I loved the look on his face as I straightened up. He was completely surprised and thrown off guard, and I couldn’t help but smile at it.

If he was going to play games, then I could play too. He sent me those panties probably assuming they would get me fired up, and at first, they did.

But I quickly realized that if I was going to get through the next weeks, then I couldn’t give into his provocations. I had to try to keep it cool and even play the game right back if possible.

So wearing the panties and conveniently needing to get my shoes on in front of him was all part of my plans. King asshole wanted to play games, but he didn’t know what I had in store for him.

We walked together out of my room and headed down the hallway. The security detail, three big, nondescript men, one of which I recognized as Al from the night before, followed at a respectful distance but still close.

“Are they always following you around?” I asked Trip.

“More or less,” he said. “But we can lose them if you want.”

“That’s probably a bad idea.”

“Maybe, but if you want me to find out just how ruined those panties are, we’ll need a little privacy.”

I blushed. “These panties are fine.”

“I’m sure,” he murmured, smiling. “Well, here we are.”

He pushed open a large oak door and we stepped inside.

The throne room was long and wide with antique fireplaces lining the hall. It wasn’t as big as the banquet hall from the night before, but it was definitely older. Everything was original; all the stonework and the decorations were faded and worn, but still magnificent.

“Like I said, it doesn’t get much use except for tours,” he said as we walked down the hall, “but it’s still pretty impressive, I think. Over seven hundred years old. It’s part of the original structure.”

“Wow,” I said, genuinely impressed. “This is pretty amazing.”

“And here we are. The thrones.”

The thrones were two gold chairs with deep seats and high backs, but I had to admit that I was a little let down. They were plain, with only the minimum of decorations.

“Simple,” I said.

He laughed. “That’s right. Starkish Kings were known for their seriousness and their frugality back in the old days. These are supposed to be a symbol of our simple might.”

I smiled. “I like them then.”

“Go ahead. Take a seat.”

I stared at him. “Seriously?”

“Go ahead. Trust me, you won’t break it.”

I slowly sat down in the king’s throne. Trip stood behind me and bent down, his lips near my ear.

“What do you think?” he said softly.

“I can understand why people like this.”

“You look perfect in that chair,” he said.

I pictured ruling over a country from this chair. I couldn’t imagine how many edicts and lives had been changed from the very spot I was sitting. Probably countless.

I stood up, shaking my head. I couldn’t get too seduced by all this. “Come on,” I said. “Show me something else. Really try to impress me.”

“Not impressed enough?” he asked, laughing.

“Not yet.”

“Good. I’ve got a lot more.”

We went back down the long hall and out into the main part of the castle. We walked side by side, heading through the maze-like passages.

“Do you know where we are right now?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No clue, honestly.”

“Good. You’re not supposed to. This castle was built like a maze to confuse everyone but the royal family.”

“That makes sense. Get a lot of assassins these days?”

He laughed. “Not really, no.”

“Did you grow up here?”

“I did,” he said, nodding. “I know these halls better than anyone alive right now. Except for maybe Max.”

“Maximillian?”

He nodded. “I grew up with Max. He was my caretaker when I was a child, and he’s my closest advisor now.”

“That’s nice,” I said, “though I can’t imagine growing up with servants.”

“You get used to it, like anything else.” We finally stopped in front of another large oak door. “I think you’ll like this.”

He pushed the doors open and we stepped inside. My breath caught in my chest.

It was like something from a dream. With two floors and oak desks in the middle, the library looked like it was straight out of a Renaissance painting. It was gorgeous, all polished oak and real stone floors. The shelves were packed with books.

“Okay,” I said, walking inside, “now I’m impressed.”

“Good,” he said, laughing.

“What are all these books?”

He shrugged. “They’re mostly in Starklandian. Lots of them are pretty old.” He walked over to one shelf and pulled out a thick, heavy-looking tome. “I think this one is handwritten. Probably as old as this castle.”

I shook my head, amazed. “There’s so much history in here.”

“You’re right. Sometimes I forget about that.”

“You have other worries.”

“The luxury of you non-royals. You get to think about things like history while I’m stuck ruling a country.”

I moved through the shelves and he walked behind me, giving me space to browse. I couldn’t read the majority of the books, but they were old and they were beautiful.

I couldn’t imagine being in a place like this back in America. The oldest books were a couple hundred years old there. But here, the oldest spanned back much, much further.

“Come on,” he said finally. “I’ve got lots more to get through.”

I nodded, looking back at him. He was smirking at me, and I couldn’t help but feel my heart beating fast in my chest.

This man had grown up around all of this. He had it in his blood. His family was powerful and ran an entire country, and now he wanted me to be a part of that. I couldn’t even begin to fathom all of the things he knew and the responsibilities he had.

He turned and I followed him. The guards shut the library behind us and fell in at a respectful distance as he took me on the rest of the tour.

He showed me antique arms and armor and even let me hold a sword. It was way heavier than I would have guessed. Next he showed me a room filled with art, another room filled with musical instruments, and another room dedicated solely to sculptures. There was even a garden courtyard at the very center of the castle.

As we walked, I had to appreciate how complex the castle was. It was far larger than I would have guessed, and I had been absolutely lost the second we’d left my room. I wouldn’t have known where to go if it weren’t for Trip leading the way.

Finally, we ended up at a pair of glass doors. “This is my favorite spot in the castle,” he said.

“What is it?” I asked,

He pushed the doors open and we walked into a thick, muggy heat. I laughed, shaking my head. “Really? A pool?”

“I like to swim,” he said, grinning. “I come here most nights. I’ll swim until I’m tired. It’s a good stress reliever.”

There wasn’t much special about the pool, but that in itself was impressive. It looked like any other indoor pool, no special paintings lining the walls or something like that.

“It’s just so plain,” I said.

“I like it that way. Not everything needs to be covered in gold in this place.”

“I thought that was part of being royal. You needed to look royal.”

“Only in front of the peasants,” he said, grinning at me. “But I do appreciate how appearances can matter.”

“I can tell.”

“You seem to appreciate it, too. You wore those panties for me after all.”

I blushed. “Not exactly for you.”

“Maybe, but you only succeeded in making me want to strip your jeans off that much more.”

“Careful. I’ll push you into the pool.”

He smirked. “You think that can mask how wet you already are?” He stepped closer to me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

He was a cocky asshole, and his guards were standing twenty feet away.

And yet if he put his hands in my panties, he’d find out just how soaking wet he really made me.

“Your Highness.”

We both looked over. Standing in the doorway was a woman I recognized.

“Lynette,” he said. “I’m busy at the moment.”

“Yes, I see that, Your Highness,” she said, her lips pursed. “But we have a meeting.”

Trip sighed. “It can wait.”

“Please, sir. It won’t take long.”

“Very well.” He looked at me. “To be continued then, Bryce. Al will return you to your rooms.”

“Okay,” I said. “Have fun ruling.”

“I’ll do my best.” He smirked at me and then turned and left.

I watched him disappear behind the woman, and for a second I wanted him to come back. I felt bad that he couldn’t have any time to himself and was getting pulled into important meetings all the time.

It was probably pretty hard to have a normal life when you were a king, which was all the more reason to stay far, far away from getting involved with Trip.

As I followed Al back to my room, I kept thinking about the castle, about the history and the splendor. It was a beautiful life, even if it was a complicated one.

I was starting to see how a normal life could be a little overrated.