Chapter Song Suggestion "Mortal Epilogue by Shuang Sheng" *link in comment*
"Welcome back Your Majesty!" Jin greeted with a slight tremor in his voice, betraying his nerves.
Kyou called him out on his anxiety. "Spit it out, Jin. I don't have all day."
Jin's hesitant gaze darted from the Emperor to Inka before he said, "While Your Majesty was away, two royal guests have come to pay a visit."
"Who are they?" Kyou asked irritably. He had hastened home because he wanted to spend time with Inka but, now his mood severely deteriorated.
"Your Majesty," a sultry, feminine voice addressed him.
Three heads turned to stare at a young lady in a conspicuous dress of layered, shimmering silks of red, gold and teal. She smiled over the top of her painted fan, carrying an air of genteel nobility. Tucked into her sable hair was a small bouquet of cherry blossoms but, what arrested Kyou's attention was the hair pin with the royal crest of Ryoga.
"Princess Ryoga," he acknowledged in a formal bow.
Lowering her fan, the woman hummed in obvious appreciation. Her red lips curved. "Sharp minded just like the rumours say. You are indeed magnificent, Your Majesty."
Inka disliked how the Princess consumed Kyou with her eyes, especially when they lingered on his exposed chest. Though she was tempted to warn her off, Inka kept her temper in check, knowing her jealousy would only embarrass everyone. Deep down, she sighed. It was hard to be dignified.
"I apologize for not being here to welcome you," Kyou remarked. To outsiders, he appeared the visage of remorse but, to Inka's ears, his words rang false. She had observed that the calmer he was, the more annoyed he truly felt inside.
"We are the ones who must apologize, Your Majesty," the Princess responded in kind. "We should have sent a missive before coming to call on you. Your advisor has informed us that you are at war with the King of Nanyang."
"Was," Kyou corrected bluntly. "The war is over."
"I see, well that's wonderful news! A cause for celebration." She clasped her hands in delight, her attention shifting to Inka — silently judging. "Is this your lover? I have heard the rumours about her unique colouring and those eyes...,"
Her words were hidden barbs beneath roses, successfully pricking Inka's womanly pride. But she was no fool to fall into the princess's trap. This woman screamed 'bully' and Inka flashed a 'do-not-mess-with-me' smile that had the princess scowling. Message received.
Detecting the rising tension between them, Kyou grabbed Inka's hands and cajoled. "I'll handle this and come to you later. In the meantime, why don't you enjoy my private bathhouse?"
One silver brow arched in surprise. He had a bathhouse? Kyou must really want her away from the princess. Well, who could blame him? She couldn't promise not to retaliate if the Princess insulted her again. Reluctantly, Inka acquiesced. "Fine. But if she tries anything like General Attaw did…," she allowed her words to trail off meaningfully.
His expression hardened unforgivably — at himself. Stunning the others, Kyou openly kissed the back of her knuckles. "I promise that will never happen again."
Smugly, Inka locked eyes with the glowering Princess over his shoulder. "Then, I'll see you later. Don't make me wait too long."
The Princess watched with gnawing jealousy as the Emperor stared after his lover like a lovesick puppy. She hadn't believed the rumours. Until now. Schooling her expression, false adulation replaced her resentment.
"Allow me to escort you, Your Highness," Kyou chivalrously offered his arm. "It seems I am owed an explanation for your sudden visit."
"I think it's obvious why I'm here, Your Majesty." She batted her lashes. "My father is here to discuss our impending nuptial, the one you wrote to us in a letter."
"Letter?" He stiffened in his tracks, his face shifting to that of a statue. Those damn geezers! "You were misled, Princess. I have no intentions of joining with you."
She blinked incomprehensibly, laughing to cover up her anxiety. "Pardon me, Your Majesty but, I could have sworn —"
"I will not marry you," he expounded testily. "What I want to know is why?"
