Yanyue's eyes snapped open, and her heart pounded like a drum.
"What was that?!" she thought frantically to herself.
No, it was Lucianna who looked exactly like her!
Nevertheless, their faces were duplicates of each other, so she could not separate the woman and herself. Her heart was still beating fast from the intense pleasure experienced by a replica of her in the dream, which felt quite real for a moment.
When she finally calmed down, flashes of what happened at the restaurant returned to her. She kneaded her forehead, recalling the scene of herself in agony.
When her breathing steadied, she realized she was on her bed at the Eastern Palace.
She wondered how she got back and where Yanfeng was.
"How is she?"
A familiar voice asked from the balcony.
After a few seconds of silence, it continued, "Take care of her and the baby."
The conversation stopped after a beep. Beichen entered from the balcony, tucking his phone into his suit pocket.
"Your Highness..." said Yanyue, who could not entirely face the man because of the strange guilt she felt for "cheating" in her dream.
"Your schemes are getting bolder each time I meet you," said Beichen as he sat on the bed beside Yanyue.
"Your jealousy knows no bounds."
He seized her chin with his fingers, preventing Yanyue from talking. Then, he glared into her eyes and warned, "I'm being partial to you because of grandma, but if you dare to hurt her again, then I won't let you go."
Beichen's deep eyes were like a spell that could freeze Yanyue's body, preventing her from breathing normally. She could feel that he was indeed being serious. However, as much as he could endure all his abuses and other accusations, accepting something that she did not do was crossing it a little bit.
From her pinched lips, she defended and said, "I didn't push her."
He gripped her chin with more force.
"She almost lost her baby, and you're still not admitting to your mistakes?"
"I didn't do it. Not this time or last time, either. Please believe me," she begged hopelessly.
"Did you forget that I was also there?" commented Beichen.
"I don't know how she fell either."
He scoffed, "Don't know? Let me show you."
The bed sunk as Beichen pushed Yanyue down and strapped her between his legs. He huffed and loosened his ties to release the pressure in his chest.
"I remember that she fell like this. If this is not pushing, then what is?"
Then he paused. "Or were you so concentrated on cheating that you even forgot what you did?"
Yanyue frowned in puzzlement. Her complicated dreams were another matter, but it was correct to say that she had never cheated on Beichen in real life. In her opinion, no one was more attractive than this man, so she would never seek out anyone else. How did he even assume such a thing as her dishonesty? Especially when she explained that her relationship with Yanfeng was purely just friends.
Of course, Beichen refused to believe Yanyue because of his pride. Furthermore, he heard from Wanyue that this woman would wag her tail in front of any man she saw. And it was true. When she was not with Jason, she would call for Yanfeng.
Even if this marriage was not by choice, he sincerely resented it when his woman, despite his feelings for her, clung to another man. So, to show her who she belonged to, he would apply the most ruthless discipline.
He stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it aside. He unbuckled the leather belt on his pants and used it to tie her hands up her head.
Yanyue's heart was racing out of fear, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"
Beichen's lips curled up wickedly, "Teaching you what pushing means."
It was too late to stop him when Yanyue understood what he wanted to do; he had already ripped apart her dress.
He whispered in her ears, "This is your punishment."
Without a cue, he revealed her privates and abruptly inserted one finger inside, to which she cried in pain as there was no foreplay, satisfying his evil ego.
He couldn't care less about her misery and continued to push his finger in and out. When she was finally wet, which did not take long, no matter how twisted the situation was, for physiology matters were different from mental preparation, he stuck in another finger.
"Your mouth says no, but your body is honest."
Yanyue's face flushed with shame. She could not accept that she would feel something being forced like this. Her body responded on its own despite the rejection in her heart. It was as if another personality was hidden deep in her soul, and that other self craved his touches.
She was so wet that when he moved his fingers, there was a slippery and sticky sound echoing in the room.
The man smirked wickedly, "You're such a slut drenching the whole bed."
Yanyue could not say anything because she was feeling too much pleasure from the way his fingers massaged her innermost and sensitive parts.
"No, I'm- Ahng!"
Her curvy body arched high as a clear liquid sprayed onto the bed and Beichen's hand, which he licked away seductively while gazing down at his piece of artwork.
He was not as nearly satisfied as he expected, so he zipped his pants and drew out his rock-hard cock. He kneeled between her face and shoved himself inside her mouth, which made Yanyue almost gag.
"Mmnh!" he moaned with a deep voice. The warmth of her mouth around him felt so good that he could come any minute.
"Suck it clean," he demanded of the woman.
Yanyue frowned, but the next thing she knew, her mouth was already running on its own. She teased his hardness with her tongue—on the tip, behind the tip, around the tip—everything in her mouth was at her disposal.
