Chapter 8

Alex awoke that morning to the slow ringing of a bell. She expected to open her eyes and see Ivan with another of his ideas on how to get her to wake up earlier. Instead, she was greeted by a small crowd of maids.

"Good morning," they called out in chorus.

She shot upright in bed and looked around the room; she counted six women staring back at her. One woman stood next to her bed and was holding the bell that had woken her up.

"Good morning…" she nervously replied.

"If you're ready now," said the maid by her side, "we'll begin."

"Begin what?"

Without giving an answer, they pulled her from bed and escorted her to the washroom. They drowned out her protests with quick hands as they striped her bare and dunked her into the waiting bath. Even as she fought for a moment of peace, they worked faster than she could move in her confused state. They had her washed and dried in a matter of minutes. They massaged her skin with cream and styled her thick hair with braids and lotion.

While two maids worked on her hair, another two dressed her. They pushed, pulled, pinched, and tucked her into a dress. Another two pairs of hands applied her makeup. Despite still being extremely anxious as to what they were dressing her up for, she had to admit that they had incredible coordination as a team. After they finished their work, they took a step back and waited for her approval.

"Will that be all, ma'am?"

She looked in the mirror and her eyes widened in shock. She cooed over herself as she turned her head this way and that. The makeup was shades of pink and gold. Her hair was pulled away from her face in an unfinished crown braid and the back was left to freely drape her shoulders with shiny and bouncy curls. They even arched her brows and applied false lashes to look as natural as possible.

She stood to look at the dress they had put on her, though in her opinion they had done such a good job on her makeup that the dress didn't matter. Her eyes widened in a different kind of shock when she got a good look at it. It was adorable, with lace accents here and there. It was also the opposite of chaste.

Ivan had taught her that as a general rule for women in the palace, modesty meant no visible shoulders, knees, or cleavage. Her current attire didn't just break that rule, it spat on it and salted the ground on which it stood. The dress had thin straps, its hem stopped at her thighs, and the neckline was cut low in both the front and back.

"I can see my entire spine," she said as she turned to the side.

The maids looked at one another in fear and exchanged glances of guilt, blame, and 'I told you so'.

"We can find something else for you to wear, if you'd like?"

"No," she said with a mischievous smile. "I love it!"

She laughed to herself and could hardly contain her excitement. She knew she was baiting trouble and just asking for Ivan to be upset with her but the opportunity was too good to pass up. She almost did a little dance in joy, looking forward to discharging his temper.

She stepped out of the dressing room and jumped in surprise at seeing Prince Jun waiting for her. He was seated on the chaise lounge by the window and greeted her with an approving grin as he looked her up and down. The maids bowed their heads and excused themselves from the room. They left just as quick and as quiet as they had entered. Jun relaxed his gaze as he rose from his seat.

"So it's true what they say, fine feathers make fine birds."

She gave him a polite smile but scrunched her brows in confusion as she tried to understand his backhanded compliment. She still didn't understand why he was in her room to begin with.

"Thank you? Is there something I can help you with, Prince Jun?"

"You can hand me the succession on a silver platter," he teased.

She stopped smiling and was quick to correct him.

"Actually, I can't. I have to-"

"Choose the best candidate," he finished. "I know. I have no problem with it. Just be sure that you do."

She nodded in agreement but was more cautious of his subtle nature then the threat of his words.

"I assume you're ready, so let us be on our way."

He grabbed her hand, hooked her arm in his, and pulled her along through the palace at a brisk pace.

"Wait a minute, where exactly are we going?"

"Sight-seeing," he answered. "It is what you came here for, correct?"

Ivan's words flashed through her mind. He had said that he would have one of the princes show her around for a day of leisure but she hadn't expected it to be Jun. As if he read her mind at that moment, he narrowed his eyes and took a cold sidelong glance in her direction.

"Is something the matter?" A tone superiority and contempt seeped through his words, warning her that the wrong answer would be met with unpleasant consequences. "Would you prefer someone else over me?"

"It's not that," she said quickly. "It's just that I thought... you'd be busy with work or something."

