"What's wrong?"Aster was leaning down behind my back and kept on kissing my neck after he came from a day-long meeting and we were both ready to go to bed. I stayed in front of my vanity mirror and brushed my hair for I don't know how long. I just wanted to stare at my face in the mirror and empty my thoughts with all the bad things I have experienced today.Then Aster walked towards me with a wide smile on his face, “How are you feeling? Did you rest well all day?”I just pretended I didn’t hear him and made a resting face and continued brushing my hair. Aster noticed that I am in no mood at all to talk to him so he stood with a dark expression on his face and walked back to the bed while removing his coat and tossing it on the nearby chair.“Has something happened?” he asked, still not giving up to get my attention which made me flattered a bit. I guess Cecil was right. What happened between me and Aster last night was a game-changer and I can use it as a weapon to manipulate him i
“Eodelle!”I glanced a little behind me and saw King Lauret Dawson approaching. He was alone and he was wearing only a simple coat which surprised me because most of the time that I saw him, he always looked so regal with all his furs and expensive tunics with hose, leggings, and breeches. Today, he is only wearing a simple black cloak with black trousers and his long, blonde hair is tied tightly behind his back which accentuates more his clear blue eyes.His steps are slow. Perhaps, all his duties for today are already finished, unlike Aster who is still having meetings with the noble merchants of this Kingdom and still negotiating with them about the goods that they can offer in the main city Empire. To be honest, Aster doesn’t have to address the issue on his own and make an appearance in that kind of meeting but he insisted. And I presume he is trying to learn and observe what kind of people the Empire is dealing with.He is too hands-on for an Emperor.“Your Grace,” I curtsied in
It is not a good idea.But why am I not scared at all even though I know Aster will surely get mad at me if he finds out I am with King Laurent on the riverside?I am not good at horseback riding but the black mare that the King let me borrow is so gentle and I never had any hard time navigating with her through the forest. The Eunuch that watched my whole day was silenced by the King, telling him that there is nothing to worry about because I am in good hands and he is a very nice friend of the Emperor which I am not sure if that will be effective once Aster gets back from his important meetings.King Laurent used a white horse which made him look more like a knight that is ready to save a damsel in distress. I want to consider myself as one though. But there is no way I would give him trouble by begging him to take me away from the Headow Stronghold and just let me stay in this peaceful and beautiful place.Besides, Sofia will never be happy about that.She would surely kill her bro
During the dinner, My mind just couldn’t focus on the foods no matter how scrumptious they look because I can feel the King’s eyes staring at me with a small smile on his lips. It made me nervous that Alpha Aster might think differently about Laurent’s behavior and I never want their friendship to be ruined just because I failed to obey his order not to get too close to the man. But King Laurent is a gentle guy and I don’t see anything bad about talking with him. After our secret visit at the riverbanks this morning, he made sure that the Eunuch would never tell anything about what happened to Aster. I felt bad that he had to threaten my personal guard though. To be fair, He gave the Eunuch a bag of gold for her silence and the Eunuch gladly took it with a smile on her face.Nothing can’t really be bought with a bag of gold.I just stayed in my room the whole day thinking about the riverbank and its beauty. I can’t also erase the King’s sweet smiles in my head. It was the very first
"Hmmm…" I woke up with someone kissing my neck. I opened my eyes and saw Aster’s languid eyes staring at me. I was surprised because it was the very first time he had stayed in bed when the sun hadn't shined yet. I felt his arms around me, his fingers tracing my smooth pale skin under the warm blanket. I can feel his breath brushing against my neck, his lips making small kisses that tickle me. “I’m sorry I woke you up… I just want to kiss you before I go with the boys for the hunt,” his raspy, sexy voice gave chills to my skin as he pulled me towards him, our naked bodies touched under the thick blanket. I bit my lower lip when I felt his manhood go rigid against my stomach. “You feel that?” he whispered teasingly, his eyes staring at me with desire. "Tell me…" "It is long… and hard, your Grace…" I whispered back in a hoarse tone and as if a keyword, Aster quickly positioned on top of me and didn't waste any moment. We shared a blissful moment together, two more times until Aster
“Are you sure about it, your Grace?”Cecil looked troubled while helping me get dressed for the hunt. I preferred light clothing and a hat so that even if the sun would shine bright above us, it won’t blind me when I get to strike down the target. Her hands are fast and her face was a little upset as she tied the lace of my boots.“It will be fine, Cecil. There is nothing to worry about,” I chuckled at her because I just think she is somehow exaggerating, “I have a lot of experience with using guns and how to handle them. And hunting is one of my hobbies so I will be alright out there. I promise.”“I just don’t understand why you have to go with all those men. You can just let the Emperor handle this, your Grace. You are not fit to do such ridiculous sports! This is dangerous!”“What? I think it is more dangerous to deal with the other concubines though. I would prefer hunting wild beasts out there. At least this activity gives me the power to kill what is dangerous to me and not suff
Aster didn’t stop me from going with them despite the four Lord merchant’s warning that this kind of activity is not for ladies like me. They just sounded like Cecil though but I don’t care. They can’t let me wait in the camp. Because I couldn’t shift, my father used to train me how to use a rifle so I know how to protect myself in case something bad happens. I think it is the only thing I am thankful about Oswald Wycliffe. He taught me how to be tough no matter what the situation is. I thought at first it was some kind of punishment when I was young. But then as I age, I get that there are bad men who are just waiting for their turn to execute wherever their plans. And that gave me the motivation to be better at using guns. There were times that I thought of using it against my own father when he used to hurt me a lot whenever I made something that displeases him. The anger piled in my chest and every time I aimed my gun at something, I always thought about his angry face.Now I r
"Your Grace… we are not sure yet what is inside the cave. I have a feeling it is not just a bear. The sound makes it seem like the creature is more massive than a typical bear in this forest—""You worry too much, Eodelle. If it is not a bear, we will find out what it is then," He answered me back while glaring at the cave where the guttural groaning sound came from, "Good thing I am in the right mood to deal with such things right now."It made me frown and my heart started to feel nervous at the same time. I don't feel good in this part of the forest at all. I can feel the danger that is surrounding us. Even my inner wolf warns me about it and I know Alpha Aster can feel it too. I just don’t understand why he wanted to stay and wait for the thing that lingers inside the cave.Since I cannot convince him to turn back, I just prepared myself for whatever might happen. I kept my body upright, my back a little stiff so I had to let out a breath to relax my body a little bit and kept my