I couldn't have just snuck past him, could I?

I had to be found by the crown prince in the mix of thousands of other boys.

Here I was in the MacCarthy Hall of Chateau Blanc, doing a physical with thousands of other boys, going inconspicuously until most of the other competitors left the room to have lunch. I was waiting for my roommate to be done with his exam - let me tell you, I am not a fan of staying nude for more than an hour until they called my name. They could have just let us keep our underwear on, but I guess they were not concerned for our modesty. To be fair, the crown prince had to wait almost two hours before they called his name, so it's not like they showed him any special treatment.

Once Colin was finished being examined and having his blood drawn, he got dressed and we were getting the hell out of here, but by then there were too few people in the room for me not to be spotted by the prince. Just my luck...

"Allow me to formally apologize for my behavior earlier, Your Royal Highness. You were right and I was wrong." I bowed my head to the prince, hoping that my act of constriction would please him enough to forget my name.

Elton looked bemused to see me so humble before him, which got him to purse his lips in contentment. As if he won the battle, little did he know the war hadn't even begun yet. By my side, Colin discreetly bowed his head to the crown prince as did I.

"I'm still confused as to what the hell you're doing here if I gave specific orders to dispatch you from the castle." He mouthed off, peeved.

"I imagine they thought I deserved to apologize to you and learn from my errors. I didn't know who you were back then, but I know now." I argued, trying my best to sound humble. The last thing I need is to antagonize such a powerful adversary.

"Right. I'll buy that for now. But you should know I don't give third chances. One more strike and you're out of here." He threatened me with an angry expression.

"Of course, my Prince." I smiled at him, playing the part of a humble peasant for his delight. I cannot afford to be sent home before I find my mate here. I don't particularly care about the tournament, but I care about finding my mate.

Elton turned around and left the hall with his snobby friend while I breathed out a sigh of relief. I guess I am in the clear for now, thank Goddess. Colin was looking at me with an anguished expression on his face.

"You sure dodged a bullet, didn't you?" He was convinced the Prince would have me escorted out of the premises forcibly.

"You can say that again! Now let's eat because I'm fucking starving!" I exclaimed, feeling relieved. Had I known it was going to take so long for this physical to be done with, I would have brought a snack.

The cafeteria was packed with contestants eating or waiting to be served some food. I am sure that the kingdom is spending some serious coin to keep all the contestants housed and fed, but some of us wouldn't be able to afford to stay here otherwise. And I'm not just talking about Colin and myself.

The more I talk to him, the more I start to believe that his father is an asshole who legitimately sent him here to be rid of him. I am not sure if I buy the whole 'he doesn't want another mouth to feed' argument. Colin is the same age as me, he could work for a living. I know that some packs seem to have been forgotten by the King and his politics.

We pay taxes just like any other territory but receive the least federal investment. Goddess knows we were not making bank in my hometown in Utah. I think that the monarch isn't much of a fan of ours because he despises our way of life. I don't really know the truth, except for the fact that I am an American just the same way as he is.

After lunch, uncle Damian was waiting outside of our dorm room and he was not allowed to enter alone because he didn't have the badge to swipe in. He was eager to find out about our day so far and when I told him about the physical debacle, he laughed at me.

"You are laughing because you were not the one naked for two hours with thousands of other men. It was humiliating!" I shouted at him, irritated at his reaction. We were inside the room and Colin was in the restroom.

"Come on, nephew. I'm sure your penis is not as small as you think." He teased me and I flipped him off. It's not about size, you moron! It's the uncomfortableness of the situation. The only saving grace was that we were in the same situation, even the prince. There is a camaraderie to it, a brotherhood if you will. Until we start competing, we are all brothers.

"I shouldn't be surprised you would think this is funny. By the way, Prince Elton was there too. He was furious to have to be naked just like the rest of us." I told him with a malicious tone, relishing in that fact.

"Really?! Well, I have been doing some digging of my own, and it turns out the armed forces are not big fans of the royal family. They respect the King, obviously, he is our ruler, but everyone else they prefer to stay out of their way. Elton is considered entitled and spoiled, so they like him even less. But they all know he is the next in line to be King, so they can't fuck with him otherwise when he becomes monarch, he will unleash hell." Damian informed me of the salacious gossip. I guess he kept himself busy since yesterday evening.

"Yeah, you should have seen the way he looked at the Chief Medical Officer when he told him he had to strip like everybody else. He literally threatened him by telling him he would remember his name when he became King." I reported the scary situation. I do admire the courage of the men in uniform because that boy does not forgive and forget.

Though we live in modern times, there are plenty of things the King can do to ruin your life. He cannot simply execute people at random like they used to in the 19th Century, but he can do some damage.

Since the Bill of Rights was put into law, all Americans are entitled to a legal defense and to not be incarcerated without due process or have their freedom forfeited without probable cause. There is a system of checks and balances, even where the King is concerned.

Still, that is not a man you want to piss off. The same goes for the people closest to him, including his nephew. I am just happy to have escaped his grasp over me. Colin and I rested for the afternoon before someone would call us away to go through the next step of the tournament.

After that uncomfortable medical exam, I imagine there is not much worse that they can throw at us... at least until the tournament begins. Who knows? Uncle Damian stayed inside the room and offered me his advice - which was mainly staying out of the prince's radar.

I wonder how long that will last... please Goddess let me meet my mate first, then he can throw me out of the castle. We all know I won't be King anyway...

Later that night, around ten p.m., there was a knock at the door. By then, there was only Colin and me inside the room. Both of us were used to sleeping early, so we were just about to turn in. I opened the door with a frightened, slash suspicious look on my face.

"Can I help you?" I greeted a short man wearing fine clothes. He looked like a Lord or some kind of noble.

"Good evening. My name is Mason and I am an agent of the monarchy. Can I speak to you both for a moment?" He said, wearing no ID badge or any other form of identification. He was carrying a briefcase that just by the look of, it reeks expensive.

I made space for him to enter the room, which he did, Colin and I were looking at him in curiosity as to what he was doing in our quarter at this hour.

"Hi, boys. Like I said, I am an agent of the monarchy that doesn't want to see a show deciding who gets to be our next King. I came here tonight with an offer. Ten thousand dollars cash for each of you, tax-free, and you leave the castle now." He offered, much to our shock.

A|N: What now?

Can I take a little extra for the taxi? Or an Uber gift card? LOL

The challenge is to survive temptation. It's about to get mighty tempting up in here!

Love,

Léo.