Chapter 1

As soon as the footsteps outside the door subside, I quietly kick the nightstand and fall on the bed with relief. The body is not used to such heavy loads. At the end of the training, I could barely stand on my feet, the sword fell out of my trembling hands, and sweat flooded my eyes. If they had told me that I would have to train like this every day, I would have run away from home as quickly as possible, without even listening to what the messenger was chirping about.

Hands fall to knees. I still don't understand what's going on. They took me away, but explaining what was happening was probably an impossible task for them. I turn my gaze to the nightstand I've overturned. The five books that were piled up there were now spread open on different pages and seemed to be glaring at me from the floor.

I lowered my head onto the blanket and relaxed my shoulders for the first time. They were so tense that as soon as I lowered them, they hummed pleasantly. I still remembered how Oleg's hands touched me. Soft and inviting, but tenacious. The marks where he grabbed me still haven't healed. I still didn't understand the reason for his embarrassment when I just silently moved closer to meet him. Prince, and behaves like a fool, honestly.

The dark purple strap did not exactly hurt, but unpleasantly tightened my waist and pressed on my ribs. I couldn't undo this strap. Oleg only smiled at my requests to help.

"Yaroslavа", - there was a knock on the door.

With a groan, I opened my eyes, which I finally managed to close and was even about to fall asleep. I shifted my gaze to the door. Judging by the voice, it was the maid, Jeanne.

"Come in", - I had already lifted the nightstand and was carefully folding the books back so that Jeanne wouldn't notice anything.

The door opened. A timid girl, slightly shorter than me, bowed.

"Yaroslavа", - again she calls me by my false name.

I suck in air through clenched teeth. Jeanne embarrassedly adjusts the folds on her black uniform.

"So what?" - I turn to her impatiently.

"His Majesty Oleg wishes to see you."

I almost howl in frustration. Only everyone left me behind, and then, as luck would have it, this demon appears in the body of a handsome prince.

"When?" - overcoming the disgust in my voice, I ask.

Maybe I have a little time to come up with something so caustic to answer him so that he doesn't touch me anymore?

"Ten minutes later in his chambers."

This is definitely a failure. If he called me to his chambers, our conversation (although will it be a conversation at all?) it will leak on the bed.

I shook my head, pushing these thoughts away. Even if Oleg thinks to drag me to his bed, as he did with the maids, then a powerful blow to the liver awaits him. Maybe I'll even clench up and punch him in the jaw.

"Can I change my clothes?"

Jeanne nods and quickly leaves the room. She has known for a long time that I don't like it when someone tries to dress me or help me dress.

My dress looks scanty, and yet I'm not going to a peasant. Purple with black embroidery of roses on a full skirt. At least the cleavage is not as deep as last time. The shoulders are open, but not enough to look at me. I took off the strap. After suffering with him for another fifteen minutes, I could not stand these tortures and called the maid.

I didn't even know I was so beautiful. I look in the mirror while Jeanne is styling my hair and I can't figure out who is sitting there on the other side of the mirror. Usually I was all sleepy, with bruises under my eyes and a bruise on my neck. But now even this blue spot was not visible. Whether I was sitting in front of me or someone else, I do not know. I've never been called beautiful. Smart, talented, diligent, combative, but not beautiful. Beauty was as far away to me as Neptune is to the Sun.

"All", - Jeanne puts her hands on my shoulders.

I can't look away from myself. If I had my way— I wouldn't have gone anywhere at all and would have stayed sitting here, silently enjoying my beauty. But apparently, this beauty should belong to Oleg, the prince.

I exhale noisily, but Jeanne thinks it's because of the corset, which tightens my ribs even more than the strap.

"Are you not tight?" - confused, she touches the ties on a light, almost white corset.

I shake my head. Jeanne lifts me from my chair and together we go to the prince's room.

