to be on our honeymoon, remember? It’s a tradition for the newlywed couple to spend the first seven days together, doing nothing else but…er, getting to know each other. I can’t bring you those and let everyone in the palace wonder why you need them so much, for them to take you away from your husband in your first days together.”
“You’re a prince, you can skip this one tradition, no one will care,” I tried.
“My family and I have to be role models. I should follow the rules more than anyone. I don’t make them, nor my father–the king– we only obey.”
“Okay, just give me my cellphone, please.”
“Do you see my cellphone with me?” he asked, hands flying in the air on both sides. “I’m not happy with it, either, trust me.”
“This is ridiculous,” I said in frustration, my arms flying in the air.
He seemed offended by my statement, but didn’t say anything about it. He only said something else that made me even more confused.
“I’d appreciate it if this stayed between the two of us.”
“Why is that?”
“Let’s just say that, other than how word would spread like a forest fire, things would get really ugly if my mother found out.” Why am I not surprised by this? “I would also prefer if my sister didn’t learn what a jerk she just got married to.”
She didn’t know …
“Okay.”
Escaping the first chance I got was my goal.
“What on earth am I going to do in this room for seven days? I’m going to be bored out of my mind!” I groaned in frustration.
“Sex,” the prince said.
WHAT?
“Excuse me?” I asked with wide eyes, disbelief filling my voice. I wondered if he was out of his mind himself or had suddenly gone crazy. I mean, he’d seemed okay just a minute ago and was talking somewhat reasonably. But now? Not so much.
Oh, my God! I thought…I thought we’d made it clear we are not interested in each other. I thought we’d be starting our faking now. He didn’t really think we’d go that far in faking!
“Sexy days,” he replied.
“Sexy days? What do you mean by ‘sexy days’? We can’t have sex. I won’t have sex with you. I thought we just talked about how this was all a mistake! I can’t do that, I can’t have sex with you! Please, tell me you don’t think we should!”
Oh, my God! He really doesn’t think we should start working on that heir he needs, does he?
The prince stared at me while I panicked and spoke hysterically, a frown on his face and a confused expression.
“What does ‘sexy days’ even mean?” I asked in a whisper, as I saw him taking a step in my direction. My vision blurred with tears though I had no idea why they were there at all, I was just scared.
All of the thoughts from last night and the ones I had just had two hours ago came rushing back to me–the fear, the terror…I hated it.
The prince paused after the one step, then looked at me with something I couldn’t read once again–he was so hard to read. He then took the few steps left between us and stopped only when our bodies were almost touching.
My breath was caught in my throat when he bent his head down and brought his face so close to mine. I closed my eyes, causing a sad, lonely tear to fall down my cheek when I felt his breath on my neck as he spoke near my ear.
“Six days, Princess. We have six days left, not seven. Six. S. I. X.” he said in a very soft voice.
Wha- … Oh.
Oh!
He had a small smirk on his lips when he backed away a little to look into my eyes; I had opened them once the realization of what he’d actually meant settled in. It looked as if he was trying to contain his smirk. It fell right away though, once he noticed the tear that had ended its path beside the corner of my lips.
He stared into my eyes for a moment; something strange was filling his green eyes. It was sort of sadness, mixed with sorrow, but it mostly just looked like sympathy, and then he looked away.
I hated it.
It upset me that I had earned that kind of look from him; I hated that I looked pity-worthy. And I blamed it all on my brother: the feelings I had, the terror, the fear and the shame. I was ashamed of myself for looking