Chapter Six
Noble
Ayanda was amazed at how quickly the castle staff was able to put together such an extravagant ball within the few hours since Cesar arrived. She looked around at the décor and array of different foods while everyone else socialized and waited for Cesar to show. Ayanda looked over at some of the other women who were laughing and talking with each other and began to feel like a wallflower as she wondered if any of them were discussing the way Cesar had looked through her out of everyone else earlier that day. The chatter quieted when Cesar entered and went to stand before the steps of the throne where a microphone had been set up. He tapped it once to listen for feedback before speaking. "It is my honor to officially welcome everyone to the Ball of the Brides," he smirked at the applause from the crowd while some of the royals' translators repeated Cesar's words in the native tongues of their non-English speaking rulers. "Tonight, is mainly about socializing and enjoying the wonderful feast our chefs have prepared but fret not. Each night will prove to be more invigorating than the last with performances from our own contortionists, magicians, jesters and of course lively music for us to dance to. So please, enjoy yourselves." Cesar headed over to the group of women Ayanda had seen mingling together before he had entered and contemplated joining them when she saw others do so. 'He'll likely just ignore me again,' she thought while drawing in a deep breath through her nose before letting it all out from her mouth to try and calm her nerves. They were all laughing at some story Cesar was telling when Ayanda walked up. "The princess of Prumor remarks on the colorful life you've lived," said the interpreter for the princess. Cesar subtly looked the princess over, one side of his mouth curling up into his cheek as he said, "and I don't plan on putting a halt to my escapades." "Not even after you've wed one of us?" asked the Queen of a place called Kriteba. Cesar moaned and rolled his eyes. "I see no reason why the pleasures one indulges in before having to tie themselves to another should cease after the ceremony," "does that also apply to the certain types of gratification one typically appreciates with many others whom they aren't tethered to?" the other royals murmured curiously as the Queen of Kriteba continued to question Cesar. 'Gee he really does have a reputation,' thought Ayanda while she waited to hear his answer. Cesar frowned thoughtfully and said, "Unification through the act of coupling is supposed to be a partnership correct?" Everyone's eyes shot from him to her. The Queen raised a brow. "I believe it to be so." "As a ruler, how many alliances have you made during your reign?" "Quite a few." "Why?" The queen's eyes stretched. "I'm unsure of what you mean?" "Why have you chosen to affiliate your country with so many others as opposed to just one?" The Queen's eyes narrowed in understanding. "I believe his highness is being audacious." "Am I?" Cesar teased. "Yes, since we all understand the reasoning behind forming alliances with multiple lands." Cesar held his hands behind his back and hunched his shoulders. "I am not yet a king and many of the maiden's here are not yet queens so it would help for a ruling monarch, especially one as affluent as yourself to explain how numerous alliances benefit one's own kingdom." The Queen's mouth twitched as though she were trying not to smile when she answered. "To put it simply; the more countries you align yourself with, the more your kingdom is likely to prosper due to them providing resources yours may lack." Cesar clicked his tongue and held up a finger. "Another way it could be put is the more partners you have, the more pleasure you receive." The crowd around them whispered about the boldness of the king-to-be. The Queen of Kriteba took a step forward and clasped her hands together. "What you say is true, but lest we forget that every bond we form through the signing of documents and shaking of hands can spoil when one country's needs are not met due to the selfishness of another's." The others murmured in agreement and Cesar dared to inch closer to the Queen, now standing directly within arms reach of her. "Yes, sadly the same hands we shake in friendship can end up driving a dagger into our back if we're not careful," "which is why the best way to avoid it is to align yourself with someone you trust and make sure you are worthy of theirs in return." Cesar nodded and then leaned in a bit, causing everyone to collectively inhale. "Personally, I've found a much more beneficial way to make sure all involved parties' interests are met while lessening the chances of any sort of betrayal." Everyone was on pins and needles as they eagerly awaited her reply. "And how is that?" Cesar smiled and said, "by always positioning myself behind whomever I wish to.... partner with." Hands went up to mouths and gasps were heard all around as they wondered how the Queen of Kriteba would react to Cesar's