Meeting (2)
Luna slowly opened her eyes and shifted her sleeping position. Immediately, she felt pain all over her body and groaned. Slowly, Luna pulled back the blanket and sighed deeply as she saw the kiss marks from Alkrevas covering her body. She covered herself again with the blanket and forced herself to sit up. The bedroom door opened at that moment, and Alkrevas appeared with a breakfast tray. He was only wearing a white shirt and black pants, a sign that he had just finished his morning workout. Luna’s eyes twitched in annoyance at how normal and unbothered Alkrevas looked while she felt her bones were broken.
Seeing Luna’s expression, Alkrevas chuckled softly and walked over. He kissed her lips and cheek briefly while wishing her a good morning. Then Alkrevas helped Luna put on some comfortable clothes and brought the food tray from the table to the bed. “I want to eat by myself,” Luna said stubbornly.
Alkrevas smirked and observed Luna’s still trembling body, a result of their continuous and rough lovemaking. Alkrevas admitted that he had been a bit excessive and lost control of his desires, not giving Luna any breaks and making their lovemaking wild and rough. Still, he knew that Luna enjoyed it all, which was evident from her cries of pleasure and moans asking for more.
“Are you sure? You even seem to have trouble sitting properly.” Alkrevas then sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the plate and spoon. “I’ll feed you.”
“No need, I…” Luna didn’t finish her sentence as a spoonful of food entered her mouth, stopping her protest against the Emperor. With a pouty face, Luna finally relented and let Alkrevas feed her.
“I’ll ask the healer to heal you. I think I was a bit too much when I unleashed my strength,” Alkrevas said while feeding Luna. “It’s all because of that damn dress.”
“Huh?” Such a fickle man, Luna grumbled inwardly.
“I liked you wearing that dress, but for me. And realizing that it wasn’t just me who saw your body, but other men too, made me burn with jealousy. I wanted to gouge out the eyes of everyone who brazenly looked at my soulmate’s body and fantasized about you.”
“I didn’t even know this world existed when I wore that dress.”
Alkrevas frowned. “When I recall entering your memory, you once wore underwear in a public place.” Alkrevas’s frown deepened, and Luna could hear a slight growl from his chest. A sign that both Alkrevas and Norris were unhappy with that fact.
“That’s called a bikini. It’s worn specifically at the beach… Ouch!” Luna yelped as Alkrevas grabbed her jaw tightly and pulled her face close to his. “What are you… let go! It hurts!”
“Whatever it’s called, you exposed your body! Your body! Mine!”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Alkrevas released his grip and resumed feeding Luna, who lowered her head while hissing. “If I have the chance, I’ll burn all those indecent and revealing clothes!”
Luna paled at Alkrevas’s words. She then glanced at her maroon satin dress lying helplessly on the floor because Alkrevas had discarded it after tearing the front part of the dress in his impatience to remove it from her body. “I’ll wear all that just for you from now on. I promise.” Alkrevas said nothing and only stared at Luna with a sharp, warning look.
…
Two days later, after a long night with Alkrevas, Luna got up from the bed and went downstairs. She pulled the string to ring the bell, grabbed her sleeping kimono, and put it on. She could briefly see her own body, now covered with even more kiss marks, and if she hadn’t asked Judith to let her clean her body herself, Luna would have blushed with embarrassment. Even now, she was very embarrassed because she noticed the servants stealing glances at her exposed neck and cleavage.
Judith bowed respectfully to her and asked, “Miss, would you like to have breakfast first?” It was the first question Judith had asked in the past three days as if she knew that Luna’s energy had been drained by serving the Emperor’s endless desires. Usually, Luna would nod, but this time, she shook her head and asked for warm water to be prepared.
“Where is His Majesty?” Luna asked curiously. She looked left and right, searching for the man who usually teased and stole opportunities to touch her every morning before leaving the room. Luna looked at Judith curiously.
Judith smiled, helped Luna stand, and replied, “His Majesty is meeting with Duke Veniam. I heard they were riding and hunting in the eastern forest of the palace, and Duke Veniam would be returning to his territory for some time, so His Majesty wanted to meet him. That’s the information I got from His Majesty’s servants.”
