Celine closed her eyes, her breathing becoming more even. And then, she fell asleep while hugging the covers.
Lucian's mind screamed, 'She must be pretending to sleep,' but the steady rise and fall of her chest was hard to fake.
She was probably really exhausted, and his condition wasn't any different. 'Screw it,' he thought and drifted away as well, letting her trap him for the night.
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Celine woke up way earlier than Lucian. She found that her makeshift pillow had been stolen during the night, and the covers were tucked around their bodies.
"..." She knew she shouldn't be having any expectations (which was why she fell asleep so soundly) but how could he not jump her bones, especially when she was right there, ready to be jumped? Did he have a magic wand hidden in between his legs or something? Because his willpower was not normal.
'The stupid church must have brainwashed him into celibacy with their chastity lessons,' she thought. As if she would ever admit that she was having problems with seducing her fiance. She was starting to doubt her skills, if she even had any. If it weren't for the honest thing in between his legs, the only truthful thing about him, she would have thought that she had no effect on him at all.
"..." She untangled herself from his grip and slowly got off the bed. When was the last time she slept like a dead log? And to think that his snoring was the cure. "Oh, well," she shrugged and limped towards the door, pausing by the desk to leave a note for him. She had a business to run, and a reputation to ruin.
"..." Lucian opened his eyes the moment she was gone, and turned on his side, hugging the covers and taking in the smell of her hair on the pillow, "..." She left. Just like that. "..."
He couldn't keep his disappointment contained and buried his face in the pillow to muffle the frustrated groan. 'Dumbass!'
He got out of the bed, with the blanket over his head, and approached the table, lifting the note: 'You have my permission to touch your honest little self, as long as you say my name while doing it. I would have loved to watch you do it, but your fragile ego is the last thing I want to see in the morning. -C.R.'
There was a small sketch of a monkey and pointing arrows underneath it with a caption: 'This is me,' and a it was eating a banana that had an arrow pointing at it: 'This is you.'
'...pfft...' He swore she tried to corrupt him at every chance she got. He was almost sure that her only goal was to make him a pervert just like herself. Noble Lady? She was no lady. She was a devil, and her hobby was to ruin his sanity.
It was exactly how the priests were warning him about the temptations of the world, personal gratification included, and that it would bring him closer to damnation. Then, why did he want to be damned so badly?
He reached toward his groin, just to pull his hand back into a fist at the last second. "..."
He could imagine the priests watching him from somewhere, judging him with their eyes and pointing their finger at him. He wanted to escape the streets through the church, to have a place where he would be safe from the gangs and the thugs, and to not be the prey anymore.
But most importantly, he wanted to get rid of the feelings he caught for the duke's daughter. He had it bad for her, but he was aware that his love was a lost cause. On his thirteen nameday, it became unbearable to face the reality of their differences in social status, so he joined the church in hopes of freeing himself from her.
They would call him filthy and unclean, unworthy of God's love and salvation. An impure street urchin had no place in a holy place of worship, and he had to purify himself to not soil their sacred ground.
He was not inside the church right now, but the opulence showcased around the guest room made it feel like he was in one. Decorated with golden accents and painted with the most intricate patterns on its ceiling and walls; he couldn't find a single stain or speck of dust.
He took a deep breath, staring at the note, 'It's not a sin if you have my permission. I'll bear your sin and take responsibility for it,' the note read.
Lucian almost broke the skin of his lip, cursing his past in silence. Answering her dirty questions about his body in his youth had come back to haunt him. They were young, curious, and very horny.
"Does it hurt?"
"How does it work?"
"Can it stretch?"
"Can you make it stand at will?"
"Do you prefer a specific type of underwear?"
"Can you sleep with it standing?"
"Does it affect your posture?"
"Can you pee while standing up?"
Lucian smacked his forehead against the table, "..." He took another deep breath, 'I'll just let her do it next time,' he told himself. It was better to be damned by her hand, then by his own.
With that decision, he stood up and went to throw the note into the fireplace.
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While washing up, he heard some commotion coming from the hallway. He quickly changed into his suit and rushed outside to check what was going on.
The staff had their heads lowered as their Lady dragged a maid by her hair down the hall.
"How does it feel to be a whore?" Celine asked, and the girl whimpered in fear and pain, "Are you not ashamed to seduce a taken man?"
'Hm? Is she talking about me?' Lucian wondered how he got dragged into her mess first thing in the morning.
"I-I would never—"
"Shut it. I've seen the evidence," Celine hissed and pulled the girl's head back by the hair, "Did you think that I would not have eyes everywhere? You sneaked into his room in the middle of the night to seduce him."
"..." Lucian blinked in confusion. Did he miss something while sleeping?
The maid was about to speak, but was interrupted again, "And don't you dare say you were planning to change the sheets. If you have such an unquenchable lust for men, then go to an inn and earn your coin."
Celine summoned Graham, "To the dungeons with her, and do make her regret her actions. We don't need another slut to spread the legs for the men in this house."
"Yes, My Lady." Graham bowed and took the maid, dragging her away.
Lucian stepped before Graham.