Dazed

by Katie Hauenstein

  “But, Ella!”

  “No! I wish I could allow it, but it is my job to make sure the King’s Test is executed correctly. Now go. If he tries anything, slap him. You are telling me everything tomorrow.”

  “You will hear about it when Father does,” I mumbled as I went back to the center of the maze. When I got there, Theo was laying on his side with one knee up and his other leg dangling of the side of the sofa. He patted the sofa next to him, indicating he wanted me to lay alongside him.

  He knew I would have to return! Well, I don’t have to lay next to him.

  “I’m here, Ella! You better be counting the rotting seconds!” I shouted.

  “I am!” She responded.

  Theo frowned and patted the sofa again. “I’m alright standing,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, only then noticing my zipper was still undone in the back.

  Theo stood and walked over to me. Pointing down, he spun his hand in little circles.

  “You will not be undoing my zipper tonight or any night if I have anything to say about it, Count Theodore.”

  “Oooo. Full name. I am in trouble,” he teased. “Just turn around. I will zip you back up.”

  I gave him a dirty look.

  “Really, Miriam. I promise. Remember? I told you I would always be honest with you. I may have displeased Your Highness, but I have not lied to you.”

  Pressing my lips together, I considered the veracity of his claim, then dropped my hands and turned around. “Look, I am sorry, alright? I misread the situation,” he said as he zipped me up and I spun back around to face him.

  “You ‘misread the situation?’ The fact that you think I would give myself to you in such a manner tells me you did not only ‘misread the situation,’ but you judged my character completely wrong! What kind of trollop do you think I am?!”

  He snickered. “Trollop?”

  “Yes. Trollop. Floozy. Butterfly.”

  “Hey. I never called you a butterfly. I am certain you are not going around flower to flower.”

  “Roots straight, I’m not! And you will have none of this,” I presented myself head to toe with a hand, “unless you win the King’s Test.” I stepped closer so I was inches from his face and whispered, “And if I have anything to say about it, you will not.”

  “Time’s up!” shouted Ella, as if on cue.

  I turned on my heel and marched out of the garden straight up to my room. My assistant, Marie waited for me and helped me out of my impossible gown. I told her I didn’t need a bath because I had to wash seven men off my body in a fire hot shower. She laughed and wished me good night as she left.

  After showering with the hottest water possible, I crawled into bed and thought about the evening. Brian, Christopher, and Linc had pleasantly surprised me, but Leo and Theo turned out to surprise me negatively. Peter was wonderful, as I thought he would be, but Stephan was, too.

  What is going on with Stephan? Could it be that he’s in love with me or is he just playing the King’s Test? No. He wouldn’t play me like that. I’m not really sure what to do with him.

  I fell asleep thinking about the seven very different possibilities I was presented that evening.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, Father, Ella, and I sat in his office around his small coffee table, sipping our coffee, to discuss the previous evening’s activities.

  “So, Rose. How would you like to go about this conversation? Shall we discuss by event or person?”

  I sighed and rubbed at my temples. “I need another cup of coffee.” Immediately after I said it, I heard the scuttling of maid’s feet leaving the room to get me another one.

  “Was it that bad? Really?” Father asked unbelievingly.

  Ella snorted. I had already gone through the highlights with her earlier in the morning at breakfast. Father and I both glanced over to her and she gestured with her hand for me to go ahead.

  “I think it will be easier to just talk about each person, Father.” The maid hustled in and replaced my empty coffee cup with a full one.

  “Very well. Though I would like to begin by asking you if anyone stuck out to you, negatively or positively?”

  “While I understand, I think that would be best to discuss that as we go, also.”

  “Of course.” He glanced down at his Note-Taker, tapped it a few times and said, “Let’s begin with Count Brian of Birch. He has advanced quickly through the ranks of the Royal Arborian Guard. From the outskirts of the dance floor, it seemed like he did not make an excellent first impression.”

  “No, he did not.” I chugged half my second cup of coffee. “During the dance, he boasted about his military prowess and success and it seemed as though he was really only interested in that part of being King.”

  “What did you say to make him leave confused.”

  Ella laughed again.

  “I told him that there is more to being King than being King.”

  “Ouch. Was the interview and first kiss any better?”

  “You say that like those two things always go hand in hand.”

  “For the King’s Test, they do.”

  “Touché!” piped in Ella.

  Father glanced at her sidelong and said, “Indeed.”

