The day in the palace started a bit later than usual, as the three of them were still a bit drowsy from last night's merrymaking. Junior ended up breaking his promise of waking up early. Fortunately, he was saved because his father was just as tired.

"How wonderful is it that we've emptied our schedules today? I knew we were going to be wasted." Cal poured some milk into his tea as they gathered for breakfast.

"I don't know if I'd use the word 'wasted', Sire. I went to bed sober," Gigi denied as she helped Junior reach for the butter.

"Ah yes, I heard that drinking is not allowed in Praja."

"It is deemed inappropriate by societal standards, that does not mean it never happens," Gigi answered calmly, adding some ice cubes into her tea.

"The question is, do you want to? We can always hold a different kind of party next time, if you're into it." Leaning over to her side, he gave her a gaudy wink.

"It is too early to plan another party after last night," Gigi was flustered, unable to believe what he just said with his son being so close. Besides, she could not imagine what would happen if she really got drunk with him. The only other time she ever drank was on their wedding night. With her being entirely consumed by liquid courage, would she pounce on him this time?

"You always put some ice into your tea," noted Cal. "Wouldn't that make it cold?"

"I like it better cold. In Praja we drink ice tea," explained Gigi. She'd always add ice cubes into her morning tea, and lately Junior had started copying her as well.

Ice tea was the most commonly served refreshment in Praja, found even in the smallest household and restaurant, to the lavish dinners in the palace. Easy access to the main ingredients made it possible for people of all backgrounds to savour the drink. From ordinary farmers to the rich merchants; from soldiers to the King. The cold, sweet tea became an essential instrument to satiate oneself from the hot weather.

Picking up the ice bowl, she offered it to her husband. "Would you like to try?"

Curious, Cal took some ice cubes into his own teacup, stirring it a couple of times before taking a sip. "It's..." Everyone in the dining room held their breath waiting for the Emperor's response. "...Good." His face lit up, gulping some more.

"Mm-hmm," Gigi smiled knowingly. "But don't add too much ice, or you'll lose flavour of the tea." Her poor husband, he never had ice tea? He missed out on quite a lot.

"Bring us more ice for the tea next time," Cal told the servants. "That reminds me, why aren't you writing to your parents?"

"I do write to them, I just don't do it every single moment like everyone presumed me to," Gigi answered with vexation. She wasn't one to seek comfort in writing sappy letters to her parents while living far abroad. Praja had ceased to be her only home. Her place was with the Emperor and Junior. There was no going back.

Going over to the windows, Cal yanked the curtains open, allowing more light to penetrate the dining room. "Look at that sky! A perfect day to go for a ride, is anybody coming?" He turned to them with a wide smile.

The room fell into a dead silence.

"...Junior?" he asked after getting no answer.

Junior grumbled, raising his book over his face to block the light from reaching his eyes. "No."

"Coming with me, Gi?" Cal looked at her hopefully.

Gigi wanted nothing more than to surround herself in a dark, quiet place for a whole day before resuming her usual routine, yet... an invitation to spend quality time with her husband was rare.

As a member of the Prajan royal family, she was required to master horseback riding, she had been riding with her brothers quite a number of times, but... She smiled as an idea popped into her head.

"I am not very good with horses, Sire. I never did master riding properly." She made herself sound as anxious as possible. "I'm afraid I would only become a hassle."

"Hmm... Problem, huh?" Pressing her lips together in anticipation, she could feel him circling the room behind her. She waited. "What to do...? I know. You may join me on my horse."

Her face broke into a gleeful smile. It worked!

With a coy smile, Gigi turned to face her husband, completely oblivious to her deception. The only one who figured it out was Junior, who shot her a look full of judgement before burying his face back behind the book.

"Well, if it's not an inconvenience to you."

Shaking his head, Junior whispered loudly as Gigi passed by, "Liar liar pants on fire!"

"Shush!" she did a silencing gesture over her mouth.

***

The Emperor took them out riding on his favourite stallion, Inferno; a beautiful black Friesian. Seated atop of him, Gigi could feel his powerful muscles beneath her. This horse must've been used to agile, vigorous activities, yet able to carry himself with elegance.

Mounting him side-saddle, Gigi sat in the front, with her husband behind her, holding the reins. His arms were tight around her sides as if enveloping her in an embrace.

"You said that you love riding, so how come I rarely see you ride?" Gigi asked as they headed out of the palace gate. His chest felt warm against her back, she had to resist burying her face into it.

"I told you, I barely get much time to enjoy my pastime. My life used to be very different before I took the throne. I used to travel more, meet more people. Back in the day, I would always ride around here every morning, sometimes even midnight, it helps me clear my mind. I even ran the stables and groomed the horses myself. It was such a relief compared to the repetitive social gatherings they forced me to attend."

