STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIED.
A/N: Hello, minna-san!!! Tehee..have I been gone for too long? I thought I was supposed to update every week but I'm not really sure if I'm delayed or not. Anyway, to compensate with the short chapter last time (as everyone seemed to complain about that, hehe), I decided to post a longer chapter and if you're a lazy ass and hates reading much, then get out because this will indeed take most of ur time. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. –chokes-
This chapter was a sure pain in the ass to upload and had been attempting to post this for two friggin days! But finally, fanficnet took mercy on me and let me submit this installation. That's also the reason why I got delayed, sorry about that.
Its kinda late and im already too sleepy to write replies to the reviewers but rest assured that ive read and appreciated each and every review. It made me smile wider and wider until I torn my face to half. And if ill have more time, I will reedit this chapter and write replies. Also, this chapter was submitted immediately without rereading so this may come out with lots and lots of errors. No beta reader, sorry. I will also try looking over it later, if you don't mind. Hehehehehe. I'm a lazy ass as well. Oh my gosh, just one author's note and I wrote 'ass' thrice already!
Enough talk, now READ!
Chapter Six
In a second, a loud slap was heard inside the chamber as Fuuko's hand automatically landed over the king's face after realizing he had took the leisure of grappling her left breast inside his long fingers. She rolled frantically away from him until she reached the edge of the bed and unceremoniously fell off. A bang of broken bones followed.
"Ahem." Somebody spoke up and despite the sore on her possibly broken neck, Fuuko tried twisting it towards the unwanted morning intruder.
"Afiura-sama!" she exclaimed, finding the flustered woman in front of the king's bed and she could feel her hair standing up in embarrassment. "When did you get there?!"
"Approximately five minutes," the king answered her with a glare, cupping his swollen cheek with his palm.
She pointed a very very very sharp look at him, meaning to dart a hole through his head. "You knew she was there and we were…you were…" she couldn't get the modesty to continue her sentence as her face teemed with blush.
"That's why I was telling you to wake up, wasn't I?" he reasoned out. "But I didn't know you would react in such violence. If the act of waking up was too repulsive for you, you could have at least told me you still don't want to. It would have saved your hand and my face from the pain of after-slaps."
"Ahem." Afiura repeated her words, trying hard to make her presence known. She had knocked thrice at the door, but when she wasn't answered, she took the liberty to open it and invite herself in. The huge four-posted royal bed was situated somewhere near the long curtains and since she couldn't quite see whether or not the couple was still asleep, Afiura decided to shorten her proximity. That was when the older woman realized they were devoured by their early morning lust and was no way going to get up from bed until they're both satisfied and ready.
In a manner of modesty, and to control the surge of embarrassment, Afiura tried turning around but Tokiya's eyes caught her and made a signal through his fingers, telling her to wait. And he made that gesture while he had his lips on the lady. She did wait, however, the young concubine was adept on not waking up and it took her master a couple of minutes more to finally encourage her to open her eyes.
If it was a random couple she saw necking and petting each other in front of her, Lady Afiura would have felt scandalized. But there was something, definitely fresh and genuine, about this two that made them looked like they've been betrothed for a thousand years already instead of just one night. There was reality in their gentle touches and pure love in their kisses that Afiura could also feel herself smiling despite the embarrassed look on her face. Maternal happiness erupted within her as she watched how Tokiya's eyes glistered warmly against the closed ones of his partner. Never in her life had she seen her little boy this happy and she knew that if his real mother would see him now, it would bring peace to her soul.
However, the violence that followed their romantic moments made her sweatdrop and almost collapsed comically on the ground. Gone was the lovely couple and here comes the mortal enemies.
"Pardon my intrusion, Your Majesty, but my husband informed me that you ordered last night that I am to fetch Lady Fuuko early in the morning and get her ready for the day. I believe you wanted me to train her handle the royal banquette?"
The word 'banquette' made Fuuko glanced abruptly at the headmistress and she didn't mind covering her look of terror. She had been born a princess and therefore knew exactly what it means to handle the royal banquette. It's what the queens do, and in her absence, the princess substitutes her with the task. Fuuko had already been trained of that since childhood, knowing that in the future, it will be her duty to plan the royal banquette as the mistress of her own palace. Ever since she met Raiha, she had daydreamed of doing that royal task and had imagined how their new castle would look like if every arrangements and domestic responsibilities were depended on her. She had always wished that her first banquette task would be a palace of her own and not a castle crowded by Umis.
