Darling-Corinna betaed this chapter.

Disclaimer: Not own Bleach. I borrowed some of the plots and characters from "In the Garden of Temptation" by Cynthia Wicklund, but obviously the theme and direction of plot will be very different.

(12/6/12)

The castle was huge, much bigger than his imagination. Ichigo thought as he strolled down the only path woven by overpopulated grasses. He was lost, big time. He regretted ever asking to go to the stable first before greeting the Count in the castle.

But he had to admit the Count's invitation was causing troubling waves in his confusing mind and he wanted nothing more than to defer the meeting as long as possible. He didn't even know what got into his mind when he said yes to the invitation and even went again his mother's warning to go and meet this man in his castle.

The man himself, Count Aizen Sousuke was a phenomenal individual, everything about him was perfect. Ichigo couldn't understand what his mother felt so unsettling about this man that made her insistently ask him to never associate with Aizen the moment she saw the man in the party that day.

However, curiosity overwhelmed Ichigo especially when the man presented himself first. Ichigo couldn't resist talking to him, wanting to know more about him. Count Aizen Sousuke was a secretive person. His family, the Aizens, were once the most well-known nobles in the society; yet once he became the heir, he withdrew from all social contacts.

Aizen had, not once in the last twenty years, made an appearance in public, people even rumored that he had died. Therefore, when he had shown up in Ichigo mother's party the other day, it had been a big stir to all of the nobles presented.

Contrary to many beliefs, solitary hadn't made him lose his manner. In fact, he was elegant and genteel, a true gentleman. Moreover, he was extremely charming and polite. Just in an hour that he was at the party, he captured the hearts of almost everyone with the exception of his mother's.

What Ichigo couldn't understand was that why a gentle and kind-hearted woman like his mother reacted so strongly against such a gentleman as Aizen. Not only had she forbidden Ichigo from coming close and talking to Aizen, she even went as far as to ask securities to escort Aizen out of the party. Her reason was simply because she had not invited him, and therefore the invitation card he gave to the front door must be forged.

Ichigo had to reason with her, with great difficulty, that it was utterly rude for such a family as themselves to ask a guest, especially one of such a caliber like Aizen, to leave. It would badly affect their reputation, considering Aizen's family reputation and his popularity among the guests. His mother couldn't care less, and when the butler came back to report that the card was definitely valid and genuine; she almost lost her calm and wanted to go and throw the man out herself.

"Just don't get close to him. Don't talk to him. Don't listen to his words and especially don't believe in whatever he says." His mother sighed, finally giving up the idea of grabbing the man and throwing him out of the window.

And here he was, in the middle of Aizen's property, breaking all the promises he had made to his mother.

He could still remember Aizen's immersing brown eyes as he went and introduced himself; his deep and smooth voice as he told him about all of the wonders of the world, about the way the intellect and elite of society should go, about the differences between men and women; and the way his thin lips curled into a smile when he told Ichigo about his amazing pair of newborn twin gray horses and then politely asked if he would like to buy them.

Startled, Ichigo asked why he would want to sell his horses if they were that valuable.

Aizen took one sip of wine before he answered in his silky voice, "Because I need money."

"But your family was so rich and well-known. I couldn't have imagined you need to sell your horses for money."

"'Was' is the right word." Aizen shook the wine lightly in his glass. "I have a young wife, you know. And now I truly understand how expensive it is to own something that is beyond my reach."

Ichigo frowned. Aizen said it like he brought his wife, and Ichigo began to like him less at the way he addressed his wife like an object. Still, though in the middle of his forties, Aizen was still sparklingly handsome, and he looked so young like he was in his early thirties. Ichigo couldn't understand why he had to buy a wife while there would be countless ladies falling for his look and fortunes.

And this newfound dislike of Aizen reminded him of what his mother had warned him and he began to question the valid of what Aizen was telling him. "I believe that someone who is able to forge an invitation into a party as luxurious as this one and leave no traces or evidences behind is in no way so desperate, financially, to sell his horses. Tell me, Aizen, what is your purpose here? You're not here to sell your horses to me, aren't you?"

Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile again but this time his eyes were sparked with interest and amusement. That was when Ichigo realized that Aizen was bored the whole time he was talking to him.

"Oh my, you're such an intelligent young man." He took another sip from his wine. "A little bit lack of manner, but definitely not dull. I brought it that your mother has raised you well."

Ichigo frowned again at the way Aizen talked about his mother. What were his intentions here anyway?

"What do you want?" He snapped at Aizen.

Aizen put his glass of wine down the counter and licked his lips. "I want you to buy my horses. What else?" He leaned closer and murmured into Ichigo's ears. "If you doubted my intention, why don't you go and check it yourself? I'm assuring you that my horses are singular and that you'd have memorable time at my house." Tucking into his front pocket was the address of his castle.

So here he was, lost in the middle of a field, in the property of Aizen, going against everything that his mother wanted and doing everything that Aizen wished.

It sucked. Maybe he should come back, but he couldn't resist the temptation. His curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know more about Aizen, about his secretive life, about his intentions, about the relation between Aizen and his family. His family was definite related to Aizen somehow because not only his mother but his father seemed to know him too. When he sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night so that he could take a carriage to Aizen's castle in the morning, he was caught by his father. After tons of kicking and wrestling and more kicking and ducking and throwing, he finally confessed to his father.

His father laughed idiotically after hearing the story, "Oh my god, you had me worried, son. But thank goodness it's just Aizen. To deal with him is very simple, just tuck some cotton into your ears and don't believe to a word he says. If he says you go East, you go West. If he says you go up, you go down, but if he sells his horses cheap. Go and get them! Ha ha ha ha"

Yes, his father was a true idiot. Why he was the Earl of Arnold, he couldn't comprehend.

XxxxxX

Ichigo stalled his movements as he heard something approach. Suddenly, that thing fell down right onto him, and they rolled down the hill at an unstoppable speed. He realized that it was a human – the thing that rolled onto him— so he wrapped it with his arms to protect it from any harms and at the same time he ducked his head and dug his boots onto the ground to slow them down. He then swayed his elbows and moved his body into a circle. Once his speed has decreased significantly, he found a tree nearby to land his feet.

Ichigo panted heavily and when he came to his senses he felt two large eyes stare into him in horror. When his eyes met hers, his heart came to a stop.

He had never seen any creature this beautiful. Even though her hair was all messed up and she was covered with dirt and leaves, the feature of her face nevertheless shone through. Toned to her big gray eyes was creamy skin, a little bit of a pale complexion but totally adorable with streams of silky hair flown down her slim shoulders.

Total in contrast with her shoulders were… her endowed breasts pressed firmly to his chest.

He found himself getting hard just by the feel of her soft, sensitive nipples rubbing against his skin. Much to his horror, her lower body rested not too far from his, and in an effort to get out of the extremely compromising position, she brushed right onto it, earning a groan from him.

"Just don't move." He said rudely.

Bursting into tears, she ran up the hill, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He tried to run after her but could not catch her.

When he came to the top of the hill, she was already bounding away on her horse.

It seemed like when she was riding her horse, she saw him wander around, so she tried to get on the side of the path but he suddenly stopped at the middle, which made her startle and stop the horse abruptly, falling down onto him.

He sighed. His mind was more confused than ever. He could still feel his heart racing in his chest. Maybe he should take his father's advice and find himself a mistress to release his need and avoid embarrassing situations like this.

She looked like a young innocent village girl, but her direction was toward the castle, which made him wonder if she worked there. Maybe… he would meet her again.

XxXxXxXxXx

Ichigo was annoyed, really annoyed, and even Aizen's intelligent conversation couldn't help to cool his fire of irritation, for he was sitting in the dining room, for an hour, waiting for that young wife of the Count whom the Count had mentioned about the expensiveness to keep. Apparently, according to the Count, she was in the process of finding the appropriate dress for the occasion, which Ichigo really didn't care.

The wooden door opened, and even at this far, Ichigo could still make out of the dress she wore, and believe him, it was in no way appropriated. It was all red and revealing, hugging her body all the way to the floor and there was a cut line above her ankles that well showed off parts of her long white legs.

