The Contest Ch. 06

The prince spoke. Then the food moved up and out of Rellenora's vision. She rubbed her thumb under one of her fingernail guards and blinked a few times. Then she looked down at one of her large rings.

"Are you enjoying the party, Your Highness?"

Her eyes went back up, going to the prince's neck again. He seemed to still be looking at her, maybe. Rellenora nodded and shoveled something nasty into her mouth. She was pretty sure it was meat, but the sauce on it was so ... milky and tangy. It wasn't right at all.

When the party was finally done, Rellenora wanted to vomit. Needing physical support, she put a hand on Naeva's shoulder as they left the dining hall.

Servants greeted her as she entered the Eggplant Palace. Expecting her Betrothed soon, Rellenora sat down at her desk. She couldn't comfortably write on any scrolls. The night was too ripe, the light from the lamps was too dim. She noticed how her springtime clothing was diluted and darkened in the firelight, but her jewelry still glittered.

Where was Naeva? Didn't she say something about ... oh ... right. She was sleepy. Rellenora had heard her yawning just before she sat at her desk. Naeva wasn't nearby, so she must be sleeping in her bedroom. That was ... acceptable ... but Rellenora missed her. Still, she couldn't bring herself to disturb the woman.

She heard someone talk. It was vaguely familiar. She was able to understand it surprisingly quickly. "His Imperial Majesty arrives now!" She slid out of her seat and knelt onto the floor, her hand on the desk's edge. The hem and layers of her robe were still on her chair.

Dense footsteps, Rellenora knew it was him. She heard him. Then she smelled him. He approached, and he became so close that from the side she could see his black slippers peeking out from his clothing. Then she saw a white hand with silver fingernails lower, and then make a waving gesture up towards the ceiling. He wanted her to get up. He probably thought that using visual communication was faster than speaking.

Rellenora pulled herself to her feet. Her palm was still on the desk. The fingernail guards made harsh noises against the tabletop.

His index finger patted her shoulder. Rellenora watched the finger move away and towards the blackboard that had been given to her. Then she stood still as her Betrothed walked towards that board. He took some chalk and wrote in large and expressive characters, "A musician should be here soon." A servant put a bundle of paper on the desk. "I've brought some light candies. I hope you enjoy them."

They ended up sitting on cushioned chairs by a large open window, listening to a man play a light tune with a zither. Between them, the paper bundle was resting on a small table. It was open and revealing a pile of honey based candies. They were actually nice to eat.

Even with the table between them, the chairs were very close together.

The Emperor reached for the writing slate in her lap. He wrote on it, "A tutor should visit you soon. You are to be trained in Zenthian etiquette and dance." He wiped the words off. Then he wrote, "Other than your studies, you are free to do as you please. When autumn arrives, we will marry."

Rellenora nodded and sighed. She popped another candy into her mouth.

Her nape!

His hot hand was at her nape!

A tight, rusty sound fell out of her mouth.

She was forced towards him.

Another hand went to her chin, forcing her head back. Far too afraid to even try to look at anyone's face, let alone the face of the Emperor's, Rellenora tightly shut her eyelids. Lacking any task, her hands went to her chest, making uncertain fists that trembled.

What? Wet and surging ... her lips were parting but she wasn't doing that ... it was ... it was ...

It was playing around, then searching, and then it was gone. The air tingled on her lips. Her rouge felt disturbed.

Where was her candy?!

She was released!

She looked down at her lap. One of her hands went to her cheek.

There was crunching, chewing noises above her.

He got her attention by tapping the writing slate with his nails. The message he made was, "Honey from a good woman's lips is always fine."

Rellenora had no idea what that was supposed to mean. So, she turned away and pretended to adjust the cord that her slate hung from. When she heard more wiping and more chalk scraping against the slate, Rellenora rubbed her lips together. She looked back at the slate.

"Don't assume I lied."

Is that what he thought, that she didn't believe ... whatever he had meant?

Rellenora shrugged.

"You'll know the truth once we're married, unless you want to know now."

She didn't want to know anything else at that point. She shook her head and fidgeted with one of her rings.

He tapped the slate again. "Please walk with me tomorrow afternoon. Being seen with you lightens my heart."

Rellenora gave a nod because she didn't believe she could deny him.

The Emperor rose from his seat. He said something tranquil yet optimistic. Then he gave some kind of order to the zither player. Rellenora cleaned her writing slate. Then she put some of the remaining candies on her tongue.

"I'll leave you to rest tonight, Your Highness," the Emperor had said. "Goodnight."

As the Emperor left with the musician player, Rellenora put her shorter fingernails on her hair's center parting, carefully scratching at a mild itch.

***

The flowers were as lovely as ever. They smelled like all the finest, most comforting things. Rellenora walked beside her casually dressed Betrothed. Her own clothing was a bit less casual, four layers when one included the green robe she wore.

