Realm of the Chosen: A Reverse Harem Romance

Chapter 14-1

Chapter Fourteen

Dinner with her mother and the rest of the council had been mostly chatter about the Representatives and more of the festivities her mother had planned. Kit was quite embarrassed and afraid her mother would screech when the duchess Zora mentioned she had walked by the window and noticed a fascinating game of slingball going on earlier and asked if Kit was happy with the outcome. Her mother quirked an eyebrow but otherwise didn’t question what her daughter chose to do with her men, and Kit was relieved when it was time to head back to her chambers.

She was dressed in a long blue gown, her mother’s favorite color on her, with her hair up, also to appease her mother. The pearl tiara she wore was one of her favorites, as were the satin slippers that glided across the floor as if she wore nothing on her feet at all. Galter and another guard she couldn’t name had brought her to her mother’s dinner table, and they were the ones to bring her back to her chambers. A tinge of sadness filled her heart as she wondered where Eli was and if he was angry at her for what had transpired earlier that afternoon. She still hadn’t truly spoken to him about his absence, and she thought perhaps she should do that soon. If they were going to remain friends, she’d have to sort out what it was like to have him in her life while she was being courted by forty-two other men.

The hallway that led to her rooms was long, but when she was about halfway to her door, she realized someone was standing outside of it. A few steps closer and she noted it was Jecob. Part of her wanted to run to him, to melt into his arms as she had the night before, while another part wanted to shout at him for being so rude earlier that day. But when his face came into focus, and she noticed he was holding a single purple tulip, one of her favorite flowers, she forgot how upset she was. It was all she could do to keep from increasing her speed; there was no reason to let him know he was winning her over.

“Your Majesty, I hope dinner was delicious and your mother, our queen, is doing well,” he said with a low bow. He was wearing blue and red again, his province’s colors, and she could smell soap as she took the flower from his hand with a gracious smile. He’d clearly gone to great lengths to style his hair and remind her that he was handsome both on and off the slingball field.

“Jecobian,” she said, her smile broadening as she noted the twinkle in his eye. “It is lovely to see you. What brings you out this evening?”

“Well, the rest of the men are back in that large room we have available to us to congregate in debating whether or not it would be polite to duck out and try to see you one more time this evening. While they were discussing, I snuck out.” He winked at her, and she giggled. She could imagine them all arguing. He wouldn’t care what anyone else thought. “Might I join you in your chambers for a few moments?”

Galter cleared his throat, as if he were her older brother, and she gave him a sharp look. “Yes, of course. Don’t worry, guardsman. I know the rules. Besides, I assume my ladies are within?”

“Yes, my Princess,” Galter said, though he had no way of knowing for sure whether they were or not since he’d been standing outside of the dining room for the last several hours. She pushed into her room and heard their voices, which abruptly stopped once they realized she was back, and the three of them came to the door.

All three ladies stared for a moment when they saw she was not alone. “Ladies, Jecob has asked to speak to me for a bit.”

“Yes, Princess,” Avinia replied, but she had a look in her eye that said she thought this could lead to no good.

Kit ignored her and led him into her interior room where her bed, dressing area, and armoires stood. There was another small room off to the side where she had her privy and then another door led to her bathing room. Jecob looked around for a moment and then asked, “Have you no balcony? A princess needs a balcony.”

Handing the flower to Isla so that she could put it in some water, Kit crossed the room to a wide window near her bed. “I do, it’s just not easily accessible.” She pulled both sides of the window open, and the night air cooled her face. It was refreshing, and even though the view was only of a small interior courtyard and another wing of the castle, if she looked up she could see the stars and a half hung moon.

Jecob looked down at the tiny balcony which could only be accessed by hoisting oneself out of the window and only had room for two, possibly three, people. “Well, it’s not that grand, but it shall have to do.”

Kit raised an eyebrow at him but stepped aside as he crawled through. “Jecob, I’m not sure I want to go out there. I’m rather afraid of heights.” She was fine on the more substantial balconies, but this one seemed more like a decoration to her than a useable architectural piece.

“Oh, please, my Princess, don’t be afraid. You know I shall keep you safe.”

She realized she didn’t have much of a say as he was already guiding her up and over, and she had to be careful not to snag her dress on the windowsill. Jecob put his hands around her waist and pulled her to him, and Kit was relieved that when her feet touched marble, the structure didn’t collapse.

He didn’t let her go, only moved over toward the railing slightly, breathing her in, and despite the open window and the three ladies inside, his mouth found her neck. Kit wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn’t appropriate with her cousins and Blankka standing right there, but the feel of his warm lips on her throat had her knees buckling, and she was certain she’d have another mark on her flesh if she wasn’t careful. The other one had been difficult to hide, and she didn’t need another, but how could she push him away?

Jecob trailed kisses up her neck and eventually found her lips. His tongue teased her, flicking in and out of his mouth, and then he plundered her, pulling her so close to him that Kit was afraid they might tumble over the balcony. He tasted like wine, and she begun to understand where his boldness that evening must’ve come from.