He seemed placated by her answer and returned to his genteel demeanor. He reasoned that if she were asking him such a question, it meant that she still didn't understand her position. If she was still seeing herself, rightfully so, as beneath him, then he could continue to use his feigned kindness to take advantage of her. He softened his voice and grabbed her hand.

"You could say that I feel like indulging you today," he whispered in a sultry tone.

Her eyes widened in shock and darted about as she processed what was happening. Was this what Ivan meant when he said he would arrange for her to have a 'good day'? What the hell was he thinking and why? Unable to think of anything else to say to him, she just smiled wide and stared at anything other than Jun. But maybe she was over reacting? The brief moments she had spent with him before, he had been polite and, as she recalled her first dinner, he was even helpful. He too was an heir to throne and so she tried to cull her judgment and give him a fair chance.

They walked down the steps of the main palace doors to the driveway. He released her arm and two men helped her into a waiting limousine. She guessed from their sunglasses that they were either private security or chauffeurs. One of the men held her hand to support her as she carefully slid into the backseat, mindful of her short dress, the other held open the door and then closed it behind her.

While they held open the door for him, Jun needed no dainty treatment to help him climb in or out of the car. After the doors shut behind them, the limousine took off. She and Jun sat apart from each other in silence. She stared out the window and watched the palace lawns go by. They were beautiful fields of greenery with trees and flowers. Down the center of the lane was a series of long water fountains. Each of its intersections was marked with a statue of some past king, historic event, or important figure from mythology. Then the limousine drove under a colossal stone arch, through gilded gates, and into the outside world.

There was nothing but paved road and brick ground outside the palace in every direction. The miles of nothing had been a conscious decision made long ago for at least three reasons; water conservation, snipers, and runners. Ivan had told her this tidbit on information just in case she ever thought she could abandon her duty. There were no buildings to run to, no field to hide in, no trees to provide shade, and running on an unforgiving ground combined with the relentless Sun overhead would do the rest. That fact had terrified her at first, but now that she was involved in a potentially dangerous matter, it made her feel a bit safer.

After passing through the empty landscape, they entered the city proper. All sorts of buildings lined both sides of the streets. People swarmed the sidewalks and cars crowded the streets. The dense traffic amazed her. Jun looked over and caught her craning her neck upwards to see the towering skyscrapers.

"Do you think such mundane buildings are something special?"

"Not really," she turned to him and answered without thinking. "They're just buildings."

She bit her tongue and cursed herself. What if he liked architecture and she had just insulted him? What if they had some historical significance and she had just insulted the whole country?

"They look pretty," she added, hoping to correct her mistake.

"What a thoughtless answer," he laughed. "You really do say the first thing that comes to your mind, don't you?"

She sulked in offense at his observation although he was exactly right.

"Am I supposed to think these buildings are special," she asked in an irritated voice.

"I see." He looked at her with a glint in his eyes. "The person who's to decide the fate of our country can't even form her own opinion over such a simple subject."

"Okay..." She clenched her fists, and tried to keep from smacking him in his smug face. "You want my opinion? My opinion is that they're just buildings."

"You say that because you don't know any better," he replied. "Get out of the car."

"What?" Was he kicking her out of the car and leaving her to fend for herself?

"We've arrived. Get out already."

The car door opened and she stepped out and looked to see where they were. They had pulled up to the glass entrance doors of a huge shopping center. She gasped and her face lit up in delight. Jun stood behind her and was satisfied at her star struck reaction. He tilted his head upwards as he sought to impress her.

"This is-"

"The Citadel," she squealed in delight.

"Yes..." He cleared his throat and tried again, determined not to be undone. "It has-"

"Five floors of shopping! Over one thousand and two hundred stores, over one hundred and twenty restaurants and cafes, a luxury hotel, a movie theater, an aquarium, an ice-rink, an arcade, an indoor theme park, and," she paused to catch her breath from the excitement, "the largest candy shop in the world!"

As she could barely contain her glee, he stewed in his anger.

"How vapid," he sneered.

She paid his insult no mind and instead asked him if they could go inside. The Citadel of Eber-Nari was one the largest malls in the world. It was also the only reason she had chosen this country for her vacation. She strolled through its doors as if she were walking on air.