Luna frowned but eventually nodded in understanding. Then, her eyes wandered over the breakfast menu on the table with a contemplative look. Her mind was busy thinking about the message Ghea had sent her and Alkrevas’s reaction. If she left secretly, it was sure that he would be furious and do something that would not end well for Luna, but if she told Alkrevas, aside from suspicion, he would place knights by her side, that is if Alkrevas allowed her to meet Ghea at all. The worst possibility was that she would not be allowed to go, and the palace would capture Ghea.
Luna was perplexed; again, she had to choose between two complex options. She had already decided to give Alkrevas a chance, but if Alkrevas’s response to Ghea declared her friend a criminal, she couldn’t tell Alkrevas anything about Ghea. Luna tugged at her hair in frustration.
“Judith,” Luna softly called her head maid.
“Yes, what is it, miss?”
Luna pressed her lips together briefly before asking, “If you were faced with two difficult choices, what would you do?”
“Hmm… it depends on the importance of the two choices, but if both are equally important, then I would choose the one with the least risk. That is the simplest solution.”
“Is that so?” Luna muttered softly. This time, she gazed at the sky through the wide-open bedroom window. Luna took a deep breath and walked over to the window. She looked down at the palace servants and guards bustling about the palace grounds, not far from the garden open to palace residents, nobles, and guests.
Luna turned her gaze to the forest not far from the palace. “Judith, can I leave the palace gates today?”
“Ah, about that… His Majesty gave us instructions three days ago to accompany you if you wish to go to the city.” Luna nodded. That meant Alkrevas had given her permission to leave the palace grounds since she had decided to accept his offer. Luna bit her lower lip and turned to face Judith. “Do you want to leave the gates and go to the city, miss?”
Luna smiled and nodded. “Please prepare for my departure. I will go after breakfast.”
“Alright.”
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After breakfast and making preparations, Luna finally set off and headed to the city in a carriage. Judith and one of the other maids accompanied her on the journey. During the trip, Luna wondered about Ghea’s reaction when she learned of her decision while simultaneously thinking about Alkrevas’s anger. This made her head spin, and she pushed all those thoughts away by closing her eyes. It didn’t take long before she arrived at the town square.
Luna got out, followed by Judith and the accompanying maid. They strolled around the square, visiting several shops and restaurants to taste sweet cakes. Finally, Luna said to Judith, “Uh, Judith, I want to meet my friend for a bit. Is that alright?”
“Of course, miss.”
Luna sighed in relief and asked Judith to show her the way to the meeting place with Ghea, as she was unfamiliar with their current location and the path to take. Upon arriving at the location, she asked Judith, the maid, and the accompanying guards to wait inside the cafe while she sat outside.
Luna waited for quite a while until the chair across from her was pulled out, and a woman in a simple dress sat down gracefully. The woman’s hair was braided and draped over one shoulder, her green eyes sparkling beautifully in the sunlight. A soft smile adorned her lips, and Luna couldn’t help but be surprised at Ghea’s different appearance. “Hi, Luna.”
“You… you look so beautiful, Ghea. Why do you look so different?”
Ghea chuckled softly and replied, “Because I don’t want to make people around me suspicious. My last appearance was too conspicuous even with a cloak; it’s better to blend in, right?”
“What about Beth and also…” Luna couldn’t finish her sentence because Ghea leaned forward and covered her mouth with her hand. Ghea shook her head and gave Luna a meaningful look. Seeing Luna nod in understanding, Ghea pulled back her hand and relaxed in her chair.
“So, is it true that you found the right time for me to return?” Ghea nodded. “Then why do you want to meet me?”
“Why are you asking? Of course, to take you to the portal.”
Luna held her breath for a moment before lowering her head. She bit her lip nervously, feeling the urge to run and hide. She didn’t know how Ghea would react to her decision. Angry? Disappointed? Or hateful? Luna swallowed hard in confusion and opened her mouth. “About that… Ghea…”
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” Luna whispered, full of regret. “I… I made a deal with the Emperor.”
…