Eliana felt a shimmer of cringe crawling up her spine. Her gaze swept the room, as she commenced registering more of the bedchamber's look. For the flooring, marvel tiles with subtle golden threads snaking within them, had been installed. It boasted a lustrous reflective surface with a mirror-like polish and phenomenal smooth finish. They were worth their weight in legit gold.
She swiveled her head, pouring her attention on the focal point—the main element of the bedchamber. The bed, and no negligence was in sight. The visual centerpiece was in a class of its own for its design. Drifting off the norm, where intricately carved and farcically ginormous four-poster sleeper ruled the market for royalty, a low platform wooden bed won the game here.
It didn't block the entire wall, thrusting it into darkness, instead leaving it free to breathe. A horizontal stripe of mirror had been mounted just above headboard level. While the oak wood added an extra touch of warmth to the room, the white bedding combined with the striped and patterned pillows brought in class and sophistication. A well-padded half moon ottoman with deep button tufting all over had been placed at the foot of the bed. The floor covering, designed to stretch just beneath the bed was yet another merger of cooler colors with simple style.
A few meters east from the bed, a frosted door located in that wall provided access to the en-suite bathroom. The high-end design, function and setting was just similar to those of luxurious washrooms of the world-class hotels, she stayed while vacationing in the mortal realm.
The overall interior betokened how profoundly Hades valued simplicity. In order to keep the space minimal and clean, he only incorporated the most necessary items of furniture. It was admiration-inviting how he eased into an accent color, yet shook things up and made up for it with colorful art pieces.
Eliana's gaze softened, unwittingly displaying, she had taken a liking to the room. However, her mind refused to brew any words of compliments, instead it harbored a foolish urge to spew forth some sentences of opprobrium out of spite. The reminiscence of how the owner, once upon a time, used to detaste her home played the major role here. She did have the awareness, yet, denied to attend to such minor scruples.
Gentle breeze came inside through the open window, instigating her obedient hair to play with it, leading it astray.
Suddenly, Eliana's black eyebrows collided lightly, conveying confusion. As her gaze had been lingering on the ceiling painting for a while now, it picked up something obscene! The painting was devised to have a double meaning; it was displaying sexual suggestiveness!
A gasp of surprise escaped her mouth, alertness seeping into her eyes.
The bulk of a beastman's artfully-built body, immobilized the female on the grass floor. Her snow-white skin gleamed pale in the platinum beams of moon under the canopy of sky, while his brown hand was covering her breast! Dark brown sinfully engaging with the snow-white at the waist, appeared unspeakably erotic.
What Eliana initially took for a pink blouse wasn't actually a blouse, but the pinkish skin itself after undergoing some special treatment! Yes, that had to be the case, judging how his other hand was grasping her other breast! And, yes! At a cursory glance, it had given her the impression of shadow, cast by a twig. Damn! The crimson weeping cherry's drooping branches flowing down gracefully turned out to be his bulging back muscles!
Blue veins stood contrast on Eliana's pale hand, as it flew to clamp over her mouth. Her eyes, gifted with a supernatural sight, stayed glued on the ceiling.
Offering a spotlight on his desires, Hades put symbols of lust and virility in every single art piece! She never imagined a refined male like him would have such lewd taste! On profound observation, after deeply penetrating into the portrayal, why did it seem to bear resemblance to her own face?! That was outrageous!
Licentious Hades! With further corroboration to Eliana's discovery, the licentiousness seemed to be jumping right out of the portrayal. She couldn't help contorting her face into a grimace of irritation, and goose bumps sprang up all over her bare arms.
Eliana's eyes touring all over the ceiling in the pursuit of any more hidden messages, took a short break on the hanging candelabrum. And, the dripping chandelier, shedding lights and dancing shadows across the room, seemed to be mocking her.
She assimilated her wicked urge to pull it down from the ceiling, and threw it hard on the floor. Restlessness kicked her ribcage; suddenly, the words of her new assigned maids began to ring and echo inside her head, time and again.
"His Majesty will be here at any moment."
Eliana sprang up; a rush of nervous fright ate through her calmness. Hades intended to consummate the marriage, didn't he? Although she prepared herself mentally for what was to come after the wedding, it was too fast!
Just then, an overwhelming presence, put her remnants of solace on a pot containing sizzling oil. She shot her gaze at the door, and there you go!
Footsteps, muter than ants' crawling, didn't encroach her hearing, as Hades approached her towards the bed.
Eliana leaped to her feet, causing the beastman to pause in his steps. Her heart overconsuming trepidation put on weight and it sank in the depth of nervousness. Flashes of the amorous kiss that he assaulted her lips with before a humongous audience, and the erotica hanging everywhere inside the room made her skull go tingling. It tore all the threads binding her composure to the ground, smashing it to smithereens.
Impetuously, she ended up thrusting forward her jaw and asked, "What brings you here, Hades?! Pardon, I-I mean, Y-your Majesty?"
At the sight of Hades's jaw clenching and muscles jumping there, Eliana was mown down in a hail of arrows, which lodged consciousness within her. She wanted to bite down her own tongue, for running faster than her brain. Old habits were really hard to murder!
What now? Neither the words departing from one's mouth nor the arrow leaving the bow could ever be taken back. Eliana brought out the best imitation of an innocent smile on her lips. "Would you perhaps like to convey any thoughts or enlighten me on some rules and regulations?" She asked, adding a full bucket of sweetener in her voice. Clenching the skirt made from a thin material, her night gown, her fearful orbs observed him.
Hades's dark eyes appeared more austere in the glow of fire. His low eyebrows and chiseled hard features exuded subtle anger; and the clenched jaw ticked. She could clearly see the muscles twitching there again. "I would like to execute the main business instead. It's our nuptial night. Given that you are educated, I suppose, I don't need to break the deed word by word for you. Or do I?"
Damn! He struck the question with a befitting answer. Tremor crawled on her skin. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" She yelled, of course, inside her mind. On display, it was her docile form. "I-I'm tired right now."
"How so?" Hades cocked an eyebrow. "The tea you drank on your way here should have helped you regain your vitality."