brazen actions and words. Utter shock befell them when she reached out, pressed a hand against his chest, and said, "I find you quite incorrigible prince Cesar." "It's certainly one of the best of my many admirable qualities." She laughed and pulled her hand back, putting everyone else at ease. Cesar clapped his hands together once and said, "all this talk of politics and other things has me feeling peckish. Let's make our way to the dining table, shall we?" He offered his arm to the Queen, and she curiously took it, asking him to lead the way. Ayanda made many attempts to make headway with the prince during the party, but it proved to be an impossible feat as he was constantly engaged in conversations with others who barely made room for her to join in. Frustration at now being able to even get near the prince now filling her had Ayanda feeling beyond grateful when the festivities finally came to an end. She chose to sit outside on a white stone bench by herself for a while after everyone had left and thought of whether or not she'd be able to get away with contacting Steven to tell him that she would have better luck lassoing the moon than getting Cesar to fall in love with her. She breathed in deeply, letting the warm night air fill her lungs before releasing it all in a satisfying 'ahh'. "I'm sure they'd take it well," she joked aloud, knowing full well that Steven and Joseph would accept nothing less than confirmation of her upcoming nuptials with Cesar. The castle was quiet when she entered, save for the occasional security and staff member roaming about. As she headed to her room, Ayanda heard the strangest noise coming from down the hall. She stopped and squinted to see Cesar and one of the princess' giggling and looking around for prying eyes in-between kisses. Ayanda's mouth fell open as she watched them sneak off into what she assumed was the princess' room. Ayanda then went into her own room and shook her head after closing the door. "Oh yeah I'll be able to get the smooth talking, womanizing, whore of a prince to fall in love with me no problem!" She plopped down angrily on the bed. "What on earth were Steven and Joseph thinking? I can't do this! I'm so far from being his type that I might as well be a man," she groaned while standing to undress. She sighed exasperatedly through her nostrils when a memory from her past life as Robyn suddenly came to mind;
A teenage Robyn flipped through a fashion magazine while laying on her stomach upon the white canopy bed of her high school best friend named Mandy while Mandy sat on a big, pink fluffy bean bag chair in the corner of her room while group texting her other friends. Robyn said, "How is any of the info in this rag supposed to help me?" Mandy sighed and continued texting. "You have no idea how to dress or accessorize, and with the big welcome back dance coming up next week, you need to learn fast." Robyn scoffed. "If I didn't know how to dress myself, I'd be naked all the time." Mandy snorted. "You know what I mean. You need to learn how to be fashionable if you want to come anywhere close to my social status." Robyn looked Mandy over. 'Yeah, for that to happen I'd have to lose twenty pounds and gain it all back in my boobs and butt,' she thought while continuing to aimlessly flip through the fashion magazine. "Your body will come in, just give it time. And believe me when we're going to different colleges in a couple years, you'll be so grateful that you had a popular bestie to take you under her wing." Robyn audibly gagged over Mandy speaking about herself in the third person which Mandy ignored. Suddenly, Mandy yelled out in anger and threw her phone across the room, hitting the leg of her vanity and alarming Robyn. "Uhh is everything okay?" Robyn cautiously asked. Mandy dramatically leaned back in the bean bag and draped an arm over her forehead. "No Robyn, everything is the complete opposite of okay!" Robyn rolled her eyes at her friend's theatrics and asked, "well, what's wrong?" Mandy rapidly got to her feet and started pacing back and forth. "Jenny told Sharon who told Ramone who is neighbors with Dustin that I'm going to the dance with Braeden and now Dustin won't talk to me!" Robyn's brow pulled together as she sat up and said, "wait a second. You're not talking about 'Dorky' Dustin Robertson, are you?" Mandy tilted her head towards Robyn, widened her eyes and said, "uh yeah!" while continuing to pace. Robyn looked at Mandy as though Mandy had slapped her. "Since WHEN do YOU talk to him?" Mandy stopped walking, closed her eyes, brought her hands together and interlocked her fingers. Robyn practically groaned as she waited for Mandy to explain what to Robyn seemed unexplainable when Mandy extended both index fingers, brought her clutched hands up and touched the tips of her index fingers to the tip of her nose with a sigh. "Since about two months ago when my mom was too busy to come get me after school and no one else was answering their phones." Mandy opened her eyes and scoffed when she