Prince Daire watched Sophia leave, his mind still trying to process the shocks of the day.
He hadn't seriously been intending to send her to the dungeons - ordering his guards to release her immediately if she seemed upset or scared.
Prince Daire grinned ruefully - he had thought she would last mere minutes until she was granted permission to leave but she had surprised him once again.
He had exited a meeting - several hours after Sophia's 'imprisonment' - only to find a patient Waverley waiting with a missive from the proud Princess.
Prince Daire chuckled lightly - she had threatened him even when asking for his leniency! He had rushed straight to the dungeons - after telling Sophia's maid to get some feminine products sent to his quarters - and had been shocked to discover the state she was in.. but more shocked, of course, when her shoe had hit him knocking him to the floor!
Grimacing, Prince Daire entered the bathroom and studied his reflection. Though the little Firecracker had not held back, attacking him with gusto, he didn't have any marks showing on his face.
He knew she'd been frightened feeling his hardness against her, but he had had no sexual intentions. A gorgeous, naked woman was rubbing and thrusting against him - although completely innocently - and his body had had a natural physiological reaction!
He closed his eyes in disgrace, though he knew he had no evil intent he was still uncomfortable that she had been aware of his body's response to her stimulation.
Groaning, remembering the perfection of her naked form, he headed for a cold shower.
* * *
I hadn't seen Prince Daire since I had rejected him yesterday evening. I had fallen straight into a deep sleep once back in my room and spent the majority of today in the library, going through any newspaper I could find, to try and discover if my original body was dead.
I hadn't been able to find anything about it - I'm sure a suspicious death like that would be reported - and I wondered if that meant a body swap was more likely.
"Sophia, your maid Mary told me I could find you here.. that you wanted to see me?"
Stiffening, I turned to Daire with a brisk smile and pondered how best to ask for his help. I needed to find out what happened to my original body but I didn't want the Prince becoming suspicious.
I almost face palmed myself - I was the one in a new body and I could still barely believe it so he couldn't possibly guess the truth!
"I had a.. friend.. her name was Seraphina Agneyastra.. I wanted to contact her.. would you be able to help me with that?"
The Prince's brow furrowed briefly before agreeing to my request.
"Is there anything else?"
Pausing before leaving me, his brilliant sapphire eyes searching my own, I hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering me since waking as Sophia.
"What does Sophia.. do? Am I just to spend the rest of my life within these walls, finding ways to pass the days bored out of my mind?"
Daire smiled wryly, an air of playfulness surrounding him.
"Hmm.. you could always fulfil your duties as my fiancé.. I'm sure you wouldn't be.. bored.. then."
My cheeks flamed and I made such a shockingly girly gasp of virginal outrage that I wanted to stick a fork in my eye!
"Prince Daire! I can assure you I will NEVER be so bored I'd do IT with YOU!"
"Why Princess Sophia, where is your mind lurking? Though I'm flattered that you immediately think of sex when talking to me.. I was - of course - meaning royal visits and such."
Well that told me.. the bastard misled me on purpose! Inhaling deeply through my nose, blowing it out my mouth whilst counting to ten, I tried to remind myself this was Crown Prince Daire and I really had to stop getting violently angry with him.
"I'll have Charleston meet with you tomorrow and give you some ideas of wifely duties you could be overseeing to relieve you of your.. frustration."
Chuckling, Daire easily avoided the book I threw at his head and left with a wink.
* *
"She died when?"
Prince Daire didn't believe in coincidences. Sophia's friend had died by suicide the same night, the same minute, that Sophia's heart had stopped. Did they have some kind of suicide pact? Why? Were they lovers? Was Sophia gay?
"I want to know everything about this Seraphina - leave nothing out."
Prince Daire smiled, watching distractedly as Cole - his personal investigator - left him, his ennui a thing of the past.