After a moment, he stepped back and took a deep breath, clearing his head. “Pardon me, Your Majesty. It’s just… I can’t get enough of you.” He lowered his eyes, and she rested her forehead against his, sinking into him for a moment as his eyes traced the curves of her breasts peeking out above her bodice. If only his eyes could be his hands, but that would have to wait. She just hoped he would remember that since he’d had trouble with the rules the night before and hadn’t even been drinking, as far as she could tell. She would have to admit he seemed like he had had some sort of artificial bravery when he climbed through the shrubbery.

“Did you have a nice day today?” he asked in a breathy whisper.

“I did. You’re an excellent athlete.”

He chuckled and leaned in to softly kiss her lips. The urgency was gone this time; the kiss was sweet and soft. “It was nice to see you, but it was too bad all of the others had to be present.”

Giving a small giggle, Kit reminded him, “That’s the way this process goes, you know. I have to narrow it down slowly. I can’t just choose my mate in the first week or so.”

“Why not?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischievous charm. “I think we both know how it all will end.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself,” Kit replied, taking a step back, though she didn’t disentangle her arms from him, and she was smiling. “Do you think there’s no one else I’m remotely interested in?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Perhaps, but the others are of little concern to me. I know how you feel about me. I can see it in the way you look at me, can feel it in your kiss. I know your mother wants me to win. What more could I ask for?”

Cocking her head to the side, Kit asked, “What do you mean you know my mother wants you to win? And since when is this a contest?”

“Pardon me, Princess. I didn’t mean to offend you. Of course, you’re not just any prize, but certainly whomever you select will be a victor in every way possible. Don’t you think?”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve gone to great lengths to try to prevent this from seeming like a contest of any sort. I am not a prize. I’m simply… the princess… looking for the man she shall spend the rest of her life with. “

“The man who can pleasure her best, I know.”

“Not necessarily.”

It was Jecob’s turn to take a step back. “What’s that? Are you changing how the Choosing works, my Princess?”

“No,” Kit said quickly, not wanting to put it into anyone’s mind that she was considering amending the rules in any way. “I’m only saying… I would like to find a man I can love, that’s all.” Her thoughts from earlier, that it would be difficult to choose just one, came to mind, but she pressed them aside for argument’s sake.

Jecob’s grin slowly spread, and he pulled her close to him again. “Well, that certainly sounds like a prize to me.” He leaned down and found her mouth again, and Kit detected a hunger even greater than last night in the garden as he dove in, his hands trailing up her side. The thumb on the side away from the open window was circling dangerously close to her breast, and even though she was becoming a little light headed, she knew he would have to stop before he made contact.

“Jecob,” she said when he came up for breath. “You don’t want to do anything to get yourself disqualified. I like that head of yours right where it is.”

He chuckled but did not move his hand. “How would anyone know?”

“You do see that there are windows across the courtyard, don’t you?” She gestured at them with her head.

“All I see are rows of closed curtains.”

“And who knows how many old biddies peeking between them.” She reached up and pushed his hand down to a respectable level, and he began to laugh again. “Now, what was that you said about my mother?”

Crinkling his forehead, he replied, “I don’t recall.”

“I don’t believe that for one second. You said she wanted you to win. How do you know that?”

Jecob began to walk backward, sliding his hand down to gather hers, and pulled her the few steps over to the railing that looked out on the courtyard. “I don’t know it, not for sure,” he said, leaning over and looking down at the ground far below them. Kit didn’t dare do the same. “I was just under the impression the reason the voting finally came to an end in Eastbury was because of your mother. I’m not saying she interfered by any means, just that she may have put in a good word for me so that I could finally get a majority and defeat that other bastard, the one who kept coming in second by too close a margin. Of course, he wasn’t the only one those senile old bats kept casting their votes for, but he was the biggest threat. I heard he cried so hard they had to wheel him away from the voting center.” He gave a chuckle then. “As if you’d want to spend the rest of your life with a farmhand.”

Kit took all of that in while he was rubbing her arm, a touch that would’ve been comforting if so many of his words had not been so rude. “Did you just call your councilwomen senile old bats?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s just me, Kit. That’s just how I talk. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. But some of them are. Have you ever been to Eastbury?”

“Yes, of course. It’s only a few miles away. I’ve been there often.” When she left the castle, Eastbury was almost always the first province she’d visit. There were lots of villages there where she’d hand out alms or visit the schools to bring them new books. She’d never noticed anything particularly shocking about any of the councilwomen, and she’d met many of them.

“Well, then you probably know. It’s a backward province to say the least. I think, one of the first things we should do, when you’re queen, is appoint some new noblewomen onto the council. We could take some of that land your mother confiscated and turn it into several small plots, make a few more duchesses. I have some young ladies in mind.”