A Prince, A King, A Princess

Chap. 10

Esther eventually pried herself from the floor and slipped into her bathroom. Taking off her ridiculous gaudy dress and she sank into the hot water of her copper tub. Washing away all of the make up and events of the day. She wanted to forget. To forget it all. But as she laid back in the water, steam swirling around her, the face of Dice swirled inside her mind. His smile, his laugh. His soft and gentle words he spoke to her as his warm lips pressed against her hand... and she would admit she wished they'd pressed against her lips instead.
She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to think for one second that she might be so lucky as to have someone truly fall for her, someone kind and gentle...but no. No one could do that. She didn't belong to herself enough to ever even dream of giving herself to someone in such a way.
She shook her head after she was clean and slipped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a towel to move back to her bedroom to get into her night gown.
She picked it up off the back of her chair and sat on the edge of her bed, holding the gown in her hands as she looked down at its soft fabric. Silk. Just like the shirt dice wore when she met him.
After a moment t she heard a knock, at her window of all places.
She whipped her head around and saw dice smiling at her nervously as he clung to the vines that grew up the stone of her tower and her eyes widened.
She gasped and hurried to the window, pushing it open. "Dice! What are you doing?!" She said, panicked as she held out her hands to pull him inside.
He was drenched from the rain and  breathing heavily from his climb. "Well I told you I'd meet you up here tonight didn't I?" He said with a chuckle.
She stared at him, bewildered by his words and actions. "What? Yes but... dice... you... the devil i..." She was so confused.
He sighed and reached out to take her hand, "I wanted to talk about that..."
She looked at his hands holding hers and she sighed and pulled them away. "Oh? Did you? About which part? The part where you were only spending time with me to relay information to Satan? The part where you didn't tell me you worked for him? Or the part where you didn't even have the decency to look me in the eyes today?" She said as she turned away from him, folding her arms over her chest.
He flinched. "You have every right to be angry, hell you have every right to hate me but... you've gotta let me explain Esther." He pleaded.
"I'm listening." She said tightly.
"I didn't have any intention of ever telling Satan I had met you that day but he found out and... I had forgotten you were his betrothed when we met... he was angry and I had to think quickly and... I told him I had met you intentionally to learn about you for his benefit." He explained. "But really... that day I had already fallen so hard for you. Your eyes sparkle and take my breath away, your voice it... honestly even if the rock hadn't hit me your voice would leave me a blabbering fool! Esther!" He moved around to have her face him again and he took her face in his hands, "Esther you made me fall in love with you in just two days! You're very way of existing is intoxicating to me in the most pleasant and terrifying ways!" He said, looking her deep in her eyes.
Tears once again filled her eyes and she bit her lip, seeing how honest he was being made her heart ache because... it didn't matter how much he loved her, how much she loved him... "dice please... don't tell me these things."
"Why?" He asked as he wiped tears from her eyes gently with his thumbs.
"Because dice it hurts! I can't love you like this! If I do... if  I do and we get caught what will become of us? Satan will not be alright with us being like this!" She said, placing a hand over one of his on her face.
Dice sighed. "I know... but Esther, one moment with you is qorth an eternity in hell." He whispered, leaning down to be more on her level. "I love you Princess Esther. It may be dangerous but... together we can figure this out... if you want me."
She closed her eyes and sighed. Of course she did. He was everything she had ever dreamt of. He was kind and beautiful and warm. He wanted her for her. What more could she ask for?
"I love you too Dice. With all my heart." She whispered.
He smiled and leaned down further, pressing his lips to hers and she moved to slip her arms around his neck and return the kiss. She had found her prince charming.