Amid the sounds of our ragged breaths, Nadir tried to push me off him with his foot. I’d been so focused on his trousers that I was easily kicked away, tumbling backward.
“Ow!” I protested angrily. “What kind of man throws a woman around like that?!”
“Quiet!” he yelled back. “What kind of woman attacks a man like...that...?”
His words trailed off toward the end of his sentence. Puzzled, I turned to look at him.
Nadir was staring at me. Specifically, at a part of my dress that had rolled up significantly during the scuffle. Now, you might think he was ogling, but no. When I say he was staring, I mean he was looking at me like one might look at a book. Not that my panicked brain could tell the difference at the time.
“Eek!”
Look, I know it might seem too late to talk about modesty, but I did have it! As you may remember, I very, very much did not want to actually do anything. This was not going according to plan.
“Hey! Stop staring!” I demanded, trying to fix my skirt. Nadir grabbed my hand, sending a chill down my spine. “Wait. You’re joking, right? This is a joke?”
I forced a smile, but Nadir’s hand moved to my dress.
“Eek! Nooo! We can’t do this before marriage!”
He clicked his tongue. “Quiet down!”
Nadir easily pinned me down as I kicked and screamed with all my might, fearing for my chastity. At that moment, I became acutely aware of the difference in strength between men and women.
“W-Wait,” I pleaded. “Seriously...”
This might be the end...
My eyes grew misty, and I was about to give up as Nadir slowly rolled up my skirt. It’s over, I thought, ready to stop struggling.
But his hand moved no farther. Which is to say, he never exposed that part.
Something’s not right.
Hesitantly, I looked at him. Nadir was staring intently at my legs, thinking about something. Thank goodness my underwear wasn’t visible.
What, did he have a leg fetish? He did, didn’t he?
“Um,” I mumbled.
My voice brought him back from his stupor. Seemingly taken aback, he pulled away. I took the chance to fix my skirt.
“Um,” I repeated.
“Now why would I ever be content with such a meager body?!” he snapped, not looking at me. Then he quickly stormed off, leaving me there in a daze.
“What the hell?” was all I could say to that.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What’s his problem?!”
I took off my dress and discarded it before leaping into my bed. His Highness had safely captured Leticia, supposedly, and she should’ve now been at the palace.
However, I couldn’t have cared less. It wasn’t that tomboy who was occupying my thoughts; it was her older brother.
“How dare he gaze at my legs like that only to say such outrageous things!”
Normally, people focused exclusively on my chest, you see, but my legs? My legs were secretly my pride and joy. They weren’t delicate and slender like those of sheltered ladies, oh no. I was a hard worker! I had muscles! My legs were toned and quite attractive, thank you very much.
“How dare he say my body is meager?!”
It wasn’t! It was too voluptuous!
“I’ll never forgive the bastard,” I murmured, my voice dripping with resentment, and pushed my face into the pillow.
Still, his actions at the time had been at odds with his words.
“Does that mean I have a chance?” I wondered aloud. One did not simply lift up the dress of a woman they disliked, after all. “Hell yes! Rich husband, here I—”
“Brianna, would you like to take a bath?” my mother asked calmly, paying no heed to my burning passions.
“Yes, please!” I replied.
A bath sounded perfect. I was going to get squeaky clean and dazzling, and then shoot my shot! Repeatedly! Until it landed!
Lady Luck was on my side, you see, because the crown prince had requested that I be Leticia’s conversation partner—an arrangement made so Leticia would feel less like a prisoner at the castle. Would that he’d shown me that kindness!
I pumped myself up, determined to make this work. “I can do it! I just need to keep trying!”
“Brianna, your bath...”
My mother, however, seemed less than thrilled.