Chapter 10

After the trouble she got into on her outing with Prince Jun, Alex was grounded indefinitely to the confines of her room. In addition to not being able to roam the palace grounds, she also wasn't allowed to socialize with any of the princes. And of course any trips outside the palace were so far out of the question that Ivan glared at her if she even thought about it. He was surprised though when she didn't complain about these conditions at all. Instead, each day found her sitting at her desk with a pencil and notebook in hand while she poured over the history books Prince Chezem had loaned her.

"I never would have expected you to be so dedicated in your studies," said Ivan. "It's quite refreshing."

He stood by her side and peered over her shoulder every now and then.

"Just thinking about some things Prince Jun said."

"Ah," he nodded that he understood. "Yes, Master Jun is quite a serious young man."

"Yeah, seriously a major jerk," she grumbled. She sighed and reluctantly admitted that he did leave his desired impression upon her.

"I hate to say it, and I mean I really hate to say it, but he did get some stuff right." She winced as just even saying those words left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Sitting in on the meeting helped me understand a little bit about how the government here works but I need to learn a lot more or else my choosing the next king will just be based on half-baked ideas."

He wanted to tell her that the entire situation was a 'half-baked idea' courtesy of his majesty, King Tamir, but he bit his tongue. He instead focused on the positive that at least someone was learning something from all of this.

"I would expect nothing less from him," he said with a knowing laugh. "He may come across as callous but Master Jun is quite thoughtful."

She shot him a look and didn't believe that for a minute, "in what possible way?"

"Well..." He put his hand to his chin as he thought of the best way to explain Jun's sharp attitude. "Let's take for example, on your date with him you visited Meheret, correct?"

"Yeah? Prince Jun said he was rebuilding it but he didn't say why."

"This is just my opinion," he said cautiously, "but I think that neighborhood is very close to him. It is where he was born and raised before coming to live in the palace. It only makes sense that he would want better for the people who live there."

Confused and shocked, she shut the book she had been reading and gave Ivan her full attention.

"He was born there? Then how did he become a candidate for the throne? I thought only the king's high-born sons could become the next king?"

He wagged his finger, tut-tutting that Prince Jun was not to be written off so easily.

"Social climbing is a difficult task but not impossible, especially for someone with his dedication. But that is something you're better off asking Master Jun himself," he added. He spoke of it with a natural pride and although he could tell the story, he insisted that such personal matters would be better coming from their source.

"So that means..."

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in her lap as she thought it over. It certainly seemed reasonable that Jun would want to give back to his community. Still, she had a tough time of thinking of him as the typical 'jerk with a heart of gold'.

"He did say something like slums are the failure of the government'. I thought he was just pretending to care about 'free education' and 'worker's rights' and things like that to win me over?"

"Although he might pay lip service when it suits him, I doubt he was pretending."

She was once again left in awe of what Prince Jun was capable of. He had said he was the best candidate to take the throne and at this moment, it certainly sounded like no lie. He was a champion of the poor and the enemy of the society that would oppress them. An immediate red flag went off in her head though. If it sounded too good to be true, than it always was.

"But...," she sang accusingly.

"Please speak in complete sentences," he chastised her with a look of warning on his face.

"But what else," she made a beckoning motion with her hand, inviting him to tell her more. "All that sounds good and well, but there's got to be a downside, right? There's got to be something wrong with him!"

Ivan removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. She wasn't wrong in her words, but was wrong in the coarse way she had phrased it. He was used to it now though and supposed that she would always be rough around the edges. In a way, hearing such an indelicate way of speaking coming from such a cute face was a part of her charm.

"Miss Alexandra, please. Such rude gossip is disrespectful."

"I'm sorry," she said. She sulkily turned back to her book. "I forgot you were the fun police. No fun allowed, ever."

"If you can't have fun without being insulting, than perhaps you need to reevaluate the kind of fun you're having."

She wanted to argue back and opened her mouth with a finger pointing at him. He awaited her response with his brow raised and a smile that dared her to object. She then thought better of it and turned away with an angry expression. She knew he was right in the end. At least his being right was less detestable than when it was Prince Jun being right. Comparing them, she would take Ivan's smug look any day.

