Flirtatious Royals

Crown Prince Alexei's teeth flashed as he gave Flora a mischievous smile. He raised his eyebrows asking, "well your highness? Will you dine with me?" He held out an arm that was both an invitation and a command. Prince Alexei patted his elbow, showing Flora exactly where to grab as if she didn't know so already.

Getting past her initial shock, Flora smeared a soft smile onto her lips. "Of course your highness; it would be an honor." She delicately place her hand through his arm and let him lead her away from the commotion, aware of every single pair of eyes watching them leave together. As they made their way to a nearby dining room, Flora studied Alexei's face. It was very similar to Andrei's in that he had a strong jaw and striking blue eyes. However, besides the silken black hair, there wasn't much more in common between the two brothers. Alexei had a wide nose that jutted out to one side, indicating that he had broken it before. His skin tone was also much paler in comparison to the golden hue that Prince Andrei possessed. Prince Alexei also had an air about him that exuded the confidence that could only come from being on top of everything. She was trying not to be obvious about her curiosity, but a small shift in his eyes alerted to her that he saw her looking. Deciding that she would use this as an opportunity, Flora questioned him, "I am quite curious as to why your highness would want to spend any time with me."

Prince Alexei didn't face her as he chuckled, "does one need a reason to spend time with such a beautiful lady?" He held open the door to the dining room, and Flora ducked her head to hide the blush covering her cheeks as she entered. The prince seemed to notice, pleased that he was having such an effect on her. Prince Alexei brushed past her to pull out a chair for her, indicating for her to sit down. "Have you had the chance to taste any of our precious Leostan cuisine your highness? There is nothing better to quell a hungry stomach like a good helping of stibol."

A male servant, dressed in almost the same outfit as the female servants, brought a huge helping of... something. Flora had never seen anything like it before; the dish was a helping of meat and rich sauces with the side dishes scattered around the main protein. She recognized rice and some of the vegetables, but Flora had no idea what she was about to consume. The male servant bowed deeply to Prince Alexei and Flora after he set his platter down, and then began meticulously carving the meat, placing slices on each plate. He made sure to give them each a serving of all of the side dishes, creating quite a large plate of food. After the servant left, Flora just stared at her plate in disbelief. Would she be expected to eat all of this?

"Never had stibol before?"

Flora looked up from the food and at Alexei, smiling sheepishly. "I'm afraid not your highness." She looked back at the concoction, her stomach growling in response. The food did look quite delicious. "I've never seen a meal... presented in such a way."

Alexei cocked his head to the side, asking, "what do you mean princess?" To him, the way to present a meal had always been done this way, and he had probably never even thought about it.

Flora gestured to the main platter still on the table in front of them. "I've never seen a meal where all of it was served on one whole tray." She picked up the fork, her will to hold back crumbling with each second the smell lifted to her nose. "The vegetables and rice are on the same plate as the meat."

"It makes it more cohesive, wouldn't you say?" He positioned the silverware in his hands and made quick work of cutting up the meat. "Each dish ties in with the others, melding together in your mouth." Prince Alexei popped a forkful of the stibol in his mouth, an affectionate smile on his lips.

Now with the prince eating, Flora dug into her meal, trying her best not to shovel the food into her mouth ungraciously. The stibol was... phenomenal to say the least. The blending of spices was so rich it tickled her tongue with each bite. Flora couldn't pick out one particular spice in the dish, as they all united as one taste in the savory sauce flowing down the food. The side dishes had a similar taste, but each with it's own unique flavor to compliment the stibol. Flora now understood what Prince Alexei was talking about when he called the dish 'cohesive'.

Too consumed with enjoying her meal, Flora didn't realize that Prince Alexei had stopped eating and was staring at her smirking. "Do you like it princess?" Flora, with a mouthful of food, nodded yes. He dipped his fork into a pile of rice, musing, "I thought you would, considering it is my favorite after all. Leosta is known for its wonderful marriage of spices in its cuisine. I have never seen someone walk away unhappy from a Leostan meal." The prince's smirk intensified as he added, "I am delighted that you enjoyed the food so. It is not everyday that I get the chance to impress a lovely young woman such as yourself."

