The Royal Deal

Chapter 28 – Who Is the Idiot? (1)

“Why not? Aren’t you discarding my theory a little too quickly?” She asked, affronted.

“Alright. Well, first of all, you are not Cinderella who lived in suffering. You are a daughter of a noble household. You’ve never known suffering your entire life.”

“How would you know if I have or have not?”

“Because Count Lohikin isn’t that poor, nor is he someone who would make his own daughter face hardships while under his roof.”

“Well…that is true.” She admitted fairly.

“And more importantly, I don’t think the handsome duke fell in love with you at first sight.”

“What? Alec!”

Emeslis stood up from at his words, indignant. He suppressed a grin, teasing her, like he did at times. Never to an extent to cause serious offense.

‘More like a primary school kid, that teases the girl he likes, maybe? The girl he likes…of course that doesn’t apply between us.’

“No matter what you say, I quite like my face. I’m fond of it, the way it is.”

“Well, that is some confidence.”

She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance and glared at him, to which he smiled.

Still grinning playfully, Alexcent got up from his seat. “It’s late. Go back and sleep.”

“Yeah, I was just about to go.”

“Let’s go, I’ll escort you.”

“Sorry?”

“I’ll escort you back to your room.”

Wide-eyed, Amethyst stared at him in amazement, her heart fluttering a little at this very gentlemanly gesture of his. .

“It’s not that far. I can go back on my own.”

“It’s dark in the night. Just in case.”

Unlike the previously casual tone of his voice, he spoke so gravely and rationally that Amethyst found herself nodding in agreement.

They walked side by side along the empty corridors.

‘Was his offering to escort her back a way of making it up to her for his teasing?’

Amethyst tilted her head slightly to look at him properly. ‘They say all men are simple, but that doesn’t seem to apply to this man. He was complicated, hard to decipher and always left her feeling confused and unsure of her own heart.’

He matched her stride and walked looking straight ahead, his posture erect, his gait befitting the graceful one of an aristocrat.

The silent corridor echoed with the sound of their synchronized footsteps.

She suddenly sensed movement in a corner.

‘To think that there were people at this hour of the night. Was this what he meant before, by just in case?’

Startled, Amethyst found herself sticking close to Alexcent and grabbing hold of his hand. He seemed surprised by her sudden action and looked down at her enquiringly.

Amethyst laughed awkwardly, thinking of an excuse to cover her faux pas. “That is-”

Before she could finish her sentence, she spotted maids who had ended their shift, walking towards them from the other end of the corridor.

“Well, you know. People think we are getting married for love. So, I just thought we should look more affectionate to others, you know. More believable and… realistic.”

She bluffed, feeling like he would tease her if she confessed that she had been scared. She didn’t want to give him any more reasons to make fun of her.

“Well, that is true.” He admitted graciously.

As the two maids passed the couple, they politely bowed their heads in greeting and looked at each other with eyes that screamed of impending gossip. Alexcent greeted them back with a brief nod, and even as the maids disappeared round the corner, did not let go of her hand and headed towards the bedroom.

The act of holding hands made her feel close to him.

She felt a tingling sensation at their joined palms and along her spine. Feeling lightheaded, she smiled to herself.

‘I wonder if he feels the same way. The electricity between us?’

Amethyst, mentally shook her head and firmly instructed herself to get a grip on her strangely scattering feelings. ‘Of course not!’

Upon reaching her bedroom door, neither of them let go of the other’s hand and stared at the other in silence. Amethyst ventured to loosen her grip but his hold around her hand was still strong.

“Alec? You need to let my hand go-”

Only then did Alexcent seem to realise that their hands were still joined and he immediately loosened his grip.

Their hands had finally parted but now the situation seemed more sensual.

‘Like. This was like… A boyfriend sending you back home after a date! Then afterwards…’

Leaning against the bedroom door, she looked up at him. She gulped as his intense gaze fell on hers.

Click.

Emesis lifted her hand and opened the door behind her.

“Good night, Alec.”

She quickly went inside and closed the door.

‘Anyone can hold hands. You hold hands with a friend, or even an acquaintance. It wasn’t a big deal holding his hand. But it was the furthest she should go with this man’.

She enveloped her flaming cheeks with her two cold hands and collapsed onto her bed.

She had been thinking of the kiss that day.