42 A Private Meal

The maiden felt her face ablaze as she remembered the lewd kiss they had exchanged in the maze's gazebo. And now Prince Klaus had decided to torment her!

"That's not even funny, Your Highness! First, you almost kill me by frightening me and inducing a choking! Second... I don't even know what Your Highness is talking about. What 'intimacies' in the maze? Are you sure these are not your sinful dreams or hallucinations? Wouldn't it be better to reveal this to your confessor? Could it be a succubus visiting your dreams?! Oh, let me tell you, once I knew a boy named Nikol and he told me a story about the demoness living in his house! She visited the male's dreams and consumed the…"

"Uhn, it's not even unexpected! That you want to deny the facts! But it's not necessary, darling! I'll take responsibility for my acts at your purity," Klaus sat up and picked up a juicy peach, voraciously biting the fruit as he waited for the maiden's reactions.

'I don't believe he is being serious, he couldn't have done that! Did he do?! Did he tell his father?! Is that why I was called back?! Is that why Prince Gutard said he'll talk to me again tomorrow?!' Alexa's mind jumped from one conjecture to another, unable to fix on one single line of thought.

She sat across the table and stared at him, but the words were missing.

"When we get married, please no longer wear the clothes you were wearing earlier," judging by the prince's mischievous expression, staring at her with a barely concealed smile, the eldest Donnersmarck heir's comment was only boastful.

"Did Your Highness really…?" cautiously Alexa asked, simply not wanting to believe he had been able to.

"Hmm," he nodded, his eyes gleaming with pleasure. "Why do you think I went to the village port?"

"But… you even went to say goodbye at Kielstadt's port!"

"Well, that was when I regretted acting like a bad son and a vile man, and before God. I had to take responsibility, didn't I?"

'But what nonsense is that ?! It's not like you really put your… thing… into my… thingy….' Alexa thought, but she wouldn't even have the courage to say it out loud. But a thought came to her mind like lightning, clearing it all,

"Oh! OHHHH! You want to use me so you don't marry your bride! You set everything up! From sending me to the maze to… up to…"

"Having you in my arms, tasting your mouth as I did this peach?! Is that what you're stuttering on, Lady Saskia? This will be repeated ad infinitum when we get married. That and more," he laughed at the maiden's nervousness and indignation.

"But… Was it a setup or wasn't it?"

"AH… Well, in part I had planned on getting what you denied me the other day. But then I discovered you really were a maiden who hadn't even kissed. And I felt like… I took advantage of your innocence," Klaus sighed, pouring himself wine.

Alexa could not tell if what he said was a lie or truth, though.

"But I didn't take you to the maze, I was just looking for you. Things just happened to my advantage," he completed.

"Ahhhh, but you really are such a cynical person! This whole staging of yours, since I got here, is to get rid of your family-agreed marriage! Don't get me involved in this, Prince!"

"Look at you," he said sardonically, "we are already so close that you even forget the formalities. You already call me intimately, as lovers we are! Just stop denying and relax a bit. You will be a Princess, this is so much better than marrying a Knight who is not even the oldest son! What would happen to you? You'd just hope to become a widow soon and make a better marriage!" he finally got up and came to her, getting behind the damsel again. Alexa remembered the wine's incident, and shivered…

She just could not describe exactly why.

Leaning over her shoulder, Klaus began serving a plate of food while Alexa was very aware of his breathing near her neck and ear.

"Your Highness…"

"I had a meal prepared for my little ogress… Let's feed your hungry paunch; isn't that what you wanted? In fact, I don't know what I could think of you might look like my brother. He doesn't have half your appetite,'

'Oh how annoying! Will he really be taunting me and having fun at my expense?! I can't let him use me like this to get rid of his marriage… It's his revenge for calling Cordelia to run away with me, of course!'

"This! Your brother! He's in this dangerous state, but Your Highness only cares about your marriage."

"Am I a doctor by any chance?"

Anyway, after her words, Klaus dropped the plate and walked away from her, apparently aggravated. She didn't have to think long to know that her words had hit him hard.

"His Majesty asked me if I knew anything that could help. At first, I didn't want to suggest a controversial treatment, so only at the last moment, I wrote him a letter, delivered by Lady Cordelia. That's why he called me back. Not because of your supposed words, Your Highness. Your practical prank isn't fooling me at all."

As the maiden imagined, the First Prince was unaware of the content of the conversation between her and his father, and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.

"If you intend to postpone your marriage, why don't you offer to go get the doctor who can save your brother?" she suggested, finding it best to put an end to the silly arguments they were having. Apparently, it only exacerbated the prince's diabolical side.

"Is there really a cure?" he asked, and Alexa was intrigued by the vivid expression in the prince's golden eyes. She nodded,

"Maybe so."

At this moment there was a loud knock at the door, and Father Gianpietro's voice was heard,

"It's me, Gianpietro, may I come in?"

The Prince went to the door and opened, and Alexa. He thought he saw an exchange of glances again between Klaus and his cousin. But the Prince said,

"Please, cousin, keep Lady Saskia company. I need to talk to my father."

The priest nodded, and Klaus just left without saying goodbye to the maiden.

Strangely the priest waited a few good minutes near the door, until he came to Alexa and whispered,

"At this moment they are 'interrogating' the captured assassin, at Prince Klaus' direct request. He's about to find out who you are!"