Temporarily shrugging off the purplehead from his mind, Tokiya answered Lady Afiura with a nod. "Aye, she needs to learn or she will never make me a good wife."
"I completely understand, Tokiya-sama."
"Wait, my lady! Please, pardon me. I don't have any idea why this had happened. I am sent here as a concubine, not as a wife!" she heard her voice almost squeaked, but she vowed she'd die before Tokiya notices her vulnerability.
Tokiya stood in front of her, an eyebrow rose. "Are you trying to play daft? Cause I could swear, madame, that you are thoroughly trying my patience." Then he turned to face the older Umi and remarked dryly, "We both had an exhausting night," at that comment, Fuuko gasped at him and he deliberately ignored. "Have her take a warm bath and cloth her properly, I'll see her at the breakfast table in an hour." She scowled at him when he finished conveying orders. He just regarded her as some sort of stray animal or some lost child, and she was no way near those so she held her chin up to display her protest.
Lady Afiura nodded obediently, extending a hand towards Fuuko. "Come along, dear," there was a knowing smile on her face and Fuuko had to groan. Tokiya just successfully made her thought something happened to them!
Fuuko hesitantly accepted the woman's hand and let her dragged her out. As she was tug gently towards the door, she pointedly stared at the king, her eyes telling him she will make a way out of this mess of a betrothal he got her into. He rivaled her furious gaze with one of his own, challenging her to do exactly that. He genuinely looked like he had no idea what she was accusing him of and seemed strongly inclined to his belief that she was indeed going to be his bride.
---
"When a concubine spends one night with a man in the same chamber, it traditionally implicates her acceptance and undying loyalty to that man. Which in all cases, follows up her acceptance of marriage at the same time." Lady Afiura explained calmly, looking up to the wide-eyed Fuuko across her small tea table. The Fuu princess had been bathed and dressed in a light blue gown, complimenting and making her purple hair stand out. Lady Afiura had mentally adored the young woman for possessing such irresistible uncommon dark beauty and she reminded herself to send letters of gratitude to Laird Eneas for sending a suitable fiancée. She actually wondered where the old laird found such a precious gem, for despite Fuuko's bit of a temper, she was refined and totally royal in all her gestures and movements. Sometimes, its hard to imagine she was a concubine at all.
Mikaro-chan was also inside the room, serving tea and breakfast to her mistress and was watching Fuuko with empathetic eyes.
Fuuko collapsed on the floor and looked ready to die or to kill. "How could that be? I was not informed with this…this tradition!"
Lady Afiura responded with a slight shrug of her shoulder and a nonchalant bite on her oat bread. "I expected Laird Eneas to have explained that to you, darling. I'm quite surprised he hasn't. I've always thought Lord Eneas was a perceptive man but alas, I've mistaken."
"Lady Afiura, may I be permitted to voice out my thoughts?" Mikaro gently inquired and smiled when she was answered with a nod. "I believe Fuuko-sama should not be held at fault for her ignorance but what was done was already done. However, since Fuuko-sama seemed so adamant in her unison with our king, isn't there any way we could nullify this impending bond?"
Fuuko sniffed and nodded vigorously, giving Mikaro-chan a look of gratitude. Casting what she hoped was her best puppy-dog eyes on the older woman, she clamped her hands together and prayed for some divine mercy.
"None," Lady Afiura answered, crushing all of Fuuko's hopes and prayers in the trash bin. "Since they already spent a night together, the bond is sealed and unbreakable. The only thing that could release them from it would be death itself or if our king petitions that he did not wish to have her as wife."
"But…but, I…I mean, nothing happened to us! Proteus-sama and Joker-sama could attest to the fact that we all spent most of our night in the dungeon. After that, His Highness simply left me alone in his chamber until morning." Fuuko defended.
It would seem that Lady Afiura had only been teasing her, for when she looked back again at the distressed young lady, there was glittering humor in her eyes. With one eyebrow quirked skeptically upward, she commented, "That was not what I've seen earlier this morning, my dear. And you pretty well know I could not possibly believe you didn't sleep together after what I witnessed inside Tokiya-sama's chamber."