  I sighed. “The interview went better. He found the center of the maze by climbing the wall and jumping them. He apologized for his idiocy and said he was nervous about interacting with me because he thinks I will be a great Queen someday. I forgave him and he kissed me.”

  “And…”

  “And what?”

  “What did the kiss tell you?”

  I blanched. “Pardon me?”

  “The whole point of the first kiss is that it makes both of you a little vulnerable. He learns something about you and you learn something about him. So. What did you learn about Count Brian?”

  “The kiss was about what I had anticipated; it was hard and commanding.” Father stiffened. “You asked…”

  “So I did. Continue.” He unsuccessfully tried to relax by clearing his throat.

  “Anyhow, what surprised me was that he was crying tears of humility when it was over. It was real, too. I’m sure of it.”

  “Crying? Count Brian of Birch was crying?” Father asked.

  “Yes. It was very strange and actually humbling for me, too. It made me realize that people aren’t always precisely what you think.”

  “Hmm.” tap. tap. tap. “How about Count Christopher of Alder?”

  “I don’t think it’s any secret how the dance went. He was arrogant and cocky and acted exactly how Arborian’s Most Desired is expected to act.”

  “Why did he leave the floor confused?”

  “Oh. He had used a line on me and I asked him if it ever actually worked.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “I did.”

  “Were you hostile to everyone?”

  “No. Only to the ones who deserved it.”

  “They really did deserve it, Uncle,” Ella added.

  “Thank you, Ella,” I said to her.

  Father let out an exasperated sigh. “Very well. What of the interview and kiss?”

  “He found his way the normal way: through the maze. But when he entered the room, he called out to me like it was hide and seek.”

  Father pointed his Note-Taker Pen at me. “It kind of was.”

  I shrugged. “True enough. Then he insulted me and insinuated that it was my idea to kiss all of them and I enjoyed playing head games with people.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “Yes, he did. Father, you’re beginning to sound like a twenty-first century teenage girl.”

  “I have no idea what you mean by that.”

  “Never mind. I defended myself and he apologized. Then I apologized for my assumptions and we agreed to start over. All he did for his kiss was gently brush his lips against mine.”

  “Really? Hmm. That says something.”

  “I thought so, too. I think he really wants to prov
e himself. After that, I began to doubt all my first impressions and decided to give Count Leonard the benefit of the doubt.”

  Ella growled quietly. She had demanded immediate castration when I told her about what happened. Her demands for Theo were worse than that.

  “How did things with Count Leonard go? You’ve known each other for some time. Childhood friends.”

  I scoffed. “Leo is no friend of mine, Father. Hasn’t been and I don’t think he will be.”

  He frowned. “I take it things didn’t go well.”

  “No, they didn’t. On the dance floor, he almost grabbed my butt and tried to flirt with me. It was uncomfortable. And before you even ask, the reason he looked dumbfounded when he left me on the dance floor was because I turned his logic back in his face.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He said it was destiny for me to choose him because his mother didn’t get chosen during your Queen’s Test.”

  “Ugh.”

  “That’s how I felt, too. I told him that I could use the same logic for his brother.”

  Father laughed at that.

  “As for the interview, I was tired and I was tense and he saw it. Like I said before, at this point, I had been doubting all my first impressions and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He noted how tense I was and offered a back massage; something he’s famous for in the Court.” Father quirked a brow at me. “Hindsight is 20/20, Father.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. Needless to say, he spoke sweet nothings and his hands roamed all over my back and around my waist, then he kissed my neck. When I turned around in shock, he kissed me passionately, like he had been practicing and imagining it for a long time. I was too shocked to say anything snarky when his time was up and he left.”

  “So that’s a negative for Count Leonard?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about his brother? He always seemed a bit pompous to me.”

  “Me, too. In fact, that was my first impression tonight on the dance floor, as well. He was boastful, like Brian, but declared himself worthy in every area. Apparently, he has been training with Brian on military skills and strategies and he has been observing his father on the demands of a Noble for years. I gave him the same line I gave Brian.”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “Like Brian, he began to apologize for his stupidity, but I was done with apologies at that point. He was under extreme scrutiny because of how Leo had behaved. He confessed a childhood crush on me and vowed to prove himself worthy and capable in all aspects of being my King.”

  “And the kiss?”

  “No kiss. He said that if he is ever to kiss me, it will mean something beyond tradition.”

  “Good man.”

  “So it seems.”

  “I trust things went well with Peter. You are friends with him, right?”

