It took Asha less than a week after her accident at training to realize that her initial assumption was wrong—and only that long because she'd convinced herself that her demon was making her read signals that weren't there.
But Xarakas was definitely flirting with her. And if she'd thought it was difficult to convince herself to leave it alone when she'd thought him uninterested, it was doubly so after that realization, especially with her demon pushing more each day and finding that she actually liked him more and more as he opened up and relaxed.
Xarakas had assumed that if he relaxed his strict conduct a fraction, allowed himself to occasionally flirt with the princess so as to appease his demon, that everything would work out and be alright.
But he was wrong.
Every day, for months, he and the princess would dance around one another, exchanging little quips and teasing words as they flirted and grew more comfortable around one another. And after all that time, he only wanted her more. It had been nearly three months since the start of their training, and it was almost unbearable to keep his demon at bay when it clearly wanted Asha and would not settle for less.
But she was a princess, and he had to keep his composure and professionalism for fear of having his head ripped from his body.
But Asha was making that particularly difficult, especially when she removed her shirt near the end of their training session as he was attempting to return the items they'd used to the supply closet, unable to help but let out a frustrated groan as he saw her, closing his eyes as he pressed a hand to his temple. "Princess, what on earth are you doing?"
Asha had considered being the first to make a move more times than she cared to admit, but the way he'd talked about keeping his head attached to his shoulders just kept pinging around her head. If she made the first move and he responded positively, she'd wonder if he did so just because he was afraid of what would happen to him if he said no. And Asha wasn't in the business of using her position to coerce.
So she left hints and hoped he'd catch on.
Of course, the more time that passed, the more impatient she got waiting, the bolder and more obvious her little hints became. Taking off her shirt as they concluded their training was certainly miles farther than she'd ever gone to catch someone's attention before, but dammit, nothing else was working, and it was getting hard to conceal her frustration and wait. Somehow she managed it for now though, casually making her way to Xarakas as he closed his eyes.
"What? By the time we're finished with training, you can practically see everything through the sweat anyway. I figured at least this way I'd stay cooler," she reasoned, reaching past him to take some of the equipment he was holding, making sure to let her body brush against his as she leaned in close. "Here, let me help."