saw the bewildered expression on Robyn's face. "Okay," Mandy said while going over to sit beside Robyn. "Here's what happened; I missed the bus because I had soccer practice and basically everyone else was gone for the day except for Dustin," "what was he doing in the school after hours?" "He was filling in as the principal's assistant until they could find someone permanent." Robyn frowned. "Why would he do that?" "Because it counts as an extracurricular activity and he's really serious about that stuff. Anyway, he finished up his work and headed outside to the parking lot where I was having a mini meltdown because no one was answering my calls and I had no way to get home. Luckily for me, he had driven his brother's car that day and decided to offer me a ride. Now I know my rep and his don't mix but what other choice did I have?" Robyn nodded in agreement while Mandy went on. "Anyway, he asked if I was hungry on the way to drop me off because he was and he hadn't eaten since breakfast that day because someone stole his lunch, and I was hungry too after burning so many calories during practice, so I said sure. I totally thought he was gonna order in a drive-thru but nope. He parked us at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant that I had never even heard of before, so I felt confident that no one cool would see me hanging with a dweeb you know? So, we went inside, and the atmosphere was chill, and the servers were friendly, so I like let my guard down and...." Mandy let her sentence trail off for just a moment before groaning and jumping up from the bed. "Mandy," Robyn started to ask. "Did he kiss you or something?" Mandy placed both hands on her blushing cheeks and turned to face Robyn. "Yes," she and Robyn instantly squealed in unison. "Oh my gosh Mandy!" "Shh, I know alright? But let me clarify; he didn't kiss me until he drove me home." "Wait then what happened after you let your guard down?" "... he said something funny like seriously funny and I don't know everything snowballed from there. We were talking about everything and laughing and having a good time and he even fed me some of his food," "like he was your boyfriend or something?" "Exactly like he was my boyfriend, and it surprisingly didn't gross me out. So, when he leaned in to kiss me after parking on the curb outside, I just let him." "Was it.... Disgusting? Because I heard that he like.... doesn't brush his teeth." Robyn shuddered and Mandy rolled her eyes. "That's just a vicious rumor. He most certainly does brush his teeth and.... I can't believe I'm saying this but, he's a decent kisser." Robyn was so surprised that she felt like a feather could've knocked her over. "Wow. This is seriously huge. Wait so, are you two dating?" Mandy immediately shook her head. "Oh no. Well, not publicly anyway." Robyn gave her a look and Mandy groaned. "I know it sounds awful, but I have a reputation to uphold. I'm one of the most popular girls in school Robyn! Do you know what would happen if anyone even suspected that I like Dorky Dustin, let alone that I'm dating him? Uh uh." She picked up her phone and plopped back down in the bean bag chair before checking her texts again. "I don't understand this at all," stated Robyn. Mandy shrugged. "What's not to understand? This is high school! Appearance is everything." "Then why risk dating him at all?" "Because I like him." "Then why are you going to the dance with Braeden?" "Because Braeden's hot and the third most popular guy in our school. That'll earn me so much more cred." Robyn lightly smacked her own forehead and dragged her hand down her face which caught Mandy's attention enough for her to put her phone face down in her lap. "Look Robyn, I genuinely like Dustin but Braeden is gonna get me what I need," "the approval of our peers?" Mandy made a face and picked her phone back up. "Ew you sound like my mom. But yes." "I just... okay. You like Dustin, even though he's not your type?" "Yeah." "Well then why do you like him?" Mandy stopped looking at her phone and scrunched her face in contemplation. "Huh. That's a good question. I guess it's because he's strangely confident even though he's not hot, but his confidence makes him hot to me. Either way, I'm going to the dance with Braeden while continuing to secretly date Dustin," "but you just said he's not talking to you." Mandy grinned at her and said, "I'll change his mind."
Robyn was shocked to see her cousin on the arm of Dustin instead of Braeden when the night of the dance happened. They even ended up dating for the next two years and Dustin's popularity, greatly improved. When Robyn asked Mandy what had made her change her mind about going public with her relationship to Dustin, Mandy said, "he made it clear that my trying to date any other guy even for pretend or whatever while keeping him a dirty little secret was NOT going to fly and he's the only guy that doesn't fawn all over me which allows me to just be myself around him. And I'm not willing to lose that or him for anything."