"I thought you find it easy to be around people."

Her remark made him cackle. "Even someone like me could have a preference over their circle, Gi. You haven't seen me with my friends. My real friends."

His revelation reminded her of herself. She also had a very different life before she came here, and she was also drained by unwanted social interactions. It appeared they had even more in common than met the eye.

"But doesn't Inferno count as your friend?" she grinned, petting the horse's shiny black mane. "I'm glad he allowed me to mount him, I was afraid he wouldn't."

"I knew he would," Cal smiled cheekily. "Inferno wouldn't mind having a beautiful lady riding him."

"...I am not going to grace that comment with a response." Gigi turned away from him.

Cal laughed heartily. "But you just did."

They rode across a sunny flower field near the palace complex, revelling in the scenery of small green hills and man-made forest surrounding it. Despite being a nation of technology, Angletonia was keen on keeping the natural ambience around the palace.

"I'm sorry if this may sound rude but I have to ask," Cal said all of a sudden.

"Is something the matter, Sire?" The question alone made her nervous that he had seen through her little trick.

"Why does your last name differ from that of your brothers?"

"Oh," she giggled. "Radini isn't my family name, it's a form of a title. In Praja, we would often mix our titles into our personal names. In my case, it means 'princess' or 'King's daughter'. As for my brothers, it's Radian, meaning 'prince'. I know, it can be confusing."

"I see," he let out a relieved sigh. Did he think that she was illegitimate? "So you don't have last names?"

"I do have a last name. It's Leroy."

"Hold on tight," he whispered darkly. Gigi squealed as the horse jolted and took them galloping through the woods, giving her no choice but to hold onto him, not that she minded.

"So you have how many brothers?" Cal asked again as they had slowed down.

"My father has over twenty five children, most of them are sons."

"Blimey!" Cal blurted, though he quickly regretted it for sounding impolite. "Pardon me, I mean... What?"

Gigi laughed at his reaction. "The Prajan kings think that the royal line has a greater chance of survival if they have more sons."

"Wouldn't it raise a greater conflict there, though? And there are other princesses? Your father had only ever mentioned you in his letters."

She nodded. "There are, but I'm the only one who's the Queen's daughter."

Cal made another sound of surprise, concealing it this time. "So it is safe to assume that not all of the children were born to the Queen? I have never met a woman who's given birth to twenty-five children."

Gigi wasn't sure what was more amusing, his reaction from thinking that her mother gave birth to twenty-five children or the fact that he even tried to make sense of it. "It is not uncommon for Prajan Kings to have junior wives. Though that's not the case in Angletonia, I believe?"

"No," replied Cal, almost immediately. "No, it isn't. It has happened, of course, but a long time ago."

"Does that mean that you will not be marrying another then, Sire?"

"No." Shaking his head firmly, he said it with such a level of certainty, making it sound like a promise. "I will not."

That brought a brilliant smile to her face, her eyes twinkling with delight. She let him sneak a hand behind her neck, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

As he leaned in, she closed her eyes. She could feel his warm breath upon her lips.

"Oh!" A woman gasped, and they jerked away abruptly.

Olivia Gold was there in the field, sitting atop a grey horse. Her right hand was clasped over her mouth, obviously regretting the noises she had made. She looked even more horrified than when she saw Gigi wearing the necklace.

But of course, some guests were still staying at the palace.

Gigi was the first to speak. "Good morning, Miss Olivia."

"Good morning, Your Majesties," she croaked.

"Enjoying a ride, are we?" she arched her brow, interested to hear what she's got to say after witnessing and breaking their almost-kiss.

"Yes. I—I do like to ride every morning," Olivia spluttered. "To help me clear my mind."

Cal tensed up at her back, tightening his hold on the rein.

"I should get back," Olivia said in a panicky tone. "I would not want to intrude."

"Who said you were intruding?" Gigi forced herself to smile. "Come, join us for lunch."

"I appreciate the invitation, Your Majesty, but my chauffeur arrives before lunch, I would hate to keep him waiting. Excuse me." Bending her head, she turned her horse away from the field.

"It's almost noon," Cal rasped, having found his voice after staying quiet for some time. "Let's go back."

Gigi eyed him as they headed back to the palace. "She's very much like you, Sire. Riding every morning to clear her mind."

"That's not true," he denied spitefully. "We are nothing like each other."

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

PS: Iced tea was not popular in Britain till the 2000s (and Angletonia was mostly based off the UK), so yes, I gave Cal Sr. his very first Ice tea.