Seishan woke up. Slowly.
Her eyes fluttered open, welcoming her to the world with a lingering sensation of warm, fearless satisfaction. The princess had actually slept well, a stark contrast to the recent days—or rather, the agonizing years—spent desperately trying to survive on the Forgotten Shore.
She felt incredibly good, light as a feather, but above all, completely content.
Then, she noticed a pair of bare arms wrapped tightly just below her breasts and the heavy, warm pressure of a naked body pressed flush against her from behind. It didn't take long for her to realize she was entirely naked, and very much not alone.
'Wha—'
Seishan panicked, her crimson eyes snapping wide open as her body coiled, ready to lash out on pure, lethal instinct against the man holding her captive.
However, as full consciousness rapidly returned, the memories of the previous night came crashing back—vivid recollections of the intense pleasure they had shared and the secret kisses exchanged in the dark embrace of the shadows.
'Oh, Gods!'
Seishan felt her face burning as a furious blush spread across her cheeks, recalling just how intense, passionate, and above all, wild it had been. After drinking his blood, driven mad by her Flaw, she had lost control in the worst possible way, surrendering herself entirely to primal instincts and unbridled lust.
'Noo! No, no, no!'
Speechless, Seishan lay frozen within the warm embrace of her partner from the night before—Sunless.
Her own mind betrayed her, refusing to let her forget. She replayed their intense activities, every single compromising scene resurfacing in her mind's eye like a vivid theatrical reel.
The Princess of Song saw herself assaulting him with raw intent, aggressively capturing his lips and tangling her limbs around his. She felt the phantom echo of the initial pain that had quickly melted into pure ecstasy, reliving every shared, agonizingly sweet climax they had exchanged throughout the night. She remembered the taste of his mouth crashing against hers, the sensation of her smooth skin—grey as an overcast sky—being repeatedly and sweetly marked by his lips, and the rich taste of his seed on her tongue. She thought of their bare flesh sliding together, the countless hours that had slipped away, and her loyal handmaidens, whom she had explicitly dismissed right before all of this began.
'My reputation,' Seishan thought, burying her face in her hands and curling inward out of sheer, suffocating embarrassment. 'My hard-earned, carefully crafted reputation as the leader of the handmaidens... ruined!'
Then her racing mind strayed further, turning to her loved sisters and her dear mother, who were still waiting for her in the Waking World.
'Gods! What would they think of me, knowing I gave away my chastity to the first passing man I met, having known him for barely five minutes?'
The thought only made her face burn hotter. Mortified, Seishan didn't dare wake her companion as she painfully came to terms with the reality of her predicament.
A part of her genuinely considered murder as a perfectly viable solution. However, the damage was already done, and as much as it wounded her pride to admit it, the one who had ruthlessly initiated this irreparable mess was her. And worse still, they had gone all the way, drowning in the most forbidden passion.
And heavens be damned, they had enjoyed every second of it!
"Mmh!"
Seishan froze, feeling Sunless shift in his sleep and nuzzle his cheek comfortably against the top of her head. For a brief, frantic moment, she had almost forgotten he was right there, absolutely terrified to look him in the face out of pure shame.
Then... calmly and very slowly, Sunless opened his eyes.
"Morning," he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
The Princess of Song froze, meeting his intense, dark eyes filled with affection. Still trapped in his arms, staring directly at him, she felt a sudden rush of heat pool in her stomach and rise up her chest, flushing her exquisite face.
Refusing to be overwhelmed by these emotions, Seishan narrowed her eyes.
"Whoa!"
In a flash, she seized the hands holding her, using her weight to flip Sunny onto his back and pin him to the mattress, locking his wrists in an iron grip. Thanks to her Lineage, [The Blood], she possessed physical strength far beyond the ordinary.
Sunny found the Lost Princess of Song straddling him once again, in the exact same position as last night. Only this time, there wasn't the slightest trace of clothing between them, save for a pathetic sliver of blanket tangled beneath them.
Their eyes locked—he unable to blink at the sheer absurdity of the situation, she furious at what had transpired.
"You..." Seishan hissed.
"Yes?" Sunny replied nervously, his guilty gaze dropping to her still-exposed breasts, specifically lingering on the faint teeth marks he had left behind during their wild union.
At the sight, a thrill of excitement shot up his spine, making him swallow hard as blood rushed south, causing his length to stiffen against her once more.
"You broke into my quarters," the princess continued undeterred, entirely focused on trying to salvage what remained of her fallen honor.
"Uh-huh," Sunny nodded, trying desperately to maintain eye contact rather than being mesmerized by her bare, smooth grey skin.
"And you deflowered me." The accusation sounded like a death sentence.
He opened his mouth, pausing for a moment to study her wrathful expression. Then, he spoke.
"Well, Princess! Technically speaking, you were the one who assaulted me in the dead of night after ordering your handmaidens to clear the hall. I only came here to propose a temporary alliance. If there is a victim here, it's me!"
Sunny stressed vehemently, feigning scandal. He gave a weak, theatrical tug against her grip on his wrists, which were still pinned to the iron headboard.
"Don't you dare play the fool with me, Sunless!" Seishan snapped, leaning her face closer to his, suddenly very aware of the hardened intent pressing firmly against her lower curves. "You knew about the Clans and the war they are planning. What's to say you didn't also know about my Flaw and exactly how to exploit it to your advantage?!"
'Fair,' he admitted mentally, wise enough not to say it out loud.
"Even if I did, why would I? Defiling you would only cause friction between us and go against my conscience. Besides..." Sunny shifted his gaze away for a second, looking genuinely a little embarrassed. "If necessary, I am fully prepared to take responsibility."
"But?" Seishan raised a skeptical eyebrow, easily detecting the unspoken condition in his tone.
"But there is already someone else in my life—more than one, actually. Someone I have absolutely no intention of parting with. So, if you want me to take responsibility for our... affair, you have to accept the fact that you won't be the only one."
The princess stared at the young man, scrutinizing him with her piercing crimson eyes.
There was no malice in his gaze, no deceit.
She really wanted to punch him for how hopelessly brazen he was. Yet, her anger wasn't quite blind enough to stop her from listening.
After all, the blame for this mess lay partly on her own shoulders. The truth was, if Seishan had possessed better control over her Flaw, she would never have allowed herself to be ravished by some random passing man just because his blood was different. And yet... the strange thing was that no hemoglobin had ever triggered such an overwhelming, feral lust within her before.
Women's blood was thick and sweet, while men's was strong and pungent. The blood of Nightmare Creatures was foul, so repulsive it made her want to spit it out the moment it touched her tongue. But his blood... no blood had ever intoxicated her quite like his.
Furthermore, as much as she hated to admit it, deep down, Seishan desperately craved another taste.
"Let's just say I won't kill you... for now," she told him, finally releasing his wrists and pulling herself up.
The Princess of Song climbed off him, snatching the bedsheets to drape over her shoulders. She left her sensual legs bare, crossing them elegantly as she sat across from him on the mattress.
"Let's hear it, then. What kind of alliance are you proposing? And exactly how do you intend to ensure Clan Song wins?"
Judging by the icy edge in her voice, his life was hanging by a very thin thread—one that would be cut short depending on his answer.
Sunny sat up as well, his expression turning deadly serious as a cunning, treacherous smile crept onto his face.
"For starters, Song Seishan, would you be interested in knowing how to Awaken without the aid of the Spell?"
If Lost from Light had only captured the Blood Lord's curiosity before, he now had her absolute, undivided attention.
His plan could finally begin.
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