Mikaro blinked and gave her a questioning look. In answer, the headmistress just simply shrugged, resuming her temporarily forgotten tea. So Mikaro averted her silent inquiry to the king's concubine and grew more confused when Fuuko had the reddest hue on her face, looking pathetically like she swallowed a good jar of chili.
Fuuko didn't know what to say, and so she suffered the shame of not being able to retort a good comeback. When finally the pale Umi woman stood up and urged her to look at her, she was greeted with a warm motherly smile. "Proteus and I were once trapped inside a cave for one night when a dreadful avalanche blocked our cave's entrance. We knew that after we get found and rescued, we will soon be wed. I had protested the same way as how you're protesting now because same as you, I barely knew my husband at that time. But a tradition is a tradition and one could never escape the rules of your land and so the two of us were married under the eyes of Umi and Her people."
Mikaro looked as taken aback as Fuuko after hearing the woman's revelation. But after getting over it, Fuuko was more distressed than ever. She wanted to scream her lungs out and tell them that the main point was that she wasn't an Umi and was already engaged to their most-guarded captive. If only they knew that, they would immediately shut their mouths and drag her to the dungeon.
She sighed.
She was a skillful liar but never in her entire lying career had she encountered betrothals and marriages. She knew her limits and these are way way beyond it. When enough time had been consumed and Fuuko decided to lay this topic off for now, the opening of the door interrupted their conversation. Coming in was the beautiful Mifuyu look-alike, Tokiya's younger sister and the princess of the Umi kingdom, with two ladies-in-waiting. Fuuko didn't remember her name and so she didn't dare guessed. It was customary to greet another princess with the curtsey she deserves, and so Fuuko did it as how it was rightfully done. The rest of the people around her did the same, and the Umi princess smiled radiantly, bowing back.
"How did you do that?" the princess stared at her in awe, and she answered with a confused gaze, thinking the question had been mistakenly gestured to her.
"Pardon me, Your Grace?" Fuuko responded.
"How did you do that?" the shorter woman asked mildly, repeating the same words.
"That what?" Fuuko inquired again. She turned her head towards Lady Afiura and Mikaro-chan, silently pleading for a bit of enlightenment. Mikaro answered her with a little shake of her head, and the headmistress merely shrugged.
"The curtsey," the princess beamed at her. "I've never perfected curtsying like that although I've been taught of it since I was four."
"Oh," Fuuko remarked and gulped, reminding herself to deliberately be discreet in her acts next time. "I don't know, Your Majesty, I merely…bowed." She heaved slightly for effect.
The princess had on a slightly impressed rounding of lips but then she took it as a fact and grinned afterwards. "You are very good. I would appreciate being tutored by you, Lady Fuuko."
"It will be considered as a great honor, milady." Fuuko bowed.
"Likewise…Your Highness," the auburn-haired shocked Fuuko with that acknowledgement that her face quickly turned blue with dread. "I believe that in a couple of days you will be wed to my older brother and will be the future Queen of this kingdom. What difference would it make if I acknowledge you properly now?" As the princess stated those, Fuuko could feel her entire body draining out blood, but it was either the younger lady was intentionally ignoring her discomfort or was naturally naïve about certain things.
Mikaro chuckled but when Fuuko gazed at her with intimidating eyes, she abruptly halted her merriment. Lady Afiura didn't produce a sound, but her wide grin was blatantly held.
"Yanagi-sama, would you like to take a seat?" Mikaro offered, pushing a fluffy pillow across the low tea table.
Yanagi smiled at the concubine and gently declined. "Nay, I came here to announce that His Highness has allowed me to spare Afiura-san the task of teaching Lady Fuuko the royal banquette." She smiled sheepishly at the older woman whom she had thought as a mother all these years. "Afiura-san, would you mind if I tutor her instead? I've been wanting to do this since I was told of Tokiya's betrothal." She kneeled beside Lady Afiura, mildly pleading as though a daughter to her mother.
"Oh, get up, dear." Her foster mother urged, pulling her up slightly. "I don't mind you doing the task at all. It would be to my great benefit," she patted the princess' cheek and averted her eyes then to Fuuko. "Also, it would provide you two a bit of a bonding time, wouldn't it?"
Yanagi nodded cheerfully.
"But Afiura-sama, that's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't want to—" Fuuko's voice was temporarily drowned by a knock outside the door.
