Page 50 of Rise of a Fallen Man

He stared at the nightshirt, then moved his questioning gaze to me.

“How do you like me better?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Make that decision on your own. Shirt on or off? What makes you feel more comfortable?”

He looked back at the nightshirt again, then nodded and lifted his arms up for me to put it on him. I helped him to get it on, then got up from his bed.

“Well, since I’m expected to spend the night here, I shall stay. I’ll take the couch.”

His brows moved together, with a wrinkle of worry forming between them. His mouth flattened into a firm line of displeasure.

“You won’t even share the bed with me?” he asked.

“Let us get to know each other a little better first, to get more comfortable with each other. Alright? It all just happened so quickly, don’t you think?”

My hypocrisy didn’t escape me. I’d shared my bed with Salas the very first night we got together. I’d known him then for a much shorter time than I’d spent with Leafar by now. But being with Salas always felt natural. My initial awkwardness around him was for different reasons because the physical attraction between us happened from almost the very first glance.

I missed that unconquerable pull toward a man, the need to have him as close as was humanly possible. With Salas, my chest seemed to burst open with emotions, with my heart ready to leap out into his hands.

Would that ever happen between Leafar and me? Was it just the matter of us spending enough time together? I feared it was not, but I’d made this step. Now there was nothing left to do but give my best effort to make this marriage work.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to climb into Leafar’s pristine white bedding. At least not tonight.

“I’m a restless sleeper,” I said. “I toss and turn a lot and wake up often. I’d keep you awake for no reason.” He didn’t look convinced, so I added, “I rest better when I sleep alone. We both need our rest after the long day we’ve had today.”

With a sigh, he conceded, getting under the covers while I made myself comfortable on the couch with a pillow and a blanket.

Exhausted, I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly and woke up only at sunrise.

Leafar was still deep asleep, his covers tossed and tangled. I straightened them for him and covered him up. With his eyes closed, his mouth partially open, and his golden curls tussled, he looked even younger than his nineteen years. Whatever tender feelings I held for him at that point were those of an older sister, not a wife, and I feared that might never change.

Something clinked under my foot as I stepped away from his bed. The chastity cage lay discarded on the carpet. I picked it up, opened a balcony door, and tossed it out all the way into the gardens.

As part of my marriage vow, I’d promised the prince my protection, and that was a promise I fully intended to keep.

Chapter 13

Ari

Aday later, I entered Mother’s study to find Lady Etah, our Head Councilor, and Leafar’s aunt, the Grand Duchess of Olakrez, in the meeting with her.

“You sent for me, Mother. Greetings, Your Grace. Lady Etah.” I bowed my head to the two esteemed ladies, wondering what their presence in here meant.

The queen gestured at the fourth armchair in the sitting area by the fireplace.

“Aniri, please join us.” She often called me by my full name in an official setting. This was an official meeting then. “The grand duchess expressed a concern that I hope you’ll be able to ease for all of us.”

I stiffly lowered my butt into the comfy chair. “What kind of concern?”

The duchess faced me. “You’ve been married for thirty-two hours already, Your Highness. Two nights have passed since your wedding ceremony. Yet your marriage has not been consummated yet.” Her stern gaze burrowed into me.

It felt like a gross intrusion into my private life, into my husband’s privacy, and in the intimacy we were supposed to build with each other. But I could only afford a single breath to collect myself. Anything longer would’ve betrayed how much this conversation upset me, and I couldn’t show the duchess such a weakness on my part.

I couldn’t resist calling her out, however.

“How can you possibly know what happened between my husband and me behind the closed doors of his bedroom?”

If I expected her to be flustered or ashamed about her invasion in our privacy, I should not have held my breath. The duchess looked absolutely unaffected, clearly believing she had every right to know it all.

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