Blunder

"You are crazy, Celeste. It's my luck that I heard the conversation. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered to tell me." Amelia shouted at her nutcracker friend and kept ripping the leaflet in her hand as she paced back and forth on the dark path between the tenements housing. She still couldn't believe Celeste had accepted the challenge of the Royal Prince. "How can you? God! Do you know what does being an executioner mean?"

Celeste knew the meaning but she didn't realize it. She really didn't. Being an executioner implied torturing, hanging, beheading or burning criminals at the stake. An executioner's life was always bound to those sinful works. "A food taster isn't a bad thing though." She persuaded herself.

Amelia threw the leaflet down and shot her a glare. "Not a bad thing but it was not out of risk. How would you know that it's not poison you are eating? They need to change food tasters every three months. Do you know why? Because whoever joins doesn't last more than three months."

Celeste sighed. It wasn't even worthy enough to be scared of. Death should never be affrighted. "Stop acting like an old granny and go. It's past midnight now. We will be sent to the dungeon if we keep chatting here about this." People of the colony were all asleep, probably in the second phase already.

"What's happening here?"

It seemed like Celeste's prediction had come true when from behind, the sudden stern voice was rose. Regardless of their blood drying cold, they looked at the man whose face was observable by the moonlight.

"Riggs." The sound of ease fled from Celeste's mouth. "You almost gave us a heart attack." came her another nervous mutter as she let out a deep relieved sigh.

With a nod, Amelia rubbed her chest that was slamming against her ribs. "Thank God, it's you."

The man in his mid-twenties gazed over the girls blankly. He didn't expect his sleepyhead sister to be awake until now. "Is Amelia planning to rob someone's house, Celeste?" He suspected his sister's habit.

Celeste shook her head. "Your sister was lecturing me this time."

Amelia flipped her hair with pride before turning to her elder brother. "But what took you so long today?"

Riggs was assigned as the Royal cellar staffer. Whereas her mother hardly got to visit home once a week because of workloads, Riggs used to finish his stint early and come back home daily. However, for a few days, he had been coming late. There must be too many chores to be done these days.

"U-uh... there were some special guests today in the castle." Riggs said briefly. It was strictly forbidden to leak a word about the royal family outside, not even with the families. "Anyway. Go and sleep. I will be back after leaving Celeste in her haunted log house." He gagged.

"Indeed a haunted house. I wonder how she manages to stay there alone at night." Amelia told her brother.

"Not alone. I have the ghosts with me all night." Celeste played along.

"Just don't get pregnant by one." With that, Amelia ran inside the tenement, not giving Celeste chance to react.

"Spoiled brat." Riggs chuckled.

"Right?" Celeste glared at her friend's back until disappeared.

He gently pushed her forth and narrowed his gaze. "Let's go. You two can fight tomorrow. I am tired."

Motioning forth towards the darkness, Celeste pursed her lips in grumpiness. "I can go alone too. But you insisted."

Beside her, Riggs walked over the path and nodded. "Because I want to know why did you accept the offer of the Prince?" His soft voice was full of curiosity.

"How do you know?" asked Celeste. Even though she was cognizant about his role in the castle, it was entirely forbidden for anyone to leak a word regarding this topic.

"Someone told me that a woman has been chosen and she accepted the offers. So, I assumed you are the only reckless woman who will dare to..." Riggs truly remembered how reckless this girl was since childhood. She had been staying alone in a deserted house and fighting against all the men who had been attacking her for her father's debts.

Celeste had her smoky breaths flowing through the thin air as she wrapped her hands around herself. "I want to experience something new." She digged an excuse when there was none.

Her house was about thirty steps away from the castle and ten steps near the housing. Anyhow, the aura around was always so icy and serene even in daylight.

"Good. Go for it then." said Riggs after the stillness what felt like an eternity.

Her eyes widened. "You are cheering me up?" She was utterly stunned.

Letting out a soft sigh, Riggs shook his head. "It's actually not a matter of cheering or appreciating. Once the blunder is done, it's done. You can't change it. So it's better to be courageous."

Leaving the housing far behind, they had started passing the footbridge that connected Winderfell and the little riverine eyot along the farmland.

"That makes sense." Her thoughtful nod implied consensus whilst she crossed the bridge and halted, facing the man.

Riggs stood and gazed at her calmly. "If there is any problem, you can always find me in the cellar."

Resisting his husky voice and wild stare, Celeste plastered a smile. "Thank you."

Without any response, the next moment, Riggs inched close and cupped her cheeks. She jerked in nervousness when he leaned in and closed the gap between them.

"We are outside." She tried to warn him as he kissed her lips and then, traced her collarbone, moving the fabric away.

A moan left her lips and her knees felt like jelly. His touch had been always full of excitement. It had been a month since they made love together. They never had such a huge gap like this before in the whole ten months of their sexual relationship. Indeed there was no love involved, but none of them knew what happened ten months ago. Celeste only remembered that it was Christmas and they spent the night in her house when he first kissed her.

"Invite me home tonight." His broad chest slammed against her soft breasts and hardened nipples, setting her in fire whilst his mouth tasted her earlobe. He knew how to please her with these little teases. He knew too well about her body.

Celeste missed riding him, and hearing his curses when she bit him and gave him caresses. The scent of sweats that emitted from his body would never fail to turn her on. Yet, she curtailed the heats across her thighs as she pushed him away gently and whispered. "You are exhausted. You need rest."

Riggs panted and nodded resting his head against her forehead. "You too."

"Good night." Celeste smiled again.

"Bye." said Riggs before he patted her shoulder and made his way back toward the housing.