Jovine Rainer - Age 17

Taking a sip from her delicate, porcelain cup, Jovine Rainer discreetly swept her eyes across the large expanse of the Imperial Drawing Room. Though she told herself she was simply observing the grand, elegant decor, there was someone she was hoping would walk through the door.

The resonant sound of her father’s laugh caught her wandering attention. Amicably chatting with Emperor Alexander de Tristaine, Marquess Edward Rainer — a man who never really smiled much — looked the most content as she’d ever seen him before. His handsome, lined face was lit up in fond nostalgia as he conversed with the Emperor who was more an old friend than a monarch.

They were seated around a table mounted with platters of delectable goods, her mother sitting across from her where she doted on her youngest brother, Edgar, who was still young enough to cling to her side. Easton, her second brother and heir to the Rainer name, sat near her father, stiff but polite as ever as he dutifully engaged in conversation.

“It’s a shame Elias wasn’t able to make it,” the Emperor spoke, noticing the absence of her eldest brother.

Her father’s face fell, his mouth opening to answer, but as quick as ever, Jovine’s mother placed a firm hand on his arm.

“Elias is still recovering his health, Your Majesty. We thank you for your prayers,” she smoothly intervened.

Her father thinned his lips but took his wife’s hand — a comfort he reluctantly sought. Although Jovine felt uncomfortable from the sudden tension and the thought of Elias, she stayed silent and proceeded to drink her tea. She retreated to the comforts of her own mind, dwelling in the silence of it as the chattering around her resumed. When the cushions beside her shifted, Jovine looked to her side to find that the Empress had arrived. Touching hands with her husband as they exchanged sweet smiles, she turned to Jovine with a spark in her eyes.

“Your Majesty,” Jovine greeted happily, her face brightening in the warm presence of the Empress. She reminded her of Richard whenever she saw the same blue eyes and dark, luscious hair, but where the Crown Prince was more aloof and distant, Empress Helene held an air of cordial welcome that made her feel at ease.

“How are you, my dear?”

“I’m faring well, Your Majesty.”

As the doors opened again, Jovine immediately straightened, straining her neck to see who had arrived. When a Palace Maid burst through with more trays of steaming goods, she instantly deflated.

An amused chuckle escaped from the Empress. Leaning in, she whispered to Jovine, “He’s in the Observatory near the Gardens.”

Jovine’s cheeks flushed. “Your Majesty?”

“Richard. You should go find him. I’m sure he’s waiting for you too.”

At the mention of his name, her heartbeats thundered against her chest. The thought of him waiting had the blood in her veins rushing in anticipation. “Would it really be alright for me to go to him now?” Jovine asked in hesitation, looking around at her family and catching the sharp gaze of her mother who tilted her head in curiosity.

“Go to him,” the Empress encouraged, a gentle smile painted on her beautiful face.

Freeing a sincere grin, Jovine quickly excused herself and headed out the doors of the Drawing Room. She felt a light flutter urging her with unrestrained excitement as she sped through the paths of the Palace. It had only been a few weeks since she last saw him, but her thoughts wandered towards the Crown Prince more and more the longer they were apart. She found herself longing for the time they spent together — no matter how brief or formal the exchanges had been. She dreamed of his distant smiles and the glint in his deep eyes. She missed him. All the time.

Jovine stood, breathless, in front of the Imperial Observatory, her heart pounding as her eyes traveled across the soaring structure of silver steel and glass. It was a magnificent sight, with the ending trail of blooming vegetation from the Gardens and the backdrop of glowing stars veiled around the dome. This was the only place in the Empire where the Heavens felt close enough to touch. In a way, it felt fitting to find him here.

Before entering, Jovine calmed herself by the mirrored glass and scanned her flushed appearance. Hastily patting her hair down from her rush through the wind and wiping her clammy hands on her gown, she took a big breath and settled her racing heart. Jovine opened the heavy, steel door and stepped into the cool air of the inner Observatory.

The place was scattered with golden instruments, stacks of bookcases lining the walls, and candles emitting a soft yellow glow over the space. Looking around, she searched for the Prince in expectation. When he was nowhere in sight, she climbed the spiraling staircase leading to the open doors of the roof where a large terrace waited. Jovine poked her head around the circular expanse, and as her eyes came across a crossed pair of boots by the edge of the balcony, her pulse jumped.

There you are.

Jovine slowly walked around the Observatory dome. Splayed out across the ground with his arms pillowed behind his head and his eyes closed, Crown Prince Richard de Tristaine appeared to be dozing under the stars. A fond smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she quietly stepped closer and looked down at his sleeping form. His sharp face appeared younger and almost at peace in the quiet. His long, muscled form was relaxed languidly with his buttoned shirt rumpled and slightly undone. He looked beautiful.

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Jovine crouched down, reaching a hand out to brush away the hairs dancing in the breeze. Just as her fingers touched the strands, stark, blue eyes fastened on her. She gasped and fell to her bottom, her hand quickly retreating.

“Your Highness,” she breathed, startled and embarrassed.

When he saw it was her, Richard eased his tensed body and settled back into a comfortable position. “How did you find me here?” he asked, closing his eyes again.

Jovine swallowed the lump in her throat. Was she intruding? Maybe he wasn’t waiting for her after all. “The Empress…she…I thought…I apologize, Your Highness,” she stammered, her spirits falling. “I shouldn’t have disturbed you.”

When she stood to leave, his hand shot out and latched onto her wrist. Jovine’s eyes widened, praying he didn’t feel the flutter of her pulse thrashing under his touch.

“Stay awhile. The stars are the brightest now.”

Speechless, she simply stared back.