When the Countess went closer and sat herself down opposite of him, since the Count was sitting at the head of the table, Ichigo was thrown into a hazing trance when he realized that it was the girl that he just met this afternoon.

But she looked so different. He could never imagine the innocent girl could have worn something so vulgar and… cheap. Yet again, he had to admit the simple dress she wore this afternoon did her no justice. Every curve of her body was just perfect, and in that dress it was like she was waiting for him to grope and take her over and over until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

His whole body was on fire and he tried hard to avert his eyes away from her breasts which were clearly visible under the low neckline.

He was ashamed, ashamed of himself for having such thought about the wife of another. Speaking of which, he could feel Aizen's eyes graze through him, sharp and heartless. He felt something he had never felt from the older man before. It was a dangerous aura, deadly and full of hate. The Count must be furious because he was ogling his wife. When he moved his eyes to look at the Count, the Count looked at him and smiled, his face unreadable, but his eyes were cold, much colder than he had ever seen.

"Dear Ichigo, let me introduce you with my beloved wife, Orihime Aizen. We have been married for seven years. Long time, isn't it?" He chuckled and moved his hand toward his wife's but for some reasons he didn't touch it but move it back to pick up the knife and fork instead. "Now let's eat, shall we?"

The food was delicious, but it couldn't help Ichigo to distract his mind from the Goddess in front of him. Not once but more than twice he found himself staring at her and her breasts, fancying about the wonders he could do with them in his hands. He wanted to kick himself real hard. Should he have some pride? No he wouldn't look at her any more, not with a clearly angry husband throwing those piercing, icy gazes at his side.

He glanced at Aizen over the side. He was eating his food calmly, but Ichigo noticed that Aizen also seemed to restrain himself from looking at his wife, especially her breasts. It was clear that he didn't like her dress one bit, especially at the way it attracted too much attention from another male, then why didn't he ask her to go and change?

It was strange. Ichigo was sure Orihime didn't like the dress either. Though she tried to hide it, she was clearly ashamed and uncomfortable in the dress. When she caught him look at her breasts, her eyes were watered and she bit her lips, trying to stop a sob from coming out. He cursed himself again for his lack of sensitivity.

But then again, why did she wear something that caused discomfort to all the three of them?

"Sousuke, the chicken glaze was so good." Orihime suddenly yelled in delight, her eyes were brightened with happiness. "Sousuke, the food today is exceptionally phenomenal."

Ichigo found himself staring at her again. This time it was not lust that overwhelmed him, but something else. She was just so cute and innocent that it was wrong to lust over her, to desire her physically. He realized that what he wanted to do was to make her happy like this all the time and that what he wanted to see for the rest of his life was her smile and brightening eyes.

"Is that so?" Aizen looked at her gently and gave her a genuine smile, the one that Ichigo was pretty sure he had never given anyone else. "I'm happy that you like it, my dear." He moved his hand next to hers, yet again he stopped abruptly and moved it away from her to pick up his napkin. He quickly wiped his mouth and then stood up, speaking in a hasty manner, "Ichigo, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I have to leave for an emergency. I trust it that my wife will entertain you for me."

He gave his wife a firm look, totally ignoring her desperate look, begging him to stay.

"Right, Orihime?" He stressed, giving her a threatening look.

Orihime widened her eyes, totally in distress, then she nodded slightly, "Yes, Sir."

Aizen widened his smile, "That's good to hear. Thank you, Orihime."

Ichigo's grip on his fork tightened as Aizen left, trying to contain his anger. That man was utterly rude, not to mention heartless to leave his wife like this.

However, the poor woman still managed to plaster a smile at Ichigo, "Lord Kurosaki, I'm sorry for my husband's abruptive behavior. He's busier than he looks. But I'm sure that he likes you a lot, for the food is exceptionally good today." She said happily as she began to try the desert. "Oh my god, it's strawberry pie, what's an interesting combination. Do you want to try some, Lord Kurosaki?"

In her excitement, she bent over the table to tuck a piece of the strawberry pie into his mouth. As he opened his mouth he could help but take a glance at her breasts again only to curse and kick himself mentally on the head.

