Sahara stood before him like a child being punished, avoiding his gaze. The nape of her neck prickled as her hand rubbed her sore wrist. The lingering sensitivity from earlier easily surged back.
“Sahara?”
At the soothing call of her name, Sahara parted her stiff lips.
“That wasn’t because it meant anything.”
Even to her own ears, his voice sounded calm.
“I just… thought it wouldn’t be a burden to you.”
“You thought it wouldn’t be a burden to me?”
Cheshire asked back with a laugh. As she averted her eyes, his hand gripping her wrist tightened. When she raised her gaze, he was looking straight at her. His purple eyes burned hot, making her flinch back, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled her arm, forcing her to bend at the waist and grab the armrest of the chair.
“You thought you could have sex even without any feelings.”
There’s no gap in the logic. ―Cheshire said, staring into Sahara’s eyes right in front of him. It was a persistent gaze, as if he intended to see through what she was thinking. Afraid her emotions would be exposed, Sahara looked away and asked.
“…Is that not okay?”
“―No. Of course it’s okay.”
Cheshire chuckled lowly, fiddling with her hair before releasing her hand. Ignoring her numb wrist, Sahara straightened up. Her heart was pounding like a drum.
“If it’s alright, I’ll take my leave.”
She tried to withdraw now. Because if she stayed standing there looking at him any longer, she felt like she’d really be found out. His persistent gaze seemed to pierce through everything. Cheshire, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her bow her head, said.
“From now on, you’ll just easily submit even without any feelings, since the first time was so easy too.”
“……”
The calm tone made it unclear if it was blame or just stating facts. As Sahara stood there silently, he leaned back deeply into the backrest and crossed his legs.
“Undress.”
“……?”
She thought she’d misheard, but Cheshire looked at her with ordinary eyes, as if he didn’t want to say it twice again.
“Suddenly, right now?”
“Just. It won’t be a burden, right?”
There was a thorn in his words as he smirked. Was he angry because of the obvious lie she told? Cheshire adopted a watching posture, as if to see how she would react.
“……”
She couldn’t run out, nor could she get angry, she just stood there. She didn’t know how to act to pass it off as if nothing had happened. Cheshire showed no sign of backing down until she surrendered, and Sahara had nowhere to retreat.
Sahara turned away from his gaze. Spreading her trembling hands, she grabbed the tunic she was wearing. The loose tunic didn’t take long to remove. After throwing off the vest underneath, she untied the ribbon of her pants. The knot caught on her frozen fingers and wouldn’t come undone easily.
Finally pulling down her pants, she felt his gaze piercing her back as she unwound the bandages tied around her chest. It seemed like it would take all day to undo, but after a few tugs, her breasts stained with traces of last night’s passion were revealed. Her nipples, sucked until morning, still protruded prominently.
When she lowered her panties, she was completely naked. Her shoulders felt bare. Even though she’d been naked in this room this morning, the feeling was entirely different. Hesitating, she couldn’t turn around and just stood still, when Cheshire’s hand touched her waist. Both his hands slowly traveled up her lower back and strongly gripped her breasts. Her breath hitched involuntarily. He clutched her breasts as if to burst them in his hands, then pulled her backward. She tried to turn, but after releasing her breasts, he whispered against her back.
“Don’t turn around. Kneel and bend your waist. I’ll put it in from behind.”
His low voice was soaked in lust. Sahara flinched, lowered her head, and knelt on the carpet floor, bending her waist as he said.
Her hair flowed down to the floor. It was a humiliating posture. In this position exposing her back, buttocks, and intimate parts, Sahara unwittingly grabbed the carpet. Because he told her not to turn, she couldn’t even know what Cheshire was doing behind her.
“If I tell you to undress, you undress. If I tell you to spread your legs, you spread them. Who would believe you were a virgin until yesterday?”
There was amusement in his voice. Was it mockery? It felt like ridicule.
“Even if Eric told you, you’d easily take such a humiliating posture, right? Ah, you’d like it even more if His Majesty ordered it?”
“……”
Sahara swallowed, trying not to get hurt. It’s fine, since she wanted nothing, she couldn’t possibly get hurt, she kept thinking, but her arms supporting her on the floor trembled. She felt Cheshire approaching from behind. He gathered her hair to one side, exposing her face, and said.
“Why no answer? You should respond when waiting.”
