Chapter 33 – His For The Taking (1)
“Ah, ah. My mistake. Will you let go of my wrist now?”
As the crown prince took his hands off the veil, Lune slowly released his wrist. As if reiterating his words, the crown prince immediately took a tad step back and simply stared at the girl before him.
“It’s a face I’ve seen before,” said he, “but I can’t seem to remember where.” His eyes seemed pensive albeit momentarily. “Anyway, since Lune said that he likes you I will give my permission. However, there’s a condition. You will have to hide your relationship during the six-month training period. No matter how much I disagree, I can’t go against the laws set by the emperor.” By the time he reached the end of his words, his voice seemed frosty and all the feeling of ‘familiarity’ abandoned.
“Yes, I understand.” Viola was neither haughty nor humble. She too wanted to keep her affairs with Lune under wraps. At no cost should word reach Koronis, much less the Emperor of Arpen.
“I’ve already instructed the head maid of the imperial villa, so even if you set up a bridal chamber with Lune no one will bat an eyelid. What do you think?” His voice turned mischievous, eyes crafty. “Lune, this is enough, no? You also have to act like the crown prince, even if people with permission are allowed into the imperial villa if a man that isn’t the crown prince goes in and out of it, it isn’t good for me.”
“I know. I have already made my people the servants of the imperial villa.”
“Good. What you do after the six months, whether you leave the palace or get married, is up to you.” He gazed at her unflinchingly, his thoughts unknown.
Viola gingerly patted her chest. It was a relief she was denied by the crown prince and was allowed to marry Lune. She was now free to execute her other plans.
The crown prince waved his hand as if annoyed and left the mansion.
Once the two were alone, Lune held Viola’s hand and helped her stand. He giggled and laughed at her heavy and thick makeup. This girl had gone to great lengths today.
“Now, you got what you want, so it’s time for my reward,” he said between chuckles.
“— Where … No, how should we do it?” Viola was flustered.
“Here.” Lune’s orbs seethed, his lust kindled.
“What?!” She couldn’t believe her ears. They were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but woods and an abandoned mansion around.
“Today is going to be our first night.” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Now, hold on.” She tried to reason with him. “I haven’t readied my heart yet.”
“What’s the need to ready it for? We just overlap our bodies and have sex—”
Without a warning, he grabbed her waist. As the last wall standing between them, his liege’s permission, had been pulled down, Lune was akin to unbridled stead. His eyes were burning with anticipation, all his pent up libido threatening to break loose.
No matter if they were getting married as a part of a deal, shouldn’t they at least bathe before their first night?
However, Lune had a look that said that he couldn’t wait for even a moment longer. In fact, his lower body had already bulged up and when Viola caught sight of it she let out a shriek inwardly. Her face turned red.
“It … it’s my first time … I don’t have any experience yet, so—”
“You should have had a lover from social gatherings since you were royalty.” Lune retorted.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t have such hobbies, as I preferred my sword and horse riding over the gatherings.” She felt indignant. Did this man think she lived like one just because she had the title of a princess?
“Good. I like that more … because I like that you have a clean body, unlike those lustful princesses.” He tightened his grip along her waist.
“Ah … wait a minute. A bath—”
“Come here.”
She had come here totally unprepared. She had thought that if the crown prince agreed, they would decide on a date and have their first night later on but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Even worse, there was nothing to block this from happening now. There was only dead silence surrounding them without a soul in sight. She knew that no one but the imperial family was allowed to approach the Lake of God. And yet, here they were …
Amidst her musings, her shabby dress was swept down to the floor.
“Where am I?” she asked in a whisper.
“The Temple.”
She was right- it was a temple.
The inside was as dark as the outside, but she could tell that there wasn’t a speck of dust in here. Although it seemed deserted, it was surprisingly well-kept. It went on to show that this was a sacred place to the imperial family.
The place he had brought her to was a large hall inside the temple. She soon discovered this place was the bathhouse. She could see the steam rising from a large inlet, the source of water to the place.
“The Judith River can also be used as a hot spring.” As if sensing her thoughts, Lune explained. “This is a special bath that only the chosen one can use.”
“Then, isn’t this the crown prince’s private bath?” She had thought that this place was a restricted area, but now that they were here, she was a little befuddled about its limitations.
“Of course I got permission, especially for today. It’s the first night, so at least for today, we are Crown Prince and Crown Princess Candidate of the Arpen Empire.”
He abruptly lowered his head and kissed her, hands making their way under her dress.
Viola gulped.