"If you're done arguing, I thought I might give you a chance to stretch your legs. Consider it a reward for being so well-behaved thus far, relatively speaking."

She shut the book closed and practically jumped up from her chair.

"Yes please! That would be lovely." As she had spent a straight week confined to her room, she wondered if she had forgotten what the outside world looked like. She certainly had the four walls of her room memorized well enough.

"You'll be training of course," Ivan added in a stern tone. "The royal family has a horse ranch just outside the city. You'll be taking riding lessons once again."

"I thought you said this was a reward," she whined.

"I know you have some apprehensions and I certainly don't fault you for them. I'll be riding alongside you this time as a precaution."

She did feel slightly better knowing that he'd be nearby in case something happened again but was still uneasy. She stayed quiet and tried to think of it as just another job to get through.

During the ride over in a luxury car, she watched the scenery change from a bustling city full of people to a hilly countryside populated only by tall grass, dry plants, and thorny shrubs. They turned down an unmarked dirt road alongside a high stone wall and a few minutes later reached a wooden gate. It opened to reveal the land beyond as property of the royal family. There were a number of buildings including barns, stalls, and paddocks. There was a training ring for jumping fences and a race track circled the area.

There was also an office and boarding house that was home to a small team of staff members. Their full-time jobs were to train and care for the royal family's horses. They greeted Alex respectfully, but stood in a military drill line when awaiting Ivan's orders. They already had two horses prepared but he gently refused. He instead insisted that he and Alex would tack their own horses.

She could at least do that much without incident. She didn't mind at all when brushing or petting the horse. She could even put the saddle on just fine. But putting the bit on always spooked her. Her fear was that the horse would not-so-accidentally chomp down on her fingers. But she got through it as well as the rest of the steps. After a stable hand inspected her work, she mounted the horse and with a squeeze of her legs, walked it out of the barn. She brought it to rest by the side of the fence while she waited for Ivan. Her nerves were not settling no matter how she tried to calm herself down.

"You look beautiful," came a voice behind her.

"What?" She turned her horse to face him as his own horse came trotting over.

She was taken aback for a moment at seeing him in riding gear. He was only wearing the standard uniform but it was still vastly different than seeing him in a suit. Maybe it was the tight breeches or the pinched jacket, but whatever it was, it made him look more muscular than before. Even his riding helmet cast a handsome shadow over his face.

"Your form," he answered. "Back straight, heels low, elbows in a straight line to the reins. It's an immense improvement."

"Oh, thanks," she said weakly. No matter how good her form was, she still wore a look of dread on her face.

"There's nothing to be scared of," he told her. "I'm right here. Remember to keep steady. Only your hips should be moving in time with the horse's rhythm. Now follow me. We'll practice walking."

She let out a sigh of despair but followed his orders. They walked in circles, first around the small ring and then around the track. When she got the hang of walking, he taught her to trot. He switched his place from riding alongside her to sometimes behind her as he watched her for any mistakes. He corrected her posture, reminded her of her grip on the reigns, and only occasionally took over when he needed to teach her a new technique.

After she was comfortable with walking, the next thing was to teach her to trot at different paces. They rode around the large track and he sporadically called out orders. Her fear died down not long after and she began to enjoy herself. She began to trust the horse more with each small victory every time it followed her commands. Her smile grew wider with every word of praise Ivan showered upon her. He smiled in return at seeing her confidence bloom as she gained experienced.

"You're doing very well," he cheered as he trotted alongside her. "You're coming along splendidly!"

"Yes, that's because we're a team," she said as she lightly petted the horses mane.

"Oh, is that right," he laughed. "Earlier you called it, what was it... 'A blood thirsty hell-mount', I believe. But now you're a team?"

"I only take back some of what I said. It still might kill me, but now I'm okay with that. We've come to an understanding."

"Then if you're feeling up for it, how about a trail ride before we head back to the palace?"

