The Contest Ch. 04

Later on, Rellenora cuddled with Noffnoff and rubbed their faces together. Animal faces were easier to look at than human faces, but she usually closed her eyes when she had the opportunity to touch an animal in this way. Noffnoff's snout was like a kiss all on its own, a guiltless kiss, an innocent kiss.

But she heard a man's voice.

Careful not to harm the piglet, Rellenora put the creature aside and got to her feet. Her cloak flapped as she turned around.

Tanned and damaged hands, it was Prince Yban!

Rellenora bowed. She tried to ignore Noffnoff's insistent nose tapping on her leg. A beat or so after that, she thought she understood what the prince said. "You didn't want to dance with Princess Lagath? She has said that she wants to be on friendlier terms with her competition."

Why did he put himself in this situation, alone with her? It was unnecessary!

She wrote an answer on her slate and showed it to him. "No. Besides, she's rude."

The prince's yellow green slippers moved on the bamboo floor, closer and closer, as he spoke. He was rather close to her leather shoes by the time she knew what he said. "She's rude, but she's honest and genial."

Maybe so, but Rellenora didn't care. She shrugged and put new characters on her slate. "Then you should spend time with her." Whether or not that was a hypocritically impolite statement wasn't important in her mind.

Gently, smoothly, the prince's hand tugged the slate out of her grasp. Then he took her chalk and cloth, wiped the slate, and wrote with his tight and slender handwriting. She understood each word a little bit before he'd finish writing it. "His Imperial Majesty sent me. He didn't want you to feel as though you aren't cared for."

Rellenora used the side of her hand to wipe his words away. Then she reclaimed her chalk and scratched her response out. "I'm cared for. There's no need to worry."

The prince's turn. "Need or no need, he worries."

Her turn. "There are two other princesses he can worry about, and they are far more beautiful and skilled than me."

His turn again. "All three princesses in this contest are more than qualified to be the Empress of Zenthia. That's the problem."

"It doesn't seem to be a problem. He should pick one to relieve the tension."

"Should he draw lots?"

Noffnoff was rubbing her side against Rellenora's ankle. Rellenora wanted to pet her, but she was too busy. "He should flip a coin. Heads, Chohni. Tails, Lagath. Leave me out of it."

The prince's fingers drummed against the edges of the slate a moment, as if he was hesitating. But he replied soon enough. "Why?"

"When you wrote, 'all three princesses' you were incorrect. I'm not qualified. I'm an idiot."

There was another pause. Prince Yban's cinnamon perfume was starting to bother her. Men shouldn't smell like rare desserts. It was too luxurious.

"His Majesty would be heartbroken to know you feel this way about yourself," he wrote. "So, I won't tell him."

Rellenora didn't know why, but she wanted to wallop her writing slate against the side of his head. She settled on writing, "I am humbled by your courtesy and thoughtfulness. His Majesty is fortunate to have you as a friend."

His strokes of chalk were fluid yet sharp. A big chunk of the chalk broke away and fell down. It dragged itself down the slate and landed on the piglet's body. Fearing another death, Rellenora crouched down to take the bit of chalk and put it with her sticks. Pigs were like goats in her opinion. They'd eat mostly anything.

"His Majesty would be fortunate to have you as his bride."

That had to be a lie!

Rellenora's brain flashed with the image of this prince touching himself, pleasing himself, saying what sounded like part of her name, but she rubbed her chalk with her thumb and controlled her weird thoughts. Then she erased the lie and put down a lie of her own.

"I would be fortunate to have His Majesty as a husband." Her chalk paused. Then it moved again. "Sadly, I know I would only inconvenience him." That part wasn't a lie at all. She firmly believed in that message.

Prince Yban rubbed and swept her strokes away. Then he wrote, "You have nothing to fear. You are a fine princess."

At this point, she knew he was lying. She snatched her writing slate and chalk away. Then she bowed and left the prince with the piglet, choosing to go back to her guest palace.

***