The inside of the mall mixed modern architecture with arabesque designs that enchanted the atmosphere. Small alcoves led to empty walls, but when they were viewed at another angle, they revealed themselves to be optical illusions that opened up to large rooms with plush couches for resting. Escalators were reimagined as grand staircases and had room for more than just two people standing side by side. Large planters holding various plants such as flowers and palms that had come from the mall's own floral shop were placed here and there as further decorations.

She looked around and let out a wistful sigh. The stores were packed with goods. Signs that read 'sale', 'new arrivals', and 'special offer' were plastered in every window. She wanted to cry when she remembered that she had absolutely no money. This whole 'choosing a king' business didn't pay fast enough. Or rather, it didn't pay at all. There was no way she was going to ask Prince Jun to loan her money. Even if she wanted to, she probably couldn't afford whatever he charged for interest.

"What's the matter, does nothing here suit your taste?"

"It's not that..."

Even as she answered him, her gaze was focused on the window display of a clothing store. She recognized some of the clothes as being the same brand as the clothes in her armoire. That answered the question of where her wardrobe had come from. Now she was staring with longing and burning curiosity.

"If there's anything you want, just point to it and it's yours."

"No, I can't but thank you," she said with the firm courtesy she had been taught.

"It's not a personal favor," he said, mocking the thought that he would spend his own money on her. "It's an order from his majesty. It's how all of the royal family shops, especially the princesses."

He pointed over her shoulder and she looked back and saw a small group of men in suits and sunglasses. Now she knew why such a famous mall felt so empty. People were keeping their distance for their own safety.

"Their shopping sprees are notorious, you know." He flipped his hair and gave her a mischievous grin. "Simply walk into a store and point to anything you want. The sales people and the servants will handle the rest. It'll all be delivered to your room in the palace. Wouldn't you like to try it? When can you say you'll ever get such treatment ever again?"

Even as she wrestled with the idea, her feet began moving toward the clothing store.

"I couldn't possibly," she protested weakly.

"I'm just a guest after all," she said as she stepped through the door. "There's no way I could..."

She tried to sound unconvinced as she reached out to touch a beautiful dress that had caught her eye. It was made of a gauze-like fabric, had an aged lace overskirt, crochet sleeves, and velvet ribbons. She reached for the tag and turned it over.

"Spend $900.00 on a dress!?" She put it back immediately, shook her head, and put her hands up in defeat. "Oh no. No. Nope. I can't do it. It was a nice dream while it lasted."

Prince Jun picked up the dress and held it out to her while eyeing it carefully.

"Don't be so modest," he urged her. "Princess Mahalia once spent $4 million dollars in a single afternoon. The price of your dress seems rather measly in comparison, doesn't it?"

"Even so, I'm not a princess. That's too much money for me to spend, or to have someone spend on me!"

"And what is it that makes this dress unworthy of its price," he asked.

Before she could answer, he began berating her in a cold tone of voice.

"So you're saying that no matter the amount of work that went into this dress, be it the designer, the seamstress, the manufacturer, the factory worker, or even these employees in this store, you won't buy their product based on the dollar amount alone? You looked at the price tag without looking to see if the craftsmanship was worth it. That shows you're a petty person. You may not be as lavish as the princesses but your actions are just as selfish."

He put the dress back on the hanger and walked out, sure of his superiority. She clenched her fists and ran after him.

"First of all, your highness," she yelled. "I'm not spending nine hundred dollars on a dress not because I don't think it's worth the price. I'm not spending nine hundred dollars because that's a lot of money to me! Do you know how much money I make an hour? Do you know how many hours I'd have to work to be able to consider buying something like that?!"

"That's the problem with your way of thinking," he responded. Before he could explain what he meant, their argument was interrupted by a shouted greeting.

"Yo, Jun! Alex!" It was Prince Alvah, waving wildly as he ran towards them.

"Yo," she waved back. So far Alvah seemed to be the only prince she could be completely casual around. They had similar attitudes when it came to formalities at least.

"Alex," he sang with a good-natured smile. "Are you off manners duty today? Want to go to theme park?"

"I'd love to but I can't," she told him with honest regret in her voice. "I'm sight-seeing with Prince Jun."