She followed him out the main gate and they rode side by side through the hills. It was good exercise and she was happily enjoying an activity she would have dismissed before as boring. The landscape, although arid, was still beautiful to look at. She was just wondering where the country got its water from and if it even had any when a drop of rain hit her on the cheek. She looked up to see heavy black clouds rushing in. She stopped her horse and sang his name in question.

"Ivan..."

"I see it," he answered. "It looks like just a small storm but we should take shelter either way."

"Should we hurry back to the ranch?"

"No," he said brusquely. "It's too far and it's still too soon for you to be galloping. There should be a hunting lodge up ahead. We'll stay there until it passes."

The light drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour by the time they reached the lodge. They were both soaked through to the bone. They dismounted and tied up the horses to a post in a lean-to on the side of the building so that the animals would at least have some shelter.

Ivan bounded up the back steps of the building and she was right on his tail. He opened the door without as much as a knock. She didn't even hear the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole and wondered if he had just broken in. They stepped in and she shut the door behind her with a sigh of relief. It was immediately apparent that they were in another royal residence. There was no way any normal hunting lodge in the middle of nowhere would be the size of a miniature mansion and have such expensive looking furnishings.

She turned to him to ask what they should do next but the sight of him took her breath away.

He took his riding helmet off and shook his hair free. He tried to comb it back with his fingers but the damp locks hung free, framing his face and brushing his shoulders. In a hurry to get undressed, he threw aside his riding jacket and peeled off the wet shirt that clung to him.

Now she knew why he looked so muscular in the riding gear, it was because he was. She stared in awe. He wasn't as thickly built as the king, he was a bit leaner, but he was certainly sturdier than any of the young princes. His body was toned in way that clearly wasn't just for vanity. Every muscle was built from and for strenuous use and it showed.

The first thing that caught her eyes was his abs. They weren't chiseled or deeply carved like on a bodybuilder. They were lightly defined with a taut pull. She had no idea what the proper name for the muscles on his sides were called but she liked the way they rippled down his waist. Her eyes traveled up to his chest and her jaw dropped at seeing his pectoral muscles. For some reason, 'bouncy' was the only word that came to mind, along with an urge to touch them and test her theory. She looked at the way his shoulders and biceps bulged when he curled his arms and felt a sense of outrage. No wonder his punches were knock-outs.

Without the cumbersome riding jacket, the riding breeches gave his legs a nice shape. She lamented that she wouldn't know what was between them until he took them off. His hands reached for his the belt buckle, ready to undo them with the same quickness he had when taking of his shirt. She put her hands over her mouth and let out a loud gasp. He whipped his head around as if he suddenly remembered her presence and walked over to her.

"Are you staring," he asked.

"No!" She answered quickly and turned to look elsewhere. Her face was burning red and the coldness she felt in the rain had been long forgotten. "I was uh... trying to... look at something behind you but you were in the way."

"Is that so?"

He grinned with a sweet wickedness at her lie as he kept moving closer. Her eyes darted back and forth from his bare chest to the troubling smile on his face. She could grope him and say it was an accident since he was so close. At this point, she could claim self-defense. Still, she didn't dare it as he backed her into the door.

"Miss Alexandra, as invaluably rare as this moment of silence from you is, please accompany it with moving."

"Moving where?"

"Take off your clothes."

She stayed still and gawked at him in confusion. This was certainly more straightforward and audacious than she had expected him to be. If the horseback riding been a ruse and maybe this was actually her reward, she could accept it. When she didn't move, he grabbed her by the hand and walked her through the lodge.

"You'll catch a cold if you keep those wet things on," he explained.

He led her upstairs and through the first bedroom straight to the washroom. He let go of her hand and moved around the room like a whirlwind. He turned on the water in the shower to test it and then checked the linen cabinet for fresh towels.

"Please undress and take a warm shower. There are robes here for you to put on. There's a laundry room in the basement where your clothes can be dried. In the meantime, I'll try to get the fireplace in the parlor working."

"What about you," she asked with sincere concern. "You're going to shower and dry off too, right? I'm not letting you get sick either."

