That week I had tried everything that came to my mind in order to make him fall in love with me, but he always managed to notice it and make me blush about it instead of the other way around. An example is the time I tried to surprise him with a homemade cake.

- Do you like it?

- Is this your first time?- he asked.

- Why, yes, is there a problem?

He made me taste it and I found nothing wrong with it.

- What is the matter?- I asked.

- There is a sweeter dessert I'd rather have instead- he smiled while I went closer.

- But how am I supposed to know...?

- Oh, you already know.

- I do?

He pulled my face closer and caressed my lips, making me feel butterflies in my stomach.

- Won't you give it to me?

I wasn't sure if I should play along or act upset and make him eat the cake to please me. I turned red while he made me sit on his knees and waited for my kiss.

- This is unfair, you were supposed to fall in love with my baking skills- I complained.

- It's called counterattack- he winked at me-. If you still want to please me with something sweet you know what to do.

I gave him a quick kiss and ran to my room, preparing for the next plan. The next day, I decided to use the one-kiss-a-day deal to surprise him. I went to his room in the morning thinking of waking him up with a kiss, or rather just give it to him and later that day he would ask me for one but I would tell him I already did it. My heart was beating fast as I opened the door and approached him. Edward seemed to be sleeping. My lips were an inch apart from his when he slightly opened his eyes.

- What are you doing?

My plan had failed. But I did not wish to admit it. I did not want to tell him. But it was obvious.

- Just wanted to surprise you waking you up. I guess it went wrong- I said starting to pull back.

He took my hand and made me fall on the bed, next to him.

- Going somewhere?

I blushed and my heart was beating even faster than before.

- I have nothing else to do here...

- Oh, but you do. Why don't you finish what you were about to do?

He held me close to him. We were both lying down, he was lying on his side and I was lying on my back. He had his right arm around me and rested his head on the left hand. I was too embarassed to kiss him and refused to do it.

- Well you know what happens if you let me do it instead of you- he remided me with a dangerous look on his face.

- No! I will.

I kissed him and tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me.

- I barely felt that, are you sure you kissed me?- he was messing with me. 

I kissed him again, for longer, and when I was finally going to stop, he held my face against his, kissing me back. He let me go afterwards, and dismissed me with these words:

- That was not bad, let's do it again some time soon.

- You wish!- I replied, closing the door.

That day I tried to avoid his gaze and felt nervous about the satisfied smile on his face. The next day, I tried to take him by surprise again. I walked silently towards him and suddenly hugged him from behind.

- You missed me already? We just saw each other an hour ago.

- What? No, I didn't mean... I wanted to give you a romantic surprise to make you fall in love with me- I confessed.

- So you are trying to seduce me by surprising me with hugs?- he looked at me raising his eyebrows, hiding a smile and trying not to chuckle.

- Well I... I don't have experience like you...

- So you are saying I am good at seducing you?

I was so red by the time I had to answer I just decided to leave the conversation before I got deeper into his trap. I went outside to feel the breeze and cool down. The rest of the week I kept trying and failing and the week after that was pretty much the same. I was so embarassed to keep trying, it was hard to make someone fall in love. After two weeks I gave up. Actually, I tried to avoid him. Every time I saw him I remembered my fails and how embarassed he made me feel with his counterattacks. But he wouldn't let me go, of course. Like the day I ran away from him and he told me to stop and come back or else... I stopped.

- Or else what?

- Do you want to find out?

I chose to go to him and not know what he would do.

- I knew you wouldn't want to spend your day with your hand tied to mine.

- What?

- Or spend the day in...

- Alright, alright, stop coming up with more, I'm here, what do you want?

He caressed my cheek and held my chin up, making me look at him.

- Why have you been avoiding me, my dear?

I didn't answer. I didn't entirely avoid him, but I did avoid being alone with him. I gave him a good night kiss each day as fast as possible and ran to my room. I didn't want him to say...

- Are you upset you failed? Will you give up making me fall in love with you?

... that.

- So if you give up, I win, and I decide wether to get married or not, remember?

That was even worse. I would never admit to him that he won.

- But in order to win you have to make me fall in love with you.

- Oh, I'm pretty sure I can.

- How are you going to find out if you won or not if I never tell you?- I asked.

- There are many ways...

He seemed so confident. Nine months were almost over and it was getting harder for me to hide my feelings. And trying to make him fall in love with me would only expose them sooner. Edward leaned towards me and lifted me. He carried me in his arms and took me to his bed. There, he held my hands up and stood on top of me while I was lying down. I asked him to let me go, but he didn't listen. He started kissing me intensely for several minutes. I could not help thinking he was such a good kisser. But I didn't want him to find out so I had to pretend I didn't want that. If he continued, I might have given myself away.

- Don't you avoid me again- he said, stopping.

"May all your threats be so sweet", I thought to myself, pushing him gently, hoping he would let me go.

- Wait, don't go yet. We need to talk.

Somehow, that sentence scared me. We sat on the bed and he looked at me with a serious expression. Then he smiled, seeing my scared eyes and caressed my head.

- Next week, someone will be visiting us. Don't come out of your room no matter what until I tell you so.

- For how long?

- Maybe a day, maybe two. Who knows. Of course I will send a maid to bring you food and I will try to come see you too, whatever you want, I will make sure you have it. Just don't come out.

- But why?

- He's a powerful man, you don't want him to know about you. He will bring you trouble. He always gets what he wants and never stops until he has it. Once, he burnt down an entire village to get a girl he had his eye on.

- That sounds dangerous...

- He's more than that, he is stinking rich. Money is power. Many pirates work for him. I'm telling you, you don't need to get his attention.

- But why is he coming?

- He will help me set the score with those two. Remember I told you their punishment? He's the one that will give them a lesson. What I ask of you is the following...

He told me my part of the plan. I would go talk to them and afterwards the only thing left was that I would stay in my room during his visit. I hoped everything would go well.