Prince Kang Dae cleared his throat, the sound sliced through the thick suffocating silence of the Selene's chamber. Shadows from the flickering candlelight stretched and occasionally shifted across the white marbled floors. It casted long restless shapes on the white stone walls as well.
The air truly was heavy with the weight of their unspoken words and their seemingly unresolved conflict. "Why?" he demanded with his voice low yet it was laced with a sense of urgency.
Selene remained motionless with her stance rigid as she faced him and stared at him squarely in the eyes. The room felt as if it were closing in on her even though on the outside she appeared to be grounded. Due to her silence his earlier irritation flared back to life, his voice simmered with annoyance just beneath the surface. "Selene—"
"Oh, so we're on a first-name basis now, Dae?"Her response was cold, her voice was sharp and it cut through the stillness.
The icy disdain in her tone was sharp like a blade and it struck deep into his sense of respect. And with that his anger surged. His reaction was as intense as the revulsion one felt when they stepped on dog shit.
His eyes narrowed and their dark intensity reflected the candlelights in a way that made them seem almost molten like volcanic larva. With a boiling body he rose from his seat with deliberately measured grace. His form was instantly amplified as he stood and casted a shadow that undeniably enveloped her.
Even from his seated position earlier his height had been imposing but now, now as he stood it was overwhelming. It reminded her of the aura she sensed from him as he addressed the nobles just after they were formally introduced the other night.
The stark difference in their heights was noticed by Selene. Though she was tall, tall for a woman most would say, Prince Kang Dae loomed above her like a giant whose stature made her feel like a cat stalking its mouse. She soon realized with a sinking feeling that she would need to stand on tiptoes just to rest her chin on his shoulder and even then, it might just not be enough.
"I am no 잔소리꾼 (jansorikkun), regardless I will ask you again Selene, why did you make such a request of me?" His voice rumbled deeply as it resonated with an unyielding edge that sent a shiver down her spine.
It was then Selene noticed just how commanding and smooth his voice truly was. It was like each word carried a weight that demanded attention, her attention.
The candlelight illuminated the sharp angles of his face which casted a soft glow that only intensified the darkness of his chocolate eyes.
As Selene stared into them, she noticed his thick straight lashes, it was a subtle reminder of their different ethnicities. Yet it wasn't just his foreign lashes that made her breath catch; it was the sheer force of his presence and his commanding aura. It did things to her, things she wasn't even sure of herself.
As she became ensnared in his gaze, she hadn't realized just how close he had come to her. His long strides had covered the space between them with unsettling ease. Legs that moved with a purposeful grace that emphasized his dominance all the more.
"Selene?" His voice was still solid and unrelenting.
All the while, her mind raced with a flurry of thoughts and strategies. Physical confrontation was out of the question and certainly not an option. "Brute force is unladylike, a lady must use her head to get what she wants." Her mother's voice sang from her childhood memory.
Desperation suddenly gave way to clarity as a sharp and decisive plan began to form quickly.
In Prince Kang Dae's frustration he reached out to touch her shoulder. He hoped the gesture would break through her defenses. But Selene with an elegance that both surprised and entranced him, suddenly sidestepped him.
Her movement was so fluid and almost felt choreographed. Her practiced grace allowed her to slip out of his reach with a precision that was oh so sensual.
In a heartbeat, she was already behind him, her presence whispered in the space she had just occupied.
The abruptness of her escape left Prince Kang Dae momentarily stunned. He stood there frozen with his mind reeling from the unexpected turn of events. As he turned around to face her again, the realization hit him with an undeniable force.
This defiance of hers, this elusive grace that she bore was exactly why he had insisted to the king that Selene's hand in marriage was one of the few things he wanted in exchange for his contribution.
Most people wouldn't understand, it wasn't just her beauty that captivated him that day but the way she wielded her bow and arrow with an exotic lethal precision.
The memory of her moving through the obstacle course flashed through his mind.
The way her subtle muscles tensed and relaxed and the sheer grace with which she moved. She was like a predator in her element. His admiration of her wasn't something he'd shared with anyone, least of all the king. Allies, yes perhaps, but they were never friends.
Asides from that, the moment they were formally introduced in front of all the noblemen of Arcadia, Prince Kang Dae knew Selene was going to be a challenge. An intoxicating one that made his heart race and his pulse to quicken.
Like most men, he loved a good chase.
Every encounter since had only solidified this narrative, proving her to be a game of wills which was both thrilling and maddening. There was just something about her that drew him in, it was something he couldn't resist. He'd never admit it aloud but the very idea of unraveling the mystery that was Selene had become an obsession of his.
How she had managed to retake his seat oh so quickly and without him noticing at that, baffled him but not as much as the sight before him.
Selene sat with one long leg crossed over the other.
The red robe parted just enough to expose the long sleek lines of her smooth legs. His eyes shamelessly traced the curve of her calf up to her knee and then higher to the creamy soft skin of her thighs.
His breath caught while heat pooled low in his abdomen as he imagined what it would feel like to have those legs wrapped around him as they pull him deeper. He cursed the gods silently; this woman would be the death of him.
When his gaze traveled upward, he noted how her arms leisurely rested on the chair's arms. She exuded the confidence of a queen on her throne. His queen.
His eyes skimmed over the gentle rise and fall of the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were still visible beneath the thin red fabric of her robe and he forced himself to look away. He knew that if he let his gaze linger there much longer he would definitely lose what little control he had left.
Yet, when he finally met her eyes he knew he was a goner. He knew he was already wrapped around her finger and she didn't need to try.
The prince was also taken aback by the serene knowing smile on her lips. She looked at him as though she had already won and the realization of it all sent a shiver of both dread and intense desire through him.
