"In all seriousness, I cannot see why you'd frame it as a horrid thing. I don't mind getting all exhausted with you, handsome."
The man had just grabbed the wine glass when I intentionally threw him off the track of serious thoughts with a somewhat flirtatious line, a completely unlethal attack to the more exposed men, however, it disturbed him so much his hands shook to the point the wine nearly spilled from the sides.
"Careful with your mouth, you- how do I even begin to explain this." Bingo! I smiled innocently as if I did not understand the implication behind the suggestive words and took a tiny sip from my glass. The man held his glass in bewilderment for a while before hastily downing his unexpectedly to regain his calm. "You- Do you speak with all men like this?"
To his intrusive question, I remain silent, the more I got on his nerve the better. It does not matter what he think of me, all I care about is winning. Not long after, he gives up, looking at the board again and takes the bait I carefully planted, moving the bishop to h3 to trap me in instead so he could pincer attack me with the the queen. A move that was actually second best.
In the next round, he could move either the bishop or queen to g2, and cause me to have no choice but to eat the enemy and thus, put me in the line of attack of the unused chess piece. Such was the incomplete path to victory in his mind. But I- in the know of a way to fail it was madly cheering inside.
"Only the most handsome ones and by handsome I mean rewarding." The air around me chilled by several degrees, but I ignored the feeling. I looked to the windows only to see the sunshine still prominent and shrugged it off. Maybe the fireplace died? "My pleasure to have dueled such a skilled player. Forgive me for my teasing, but a true gentleman shouldn't taunt without being prepared to face the consequences."
In a light mood, I turned the situation around into a stalemate by moving my queen to d1 where it now threatened his queen in e3, and consequently caused his pincer attack to fail. Clutching his face, the surprisingly shy man admitted defeat. In a chess board that can no longer achieve checkmate, we both accepted the outcome gracefully and shook hands.
The crowd applauded again albeit some dejectedly, an understandable outcome as nobody probably placed their bet on a stalemate. With a flustered expression, the host -which was clad in a boisterous yellow doublet with a rectangular falling band lying on the shoulder instead of the more recently popular cravat that has been all the rage- came to discuss how the prize is divided between us.
"Gentleman? I do not recall ever being such."
I heard him detestably proclaim before being whisked into a corner alongside the hooded man by the host. One of the solutions presented was to divide the time slot of our travel in the river. The only compromise that could be made as the other boats were put to rest today, and the people in charge of navigating the rivers given a holiday.
The only other option was to have one of us row our own boat. Something I am sorely incapable of, and the man beside me was most likely to be unwilling to do. Furthermore, my schedule on time is tight as I have an appointment with Princess Julia to watch an opera in around two hours, so I cannot wait for the host to fetch any of the oarsmen that have been freed to have a holiday.
"But, that you are, or so I hope. It is such a pity, I was looking forward to touring the Lila-draum river, but it seems that the pleasure is yours now Non-gentlemanly gentleman. Till we meet again" I sighed, and did a half curtsy, in a jocular counterattack to his refusal to be called a gentleman. As much as I hate to admit it, peaceful times make me playful to the core.
I exit the blockade made by these two men and went to the area beneath the velarium to seek for Baroness Bernice who chaperoned me there. A part of the reason why I cannot stay out long other than the opera appointment as my sister is sure to sorely miss her. However, she was nowhere in sight.
"It seems that your companion has left you stranded here. Walking the street alone isn't safe for a lady like you. How about I keep you company until then?" The non-gentlemanly gentleman sneaked up behind me. Following my every step around that area. Like a phantom I cannot get rid of.
Thankfully Baroness Bernice didn't leave me clueless as I spotted a servant holding my white parasol with both hands. I came to her and inquired about it, only to be told that my companion, Baroness Bernice just recently asked her to safekeep it, and for her to hand it over to me if she wasn't back by the time I finished. I wonder just what was so important for her to leave me alone?
In my kingdom, it is frowned upon if a lady is unchaperoned, and though the rules are more relaxed here, the dangers of being an armless woman always await, especially in the midst of a foreign empire. Fortunately, my carriage lies not far from here. Certainly, Baroness Bernice wouldn't be so impudent to take it with her now would she?
"And stay in an even more suspicious presence? You said it yourself, that you are not a gentleman, why suddenly act like one?" Once I left the shade of the velarium, the brightness of the sun made me immediately open my parasol, and cover my face. There was nothing like unity in our minds, but no matter how fast I walked, he stayed next to me, creating the illusion we were friends,
As it turns out, the area where the carriage was parked lay next to the riding point of the recreational boats traveling down Lila-draum river. The trip was around 5 minutes but he persistently followed me throughout the entire time. So very importunate!
"A gentleman is a man who acts out societies value. I simply conform to my own. Which doesn't include preying on defenseless woman." I severely doubt that statement, the pressure he exudes giving off the impression that he would defeat ladies the same way he would men.
I was just seconds away from reaching the carriages when he called out to me, in a very provocative manner, the taunt in it undeniable."Quit the excuses. You aren't afraid of boarding a boat with just the two of us, right?"