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Chapter 21

I was still so embarrassed about the kissing marathon, that I completely forgot to join Finn in the swimming pool. I went to bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Around one in the morning, I jerked up from drowsiness and remembered about Finn. I stripped my pajamas off and put my bathing-suit on, with a light beach dress over it. I slipped on some flats, and took the same secret passage than last time, jumping through the Women's Room window and stayed in the shadows.

"Ah, there you are," Finn whispered, splashing playfully his fish tail. "I thought you would never come."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I totally forgot." I sat on the pool's edge and dipped my feet in the water. "I was a total mess after the Report, and all I wanted to do was hide and never come out."

"Aww, you didn't do too bad. It was funny," he said chuckling. "Okay, are you coming in the water this time?"

"Maybe." I looked at him and a wide grin spread on his face. "On one condition."

"What?"

"Don't drown me."

Finn chuckled and rolled his eyes at me, diving under the water and coming back up just near my legs. "Of course not. I don't fancy drowning Princesses, to be honest."

I studied him a few more seconds. "Fine. But remember I can't swim, and I'm scared of the water."

"What happened?"

I sighed. "I used to love to swim when I was little. But one day, I was running around the pool and pushed baby Alex in the water by accident. Our Nanny was not paying attention and I thought Alex was going to drown. He was only three years old. And I was so scared. A guard jumped in the pool after Alex and got him out in time." I paused.

"Since that day I've bee terrified of the water."

"I can understand that. We'll do it slowly, then. You're gonna sit on each step a little while to get used to having water around you, okay?"

I nodded, and stood, taking off my beach dress and revealing my black bikini.

"Oh, wow," Finn said, wiggling his eyebrows at me and whistling.

"Shut up," I hissed. "People are going to hear you."

"Oh, yeah right." He chuckled, and sat on the first step, waiting for me. I sat next to him for a couple minutes, and when I was ready, I sat on the next one, and the next, and the next, until I had water up to my neck. Then he made me walk around in the water up to my waist, and told me to go deeper and deeper as I was ready. In an hour, I was walking in the pool with water up to my neck. My heart was beating really fast, but I couldn't say if it was because I was afraid, or because I was actually in the water with a real merman. Maybe both.

"Now, swimming," he said, coming close to me and swimming around me.

"Um, no. I think it's enough for today."

He chuckled. "Okay. I'm not gonna force you or anything." He rubbed his wrists together. "Damn, that was a short time. Only three hours."

"Oh. You want me to go?"

"You can stay if you want. But if it's too horrible to watch, just walk away, I won't mind." He smiled awkwardly.

"I'm staying." I sat on the edge of the pool. "Can I do anything for you? Hold your hand or something?" I wanted to do something to help.

"Thanks, but no. I'll be doing this alone." He winced. "Ow. Okay, it's gonna start." He clenched his teeth in pain. "One thing you can do, though, is hold on to my bathing suit and give it me when I ask you."

"Sure, I can do that." I took his shorts in my hands and sat on the edge. He dived to the deepest part of the pool and all I could see was a form trashing and twisting under the water, and faint screams. I hoped no one would hear him, but since he had already done this a few times here, I was confident it was safe enough.

I counted the seconds in my mind, and then the minutes, holding my breath. After almost twenty minutes, the water stilled, and nothing moved. His head finally came out of the water, and I let out a breath I was holding in. I entered in the swimming pool, and walked, unafraid of the water, to join his side. His face showed pain and exhaustion.

"Finn, are you all right?" I said as I grabbed his shoulders, totally forgetting he was naked.

"I'll be in a minute. Can I have my bathing suit, please?" His tone was a mix of flirt and fatigue.

I felt my cheeks and ears burn beet red, and quickly gave him his shorts, looking somewhere else, waiting for him to get dressed. Then I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me towards him. "Thanks for staying," he murmured as he brushed his lips against mine. I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I wanted to do anything to ease his pain.

He backed away against the pool wall, but kept me close to him. He leaned on the wall and pulled me up on him, my two legs dangling on each side of him, his arms under my bottom, and holding me close to him. I don't how long lasted our make out session, but it got really intense, and I needed to stop, before I lost myself. Oops.

"Okay, okay, okay," I whispered, willing myself to break off our kiss.

"Sorry," he said slyly. "I got a little bit lost myself." We were both a little out of breath, and giggled like teenagers. "We should go back inside."

"Yeah." As much as I didn't want to go back to bed, I had to. We tiptoed back to the Palace, staying in the shadows as much as we could. He lightly kissed my lips before climbing the outer wall to his room. I climbed back in the Women's Room Window and saw it was almost three in the morning. I went through the secret passage, trying not to leave water prints everywhere, and changed in my pajamas before slipping under my covers. My heart was still hammering in my chest, but I fell asleep a few minutes later.