  “Of course, I am. Yes. Things went well. Both conversations with Peter were pretty much centralized on how he wanted to rip apart anyone who had offended or molested me. He is very protective.”

  “Not surprising. The kiss?”

  I thought about how to put it. It wasn’t really our first kiss by a long shot. “It felt – sincere; right.”

  He looked up from his Note-Taker with his eyes. “Nothing else?”

  I shrugged. “He wasn’t any more revealing last night than he normally is.”

  “Alright. And Stephan.”

  I took a deep breath. “I need another cup of coffee.” The maid left again. “Things were definitely different with Stephan. He was similar to Peter on the dance floor, but the interview was very – surprising.”

  “How so?”

  “It began with him making sure I was alright from the rest of the evening, then he said he was nervous because he has known me for so long and the King’s Test really changes everything for us. I told him to think of it as an advantage because he knows what I’m looking for. Then he described my perfect man and his kiss – his kiss was so – I can’t even describe it. It was odd and wonderful all wrapped up in one. I had been dreading it all evening, thinking it would be like kissing my brother, but it wasn’t.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Hmm. Count Theodore?”

  “Biggest surprise of the evening.”

  “More than Stephan?”

  “By far. I actually walked out on him before his time was up. Ella had to send me back in.”

  “Interesting…”

  “The dance was normal for us. He was a bit more suggestive than normal, but I figured that was just because things were changing. Then, in the interview, he didn’t say much that was substantial; we danced to no music and he kissed me almost immediately. His hands roamed more than Leo’s, he partially unzipped my dress, and his lips did a bit of roaming themselves. I had to tell him ‘No’ a couple of times before he actually stopped. Then, he said he would meet me in my room and show me how he can please me as my King. He said he would be extra gentle since he figured I was a virgin.”

  Father snapped his Note-Taker Pen in half. “He said what?”

  “That’s when I left and Ella sent me back in. He zipped me back up, I told him off, and I left when his time was up.”

  Father pursed his lips together and his assistant handed him a new Note-Taker Pen. He made a couple scribbles, then turned off his Note-Taker and set it down.

  “So. Top two?” he asked.

  “Peter and Stephan.”

  “Not surprised. Bottom two?”

  “Leo and Theo.”

  “Again. Not surprised based on your description of the night’s events. You have a good head on your shoulder, sweetheart. I want you to know something. I understand you’re irritated and angry that your choice has been taken from you as far as who your husband will be.”

  “You can’t take away what was never mine to begin with.”

  “I know. But that’s how it feels for you. I know that because that’s how it felt for me.”

  “But – You love Mother, right?”

  “Yes. Very much. We fell in love long before the Queen’s Test ever began.”

  My eyes widened. “What? That’s not allowed!”

  He laughed. “Doesn’t matter. It happened. I suspect something similar is going on with you, too, even if you don’t admit it. It’s alright. My point is this: as my mother took what I said into consideration and made sure the woman selected would be the right choice, I will do the same for you. Now, I will not guarantee it will be Peter or Stephan. That’s partially up to them and how they perform. But knowing who it is you trust most helps me in my decision.”

  I got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Father,” I said. When I sat back down, a steaming cup of coffee sat where my second empty one had moments before. I gulped it down and I heard the maid behind me sigh.

  Chapter 9

  After such a long night and morning, I had a migraine the size of Southland. I dragged myself up to my room and dug around in my bathroom drawers to find something for it. I found the bottle that should have contained the medication, but it was empty.

  Lovely. Now I have to go all the way back downstairs to the lab to visit Doctor Winston.

  Once I made it outside, I didn’t have far to go because Doctor Darrel Winston’s lab was right on palace grounds. He was a child prodigy when he was younger and he was only slightly older than me now at twenty-six. He was tallish with a long blond ponytail and wore thick-framed glasses when he was reading or looking at his microscreen. Though he didn’t come from a Noble house, I was familiar with him because he had been the Director of the Arborian Science Association for the last five years. When he became Director, he got to move into the Evergreen Palace Science Lab and we had crossed paths at societal functions in the ballroom.

  When I entered his lab, he was nowhere to be found in the main area. His examination table lay empty and everything was pristinely clean. Apparently, no one had been sick enough to visit him and he
was between experiments at the moment. At least, that was my assumption. I casually walked through the lab to Doctor Winston’s open office door.

  “Yes, yes. Things are on track,” I heard him saying as I walked in. He was at his holostation in the corner in the middle of a comm session.