Isabelle gulped, she so desperately wanted to answer yes to that question, but she had to resist the temptation. He was so close, one more inch and their lips would be touching. She fantasized: how would his lips taste? How would they feel? She wanted to know, but at the same time she had to remind herself that this man was her enemy.
"Do you do this to every female prisoner that you encounter?" Isabelle asked, her facial expression unchanged despite his closeness.
"Do what?" Icarus returned. He was well aware of what she meant, but he wanted to see her crack. Most ladies would have already made an attempt at him if he closed in on them this way, prisoner or lover. They were willing to throw their lives away just to have a taste of him.
"Invade their privacy and harass them sexually?" Isabelle asked while restraining herself from shuddering under the warmth of his breath. His oak and floral scent overwhelmed her nostrils. Every breath she took made her lose a thread of her morality, but she persisted reminding herself that she must never submit to him or his tricks.
"I wouldn't call this harassment, it's more of seduction, wouldn't you agree?" His smile broadened as he inched in closer, his lips only a millimeter away from hers. She was strong-willed, a lot more than he had anticipated, and for the second time in a day, she had managed to impress him. Not many people were capable of accomplishing that feat.
Isabelle gulped, one little move and she could find out what his lips tasted like. Her eyes remained locked on his, but her thoughts were not helping her in any way. She wanted to speak, to chastise him for this discomfort, but a single movement of her lips might cause her to hate herself for good. So she kept quiet and allowed him to dominate her this once.
"Am I interrupting something?" Isabelle recalled the voice from earlier, it was Julian and he was back. He was only gone for a few minutes, but when you were locked in a room with Adamine Icarus, you tend to lose your perception of time completely.
Icarus pulled away from her line of sight, and only then did her eyes catch sight of a new figure. From the way she composed herself, her dressing, and the air around her, Isabelle could easily make out that this lady was one of the maids around here. The maid had a few clothes with her, and she guessed they were for her.
"Princess Isabelle, this is Maria Ranger. She will be your personal help from today onwards." Julian announced with his usual smile, and the girl beside him lowered her head in respect.
"P.. personal help?" Isabelle stammered, vividly confused about the entire situation. Wasn't she a prisoner anymore? It was weird that Icarus had brought her to his room, and his reasons were kind of justified. However, offering her a personal maid was not something you do for prisoners.
"Yes, did you not want one?" Julian asked with an arched brow.
"That's not what I meant—"
"It would be best to have one seeing as you'll be staying here for a long time. You don't have friends here, having someone to keep you company would be a good idea, don't you think so?"
Although he seemed nice, Isabelle could see now that everybody here lacked manners. He hadn't even allowed her to finish, he just went ahead to conclude that she'd need a personal help. She hated to admit it, but he wasn't exactly wrong. Isabelle knew without a doubt that she wouldn't be leaving here anytime soon, not unless Icarus decided to change his mind, which was very unlikely. Having someone she could talk to would be nice, especially for the single fact that she could learn more about this place from them.
"I..I guess..so.." She drawled out in confusion.
Julian gestured that Maria hand the clothes in her possession over to Isabelle, and the maid did just that.
"They're not the best, but it's the best we could find. Your visit was unexpected, and we had little time to make preparations to welcome you."
'Visit?' Isabelle questioned herself in genuine confusion. Was this man being serious, or was he simply unaware of the fact that Icarus had invaded her place and killed her father alongside her guards. This was no visit, this clearly was an abduction, and given the relationship Julian had with Icarus, there was no way he wasn't aware of that situation.
The room fell silent for a while and everybody's eyes remained on that of the confused princess. Her pupils darted from eye to eye trying to figure out what they wanted from her. And after a lengthy silence, Icarus finally spoke.
"Change.." He probably meant it in a friendly manner, but her perception of this man had made her turn red with fury.
"You sick perv—" Isabelle paused, and instead of completing her sentence, she allowed a bright smile to dominate her face. Cursing the king out in front of his subjects was not something wise to do, especially when you were stuck in a room with three enemies.
Reading through her elusive smile, a mocking smile spread across Icarus's face. It was good to see that she had learnt from her experience with Lucas. Julian might have flipped a switch had she finished her sentence, but she was lucky enough to be smart for once.
"What are you waiting for? Change." He urged, his eyes fixed on her confused ones. She might have actually given in and stripped herself in front of them, but a knock on the door had immediately killed the tension in the room.
"You have visitors, my king." A male voice informed from outside the room. He knew exactly who they were, and he had expected them to arrive sooner than this. Waging war against another realm without consulting the council and its elders was a serious offense. But he was the king after all, and he had the power to do whatever he pleases.
Dissatisfied with the recent announcement, Icarus returned his gaze to the lady in front of him. She might have escaped this time, but when he returns from this meeting, he was going to make sure she strips for him.