Chapter 10: Capturing His Heart

Flowers stuck to Ariel’s skin. She smelled sweet, perhaps because of the bathtub full of rose petals.

She could barely breathe in bed with Leandro locking her in tight. It was a bit difficult and hard, but she was somewhat satisfied that she was able to take in his engorgement without too much trouble earlier on.

“Are you tired?” Leandro parted his lips, gently patting her belly which moved regularly to the beating of her breath.

She didn’t have the energy to answer. Ariel laid on the bed dead, eyes blinking.

Leandro raised his head slightly and placed his chin on his arm.

Ariel looked at him with a long look on her face. The touch of Leandro sweeping down her red cheeks was somehow ever too cautious as the lingering imagery of their previous act had yet to fade away.

Perhaps because the peace that came after the frantic madness swept them away that Leandro became gentle, too gentle like a predator who had his fill with delicious food only to relax thereafter.

Ariel recalled the black leopard as she watched Leandro caressing her with soft touches. He was like the black leopard predator was so ferocious that no one could stop its hunger, but once resolved he’d become gentler. This comparison was perfect for Leandro.

Leandro looked at Ariel’s clear eyes and remembered the first time they met.

Ariel had gone on an inspection tour to her mother country. Though that no longer existed.

Leandro was an emperor who everyone trembled in fear, an emperor who did not give much meaning to the existence of women. Regardless, one gesture from him left those very same women to take off their clothes and come running to him, but to Leandro, a woman was just a hole to satisfy his libido.

For him, who had never been swayed by such emotions or experienced this thing called love, he saw women merely as an outlet to let out his pent up desires.

But Ariel was different. Once he saw her silky hair gathered to one side and braided finely, Leandro became speechless. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was pure and wore a somewhat wistful look that shook his heart.

Looking at her figure and delicate eyes, Leandro thought that he needed to have her. It didn’t matter what he was feeling, just that he needed to have her, to possess her.

He wanted Ariel, the saint who hated lewdness and always kept herself clean to lay under his arms and have her shiver with debauchery, so he brought her to his palace.

He didn’t care about the method he used, nor the kind of despair she felt when she saw her fallen home country. It was none of his business.

“Are you cold?”

Feeling a slight tremor in Ariel’s hand, Leandro casually threw a question and pulled up the blanket that clung together at his feet and covered it over her alluring body.

It was amusing though. He liked and enjoyed the sight of Ariel’s distressed look. However, he had limits. He covered her with a blanket fearing that she’d die from coldness.

Ariel moved slowly and turned to a position facing him.

“…Your Majesty.”

She leaned her face against Leandro’s broad chest, surprising him very much so with her action. Mere moments ago he’d just trample her without hesitation and ruthlessly so.

“…What did you call me?” he asked quietly, stroking Ariel’s head.

“No matter how you treat me, I’ll be fine.”

Her voice was quiet and soft.

Leandro stopped caressing her head as Ariel buried her face on him so that he couldn’t see her expression.

“Just this small moment with you is invaluable to me, Your Majesty.”

A sigh of a soft voice tickled Leandro’s ear.

I’m sure he’d be embarrassed, confused how to accept her forwardness. She had been defiled, even trampled in the heat of the moment. He expected something akin to venting her resentment and hate, but there was none of that.

Ariel raised her hand to Leandro’s firm chest. It was the first time she stroked it with bare hands.

She had now made the first attempt to reverse the original plot.

Leandro’s hand, which stood still at first, moved again. The feel of her soft hair slipping through the cracks of his fingers tickled not only his hands but his heart.

To be swayed or to take the lead… between the two, Ariel took the first step towards the latter. On the surface, it would look like Leandro was in control, but soon he’ll be held captive by Ariel and unable to do anything.

Ariel gently pressed her lips down the nape of his neck.