Chapter 19

"How much do you weight?" I snapped my head over to him at the abrupt question.

"Why..." I asked hesitantly. Roman and I currently were exploring the castle in search of possible places for me to hide in case a search was demanded. "Shouldn't you know this castle like the back of your hand? You live here."

"Princess, if you didn't notice, this castle is huge. I believe that your palace is much smaller than mine from what I can remember. I have never been to half of the rooms inside this castle if that gives you some sort of perspective." I pressed my lips together and raised my eyebrows as I was impressed. "Also, you never answered my question."

"Is it not common sense not to ask a woman how much she weighs?" Roman rolled his eyes at me.

"I was thinking about the wine cellar...it still seems like the best idea." He said while scratching his chin. "You could lay yourself on top of a shelf and not have it tilt if you were light enough." I squinted my eyes and thought about it. I questioned it further as I looked down at my body.

"Umm..." I trailed, not knowing how much I actually weighed. With all of the strict diets that Maroon required me to be on, along with the constant conditioning I was instructed to do, I felt that I was quite thin. Roman then came to my side and held out his arms.

"Mind if I hold you?" I couldn't narrow in on the reason, but nerves sparked inside of me, nearly causing me to blush. I silently answered his request and moved closer to his arms in response to my nervousness. Roman then wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off of my feet. I heard him chuckle, causing me to look up at his face.

"What is so funny?" I scoffed, holding back a smile.

"I could throw you a mile if I wanted to." I shook my head at his joke and hung my arm over his shoulder for support.

"I'm sure." I commented sarcastically. Roman glanced down at me, and for a moment, I could swear that I saw his lip twitch into a smirk. I, as well, hid my expressions. It came to mind how dashing Roman truly was. I have noted it from the first time we had met, but this time, I could appriciate what my eyes were seeing. His dark, wavy hair fell just below his ears, going well with his sharp facial structures. He also wasn't neccicarily muscular, but tall and lean, which completed his appearance.

"You, Taisa, are quite light." Was all he said, keeping his stare down at me. "I think it'll work." No words were able to come out of my mouth with the sudden tension between us, and I didn't know what to think. Roman put me back down and took my hand. "Let me show you the wine cellar, you might like it, actually." I allowed him to pull me forward in the direction he wished to take me.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, trying to shake off my nerves from moments before.

"Have you ever seen a wine cellar?" I shook my head, making him narrow his eyes. "Your castle doesn't have one." He commented, asking if it was true.

"I don't think my castle does... at least to my knowledge." I replied. Roman took me down multiple flights of stairs, leading down to an underground. "Why is it all of the way down here?"

"Wine is quite special to my kingdom. We have a whole vineyard down here, along with a whole staff that makes our wine and stores it down here." He explained while taking some keys out of his pocket and unlocking the door. The door opened to reveal a beautifully, dimmed lit basement, full of selves with wine bottles. My eyes scanned the aesthetic of the room.

"Why would this be the best place to hide?" I questioned as I slowly made my way inside along with him.

"We have certain storage units that only the staff have access to, and it would be the last place anyone might think of. I don't believe that King Heart or the Emperor would think to look in such a random area." Hundreds of selves were in view, all holding many, full bottles of wine. We continued to walk through the selfs, admiring the endless bottles.

"Are they all the same?" I inquired to him who walked at my side.

"No, in fact many different wines are crafted down here. Different flavors, alcohol percentages, sweetness..."

"What is your favorite kind of wine?" I asked further. Although I knew nothing about wine or alcohol in general, I was curious. He came to an abrupt stop and smirked, reaching out his hand and smoothly pulling out a random wine bottle.

"Van Santo." He said as he admired the bottle. "It's a desert wine... I like it sweet. What's your favorite?" My cheeks went red in embarrassment. Luckily for me, it was too dark to notice something like that.

"I- um.. I don't-"

"You don't drink?" He asked. I cleared my throat and but the inside of my cheek nervously.

"I've never had alcohol." I admitted. Roman raised his eyebrows at my announcement. "The Emperor doesn't permit me to ingest it."

"Would you like to try?" He asked. As a worker walked by, he snapped his fingers and got his attention. The worker turned to us and bowed his head. "Two glasses, please." Without a word, the worker handed Roman two wine glasses. "Van Santo, just a taste." The employee took the bottle which Roman handed out for him and opened it effortlessly. He then poured it into both glasses, careful not to over fill. "Thank you, Nathaniel. Carry on." Roman graciously turned back to me, a glass in each hand. I anxiously stared at the red substance as he handed me the drink.

"The Emperor would kill you for this." I smirked and twirled the glass to watch the liquid spin inside. Roman looked around the room.

"I don't see the bastard here. Go ahead, drink it." I covered my laugh with his hand, not used to hearing such words about the Emperor. I watched as Roman downed the glass with one sip. He smacked his lips together, enjoying the taste. Encouraged by his actions, I brought the rim to my lips, still hesitant to try it. "Don't worry, you won't get drunk." He chuckled. I smirked at his comment before I spoke.

"You're probably the lightweight here." I said and took a swig. I swallowed and let out a slight grunt as the alcohol burned the back of my throat. Roman seemed to be entertained by my reaction by the way he crossed his arms over his chests.

"So?" He said, tapping his foot on the ground. I licked my lips to study the taste, and honestly, the taste started to grow on me. I answered his question by drinking the rest of it down. "Another alcoholic in the castle, perfect. I'm such a good influence."

"It was quite good." I laughed, looking at my empty glass. "I can see why this could be a favorite of yours."

"Want to get wine drunk?"