Richard peeked an eye open. “If you’re hesitant to lay down on the ground, there’s a chaise inside with a view through the windows.”

Jovine narrowed her eyes. Seating herself beside his form, she laid back and turned her head towards the stars. The floors were cold and rough, but the vision above her was breathtaking. Richard’s hand left her skin, but the feel of his body next to hers lent a glow of warmth in the chill night.

“They really do shine bright tonight,” Jovine softly said.

She saw him nod through the corners of her eyes. “It almost feels as if you can touch them, doesn’t it?”

Jovine smiled. They were exactly her sentiments. Reaching a hand out, she squinted her eyes and traced a path through the stars. She felt his gaze branded on the side of her face as she continued admiring the sky.

“What do the stars mean to you, Jovie?”

Her heart soared at the way he said her name. She turned her heated cheeks towards him, looking deep into his thoughtful eyes. Their heads were close together and the proximity heightened the blush stained across her face. Jovine pondered her answer. “My father once told me stars are the lost souls waiting for their loved ones.”

Richard’s lips twitched. “Is that so?”

She looked back at the vault of light. “Death is that much more tragic when someone is left behind. So for the ones who are cursed with the darkness of grief, stars are the consolation — the hope that they’re up in the Heavens somewhere, waiting and watching.” Her father’s words echoed behind each syllable, his saddened face still clear in her mind.

“Do you agree with him?” Richard asked curiously.

She nodded. “It comforts me enough to hope that it’s true.”

Richard looked deep in thought. “My father says stars are the eyes of an Emperor. As far as the skies go, so should our eyes watching over the people, the cities, the homes and families and…”

As his voice trailed off, she knew he felt burdened again. He never spoke of it, but Jovine sensed his fears and troubles. As the heir to a great Empire, how could he not?

Glancing around the night sky, Jovine searched for a comfort she could offer him. “Your Highness,” she gently called, pointing to a star in the sky on the left. Tilting her head closer, she looked up at him. “Do you see that lone star over there?”

Richard’s eyes followed her direction until he sighted the single, bright star dazzling in the night. He inclined his head, slightly frowning at her vagueness. “Yes…”

“I read somewhere that most stars roam the Heavens alone. A few lucky ones are born in clusters but many of them wander by themselves. But somewhere along the way,” she continued, arcing her finger across until it pointed at a group of stars waiting nearby, “it’s always found by another. It may take a little time, but their paths can meet.”

He looked back down at her. There was a question in his eyes that urged her to continue.

“The eyes of an Emperor travel a lonely road, but there are others that look over the Empire as well. There are advisors, fathers, mothers, friends. Spouses. All their eyes are blinking together.”

Their gazes were locked, both unwilling to break from the other. Richard’s brows creased further and an obscure expression crossed his face. Jovine feared she misspoke, hating the silence that ensued. “Your Highness…”

His hand came up to meet her suspended ones. He clutched her fingers, intertwined them, and brought them to rest between their bodies. He slowly leaned in, their faces inching closer until the scent of his skin touched her nose. Resting on his elbow, he hovered over her still frame.

“What would you do if I kissed you right now?” he murmured quietly.

A spark of desire pulled at her trembling body. “I would close my eyes and let you,” she breathed, her voice so quiet and low it would have been hard to hear had they not been so close together.

A slow, rogue smile spread across his face. His eyes darkened as he drew closer. Jovine squeezed her eyes shut, her heart hammering against her chest until it felt like her insides would bruise from the force. A soft huff of laughter sounded before Jovine felt a warm kiss at her forehead. She opened her disappointed eyes to a grinning Richard who smirked down at her.

“You’re not ready to be kissed the way I want to kiss you right now,” he whispered playfully. “When you’re —”

Jovine fisted the collar of his shirt and yanked him down against her mouth. A surprised groan vibrated against her. His mouth was hard and unyielding at first, but it quickly softened until the kiss turned innocent and sweet. A hand cupped her cheek, and while she felt greedy for more, she was hesitant to do anything but follow the rhythm of his lips. When he pulled her bottom lip between his mouth, her hands unconsciously traveled up his powerful arms until they found themselves pulling at his hair. A sound of approval growled out of his throat and the kiss turned feral.

Richard parted her open, tasting the corners of her mouth until she was lightheaded. When she felt the stroke of his tongue, she gasped into him. He bruised her lips with pressure at the sound until the kiss turned into a wild, wet slide. When she felt his hand spanning the width of her waist and landing dangerously near her bosom, a tingling heat flamed in the pits of her stomach, causing her to clench her thighs and squirm underneath his heavy form.

Richard broke the twist of their lips and dragged his mouth down the length of her throat. Panting heavily, Jovine yanked his head back up, wanting his lips back on her own. Looking down at her with unfocused eyes, he planted several wet kisses against her, mumbling incoherent words.

“You’re dangerous,” she heard his words bleed through the haze. “…scare me.”

Just as their mouths melded together again, Jovine heard a voice that shattered their embrace.

“Jovine?” she heard Easton calling out from under the balcony.

Instinctively pushing the Prince off her body, Jovine jerked forward with a hand on her swollen lips. When she glanced at Richard with panic in her eyes, she found him breathing hard with a frown on his flushed face.

“I need to —”

“Go,” he muttered lowly, wiping the glistening evidence off her mouth with the tip of his thumb. “I’ll see you later.”

Nodding in regret, Jovine rushed down the steps of the Observatory and went to find her brother who was bound to disapprove. As Richard watched her flee, he clutched his pounding heart and licked his lips. Jovine Rainer was a dangerous woman — one who could bring him to ruin. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold back if their lips ever touched again, he never allowed himself to kiss her after that night. At least, not until the day of their wedding finally approached.