"WHAT IS THAT TO BE OVERWHELMED BY?"
I arched my eyebrows, "Are you joking?" He bounced his beautiful head negatively. "You. Of course, it is you. Everything about you is overwhelming at a second glance, especially after I started what we did yesterday. You were a little shy at first, but then you were quickly getting a hang of how to make me lose my mind!"
His laughter was way too sensual, "Are you talking about what I did to you in the bathtub, darling?"
Just remembering that burns my skin, "Not only that. But yes, you got so confident that you tortured me."
He caressed my cheeks, took a strawberry from the bowl, and feed it to me. "You felt good, didn't you? So, it wasn't torture. I was just… trying to make you say it all. Otherwise, you would have stopped and gone straight to the good part."
It's still infuriating though. But again, he's right, I did feel good. Beyond good, actually. "I plead with you to give me more, and you didn't. That was torture, especially because you knew I was dying without having you in me," then I ate the other strawberry he feed me with. "Hm, these are delicious!"
He licked his lips and kissed me fondly, then caressed my hair, "You are delicious!" But before I could say anything, he pressed his lips together, "I have to talk to you about… three things, Hope." Oh, well, that doesn't sound good.
Feeling anxious, I blinked, eating a piece of lemon pie that he also feed me, "How bad is it?"
"Not bad. But it's something you need to know. Actually, I invited you for dinner yesterday to talk about this, but then I came here after you, you kissed me, and well… we went so deep on that, that I totally forgot to talk about it. And when you woke up a while ago, I couldn't think of anything but of how I need to have you over me again, to feel you inside," he caressed my neck. "But now, I really have to talk to you about it."
A nod. "Then let's talk."
He tilted his head to the side, playing with my hair. "Do you know the difference between the two categories of noble and royal spies?" Oh? I did not see that coming.
And of course, I know that. Since I read about it the novel, because both the male lead and the villain, had multiple spies everywhere. "Mhm. Lesser and Top. Lesser spies are in bigger quantity, but they are unable to interfere in any way, with the environment they are sent to spy on. They also can't interact directly with their targets. However, the Top spies can. Not only they can, but they have a bigger authority to do as they please as long as they get all the information needed. And it doesn't disturb the hierarchy, because they are in a much lower quantity, since they have to possess great skills," I bit my bottom lip. "Like you!"
"You know more than I thought you would. It makes it easier to explain," well, he didn't deny my supposition of him being a Top spy.
"You came here and not only interfered in the outcome of the ball when helping me out and saving me, but you also got intimate with me," I caressed his hair and he feed me more lemon pie. "Not to mention you have the skills, so this makes you a Top spy."
"Indeed, I have the skills. But, darling, the point is that even if the Top spies have outstanding power, be it physically, magically, with incantations, or anything else, the Lesser spies are still stronger than most people. Although most of them are more set on their sensibility to magic, emotions, and intentions. And there are Lesser spies everywhere. Everywhere!"
His emphasis on everywhere made me feel off. "You mean to say that there spies pilling up back in the County?" A nod. "But that's obvious." In the novel, it says that Duke Luc Von der Meer, and Duke Dylan Reverdin, the respective hero and villain of the story, aren't the only ones who have spies everywhere. But the southern Dukedom, as well as the western Dukedom, and the Royal House both have it as well.
And it's subtle that the Mage Citadel also has spies infiltrated everywhere in the Kingdom. So, it's more of a matter of the saying 'information is power' than anything else.
Sigh, "You don't seem to get what I mean, Hope."
"Than be clearer!"
He kissed my forehead and ate the last piece of the lemon pie, then kissed my lips. "Both Lesser and Top spies can feel one's magic even if it's a very faint and small amount. The Lesser spies are usually sent everywhere to both get information and to measure nobles' magic powers. Top spies are ever sharper than them since they can feel the type of magic as well."
I'm sure I turned pale the instant his words settle in because he gave me a cup of fruit smoothie. And when I finished, he held my shaking hands, waiting for me to say something. But I struggle, "You know my secret?" My voice came out lower than a whisper.
"I do."
I bit the insides of my cheek, "Shit. Since when?"
"Seven months ago."
When the realization of what that meant came to me, I felt as if the food in my stomach had turned into stone. "Last night you said the first time a girl had habituated your thoughts was seven months ago, and that it was me... Was that the reason why you got your attention to settle on me?"
He played with my hair and a playful smile appeared on his lips, "No. It wasn't the fact that you actually had magic and were hiding from everyone. Although that was quite amusing to know. But it was actually one of the other things the spies said about you," what else could it be?
"What else did they say?"
"That you are dangerous," what?
I gasped anxiously, "How am I dangerous? I've never represented any harm to anyone but my family, even if they aren't aware of it. I… I'm not dangerous!" They don't know about the specific magic I possess, right?
"No need to be anxious, darling," he landed a brief kiss on my lips, tasting like lemon pie.
"I'm not dangerous!"
It'll be terrible if the male lead thinks I'm dangerous since, after the death of his sister and only family, he became the type to be ruthless and cold to anyone, but Princess Alina, after they fell in love when he was 24 and she was 25. But as he should be around 22 now, and in the darkest time of his life, he sure would eliminate me if I represented any kind of danger.
That's why I tried my all to stay the fuck away from him. Damn it. As long as I stay away from the four leads, I'll be able to live, otherwise, I would only have to survive.
And I don't want that.
Not to mention that getting in the way of the main storyline just because of a silly desire to meet the main leads, can be deadly. Any interference could change the entire story. Which means- Chaos!
We don't want chaos. Chaos is dangerous. And it would also change all I know about the future of the story from the novel. Resulting in me having horrible anxiety breakout because I don't know if I'll be alive or if the world will end on the next day.
We also don't want that, do we? Everyone who has anxiety knows how destructive that feels.
"Look, after the news came in, a Top spy was sent there to learn more about this power of yours, and he learned that you are no simple mage," I gulped, "but one with quite the rare condition. Two times rare, hm?" Clenching my jaw, I felt out of breath. "Both the fact that you possess three types of magic, and that one of them is the long lost shadow magic, that used to be infamously known from your mother's northern bloodline."
"I…"
"And you also have a surprisingly good control over it, no?" I said nothing since it would be useless. "This power that lies within you is something to be scared of, Hope. It's quite ironic when it comes to your name, isn't it? Hope has shadows within her. Tragically poetic. But the thing is, this makes you dangerous," by how he brought me closer to his chest, he didn't seem one bit wary.
"I'm not a threat, okay?" Sigh. "Especially not to the north," I have love for my life.
Suddenly he kissed me, and it was that intense kiss again. Pressing me on him, making me moan in his mouth, "I don't know about that!" He said, catching me off guard.
I gasped, "What makes you say that?"
"The reason that actually made me interested in you," he sucked my bottom lip, hardening his grip on my ass. "All the spies who have their eyes on you said the same thing. You loathe everyone outside the southern borders. Especially the north, and Duke Luc Von der Meer." My eyes widened in shock, "But it seems like he wasn't the only target of your hatred, as you also supposedly hated Duke Dylan Reverdin, that bastard, and the Royal family; to be more precise, 2nd Princess Alina Desormeaux!"
What's happening? First, was Marianne. Now him?