5. Alessia
I’ve beaten him.
But I don’t feel victorious.
I was sloppy. I slipped up at every turn. I even dropped my sword at one point.
And it’s all because this sweaty, disgusting, soon-to-be-bruised mess beneath me is so perfectly sculpted that he’s a menace to society.
The moment I saw his shirtless figure enter the courtyard, my body responded with a harsh demand to touch it, and it only got worse the more I stared at his flexing biceps throughout the battle.
And now that I’ve pinned him down, I can feel the heat from his body, and my body is demanding far too much of it for my comfort. We’re way too close.
He looks up at me, eyes half-clouded with pain, but still shining with that same look as before, the one that had me blushing like a schoolgirl in the secret garden. I can feel the shape of his six-pack beneath my thighs as I lean over him, our faces only inches apart. Intrusive thoughts of leaning down and kissing him invade my mind until I feel as though I’ll lose my sanity. My heart rate spikes to an unsafe level. The tension that grows between us is palpable.
I don’t like him! He’s not attractive!
But no matter how many times I scream those words in my head, I can’t bring myself to get up. I’m compelled to stay down here, like there’s a magnet pulling me closer to his chest. I trace the shape of his jawline with my eyes, seeing the slight dark stubble growing there. The brown of his eyes grows deeper when my gaze lands on them, and they dilate as they stare at me. He’s struggling with the same thoughts, like an outside entity is trying to force us both into this very passionate—I mean, awkward—moment.
Then, he says something so wild, it breaks the spell in a millisecond.
“Will you go on a date with me?”
“What?” I splutter.
“Alessia is the winner!” the trainer shouts.
Panicking, I shoot to my feet, making a beeline for Mina. I don’t dare turn around and look at Aurelio now.
“Whoa, girl, slow down!” Mina laughs. “What’s got you in a big hurry? You just proved to your husband who’s boss!”
“It’s nothing,” I say hurriedly.
Mina raises a brow. She glances over my shoulder, then back at me. It takes her a moment, but at long last, her lips form an “O” shape, and she hurries behind a copse of trees with me.
“I didn’t realize your love story was blossoming so quickly!” Mina chirps.
I scoff. “Don’t give me that much credit, Mina. I don’t like him at all.”
Mina frowns. “Then what’s that look on your face for?”
“He asked me out on a date,” I growl.
For a moment, Mina stares at me with a blank expression. Then she bursts out laughing, drawing the attention of everyone around us, including Aurelio. My heart seizing in my chest, I wave my arms at Mina to get her attention, shushing her.
“He’s looking this way!” I hiss.
“Oh, forgive me!” Mina sighs, wiping a tear from her eye. “I can’t help it. This is too good!”
“Nothing about this is good!”
“This is good. This is very good for you, Alessia.”
Mina puts her hand on my shoulder, her warm smile halting my racing thoughts in their tracks. The way she looks at me feels more motherly than it does sisterly, even though she’s only five years older than me. Her hazel eyes sparkle with excitement as she takes my hands and squeezes them.
“I think you should go on that date.”
“What? No! I have things to do!” I protest.
Mina folds her arms over her chest, deadpanning. “Alessia, you have no meetings scheduled for this evening. You can attend to any extra work tomorrow. The paperwork will still be there.”
“But—!”
“Ah! No buts! You’re going!” Mina says, wagging her finger at me.
Before I can stop her, she puts her arms on my shoulders, guides me back to the training ring, and plants me in front of Aurelio. I gulp as he stares at me expectantly, his enthusiasm unchanged by my sudden departure.
“Well? Do you have an answer?” Aurelio prompts.
“She does! She’d be happy to go on that date with you,” Mina says.
“Mina!” I yelp.
Ignoring me, Mina puts her arm around my shoulder and asks, “Is there a specific time and place in mind? I can ask the other servants for help setting it up if you need it.”
“All I need are a couple of horses and a basket full of food,” Aurelio replies.
“Perfect! She’ll meet you at the stables in exactly one hour.”
“Wait, Mina—!” I start.
“Bye, Aurelio!” Mina chirps.
Without waiting for Aurelio’s response, she takes me by the hand and drags me upstairs, through the corridors, and into her room, where she tosses me a couple of towels and extra undergarments.
“Go ahead and get washed up! I’ll pick your clothes!”
Once again, not waiting for my reply, Mina hustles out of the room, leaving me alone in the large, relatively empty space. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Just when I thought I had him under control…Leave it to Mina to mess it all up,” I grumble.
I draw a bath and sit glumly in the enchanted waters, pulling my knees up to my chest. I’m not even sore after that battle with Aurelio. I handed his butt to him in two minutes, established my dominance over him, and was about to give him his first order, but he had to go and screw it up by flustering me. I swear he did it on purpose. He knows I’m not interested in anything romantic. This has to be a play at regaining some of the power he’s lost in this relationship.
I won’t let you win. Mina can’t save you forever.
I wash up, my face warmer than the bath water as I recall the way Aurelio looked at me mere moments ago. I’ve never been more attracted to a man in my life, seeing him so totally focused on me. He wasn’t looking at my body, but at my eyes. He got lost in my expression just as I got lost in his. He was at peace, submitting to me in the end, looking up as I held him down.
That shouldn’t have been hot. It should have disgusted me to see him perform so weakly, to submit so easily.
But here I am, wishing he’d look at me like that again, my whole body tingling from excitement at the mere thought of it.
Get a hold of yourself, Alessia!
