An uneasy encounter

I stood a bit helpless in the palace garden. Now that Isaya has so suddenly deserted me and left me to deal with the uninvited 'guest' that seemed to be coming my way, I felt the panic creep up inside me. I should probably get away from here myself. Before I got in trouble.

"I'm a bit surprised to find you here, my little spy..." I suddenly heard a whisper behind me, making me halt.

I turned around hastily.

"P-prince Leopold?!" I asked in disbelief, when I recognized his tall stature. His red hair shone even brighter in contrast to the dull colors of the fall weather.

Now that I saw him properly in the daylight for the first time, I realized why the old Chris had a crush on him.

He was beautiful. Handsome would not have been the right term to describe him. He was just ... beautiful. Like out of a real fairy tale. His features were soft, but masculine at the same time.

His pretty face didn't really seem to go with his muscular build. It's like swapping the heads of two action figures with opposite looks. His long reddish shimmering hair was tied in a ponytail and swayed slightly in the wind. I fought the sudden urge to run my hands through his long hair.

But what puzzled me even more than his beauty was that he could just walk around here freely. I thought he wasn't allowed to wander through the palace alone anymore. Apparently he somehow managed to escape the supervision of the guards.

"I never expected our cruel prince Cain to let you get away with it like that... I'm starting to get the feeling that you're trying to betray me, little Chris…" He said with a thoughtful expression on his face that seemed rather fake.

I felt my heart begin to race.

What should I do? Should I let him believe I was still a spy for Ildrega? That I was on his side? Or should I tell him that I switched sides and wanted nothing to do with him anymore? Would he then leave me alone? Would he even believe me?

Suddenly Prince Leopold giggled and slowly walked towards me. I backed off a few steps until I hit the cold wall behind me with a horrified gasp.

"Don't look so panicked. I know you would do anything for me, right? You wouldn't betray me. You long for my affection too much for that..." Prince Leopold said with relish as he suddenly grabbed my jaw and forced me to look into his eyes.

His eyes looked so deceptively friendly. They reminded me of a bear's eyes. You wanted to lose yourself in them. In the deceptive warmth. But in reality they were still the eyes of a predator.

"Tell me: how is Cain in bed? Is he better than me?" Leopold asked bluntly, which made me blush immediately.

"From your reaction, it seems he's got something going. It kind of hurts a little to hear this, Chris. But don't worry... I'll forget all about this if you tell me that I'm the only one for you. And of course you have to kiss me too..." His eyes suddenly fixed on my lips, making my heart beat even faster.

"T-that… w-we can't do that here! What if someone sees us?" I tried to get rid of his persistent order in panic. I broke out in cold sweat.

"You're right… if Cain saw us like that, he probably wouldn't believe you were on his side anymore. However..." mused Leopold, while an eerie smirk played around his lips, "...I would like to see the expression on Cain's face when I take his current favorite toy away from him..." His wicked grin deepened and sent an icy shiver down my spine.

Suddenly Prince Leopold came closer and closer to me, so that I desperately pressed myself back against the wall. I looked around in panic to find a way out of this precarious situation. In the corner of my eye I suddenly saw that a figure had moved in the third floor window. I could have sworn I saw flashes of golden hair. I gulped heavily.

Cain's room was on the third floor.

Did he see us?

As Leopold got closer and closer, I suddenly remembered in my panic that I had attended a self-defense course in my old life. I quickly grabbed him and brought him to the ground with a quick technique, so that Leopold only gasped in surprise.

When he stared up at me, a little stunned, I just said, out of breath, "I'm really sorry, but you can't just do something like that without my consent."

"My, my, so little Chris has gotten more confident, huh? That is very interesting. Feel free to come back to me anytime you feel homesick. I'll wait for you in Ildrega." Leopold told me before I excused myself with a hasty bow and ran away.

…

I kept running until I finally got to the palace guards' rooms. I quickly scurried into my room and closed the door behind me with a relieved sigh.

I finally had my peace. I took a deep breath.

Shortly thereafter, I decided to take a hot bath. That would be the right thing to do now. I needed some time for myself. To calm down. To think about everything carefully in peace.

With a hiss of pleasure I settled into the hot water of the bathtub. The warm water washed the sweat off my body and relaxed my muscles.

I was just about to wash my body when suddenly the door to the bathroom banged open. I cried out in shock and instinctively covered my chest with both hands. But then I quickly realized that I wasn't a girl anymore and put my hands down before anyone could see.

I looked up at the intruder and saw that it was George. When he saw me bathing, he suddenly blushed a little.

"Sorry. I assumed you weren't in the tub yet…" He stammered a quick apology.

"Ah, don't worry. What is it?" I asked perplexed.

"Prince Cain wants to see you immediately. He called for you."

"N-now?! But-"

"You're to come right away." George interrupted me and left the bathroom with red ears.

"Great. I can't seem to have a single minute to myself." I grumbled as I got out of the tub, slightly annoyed.