Chapter 7

Games of Affection

The room had no windows and it was smaller than his own, it was filled with books and only one table stood in the middle at which Alfred sat. In front of him was a conductor's stand at which Jack Yao stood. It was Alfred's first day to learn to read and write and he was excited for it.

Finally he could study and prove himself but more importantly read what stood in the book he had found. He looked through it and there was so much stuff written and drawn and he wanted to know what it was about. There was a feeling in Alfred's chest that someone had placed the book there intentionally but who and why? Did someone want him to find it? If yes, did they know why he was here? How was he supposed to find out, he didn't know.

He got out of his thoughts when Yao smacked a wooden stick against Alfred's table to get his attention.

"I know the Prince wants me to teach you to write and to read but I decided to teach you more than that," Yao said with a serious expression.

"Really?"

Yao nodded and crossed his arms. "I've been watching you at the ball and what I've seen was horrible."

"Oh." Alfred slacked back in his chair.

"You have to study more subjects if you want to change and impress the Prince, the King, the parliament and me."

Alfred bounced with his leg and thought that these were way too many people to impress while Yao pulled out a newspaper and put it on Alfred's desk.

"Congratulations. You're in the newspaper, again," he said and Alfred smiled guilty about the masquerade from two days ago.

"Is it about the servant?"

"It is. Ms. Belle seems to like to write about you and your 'working class behavior' and we have to change that. First of all." He came around the table and straightened Alfred's back. "If I see you slacking your back, I will put a corset on you and I don't care that it's only for omegas." And put his elbows with the stick from the table.

He went back to his stand and sighed. "We have a lot to do, this means, you will study here for two hours a day and I expect you to study in your room by yourself as well for at least 8 hours if you have nothing else planned. You will have homework and I will test you on your new skills. If I see you not improving or slacking, I will take it as a sign that you're uninterested in changing and becoming a worthy candidate and I will stop teaching you because I have other more important things to do. Is that clear?"

Alfred needed a moment to comprehend all the information and nodded. He was excited before and now he's anxious about that but he'll do it for his own sake.

-

Keeping the back straight was harder than he thought. Alfred slacked his back and rubbed it, feeling the tension and the discomfort. At least he could keep his back like he wanted if Yao wasn't there to see him.

A door beside him opened when he walked back to his building in the corridor and Anthony went out of the room with a female omega servant laughing, but they stopped when they saw Alfred. Anthony's hair was ravished and he swiftly adjusted his shirt while the omega shyly walked away.

"I'm surprised you're allowed to walk alone without a babysitter," he said with a smug smile.

Alfred ignored him and wanted to walk around him but Anthony didn't let him and pushed him slightly back.

"What's your problem?"

"You can't speak to me with that kind of tone. You should go down on your knees and apologize for running into me."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not gonna do that."

"You shouldn't disrespect your future King!"

"Where is he? The King must be invisible." Alfred looked around sarcastically.

Anthony grabbed Alfred by the collar. "You little filthy-"

"That's enough. What is going on?" Yao said as he came towards them.

Anthony let go of him and put on his aristocrate laugh. "Nothing, Jack Yao. Just a slight misunderstanding."

"You're an idiot to think that I believe that," Yao said back and Anthony's smile faded.

The alpha might be rude to Alfred but he never could disrespect someone with the letter 'J' on their neck. Yao told him to go and Anthony went away with a bow to Yao.

"You have pride in yourself, I can see that," Yao said to Alfred and his gaze graced over him and Alfred immediately straightened his back.

"Normally, I don't talk back like this to aristocrats but he brings out the worst in me," Alfred explained.

"People like Sir Anthony like to push weaker people around and when those weaker people talk back, they get more irritated or even excited and worsen their actions. Anthony is pathetic, he's the type of man who gets physical if they're displeased but there are others who are by far worse. They play with your mind and know all your weaknesses. They manipulate you and break your spirit and strength." Yao looked up to Alfred seriously. "Beware those people, don't fall for their trap."

-

Warm hands caressed Arthur's body and moved all over him while soft lips gave him kisses on his face and his neck. Arthur chuckled and pushed Joao away from him and down on his bed again. "Stop that and get dressed," Arthur told him.

"It's almost the right sentence and I am dressed," Joao said and Arthur eyed him down and over his trousers and his semi open shirt.

"Not enough." Arthur smiled playfully and went to his door through his green and golden room.