"This is good right? I think that the cook also puts some champagne mixed with grated dried grapes into the filling, together with whipped cream, they're absolutely delicious."

Ichigo stared into her full rosy lips and thought that they might taste more delicious than the pie.

"I'm sorry. It's so embarrassing." She leaned back to her position, her face was bright red. "I was over my head. The food is so good that I forgot my manners. I'm sorry."

"There was nothing to be sorry about." Ichigo stammered, still highly being distracted by the feel of her fingertips on his lips second earlier. "In fact, I'm surprised that a mere pie could make you that happy." He smiled at her, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

"You must think I'm very silly." Orihime touched her red cheeks. "The fact is that I was so depressed recently because of the terrible foods, they just got worse as day passed. I haven't been able to finish my meals for several days, and yesterday I couldn't even get the first bite down into my stomach." She laughed, "I was pretty sure that I will be starved again today, but you saved me. For whatever reason, my husband seems to like you and want to impress you, so he might fire the old cook and hire new one or go to the kitchen himself."

"He can cook?" Ichigo asked with great surprise.

Orihime laughed again, "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing Sousuke can't do."

Being affected by her high spirit, Ichigo found himself laughing too. When he regained his normal composure, he wiped his mouth and asked with seriousness, "Count Aizen is a very mysterious person. I'm very curious to know more about him."

"Oh, my husband is a man with very few words. It's embarrassing to say it but even I don't know much about him."

"But I heard that you're married for 7 years, yet you don't know much about him?" Ichigo exclaimed, a little louder than he had intended. Then he realized how rude he must have been and apologized, "I'm sorry. I have been so nosy; it's really none of my business. I…"

"It's nothing really." Orihime waved her hands frantically. "And you're absolutely right. I'm not a good wife." She looked down at the table sadly, "I was too young when I married him. I was scared at that time and tried to avoid him as much as possible. When I was a little older and was aware more about my position and duty, I realized it was all too late. Moreover, he really doesn't enjoy my company. He, too, tries to avoid me all the time. As a result, we don't really talk much to each other, except for dinner, which we all concentrate in eating."

She laughed again, but there was bitterness and sorrow in her laughter that Ichigo could not help but to place his hand on top of hers, "Lady Orihime, I'm sure that everything will be alright. You're a great person, I'm sure he'll open more to you."

Orihime's hand flinched a little under his hand, proving that she was not quite comfortable with the contact. Ichigo immediately withdrew his hand, remembering that Orihime was a very shy and innocent girl. But then she was not a girl, but a woman, should she be more comfortable when interacting with another male?

Orihime panicked again when she saw him withdraw his hands. "I'm sorry. I was…" She slapped her hand on her forehead, "very bad with my manner, wasn't I?"

"No, it was my fault; I shouldn't have approached you so boldly. And I totally understand that you might be scared of me after what happened in the afternoon."

Ichigo stopped as Orihime stood up and came around the table to get close to him. She knelt down and took his hands in hers. "Lord Kurosaki, I want to sorry about my terrible behavior this afternoon and I want to thank you for saving my life."

Ichigo raised her hand and stood up then placed a kiss on the back of her palm. "I'm very ashamed of my body's reaction this afternoon." He tried to speak in a calm voice, ignoring the blush that crept through his cheeks. "But yes, saving you is my pleasure." He gave her a cocky smile and was glad that she smiled back.

The door was opened and a sly man with silver hair and slitting eyes entered the room. He wore a white suit uniform and the hem and margin of his suit was blue, so Ichigo guessed he might be one of the butlers of the castle.

"I hope y'all had a lovely dinner, now if ya excuse me, my Lady, the Lord has ordered me to escort Lord Kurosaki to his room."

He bowed low and slow, but each movement was mocking and irritating. When he finally raised his head up to look at the two, Ichigo noticed that there were hateful glances exchanged between Orihime and the butler.

'Strange.' Ichigo thought as he followed the butler. It was hard to imagine Orihime hating anyone since she was so gentle and forgiving. However, we could never know, women were strange creatures. Who would have imagined that a kind-hearted person like his mother might actually hold a grudge against Aizen?