Four Princes: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (The Rothhaven Trilogy Book 1)

by C. J. Pinard

  He hugged her back stiffly. “You’re welcome.”

  Remembering that he was now the king and not someone a girl could hug whenever she wanted to, Mariselle suddenly felt foolish. She released him and stepped back. “I’m sorry. Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ve forgotten my place.” She finished it with a curtsey.

  “It’s okay, Mariselle,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Old habits die hard.”

  “Indeed they do,” she replied softly.

  UPON ARRIVAL AT North Haven, they were greeted ceremoniously by many of the townspeople, who cheered and followed the convoy to the castle entrance. When Mariselle finally saw Alexander on the other side of the gate, she was pleasantly surprised to find that he recognized her.

  “Mariselle?” he gasped, looking down into her face with a warm smile.

  “Yes. It’s me, Your Majesty,” she said, staring back at the red-bearded Rothhaven shyly. As a young boy, he’d been tall and lanky, but now he was muscular and looked as strong as an ox. His boyish face had also changed considerably. Unlike his older brother, who could almost be called beautiful with his sculpted cheekbones and cleft chin, Alexander’s features were sharp and his nose looked like it had taken a beating or two. But, he was still very handsome in rugged kind of way.

  He picked her up in a bear hug and swung her around, making her laugh. “It’s so good to see you. And don’t be a stranger. Call me Alexander.”

  “If you insist,” she replied.

  He set her down and turned to his brother. “Let me guess—the queen didn’t feel like making the trip?” he asked with a dark smile.

  “No,” he said with a smile. “Thank God.”

  Alexander laughed. “And I used to be jealous that you were the eldest.”

  Griffin’s eyes twinkled. “Not anymore, huh?”

  “Hell no,” he replied. “Life has never been better, to be honest.”

  “I’m happy for you. There are times when I’d give anything to…” Griffin’s voice trailed off.

  Alexander’s smile widened. “Be in my shoes?”

  “Honestly, yes.” Griffin sighed. “Anyway, it’s good to see you and there is much to discuss.”

  Alexander glanced back toward Mariselle. “I imagine it has something to do with your traveling companion?”

  “You imagine correct,” he replied.

  MARISELLE, AND HER new attendants, were shown into the castle, which was almost identical to Griffin’s. They were then turned over to one of the maids, who brought Mariselle to her bedchamber. When she stepped inside, her eyes widened in pleasure. It was just as extravagant as Eva’s, from what she’d remembered, only everything was much newer and decorated in rich burgundy and green colors.

  “Wow,” she said breathlessly, gazing at the large, draped canopy bed, which seemed to fill up the room. There was also a fireplace across from the bed, and her own personal tub.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Mariselle said, walking over to it. She ran her hand along the side and sighed. “I could certainly use a bath right about now.”

  “We’ll get one started for you, Milady,” said Shawna, one of her attendants.

  Not at all used to such formality, she told Shawna to just call her Mariselle.

  “Whatever you wish,” she said, curtsying.

  Mariselle couldn’t help it. The gesture pleased her, even though she knew that in reality, she was just like them and always would be. A simple peasant girl.

  “How hot would you like your bath?” the older woman, June, asked.

  “As hot as I can stand it,” she replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She ran her hands over the blanket, laid back, and closed her eyes, wondering what the two brothers were discussing and what would become of her.

  Would she marry Alexander?

  Or maybe one of the other brothers?

  The idea was somewhat nerve-wracking and yet exciting at the same time. When she’d admitted to Griffin that she’d had crushes on all of them growing up, she hadn’t been lying. Each brother had special qualities she’d been drawn to. Griffin, because he’d always been dashing and probably the most handsome. Alexander, because of his imagination and spirit. Zackary, who’d always thought of himself as her protector. And Matthias, who had a heart of gold and was the most sensitive of the bunch. She still remembered when he’d picked some of the queen’s prized flowers and gave them to her. Lizbeth had been furious, but Matthias had known how to sweet-talk his mother into forgiving him and she had even allowed the young prince to pick more. He definitely had a way with women and she imagined now that he was probably quite the smooth-talker.