Fuuko understood that the door to this chamber can be solely opened by the concubines and those with royal blood so when the two huge doors opened to choke out Vanni-chan, she wasn't much amused. However, she was truthfully frustrated by the timing of the interruption.
"Your Highness," Vanni curtsied to which Yanagi acknowledged with a smile. "I was ordered to come here in extreme urgency, miladies."
"What is it?" was Yanagi.
"King Tokiya just called up and was demanding Lady Fuuko's presence at the royal table," she said in one breath, as though it was a matter between life and death. Then in a whisper, she added, "He threatened to throttle the nearest person beside him if she isn't delivered immediately in the dining hall."
Fuuko fluttered her eyes upward in a rolling motion, displaying her bemusement. It didn't take her a full day to realize he was a very demanding being, but she never imagined him being this childish. "Tell His Highness, I will be there in a second. I'm still discussing a very important matter with—"
Vanni would let her finish. "But Fuuko-sama, the nearest person beside the king is your brother."
In a spur of two seconds, Fuuko was out of the chamber and much to the ladies' surprise, Yanagi was too.
---
"You called for me, milord?" It was a pain in her throat uttering these words to a man she loathed with her soul. But she had to if she wanted Recca still breathing.
The dining hall was painted with pastel blue wallpaper and gold linings. Just as the rest of the other parts of the castle, Fuuko was again awed by how such intricate designs were made to reality. Although she could say the same about their palace, the Umi castle was like a breath of fresh cool air to someone like her who had lived inside a green castle all her life.
"Recca-kun? Are you alright?" Yanagi called out from the entrance, making everyone stare at her then to the lad she mentioned. Recca's face lit up from his post beside the king, but then it instantly turned into beet red after noticing the undivided attention from his audience. A number of fifty soldiers were aligned near the walls of the dining hall, the king was already on his seat and Proteus stood at the right side of the king, and all of them stared at him as though they all needed an explanation for the princess bit of concern to a lowly soldier, especially Yanagi's older brother.
Like everyone else, Recca was astounded to have two very beautiful females enter the hall, and bowed respectfully in greeting just like the rest of the soldiers. Hesitantly, he answered Yanagi as Tokiya scanned his whole being, "As far as I know, I'm very well, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern."
The two women sighed in great relief. Looking at the Umi princess, Fuuko gestured her to go on before her and Yanagi conceded obediently. She took the seat near her brother and Fuuko, knowing fully where her position places her into, seated at the farthest corner of the table, away from civilization. It was even surprising that someone like her would be given an invitation to partake during meal time. A concubine was no different from a common maidservant and so she should not even be seated anywhere around the royal table. But since it was the king who demanded it, she should concur if she wanted Raiha's life safely intact and her disguise uncovered.
"Recca," Tokiya called out, not glancing up from the parchment he was reading. "Tell your sister to get away from her seat and bring her beside me."
Recca never liked being ordered around. He grew up being a royalty and therefore had done most of the ordering inside his kingdom. When his own father tried making demands, it will take him forever to do it, or in most cases, he never did anything his father ordered.
At that moment, there was also this lingering cold war between him and King Tokiya after what had transpired last night. He would never forget how Fuuko looked totally damaged in her revealing gown and tousled hair. When the time comes when they finally get the chance to escape, he would make sure to burn the man alive.
Apparently, the king held the same fierce towards him as he purposely had Proteus brought him to his presence. He obviously wanted him to apologize for his boldness last night, but knowing Recca, he would die before he bows down to this beast of a man. Recca may not have been told personally but when Proteus talked to him about the king's disappointment towards him, he knew Tokiya would resort to anything just to punish him for his lack of respect and probably for snatching his sister discreetly last night. Then it was late when he found out, he was to be the king's ordering dog. And hell was Tokiya's ordering capability for it rivaled his' or even more. Kurei would be outraged to find out someone had beaten his 'being evil' record for Tokiya had ordered him to do the most absurd things, not stopping until he gets satisfied.
But this time, it was his personal choice to accord, not because he had to but because Yanagi was smiling at him as though his presence brings her bliss and also because the order itself was highly amusing. Why would he want his concubine on the seat reserved for the future queen? Is he having some delusion that a concubine would someday be royalty? Or the Umi tradition was simply made by ancient lunatics? It wasn't surprising, for even their king himself acted deranged.
