King Peters was a stubborn man. He always insisted on discipline for his only child. He thought she was too spunky, that she had a lot of energy. He would tell her that he wanted her just to be prepared for her planned destiny. But she knew for a fact that he really wanted her to be miserable.

With that, she stripped off her hot and sticky dress gown and then dove into the clear lake. The water felt cool and refreshing against her pale skin. She came to the surface and just floated, closing her eyes.

�Lady Celeste, is that you?� a male voice called.

She looked up, her brown eyes full of instant fear. She was caught. Father was going to kill her. At the shore, where her silken dress was draped carelessly on a large boulder, was a tall man. He had straight blond hair and a cocky smile upon his face.

�Nickolas, what the hell are you doing here?� Celeste asked, angrily, �You know this is Peters land.�

�And miss the opportunity to find His Majesty�s beloved daughter in a lake, no clothing at all? Never!� Nickolas exclaimed, sarcastically.

�You, sir, are a tramp,� she claimed, pulling a damp lock of auburn out of her face. �Now if you don�t mind, I am going to get out of this lake.�

Nickolas folded his arms, amused. �All right. I could use the entertainment.�

Celeste glared at him. Nickolas was like that. He flirted with all his female servants at his palace. Nickolas was King Carter�s son, enemy of her father�s kingdom. And he had inherited the Carters� ego, as well. He was childish and immature.

�I swear, as soon as I get out of here, I�ll tell my father!�

�With all due respect, I highly doubt that, Princess.�

She waded closer to the shore. �I am going to get out, Nickolas, you better turn around,� she told him.

�Is her Majesty . . . shy? Are you sure you are of blood relation to King Peters? Certainly shyness does not run of your father�s side. Perhaps your mother�s?�

�You have no right to speak of my mother in such a tone of voice,� she snapped, and stepped out from the lake.

Nickolas� expression changed from its usual cocky manner to a shocked one. Celeste smiled, grabbed her dress and disappeared behind the rock. �You know, Nickolas, it amazes me how na�ve boys can be sometimes.�

�Na�ve? How are we na�ve?� he asked, looking away. His face became hot, and he knew without looking that he was turning several shades of red.

�Men are pigs that only are appealed by two natures. The first one being violence. It is so infantile to enjoy bloodshed,� she commented.

�And the second thing?� he inquired over the cold rock.

�The second nature is one of sexual pleasures. I�m ashamed of you, Prince. Out of all the people, I thought you�d know that.� She walked from behind the rock and turned so her back faced him. �Could you zip me up, please?�

A large, trembling hand reached for the delicate zipper. It was at its base, located near the bottom of Celeste�s back. His fingers brushed against her back, slightly and she shivered. He pulled the zipper up completely and she turned around.

�You were shaking,� she said, mischievously. �In all of your years of flirting, you found this the appropriate time to be nervous?�

He looked away, instinctively. She put a slender hand on his face. It was warm and soft. Nickolas looked down at her. �I must be going. Both of our fathers will have our heads if they knew that we were missing.�

She laughed, heartlessly, �For one matter, my father doesn�t give a rat�s ass if I�m missing. I�m sure he�d prefer if I were banished. And secondly, I would think the king would expect you to be gone with some fresh-faced maiden. Who is it this time? Reand�s very own town virgin, Meena?�

�Well, I cannot help your situation, but I know that I will get off any idea of punishment easily, because the story you told me was basically true. I was off with some maiden, conversing with her. She was quite spiky, to tell the absolute truth,� he claimed.

Celeste raised a hand to hit him, but he grabbed it, and kissed the backside of it, before leaving. Celeste couldn�t stand the ruthlessness of that . . . boy.