A few days had passed and in the meantime Prince Cain had not called me to his room. Not even once.
Nothing had happened, as if the incident never took place. I only stood guard in front of his door and at most accompanied him when he left his room.
But he stayed in his room most of the time anyway, brooding over the tasks his father the king had given him. He didn't even eat dinner together with his family. He was just alone most of the time.
And as I said: he no longer called me to him. As if he had never done it before.
I realized I was a bit disappointed by his behavior.
But wait... why was I disappointed?! I could be glad if he left me alone, right? Then why did I feel so bad that he stopped calling me to his room? Was I being mean to him as I declined his request? Did i hurt his feelings?
I quickly shook my head to clear my mind. Sometimes I was even confused by my own thoughts. I shouldn't bother with it anymore. It was all apparently in the past.
To distract me from my confusing thoughts, I took a look around the hallway instead. I saw a young, pretty maid with long blonde hair and a service trolley turning the corner.
She was quite new here, the other guards had told me. And most of them almost drooled over her. She was indeed very pretty. I had to admit that. In my previous life as a woman, I probably would have admired her for her beauty.
But these days I felt more sorry for her. It can be exhausting to have a pretty face. Most people only want you for your looks.
Meanwhile I had learned to differentiate between the people who were really interested in me and the people who were only interested in my looks. But sometimes it could still be difficult. I hoped she could tell these people apart too, otherwise there would only be a painful path ahead of her.
"I'll bring His Highness his tea. May I come in?" Asked the young maid as she stopped in front of the prince's door.
I just nodded and knocked on the door until I could hear a soft 'yes' from inside.
"The maid is here to serve you your tea, your highness." I informed the prince through the closed door.
"Ah. Send her in." The prince ordered me, so I opened the door for the maid.
It was a few minutes before the maid left the prince's room with a joyful grin. I didn't think anything of it at first. She was probably just happy to be able to serve the prince. After all, he was handsome and charming. So I couldn't blame her for her crush on him.
But then she stayed near the room, which kind of made me a little suspicious.
"Don't you have to attend to your duties?" I asked her, whereupon she jumped in shock.
"Oh, the prince said I should stay close." She tried to make me believe. However, I found her behavior still a little suspicious.
Why would the prince want her waiting here in the hall outside his door?
"Really? Why is that?" I inquired with a frown.
"That remains a secret between me and the prince, handsome boy." she said with a conspiratorial wink.
Just as I was about to say something, the large door behind me was suddenly opened. I immediately winced a little, when Prince Cain's head peeked out of the crack in the door.
"Ah Chris, so you have enough free time to chitchat with the maid? That's good, because I have a little task for you." He said, holding the door open a little further with a knowing grin.
I got a bad feeling again.
"Do I have to undress you again, Your Highness?" I asked a little shyly, as I walked into his bedchamber and closed the door behind me.
"No, this time it's a very simple task. Even you can manage it: Drink my tea." He ordered.
"W-what?"
"I said: Drink. My. Tea."
"But why? This special tea blend has been imported only for you and is one of the greatest luxury goods in this country. Why would you want to waste it on a mere guard?" I was honestly confused.
"Well, it's for a very simple reason...", he started while walking thoughtfully through the room, "I have a new maid, you know. She doesn't know about my... tendencies yet and has been trying to seduce me for days. Today she was particularly excited when she poured me the tea with a knowing smile. I think she put something in there. But I could be wrong. I wouldn't want to throw the rest of the tea out of the pot just like that, so: drink."
"Wouldn't it be better if I got a food taster for that?" I asked a little unsure.
I didn't want to drink this tea. Especially not after Prince Cain explained his motives to me.
"Oh, I'm absolutely sure that she doesn't want to harm me with this. But I would be very interested in the effects of this remedy. So drink. That's an order." He said with a mild smile that seemed rather menacing to me. Then he handed me the cup with the tea.
Slightly hesitantly, I grabbed the filigree cup and drank the tea in quick puffs.
I could feel my heart racing and my hands shaking. But that was more because of my own fear rather than the real effect of the tea.
I didn't feel anything from the tea at all. It had tasted incredibly delicious though, but that was about it. Everything felt normal. My fear was probably unfounded.
"I think the tea is all right, Your Highness. You can have it without-" I cut myself off with a choked gasp when suddenly the room started spinning. It felt like I was on a ship with high waves.