When Recca reached Fuuko, he whispered the king's orders to her ear and it made her gasped.
"What?!"
"That's what he said. Shocking huh? Aside from Proteus and the princess, this kingdom is made entirely of insane creatures." He remarked with a sober.
Fuuko's face paled as she stood up. Turning to Recca, she muttered, "No, their king is specifically insane, the rest are fortunately normal."
They took their time walking towards the other end of the table, whispering and smiling leisurely as though two siblings commenting about the weather.
"Recca, there's something I have to tell you and this is very important. May I see you at the end of the day? Perhaps outside the Holy Forrest?"
"Something the matter?"
Fuuko nodded. "I've seen Raiha last night, just after you went to the king's chamber."
That made Recca almost stop on his track and Fuuko quickly dragged his elbow to make him continue walking.
"Holy!," Recca whispered. "And? Did he recognize you?"
Fuuko didn't look at him when she answered, instead, she smiled at the Umi princess who calmly waited their arrival. "He did and I'm going to tell you the details later. But at the moment, its not what have been plaguing my mind with dread."
Recca tilted an eyebrow upward. "There's something much more important than Raiha?" he commented as though the thought was completely absurd when the main reason for all of these was to rescue her lover.
"I was trapped in this Umi tradition. And soon, I will be wed to the king." Fuuko immediately covered Recca's mouth as he looked like he was about to scream a curse. Glancing at the people around her, she grinned cheekily and laughed as though the two of them were sharing funny memories when they were younger.
They were now about ten feet away from Yanagi and hastily, Fuuko neared the royalties, leaving Recca to overcome his shock. The dark-haired Hikaru followed Fuuko with a pale face, and even when he finally stationed himself back to his post, his face was continually draining off blood.
Proteus pulled the queen's chair for Fuuko and the latter gingerly accepted the offer, sitting cautiously on the gold seat and staring at the king timidly. Tokiya finally brought his nose away from the parchment and eyed her wryly.
"Did you have a good morning, child?" Proteus grinned at her, and Fuuko, knowing fully about the telepathic communication he and his wife shared, knew that the commander had a clear idea of what Afiura-sama had seen earlier in the king's chamber.
Fuuko's face turned beet red, glaring at His Highness as he gazed at her innocently, acting like he had no idea why she should be furious at such early hour. But Fuuko chose to be respectful in answering Proteus, for the old man had done nothing but good to her. "I rather had a very confusing morning, my lord."
Tokiya practically snorted at that, but he was too discreet in doing those ill mannerisms that Fuuko knew she was the only one who noticed it.
Proteus grinned widely and went back to the king's right side. Tokiya clicked his fingers and there appeared the royal chefs, bringing drool-worthy appetizers and every kind of morning meal. Fuuko thought having too much food on your table was a waste of good cook, but Recca seemed to think otherwise as he literally drooled from his spot.
"How about you, brother? Did you finally have a good morning today?" Yanagi asked, waiting calmly for the maidservant to fill her plate with food. And basing from Yanagi's inquiry, Fuuko could only thought that Tokiya never actually had any fine morning and he was the type of person who prefers being grumpy the whole time.
Instead of answering promptly, Tokiya sent his line of vision on Fuuko, who took it as a means to embarrass her and so she gently tugged her chin up. Glancing back at his sister, he put on a nonchalant shrug. "It was worse than I expected."
Fuuko didn't glance at him but took in a sharp breath.
"How come? Didn't you and Lady Fuuko shared the night before?" She asked innocently.
The purplehead choked on her pasta and was immediately served with water. She drank it in one gulp, appreciating how the Umi water tasted. Its relaxing effect in her throat was sure bliss but she could still not get her mind out of Yanagi's comment. She thought she was merely playing innocent, but Yanagi seemed to be the most naïve person Fuuko had ever met.
She waited for Tokiya's response and was unable to concentrate on her plate. Although she would have preferred that he dislike her, she probably couldn't take his insults about her capability as a woman.
"We did," he answered dryly, busying himself on his food.
"And it was worse?" Yanagi was beginning to get confused.
"Than what I've been expecting, yes."
Yanagi then turned to Fuuko. "Is he saying the truth?"
The hell he is. "I couldn't attest, Your Highness. But one thing's for sure, I had my worst nightmare last night." Fuuko answered, shaking her head.
