King Rhaegar

Lorelai slowly opened her eyes, and the sight of the unfamiliar white ceiling sent her heart plummeting. Had she dozed off?

Suddenly, she found it hard to catch her breath.

It was not surprising, really—not only had she left the royal palace in secret, without the queen's permission, but she had not returned in due time and spent a steamy night with a stranger instead.

Lately, there had been not so many occasions on which Lorelai would do something even distantly rebellious; but whenever she left the palace even to simply meet with other noblemen in secret to discuss official palace matters, the next day, she would wake up with a knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Today, she feared that all her insides might burst from the pressure she felt. 

Gradually, her heart rate slowed, her breathing steadied, and she regained mobility again.

But as she shifted in the bed, a fresh wave of nerves crashed over her—lying beside her was a man, his long and strong limbs entwined with hers as they slept side by side. 

Despite their complete nudity, Lorelai did not shiver; the incredible warmth radiating from the man's body had kept her snug all night long. 

It was surprising; due to her frail condition, she always felt cold. 

The princess took stock of her body—it was pristine. Despite being thoroughly drenched in the stranger's intoxicating scent, she felt strangely refreshed, as if she had just emerged from a revitalizing bath after the wild escapade with him.

'Well... At least he had the decency to clean me... Tsk.' She wanted to be thankful, but gratitude eluded her; his past actions had left her with mixed feelings. 'That was absolutely crazy...'

Indeed, last night had been an unimaginable whirlwind of emotions.

The entirely new sensations had torn her apart and reassembled her repeatedly throughout the passionate encounter. The man had been nothing short of intense and unrelenting. For a moment, she wondered if it was always like that with the men of his nature.

Suddenly, her cheeks flushed crimson. Despite the rough treatment, she couldn't deny that her first intimate experience had been undoubtedly unforgettable.

It would definitely linger in her memory until her last breath. There was no chance she would experience anything like that ever in the life that was awaiting her. 

A short sigh escaped her sore lips. Mission accomplished.

Lorelai had lost her mind and indulged in a night of pure recklessness. It was an experience she wouldn't soon forget. 

No; she would never forget this. And no one would ever be able to take it away from her. 

Her stepmother could take away her freedom. Her stepbrother could take away her pride. Her future husband could take away her dignity. 

But this memory... would forever be entirely hers. 

'The sun is rising... I better head back to the palace.'

With caution, Lorelai maneuvered out from under the weighty embrace of the man's muscular arms. Holding her breath, she feared even the slightest exhale might stir him from his slumber.

As she freed herself from him, the princess paused, looking back at the stranger next to her. 

Most of his face was covered with his dark brown, curly hair, but the sharp outline of his strong jaw and the curves of his full lips made the princess' heart skip a bit once again.

She could only hope that the image of his beautiful face would never fade away as well. 

'He is fast asleep... I guess I was not the only one who was exhausted.'

She sighed again and shifted her green gaze to the floor, frantically searching for her clothes. Once Lorelai located her dress and her cloak, she quickly put them on, leaving the corset behind as it would take too much time to fasten it. 

Then, she started quietly making her way toward the door when it suddenly dawned on her—her right hip was not hurting at all!

'How strange... My body aches all over after he almost devoured me last night, but my hip... I might even be able to get back to the palace on foot without an issue.'

The princess shook her head, a soft scoff escaping her lips. 

'There is no time to think about this. I have to leave.'

***

The man lazily opened his sparkling amber eyes, frowning at the annoying knocking sound on the inn's wooden door. 

Somewhat instinctively, his right hand reached forward to touch the woman sleeping next to him, and his entire body flinched as he realized that he was in the bed alone. 

The frown between his brows deepened. Her sweet, hypnotizing scent was still so strong that he could have sworn she was still there. But she was gone. She had escaped. 

Slowly sitting up, he wiped his face with both hands, brushing his messy, curly hair away from his forehead as a long sigh left his parted lips. 

He wanted to laugh and yet, it was not very funny. 

He flinched again when the annoying knocking sound returned and finally turned around to face the door. "Come in."

"King Rhaegar."

A tall, well-built man with shining golden eyes and short brown hair entered the room, taking a quick look around. Upon noticing a torn corset on the floor, he smirked, then leaned over the wall next to the door, crossing his muscular, tattooed arms before his chest. 

"I cannot believe you did it... with her. You did it, right?"

"Alim..." Rhaegar stood up, baring his naked body, and his aide immediately averted his eyes. "Why did she come to the Narina's tent last night?"

Alim waited for his king to get dressed, then pulled out a small silver box of cigars from the pocket of his vest and started looking for the matches as he answered. "She came to buy poison... for herself."

The word poison made Rhaegar release another sigh, his amber eyes narrowing with a strange sense of irritation. "Poison, huh? I wonder why..."

Alim lit the fragrant black cigar and offered it to the man; the latter, however, watched the tip of the burning cigar slowly turn to black ashes for a while, then slapped it out of his aide's hand, and put it out with a reluctant stomp of his foot. 

Alim widened his eyes in shock; it was the first time since forever that his king rejected the herbal pain suppressant made specifically for his needs. He locked his golden eyes with Rhaegar's, expecting an explanation, but the king dismissed it with a slightly bewildered look of his own. 

Alim hid the cigar box back inside his pocket, then fished out something else instead. It was a small but elegant white envelope with Rhaegar's name written on it in beautiful cursive letters. 

He placed the envelope onto the king's palm and grinned. "Perhaps this is your opportunity to find out what has been really going on there."