Like always, she knew what he liked, what made him close his eyes like he was praying, and what made him growl from the core of his throat. She learned and recognized everything about him, which was a testament to how desperate and obsessive she was about him. Sometimes, she wished this was not the case.
"Fuck!" Beichen pulled out after holding in the hot and sticky juice for a long time, which was now all over Yanyue's face. She wiped the stuff off her face; she was not as daring as him to lick or swallow it.
Perhaps she was pregnant, and tiredness easily consumed her. After Beichen left her in a state of wretchedness, she fell into a deep sleep.
*
On this shimmering full moon, the palace was decorated and filled with music and laughter. Young people of all calibers wore elegant and beautiful clothes, and the women showed off their family wealth based on the sizes of their dresses—the bigger and fluffier their dresses, the richer they were.
Yanyue, the princess consort, was adorned with one of the most prominent and fluffiest dresses of all the ladies in the banquet hall. She rejected such unnecessary standards, but Grandma Lu would not heed her no's for an answer. So, she was stuck wearing something she felt was the opposite of Klotho's comfortable motto.
With little to do before the banquet commenced, she listened to the excellent string quartet playing from the distance as she chatted with Grandma Lu. The seat beside her was empty because Beichen was not here, even though they were supposed to attend the Royal Banquet together as a couple. But she knew that he would show up because this banquet was important.
The Crown Prince, Jinchen, was sent on a quest to the northern territory to eliminate a terrorist group that had been threatening the country's peace for years now. It had been six years since his deployment, and he had finally successfully brought down the terrorist group. So, the King hosted this banquet to celebrate his triumphant return.
Yanyue last saw the crown prince when they were children, and her memories of him were at most spotty.
However, it seemed that he grew up to be a very mature and handsome man. The way he rested on the chair was like Beichen, elegant and dignified, matching the likes of his prestigious identity. One main difference was that he did not look as cold or unapproachable as Beichen because he could smile if requested or when necessary.
Sitting beside him was the Crown Princess, Suyin. This was the first time that Yanyue had met her. As the rumors suggested, she was indeed an outstanding woman, with a natural beauty that surpassed all the women Yanyue had seen before.
Suyin also appeared to be outspoken. She was on par with the Crown Prince regarding socialization, even laughing freely at what Yanyue thought were lame jokes from ministers, which she could not deny were good.
Along with the return of the crown prince was General Shen. He returned home when Yanyue's engagement with Beichen was announced, but he left soon after that to return to the northern territory. Yanyue was sad that her father could not attend her wedding.
Perhaps it was best that he was not there, as she did not know how long her marriage would last.
Who knew when Beichen would divorce her?
She felt that that day was just around the corner.
As she sighed in helplessness, a new guest joined the banquet. Yanyue did not know who she was, but she could tell that the woman was a distinguished guest because other people greeted her respectfully.
"Congratulations, Jin, for returning home safely. You have sacrificed a lot for the country," said Chu-hua as she greeted the Crown Prince and Crown Princess with a bow.
Jinchen smiled warmly at the woman and said, "Thank you, Lady Chu-hua."
The woman glanced directly into the Crown Prince's eyes briefly before gracefully smiling back and taking her seat away from them.
But was it Yanyue's imagination, or was the Crown Prince a different person in front of this Chu-hua woman? He was gentler than Beichen, but he was still a royal family member. The woman greeted him without even batting an eyelid, as if she was used to meeting the Crown Prince. And it seemed that the Crown Prince saw no problem with it and even seemed to relish her appearance.
Yanyue observed Suyin and noticed that the upward curve on the woman's lips had dimmed down. She could tell that the Crown Princess's eyes radiated with an envious glow, something Yanyue was not a stranger at spotting. She wondered if there was a history she did not know about these three people. If there was one, then she ought that it was not the happiest story to recount.
However, she had no time to speculate about this because her husband had just entered the room arms-in-arms with her sister. There was a moment of astonishment from the guests as they whispered the apparent gossip. Yanyue heard someone giggle quietly and said, "That's the Prince's mistress. Are we going to see a play today?"
Beichen was not deaf to the gasps and buzzes in the room, but he ignored the blabber of those unimportant lower people. He carefully guided the woman next to him down the aisle and stopped by his reserved seat. He pulled the chair beside him for Wanyue, and then they sat down to wait for the banquet like everyone else.
Right next to him, Yanyue felt like her body was burning in hot water from the humiliation that Beichen gave her. Usually, a married couple would arrive together at the Royal Banquet. This was a tradition that had been passed from ancient times. But to come with his lover instead of his wife showed the instability of the husband and wife's marriage.
Beichen's action was out of the norm, angering the old lady very much. If it were any other time, she would have given her grandson a great lesson, but this was her first grandson's celebration, so she held back.
If there was one person she pitied, it would be the child next to her. To show her empathy, she held Yanyue's hand as if to reassure her that she would not let this issue go.