Squads of guards pass by us, servants and maids run back and forth, flashing dark clothes. There are guards at almost every door on this floor. In the farthest corner is the king's bedroom with the queen, and next to it is Princess Olga. The very first door leads to Oleg.

I notice the guards tense up when Jeanne leads me to the door.

"His Majesty asked me to bring Yaroslavа to his chambers", - the maid calmly explains.

I am even surprised to note with what calmness she says this to men who were almost four heads taller than her.

The guards nod silently. Jeanne pats me on the shoulder encouragingly, as if she already knows or guesses what might happen in this room.

The doors slam shut behind me with a soft bang. Goosebumps run through the body, albeit not significant ones.

I was in Oleg's room only once. And then he was just hiding me and himself from the mercenaries.

There was a bed in the middle, closer to the window. She was like a big shadow in the dimness of the room. The window is curtained, there are scented candles on the floor. A faint glow emanates from them and they flicker.

The prince himself is found sitting in an armchair. His head is slightly tilted back, his eyes slide over the lines of the book. His blue eyes even glaze over — it's as if he doesn't even know what kind of book it is and just reads it automatically. His relaxed shoulders and one leg thrown over the other gives me a small, but still hope that he will not scold me.

Oleg abruptly closes the book and his gaze is directed at me. I am flattered that he looks at my dress and figure with a spark in his eyes.

"Well", - he speaks in a slightly velvety voice and I shudder when I hear him. - "You probably already know why you came?"

I nod.

Oleg puts the book on the table and stands up. He's a little shaky, but he comes up to me so quietly that in a moment his eyes are already piercing at me.

"I'm waiting for you to say it to my face", - he exhales.

I bit my lip. While I was walking, I didn't have time to come up with a single barb to put it in the prince. Seeing my confusion, Oleg raises his eyebrows in surprise. Although probably more interested.

"So you don't even know what to say to me?"

I want to say something, to lie, but I don't dare to open my mouth.

I really don't know what to say to him.

"Then I'll push you", - he's grinning.

I keep looking into his blue eyes, as if they will tell me what to say.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" - I don't even have time to shut my mouth in time.

My pupils dilate when I realize that I've made a mistake and close my mouth with my hand.

Now Oleg is definitely looking at me in surprise. He cocked his head to one side, apparently not understanding what to answer.

"Do you want me to kill you?" - he asks a counter question.

I take my hand away from my mouth and shake my head.

I want anyone to kill me, but not Oleg.

Not him.

"Then why are you asking?" - noticing some fear or hint of it in my eyes, which I had already averted and looked at the floor with them.

A slightly warm hand with cold fingers lifted my chin.

"I think you're afraid of me", - Oleg frowns. - "Why? I haven't done anything wrong to you."

I swallow, trying to think of an answer. My chin was squeezed. I gasped.

"Don't you dare lie to me", - judging by his voice and eyes, which have become much colder, the prince will be furious if I lie.

"You think I'm a doll, a weak-willed puppet in your hands. I'm human too."

Oleg pursed his lips, but said nothing. I took it as an order to continue.

"You and Olga are always controlling me. I don't dispute that this is your palace, but, let me ask, are you keeping me here? What do you want from me?"

"I think you're asking too many questions", - the prince chuckles.

I didn't answer. I just looked seriously into his eyes again. They had already thawed out, but the hand was tenaciously holding my chin.

"So you're afraid of me", - Oleg sums up the results.

I understand that he finally got it. I jerk, trying to free my face from his cool hands.

"But you answer me one more question: who gave you permission to leave?"

I hardly realize what he was trying to tell me. His eyes are burning with fire. I think he's going to get me into bed after all.

"That's right: nobody", - Oleg almost exhales it into my lips. - "And if so, then you can stay."

My mask of impenetrability is bursting at the seams, but it finally breaks only when I return the kiss.

Oleg looks at me, slightly surprised. He seemed to expect me to push him away or punch him.

"I warn you - tie the corset looser next time", - the prince groped for the ties on the corset.

