"

"Come on~~ she wouldn't even know~" Rica pleaded, "And you know how she's always surrounded with mystery~ come on! We have to take a look at what she thinks of us!" Rica said and Amanda paused, she couldn't believe she was actually considering it, but when it came to Regina... Things were different, she had told them about her origin but she only glazed over it, she just went like 'Oh! I'm the lost princess of a ruined kingdom!' and that's it, Amanda wanted to know more.

"Alright, but don't tell this to anyone!" Amanda said as she took a seat and opened the first page of Regina's diary.