Ayanda let out a breath of laughter. 'It can't be that easy,' she thought of how the other women practically gushed over Cesar's charming nature and good looks as she crossed her arms and held a loose fist to her mouth while she contemplated how best to go about captivating Cesar's heart. "He's use to women drooling all over him. He expects it, if I want to stand out, I just have to act uninterested." She shrugged thoughtfully, wondering why she hadn't seen the obvious answer to gaining Cesar's attention before now. Ayanda finished changing out of her gown, put on her pajamas and climbed into bed. She stretched out against the sheets and let out a satisfied sigh before saying to herself, "also gotta remember that confidence is key." She stated before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, after making ready for the day, Ayanda saw all the other princesses and the queens of the group enjoying breakfast with Cesar in the solarium dining room, which aggravated her. 'Of course he wouldn't bother to make sure I was aware of this little gathering,' she said as she squared her shoulders and strode into the room. She caught the attention of some of the other monarchs and their personal attendants as she wished them good morning and grabbed a piece of fruit off the table while turning to leave. She halted when she heard one of the princesses ask, "are you not going to join us?" Ayanda looked over her shoulder at her and said, "I prefer to eat alone." She then left without a second glance back. She brought a hand to her stomach and controlled her breathing once she was out of sight of everyone at the table. 'That was super risky, but I just have to hope it'll work or else.' She thought as she went to one of the studies to eat her fruit in peace. Ayanda repeated the same behavior at lunch, unsure of whether Cesar had even noticed her or not.
That night the gala continued with a delicious meal involving a contortionist show, and ended outside with a firework display. Ayanda went on with the act of seeming completely disinterested in Cesar and wondered if it was working, only to have her curiosities instantly cease when she saw him sneaking around with yet another princess that night before she headed to bed herself. She blew out dramatically through her lips and tapped her foot against the post of the bed while she laid down. "His egos too big. Ignoring him isn't gonna work. I've gotta make him notice me. Make him want me, and then play hard to get..... but how?" Ayanda bit her lip as she racked her brain for the solution. 'Come on think! It's right there,' she closed her eyes tightly as her mind travelled back to the situation with her best friend Mandy who had said; "Dustin was the guy I didn't even know I wanted. He made see that he and I are a better fit than the other guys who wanted me."
"Pfft okay and how the hell- heck am I supposed to do that? Couldn't someone have invented some sort of manual for this?" Ayanda groaned loudly before sitting up with a gasp. "I got it! I need to find out what he wants in a woman, and show him those traits in me!" she fell back against the bed with an exhausted sigh. "Why are the obvious things so hard to see?"
Ayanda spent the next day eavesdropping on the conversations between the other royal women in hopes of hearing something that would aid in her mission to be chosen by Cesar. The women all lounged in one of the sitting rooms; some were playing cards at a table, while others were resting on pallets on the floor like they were at a sleepover, and the rest were scattered within ear shot of each other around the room. "I can't believe we're all vying for a man's attention like this," said the princess of Molon. "I suppose gallantry and the like truly are relics," added the princess of Kahba. The queen of Kriteba who was playing cards let out a thoughtful exhale. "While I do not relish the idea of being the pursuer, I can't help but find Cesar's boldness.... alluring." The others gasped and giggled in agreement. "I was beginning to think you two would engage in carnal matters right in front of everyone during the Ball of the Brides," teased the queen of Drizia. The interpreter for the princess of Prumor cleared her throat and said, "My princess said she's thankful another queen said what everyone surely thought that night as she knows it would be improper for a princess to say something so brazen to a ruler." The ladies all made murmurs of agreement before the princess of Molon said, "Now that it's just us girls for the moment; who do you think has the best chance at becoming the next queen of Craorus?" They all started talking at once about who Cesar would choose and why when the princess of Sluthia said, "if we're all being truthful, Cesar is as likely to choose a wife as any of us are of abdicating our duties. No one woman can satisfy his insatiable needs for more than a night before he'll move on to the next willing, warm body." The queen of Kriteba spoke up. "I am not so sure about that. We all know that men like that desire more than salaciousness. Men like Cesar can be compared to lions, they only bow to the call of a lioness." The princess of Kahba chose to chime in again. "What does her grace mean by that?" The queen of Kriteba leaned forward and said, "I mean that the only way to ensnare a man like Cesar is to stimulate his mind and caress his soul as opposed to his nether regions." The princess of Sluthia smirked and said, "it's difficult to think of his mind when his glorious nether regions are standing at attention before you." The other women all gasped and the princess of Pitha said, "are you saying that you and Cesar have already... ?" The princess of Sluthia playfully hunched her shoulders and pursed her lips. "A lady never kisses.... or does other things and tells." The other royals all squealed and teased her, making her laugh and blush in response. 'So that's the princess I saw him canoodling with the first night,' Ayanda thought to herself as she moved away from the doorway to think. 'If the queen of Kriteba is right and a smart confident woman is what Cesar wants, then that's who I'll have to show him I can be.' Thought Ayanda as she went to the library to search the shelves for a scintillating book. She dragged her fingers across the spines of the many books until she landed on a thick, leather book titled; Blood of a Stone: The Fall of a Regime Under the Reign of Insolence. She whistled as she read the inner summary. 'Guess I better thumb through this and form an opinion quick.' She thought as she sat in one of the wide, wing backed chairs in the library and opened the book up on her lap.
