I couldn't sleep.
Even with the duel behind me, my body still trembled with the aftershocks of every clash, every strike that had rattled bone and blade. My heart hammered as if the fight still raged, as though the crowd's roar and the sting of steel hadn't faded hours ago. The princess's kiss still burned on my lips, lingering like a brand I couldn't wash away.
I rolled onto my side, staring at the ceiling. The room was silent, but my chest heaved like I'd just run miles. Muscles throbbed with exhaustion, but sleep wouldn't come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. The gleam of her crown. The smirk on her lips. The weight of her gaze.
So, I lay on the edge of my bed, staring into the dark.
That was when I felt it.
The faintest shift in the air. The hush of fabric whispering against stone. Not imagination, not fatigue—certainty. Someone was here.
My pulse spiked.
The door clicked shut, quiet as a secret. A pale strip of moonlight cut across the floor, and into it stepped a silhouette that made my chest seize.
Slender. Regal. Feminine.
And dangerous.
The princess.
Her hair, usually bound in stately braids, now spilled free around her shoulders, dark waves cascading like ink. She wore a gown of silver silk that clung to her body, its straps sliding off her shoulders as if even gravity conspired to expose her. The fabric shimmered with each movement, whispering temptation with every shift. Bare feet padded silently, unhurried, predatory.
Her scent reached me before her touch—roses laced with wine and something sharper, something that burned.
I forgot to breathe.
---
> [New Quest: Survive Seduction.]
[Reward: ???]
A Quest without consequence? Hmm .
"Still awake?" Her voice was low and velvet-smooth, yet edged like steel.
I swallowed. "I… couldn't sleep."
Her lips curved, slow and knowing, as though she had already guessed. "Neither could I."
A lie. Her eyes glimmered too sharply, hungry, deliberate. She hadn't come because sleep eluded her—she'd come because she wanted something.
She stopped before me, close enough that the hem of her gown brushed my knees. My body tensed, caught between dread and something far more perilous.
Her hand rose, cool fingers sliding beneath my jaw, tilting my face upward. "You fought beautifully today."
My throat tightened. "I nearly died."
"Nearly," she repeated, her smile curving sharper. "But not quite. You made Liora dance. You made my court roar. And you made me…" Her voice dipped to a husky whisper. "…want."
I froze.
---
> [Warning: Seduction attempt detected.]
[Do you wish to resist? Y/N]
Huh? I have a say in the the matter? That's not really what it looks like.
She leaned closer, her hair brushing my cheek, her breath hot against my ear. "You belong to me now, Carl. Every cheer, every heartbeat you stole today—it ties you closer to me."
Heat betrayed me, rising through my veins where her fingers lingered on my skin.
She pressed forward, nudging me until the backs of my knees hit the mattress. I stumbled onto it with a muted gasp, and she followed, bracing herself above me. Her silk gown slid higher with the motion, revealing more than moonlight had any right to claim.
"Do you know," she whispered, her lips grazing just short of mine, "how intoxicating you are when you fight? When you refuse to fall—even when you should?"
Her words scorched. Desire coiled inside me, sharp enough to ache.
---
> [Passive Skill Activated: Endurance Lv.1]
[Caution: Princess's Charm exceeds safe levels. Brace for impact.]
"Endurance?!" I muttered under my breath.
Her smile widened, as though she'd heard—not my words, but the tremor betraying me. She liked it. She liked me trembling beneath her.
Then she kissed me.
Not the staged, public display from earlier, calculated for the court's eyes. This kiss was raw. Fierce. Hungry. Her mouth claimed mine with fire, her hands tangling in my hair and tugging just hard enough to steal my breath.
The taste of her—wine, warmth, danger—spilled across my tongue. My own hands, traitorous and eager, slid to her waist. The silk was scandalously thin, her heat burning through it, searing my palms.
She broke the kiss only to trail her lips down my jaw, to my throat, her breath searing, her tongue a fleeting brush that made me shudder.
"My champion," she murmured against my skin, every word a brand. "Mine."
The world tilted. My pulse thundered, my body obeying her gravity, drawn closer, deeper.
---
> [Status Updated: Bound by Royal Desire.]
[Warning: Escape unlikely.]
Her laugh was soft, cruel in its sweetness, as though she savored my helplessness. Her eyes trailed my masculine frame stopping just beneath my torso, she smiled Her lips brushed my ear. "Looks like you're ready."
Her hands slid lower, teasing the edge of control I thought I had. I tried to steady my breathing, but every inhale carried more of her scent, flooding me, drowning me.
> [System Alert: Critical Weakness Detected.]
I clenched my fists against the sheets, nails biting into my palms. My body screamed for surrender, but my mind knew this was more than lust—it was a trap dressed in silk and moonlight.
"Carl…" she whispered my name like a secret, like a claim, and it nearly broke me.