Trying her best to hide the effect of his charming words on her, Flora took a long drink of water. She would not allow him to see how his smooth words flustered her. Never before had she had someone so openly flirtatious with her. The amount of certainty in the prince it took to brazenly sweet talk his brother's fiancé in broad daylight could crumble a castle's walls. Composing herself, she fired back calmly, "it is always nice enjoying a delectable meal with someone. I'm just lucky enough that it is with your highness." She couldn't let herself be toyed around with by the crown prince. Even if she was inexperienced, she would do her best to play this game.

The corners of Prince Alexei's mouth twitched upward. Flora could read what he was thinking on his face, 'yes, I like this'. "I am assuming you are not aware of what stibol is princess." Flora shook her head negative. "It is quite an important dish here in Leosta. The meat comes from the talik goats that live on this mountain, the vegetables are grown in the valley, and the spices are curated all around us." He looked towards the center of the palace, the center of the mountain. "It is extremely important that we respect all that the mother provides. She has given Leosta everything."

"The mother?" Flora scrunched up her brows in thought. "I didn't realize that the Leostans recognized the mother."

Prince Alexei snapped his head back toward Flora, an annoyed look on his face. His tone was not sweet like before as he said, "not that woman you Pranians have decided is a goddess." The prince flicked his head as if he was shaking off a ridiculous notion. "No, I am referring to the much more revered mother of the mountain." Flora bit her tongue to keep from responding to the grave insult he had just made. To her chagrin, he continued, "the mother has always been here and will always be. That is why we honor her with our palace and maintain what she grants us."

"I did not realize the importance of the mother of the mountain your highness." Flora strained to even get any more words out on the topic. "I shall keep her in mind." His reaction to her comment was very telling. It reminded Flora that she shouldn't forget that she was in the Leostan palace now, and this man was the crown prince. She may be marrying into this family, but the Leostan distaste for Prana would always be there. By seeing this firsthand from someone who was so kind a moment before, she realized that she needed to be much more careful with her words in the future. Eager to change the subject, Flora voiced the first thought that came to her mind, "I wonder where his highness Prince Andrei went off to after the audience with the emperor."

The prince snorted, "probably off banging hunks of steel with commoners somewhere."

"Is he training in combat then?"

Prince Alexei smirked again, but this time it wasn't so much charming as it was brutal. "Our dear Andrei is disadvantaged, so unfortunately he needs to use physical weapons instead of more sophisticated means." The way he spoke was filled with superiority, even looking down on other Leostan royals. The prince must have thought that he was untouchable, a crown prince with no way to loose. His charisma faded back into his features, causing his face to soften as he waved away the notion. "No need to worry though princess, he will still be a suitable match for you."

Prince Alexei beamed at her, proud of himself, but Flora got the aching suspicion that he was looking down on her as well. Regardless, she gave him a doe-eyed look with a pinch of gratitude to satiate him. "I am pleased that I will be able to befit your family your highness," she all but cooed. "I will work hard to ensure I am a worthy wife for his highness."

Jerking his head away from Flora, Prince Alexei looked towards the door. "You do not have anything to do princess. You are already fitting for him, that is for sure." Flora could have sworn he was hiding a snicker, but she brushed it off as a misinterpretation of his tone. He turned back towards her, nothing incriminating on his face as he declared, "while I have enjoyed our time together princess, I am afraid I have some business to attend to." The prince stood up in one fluid motion, like a wisp of smoke. He pulled out Flora's chair as she clambered up, no where near as graceful as she would have liked. Prince Alexei bent down, clasping her hand and pulling it up to his mouth. After gently pressing the top of her hand to his lips, he whispered suavely, "I look forward to seeing you again princess."

Flora couldn't help but blush at the boldness of the gesture. How shameless could one prince be? Even worse, she hated the way her stomach fluttered in response to him. That prince knew damn well what he was doing, and he was obviously extremely experienced. Prince Alexei opened the door for Flora, and she entered the hall looking both ways, not sure how to get back to her rooms. Noticing her hesitation to leave, he snapped his fingers, a trail of bright flame winding its way down the hallways. "This should help you find your way back princess."

Before she could turn back to protest, he had already walked off. Of course she was annoyed that he knew she couldn't make her way through the palace, but Flora was wiser than to let the path of fire burn out. As she made her way through the palace, she made sure to keep her distance from the flame, clinging to the walls lest she get burnt by it. As soon as she approached the door to her room, the light vanished as if it were never there. Shit, Flora thought, that crown prince is dangerous.