Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
When it came to all of that, it was definitely enough to deal with.
For now.
Chapter 9
Pleased?
After dinner, I sat beside Aleksei in the JetPanther and watched the Sceptred Isle get closer, as well as the expansive gardens, spires, turrets, flags and majesty of the Celestial Palace gracing the sweeping slope of the highest peak on the island.
One could say, I was now in deep need to take that pause I already deeply needed to take to figure out where I was in regard to what was going on with the prince.
Because dinner was fantastic.
Not just the food.
No.
Mostly it was the company.
At first, Aleksei spent a lot of time telling me what was in the Catalogues and offering to show me other stuff if I wanted to see it (and I was all over that, asking to see the royal jewels, and he’d told me security measures around those were tighter, thus it would take more arranging, but we’d go back later so I could pore over them).
I also learned (what I already knew, considering I’d have seen pics of it everywhere if he had) he didn’t laser joust, “Because the possibility of serious injury is sheer stupidity to court just for the five-second thrill of riding a robotic horse and aiming a laser lance at a shield.”
I was relieved he thought this, because I agreed.
I never understood the lure of the joust. It seemed like long stretches of boredom punctuated by mere moments of superfluous violence.
Aleksei also wasn’t a fan of pit ball, but did like ring ice, and (this was news) played it himself.
“We have a secret league. Some friends and acquaintances of mine throughout the Four Realms. We keep it secret so we can play and concentrate on that without the media taking the enjoyment from it.”
I had visions of Aleksei on the ice, and then I had to force those visions out of my head so I didn’t ruin my outfit by throwing myself over the used dishes on the table at him.
I further learned his favorite style of cooking was Land’s Endian. “It’s hearty, so people underestimate it. They think it’s simplistic. But they program their Cook-Companions to make it. They don’t know how many steps there are or the importance of the perfect blend of spices.”
In fact, he pretty much let me grill him the entire dinner.
So I also knew he did own the Pink and Black Club, the entire building it was in, and further rumor proved true, sharing he lived in the penthouse at the top when he wasn’t in his suite of rooms at the Palace (he also shared he wasn’t often in his suite of rooms at the Palace since he’d moved out three years ago).
I learned his hobbies were not only ring ice and cooking, but also reading and target shooting, both on legs and in craft, but he didn’t often have time to partake in any of these, save the reading (and yes, he too, collected real books, he told me his collection was (unsurprisingly) bigger than mine, and he promised to show me that too).
He further disclosed he did not gamble, though some of his ring ice friends pulled together a friendly poker game every once in a while.
And he traveled often, mostly for business, rarely for royal appearances, which fell to King Fillion, Queen Calisa and Princess Aleece, “Because Timothee and Errol have their brains in their balls, and until they’re surgically removed and relocated, they’re one step above useless, and sadly, too often, two steps below it.”
Yes!
He talked smack about his brothers.
Right to me!
As delicately as I could, I shut down his gentle probing about my parents (no way I was ready to go there, at least not over beautiful food with a handsome man in a private room).
Truth: I’d prefer never to talk about them.
But although he backed off with grace, I saw the way his eyes darkened, the tiny pinpricks of stars that came out in the irises, and while this was fascinating, and beautiful, it was also more than a little scary.
To show my gratitude, I didn’t ask about Princess Anna.
At dessert, Sirk Parrin, Stained Glass’s famous chef, showed personally.
This was my favorite part of the night, not only because Sirk was a big, brown-haired, friendly, burly bear shifter, but because there was no bowing and scraping or your royal highnesses.
Aleksei and Sirk were, indeed, friends (Sirk was in their ring ice league).
Good ones.
While I looked on in astonishment, they did a male hug, bumping chests and slapping backs. Sirk even lightly smacked Aleksei’s face affectionately a couple of times after the hug and before he turned to me.
“Ah, look at this female! The fates have always shined on you,” he announced grandly before he pulled me into, yes, a bear hug.
When he let go, he asked, “Enjoy the meal?”