After a couple of hours of mind-numbing reading, Ayanda inconspicuously wandered around the castle, which was constantly buzzing with people, until she saw Cesar sitting at a rounded, medium sized table with a few other men, playing a game that Ayanda didn't recognize. She casually entered the other side of the room and took a seat facing the wall in a royal blue, silver trimmed sofa chair far enough away to keep from being noticed by any of them, while being close enough to hear their conversations and opened the book, so she'd look preoccupied in case anyone noticed her. "So, has his highness found favor in any of the maidens presented to him?" one of the men asked of Cesar. Cesar moved a piece on the board. "I've found them all to be quite fetching, save for that one from Obren that my brother vouched for likely as a joke," Ayanda's jaw tightened and she felt like giving him a piece of her mind, but knew it best to digress as making it to the altar was much more important. "But I won't be bewitched by their feminine wiles, even though I've spent the last two nights in the grip of their thighs." The men made sounds of intrigue. "May we inquire about which ones?" asked another of the men. "I'll bet it was that queen you nearly insulted the first night," declared another. Cesar laughed and leaned forward with a pulled brow as he concentrated on the board. "No, though I will likely have her on her knees within a night or two. After winning this game, my focus when it comes to the women will be to bed the princess of Tratish and the one from Pithia tonight." The men were divided with some laughing in disbelief and awe while others were unsure. "The princess of Tratish is said to be quite wild but the princess of Pithia? I heard her maidenhood remains unsullied to this day due to her extremely prudish nature and devoutness," stated another while continuing to play the game. Cesar's mouth pulled into a half smile as he shrugged. "What can I say? I've never been able to resist a challenge and no woman has been able to resist me thus far." Ayanda rolled her eyes so hard at his cockiness, she thought they might pop out of her head. Another one of the men spoke up and said, "as your reputation has proved true so far, it would be quite foolish to bet against you milord." "Smart man," replied Cesar before another of the players jumped in. "Is your plan to bed them all within a fortnight?" Cesar gave him a bewildered look. "What? Of course not! The one from Obren isn't viable and, they're all only going to be here for a week, so it'll have to be sooner than that," the men laughed, and one actually put his hand on Cesar's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "His highness is quite sure of himself when it comes to his ways with the fairer sex." Cesar held up a finger towards him. "Confidence is an absolute must when it comes to the pursuit of sex," "and I'm sure his highness' devilish good looks have nothing to do with it." Teased one of them. Cesar chuckled and moved another of his pieces when another of the players spoke up. "If I may be so bold; you do intend on choosing one of them for a wife, do you not?" Cesar sighed dejectedly and said, "talk of maritalcommitment," he spat out the words with bile as though they left the worst kind of taste in his mouth, "is likely the only thing able to curb my prowess. But no matter how much it pains me, I must do my duty so I will choose one, only after I've sampled them all of course." Ayanda felt a pit of disgust well up in her stomach. 'Oh I definitely envy the woman who marries this asshole-I mean jerk,' she instinctively corrected in her own mind before quietly sighing aloud in irritation. 'As much as I hate it, that lucky woman HAS to be me,' she quickly reminded herself of the consequences of failure when she heard one of the older men in a mustard gold printed suit say, "You know, I used to be like you milord." Cesar frowned thoughtfully. "Really?" "Oh yes. Just a few years ago, there wasn't a woman I wouldn't lie with," "then you can take the one from Obren off his highness' hands." Joked another man, making everyone else laugh and Ayanda fight the urge to loudly slam the book closed to make them aware of her presence. The man smirked and waved his hand. "That's not who I am anymore." "Why is that Caspian? If it's because of any sort of... performance problem, I'm sure there are medicines here that could help," stated Cesar. Caspian shook his head as the other men laughed. "No milord. I stopped because I found a woman worth stopping for." This seemed to claim the attention of the others and one said, "well she must either be the most gorgeous creature you've ever laid eyes on, or she's the most talented you've encountered." Caspian gave him a look. "It's more than that." Cesar scoffed. "I can't imagine what could possibly make any man forgo a lifetime of passion for the tediousness of lying with one woman for the rest of your life," mutters of agreement filled the room until Caspian said, "your mind might change after the I do's." Cesar groaned. "I'll not allow something as insipid as bondage to another keep me from partaking in the things I enjoy." 