Time to be a man

"What were you doing in King Albert's room?" he asked and Melina tried to move aside because of their uncomfortable position but that only angered Leon and he grabbed both of her wrists in his hands before pulling her even closer, their lips just inches away from locking.

"Don't lie to me, Melina," he said and the girl's eyes widened as she felt something strange happen to her body with the way the king had called her name.

Seeing her getting distracted again in her thoughts, he presumed she was thinking of a lie to tell him and that only infuriated him more. He removed one of his hands from her wrists and used it to grasp her waist, drawing back her attention.

"Your High-!" she squealed but didn't get to finish her words because Leon interrupted her.

"Tell me the truth. What were you doing in his room?"

"I-I-I was serving him! Ms. Carlos sent me there to serve him!" she explained with barely suppressed nervousness, seeing their proximity. Her one hand went to her waist to push his hand away but the effort was useless.

Leon's lips twitched, his eyes darkening as he stared at her, "Alone?" he asked.

Did she think he would fall for that?

"Yes! Yes! It was Ms. Carlos who had sent me there. She said King Albert only likes being served by one servant!" Melina replied, her face crunching with Leon so close to her that she could smell his fresh scent like he had just bathed not long ago.

She wasn't the only one who took note of the scent of the other. Leon, who was caging her like he had seen Albert do earlier was now being tormented by her Jasmine scent again.

However, her words were what had caught his attention.

Carlos sent her alone there because Albert said he liked being served by only one maid. Albert didn't even like being served at all! And by another palace maid?

That only meant his suspicion was right. Albert had a reason for sending her to his room.

"And how did you end up wet?" he peered his eyes on her, waiting for her reply.

Melina froze at his question and she remembered Albert had called her a witch. Was this king trying to make her confess she was a witch so he could perhaps just behead her?

If she told him what had happened that made her body turn wet, she was certain he would believe she was a witch and that would be a problem for her. She already had enough to deal with.

"T-that..." she stuttered. "I-I s-slipped and fell into the water in the bathtub. I apologize for my clumsiness, Your Highness." she feigned a small bow after lying through her teeth.

"A horrible liar you are," he commented on the evident lie.

"What?" she asked, disbelieving that he had caught her lie so fast.

She squealed again when he moved closer to her, her small back now pressed into the palace wall with no space for her to run. Melina let out rough breaths and tried to stabilise her breathing but it was to no avail. Aside from the time Julian had dared to touch her, she knew no one else had even been this close to her and the major problem here was she wasn't feeling disgusted like she did when it had been Sir Julian.

Instead, there was this strange feeling of breathlessness that was feeding her.

Leon calmed his racing heart. With Melina right in his arms and vulnerable, he couldn't help but feel the need to touch her or do something silly.

He took in her expression and saw how she slightly parted her lips, inviting him over. Her soft pink lips were staring right at his and he wondered how it would feel on his-

He hissed at himself and shifted his gaze away.

This girl was making him irrational.

He had never once felt the need to do something like this before especially when he had always had control over himself so what was different with this troublemaker?

He was here to know what transpired between her and Albert and he wasn't going to do something otherwise like he hadn't planned.

Even though he told himself that, he found himself doing the opposite.

Melina felt a strong leg move in between her small ones and a gasp escaped her lips. She pressed both her legs together to stop him from doing anything additional and her face reddened.

Looking up at him, she saw him lean closer to her and he whispered in her ear, his hot breath fanned against it,

"You had better tell me the truth, Melina..." he set his leg further inside there again and this time, Melina felt something weird between her core...something she had never once felt before.

She attempted to speak even though she had still not decided to say the truth yet.

"I-I am saying the truth, Your-ahh! Your Highness!" his right leg that was in the middle of her legs moved further inside and hit somewhere sensitive, making her moan embarrassingly.

The whole time, Leon had just been staring at her face, gauging her bewildered expression.

Melina subconsciously placed her hands on his shoulders to support her frail body because her legs were now slowly giving away. She bit her lips to stop herself from making that embarrassing sound she made earlier.

