The Prince's Pet Read Online Free PDF Page B

off.
    Issander thumbed through the
pile of letters and notes that sat on the dining table. “Ah,” he said. “The
worst part of my position.”
    “What is it, my Lord?” I asked.
    “Oh, invitations to this dance
or that. Requests to join hunting parties. People asking for favors, promising
a boon in return. Thinly veiled bribery. Politics . It bores me.
    If he were to sit the throne
after his father’s death, as I supposed he must, there would only be more of
that to look forward to.
    I said nothing, shuffling my
feet and fidgeting endlessly, wringing my fingers together. I didn't know what
to do. I was afraid. Afraid of this man, afraid of what might come next. Of
what he might do to me, or what might happen if he sent me away. I contained my
despair as best I could, but it was building up inside me and turning to
nervous energy.
    Soon, he pushed the papers away
with a sigh. “It is impossible to concentrate with you standing there.”
    “I am sorry, my Lord.” I said.
    “I want you to look at me.” He
said abruptly. “Stop looking at the floor when I am present. I prefer for you
to meet my eyes.”
    I obeyed, my eyes flicking up.
It made me even more uncomfortable. I couldn’t retreat into myself if I was
making an effort to look at my master. I was vulnerable, less able to hide.
    Again, he looked me up and down.
I hated the way he did that. But I'm his property, I told myself. He can look
at me all he likes. I had better get used to it. I could practically feel his
eyes on me, boring right through the thin material of my gown.
    It was cruel to clothe me like
this, I decided, leaving me no modesty at all. I knew my nipples were visible
through the material, dark shadows showing through the gossamer fabric. I
fought hard to resist the urge to shield my breasts again.
    “I am unused to seeing women
unveiled.” He said. “Apart from commoners and slaves.”
    “I am a slave, my Lord.”
    “Yes,” he agreed. “But you...
you have noble features.”
    I wasn't sure what that meant,
but it felt like a compliment. My face burned even hotter and I shifted my feet
anxiously. “Thank you, my Lord,” I mumbled.
    He shrugged and looked away,
pouring a drink. He upended it and drank, taking great swallows.
    I suddenly became aware of
another need – one that was becoming more urgent by the second. “M... Master?”
I asked, my voice little more than a whisper. I cringed as I said it, afraid of
his punishment for my speaking out of turn.
    “What is it?” He snapped,
thumping down his flagon. “Speak up.”
    He seemed irritated, and I was
sorry I had to ask. But I gathered my courage and raised my chin slightly.
“I... this slave needs to go... to use the facilities, my Lord.”
    It took him a moment to
understand. “The privy? He asked. I nodded, blushing furiously.
    He pointed vaguely in the
direction of the room, down the short passage. “You have free rein of my
chambers. Go where you wish, so long as you come when I call you. And don’t ask
me every time you need a piss.” He growled.
    I made a quick curtsey, my leg
showing indecorously through the slit in the side of my dress. The gown was not
made for curtseying, that was for sure. I darted out of the room.
    When I came back out, feeling
much better, I saw that slaves had arrived with the meal.
    The prince let them in and bade
them set food on the table, not missing the curious way they searched the rooms
with their eyes. I stood peeking around the corner of the passage, hiding myself
from their prying eyes. I had had quite enough of being looked at for the time
being.
    There was steaming meat and
baked vegetables, bowls of rice, flat-bread and honey, and a jug of ale. Prince
Issander had the boy put more fuel on the fire before leaving, and began to
unbuckle his armor.
    “Do... do you want me to help
you, my Lord?” I asked, eager to prove my usefulness.
    He only made a short laugh. “I
have managed without assistance for my entire life. I don't