Unsure if it was the alcohol speaking for her or not, Orion detected something bordering on hostility from the Princess.  Whatever it was, it certainly diminished her attractiveness.  And if that were the case, sex with her now was removed from the equation, not that he ever truly considered it in the first place.<br/><br/>“Perhaps we do have these secret tunnels you insist on, Cassiopeia,” he stated, hoping to soothe her rising irritability.  “I just never took the time to find out about them, one way or the other.  If anyone would know, I’d bet Bernard might have this knowledge, or at least know about blueprints of sorts.”  Really, the Prince couldn’t be arsed either way about the tunnels.<br/><br/>Her question as to whether he was “clean” or not was somewhat surprising.  In fact, it was downright shocking.  The way Orion saw it, if she was bold enough to ask him about this, then that would in turn lead him to believe that she more than dabbled where activities between the sheets were concerned.  Or elsewhere, for that matter.  Clearly, she was no virgin, which did not bother him at all.  Neither was he.  However, it was the number of potential partners she had had throughout her life that was an eyebrow raiser.  Not that he would ever ask, as<i>that</i>would be uncouth.<br/><br/>What started out as harmless, playful teasing, had gone south in a hurry.  Cassiopeia’s impatience with him hung in the air like thick, London fog.  Best to always be polite in any case.  “Forgive me, Highness, but I must regretfully take a rain check on your generous offer of sex,” he offered.  Orion felt it best to withhold from her a reason why.