BRADLEY

Wednesday morning. The fourth day of the tournament.

Colin was attacked last night, after he won his challenge, by his opponent who could not deal with the fact that he lost to him. Or that he lost at all. I am not clear on his motive, and I do not care about it. He has been arrested and is being remanded in jail without bail.

The US Attorney's office (who prosecute federal crimes) has already issued a statement talking about 'swift justice'. The Crown's Press Secretary also put out a statement in the press stating that the King has advised the prosecutors to use the 'treason law' because the crime happened inside His Majesty's residence.

It is a capital offense to commit treason against the King. If you plan an assassination, try to harm a member of the Royal Family, or speak against the monarchy in an assembly to incite the public against the monarchy, it carries a death penalty with no possibility of parole or bail.

However, it will be a tough sell to use that specific law on a crime that happened against a commoner. Even if the crime took place inside His Majesty's residence. The King was nowhere near the room where it happened, so they could not claim clear and present danger. Anyway, I am not a lawyer, so I hope they nail that bastard and he is thrown in jail for a very long time.

Colin was so tired — his match was one of the last ones of the night — that he slept through the alarm clock and missed breakfast. I was happy to let him rest because, despite my eventful night, I was not feeling that tired after a good night's sleep.

I was walking back from the cafeteria to my guest suite when I got a text message from a number I recognize now as Prince Elton's. The text said that I should report to the wellness center, so I did. I had some time to kill anyway, so I figured I might as well see what His Highness wanted with me.

When I arrived there, the place was empty. It is still very early in the morning, so I am not surprised by that. Nobody would think to work out right after breakfast, and some guys are still eating and drinking at this very moment.

Elton looked uneasy. I think he is not used to people doing stuff for him, so he is weirded out by me. My guess is he is going to offer me some sort of compensation for my actions last night. But I did not do that for any kind of reward.

"Good morning, Your Royal Highness. Reporting for duty." I greeted him, bowing my head slightly. Just the way he likes it.

"Good morning, Bradley. I am sorry about your roommate's incident. How is he doing?" He greeted me back with a genuine concern for Colin, with whom he barely exchanged a word until now — and only to call him a mongrel for being mixed race (son of a werewolf and human).

"He is doing better now, he is resting. I didn't have the heart to wake him up this morning. He looked exhausted last night." I replied to him honestly. Even if it is an empty gesture, I appreciate the show of concern for Colin, who is very dear to me.

"I hope he makes a full recovery." He expressed his sympathy, and I smiled at him.

"He will, Your Highness. Thank you." I was moved by his civility, considering our past interactions.

I took in my surroundings of the enormous place. Everywhere I looked, I wanted to try it out. This is the first time I've been here that it's empty like this.

"Well, I'm sure you must be wondering why I summoned you here this morning." Elton started, looking at me mysteriously.

"I was curious about how you got my number in the first place." I muttered, puzzled. He laughed at my words.

"I am the Crown Prince. Getting people's phone numbers is child's play." He boasted smugly.

"The reason I brought you here today is that the other day, I had the distinct feeling that you wanted to swim but couldn't. I know you'd be insulted if I offered you any type of reward for helping me out last night, so I figured I'd offer you something that money can't buy instead." He spoke with a charming sincerity.

I gaped at him, shell-shocked.

"Are you for real?" I was gobsmacked that he thought of that.

"Yes, I am." He winked at me, playfully.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I didn't bring any swim trunks on this trip." I told him, feeling disheartened to reject his offer.

"Who needs trunks? Swim naked!" He suggested without missing a beat. I laughed at his proposition.

"Yeah, I'm not going to swim naked in His Majesty's pool." I responded in a fit of laughter.

"He is not going to use it for the duration of the tournament. And when that is over, he will have the entire pool drained, cleaned, and refilled again." Elton stated with knowledge.

Wow. I was surprised to hear that as if he knew what he was talking about.

"Why would he need to do all that?" I asked him, baffled by what seemed to me an overkill.

"Because he will assume that one of the contestants, if not more, would have found a way to use the pool. He is a clean freak. It's no wonder that the pool has the best cleaning apparatus. That water is so filtered you could probably drink from it and not feel sick." He spoke the harrowing truth that was throwing me off.

"That doesn't mean I am going to abuse his hospitality." I told him, feeling uneasy to be so loose regarding the King's hospitality.

"Can I show you the pool at least?" He offered me, ever so humbly. He looked at me like he was talking to an equal for the very first time. I know I am not, but it felt nice just the same.

"Please, lead the way." I accepted his kindness. It seems rude to come all this way and not even see the pool.

Oh. My. Goddess.

An Olympic swimming pool fit for Michael Phelps to compete. The water looked blue and crystalline. I was dazzled by the whole place right away, but I was most mesmerized by the pool. It was very inviting, I was practically drooling over it.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a swim? Even if I get you a speedo?" Elton sweetened the deal, and my mouth was watering at the prospect of swimming.

"A speedo? Where I come from, men don't wear speedos." I shot down, laughing about it.

"I see. Where I come from, people don't laugh at other people's kind gestures." He sulked and I immediately stopped laughing. He is right, he is trying to do a pleasant thing for me.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer. This place doesn't have any cameras though, does it?" I surrendered, concerned about being seen in a speedo. *blush*

"No, it does not. It's the only place outside bedrooms and bathrooms without any surveillance cameras. That's why I love it here so much." Elton informed me, feeling inspired. I take it he suffers from the lack of privacy that comes with being a royal.

"Good to know." I acknowledged it, thankful for that.

The two of us walked into the locker room on the other side of the pool. After we were inside, Elton took out two speedos from a small locker. He tossed them to me, and I caught them in midair.

"Try those on to see which one will fit you." He smiled at me, gently.

I could get used to this new side of the prince. He is so welcoming and kind that I can barely recognize him, to be honest. He kept staring at me as I was holding the two swimsuits in my hands. I waited, and he waited for me to act until...

"What are you waiting for? Try them on!" He urged me impatiently.

"Right here in front of you?" I gasped in shock that he expected me to get naked in front of him. Elton let out a breathy laugh that was so candid that I almost laughed with him.

"I'm sorry, weren't you naked yesterday in the steam room and then during the shower? Why are you so shy now?" He challenged me, perplexed that I was being coy.

I guess he is right. He has already seen me naked. On more than one occasion, if you're counting — though I was probably out of his eyesight during the physical.

"I didn't think of that! You're right!" I conceded, knowing that he was making sense.

"I can leave though, it's not a problem for me." Elton kindly offered, seeing that I was uncomfortable to get undressed in front of him.

"No, it's fine. I was being ridiculous; you're right. I know you only asked me for a swim to see me naked once again." I teased him, playfully. He laughed at my statement.

"Caught in the act. You saw right through me!" He played guilty, laughing it off.

As I began to undress, Elton started doing the same with his back turned to me.

I couldn't help but gaze at his beautiful body being undressed. First, his shirt, then his belt, and the buttons of his pants, it all went to the ground before being picked up. My eyes feasted on the view of his bare back. His ass looked perfect and ripe. I lost myself in the thought of what I could do to him when I heard a scream.

"What the fuck, dude?!" Elton caught me naked and hard as I was staring at him with lustful eyes. Oh, my Goddess! He is going to think I am a pervert now! *shocked*

A|N: BOOM!

I could swear that picture of Brad was taken by a swimming pool. I can see the reflection of the water on his body. It is a total coincidence, if you can believe it. WoW.

You are dying to find out what comes next, aren't you?

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Love,

Léo.