'Is this butthole allergic to the THOUGHT of marriage so much that he can't even say the word?' thought Ayanda. Caspian said, "if you marry the right woman then you'll see what I mean." "What on earth could one woman do for you that multiple others can't? It's ludicrous to tie yourself down in such a manner. It's like only eating chicken for the rest of your life because you enjoy it the most," Cesar balked which made Caspian chuckle to himself. "Yes, I was most definitely like you before meeting my wife." Cesar sighed, clearly annoyed by the mere subject of marriage and said, "Alright I yield; what is so special about your wife that you've chosen to become somewhat of a eunuch?" Ayanda bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the sound of Cesar behaving so childishly after only witnessing his admittedly charming facade. Caspian took in a deep, thoughtful inhale before saying, "she's the only woman who has truly challenged me and continues to do so every day." The men were silent for a moment before some groaned in disbelief and others made sounds of contemplation. Cesar shook his head and smoothed his hair back behind his ears. "Alright that's enough talk of vomit-inducing subjects. Let us get back to the game." Ayanda sat there for a while, listening and reading a bit while she waited for the perfect opportunity to sneak away. 'The queen of Kriteba was right. Men like Cesar do need to be intellectually stimulated.' Finally, when all the men were making a ruckus over Cesar having lost the game to the other three players, Ayanda got up and made her escape, the anxiety that had risen in her vanishing the moment she was out of the room and realized she hadn't been seen.
Later that afternoon, the men were all in one of the parlors discussing politics and the like before dinner so Ayanda decided it was the best time to make her move. 'Now or never.' She strolled into the room, stopping directly within the sights of them all. "Oh," she remarked. "Apologies gentlemen, I was looking for a quiet place to read." She said while holding up the book for them to see before turning on her heel to leave. "Wait," she heard one of them say to her. 'Not Cesar's voice but still better than nothing.' She turned and gave a quick glance over to Cesar who sat on the far end of a couch while talking to another man who sat on a chair near him. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment at him not having noticed her before she turned her attention to the gentleman in an evergreen medieval tux with short graying hair who had called to her. "Yes?" He approached her with a hand on his chest and bowed his head. "Forgive me princess. My name is Lawson." The way he was dressed and responded to her, made Ayanda think him a noble rather than another royal, so she opted for closing her eyes with a subtle head bow of her own in return. "Pleased to make your acquittance." "Oh no. The pleasure is all mine." Ayanda felt grateful after being treated as though she were nothing by Cesar, to now be treated with respect while Lawson went on. "I noticed your book and it's quite a serious read." Ayanda looked down to eye the book. "Oh yes I could tell from the title and summary. It's why I chose it." Lawson's eyes grew wide, and he nodded as another man in an ivory suit approached her as well. She scanned the room. 'Hmm. In Obren even if a woman enters the room on accident, every man stands to show respect. Guess they only stand here when they're speaking directly to a woman,' she thought as the man dressed in white introduced himself as Giles. "If you enjoy a challenging read, you should try one of the books written by the author who goes by Saville. Astonishingly good stories without the pain of needing to look up the meaning behind the pretentious wording and insufferable innuendos." Another man stepped up, introduced himself as Lucius and said, "I remember reading that particular book in your hand during my academic years. I came this close to jumping off a cliff just to avoid having to read one more syllable after enduring the first chapter." Lawson offered her a seat and she listened to each opinion on the book as more of the men joined in to discuss it.