They sat down on a familiar stone bench. Rellenora's cheek muscles spasmed when she noticed the Emperor bending down and moving the excess length of her robe away from her slippers.

Both hadn't said a word until they sat down.

But then, the Emperor spoke, putting his tail in his lap and folding his hand over it. He waited for her mind to catch up with him.

"A perfume should be made for you. Would you mind if I chose the ingredients?"

Rellenora didn't have any reason to care. She wrote on her slate, "I'm honored by his Majesty's consideration. I would accept any perfume you offer me."

She heard him make a humming noise. Then ... he actually leaned into her and put his hands on her shoulders, her apparently cutting edge and bare shoulders. His hot breath was moist on the side of her neck. Rellenora made a chipmunk-like sound.

His nose was rubbing into her. She felt it. She didn't know what it looked like, but she just knew it was his nose.

He whispered something.

What did he say? What did he say? Damn it!

A jolt of fresh and breathtaking sensation, right on the helix of her ear!

He was ... he was ...

Under her clothing, her thighs and knees clamped together.

Very lightly, he was biting her ear.

What did he say?!

"Have you ever had a pin in your hinge?"

With as much force as she could scrape up, Rellenora pushed him off of her. She nearly fell down as she rose from her seat. She was so angry, so very angry. He had been nuzzling her and touching her shoulders, like he actually had some lust, and then he went and asked such a stupid, random question! Hinges and pins?! What did those things have to do with the current situation?

Was he joking about her? Did he want to ask such an absurd question so he could confuse her and then laugh at her? Was he going to tell everyone, snickering all the while, that his Betrothed was just perfect for telling nonsense too because she was too stupid to know the difference?!

Why wouldn't he just give up on her?! Did he think that making fun of someone was so enjoyable that he'd even marry an idiot just to have someone to ridicule?!

She forgot about propriety. She forgot about possibly offending him. She just walked off. Her face was hot. Tears were coming.

The Emperor called out to her. Rellenora ignored him. She was too furious and embarrassed to care about his feelings. When he called out again, she picked up her skirt and under-dress and ran, her robe sweeping the path behind her. If any loose thing, such as an insect or a bit of soil, had been on the path, then her clothing would have wiped it away.

Inside the Eggplant Palace, Rellenora ignored Naeva's concerned voice as she tore the precious jewelry from her fragrant hair. She nearly ripped the heavy sash around her body. Desperate to keep their mistress from damaging the costly items, the maids rushed to help her undress. Then, they put her in one of her older gowns from her home country and combed her hair out of the painstakingly crafted style that was so desired by many Zenthian women.

With more of her invented code, Rellenora sat at her desk and dug her feelings out, freeing her mind.

"I hate him. I hate him. I hate him so much. I know I'll hate the wedding night. I don't want his penis inside me. I don't want to have his child. I hate him! I hate him!"

Her writing slate slid under her view. Naeva's handwriting was there. "We have some guests. Princess Lagath and Prince Yban."

Rellenora brushed Naeva's hand away as she reclaimed her slate. Then she left her desk to go to the reception room. Two servants rolled the blackboard into the room to keep communication easier.

Sipping tea, the two people were politely waiting on her. Beside Prince Yban, however, there was a third guest. Noffnoff was wearing a harness, the leash in Prince Yban's hand. The piglet was playing with a hollow ball that had different sized holes. As she rolled the ball around, bits of food fell out for her to gobble up.

Prince Yban rose and made a beckoning gesture towards Rellenora. When she was close, Prince Yban put the handle of the leash in her fingers. Then he walked to the blackboard to write something. "Her Highness, Princess Lagath and I happened to appear at this palace at the same time. We were hoping for a friendly visit."

Rellenora shrugged and wrote on her slate, "Thank you, both of you, for being so friendly." She didn't want to be friendly at all, but she bravely endured the situation.

Prince Yban pulled the blackboard closer to the sitting area. Then he wrote a harmless, boring thing.

The whole conversation the three people had was harmless and boring. For a time, Rellenora actually forgot she had ever been uncomfortable with Prince Yban. She even found some fun when Noffnoff put her snout to her leather shoes. Rellenora picked the piglet up and set her over her lap. As Princess Lagath congratulated her for winning the contest and wished for her all the children possible, Rellenora stiffly nodded and petted Noffnoff's head and ears.

But ...

Lagath honestly did seem earnest. She should have won, not Rellenora. Lagath would likely have given birth to many healthy children, and she'd easily deal with the Emperor.

An odd feeling, a guilty feeling, was festering in Rellenora's heart. Only Noffnoff's warm little body kept her from letting this feeling be known to her guests.

When they all left, Rellenora thought she was certainly an unworthy child caught in a world of injustice.

***