The Rebel Prince (The Season Series #3)

Chapter 14 - Part 1

"Care for a drink, handsome?" one of the establishment's women asked, snaking a soft arm around my neck as she pressed her barely clothed self against my back. I fought from rolling my eyes, having forgotten that such a display of wealth would only earn me more attention from the employees of such a house.

"Sí, por favor," I said, emphasizing my Pretanian accent. Her arm lingered across my shoulders before she sauntered to the bar.

I lost the first hand on purpose, one of the other nobles who'd arrived with us collecting my gold and that of the others. From the way Guillermo Delminas kept throwing dark looks his way, I wondered whether I was in the company of another of the duques' sons.

"I thought you might enjoy a taste of home," the woman said, placing a glass of amber liquid on the table and draping herself across me as so many of her colleagues were doing to the other men at the table. I sniffed at it, not at all surprised that she'd brought me a glass of Kentshire whiskey, nor that she was able to speak my language.

This certainly was a high-end house of ill-repute.

"How very kind," I said, taking a sip. Very fine stuff, but strong.

"You are quite far from home," she persisted as I spread more gold on the table. "What brings a handsome man like you to a city like ours?"

"My betrothed," I said, gauging the bets of the others at the table.

"You poor thing," she said, nuzzling my ear. It was an effort not to bat her away, but I had a part to play.

Especially since Armando had taken up a place next to the bar, his eyes trained on me as he conversed with the older woman.

"She comes from a fine family," I said, smiling like a simpleton, "I am a lucky man, not a poor one."

"Perhaps I could-" she began, her fingers finding the buttons of my shirt.

This time I did reach up to stop her, mostly because I didn't want her to discover the knife I'd slipped into my jacket pocket in case Armando had anything up his sleeve.

"I'm here for the gaming, love," I said, removing her hand and patting it. "Your attentions are better spent elsewhere."

I didn't have to tell her twice.

"Pretanian prick is too good for our girls," snorted the man I suspected of being another duque's son.

"Why complain? That means more for you, Barcolino," another of the young nobles said. "With the foreign idiot's gold, you could buy all the girls you'd want tonight."

Barcolino. I kept my eyes on my cards, desperate not to let the recognition show on my face. He must be a son of the Duque Delmar, the most powerful of the duques, which explained the hostile looks from Guillermo Peñarisco.

As the night wore on and my gold dwindled, a strategic series of wins and losses designed to keep me at the table without being too much of a threat, I kept my ears open as the young nobles around me descended into loose-lipped drunkenness. Unlike them, I was careful to sip from my whiskey, Peñarisco and Barcolino both on their fourth glasses by the time I'd finished my first. At the bar, Armando simply watched the lot of us and I wondered whether he was waiting for the others to grow inebriated before he began causing mischief or if he was simply some sort of bodyguard for these rich, gambling nobles.

A few minutes later, however, I learned what the guard had been waiting for.

"Get off, you overpriced whore," Barcolino finally snapped, shoving away the woman who'd been sitting on his lap, playing with the lapels of his shirt as he alternated kissing her with gambling. "You're bad luck."

"Your terrible gambling is what's bad luck," one of the other nobles guffawed, gesturing for the discarded girl to come over to him. "Though I won't mind being the first to profit. Come here, beautiful."

"If you think a piece of trash like her is beautiful, you're setting your sights too low, Fuentes." Barcolino scoffed. "Your father would be disappointed in you."

"We can't all bed princesses," Fuentes cackled.

Armando's hand came down in a jovial clap on Guillermo Peñarisco's shoulder as he slid into the seat beside the duque's son. I hadn't realized that Peñarisco's face had gone puce as he glared at Barcolino and I guessed that this conversation was exactly the one Armando had been waiting for.

"Ah, so you're the lucky suitor, eh Barcolino? You really think she'll want to take a tumble with you?" Armando asked, spreading a few pieces of gold on the table to buy into the hand. Once again, I kept my eyes on my cards to make it seem like I didn't understand them.

"It doesn't matter what she wants. She will be mine, by order of the king," Barcolino said, tossing back the remainder of his drink. "Once we're married, she won't be permitted to say no."

At that, Peñarisco slammed his cards down on the table, his chair hissing against the luxurious Bazeran carpet as he stormed away towards the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Armando follow the Duque Delminas' son with his eyes.

"You're a lucky man, to win a wife as beautiful as her," Armando said, dropping his cards to fold.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Barcolino continued, his tongue running thanks to all the drink he'd been plied with. "Father bought her for me. We're supporting Prince Frederico's bid for the crown, as the king wishes. He rewards those loyal to him, something you pathetic lot ought to remember."

Armando didn't dignify that with a response, instead chuckling as he rose and sauntered away to the bar, where Guillermo Peñarisco was still fuming.

**A/N: Looks like our main man has found himself in the thick of some plotting! I know this one ended on a cliffhanger, which is why I'm planning on releasing the next chapter tomorrow once the results for the Fiction Awards are in.

Finally, I have a question for everyone. Other than Wattpad, is there another social media platform where you'd like to see more from the world of The Season and its sequels? Some of you already know that I'm on Twitter, but I'm curious if there are any other places you'd be interested in following content from this series. Comment here so I can get an idea about what you'd be interested in! :)

Thanks in advance and, as always, if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to vote and comment! xox **