"What?" declared a man named Darby. "How can you possibly find the character of Cecil to be rudimentary?" The men all began talking at once, causing Darby to project his voice. "No, no Cecil is the catalyst of the whole story! Without him, the entire plot falls apart!" Lawson chimed in. "Oh please. He's a callow little sod whose entire purpose is contingent on Ashton's inability to grow a spine and stand against the governor's unfathomable reform." Ayanda enjoyed listening to the different takes on the book whose title she felt was too long. The men all spoke with passion until Giles looked at her as though he had forgotten she was even there. He held up his hands. "Hold on gentlemen. I just realized that we've spoiled quite a bit of the read for the princess here." They all quieted and expressed their remorse, to which Ayanda responded, "I quite enjoy hearing the different takes you all have on the same story." "Well please let us know once you've finished reading it, if you're able to make it through the whole thing without going mad, and we'll see if you agree with Darby about Cecil." Giles teased, making the others chuckle and Darby roll his eyes. "Actually, the character that most caught my eye was Colfield Findlay." The room went so silent that Ayanda was sure everyone could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. "You've gotten that far already?" 'If by that you mean attempted while eavesdropping on you all earlier and then giving up and searching the internet for the CliffsNotes then yes.' She thought to herself before verbally answering Giles. "Yes and I've found that I agree with you about it being unnecessarily complex. I believe the reason for that is the author's need to overcompensate for a story that is arguably good on its own but when held up to others of the same genre, is admittedly nothing more than what can be seen as a precocious child's attempt at relaying the tale of the repeating struggles between a residing faction and its people which inevitably ends in the same tired patterns of democracy giving way to dictatorship which leads to rebellion which again leads to democracy and so forth. The only truly redeeming quality would have to be the first part of the title as having complete rule over a people has always proven to be impossible no matter how it's handled." All eyes were on her, making her wonder if she had just insulted each of them and ruined any chance she had at finally grabbing Cesar's attention.
After what felt like forever, Lucius spoke up. "I've never heard it put so eloquently before. That is exactly right!" Chatter of agreement and disagreement filled the room, helping Ayanda's stomach untwist and her pulse slow. Darby projected his voice over all theirs again to get their attention. "Granted, even though the princess' depiction was rather astute, I still very much enjoy the story and think that Cecil is both important and necessary." Some groans and laughter came from the men as Ayanda smiled and said, "I certainly hope my assessment hasn't tainted any of your perspectives," she got to her feet, surprised when they all stood up with her. 'Huh.' She thought while she cast a quick look at Cesar who also stood but still didn't glance her way. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a book to finish." "Well please let us know when you do. We'd love to hear your full take once you've read it all the way through." Ayanda smiled at them all and assured them she would let them know once she was done before exiting the room. 'He still wouldn't even look in my direction,' thought a disheartened Ayanda as she headed back to her room to relax before dinner. She entered the room and noticed that some of the royal women she had heard talking earlier, were now giving her nasty looks that reminded her of the types of girls she went to school with. It confused her since they had all been cordial to her upon first meeting. She greeted them and one princess said, "still prefer to eat alone?" 'Oh no,' thought Ayanda. 'Trying to make Cesar notice me by seeming mysterious yesterday, made everyone else think that I'm snobby.' She felt her stomach flip as she said, "old habits die hard I'm afraid." A few of them reminded her of Steven and Joseph as they looked at her in confusion over the saying. She smiled and said, "in my home of Obren, men and women do not eat together unless they are directly related through blood." "Oh," said some of the royals. Ayanda studied their faces and saw that her explanation had helped erase some of the mean thoughts they had formed about her. She turned to one of the servers and asked that they bring her plate to the closest study before bidding everyone adieu until the party that night which consisted of the most amazing magic show Ayanda had ever witnessed. Later that night, Ayanda saw Cesar laughing and sneaking away with both the princesses of Tratish and Pithia. Her jaw dropped as she went into her room. "How the heck did he talk the princess of Pithia into a threesome for her first time?" Ayanda scoffed in disbelief and shook her head as she got ready for bed. She slid under the covers with a grunt and collapsed against her pillow. "What on earth will it take for Cesar to-" her eyes popped open, and she shot up like a rocket as something from earlier came to mind. After talking to the server about bringing her her dinner, right before she headed out, she glanced at Cesar and saw him looking back at her. "He.... looked at me. He actually looked at me." She realized in utter disbelief. She brought a hand to her mouth and fell backward. Just when she was beginning to think she wouldn't be able to so much as get his attention, she finally did.