“…I, I’ve never thought about things like that…”
“Think about it now. If Eric had done this instead of pointing a sword at you, would you have said ‘I can’t point a sword at the Prince’?”
At his question, Sahara bit her lip and lowered her head. She didn’t want to think about such things. Just imagining that situation made her vision blur with shame. The most humiliating part was that it was Cheshire asking that question. She wanted to say that His Majesty and the Prince were different, but if asked what part was different, she couldn’t answer.
“…Looking at your expression, I can guess the answer.”
He chuckled lowly again, as if he’d gotten some answer. Her face flushed bright red. Her heart was beating so hard it echoed in her head. He released the hair he was holding. Her waist trembled. She didn’t know if he wanted her to do it or not. She hoped he’d hold her tightly like he did in the morning, but right now, that might hurt even more.
Of course, it wasn’t something for Sahara to worry about.
Instead of grabbing her waist, Cheshire brushed off his knees and stood up. She couldn’t lift her head, but she knew he was standing tall, looking down at her.
“His Majesty entrusted you to me, repeatedly asking me not to be rude to you, but I have no intention of treating you so preciously.”
He was stepping on her discarded panties as if crushing them.
“Move to the annex. I don’t want to see you.”
It was a command to disappear from his sight. Sahara tried to raise her head, but her tunic that she’d taken off fell over her head. With her face covered, she could only see her hands gripping the carpet and fragments of the room.
She heard him leaving the room.
Thud.
Until the door closed.
Even after the door closed, Sahara couldn’t lift her head for a long time.
§ § § § §
Wilson, who had been ordered to self-reflect for last night’s mistake, returned in the morning upon receiving orders. Things had changed a lot overnight. Matters between men and women are originally decided in a single night, but considering Cheshire, who had said he had no particular thoughts, it was a dramatic change.
Wilson’s intuition that something was off had been correct. Holding hands as they entered, giving up the Crescent Moon Room—signals that it was special kept coming, even if Cheshire himself wasn’t aware.
When Cheshire returned with a sword wound on his arm after protecting Countess Illoud, it felt not just certain but excessive. For someone who never forgot his position, to block a sword for a woman.
Whatever the inside story, it was clear enough that Cheshire was completely smitten with the Countess of unique atmosphere. To fall for a specific woman like this. It was the first time in 28 years of serving Cheshire.
So, when Cheshire stormed out of the room, Wilson didn’t notice that his mood was extremely low.
No one could imagine that the two, who had spent a sweet first night of falling in love, would reach a rupture before lunch that day.
“How would you like lunch? Shall I bring something simple to the bedroom so the two of you can eat together?”
Whether yes or no, Cheshire didn’t answer. Following his quick steps, Wilson glanced up to check his complexion and saw him smiling like he was wearing a mask.
“?”
He should have withdrawn then, but Wilson wanted to make up for yesterday’s mistake.
“Where are you going?”
“Wilson.”
Cheshire stopped walking and looked at him.
“Help Sahara pack her things. Don’t dawdle.”
“Ah, understood.”
Early stage of romance. When they’re on such good terms, he must not want to be apart even for that much. Wilson interpreted it as moving Sahara’s residence from the Crescent Moon Room to the Full Moon Room.
Cheshire left the palace, and after seeing him off, Wilson hurried to the Crescent Moon Room.
Sahara wasn’t in the Crescent Moon Room. She wasn’t in the Full Moon Room either. Where did she go? Asking the gatekeepers, they said she hadn’t come out of the room, but not even a single strand of hair was visible.
Wilson thought it wasn’t a big deal and tidied up the Crescent Moon Room. Sahara’s belongings weren’t much. Just a couple of tops and bottoms each, and one small bundle. It was to the point where he wondered if a woman’s luggage could be this sparse.
She might even become the mistress of this Crown Prince’s residence. A mistress after 37 years. He heard that yesterday she wore a dress from 40 years ago and used the Princess’s necklace as a hair ornament. Of course, it was a beautiful dress and excellent jewelry, but such improvisation was enough once. For the new mistress, the dressing room needed to be restocked, and the empty jewelry boxes filled.
He also needed to check the catalogs sent every season by designers eager to make a name in the capital and find one suitable for the new mistress. Judging by Countess Illoud’s simple luggage, she was absolutely not the type to care about dressing up herself. Since she was an extremely beautiful person, there wouldn’t be a single regret in spending the overflowing budget of the Crown Prince’s residence lavishly.
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