  Closing her eyes, she imagined herself as one of their wives and couldn’t for the life of her choose one over the other.

  Good thing Griffin was making that decision, she thought. If it were up to her, she’d marry them all.

  29

  “WAIT A SECOND, are you actually proposing that I sleep with Mariselle?” Alexander said, staring at him wide-eyed. “Our little Mariselle?”

  “She’s not so little anymore,” Griffin said wryly.

  “No, she’s not,” he agreed.

  “If you don’t want to—”

  “Now, hold up. I didn’t say I didn’t want to,” Alexander said quickly. “I mean she’s… beautiful. I just don’t know if it would be right.”

  Griffin sighed. “What would be wrong is for our kingdom to become obsolete.” He tapped his fingers on the table nervously. “I mean… without an heir…”

  “I know,” Alexander replied. “If things keep going as they are, our entire country will eventually just be a legend.”

  “Yes. A laughable one at that.”

  “Is she agreeing to this?” he asked, pouring them each a goblet of wine.

  “She doesn’t want to be treated like a whore, but essentially, I believe so.”

  “I can respect that. So, it’s marriage she wants?”

  “Basically. And of course Marcus would insist on it, too.”

  Alexander sighed. “I don’t know, Griffin. Marriage would interfere with my love-life,” he said with a smirk.

  Griffin shook his head and smiled. “You could grow to love Mariselle.”

  “In a way, I already do. I just never imagined it would be in a romantic way,” he replied.

  “You act as if it’s a horrible thing I’m asking from you. If it were me, I’d jump all over the chance.”

  “Why don’t you do it then?” he replied, sitting down.

  “Because I’m married,” he mumbled, staring at the goblet. “Obviously.”

  “To a royal cunt,” Alexander said.

  Griffin smiled. “So, you’ve met my wife?”

  He laughed. “Unfortunately, yes. Anyway, your child should be the next heir to the throne. It is your duty to try and make it happen, married or not.”

  He took a gulp of his wine and licked his lips. “My duty, huh?”

  “Yes. Think of all the bastards out in the world, created by the seed of royalty. It’s not like you’d be the first king to lay with another. Hell, when I do get married, I doubt I’ll be able to keep my hands off of other wenches. Variety is the spice of life, big brother.”

  “So, I’ve heard.”

  “You’d know it too if you weren’t faithful to that old sourpuss. Do you two even have relations?”

  “We used to. Until I got to know her better,” Griffin replied, smirking.

  Alexander grunted. “So, your dick hasn’t been waxed in many moons, is what you’re saying?”

  “Precisely.”

  He leaned forward and poured more wine into his brother’s goblet. “Here, have some more. Maybe you’ll loosen up enough to do what’s right.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Produce the heir that was meant to be. Yours.”

  “And if I do and Georgina finds out it’s mine?”

  “Who cares? You’re king. The damn monarch. You make the rules and you do what you want. It’s expected of you anyway.”
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  Griffin stared ahead, seriously thinking about it. “And what of Mariselle? I promised her honor and marriage.”

  Alexander sighed. “We’ll worry about that later. Hell, if it comes down to it, I’ll make her a queen, if you really want. As long as she understands I need more than one woman to warm my bed on any given night.”

  Griffin chuckled. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, brother. I can’t say that I agree with your antics, but I sure as hell enjoy hearing about them.”

  He snorted. “So, you believe my stories finally?”

  “I believe you can’t make up some of what comes out of your mouth. Especially your sex-capades.”

  “True. Did I tell you about Loose Lila?” He held up his fist. “I swear you can fit—”

  “Stop.” Griffin held up his hand. “I haven’t had enough to drink yet.”

  “The let me take care of that,” Alexander said, reaching for the wine.