I grabbed onto the nearest table to keep from falling completely. My knees were shaking and my heart was beating fast. Way too fast. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks and my senses fading away. I could only perceive everything as a blur. Like seeing through a veil of tears.
"Woah that's an arousing face you've got there." Prince Cain just remarked.
"What... what was that?" I asked while struggling for my sanity.
"Probably a powerful aphrodisiac. Don't worry. It'll pass."
"Hah...I...I need...I need help." I stammered on the verge of consciousness.
"What kind of help, pretty boy? You'll have to be more specific." Said the prince as he approached me.
"Ah...I don't know. I need help. Please. It … it hurts."
The ache in my core was unbearable. I felt myself getting harder and harder. And I couldn't do anything about it.
I had to do something. I had to do something to relieve this painful pressure.
No matter what.
Before I could really think, I pounced on the prince. I threw myself at him so hard that I knocked him to the ground with a loud bang and landed on his muscular body with a thud.
But I couldn't care less. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Without hesitation, he kissed with the same passion. It was almost as if he had been waiting for this all along.
His lips felt so soft. I wanted more of this. More from him.
Thousands of electric shocks immediately went through my body. I was electrified by his touch.
The kiss was devoted, passionate and yet so timid at the same time. However, when he heard my small groan of relief, he grabbed me even tighter and intensified the kiss. Now he was a little more stormy. Our tongues almost seemed to be dancing with each other.
It was one of the most beautiful feelings I had ever experienced. My heart tightened and I felt like I was floating.
"Your Highness? I heard a loud bang and wanted to ask if-" The maid from earlier stopped in mid-sentence when she found us on the floor during our hot make out session.
The prince broke away from me and devoted himself briefly to the maiden:
"If you don't want to lose your job, then leave us alone."
"But my prince-"
"See that handsome guy who's attacking me like a bitch in heat right now? That was your crime, wasn't it? So if you don't want to be prosecuted, get out of here now while I'm still in a good mood ."
The young maid seemed disturbed and frightened at the same time. However, she quickly withdrew and hastily closed the door behind her. She had probably imagined her seduction a little differently.
"Do you really want this? Are these your true feelings? Or is it just the drug that makes you act like this?" The prince suddenly asked with a slightly more serious expression.
"I-I don't know... I... we can't do this. That's not right. I'm your guard, not your lover." I tried to keep my last bit of decency to myself, but it was getting harder and harder. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted...I wanted more.
"You don't mind that we're both guys?" The prince asked genuinely surprised.
"I'm more attracted to men anyway..." I admitted, cheeks flushed.
"Heh, you're cute." He said and began to caress my neck with small kisses under me.
"W-wait! That doesn't mean we should do this, though." I tried to interrupt us. Even if my heart rebelled against it.
But I wanted to at least get some clarity. Insofar as my unstable … condition really allowed it.
"And why not? You can be my guard and my lover at the same time. I don't see the problem here."
"What will the others say to that?"
"Do I look like I care what other people say about me?"
"I... n-no."
"Well then. If you prefer, we can keep this a secret from the others for now." He said almost affectionately and stroked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"O-okay."
"Oh yeah, and if you're not here in five minutes whenever I call you, then I'll find someone else to play with, do you understand?" He suddenly made the condition.
I bit my lip once.
I was foolish to think that I would be his only lover. Nevertheless, he was currently my only outlet to pursue my true preferences.
I couldn't have imagined a real relationship with him either, so that was okay for me.
"Yes, your highness."
"Mmh good boy. And now come here." He just said satisfied and pulled me down very close to him again.
But before we could kiss again, another knock on the door interrupted us. I immediately jumped up and straightened my clothes. I didn't want anything to be exposed.
"Your Highness? Your father, the king calls for you. Apparently there is something important to discuss." The voice of another security guard came through the door.
I heard Prince Cain just sigh in annoyance.
"Whenever things get exciting..." He grumbled and gradually stood up
"Your shift here is almost over, isn't it? That's a pity. When I'm done you probably won't be here anymore..." He mockedly pouted.
"I hope that you really stick to my order. That you will be here in five minutes when I call you. Otherwise there will be a punishment for you." He said with a malicious grin as he left the room and headed into the royal council room with the other guard.