You're there to mate

Seeing her awkward nervousness reminded you that it was a human being who was standing in front of you. A human being, who most likely wouldn't be standing in front of you if it wasn't for her duty to her father. You reach out and grab her hand, pulling her towards the two chairs next to the fireplace. "Why don't we go over there and get to know each other a little first?" you ask, trying to sound as welcoming as possible.

She hesitates for a second, then looks back to the bed. "Aren't we going to..."

You smile, "We might later, but that all depends." She nervously presses her dress down between her long legs.

She once again looks back at the bed, "I mean not to be rude but..."

You laugh to lighten the mood, "Don't worry about that yet."

"But, the contest..." She exclaims fretfully.

You grab her hand, firm but gentle. "You can't seriously expect me to bed all of those women without getting to know them first? I know they only reason why you're in my room because you feel some duty to your country. If it weren't for that, you wouldn't even look at my bed."

"That is not true, I..."

Your nerves have now entirely left you while hers have only grown worse."Yes, it is... But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. What I want right now is to know what you want."

Timidly she has "With all due respect, what I want is not important."

"That's where your wrong my fair lady, right now what you want is the only thing that matters. Yes, the contest is won by the first woman to give me an heir, but I can swear to you if that person and I don't make each other happy the crown will leave our heads as quickly as it landed on it."

She looks down at her feet in deep thought, "What I want, or rather what I wish is that my father never agreed to this. What I truly want is to be free, but that right was taken from me at birth. As the oldest daughter of a king, I must be married off to the suitor that best profits my homeland. That is why I was saved for your late brother, and when he passed, I only assumed I would be saved for you. "

You smile again.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I do not mock you; I'm only smiling because what you so desperately want is within your grasp. You do not need to be my bride, but you could be my mistress. Mistresses may not have the right to wear the crown, but they are free to come and goes as they please, with the financial security few women can attain. In fact, it could be said that they are one of the freest people of this world."

"What about my country and the other contestants?"

"Do you not have two other sisters, do you not believe that they are just as likely to win as you are? As for the other contestants, you need not worry about them. These walls are thick, and the door is closed; no one will ever know what happened here. And if anyone asks, conception is a tricky thing; you can say it just never took hold. As for tonight, feel free to use my bed, I'll sleep on the rug if need be."

She walks over to the bed and gets in fully dressed. "Why are you doing this?"

"My country wants a woman to produce me an heir, but that is not what I'm after, I want a true partner " you turn around and face the fire. As you rest your eyes, you can hear the sounds of her struggling to take off her dress under the blanket.