"I'll be fine," he smiled. "My first duty is to ensure your good health and safety. So please."

He waved towards the shower and she nodded that she understood. She wondered if he was going to volunteer to undress her again but to her disappointment, he didn't even stay to watch. He was gone in a flash and she could hear his heavy footprints hurry down the stairs. She supposed that the sooner he got the fireplace going, it would make the entire place a lot warmer for the both of them.

She dropped her clothes in a pile on the floor and stepped into the shower. She let the warm water wash away her chills until the heat and steam became too much to stand. When she got out of the shower, her clothes were gone and a robe was hung on the door. She was a little embarrassed that he had managed to slip in unnoticed, grab her clothes, hang a robe, and then slip out all without her noticing. She wondered if he had seen her though the fog of the shower's glass doors. More than that, she wondered if it made him feel anything.

After towel drying her hair and body, she put on the robe and set off to find him. A draft still blew through the house but it was far warmer than it had been when they first entered. He was sitting on a couch in the downstairs living room. True to his word, the fireplace was lit with a warm and inviting fire. He got up on his feet and nervously cleared his throat the moment she took a seat next to him.

"There's a kitchen here. If you're hungry, I could fix you something to eat."

"Are you hungry," she asked, taking a small offense to his sudden movement.

"I don't think it's a bad idea," he answered.

"Than I'll go with you."

"No," he objected quickly and firmly before she could even finish standing up. "You need to stay warm so just relax."

"I'm fine," she said angrily. "If you keep moving around, you'll be the one ending up with a cold!"

He sighed in defeat and stared at her with a tired expression. Her stubbornness was a luxury he couldn't afford in his position, or one that he shouldn't be able to. He became angry when he noticed the way she was shaking.

"You're shivering!" He pulled her closer to the fire and pushed her down onto the couch. "Are you really that cold?"

"Yeah..." She blushed at her own weakness. "But I get cold easily. It happens all the time so it's nothing to worry about."

In truth, the shower was the culprit. The steam that clung to her body turned cold the moment she was hit by a blast of air.

"Perhaps we'd both be warmer if I just held you." He meant it as an off-handed remark but she gave him a questioning look. "I'm just joking."

After an awkward pause, she timidly leaned against him, "it's not a bad idea."

She spoke in a small voice and looked straight ahead at the fire, too nervous to see his reaction. He hesitated a moment as he turned over the consequences in his head. He reached no conclusion but without saying a word, he put his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. He was careful how he sat her down, lest the tension between them be made worse. He kept his arms around her waist and held her robe closed. She put her arms around his neck in surprise but found her new seat comforting. Their body heat was a welcomed warmth.

"Is that better," he asked with a soft smile on his lips.

"Yeah..." She leaned her had against his chest and bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling too hard. "Are you alright? Are you cold?"

"As fiery as you are, I think I'm the warmest I've ever been," he laughed.

She wanted to hide her face but had nowhere to turn. The beating of the rain rumbled with a clap of thunder. The sudden noise made her jump and reflexively, she clung to him even more. He held her tighter and brushed her hair away from her face as he cooed in her ear.

"It's just a summer storm. It should pass quickly."

She laid her head back down against him and let her hands hang on his shoulders. Her fingers lightly traced his collar bone and she pretended not to hear his sharp gasp or feel him react. She stopped and waited for him to scold her. Instead, he joined her game and lazily brushed his thumb up and down her neck. She closed her eyes and was at ease with the idea of falling asleep like this, the soft beat of the rain behind a crackling fire as she cuddled up to him.

"Have you been working at the palace long?"

"Since his majesty was crowned," he answered. "And a bit before that so yes, for a quite a while."

"How'd you become a butler," she asked with a yawn.

When he didn't answer, she looked to him for an answer. He tried to give her a cold look of reprimand but couldn't hide his kindling affection.

"That's a rather long story."

"I don't mind," she yawned again. "I want to hear it."

"It sounds like what you want to hear is a bedtime story," he said. "And if that is the case, than I best put you to bed."