"Not this face, princess." Ziloh grabbed her wrist, unabashed from her rejection. "I told you we're not going to sleep tonight."
He stood up and opened the lower drawer on the shelf. It was filled of old boxes, he took one and placed it in front of Alyssa. "Have you played one before?"
"Played what?" Alyssa covered her chest on instinct.
"Jenga." Ziloh sat down in front of her. "Of course, you don't" he answered himself. "It's a game from the time before."
"A time before?" Alyssa opened the box, revealing blocks of woods. "How do you play this?" she took one block and examined it intently.
Had her Queen mother is seeing this, the boxes would most likely be confiscated.
Ziloh dumped the blocks on the floor and began piling one block from another. "Whoever make this tower fall…" he grabbed another one and placed it on top. "lose."
"Easy." Alyssa, seeing what Ziloh was doing, she helped him placed the block--- until no block was left.
"Take one block each turn," he explained. "and place it on top."
"Okay." Alyssa was stretching her fingers--- getting ready.
"But whoever lose will be punished." Ziloh said.
"Okay," Alyssa said, confident.
"If you lose," Ziloh looked at Alyssa from head to toe. "Strip down your clothes."
Alyssa glared at him. "No."
"If you lose," Ziloh pondered. "A flicker on your forehead."
"Okay," Alyssa nodded, agreeing. "And if YOU lose," Alyssa smirked. "Show me what's inside the other room."
***
Maybe it was because it was her first time playing, but Alyssa kept on losing. She had her inflamed forehead as proof.
"Wait!" Alyssa pushed back Ziloh's hand away from her forehead. "Not as strong, or you might dig a hole in my brain."
"Princess," Ziloh smirked, moving her hands to the side. "What's the fun in that?" he flickered her forehead for the fifth time---- hard.
The cracking sound reverberated inside the room.
"Again." Alyssa grinded her teeth, refusing to express her pain. "Let's play." she initiated on piling the wooded blocks again and building it into tower.
A soft laugh escaped Ziloh's lips. "You don't know when to give up do you." he helped her pile up the tower so they could play another round. "You know you'll never win against me, right?"
"You don't know that." Alyssa countered. "I will win this round."
Alyssa had to know what was inside the other room, maybe she would be able to understand the mysterious man in front of her better.
"I doubt that." Ziloh smiled. "Let me go first."
"No," Alyssa shoved his hand away. "I'm first."
Alyssa was taking away the advantages Ziloh had the previous games. It was still at the beginning of the game, it was not dangerous yet.
"Suit yourself." Ziloh said.
Ziloh had the reflexes needed for this kind of game, his hand was precise---- it does not move once he had chosen his block, his hand was soft as a feather when he would place the block on top of the tower.
Alyssa was no exception, she was getting used to the game, she rubbed her forehead instinctively--- she might have a real chance of winning this time.
The game had gone longer that before, with the tower swaying with just a simple touch, it could go down any seconds now---- the one who would make the slightest wrong move would lose.
Ziloh was observing Alyssa's focused gaze. Compared with Alyssa, Ziloh was not focused to the game--- he was focused to her. That wrinkle in the middle of her brows, that tug on one side of her lips, that glare whenever he would finish his turn safely.
Alyssa was biting the inside of her cheeks; the odds were not in her favor. She mistakenly touched a block that was dangerous and decided to pick another one.
"No," Ziloh said. "You already touched the other one."
Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Okay." She had no choice but to take the risky one, she pressed her lips together, not breathing as she placed the block safely on top.
It was Ziloh's turn now.
"Is this how you spend your nights?" Alyssa asked, trying to disturb him. "How you make women at ease?"
"No, "Just like any other, Ziloh managed to safely finish his turn. "I don't need to do this to make them do what I want."
Alyssa wondered, then why would women follow him, despite knowing they were just his plaything for the night.
"You, what do you do to make your attendant under your spell." It was Ziloh's turn to ask.
"What attendant?" Alyssa thought for a moment what he meant. "You mean, Eli?" she safely took a block from the tower. "Simple." she shook her head. "He has to follow me unless he wants to lose his job."
'And his head.' Alyssa thought.
As soon as she placed the block on top of the swaying tower, it collapsed.
"Nooooo!" Alyssa protested. "No." she glared at Ziloh, for tricking her into talking and losing her focus.
Ziloh shrugged. "It's not my fault that you're so bad at this." he flickered his finger in the air, teasing Alyssa.
Alyssa sighted. "Okay, let get this over with." She shoved her hair away from her forehead. "I know asking you to be gentle would be a waste." She closed her eyes, brazing for the impact on her already blazing forehead. "Just do it."