Joao picked up his coat and stopped Arthur by his hand when he was about to leave into his hallway.

"Just one question, Your Highness," he began and put his arm above Arthur's head while the Prince leaned against the doorframe. "What's between us?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur played with Joao's open shirt and glanced at his tanned and well-formed chest.

"I'd like to know if this priority you gave me has anything to do with our promise?"

"My promise to marry you?"

"Yes. I know my proposal back then wasn't legitimate and I had to go because of my duties as a soldier and I understand that things happened in your life as well. The death of your brother and new responsibilities. We lost another."

Arthur forgot about Joao at that time. Francis came back shortly and then he was grieving and anything else but his responsibilities left his mind.

"I want to make sure we don't lose another this time. Especially with all the alphas around you."

"Are you asking me to marry you, again?" Arthur chuckled.

"I'd like to know if you still have feelings for me and accept me." He caressed Arthur's face with his hand, going up and down gently and stopping by the lips.

Before Arthur could say anything Yao came into the hallway through a door from the corridor. Joao and Arthur parted away abruptly, Yao only noted them and went into the living room without saying a word.

"We'll talk later, Joao," Arthur said and Joao gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving through the door which the Jack had come through.

Arthur sighed and walked to his right into his living room through an archway to Yao, who put some papers at the low table in the middle and sat down on one of the comfort sofas near the working fireplace.

"I remember sir Joao. He had been here already," Yao said and Arthur sat down on the other sofa. "If you already have a favorite, you can end the Selection quickly."

"I'm not sure yet," Arthur said and bit his lip thinking about Joao's question. Back then, he was just a distraction for him which almost could've ended in marriage and it made him wonder if that would've been the right path from the beginning. "Why did you come?"

"We need to work on the games for tomorrow. I wanted to come earlier but I was busy with Alan."

"It's good you didn't come earlier."

"I think so, too."

-

The next day the contestants were led to the music room for an announcement. The Jack stood with the Prince in front of them and announced a competition. In this competition they would play three games and the one who wins all of the games would win a special date with Prince Arthur.

The first game was a charade and at first Alfred was only watching the others and his team play to figure out how the game worked. He only knew if his team would win, they'd get to play the next game and he really wanted that. When it was his team's turn, Martin stood up and fished a piece of paper out of a bowl which a servant handed to him. He gave the paper back to the servant and stretched his hand out rather enthusiastically and stepped to the side.

"A bear!" Alfred said but Martin shook his head, making another pose. Lifting his arms more and standing on one leg. "A gearshift?"

"Ice skating," Joao said beside Alfred on the sofa and Martin nodded.

"Of course," Alfred said and just smiled at Joao.

Their team sat on the sofa and another part on chairs around the sofa while the other team sat on the opposite side of the room just like them. The next team did their pose and Alfred shouted his best guess but his team gave him some poisonous glances.

"You're not supposed to guess the other team's charade," Joao explained to him.

Alfred chuckled awkwardly. "Oh. Sorry." He looked over to Yao who watched him and Alfred immediately straightened his back and Yao rolled his eyes at him.

After their rivalry team, Alfred stood up and fished out a piece of paper, he looked at it and pretended to read it. He only started to study and didn't know every letter yet and so he decided to think of something himself. He nodded to the servant who turned a sand clock and Alfred put his hands in front of him and stretched them out while moving them like a wave.

"Water?" Martin asked, confused but Alfred shook his head.

"A bird?" A female alpha asked and Alfred shook his head again.

"I have no idea," commented someone else.

The sand in the clock fell down and the servant rang a bell.

"What was it?" they asked him.

"A fish," Alfred said.

"That is not a fish," Martin complained from his seat.

Alfred put his hands together and made the wave again. "It's the back of a fish."

Martin sighed irritated but Alfred only shrugged.

"Typical for a number 5," Anthony commented when Alfred sat down beside Joao but decided to ignore him.

The game went on until every contestant had the chance to let the others guess. It wasn't easy for Alfred to guess but it was fun although the other alphas would stare at him annoyed and roll their eyes for almost making them loose.

He would glance at Arthur at times who watched them play and sat between the two teams with Yao. Sometimes a small smile would slip on the Prince's face when he sat on the chair with his elegant look. Alfred would lie if he'd say he didn't find the Prince pretty or that he didn't want to win these games just to have that special date with him. He just hoped it stayed with a simple interest for the Prince and nothing more.