I would have liked to slap him in the face, but unexpectedly for myself I succumbed to him.

Maybe someday later I will regret my actions, but that will be later.

With a sigh, throw me back on the soft bed. The back feels the velvety fabric of the blanket even through the dress.

I hadn't even noticed such obvious things as Oleg's disheveled hair before. Light, but disheveled all the time. When I saw him for the first time, I almost choked on air, and when they told me that it was a prince, I generally went into silent laughter.

I, trying not to scare off this fucking "romantic", run my fingers through his hair. I hear a soft moan on my collarbone.

And I didn't even notice how quickly he got there…

"What are you doing to me, huh?" - Oleg has already pulled off half of my dress.

Kissing my breasts, he moaned softly as I ran my finger along his neck.

Alternating between moans and sighs, I was able to find the button of his shirt and unbuttoned it. My hint was understood and the prince, already naked to the waist, fell on me.

I think I even forgot how to breathe. My cheeks burned as I looked at his toned muscles. Was he grinning or was he smiling? It seems that my interest in his body only excited Oleg more.

"And so", - his tone was like he was really drunk. - "Aren't you afraid of me now?"

I almost yell at him. My body is literally asking for his affection, his love.

His.

His total.

"No, I'm not afraid."

Then I'm silent, looking at his naked torso, from which he barely blushes, and I add:

"Is it necessary?"

Oleg looks at me. I'm literally torn apart. He sees it perfectly.

His lips slide onto his stomach. The solar plexus has always been my weak spot. Whether it's hitting an enemy or kissing.

I try to free my hands to excite Oleg, but he grabs my hands and presses them to the bed. I put my feet weakly against his groin, but he only adds fire and gets closer to the lower part of my body.

"Yara, I'm begging you, don't kick."

I snort. Apparently it amuses him and Olga to call me by a fake name.

The prince pulls the dress on himself. My cheeks, yes, it seems to me, and not only cheeks, but the whole face is covered with a scarlet wave of heat.

Now I'm completely naked, lying on Prince Oleg's bed and I also excite him myself. I grinned at him. Oleg was just watching my reaction.

He approached my neck again. And again those sighs and groans.

"To hell with this foreplay, Oleg", - I whisper in his ear when he starts kissing my breasts again.

He looks into my eyes. It seems like another twenty minutes have passed or how many — I do not know.

He pulled off his trousers and is now waiting for me to let him.

He's waiting for my permission because he doesn't want to hurt me.

The thought makes me smile. Oleg takes this as an answer.

I even forget that I am just a strange guest in the palace. Sweetly bending under Oleg, I can afford to be whoever I want.

Maybe even his girlfriend.

(On behalf of Oleg)

I could still feel her body, though not as much as I wanted. Her hair and head were lying on my chest. Blue and so strange. They tickle me pleasantly, which makes me shudder periodically.

Yara looks at me.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did I kill you by accident while you were moaning in unison with me?"

She smiles. She doesn't grin like I always do when I'm joking. She just smiles at me, as if asking for forgiveness for joking about such topics.

"No, you don't."

I stroke her head. I don't even seem to notice that I've fallen in love. In the first days when I was warned about this, I waved it off with contempt: ordinary peasant women are miserable. Now I hardly recognized myself. An ordinary village girl is lying on my chest. So why am I not pushing her away with disgust, but stroking her, trying to lull her to sleep?

What's cracked in me? What gave slack?

"Oleg", - Yara called me softly.

I opened one eye.

"What?"

"Can you…"

She hesitates, not daring to say.

"Can you call me by my real name?"

She blurted it out so quickly that I froze. She covered her mouth with her hand and blushed, as if she had said something stupid.

"I can."

She gives me her surprised look.

"Vlada", - I whisper softly.

She immediately calms down and instantly falls asleep, as if the only thing she needed to sleep was to hear her name from my lips.

Maybe this night will bring serious consequences, but neither she nor I will regret that we spent this particular night together.