It was less sight-seeing and more listening Jun fault her for every little thing she said. Visiting a park with Alvah sounded much more fun.

"I see," he laughed. "It's not really usual for Jun to hang out with a girl."

"I wonder why," she said under her breath.

"Say what you will," said Jun dismissively. "And what are you doing here, Alvah? Did you just come from there?"

Jun spoke with indifference but crossed his arms in silent objection. With that small change, his entire demeanor became charged with animosity towards his brother.

"Nah, the arcade. The theme park's no fun by yourself." Alvah didn't seem to notice a thing and spoke as cheerily to his brother as he did everyone else. "What about you, Jun? How about all three of us go?"

Jun wrapped his arm around Alex's waist and pulled her close to him. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his fingers glide along her back.

"We can't," he answered. "We have plans. We have to be going now."

He turned quickly and began marching away.

"Sorry," Alex called out to him. "Another time!"

"It's cool," said Alvah, "and be careful!"

She wanted to ask what him what he meant but didn't get the chance. She tried to put some distance between herself and Jun but he would have none of it and kept a tight hold. He kept his eyes forward and ignored her discomfort. She was smothered by him until they got to the car and even then, he didn't let go of her. He half threw her into the backseat then climbed in and slammed the door behind him.

"Okay, with all due respect, your royal highness," she said sternly as she righted herself. "You need to watch your hands."

He laughed in defiance of her threat and countered with his own.

"Should I take your tone as a deterrent or an incentive?"

"Excuse you!?"

"The fault is still entirely yours so I see no reason to excuse myself. Do you know how much it cost to build this mall?"

"I don't and what does that have anything to do with anything?"

"Over $20 billion dollars," he answered. "It was the joint venture of several ministry departments who petitioned to his majesty to be given the funds to build it. Once it was completed, it became the site of a labor dispute. According to the laborers, they were paid less then promised, about $65 million less than promised. The dispute was settled when the ministry had the workers suppressed. The missing money was never recovered."

She shook her head in confusion. That did nothing to explain why she should buy an expensive dress that she couldn't afford. She really was going to punch him if he next decided to pretentiously lecture her on why she should only eat grass-fed organic chicken or something.

"I don't get it. I get the story, and that's a real sad and all, but it has nothing to do with me."

"Exactly," he said, triumphant that his beliefs were now validated by her own words. "You don't get it and the issues affecting this country have nothing to do with you. And yet you say you're going to make the best choice of who to put upon the throne. You're shallow and naive, and the best choice you can make is to give me the bracelet right now."

She wanted to scream. Not even Lambert had been this infuriating. She tried to think of what was the worst possible thing that could happen to her if she told him to go fuck himself? Would it be worth it in the end? Even if all the things he said were right, his condescending attitude made him insufferable.

"My answer is still no! I know that I have no business in this but I promised to try my best to make the right decision! I can't just hand it over, no matter how many times you ask!"

She crossed her arms and turned away from him in an enraged huff.

"And how are you going to make that decision?" He sat relaxed and confident as he listened for her answer.

"I'm going to... choose whoever proves themselves to be the best choice for the country."

She tried to sound sure of herself but ended her words with uncertainty. He was still right no matter how much she hated it. Seeing each of the princes at work meant nothing without context. She needed to know what the country needed, what the people needed, and then see what the princes had to offer before making her decision.

She cleared her throat and sat up straight in an attempt to make herself seem more imposing. She uncrossed her arms and put her hands in her lap. 'Speak clearly and enunciate,' she told herself, mimicking Ivan's voice in her head. The best and only comparison she could make was to treat it like a job interview and so, she looked at Jun with patronizing eyes.

"Prince Melchiorre told me you're best when it comes to domestic policy. How would that impact your reign if you were made king?"

Jun looked at her sudden change with wide-eyed astonishment. Then he began to laugh. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he doubled-over. He covered his mouth with his hand but made no effort to hide his belittlement.

She flashed a brief smile and then returned to giving him a dirty look. Before, she wasn't trying hard enough. Now that she was, he laughed at her. She told herself that she would just have to accept that nothing she could say or do would ever be good enough for him.