"You still lie, Melina..." he said and looked around him to make sure no one was lurking.

When he felt a presence, he immediately pulled back, releasing the girl he had unknowingly been suffocating and she let out a breath of relief.

"Apologise, Your Highness!" the young maid who had interrupted his good time with Melina immediately bowed her head and apologized.

Leon's jaw clenched and his hand balled into fists as he glared at the maid that had interrupted their good time... or maybe his good time.

Melna's hand grew cold upon seeing Cinna, who had run away from their sight. It occurred to her that the maids must've been back from wherever they went to serve and she quickly picked up the torch she had been using before giving a curt now to King Leon and without wasting any moment, she ran off to another side of the castle to continue her work.

Leon's lips twitched and his eyelids fluttered as he stared at the retreating figure that had run away from him.

She could run all she wanted and that would not stop him, he thought. But he didn't leave for his quarters immediately. Instead, he went deep into the servant's quarters and there he found her...

Without warning, he walked over to her and before the elderly woman could take note of his presence, he pushed and pinned her on the wall.

Carlos let out a shrill scream as she thought she was being under attack.

"Why did you send Melina to King Abert's room?" he asked without delay.

"Huh?"

"Speak unless you'd rather I cut your tongue!" he hit the woman's back again on the wall to erupt another wince from her.

Seeing that he wasn't joking and had a serious expression plastered on his face, Carlos immediately opened her mouth to speak, even though his elbow was pressed on her neck, her glasses had shifted out of place and were at the brink of falling.

"I-It was King Albert who asked me to take her there! I don't know why, I only obeyed instructions!" she yelled out in half-breaths and let out a sigh of relief when Leon finally let her breathe.

He was right. Albert had brought her there for a reason and it only convinced him Melina wasn't saying the truth.

He pinched his brow in exasperation, not liking that she was hiding something from him that Albert had probably told or done to her.

He looked back at Carlos and this time, his eyes blazed again, making the woman anxious as she waited for what he had to say next.

"Don't you ever send Melina to serve any elite except me. Is that clear?" he said and the woman's brows knotted in confusion for a minute before she quickly nodded so she didn't earn the King's wrath.

Leon didn't waste any time and walked away, leaving the woman's brain calculating.

Perhaps her old head was beginning to hallucinate? What did mean...?

She frantically looked around for Melina, wondering if she had made a grave mistake by obeying King Albert's order. What if Melina had refused to let the King touch her? But why did she refuse a King? Shouldn't she have learned her lesson the last time?

"Oh God, I hope this girl doesn't get my poor nerves in trouble because of her foolishness," she said in her aged voice as she walked away as well, going back to the quarters.

Leon entered his room and a creak on the bed could be heard as he fell on it. Then suddenly, he stood up again before his hands weaved through the thick locks of his hair as he reminisced what transpired just a moment ago with the maid.

His feet made their way to the bath in his room which had been filled to the brim. With his shirt on, he climbed the stairs leading to the tub. Dipping himself to immerse completely into the cold water, he finally got out of it to lay his head on the edge of the bathtub as he stared into space, wondering what had happened to him.

When did he start going after a woman like this? He did have women he admired in the past but never cared enough to go after them like this. This one just kept happening and the truth was he liked it, enjoyed it. He enjoyed seeing her reaction to him.

And the way he reacted to her too...

He couldn't deny it was related to him as a man. He had needs also to satisfy but he has always controlled himself. But it seemed his body was done being a gentleman. It wanted more and wanted to be like the others.

What was wrong if he just fed his need this once?

Other men did it many times and with many women and he only planned to do this once with one woman. At least, his case was much better.

He was a king, someone who would need an heir to the throne one day. He had the right to satisfy himself, didn't he? No one would dare question him, not even his betrothed.

He rolled his eyes thinking of Jordyn.

He has never admired or liked her before. So it was alright if he just had fun this once, wasn't it? He was now king after all.

He needed to show his masculinity by taking as many women as he wanted. But he would go with the one that interested him first.

He told himself as he got out of the bathtub, his short hair dripping wet along with his shirt that had been submerged in the water.