I spent the week-end preparing for the Garden Party, choosing tablecloths, dishes, drinks, music, my outfit, and what to say if I was interviewed, which was pretty much going to happen.

Sunday afternoon, I decided to spend some time with one of the Selected. I went to the second floor and knocked on room 14.

"Oh, hello, Isodora," he said with a smile on his lips and opening the door wider. "Come in, come in."

"Thank you, Roy." I stepped in and looked all around his room, where books of all sorts and size were opened and scattered on the floor.

"Are those your books?" I asked as I sat on his desk chair.

"I wish," he said. "No, they're just books I found on bookshelves throughout the Palace. But don't worry, I wrote on a piece of paper in which room I took them."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm glad those books are read once in a while."

"I saw you read a lot," he said, a little bit sheepishly.

"Yeah, but not these. I read novels." I shrugged. I noticed a notebook opened on his desk. "You write, too?"

He chuckled nervously. "Occasionally, yes. But I mostly do research."

"What topic?"

"History. I help my sister — who is a history professor — in class lessons."

"Really? I had lessons in History, but I never really paid much attention, to be honest."

He chuckled. "Then maybe you haven't heard the exciting bits. For example, did you know that Mexico — which is now Paloma, and bits of Sonage and Bonita — had a president for only forty-five minutes?"

"Really? That's interesting." I paused, and my gaze stopped on his notebook again. "Hey, do you think you could read to me something you wrote?"

"Something I wrote? Um, I guess I could." He blushed slightly and took the notebook from his desk and flipped through the pages. "Okay, so this is only a piece of something longer." He cleared his voice. "Oh Violet, let carry in the sun; the glowing red from her dress that flows down; Oh truly she had pierced my heart and sent me to the high heavens."

"That's beautiful. What is it from?"

He shrugged. "Just a short monologue I wrote in my spare time." He put back the notebook on his desk and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I'm impressed. I read a lot, but I can't put three words together like this."

"Maybe not, but I'm sure you can do other things that people can't do, right?"

"Like what?"

"Like ruling a country?"

"No, I'm not ruling the country. Father is."

"It'll be your turn someday."

I laughed humorlessly. "Even when I become Queen, father will still be breathing down my neck and pulling the strings, making me do whatever he wants. I'm just a puppet."

He frowned. "No you're not. You're strong and independent."

"I wish." I sighed deeply. "Anyway. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Um, sure. But, um… I know you've been having dinner outside in the night with some other guys, but, um, do you think we could eat inside?"

"Of course." I smiled. "Dinner by candlelight. I like that. I'll come and get you around seven o'clock, okay?"

He smiled, his bright sea blue eyes lighting up. "I'll be ready."

I stood. "I'll see you later, then." I smiled and walked away, closing his door behind me. I decided to take a stroll in the gardens, and found Watson on a bench, a large notepad on his lap, and a pen sliding purposefully on the paper. He didn't hear me come close, and I looked at what he was doing over his shoulder.

"You're talented, Watt," I whispered in his ear, making him jump.

"Jeeze, don't scare me like that," he said closing the notepad, with a hand on his heart.

"Sorry," I smirked. "Can I see your drawings?" I sat next to him.

"Um, I don't think you want to see them. The concepts are all pretty much out there. It's mostly just ideas that pop into my head and they have to get drawn down on paper." He shrugged.

I chuckled. "You know, I don't really go 'out there', so I have no idea what has already been done."

He looked at me curiously. "All right." He opened his book and put it on my lap. I started at page one, and went from there. There were some comic strips, some sketches of random characters he had created and some urban scenery.

"I'm going to repeat myself, but you truly are talented, Watt."

He blushed. "Thanks."

"What are you going to do with these?"

He smiled shyly, his light blue eyes shining with pride. "I'm working on a graphic novel series. I have the whole story pinned down in another notebook, and I'm trying to sketch the characters and scenes where it takes place before really starting."

"Watt, this is awesome," I almost shouted. "I really hope you publish this."

He grinned slyly. "Here, look at this." He flipped through the remaining pages and showed me a female character with an awesome dress. "I based that character on you."

I squealed. "She looks like a badass heroine."

He chuckled. "She is. Her name is Ysolda. It has different meanings in different languages, such as 'the fair' or 'rule of ice'. She's going to be one of the main characters, actually."

"Wow, what an honor," I said, really meaning it.

"Yeah, well. You've inspired me. She's going to kiss ass in heels, of course, and always be flawless, even when she saves everyone."

