Chapter Thirteen: Extracurricular Activities

Selina stabbed the soil she was cultivating with her small shovel more forcefully than she should have, but she did not seem to care. Another week has gone by, and it hasn’t been any better than the last. Problems seemed to come her way the longer she stayed at that university. Her grades were excellent, and she was enjoying all of her classes, including political science. She chose to listen to her future mother-in-law and took the course as an elective. But that’s not what stressed her out, it’s her extracurricular activities. She joined gardening, art, and dance clubs, but as soon as she discovered they also included occults, she had to stop going. As a result, she established her own club, which only she could admit members to. She only invited the university’s noblewomen... and it proved to be not as fun as she thought...

Aside from that, Selina noticed Henry was becoming more distant, and they’d been fighting a lot. He stood her up on several occasions, and whenever he did show up for their dates, he was late. He always seemed distracted, but he wouldn’t tell her what the problem was. She suspected cheating, but she knew Henry would never do that to her. He’s too much of a gentleman to do that. Besides...

“You are such a tease, My Lord,” someone said suddenly, and the Rose Princess perked up from her plants. The voice sounded like it came from a woman.

The reason Selina chose the most secluded and neglected area of the university grounds to do her gardening was because no one came there and she could be alone with her thoughts. And now there were people frolicking—possibly fornicating—in her garden!

Selina got up to investigate after hearing giggling from somewhere near. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked into the privet, where she could pick up the sounds. She was expecting the worst when she turned a corner and discovered a small opening in the tall hedge, only to find Jasper Otxoa and some girl lying in the grass, making out, hidden by the tall plants.

The princess released a breath she did not realize she was holding. She heard the words ‘My Lord’ and the first thing she thought of was her boyfriend.

It was crazy, but just because she believes the king will not cheat on her does not prevent her from being paranoid. Henry, despite his young age, was the most eligible bachelor in all of Terran. He was smart, rich; he was nice to look at... and most of all, he was the most powerful person in the world, especially once he ascended the Volfenheim Throne. Everybody would want him. Anyone would do anything just to be in Selina’s position as his destined queen.

Anyone except those two.

The princess scowled as the couple continued to make out, completely unaware of their surroundings. When the girl moved and straddled Jasper, Selina felt her face turn red. The couple’s hands were everywhere, caressing, groping, kneading. They were undressing and passionately kissing each other, as if they were two starving people who had finally found food.

The scene both grossed her out and intrigued her. She kept a close eye on them, noting Jasper’s every move and the girl’s reactions. When it came to sex, the princess was inexperienced but not clueless. She studied positions, pleasure points... the works. She watched videos and read books, and they all felt clinical to her. But watching these two made Selina feel strange and hot all over. They made her feel like a pervert. She wanted to turn away but couldn’t.

“Selina!”

The princess whipped around to see her boyfriend running towards her. She let go of the hedge to meet him—and also to get away from the couple.

“Honey-bear!” she said, kissing Henry on the lips. Surprised, the young king blinked at her a few times. Selina was taken aback by her own boldness, but she laughed it off as she bumped him with her hip and then looped her arm around his. “What’s with that reaction? Is my kiss that terrible?”

“I—no—” Henry sighed exasperatedly. “What if someone saw you?”

“There’s nobody here,” Selina scowled as she let go of his arm. “You’re my boyfriend. It’s natural for us to kiss.”

“I know that, but—”

“Unless you no longer regard me as your girlfriend.” She turned away from the king, irritated. “Do you think I didn’t notice you pulling away from me?”

The princess smiled when Henry grasped her arms from behind her. “That’s not true. You’re my queen and I’m yours.”

“Then act like it.” She pulled away from him and faced him with a serious expression. “Kiss me.”

“Selina…”

The princess looked at him sadly. “See? You’re all talk. You only say things that I wanted to hear, but you don’t really mean them.”

“Why are we talking about this all of a sudden?”

“Because you’re a terrible boyfriend. Do you not believe me? When was the last time you were on time for one of our dates? When was the last time you gave me a compliment or inquired about my day? Henry, when was the last time you told me you loved me?”

They were both silent for a while. Selina had not intended for the conversation to be so deep—she was only acting—but her words kept spilling out. However, the princess realized she wasn’t sorry at all. She felt like they lifted an immense weight out of her chest.

“Selina, I—I’m so sorry.”

She regarded the king with skepticism. His apologies were really getting old.

“I didn’t know you felt that way, and I’d do anything to make you feel better.”

“You won’t even kiss me,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “You won’t even—”

Before she knew it, Henry had his palms on both of her cheeks, staring her in the eyes as if reading her and looking at her for the first time. Selina could only close her eyes as the king pressed his trembling lips against hers.

He pulled away exactly three seconds later, as if he was counting.

Henry’s face was flushed and he couldn’t look at her, clearly embarrassed. The princess, however, was chewing her lip, deep in thought, until she noticed something stirred in the privets. Without thinking, she grabbed the monarch’s lapels and kissed him.

“Oh, my gods, is that—” they heard Jasper’s female companion speak, but she was silenced quickly… by Jasper, most probably.

Now aware of the other people in the garden, Henry tried to pull away, but Selina did not let him. She tightened her hold on him and deepened the kiss until her boyfriend lost coherent thought. They were both panting when she pulled away.

Henry was still in a daze when the princess touched the front of his shirt, all flirty.

“Hey, honey-bear… let’s get married.”

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