Page 148 of The White King's Favorite

“...Cessi.”

His gentle voice wasn’t enough to make her stop pouting. Instead, Cessilia ignored him, fiercely focusing on drying each of her long curls. She hid under the towel as an excuse to ignore him. She was jealous, and a bit embarrassed about her own possessive nature. It was a side of herself she was unfamiliar with and quite uneasy about showing to Ashen.

Suddenly, she felt large hands over her own, and he gently squeezed them. His fingers moved to take control of the towel, and he began drying her hair for her. Cessilia was mute, only following his lead, his movements far less aggressive than her own. Despite being temporarily blind, she could feel his presence right behind her, a bit too close.

“...They should be the ones to be jealous.”

His deep voice sent a wave of warmth down her chest. She tried to swallow her saliva, but her throat was dry, and her heart was beating a tad too fast. She wasn’t so shy when they kissed earlier, so why was she so much more troubled when he used his words...?

He slowly pulled the towel down and wrapped it around her shoulders instead. Because he was behind her and she couldn’t see his movements, Cessilia was on edge, trying to guess what to do next. She heard him chuckle, and she turned around, unable to take it anymore. She faced his smug expression, making her even more embarrassed.

“It’s not f-funny,” she mumbled, trying to push him away.

“I’m not making fun of you,” he assured her, caressing a strand of her hair. “...I’m just being a bit selfish.”

Cessilia sighed. He could be horribly arrogant at times. He chuckled once more, but stepped away, grabbing another towel to hand her. Although her hair was half-dry now, her dress was still soaked, and her body cold. It was unlikely she’d get a cold, but she was still very much uncomfortable. This time, he stepped away, giving her some space to finish drying herself, or at least try to. He called out for a maid to bring her a new dress, and quickly changed himself, grabbing one of the very few pieces of clothing in that wardrobe. They were strangely cautious around each other, both looking away from the other’s naked body. Cessilia, first, tried hard not to look his way as he got into a new pair of pants, still not bothering with a shirt. She was a bit surprised to see him so absorbed in the fire while she put on the new dress brought by the servant, though. Ashen was very clearly looking away on purpose when she had expected him to peek at her naked body. She wondered… was he really not interested? Or just trying to be considerate? She wondered if she was more foolish for wanting him to look, or because she was dejected he didn’t...

The dress was very pretty too. She recognized one of those they had brought to her bedroom. This one was ocean blue, with the shades getting darker and darker toward the bottom, in thin layers that followed her body’s curves. It was sleeveless and off-the-shoulder, with thin silver-colored chains around her neck and arms, holding the fabric and acting as body jewelry. She liked it. It wasn’t one of those overly decorated dresses, it had no embroideries or anything sewn on it, but the fabric was obviously of superior quality. It barely weighed anything and was very flowy... She could feel it float around her like a breeze as she moved. When Cessi turned around, Ashen was seated on the bed, waiting for her. She smiled at him and closed the distance between them.

“How much t-time do we have?” she asked.

“A couple of hours, more or less. You have time to sleep a bit.”

“B-but what if I miss the b-banquet?”

“I’ll wake you up,” he promised. “Plus, it’s my banquet. They won’t start without me. Come.”

He gently pulled her onto the bed, and they laid next to each other. Ashen took her in his arms while still respecting her with a bit of distance between them. Cessilia chuckled. He was definitely holding himself back on purpose... For now, she was indeed much too tired to want anything more. In fact, as soon as she laid down, it was as if all the fatigue from the day suddenly washed over her. All strength left her body, and she gladly snuggled against Ashen’s warm torso.

His fingers started caressing her temple, combing her curls gently. Cessilia slowly drifted away, soothed by the gentle rain sounds, the smell of a warm fire, and Ashen’s fingertips against her skin.

“...Cessilia.”

She woke up to lips softly pressed against her shoulder. Cessilia frowned, a bit confused and upset about being taken away from her very good nap. She felt like she had only slept for a very short while, but the lighting in the room said otherwise. It was darker outside, and the room was taken into a warm halo from the fire. Ashen moved his lips to her cheek with a faint chuckle.

“Are you awake?”

She nodded with a faint sigh. At least, she was feeling a bit more rested. She felt Ashen move to position himself over her, and she opened her eyes to see him, a playful smile on his lips, hovering over her. His intense, burning stare woke her up instantly. Her heartbeat quickened again, sending blood rushing through her body. She realized she was trapped between his arms.

“Ashen... D-don’t we have to g-go?”

“We still have a few minutes.”

She blushed even more. He probably hadn’t planned those minutes to let her get ready... Still, her body felt strangely content about this. She knotted her hands behind his neck, a bashful smile on her lips as well. When Ashen came down to kiss her, she didn’t refuse him.

She was now warm, and feeling that heat from her lover’s body. Ashen was large enough to fill her entire field of vision, but she liked his presence, so protective and reassuring. His height was matching hers, and his thick arms were so nice to caress with her hands too. It felt like a mile to cross his shoulder and his back to get back to his nape, her fingertips meeting the few bumps of his scars on the way there. She had never thought such a muscular body could be so attractive. Perhaps because she had grown up around toned people, Cessilia was just now realizing the beauty of a perfectly defined muscle moving, the silent strength that emanated from it. Ashen seemed like he could carry the world on his shoulders, and she liked that. She didn’t want a man who would need her more than she needed him. He may have taken a long detour to realize it, but her Prince was truly a fine King.

The sounds of their kisses and caresses filled the room, with the beautiful concerto of the crackling fire and gentle rain behind them. She could hear his faint breathing like a brisk wind, and feel the mattress moving under them. His hands gently caressed her leg, up and down her hip, without going much further. While she wondered why he hesitated so much, Ashen’s lips moved to her cheek, down her jawline, to her chin, her neck, and pressed down further to her cleavage. Cessilia blushed helplessly, but she didn’t care anymore. She looked down, meeting his eyes. Ashen was kissing her between her breasts, the burning dark eyes of her lover locked with hers, making the whole encounter even hotter. She opened her lips to say something, but the delicious shivers he was sending from each place he kissed rendered her mute. It was good, scarily good. She gasped as his fingers moved in between her legs, caressing her even more intimately.

“...Will you be alright?” he asked between two kisses.

Cessilia felt a bit more embarrassed. She had lost her virginity just the previous day... It was only natural he’d ask. However, she felt completely fine. Her body had recuperated quite quickly already, and in fact, she was even eager to do it again... She wanted it. She nodded, her heart beating fast and her whole body sweating a bit from the heat. Ashen smiled, throwing her heart for a loop. He then ventured lower, to her surprise, moving his face between her legs. Pinned to the bed, Cessilia covered her mouth, embarrassed by her own excitement.

“A-Ashen...”

“Let me taste you.”

Before she could protest, his mouth was against her lower lips, and she moaned helplessly, surprised by the sensations it caused in her lower stomach. As Ashen used his tongue and lips to please her, his hand caressing her curves, Cessilia heard herself gasping and moaning in pleasure. She wanted to explore this facet of her womanhood. She was young, but so eager to learn more about the pleasures of the flesh. The situation was embarrassing, and making her blush endlessly, but she didn’t want to push any of it away. She wanted more... more of what Ashen was giving her. She moved her legs as she felt like it, her toes grabbing the sheets, and wriggled her waist under his tongue, crying out in pleasure. Her voice was embarrassing to her own ears, but she liked those sounds of the woman inside her getting pleasured by her lover. Ashen’s mouth was restless, not letting her escape. The wet sounds and movements were filled with lust, and a heat was growing in her stomach.

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