"You were smiling when I kissed you this morning." The king muttered a reply and his little sister giggled, positively amused by their bickering.
"I did not!" Fuuko argued in a whisper, glimpsing towards Recca to gage if he could hear their conversation. She was relieved that her bestfriend was a good distance away, near the wall, because she certainly don't want him to think she had betrayed Raiha for the Umi king. That was not most likely considering how the man could practically cultivate her growing wrath, but Recca was Recca and he was one of the few people who tends to exaggerate midget things.
"Yes, you were. You didn't even want to wake up." He was obviously enjoying her humiliation.
Fuuko shifted uncomfortably on her seat. Somehow, it just got a bit hot here lately. "Are you aware, milord, that you are feeding my discomfort?"
"Should the truth be so unsettling?"
"Nii-sama, you know better than to humiliate the lady." Yanagi said exasperatedly.
"It's alright, milady. His highness is just a bit irritable today because apparently, he wasn't able to satisfy me last night. He moved like a damn turtle," Fuuko had to smirk inwardly when the king shot her a glare.
"It was not my duty to satisfy my concubine, I believe its supposed to be the other way around. And I wasn't moving slow, you just happened to be too aggressive on bed."
"I am the one aggressive now? I remember it was you who came back last night and practically ogled me during my sleep!"
"But it wasn't me who resumed the kissing after I stop it!"
"Are you aware that you're shouting at me, Your Highness?"
Finally realizing that she was right, Tokiya paused, scanning his surrounding to know where his outburst had gotten them into. Apparently, everyone was gawking at them, even Proteus and Recca considered nearing towards the table to have a better access of the commotion. He was standing from his seat, his palms pressed on the table and he noticed Fuuko had risen too. But she had her chin so high up it looked almost painful and her arms had crossed over her chest, showing her defiance in full strength. If she was a bit taller than he was, she would have been an intimidating figure but even with her smaller toned form, she was just a bit as intimidating.
"I mean it, Fuuko, I will not tolerate insolence." He slowly sank back on the high chair, regaining his reputation and calming down his heart.
"Likewise," Fuuko answered wittily.
In a few minutes, they were both silent and Yanagi eyed each of them, obviously anxious about the two's hatred towards each other. This couldn't be. They're going to be wed and they cant act like this. Yanagi had grown to like Recca's older sister and knew she'd be perfect for Tokiya, but how did this happen? How did they become too hateful of each other?
"Anou…did something happen last night?" Yanagi meekly asked.
Tokiya drew in a long annoyed breath. That's the problem, NOTHING happened. He glanced at Fuuko to see that she had glanced back at him.
Fuuko narrowed her eyes in hatred. That's the problem, something ALMOST happened.
The Umi princess patiently waited for an answer, but she received none so she decided to shut her mouth and continue chewing her food. When they were all finished and the maidservant promptly cleaned up the table, the king first got up and he was followed by the ladies.
"Lady Fuuko, should we start your banquette lesson now?"
Fuuko attempted to give an answer, but she was cut off by Tokiya. "Wait," he said and in a second, he was out of the dining hall, tagging Fuuko along.
"What are you doing!?" she demanded, forcing freedom from his tight grip as she desperately pulled her wrist back.
He didn't answer and instead narrowed his grasp until she could feel the pain from it. Passing through the endless corridor and finally entering the king's private library, Fuuko was forced to go into a secret passage door behind the book stand and there he pushed her back to the wall and situated his palms beside her ears.
There were the familiar heaving of his chest and the sudden intake of his breath that Fuuko had tried in all frustration to ignore inside his chamber. There's that manly seductive scent again, invading her senses and making her dizzy. Last night, she had realized that he was a man of extreme masculine appeal, the he just have to show half his naked chest and all of her deprived womanly wants would surge skyhigh. It was dangerous being this close to him and she had to gather enough willpower to evade his magnetic charisma. "Your Highness, what is this all about?"
"Repeat the words you said in the dining hall. I wanna hear it again," he whispered in a husked tone, disturbing Fuuko and making her lose her composure.
"What words?"
"What you said to my sister. That I—"
"Didn't satisfy me, is that what you're talk—" her words were devoured by his uninvited capture over her lips. He was a hungry beast with a sole purpose of punishing her for the insulting words she carelessly announced. Swimming his arms around her waist, there was no single means of escape from his enclosure and from the way she was pressed against his hard build up, she couldn't even get her hands in between them so she could push him away.
