The Unwanted Prince

Ch. 15 - Adrian

Ah, fuck.

My head hurts like shit. Hangovers are always the worst, it truly feels like I've died.

My body felt like lead, my joints were sore as hell. And why did my neck feel weird? The blankets were soft at least, it felt relaxing on my bare skin.

Wait-

I jolted a bit, looking under the covers and realizing I was naked.

A soft hum from next to me caught my attention.

Sleeping soundly at my side was a woman, her long brown hair splayed out on her pillow.

Oh, that's what happened.

Clothing was tossed on the floor, messily lying there in a pathetic way. On a desk in the room was a pile of money. Was that my money?

Oh, that's right! I did arm wrestling last night. It's easy to get a lot of coins from drunken men. I'm already pretty strong, so it's easy to quickly beat a drunk ass guy when he doesn't even have control over his own body.

Seeing as there's a woman in bed with me, she's probably a prostitute.

Getting out of bed, I cracked my back. The sound of my joints popping was satisfying in my ears. Slipping on my clothing, I could hear the woman starting to wake up. By the time I buckled my belt, she had chuckled. I turned to look at her, catching a wide grin on her slender face, "My my my, last night was quite the rush." She giggled, switching to lay on her stomach, her long hair trailed down her shoulders.

I could spot bites on her skin, spots of red and slight bruises. 

I hadn't gotten my shirt on yet, but I walked over to the desk. Counting a good amount of coins, I tossed a bag at the woman. "There, that's should be good, right?"

I watched as the woman opened the leather bag, poking her finger inside and counting quietly. With every coin she counted, I saw her grin grow wider and wider. When she was done, she nodded contently and jumped out of the bed.

My shirt wasn't dirtied at least as I picked it from the ground. Now, where was my vest?

Slender fingers snaked from behind me, trailing up to my neck in a teasing manner. The woman's soft breath was near my ear, tickling it and giving me chills, "Mind giving me a tip?" She pecked my ear, moving to kiss my cheek.

Although the offer was... tempting, I needed to get going.

I shrugged her off, the woman huffing irritably.

I found my vest hiding under the bed. How in the world did it get there?

The woman tightened her dress, telling me, "I'll get going then, I hope you'll come back. You're such a beast in bed." She chuckled, opening the door with a big smile. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

A new set of footsteps entered the room, stomping with anger.

"Your Highness!"

I turned around as I put on my vest, raising my eyebrow as Mar marched into my room with Oliver behind her, following her like a puppy. Mar crossed her arms, she was in her armor and wearing a very pissed off look. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, getting dressed?" My voice was sarcastic as I rolled my eyes at her.

"You can't just spend your money on prostitutes! We need those coins! And we're late! We were supposed to leave when the sun rose!" Mar pointed out the window that my room had. She was right, it had to be nearly the afternoon. The sun was bright as it floating in the sky.

"Well," I scoffed, "Technically the sun is up in the air."

Mar groaned, throwing her arms in the air. She stomped to the desk, tossing the money to Oliver. Pointing a stern finger at him, Mar bitterly says, "Keep it in your bag."

I kept a chuckle as I could see Oliver gulp nervously, putting the coins I had gotten into his satchel. The dude's shoulders must be aching from all that weight.

Mar turned to me, "Get your shit now, we're leaving." She tossed my belonging onto the bed, ears flaring red. With an impatient foot tapping away on the floor, Mar demanded I be down in the lobby in five minutes.

Then she marched out, Oliver anxiously following right behind her.

Rude.

It wasn't even that late, just past noon. I don't get why Mar was so worked up. This was why I never liked traveling with others. Everyone's got their own agenda, their own routine, their own personality. It just didn't fit well with me.

It's hard having to learn to get along with others. Why learn when you don't even do it in the first place?

The only reason why I even let Mar on this journey was mostly to get her to shut up. It's not like she was going to listen if I had rejected her anyway. 

I don't even get why she got so pissy about that prostitute though. It was almost like she had died for a second. I don't judge prostitutes, they're just selling their bodies for money. I can't judge their personal lives or motives.

I'm the one paying for them anyway.

Mar's a tight-knit knight, what does she know about prostitutes? I bet the only times she's ever encountered them were on missions, probably dealing with a drunkard going beyond what was the worker's consent.

Do knights deal with that?

I'm not actually sure...

I found my pocket watch on the dresser, a fully melted candle was next to it. The wax was stiff, the color of milk. Dusting off my pocket watch, I reattached it to my belt.

Lastly, I clipped my sword at my hip.

Now I was ready.

Well, my hair was probably a mess but I could look for a hair tie later.

When I arrived in the lobby, I caught Mar giving coins to the Innkeeper.

Oh, so when I spend money on a working woman it's bad, but when she gives it to a man who let us stay for free it's okay?

And I worked hard for that money! Granted, I did take them from drunk men. But I was also drunk!

Once Mar had finished her business, she came back. I was already standing next to Oliver, knowing the man was awkward standing there silently. I could tell Oliver didn't like silence, and yet he hated when others made noises. Definitely, a dude who only felt comfortable hearing his own voice.

Mar shot me a stern look, placing her hands on her hips. With a pout, Mar jerked a thumb to the exit, "Let's head out now."

Who was she, the boss?

As if.

I budged my way out, irritated at Mar.

At least I'll see Rat again. Maybe if I'm quick enough, I could ride Rat away from here and lose the others.