Gym Date with the Second Prince (1)
After that suffocating tea time with the Emperor finally ended, I dragged my heavy footsteps out of the greenhouse.
The second one will like this.
As I walked down the corridor back to my quarters, I mulled over the Emperor's sudden parting words.
The second one—had to mean the Second Prince, but I had no idea what kind of person he was.
What did he mean by asking if I liked moving my body?
Did it mean I had a hobby like getting obsessed with sports such as horseback riding or chariot racing?
...I don't have hobbies like that.
In my previous life, I'd been the type to watch baseball religiously, and in this one, a bit of fishing was about it for hobbies.
Sports? I wasn't really connected to any of them.
And honestly, now that I was here as a hostage, I didn't want to keep getting tangled up with imperial family members.
After the First Princess and Second Princess, getting involved with the Second Prince too? That sounded exhausting.
I let out a quiet sigh in my mind as I rounded the corner of the corridor.
"Oof!"
I slammed my forehead into something like a massive stone wall and staggered back.
Thinking there couldn't possibly be some random pillar like that inside the palace, I looked up—and nearly screamed.
"Hm? Who the hell are you?"
A thick, rumbling baritone poured down from above my head, like an echo from a cave.
When I looked up, there stood a giant who looked like a bear wearing human skin, staring down at me.
The man was dressed in a beast-hide shirt with the sleeves ripped off, as if palace etiquette meant nothing to him. His pecs and forearms bulged like they were about to explode, veins popping in a grotesquely overwhelming display.
It was a totally different kind of pressure from the sharp intensity First Princess Victoria exuded.
A thick wave of sweat hit me, along with the raw pressure of pure muscle—if Victoria was a razor edge, this was a sledgehammer.
"Ah, you're that hostage from the south."
The giant scratched his chin with a thick finger, scanning me up and down.
His eyes were the imperial purple.
That's when it hit me who this muscle mountain was.
"Ian Sterling, at your service, Your Highness the Second Prince."
"Hm, you know me?"
"His Imperial Majesty mentioned you."
"Father did? I see."
I bowed my head hastily, and the Second Prince nodded like it was no big deal before striding forward.
Then, without warning, his massive hand clamped down on my shoulder.
"Ack!"
"Hm. Collarbones spread nice and even, limbs are long."
Ignoring my yelp like it was nothing, the Second Prince started kneading my traps and delts like a butcher at market picking out prime meat.
"Frame's not narrow at all, but the muscle mass is pathetically lacking. Wasting a solid foundation like this by just flopping around in flimsy clothes."
His thick brows furrowed deeply.
"That's a grave sin."
"...Pardon?"
"The gods gave you a body made for training, but letting it rot without lifting iron? That's an insult to muscle."
Not even waiting for my reply, the Second Prince grabbed the back of my neck in a vise grip.
"Come with me."
"Y-Your Highness? Where are we—"
"Where else? To the forge where we'll remake your puny body."
As I was dragged away, I spotted Amber, who'd come to fetch me, in the distance behind us.
I shot her a desperate plea for rescue with my eyes, but she spotted the Second Prince and bolted in horror.
What the hell? Then why bother with the escort duty?
That's how I got hauled all the way to a massive iron door deep underground in the palace.
The Second Prince shoved the heavy door open, and a blast of heat and the stench of iron assaulted my nose.
"......"
I couldn't close my mouth at the sight before me.
If it had been a torture chamber or something, I wouldn't have been shocked, but this? No way this showed up in any romance fantasy novel.
...It's a gym.
The vast floor—easily hundreds of square meters—was covered wall-to-wall in thick leather mats for shock absorption. All around were black iron dumbbells and barbells in every shape, plus magic-engineered weight machines crammed in tight.
"Welcome to my domain."
The Second Prince spread his arms wide, proudly introducing the bizarre space.
"...Your Highness. Why exactly did you bring me here?"
"The throne's going to my fine eldest brother anyway. My sister Victoria's off fighting wars, and Chloe's just flipping pages in the library. None of that interests me one bit."
The Second Prince grinned as he lifted a heavy black iron barbell from the corner like it was a feather.
"I don't trust lips that lie with every breath or minds scheming betrayal. The only honest truth in this world is muscle that tears, recovers, and grows. All I care about is pushing my body to its limits."
With that, he started loading massive plates onto the barbell.
"And now that you've caught my eye, you're gonna learn that truth starting today. Strip."
"...Pardon?"
"Workout clothes are over there. Change and get back here. Legs today."
That's when it clicked why the Emperor had brought up the second son.
...He tossed me to the gym bro.
"Hurry up and move it!"
I dawdled, and the command barked out.
Resigned, I changed in the corner locker room into rough short pants and a tank top, then came out.
"Good. Frame's solid. Start with the empty bar. You know squats, right?"
The Second Prince placed the cold steel bar across my shoulders. It had to weigh at least twenty kilos, crushing down heavily.
"Keep your back straight, push your knees out so they don't cave in."
"Nngh—!"
"Deeper! Down till your ass hits the floor!"
"Tch—!"
"Up! No momentum—quads only!"
"Taaah!"
"Good! Down again!"
It was hell.
The Second Prince smacked my thighs and lower back with his thick palm the instant my form slipped even a little, correcting me ruthlessly.
His counting voice was far more merciless and intimidating than the Emperor's in the audience chamber.
"One more! Your legs still have juice!"
"Y-Your Highness, really, I can't... anymore."
"No weak talk! Real growth starts when the muscles scream! Push!!!"
Sweat poured like rain. My thighs burned like fire, legs shaking like leaves.
I'd hit the gym occasionally in my past life, but just light treadmill stuff—nothing like this.
I wanted to ditch the bar and run, but the shadow of the grizzly bear of a man behind me pinned me down.
Quitting or collapsing here? Forget politics—I'd probably get my spine snapped physically.
"Taaaaah!!"
I bellowed in fury, face veins bulging, forcing the bar up one last time.
The second I racked it after the final rep, I collapsed pathetically onto the mat.
"Hah... hah... hah......"
My lungs felt shredded. Vision spinning, thighs numb.
Passing out would be mercy.
Then a cool water bottle dropped on my head.
"Excellent."
Lying there, I turned to see the Second Prince beaming down at me, thoroughly pleased.
"I've dragged every hostage in the capital here to train with me. Most puke or sob on the floor after one set with an empty bar. But you? Gritted it out to the end without dropping it."
He wiped sweat from his thick jaw, flashing the purest, brightest smile in the world.
"I like that attitude. You've got real sincerity toward muscle."
I wanted to deny it, but no voice came out.
"We'll meet here every other day from now on. I'll forge that weak body of yours into steel any imperial knight would envy."
"......"
"By the way, try running? Doesn't matter what Father or my sisters say—I'll take the max revenge on you. But stick with my journey? I'll have your back through any trouble in the Empire. Deal?"
"...I'll do it."
"Good, good. Catch your breath, then hit the hot tub in the back to loosen up. Head to your quarters after."
With that, the gym bro prince went off to his own workout.
"...I'm screwed."
Entangled with yet another weirdo, I felt my hostage life twisting further off course.