After all, the Prince would never like him that way. Even if Alfred thought for a short while that the Prince might like him because he let him stay, he doubted the Prince would like like him.

After two rounds Alfred's team won the first game and a small break was initiated. Tea and sweets were brought into the room and Alfred went up to take some strawberry tarts on his plate.

"That was fun, right?" Alfred said to Joao who stood next to him with his cup of tea and nodded in agreement.

"We can thank Marion, she guessed the most right," Joao said and sipped on his tea.

Alfred looked for her but his gaze fell on Arthur instead who was talking to the other team in which Jake was as well. When Arthur turned his head and locked eyes with him, Alfred quickly turned back to Joao.

"So, what's your name? We haven't introduced ourselves properly," Alfred said to him.

"Joao Rosario Santos. But everybody calls me Joao." He smiled politely.

"Jo-a-o." Alfred tried to repeat.

"Joao."

"Jo-oh."

"No, Joao."

"Can I just call you Jo?"

"I wouldn't like that. You can call me Rosario instead." He smiled slightly.

"Ah, thank you." Alfred breathed out relieved and chuckled, his name almost broke his tongue.

After the break they started a new game called snapdragon. An one-on-one game with a flaming bowl in the middle filled with raisins and almonds. Every contestant had to pick them out of the bowl and the one with the most would win.

Alfred watched Alexander pick out the almonds with ease and win against Joao and Alfred wished he didn't. He wasn't keen on competing against Alexander because he knew he had to lose against him.

When it was his turn, he sat in front of a female alpha who started to pick out the raisins. She blew her fingers when she came in touch with the flames and her face grimaced in pain.

Alfred pulled his sleeve up and went in with his copper hand, grabbing a fistful of the nuts. The other alpha stopped and stared when Alfred went in again, grabbing another fistful and emptying the bowl.

"That's not fair. He has a metal arm," she complained.

"It's copper," Alfred corrected her and grinned, winning the game just like four other alphas.

Alfred, Anthony, Martin, Alexander and Marion were in the last game and Alfred got curious about it when Arthur stood up in the middle and got blindfolded by the Jack.

"Prince Arthur will try to catch you in this game. If he catches you, you lose," explained Yao. "You're not allowed to leave the rope. If you do, you're disqualified."

A rope was sat up by servants in a circle and the chairs and sofas were moved to the wall. Alfred gave Jake one last look who smiled encouragingly at him from the sofa.

They stood around Arthur and Yao turned the Prince around and let go of him. Arthur began to walk with his hands outstretched as the others walked away from him. He turned slightly and almost went over the rope but Yao swiftly stopped him from tripping over it, and turned Arthur around again towards the alphas.

It was a slow game and Arthur heard someone walk beside him on his right side and snapped his hand out and catched someone.

"Lady Marion is out!" announced the Jack.

Marion stepped out of the circle with a slightly annoyed grunt while Yao placed Arthur in the middle again and the servants made the circle smaller.

Yao turned him around again and let him walk, watching him carefully and making sure he wouldn't walk out of the circle. Arthur made small footsteps, a little unsure but listened carefully.

He walked towards Anthony and Alexander along the rope who stood at the edge of the circle. Alexander wanted to move away but Anthony placed himself behind him not moving and pretending to walk away. It distracted Alexander for one second but that was enough for Arthur's hand to touch him.

"Lord Alexander is out!"

Alexander glared at Anthony but he only smirked.

The circle got once again smaller and Arthur was always three large steps away from them no matter where he stood. This time the Prince walked towards Alfred and Alfred ducked under his arms to get away and almost lost his balance while doing so.

Coming out of Arthur's reach, he noticed Anthony walking close by Martin and tripping him. Martin stumbled and his foot got outside the rope.

"Sir Martin is disqualified!"

Martin furrowed his brows at Anthony and Alfred looked confused at Yao and the others but it seemed that no one had noticed Anthony's cheat.

Now it was only him and Anthony and the alpha looked at Alfred in delight and Alfred was sure he would do something like this to him as well. He thought being in a competition with Alexander was bad but this man existed.

The circle got so small that Arthur could reach them in just one big step. Yao spun Arthur a last time and he took little steps towards Anthony who came to Alfred on his side. Alfred on the hand moved away from him, trying to get away from both of them.