The princess lost all manner of aplomb, her jaws unhinging. "W-why? What do you mean why? I would be honoured to be the Empress of Xi. Our alliance would garner your country an expendable army. Think of the countries we could conquer together."
It was her mistake to lump him with those power-hungry corrupts ruling the bordering countries. She missed the tic in his jaw as she went on. "If you marry me, we will have beautiful children who can help us to expand our empire."
"Shut your mouth," he snapped.
And she did. No one has ever asked her to shut up before, not even her own father. It was a splash of cold water in her face. Appalled by his boorish manner, she harrumphed. "How dare you! I have never been treated with such contempt! You may be a great and revered Emperor but clearly you lack manners on how to treat a woman. You cur!"
"My woman likes me just fine," he countered smoothly, enraging her further. "You on the other hand should reconsider marrying a cur because this is how our relationship will be if you insist on pressing the matter. I must warn you that no one forces me to marry. If you'll excuse me, I am needed elsewhere. Advisor Jin will escort you back to your chamber. We shall continue this discussion at dinner with the King of Ryoga present to save me from feminine hysterics." Kyou strode off without a backward glance.
In fact, he didn't even look at her when he spoke. His blatant disrespect incensed her, and she stomped her feet in anger, her cheeks turning red.
Advisor Jin cleared his throat warily. "Shall we, Your Highness?"
"I can make my own way back!" she snapped and left him with her head held high.
"Oh, Your Majesty. What have you done now," Jin lamented, feeling an impending headache coming on.
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Inka frolicked in the milk bath scattered with lush, red petals — the scent of roses wafting and enticing her senses. She gently scrubbed her arm, wondering what was taking Kyou so long. She couldn't believe that he had a private bathhouse, then again this was the imperial palace — a lavished paradise only money could buy.
Softly humming, she straightened at the sound of light footfalls. Sinking into the chalky waters, she peered around the misty room. "Kyou, is that you?"
His soft chuckle reached her ears. "Who else could it be? The servants know better than to trespass."
"I don't know," she answered honestly, watching his silhouette disrobing. Lust — sharp and unbidden — bloomed within her. Her blush receded as all the heat in her body shifted. To low, damp places. "Lately we've encountered endless threats that makes it hard to truly feel safe anywhere."
"You'll always be safe with me," he assured, wading into the shallow end of the pool where the water touched his knees. She nearly couldn't breathe at his chiselled magnificence, her throat drying up.
Kyou didn't bother to hide his arousal — had been — since he watched her cavorting in the waters like a spirited nymph, all silky hair and wet body. His lids lowered heavily. "Come here, witch," he beckoned in that rich, decadent voice.
Inka shivered involuntarily. Obeying him, she swam the distance and stood. Kyou was transfixed. She was a provocative siren — silver wet hair and sultry eyes — they aroused more than his baser instincts. As she waded to him, he took his time to admire the milky droplets sliding down from her neck to the slopes between her perky breasts and finally, drifting down the contours of her stomach before disappearing into his favourite place.
He felt a surge of pride for having this amazing woman in his life and knowing that she loved him, made his heart swell. Before Inka could blink, he had her pinned to the pool step and his mouth captured hers in a wild kiss.
Inka welcomed his passion and the strength of his hands on her body. He trailed kisses to her ear, gently nibbling her lobe. Chills shot white-hot through her body. Everywhere he touched, she burned with pleasure. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her heels digging into his buttocks as she arched deeper into him rubbing her hot core against his hard shaft. Never had she felt so desired, so alive.
He was so hungry for her. She had never seen him like this, like he had to be touching her body. Her hands feathered over the planes of his muscled back, feeling the raised scars of his recently healed wounds. Inka knew that he belonged to her, as she did to him, and no one was ever going to take him away — she would make sure of it. His kiss turned frenzied and possessive as if he had heard her thoughts. That was when she realized she had said them aloud.
Her thoughts splintered when he pinched her nipples, sending a sharp, sudden ache straight to the heat between her thighs. She moved restlessly, wanting something only that he could give her. "Please, Kyou."
