Well, she had a point. A true gentleman would not be caught sneaking in the women’s bath, not if he wished to keep his reputation as much as his freedom. But there he was standing in front of her, staring into the unexpected traces of laughter hiding behind her eyes as she gently told him off. For a few seconds, he thought that she was going to turn around and walk away, call for her guards – Lia and Octavia – to assist her out of the pool. 

“You don’t seem to mind that I do. Otherwise, you would be yelling for the guards right now.” He flashed her a confident smile tinged with mischief. If he had thought that his mind was fully in control of the situation even by knowing that neither him nor her would be protected from each other by layers of clothing, he was wrong. An irritated Rhiane and an equally irritated Luke was effective in staving off any tinge of desire that evolution had injected in his male genes, but when she made that sound of amusement and he decided to forego whatever had made him so irked, he had unknowingly brought them in dangerous territory. She took a tentative step back, but it was alright, he let her. It was probably for the best that they held back until they were properly wed and she was ready. “You may not believe me, but I find the women’s bath to be a more favorable venue than a bar in meeting people who I can talk to. Although, I would really love to buy you a drink right now.”

He savored the warmth of the water, feeling it relax the muscles of his body, hoping it did the same for her. “I heard that there is a crown,” Luke frowned, pretending he was unsure as well. There was a crown, he even had one. It was made of gold and gems, but it was not as heavy as it looked. The rulers wore it only on special occasions. When they got married, it would be part of the ceremony. He would be wearing his too, then would be placing her wife’s atop her head as a symbol that she was being accepted into the royal family. It would be nothing as grand as the queen’s but it was a symbol of power in itself. 

The anecdote brought a smile to his lips. Rhiane was unlike the women he grew up with, went to work with, or even casually hooked up with. She was raised outside the capital, unrestricted by tradition, and had no expectations to meet other than that of his family’s. “Wow. I thought my sister has a problem.” He snickered, probably remembering one of the many times that the little Callie bullied Luke into doing a favor for her. The twins were younger than her, therefore it was easier to order them around. Even as they grew older, even up to that night, the princess bullied her older brother to review and revise her position paper then called up and demanded him to pass the phone to Rhiane. 

The device clamped on his wrist vibrated underwater. As he lifted it to the surface, a faint golden glow became visible from the surface. Luke made a quick gesture to make it stop before even reading the name of the caller. If he started, he would ruin the night by stepping back into the shoes of the crown prince and wearing the proverbial crown. “Just work. It can wait,” he commented casually then let his arm plunge back into the comforting warmth. As comforting the water was, the two of them had their legs working to carry them along plantations and fields the whole day that it deserved rest. He glided back to where he found a stone bench, then motioned with his hand for her to sit beside him. 

“My younger sister is as much of a bully as you are in that story. Except that she doesn’t feel the need to give me a crown or bribe of any sorts, she just orders me around. I’m much older than her so I don’t fight with her, but our younger siblings do.” He paused, looking up at the stars. Life was much simpler when they were younger. The smile that brightened up his face slowly faded. “They enjoy hiding in my room, pestering me, and breaking my stuff. Then if I scold one of them, especially the twins, they will cry and run to our mother.” He turned his attention back to her. “So where are you from, Miss Green Eyes? And what brought you to this hot spring alone?”