  30

  WHEN MARISELLE’S BATH was ready, her attendants asked if she needed help undressing.

  “No. Thank you, though,” she replied shyly and then told them she wanted to be alone.

  “We’ll be back in an hour to help you prepare for supper,” June replied.

  “Thank you. For everything. You’re both so kind.”

  “So are you,” Shawna replied. “You’re so much nicer than the queen.”

  “Shawna,” June said sternly.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word,” Mariselle promised.

  “Thank you, Milady,” Shawna said, looking embarrassed. “I need to work on my manners.”

  “Indeed you do. Let’s go,” June said.

  The two left and Mariselle undressed. She noticed the bleeding had stopped and hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. Especially if Griffin and Alexander decided they wanted proof of her menstruation. Deciding there wasn’t anything she could do about it now, she slipped into the warm tub and groaned in pleasure. It had been days since she’d had a bath and it felt luxurious. Especially in a tub that size.

  Closing her eyes, she sank in deeper and lay back against the padded headrest. After a while, she became drowsy and began to daydream about Griffin. For the last four days, the electricity between them had been intense. More than once she’d caught him watching her with hunger in his eyes. Mariselle knew, without a doubt, that he desired her, and she, too, ached to feel his hands on her body. Imagining the two of them in the bath together, she slipped her fingers between her legs and began touching herself.

  GRIFFIN, FEELING SLIGHTLY tipsy, left Alexander and headed to his quarters to wash up and sleep off some of the wine before supper. Between the two of them, they’d drunk enough to piss out a pond. Especially Alexander, whose tolerance level was much higher than his. As he walked down the corridor, he ran into Mariselle’s attendants.

  “How is she doing?” he asked, giving them a lopsided grin.

  “Very good, Your Majesty. Her chamber is to the right of yours,” June said with a little smile.

  “Oh. Okay. Very good,” he replied, swaying slightly. “Carry on.”

  The two women walked away and he could hear them giggling. Wondering if it had something to do with Mariselle, and hoping they were treating her with respect, he decided to check on her.

  When Griffin arrived at Mariselle’s chamber, he raised his hand to knock, and that’s when he though he heard her whimpering inside. Concerned that she was upset about something and would try to deny it, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. That’s when he saw her lying naked in the tub, her eyes closed and her face flushed. Realizing that she was pleasuring herself, he stared, transfixed as her fleshy breasts bobbed in the water with each movement.

  “Griffin,” she moaned, biting her lower lip.

  His cock lurched in response and his blood roared hot.

  Her hand moved faster. “Yes… I’m… oh… God…”

  He watched as she came and something snapped inside of him. He was hungry for her in ways he couldn’t even describe. He wanted to possess and claim every part of her, but knew that going to her was wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be there.

  With all the strength he could muster, Griffin quietly slipped out of her chamber and went to his own. Blind with lust, he pulled his throbbing cock out, spit into his palm, and imagined he was in her chamber, pulling her out of the bath and throwing her onto the bed. As his hand moved, his mind raced with images of her slippery, wet body under his. Grunting, he thought about his mouth on her breasts and what it would be like to take that tight, virgin pussy and make it his. Within seconds he was gasping and spilling his hot seed into the palm of his hand, wishing things were different and he wasn’t married to the shrew from Baristara.

  31

  MARISELLE HEARD WHAT sounded like the door closing. She gasped in horror.

  Mortified that someone had walked in on her, she quickly finished up her bath, dried herself, and dressed in one of the new tunics Griffin had purchased. She grabbed a comb and ran it through her wet hair, thoroughly embarrassed that someone had caught her in the act of touching herself. She guessed it to be one of the attendants and didn’t know how she would be able to look either of them in the face.

  After finishing up with her hair, she sat down on the bed just as someone knocked on the door, startling her. Feeling her cheeks heat up again, she cleared her throat. “Yes?”

  “It’s just us,” June said, peeking her head in. “Oh, darn. You’re already dressed.”

