Page 124 of The White King's Favorite

To her surprise, she saw him go down some invisible trail past the coast, and realized there were stairs built into the rocks. They would have been impossible to see, if someone didn’t purposely stand almost at the edge and looked down to their right. The stairs had been very roughly cut too, so there weren’t two the same, and they had to go down slowly to avoid slipping. It would have been impossible to use it if the weather hadn’t been perfectly calm... Only on a night like this, with no wind and no rain, was it safe to go down. Cessilia had to hold up the hem of her dress, and Ashen went down very slowly too, holding her hand securely at each step she took.

They passed in front of little holes in the rock, some bigger than others, and before they got there, Cessilia had already guessed what kind of place they were headed to.

The cave wasn’t very large, but it was certainly beautiful. The stairs were taking an abrupt turn to the right, and there was a very small pathway inside, where they had to stay close to the wall on their right, while on their left, the sea waves gently came and went, filling a little river that went deeper inside. Despite the small entryway, there were other holes higher in the cave that the moonlight was shining through, illuminating the cave and its river in a gorgeous, blue-white light. For a while, she thought the river water was shimmery white, with dozens of little colored pieces at its bottom, until she looked closer. A bed of white seashells. The beautiful seashells were paving the entire river bed, along with pieces of blue or green frosted, smooth sea glass. Because the water depth was so shallow and the waves gentle, it looked like a shimmering mirror reflecting the moonlight in even more beautiful colors. Cessilia’s breath was taken away.

“It’s beautiful...” she muttered.

Surprised, Ashen suddenly stopped walking and turned to her. He was staring so intensely, Cessilia blushed helplessly.

“W-what...?”

“Just now, you... you didn’t stutter.”

She blushed even more, and lowered her head, nodding weakly.

“It happens... s-sometimes.”

Ashen smiled and closed the distance between them in a couple of steps.

“So you like it?”

“It’s a b-beautiful place.” Cessilia nodded. “How d-did you find it...?”

“My mother showed it to me and my brothers years ago. According to her, only a few young people knew of its existence when she was young... I guess most people living in the Capital now have no idea. It’s impossible to get here most of the time. It takes the perfect weather conditions that we rarely have here, and a low tide. We can only stay here for... perhaps two or three hours before this whole place gets filled by the sea again.”

Cessilia was amazed. This was such an ephemeral and beautiful place. To think this place possibly wouldn’t be available to anyone for a few days, before becoming such an enchanting place again...

Ashed smiled and turned around again, pulling her deeper into the cave. There were little holes going deeper, but they couldn’t be accessed by a human. The floor was humid, with a thin layer of half-dry sand, and some seashells forgotten by the tide scattered around them. Cessilia couldn’t help but try to avoid stepping on them on the rocky floor. Ashen took her to a little area that was about one step above the little river, dryer, and large enough, around the size of a small room. He took off his large, thick fur coat, and put it down on the floor for them to sit on it. He sat first, inviting Cessilia to join him. She sat shyly next to him, admiring the view they had on the little river and farther away past the cave entrance, on the large Eastern Sea.

He gently pressed his lips against her shoulder, before taking the back of her hands to his lips as well.

“I know it’s not as great as the wonders of the Dragon Empire, but... I wanted to show you the best of my world.”

“It’s t-truly amazing, Ashen. I love this p-place.”

To his surprise, Cessilia leaned in and initiated a kiss between them. The King answered her kiss, his breathing a bit unsteady. His lips against hers were trying to keep up, yet holding back a bit, as if he was afraid to lose control. He was frowning faintly, looking almost... in pain. Cessilia liked this restraint about him, though. She smiled, and while their lips parted, she caressed his cheek gently.

“Aren’t you... c-cold?” he muttered.

“You’re the one with a s-stutter now?” she chuckled.

The King blushed a little. He couldn’t hide his troubles, but the Princess found him even more charming when he was embarrassed and visibly torn inside. She smiled and put another quick peck on his lips. Then, she stared right into his eyes and putting her hands around his neck, she moved to sit across his lap, straddling him. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but she had never felt so confident and bold. She smiled at him.

“...I’m never c-cold,” she said, a dash of pink on her cheeks.

His breath taken away, Ashen grabbed the Princess’ nape, and pulled her in for a wilder kiss.

The heat rapidly increased around them. Their damp and hot breathing and their wild kiss made any thought about the cold irrelevant. It was just the two of them, in their little world, kissing and caressing each other. The memory from that morning was rekindled in a matter of seconds, making them both lose their hesitation to indulge in some tender exchanges. Cessilia loved that he never wore a shirt, and left his torso bare for her to caress and touch. It was like a vast, warm, and soft land under her fingers.

He kept caressing her, but as he was hesitant to undress her, Cessilia took the first step, slowly undoing her leather belt and tossing it aside, taking her arms out of her sleeves, the dress naturally falling down to reveal her skin. Ashen’s breathing stopped for a second, and she saw him gasp very faintly, as if breath-taken.

“You’re... beautiful,” he muttered.

He wished he had words closer to the truth of what he was experiencing right then, but none seemed enough to describe the vision of the young goddess facing him. It was enough to make his heart wrench in pain. She was down on her knees, a bit higher than him, and he was admiring her from below, completely blown away by her mythical beauty. Her skin was glowing like cold gold under the moonlight, circled down by a myriad of her dark, walnut-brown curls. Cessilia’s striking green eyes had a more teal shade from the water reflected in them, and her lips were a bit purplish from the makeup that had been wiped off earlier. With only the nacre and seashell jewelry left, and the blue fabric streaming down her body, she was like a sea goddess, or a mermaid, who emerged from the sea to ravish his heart.

Like a mere mortal man, he had no power to resist her call, his own barely restrained desire building up within. His hesitation blown away, his hand came to her body again, running over her skin, caressing each curve. For a while, he couldn’t even think of kissing her. He was too busy looking at the gorgeous woman she had become. It was like a fantasy in front of him, a dream so real he could barely believe it. It felt almost... forbidden. A sin a man couldn’t resist. The appeal was strong, and his resolve weak. They both wanted it, and her eyes said so too.

“You’re b-being shy again,” she muttered, as if amused, putting a soft kiss on his lips, like a cold caress.

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