I shake my head, washing up as fast as I can. Aurelio may be my husband, but I hold no feelings for him in my heart other than pure annoyance. He can play lover boy all he wants, but I see right through him. I know he just wants to lie around and do nothing all his life. He’s trying to one-up me, however he can just to earn a brief reprieve from the responsibilities of noble life. As much as I understand the sentiment, he is in no place to disregard the duties he willingly accepted. I’ve managed them all my life without complaint; the very least he can do is assist me in my daily administrative work.
As soon as I’m dry and dressed, Mina bursts through the door, several outfits in hand. I smile to see her so excited. This situation may be embarrassing for me, but I guess there’s no harm in going on a date with my own husband, if only to make Mina happy.
“Alright, I’ve got seven different outfits put together, all fitting for the season and occasion. It’s up to your personal taste from here, Alessia!”
I peruse the outfits hanging from her arms, judging their colors schemes and styles. At first, I think I want to go with something a little nicer than usual, but then I remember that I’m going out with Aurelio, and I decide to dress down as much as possible. He’s not worth the extra effort to look nice, if I’m being honest. He owes me for ruining my day.
“I’ll go with this one,” I conclude, plucking the hangars right out of Mina’s hand.
“Perfect! You get changed; I”ll put the rest of this away and bring you matching shoes!”
I get changed quickly, then look in the mirror. With my hair tied back and my clothes more loose than usual, I look a lot like a shopkeeper’s daughter, aside from the unnaturally blue eyes. My cropped light pink t-shirt stops just beyond the bottom of my ribs, providing plenty of opportunity for the wind to blow through my shirt and cool me down. My tan shorts consist of the thinnest material money can buy without being completely see-through.
Finally, I’ve found an outfit that might keep me cool. This summer heat is getting brutal; I was sweating just sitting at my meeting this morning, and we have cooling charms all throughout the palace.
Mina hurries back through the door, a pair of plain sandals in her hands. I put them on, then stand up, presenting myself to my personal servant.
“So, how do I look?” I ask.
Mina purses her lips, tapping her finger to her chin as she examines my appearance. After a minute of scrutiny, her eyes light up.
“Aha! That’s what’s missing.”
She runs over to her dresser, opening up the jewelry box on top of it. She returns to my side with a glittering sapphire necklace. I dutifully turn to the mirror so she can place it around my neck. When she’s finished, we both stare at my reflection. Mina hugs me from behind, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Ah, I keep forgetting how grown up you are. It’s going to make me cry,” Mina remarks.
I can’t help but smile at her. Mina may only be five years older than me, but she’s been through so much at such a young age. She acts like a wizened fifty-year-old adventurer from a tavern. She’s the complete opposite of me in every way: she’s barely five feet tall, curvy, fairer-skinned, refined, and as feminine as feminine can be. Every day, she finds a way to make her outfit into some sort of fashion statement. Usually with pastel shades of pink involved. She’s always in heels, too, something I couldn’t tolerate for a single hour.
And yet, she’s the woman I respect more than anyone else in the palace, and it’s because she wears her heart on her sleeve, lives with no regrets, enforces the rules of fairness, respect, and family, and speaks her mind when most would hold their tongue around royalty. I’ve always striven to be more like her, ever since she came to be my personal servant at only sixteen years old.
Now look at me. I’m freaking out over a date with my husband. Some brave, emotionally honest queen I am!
“I’m proud of you for doing this, you know,” Mina says.
I turn to look her in the eyes. “Mina, you forced me to do this.”
“I did. But you easily could have told me no, and instead, you bickered, protested softly, and eventually gave in, which tells me that deep down, you’re interested in this husband of yours.”
I bite my lip, averting my eyes. “I hate it when you read me like that.”
“Hate it all you want. Someone has to keep you honest if you’re not going to do it yourself.” Mina reaches up and pats my head with a big smile. “You’re going to have a great time tonight. By the time you go to bed, you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to say no in the first place.”
“How do you know this won’t be a dumpster fire of a date?”
“Because even if it is, you haven’t been out in years, Alessia.”
I suck in a breath. She’s right. When was the last time I left the palace grounds? Three years ago? Four years ago? It’s been since my tour of the aristocrats’ renovations, which was about three and a half years ago. After that, I was getting older, so there were more things to learn, an ever-increasing list of things to do, and heightening safety concerns as the nearby Wendigo Forest became more dangerous by the day. I’ve been so busy training, learning, and meeting people that I haven’t left this place in all that time.
To be fair, the palace is the size of three villages strung together, but still, that’s a pretty sad life for a young woman.
“You know what? You’re right. I’m excited about this. I think a small adventure outside the palace will be fun.”
“Whether you call it a date or an outing, I have no doubts Aurelio will keep you safe,” Mina says, squeezing my hand. “Although I certainly hope you try to make this romantic. Your love life has been drier than a desert, Alessia.”
“Mina,” I groan, rolling my eyes. “I’m too busy for love.”
“No, you’re not too busy. You say you’re too busy as an excuse not to make time for love. It doesn’t take much effort, just a pair of listening ears and a commitment to do better each day.”
“Easier said than done,” I mumble, thinking back to my teenage years.
“Well, whatever happens, you’ll have to tell me all the juicy details when you get back! It’s time to get going!” Mina chirps.
She pushes me out the door, and I have no time to protest before she’s dragging me off to the stables. I can’t help but feel a little nervous for the first time in ages.
I’m not expecting this to be the most romantic picnic in the world, but a girl can hope, right?