Yao stopped Arthur from getting out of the rope and turned him around to walk straight again. Both alphas moved sideways along Arthur into the other direction. Alfred stopped halfway while Anthony walked to the other end. To Alfred's surprise, Arthur turned to him with his outstretched hand and almost touched him, he stepped away in shock and made a surprised noise to which Arthur reacted fast and flung forwards and grabbed Alfred's arm.

"Sir Anthony is the winner!" the Jack announced.

Arthur pulled down his blindfold and looked straight up into Alfred's face who smiled sweetly at him. Right, it should only stay as an interest, Alfred thought to himself when he once again got lost in his forest eyes. Arthur returned the smile ever so slightly before walking over to the winner.

-

Someone knocked on Arthur's door when he came for a rest and when he opened it, Joao came in.

"I wanted to talk to you. You haven't answered my question yesterday," Joao said.

It irritated Arthur a little bit that there was no greeting but he liked how straight forward he was nonetheless.

"You want me to answer if I want to marry you," Arthur said and stepped towards his living room while rubbing his brooch on his sleeve.

"We don't need to ponder over it for too long and the Selection can be over quickly." Joao followed him.

"I can not shorten the Selection," Arthur lied. Something told him to wait before ending the Selection abruptly and think about it more deeply, although he doubted he would fall in love with someone else in this competition. He knew Joao well enough and had feelings for him. He wasn't sure if it's love but it should be enough.

"I'll wait for it to end but I need a promise that you'll choose me." Joao hugged him from behind. His warm chest pressed against his back and he nuzzled his nose into Arthur's hair.

Arthur laid his head back to look up at him to which Joao kissed his cheek. "I promise I'll choose you."

-

When Arthur walked with Joao to have dinner, he was stopped by Martin who told him Anthony cheated in the game. Alfred and Julia stood by Martin claiming to have seen that, too.

"I'll talk to him, most suitable before dinner. Do you know where he might be?" Arthur asked but Martin shrugged his shoulders.

"He might be in his room," Joao said.

"Or somewhere else," Juila said sheepishly and looked at Alfred. "Do you know where he is?"

Alfred shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Are you sure? You might have seen him somewhere lately," she persisted and Alfred remembered seeing him coming out of a library the past couple of days, maybe he studied there.

"I might know where he could be."

Alfred led them to the room where he ran into Anthony the last time and Arthur opened the door only to see Anthony kissing a servant and being deep into the omega's skirt.

"I can't believe it," escaped it from Arthur and Anthony stopped and pushed the omega away and she fell to the floor.

"It's not what it seems, Your Highness," Anthony said in shock and adjusted his trousers.

Arthur turned away and shook his head, Anthony wanted to go after him but Martin came into the room blocking his way. "You filthy cheater. I can get over you cheating in a game but cheating on the Prince? Do you have no shame?"

Anthony pushed him away and followed the Prince to the corridor. "Your Highness, please, hear me out-"

"There's nothing to hear out. I have seen enough. You're disqualified."

"No, please, no. I can't go back, my father will dishonor me." His voice trembled in panic.

"You should've thought about that sooner."

Anthony fell on his knees and crawled to Arthur, grabbing his coat and his voice trembling. "Please, don't do this, please don't kick me out."

Arthur tried to step away from him but he only crawled towards him again, clinging on him like glue. An alpha who cried about his own intentional mistakes and pleaded like a loser looked pathetic in Arthur's eyes, it was disgusting to even look at him.

Joao pulled Anthony away from him but Anthony didn't stop pleading which irritated Arthur even more.

"I'll bring him away from you," Joao said.

"Yes, please," Arthur agreed and Joao asked Martin to help him.

They carried him away, taking him at his arms and Arthur followed them to let the guards know to escort him from the palace grounds.

"Wow, what a scene!" Julia beamed excited. "Now that he's disqualified, the second place is going with the Prince on the special date!"

"Right," Alfred muttered but on the inside he was beaming because he was in second place. "How did you know I knew where Anthony might be?"

"I didn't."

"You're lying. You knew something too-"

"Calm down, Alfred. It was just a coincidence."

Alfred stopped walking in shock. "My name's Alan."

She turned around and nodded. "I know that's what I said."

He blinked confused and wondered if he misheard her. She just smiled at him and told him to keep walking and he did, forgetting that she said his real name.

Fun fact: The game Snap Dragon was a real game from Victorian England