She was already thinking to play one more time, surely, she would not lose again.
Ziloh inched closer with a smile on his face, like a young man with no worries in the world. He observed how red her forehead was, he touched it with thumb.
Alyssa flinched from the pain, she peeked on one side of her eyes. "Just get it over with." she then closed her eyes again.
Ziloh smirked, maybe a different punishment was more fitting.
Alyssa squinted with her eyes closed, bracing for impact.
Ziloh was readying his finger and hovered it at the center of her forehead, but he grabbed the back of her head and placed his lips on her forehead instead.
Alyssa's eyes jerked open, bewildered from the soft touch. "Did you just…" her forehead is not the only thing red now, her cheeks flared from embarrassment. "Did you…" she cannot say the words out loud.
"Your new punishment," Ziloh smirked. "Do you want to play again?"
Alyssa looked at his eyes, then to his lips. Making her face grow a deeper shade of red. "How dare you!" she was about to slap Ziloh.
"We've got to play by the rules." Ziloh gripped her hand away from touching his face.
Alyssa stumbled, falling on her back, breathing heavily.
Ziloh let himself fall too. "What are you so nervous about, princess?" He was on top of her, staring on her lips.
Alyssa's chest thumped louder--- the disadvantage of having a heart.
Ziloh grabbed her other hand. "Why are you so nervous, Alyssa." He drew closer to her, only inches away from her lips.
She opened her mouth, but her mind was blank, cannot think of anything to say.
She had never been kissed before. As a princess, she did not have the luxury to be seen with some random man. And in truth, there was not much of a choice of men inside the palace. She had no experience with such things, and it was showing.
Her heart was beating so fast that even she could hear it, she avoided looking at Ziloh's eyes and stilled under him.
She looked at his lips, that soft lips that touched his forehead. She wondered how it would feel if it touches her lips.
She wanted to be kissed.
She wanted to feel what it was like to be kissed.
She followed his lips as it hovered down towards her, stopping until their nose touched, hovering to the side as it whispered into her ears.
"I'll show you the other room." Ziloh said in a low voice. "I don't think this game will end until you see it."
In truth, Alyssa had forgotten the other room. She had forgotten the game. All that she was thinking was his lips.
'Get it together' Alyssa shook her head. 'What is wrong with you.'
Ziloh offered his hand to help her on her feet.
Alyssa took it.
"Don't worry, my queen." Ziloh's eyes blared red. "What you're thinking will happen in the near future."
"What do you mean?" Alyssa blinked innocently.
"For now, think about it before you sleep." Ziloh said.
"I'm not…" Alyssa protested.
"Come, let me show you the room." Ziloh took her hand over his and led the way.
***
"Open it." Ziloh urged.
Alyssa turned the knob and went inside the room.
The room was, well, it was anticlimactic.
Just like his other room, it had nothing except for the queen-sized bed in the middle covered with a black sheet.
"I could have slept in here than play that game the whole night!" Alyssa protested. "No pillows?" she sat at the edge of the bed.
Ziloh was at the door, leaning at the wall. "I don't sleep in here."
"Of course, you don't" Alyssa ran her hands on the cotton sheet. "But I could."
"I don't sleep in here," Ziloh repeated. "that's not what the bed is here for." he added.
As if she sat on something hot, Alyssa suddenly stood up from the bed, realizing what he meant.
Of course, he does not sleep in here. It is where he takes his line of women to…
"It's not what you think." Ziloh cut her away from her thoughts.
"I'm not thinking anything." Alyssa lied.
"Let's get out of here, there's nothing to see." Ziloh walked towards her and grabbed her by the wrist. "You're not like the others, you're not my prey." he dragged her, exiting away from the room.
"I'm not your prey?" Alyssa snickered. "Is that how you call those poor women whose heart you've broken?"
"Don't worry." Ziloh turned around, facing her. "I won't break your heart." He smirked. "Unless you want me to."
"There's nothing to break." Alyssa rolled her eyes. "We're not in that kind of relationship, if you haven't noticed."
Ziloh's face suddenly turned serious, as if hearing something from afar.
"What?" Alyssa asked, trying to hear what was outside but heard nothing.
"We're out of time." Ziloh said. "You mother is looking for you."
Was Alyssa imagining it, or there was regret in his eyes?
"Remember this, Alyssa." Ziloh pressed a finger on her left chest. "This is mine." he pressed his palm on her heart. "Whether it is beating or not, I don't care…" he pressed harder. "This is mine."