His hand gripped her bottom hard while his other dipped into the honey between her parted legs to soothe the ache he had aroused. His fingers worked her in slow, easy movements, rubbing, squeezing,and teasing the sensual bud above her opening, before thrusting two fingers into her core.
She cried out, breaking their kiss to look into his dusky eyes, at the foreign sensation of being stretched and her spine bowed off the step. He pumped his fingers in and out of her slickness, watching with hooded eyes as she climbed higher and higher to the point of ecstasy. He could feel the barrier of her hymen but, he didn't want to take her virginity with his fingers. When he did, he wanted to claim her with his hard cock, wanted her innocence coating him.
Focusing on stimulating her clit, he knew the moment she reached the pinnacle and came crying out his name, her sheath greedily swallowing his fingers. He loved watching her come, the pretty pinkness of her skin proved how much he affected her. His masculine pride inflated that he could make her scream his name every time.
Inka descended from the clouds, panting like she had ran for hours. "Your Majesty...you have...very talented fingers."
He chuckled, nuzzling her neck, licking the saltiness of her skin. "Wait until we finally make love. It will blow your mind away."
"What about you?" she asked breathily, looking down at his stiff arousal. Even after he had made her come, she was suddenly feeling shy as she studied his twitching manhood. Kyou always went out of his way to pleasure her, and she wanted to reciprocate. "I don't like it when I'm the only one who feels good."
His eyes twinkled with merriment. "Just looking at you gives me pleasure, witch." Nudging her chin up, he asked. "Would you like to learn how to please a man?"
She nodded eagerly and peeled off his body.
"Stay where you are," he ordered and hefted himself onto the pool's edge, his proud member throbbing in her face. Inka swallowed at the sight of his magnificent thick cock, the purplish-blue veins leading to a mushroomed head where a pearl of pre-cum beaded his slit. Mindlessly, her tongue flicked out for a taste, and he jerked so violently that she reared back.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, a slight ruddiness on the bridge of his nose. "You startled me. A man's cock is very sensitive when it's aroused. Just one touch and I am your willing slave."
She liked the idea of that. A brazen smile teased her lips and she looked at him with anticipation. "I've never done this before but, I was taught by the tribeswomen when we came across the topic of pleasuring a man. We practiced on fruits."
His brows lifted in astonishment. Leaning back on his flattened palms, he grinned and relaxed. "Then, I'm all yours, witch."
Gripping his shaft in her hand, she experimentally licked from tip to root causing him to inhale sharply. Pleased with his reaction, Inka swallowed his length and sucked hard — up, down, up, down — twirling her tongue around the base of his head. She savoured his slight saltiness, using her hand to pump while teasing the crown of his penis with constant pressure. Recalling what the women said about a man's heightened pleasure when his balls were fondled, she gently rolled his warm sacs in her palm and squeezed lightly.
If Kyou hadn't known that she was new to this, he would have believed that she had had done this before. He surrendered to the pleasure that rode him as she stimulated his arousal with her nimble tongue until he couldn't stand it any longer. "Inka, stop," he forced out. "I'm going to come."
"I want you to come in my mouth." She pulled up for air before sucking him back into her warm, moist cavern. Her teeth lightly grazed the underside of his manhood, and he lost it.
Kyou's desire intensified at her consent and releasing a husky groan, he came hard like never before, his cum flooding her mouth in thick spurts. Like a good girl, she swallowed every drop and licked her lips after, beaming at him. "You taste like sunshine after rain, and a hint of salt."
He shook his head at her waxing poetic, unable to resist diving in for another kiss. He tasted himself on her tongue, finding the experience quite erotic and pleasing. He had never done this with anyone else, not even the harem concubines.
"I've been thinking," she said after he released her. "That I'm ready to be with you."
"You are with me," he remarked quizzically.
"No." Her gaze penetrated his. "I mean that I'm ready to be intimate with you."