"Huh. Sounds like an awesome story. Does she have to save the guy, or does the guy save her?"

"Neither. They work together. But I haven't decided who he's going to be, yet. Maybe I'm waiting to see how this Selection ends up, you know? I need inspiration for the male character."

"Wow, you surely are on the right path to success. If there's anything I can do to help you accomplish this project of yours, please tell me."

"Being in the Selection helps a lot already, because once I'm back home, I'm going to be famous, and I'll be able to publish easily."

"Who says you're going home?" I asked slyly.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Please. There are nineteen men here who are much more suited for this than I am. Besides, I think I'd be happier with my series published, than being Prince Consort."

"Is that so?" I chuckled.

He shrugged. "Yeah. Are you gonna send me home?" He asked, making a face.

"No. You need the money and it's the least I can do." I kissed his cheek. He smiled shyly, and I continued my stroll. I heard the six o'clock ding from the opened garden doors, and rushed back to my room to get ready for my date.

I took a shower taking my time, and letting the water flow over me, thinking of what I was going to wear.

I chose a sapphire blue dress with short butterfly sleeves, and a skirt that was shorter in the front, and floor length in the back, with a pair of silver heels. Judy fixed my hair in a messy fishtail braid over my shoulder and added a pair of pearl earrings. My make-up was light and natural. Five minutes before seven o'clock, I was ready. I went downstairs, but Roy was already waiting for me in front of his room.

"You know, I really like your vintage-y clothing style. It's a nice change in the middle of all those fancy modern suits."

"Thank you," Roy said, bowing and kissing the back of my hand. "You look stunning tonight, Isodora."

"Thank you. Shall we?"

He nodded and gave me his arm, and I kicked myself for wearing heels, because he was shorter than me. I led us in a small library on the first floor and his eyes lit up as he saw all the old books and maps on the wall.

"This room is perfect," he said. I hoped he would say 'awesome' or something like that, but Roy always talked with an air of refinement and didn't use too expressive words. So I guess 'perfect' was a good word. I smiled and watched him as his fingers brushed the book spines on the shelves, leading him to an old map of America, what was before Illéa. He followed the Province- I mean State lines with a finger and was lost in his thought.

"Oh, my goodness, Isodora, I'm so sorry, I was distracted by the map."

I chuckled. "It's all right. I chose this particular room for you, so enjoy it." I nodded encouragingly and sat at the table, observing him. A footman brought in some drinks, and I sipped mine, Roy still lost in the old map.

"I'll come back another time," he said sitting across from me. "I am not going to abandon the Princess for an old map. It can wait." His cheeks turned red, and he cleaned his glasses — again.

"You clean your glasses all the time," I said chuckling. "What is wrong with them?"

"They get fogged up easily and they're a bit scratched, so I always feel like they're dirty, when they aren't. It has become a habit." He shrugged.

"So what do you prefer? Doing research or teaching?"

"Research. I really started helping my sister for the money, but I grew fond of teaching and of the students. Especially if they ask interesting questions, which I love to answer. And if I don't know the answer, I'll do some research until I find it. That's the best part of the job."

"You're lucky to have a passion like this. I wish I had one."

"Don't you like doing anything at all? Enough for it to be a passion?" he asked kindly.

"Besides from reading books?" I chuckled. "Not really. There are things I like to do, but I can't say they are passions."

"And what are they?"

"Don't laugh, okay?" I playfully warned him.

"Of course, not. How could I dare make fun of the Princess, honestly?" He chuckled, but then turned very serious, ready to hear my answer.

I sighed. "Okay. I like cooking," I said, and I saw the corners of his mouth lift up before he forced them back down with a frown, but failing to not laugh.

"A princess who cooks? Now this is something special." I could see on his face that he was willing himself not to laugh.

"Go ahead, laugh, and I'll tell you something else I like to do."

He let go his chuckles. "Okay, I'm done." He got all serious again, but I could clearly see he wanted to laugh.

I ignored his muffled chuckles, and continued. "I love to ride. By the way, it's been almost two week since I haven't ridden Stella."

"That's more of a Princess thing."

"No, that's just a cliché." We both laughed and the footman came in with our dinner. We ate and chatted all along, going over things we liked to do — besides from reading and writing, I learned he liked to sing — and what we despised doing. It was really fun and an easy-going conversation. And out of nowhere the clock rang eleven o'clock. We had just spend four hours talking and laughing.

I really enjoyed this young man with the light brown tousled hair, sea blue eyes and vintage look. How on earth was I going to choose at the end? Because I had a feeling father would never let me go without a man at my side after the three months deadline.

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