Royal Renegade

Chapter 55: What You Want

Princess Axelia

Relaxation is not my forte; however, throw me in a hot spring with a maid massaging my shoulders and I will have a change of heart.

Elysse, Aiko, Ereni, Corrine, Kaisa and I didn't have a clue Rerimas had a tower dedicated to methods of relaxation. It was apparently built for Leonidas in consideration of his trigger.

Queen Ida granted us access to the hot springs for tonight but I truly hope I will get to come more often in the future.

Potent scents of lavender and jasmine which are floating in the dark tinted water steaming around us. I appreciate how dimly lit the room is as well with only a few torches along the black stone walls.

My muscles feel like jelly and for once there is a looseness in my shoulders but most of all, my mind isn't running wild with anxious or stressful thoughts.

I'm actually so calm that I have to keep peeking my eyes open to make sure I haven't fallen asleep.

"Elysse, are you fond of anyone?" Kaisa asks.

Quirking a brow, I wonder if she will actually tell them.

"I've always had a hopeless crush on Prince Herakles," she divulges with a gentle sigh. "He is very charming and seems as though he walked straight out of a book."

Cliché and boring; is for some reason her type.

"Why do you say hopeless?" Corrine wonders. "A Prince would be wise to fall for someone as sophisticated as you."

"Perhaps," Elysse sighs, "but a Prince must marry a Princess."

My heart numbs as I open my eyes to look at her. Despite how sadly true her words are, she still appears at ease as a maid rubs her neck.

I never really thought about how things could have been without royal blood flowing through my veins. If I knew Leonidas as a peasant child or maid's child, would our relationship be the same?

Could I have stood by to watch him marry another just because of status?

"I think Maynard is quite handsome," Ereni speaks up next, and I catch her pale, freckled cheeks turn red.

"Have you seen those blue eyes?" Corinne gushes with her.

"In contrast to his brown skin, he looks divine," Kaisa agrees.

Maynard has always been one of the most handsome Cadomians. I would swoon over him finding love. Elysse, too.

"Is he single?" Ereni inquires, and smiles bashfully when we all glance at her.

"Very," Elysse chuckles. "He is your partner during the wedding, isn't he? Make sure to dance with him."

"Then you must dance with Herakles," I chime in, poking her shoulder with a finger and laughing when her jaw drops.

"N-no way!"

"Well, if he asks are you going to turn him down?" Aiko grins deviously, and Elysse pouts as she shakes her head which makes us all laugh.

For the next half hour, we listen to Kaisa make up fairytale stories for each if us. Then, they all begin coming up with ideas for where I could spend a Honeymoon with Leonidas.

It isn't something I even thought about until now. My mind has been a blunder with the wedding ceremony plans and council meetings about the future of Cadomia.

According to my friends, a Honeymoon can last from a few days to an entire week.

Who knows what kind of mayhem Leonidas and I could get into being left alone in each other's company for that long?