"That's adorable," he said mockingly as he wiped his eyes. "Alright. I'll play along."

He sat up and mimicked her practiced pose with his own, adding a smile and polished voice as if to show her up once again.

"I don't know what in all Melchiorre has told you but yes, I'm quite adept at managing our nation's internal affairs. However, having just one specialty would be completely useless as king. Therefore you should know that I'm involved with several other ministries as well."

She nodded along as she listened to his answer. Even if he was an ass, his act was flawless and still impressive.

"And what are some of the issues that you deal with?"

"My main concern is social welfare," he answered. "I see to the needs of the people, regardless of class or income. It's an expansive subject with a wide range of issues that reaches into nearly every branch of government."

"Is that so..." She knew now that she could use short phrases to buy her time while she was thinking. It seemed more polite to the other person than awkward silence and over stressed syllables. She was thinking of the vagueness of his answer and how it didn't tell her much of anything at all. Perhaps her questions weren't specific enough.

"Is social welfare a big need here in this country? From the story earlier, I thought you'd be more interested in finance or fair business practices?"

Jun didn't look the least bit upset that she had caught on to his trick and continued to give only pageant answers.

"The most important issue to me is income inequality. During my reign as king, I would enact policy reforms to reduce monopolization, discrimination, and market abuse. I would instead create programs that would provide economic security to the poor, safety to immigrants seeking asylum, and quality public education which would thereby eliminate the unskilled and malleable labor force."

He stared at her with a glossy smile and batted his eyelashes. She rolled her eyes in defeat. If it sounded too good to be true, then it probably was, especially coming from him.

"Prince Jun, are you lying to me?"

"Of course not," he said with a short gasp. "I'm enjoying myself, in fact. Go on, continue asking your little questions."

"If you found a genie who could grant you any one wish, what would you wish for," she asked sarcastically.

"World peace."

She threw up her hands and slouched against her seat.

"Do I get a tiara and sash along with the succession," he asked. "Or is that after the swimsuit competition?"

She ignored him and stared out the window. She thought they were heading back to the palace but instead, they were driving through a rather run-down and terrifyingly bleak looking neighborhood. The people they passed were dressed in worn and discarded clothing. Children ran through the jagged streets without shoes and played games with dangerous objects they found lying around. There were small corner stores that were crowded and dimly lit. Entrepreneurs ran mobile carts selling homemade food and treats with questionable sanitation. The safety of bright lights and smiling faces were nowhere to be seen.

"Your highness, where are we," she asked, warily leaning back from the window.

He grabbed her shoulders and chuckled at her fear.

"I know you don't mind if I take a few minutes from our date to see to some personal matters. I'm supervising a construction project here and I want to see how it's coming along."

"A construction project? You mean your redevelopment thing with Minister Balam, right?"

"Yes. And let this stay between you and I," he whispered, "this project is dear to me and I'd rather not leave him alone."

She agreed with him without objection. The limousine pulled onto a dirt lot near a construction site full of sandbags, a cement truck, cranes, steel beams, and other machines. The neighborhood was being demolished and rebuilt a bit at a time. There were already some completed buildings not too far away. They were so brand new, the walls had yet to be painted and there was tape still on the glass windows.

Jun got out of the car and to her surprise, helped her out when she followed.

"This is Meheret," he told her. "It's a very old neighborhood. If you couldn't tell just by looking, it's a bit of a slum."

"Only a bit," she said, joining his jest.

"It's going to be completely upgraded and with no costs or threat of eviction to the current residents. Slums are a nation's failure. They're born from the neglect and willful ignorance of the government. With all my power, I will not turn a blind eye to those most in need."

He had a dreamy expression on his face and spoke of his plans for the neighborhood and its people with pride. Just from the look on his face alone, she could see he was determined to change things for the better. She was still skeptical but her jaw dropped as she wondered if he had seriously meant all that stuff he said in the car.

"Oh and after you hand me the bracelet and I'm crowned king," he said as he turned to her. "I'll thank God, the judges, and all my competitors for giving it a try. Even though they had no chance at all."