  “Yes,” she replied nervously.

  “We have a surprise for you,” June said, her voice filled with excitement.

  Curious, Mariselle stood up. “Really?”

  “Yes, you’re going to love it,” the woman replied. “Bring it in, Shawna.”

  The younger woman stepped inside, holding a gown. “King Alexander sent this over. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Mariselle’s eyes widened as she brought the dress closer. It was dark green and made of velvet and silk. Turning it around, she noticed that it laced up the back. “It’s gorgeous,” she replied breathlessly, touching the elegant, soft material.

  June’s eyes twinkled. “You’re to wear it for supper. Now, get undressed and we’ll help you put the gown on.”

  “We’ll braid your hair, too,” said Shawna, tilting her head and staring at it. “You have gorgeous curls, Milady. I’m sure you hear it all the time.”

  “No, but thank you and… call me Mariselle. Please,” she said.

  “Yes, Milady. I mean…” She giggled. “Mariselle.”

  AN HOUR LATER, she felt beautiful in the gorgeous curve-hugging gown. The two attendants had also fussed with her hair, braiding it into one long rope that went over her shoulder. They’d also added colorful green and white ribbons through the strands.

  “You look like royalty,” Shawna said, tucking in a loose ribbon.

  “Like a true queen,” added June.

  She smiled demurely. “You’re both much too kind.”

  “Goodness,” June said, her eyes widening. “It’s about that time. I believe King Alexander mentioned something about collecting you for dinner himself. He should be arriving any minute.”

  As soon as she said the words, there was a sharp rap at the door.

  “Speak of the devil,” Shawna said, winking.

  “Yes, you’d better watch out for that one,” June whispered. “He has a voracious appetite—and I’m not just talking about food.”

  Mariselle smiled. “Thanks for the warning,” she said softly before calling out, “Come in”.

  King Alexander entered the chamber and his eyes lit up when he saw her. “My goodness, Mariselle. I didn’t think you could look more beautiful, but I was terribly mistaken. You look … ravishing.”

  She lowered her lashes and thanked him. “You look very fetching yourself, Your Majesty,” she replied, seeing that he was now wearing a fur-trimmed burgundy robe with a dark blue tunic underneath. His beard had also been cleaned up and his hair
combed neatly.

  He held out his arm. “Thank you, Milady. I aim to please.”

  “So, I’ve heard,” she said, smiling mischievously as he led her out of the chamber.

  Looking down at her, his green eyes danced in amusement. “You’ve heard? What exactly have you heard, beautiful?”

  “That you’re one to watch out for. A bit of a scoundrel when it comes to the ladies.”

  “For once I must say, the rumors are correct. Your virtue is safe with me, however,” he replied, leading her once again down the corridor. “Although, I have to admit, seeing you in that dress makes it hard to be a gentleman.”

  His words puzzled her. “Did you speak to Griffin as to why I’m here?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. We’re still trying to work out the… details,” he replied. “You see, he’s married, and I’m… a bit of scoundrel, just like you said. I wouldn’t want to break your heart. Truthfully,” his face grew serious, “I don’t think I could live with myself.”

  “I see,” she replied, looking away. “I honestly wouldn’t want to break your heart either. And I’m afraid that I might.”

  He laughed. “Really? Does your heart already belong to another?”

  “It might. I’m still trying to decide if it’s love or simply just… pure lust,” she replied, smiling at him sideways.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Lust?”

  She nodded.

  “And what do you know of that?” he mused.

  “That it can keep you awake at night. Especially when you need and want something you can’t have.”

  LISTENING TO MARISELLE talk about lust was strangely exciting. He’d always thought of her as young and innocent. But now, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time.

  “Hmm,” he said, looking ahead as they walked. “I must admit, I don’t have that problem. I usually get what I want, when I want it.”

  She looked up at him. “So, there are no challenges for you?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “That must get kind of boring. Maybe you should set your standards higher?”