The room which had been thick with conflicting tension moments before now pulsed with a different kind of energy. An electric dangerous charge that made his skin tingle.
"Prince Kang Dae, I've been stuck within this kingdom all my life. Is it so bad that I want you to be the one who whisks me away from it all?" Her voice was low, sultry even. It wrapped around him like a velvet rope and pulled him in.
He felt his pulse quicken and his heart pounded hard against his ribcage. He swallowed hard as his throat suddenly became dry as he desperately fought to maintain his control. "Forgive me but I still need to know exactly why you want to leave so hastily. I may be gentle but I am no fool, Selene. You are being vague with your answers."
He tried to sound firm and to project an air of detachment but unfortunately for him Selene saw right through him. Her small smile faltered and for a short moment he wondered if he had misjudged her. But then, her expression shifted and suddenly softened into one of vulnerability as if she were at risk of being misunderstood.
"Oh no, my prince." Her hand lifted and her fingers grazed the skin just below her collarbone before settling purposefully over her chest. The motion was deliberately calculated and Prince Kang Dae knew he should be wary of her but his body betrayed him.
As his gaze followed her hand, his breath hitched as he imagined what lay beneath the fabric. Already, he could feel the tightness in his chest as the slow burn of desire built inside him.
Her eyes never left his as she rose from the seat. She moved with a fluid and almost predatory grace. Each small slow step brought her closer to him and the air between them charged with an almost unbearable tension. Well, more or less for the prince.
Selene was so close now that he could feel the heat radiating from her body and it took everything in him to remain still. He had to resist the urge to pull her against him. It's not a matter of choice. Touching her in anyway un-pure would raise deadly issues for him.
Selene stood before him with her eyes wide and innocent but he somehow knew better. "I would never take you for a fool." She said with eyes that looked up at him innocently as she continued, "From what I've heard of you my prince, you are so much..." As she paused midway her hand lightly brushed against his chest. The contact was light but enough to send a jolt of electricity through him.
It wasn't Prince Kang Dae's first time of getting seduced by a woman. In fact, he had to peel and escape from them from time to time.
However, there was just something about the way Selene moved, the way she spoke, the way her eyes looked into his. He could feel himself burning up for her.
"...much more than that, my prince."
Before she could touch him again, Prince Kang Dae caught her hand with a firm grip but he tried to still be careful, as though he were afraid of breaking something delicate.
It didn't matter that he was fully clothed, he could feel every brush of her fingers and the heat from her palm as it seeped into his skin. His breath suddenly came in shallow bursts now as his control slipped away with every passing second.
"It's not that, Selene," he said with his voice rough and strained. His eyes were locked on hers as he tried yet failed to decipher her intentions because even as his body screamed at him to give in to her. "But tell me, is it only your boredom that pushed you to make that request earlier?"
Her hand was still in his and he couldn't help but notice how small it seemed in his.
There was something disarming about it, it felt like something that made him want to protect her. Yes, even if he realized she played him like a finely tuned instrument.
He could feel her pulse beneath his fingertips, it was quick yet steady and it somehow mirrored the rapid beating of his own heart.
Instead of pulling away, Selene leaned closer causing her breasts to brush against his chest. The sensation sent a spark of desire straight through him and he barely stifled a groan. The space between them was practically nonexistent now just a sliver of air keeping them apart.
"Prince Kang Dae," she murmured with her breath hot against his skin sending shivers down his spine. "I want to see the world. That's why I want to leave this place so badly. Being in one place for so long has made me oh so dreadfully sad. I couldn't hide how I felt in the forest. A lot was on my mind, truly."
Before he could respond, she slipped out of his grasp and glided away with a sensuality that left him utterly breathless. His hand fell to his side as his fingers tingled from where she had touched him. He watched her move across the room, the way her hips swayed in a way that was almost hypnotic, he found himself unable to look away.
"This is unlike me. What is she doing to me!?" He kept asking himself.
Selene walked to a large wooden wardrobe, her fingers trailed along the edges before she opened the doors. "I believe we have dinner to attend and you have an announcement to make," she said with a light and teasing voice. As she spoke, she began to untie the strings of her robe casually letting the fabric fall away from her shoulders. Like she didn't care whether he stood there and saw her naked.
Kang Dae's breathing stopped as he caught a glimpse of her bare back, the robe slipped lower and lower as if it were in slow motion revealing the curve of her lower back.
His body tightened in response as heat pooled low in his abdomen and lower.
When he realized her ass was soon to be exposed to him, he forced himself to turn away and his teeth gritted in pure frustration. "Selene! I swear to the gods, you'll be the death of me!"
Her laughter was soft, even musical and it sent a fresh wave of desire crashing through him. He could hear the soft rustle of fabric as her robe hit the floor and his imagination ran wild with images of what she must look like standing there, naked and unguarded.
With images things he could do to her against the damn wardrobe.
"Fuck! This woman is turning me into a wild beast." He all but groaned under his breath to only his hearing.
It took every ounce of willpower he had left to walk to the door. Just as he reached it, he paused with his hand still gripping the door handle so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Next time you tease me like that," he said, his voice was dangerously low and dark with unspoken promise, "I will not be a gentleman, 내 사랑" (nae sarang).
Without waiting for a response he pulled the door open and stepped out, the tension in his body released only slightly as he put considerable distance between them. His heart was still pounding and his thoughts was still a chaotic mess. He knew he was dangerously close to losing control.
Selene stood in the middle of the room with a small smile playing on her lips. She hadn't expected such a reaction from him but the thrill of it sent a shiver of excitement down her spine. At least she was going to have fun teasing him, a great way to pass time in his kingdom and most importantly…
A great way to distract her mind from thoughts of Andreas.