She was completely dumbfounded. Switching personalities again, he barked orders for her to stay by the car while he talked to Balam in private. He might as well have told her 'walk off and get into trouble', since that's exactly what she did. She had even managed to lose her security detail, all while trying to chase down a man on a bike who was selling fruit out of a milk crate. There was no excuse or explanation, just that she really wanted a grapefruit.

As the bike riding fruit-seller turned the corner, she thought she could cut him off by going through a short alley. Three men that had been loitering there stopped her in her tracks.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's the hurry," said the first man that had cut her off.

"Hey, aren't you all dressed up?" The second man eyed her form-fitting dress. "Real nice."

"Why don't you stick around? Let us show you a good time," said the third as he blocked her off from going back the way she came.

She rolled her eyes and snorted in disgust.

"Look, I just spent the entire day with the biggest jerk ever and I've really got a lot of pent up aggression. I'm telling you, you don't want any trouble."

The three men laughed.

"You're right, you're right," nodded the first. "We don't want any trouble at all, babe. You see, we're nice guys. So nice in fact, that we're going to help you get rid of all that pent up energy."

"Yeah," said the second as he placed a hand on her bare back. "We're gonna-"

He didn't get the chance to finish what he was going to say before she put him on the ground. She was a tiny woman but she had a lot of experience in fending off unwanted advances. When it came to any kind of physical confrontation where she was outnumbered or out muscled, being faster and evasive was the key.

He went down easy and predictably with SING (solar plexus/instep/nose/groin); an elbow in and up on his abs to knock the air out of him, a stomp on his whole foot and not just his toes, a punch to the button of his nose in an attempt to break the cartilage, and lastly was the classic knee to the groin. He bent over in pain and she took advantage of the opportunity to knock him to the ground by punching him as hard as she could in the face.

That was one assailant down but she was still outnumbered. There was no telling if the other two would be as stupid enough to just stand there. She took a boxing stance, backed herself against the wall so there'd be no surprises from behind her, and hoped her punches and kicks were fast enough to take down two guys at once. They rushed to attack and she immediately found out that they were not.

She deflected blows with her hands and arms and kicked as hard as she could. One of the men managed to grab her arm and pin her. He held her for only a moment. A sweep of his leg knocked him off balance and his own momentum made him easy for her to slam into the wall as she threw all her weight into it. She freed herself from him but it didn't keep him down. But now that she had a clear getaway, she tried to run for it. He grabbed her hair and pulled her back as she screamed in pain.

He was forced to let go after a one-two punch to the face made him stagger backwards. This time, an expertly delivered leg sweep combined with a graceful high-kick sent him flying and landed him on his back and in a world of pain. She wiped her tear-stained eyes to see that her savior and literal 'dressed in white' knight was none other the Prince Jun.

"I forgot to show you my talent portion of the competition, right?"

He smiled at her as if everything was fine and dandy, and not as if he had just intervened on what could've been a tragedy.

The last remaining man looked at the prince. He had seen what he had done to his partner. He tried to run the opposite direction down the alley, only it was now blocked by a much deadlier force; in front of him stood Ivan and the rest of the security team.

The only warning he got was a punch to the stomach that immediately knocked the wind out of him, then a brain-rattling punch to the head that put him to sleep. Between Jun's spinal injuring kick and Ivan's concussive blow to the head, she couldn't tell which of them had been more merciful or more cruel. It was quite possible they had just left those two men paralyzed for life.

By this time, the man that she had taken down had recovered well enough to move. He sat up and took a look around at the situation he was in. He took a look at his comrades on the ground, the dissonant smiling prince, the stone-faced butler, the woman that had knocked him out, and the team of men and women in suits. He quietly decided he wanted none of it and laid back down.

Prince Jun flipped his long hair over his shoulder and smugly congratulated himself, "like I said. Silver platter."

Alex was too worried about Ivan to cater to Jun's ego at the moment. She had compared Ivan to her mother before but that had been jokingly. Now, the look on his face was giving her flashbacks to violently dreadful childhood memories.

"I know what you're going to say and you're right," she said meekly, trying to calm him down.

He smiled, a sincere smile, but not a friendly smile. It only made her more afraid.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

He raised his eyebrows and nodded, still not saying a word.