It was a sin to be indulging in such intimate moments with an Umi, but above all, it was a sin doing it with this man. She would learn from this mistake and never ever lie about his capability on bed. Saying to herself that he didn't satisfy her was a lie, how much more in front of an audience, to her very naïve little sister to boot. He was a very attractive man and the only reason why he didn't satisfy her was because his seducing act didn't push through the next level, not because he was incapable of awakening her sleeping lust. She was smart enough to understand that despite her great love for Raiha, the Umi king was an irresistible bouquet and that if he comes close enough to touch her, she would be blinded by deprived womanly desires. And for this reason alone, Fuuko chose not to engage herself longer or closer to this man.
But as she now see herself pulled close to his chest, being engulfed by his embrace and teased by his tongue inside her mouth, Fuuko was beginning to feel trepidation for the following days that she had to spend in this castle. Then at the same time, she really needed to get her self-control back!
He pulled away a little to gasp for air. Beneath the sparkle of the torches leading that secret passageway to some place underground, Tokiya skimmed over her tousled form and lingered on her fiery eyes. He smirked. She could as well act all infuriated but he could see that his kiss had affected her just as much as how it took all his senses away.
Just the time when Fuuko decided she'd get her composure back, Tokiya made her gawked at him with his question. "Now, did I satisfy you?"
She couldn't possibly say yes, for it will exponentially feed his ego. But she cant also say no, for it will be like repeating her previous mistake. Choosing not to answer, she leveled his smug gaze with one of her own. She was thoroughly sick playing games with this man and she definitely don't have any time to spare on third parties.
"I hate kissing you, its disgusting and overrated," she stated and could see that he mentally thought the words absurd, not with her flustered face and labored breathing. "But you know what? Nothing could beat the sheer bliss I feel as I look at you, passion and lust suffocating you to death, but could do nothing more than assault me with kisses because at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, you could never have this lady's heart."
A low chuckle was his reply. "Whoever said I'd want your heart?"
She smirked, gradually regaining much of her courage now. "Today, you may not. But I assure you one day you will. And remember this day, for this will be the day you'll remember forever," she warned and grew braver when his sly smile slowly turned grim. "When I'm done with you, you'll wake up one morning with an empty heart and an empty soul. You will be searching for me, asking everyone about my behalf, but you will never find me. For I will be eternally gone, and with me will be your heart-crushed, ruined and destroyed."
----
Even hours after he practically dragged her out of his library and tossed her towards his sister, Tokiya was still fidgeting and totally disturbed by the implications behind her words. He had no clear idea why she was urged to say bizarre things like those as though she knew what was going to happen in the near future. Fuuko was an uncommon entity, but she never struck him as someone who had anything to do with clairvoyance. But still, her words rang deep through his mind and even with just two days of knowing the peculiar lady, he knew he was in the danger zone and her prediction might indeed come to truth. It was a ridiculous thought for now because all he wanted from her was only to get inside her clothes but it's always been beneficiary for him to be perceptive and prepared for whatever worst that might come.
"You called for me, Your Majesty?" Despite Neon's gender, she was an Umi commander and had freely worn her knight suit on daily basis. And just like the other commanders, she bowed on one knee as she greeted her King.
Tokiya nodded. "How's the captive?"
Neon slightly bowed her head. "Still the same, milord. He's trying desperately to undo the disarming spell and at the same time, slowly killing himself. Joker just brought the royal physician to the dungeon and Raiha is currently under observation."
The king simply nodded, but Neon couldn't tell whether it was a positive or a negative reaction. "I have a favor to ask, Neon."
"Anything, milord." She neared a step, showing true to her words.
"I believe I summoned you last time to the highlands to meet the highland lairds," he started and she confirmed with a nod. "Was the meeting done in Eneas castle?"
"It was, Your Grace."
"Would you still be able to find your way back to Eneas place?"
She nodded again.
"Tonight, fetch him from the highlands and bring him to my presence tomorrow."
He didn't say no more, so Neon took the liberty to ask. "For what reason, milord?"
"There's something I need to discuss with him."
"About what?"
He sighed hopelessly.
"About my concubine."
A/N: Damn Tokiya and his oozing sex appeal. LOL. Oh well, would you kindly give this author more inspiration to update by reviewing?
