The bright smile on her lips caught Kyren's attention. Since returning from her daily outing, Anna had been beaming relentlessly. His gaze slid over her as a question popped out of his mouth.
"What makes you so happy today? You've been grinning like a Cheshire cat."
Anna lifted her chin and looked up at the commander, who had changed into his robe. The princess was sitting at the edge of the bed, waiting for him.
"It's just a trivial matter. Not even worth mentioning," she answered.
Kyren came and sat next to her.
"So, you don't want to tell me?" he asked.
"I don't mean that. You're a busy person. So, I don't want to bother you with unimportant matters," said the princess, looking at him with a soft smile.
"My night time is meant for you. You can talk to me whatever you want," he said, eyes locked on her.
The commander was wondering whether his wife would tell him what had happened. These few days, he had allowed her to roam free accompanied by her escort while watching her from a distance.
"Really? Do you mean it? You won't be mad?" Her doe eyes darted at him with sparkles.
"Tell me first, and I'll decide whether I should be mad," he teased her.
Anna pouted, turning away her gaze.
"Then I'm not telling! You'll surely get angry and scold me," she sulked, refusing to talk about her story.
Kyren chuckled and pinched her cheek.
"I'm just teasing you. Fine, I won't be mad. Now, tell me."
"Promise?" She looked at him again with lustrous eyes.
"Promise," he said softly, anticipating what she would say.
Excitedly, Anna told him about the brawl and how she reconciled the two knights. After the incidents, the other knights started greeting and talking to her.
To Kyren's surprise, she did not keep anything secret from him.
"You're quite a peacemaker. If it were me, it would include a few floggings to make them shake hands," he said, wrapping his arm around her tiny waist.
"Oh, my! You wouldn't punish them, would you? I wasn't supposed to report this to you!"
Her happy face was now clouded with a worried expression. Kyren almost laughed at her anxiousness.
"Since you handled them brilliantly, I'll disregard this one. Just so you know, nothing can escape my knowledge in this place. Even if you don't tell me, I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later," he told her as he stroked her long, wavy hair.
"Thank you for being considerate," she said in gratitude.
"Now, let's go to sleep."
The lanterns in the tent were mainly put out to suit the atmosphere.
The commander pulled Anna to lie down on his arm as he sprawled on the cosy bed. The little body of hers had been warming his nights since his return. It became a habit for him to have her sleep comfortably in his embrace. The scent of ripened apples from her hair calmed his mind whenever he drifted asleep.
As Kyren's other hand lightly patted Anna's shoulder, the princess called out his name, "Kyren..."
"Hmmm..." he hummed, acknowledging her.
The princess jerked up her head and kissed his cheek lightly.
"Thank you," she whispered.
The sudden act astonished the commander, and he asked, "What's the kiss for?"
"It's an appreciation kiss," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Appreciation kiss?" he repeated in a question.
"For giving me a life that I've never dreamed of. I never thought that I would've new friends that cared for me. It means a lot to me," she said, emboldened by happiness.
"Are you happy with your new life?"
"It couldn't be better than this," she replied.
Kyren stroked Anna's cheek slowly as he felt her body snuggle closer. Then, his thumb touched her soft lips. The excitement he felt from her kiss just now made him crave more.
"Anna...," the commander called out her name this time.
"Yes, Kyren."
He smiled as he heard his name escape her mouth. Every time she said it, her voice, as soft as an evening breeze, relentlessly spread comfort through him.
A glow of lust emanated from Kyren as his hands kept grazing her soft lips. Touching her always felt so good; he could never get tired of it.
"You're so soft..."
The surging passion began to fill him up. It had been days since their last s*xual intercourse. He had not touched his wife since the last time, fearing she would be injured again.
It was hard enough to control his desire whenever he held her at night. Now that she initiated a kiss to him, it made it even harder to bear.
The commander sighed, trying to quell the driving force of passion that grew.
"Why are you sighing? Are you mad at me?"
A chilling thought came over her upon hearing his sigh. She could not determine what he looked like because the light was dim.
"No."
Anna's delicate fingers reached Kyren's jaw, touching slowly to calm him down. Then he held her hand and brought it to his mouth, grazing to his lips before suckling her fingers.
"Oh, Kyren!" Anna yelped at the unexpected lustful advances.
The lascivious act continued as he pulled out her wet fingers from his mouth. Kyren bent down and buried his head in her neck, sniffing the scent out of her. His mouth locked her nape and started to suckle it intensely, leaving a stinging sensation in the princess.
A coquettish moan muffled from Anna's lips, making the commander's pupils dilate on the growing excitement.
"You shouldn't have started the kiss. Look what you've got me into," he said, lifting his mouth from the hickey-making.
Unfazed by her rapid breathing, he raised his head and grabbed her jaw, pulling it to his face and laying his lips with hers, feeling every bit of softness he could get. He could feel her body squirming from his touch in the dim light.
Kyren pulled Anna close, crushing her little body with his stout figure.
"Haaa....." An exhale escaped his lips as they parted from hers for a breath.
It was not enough. Not enough to ease the scorching emotion. Just a passionate kiss and touch were insufficient to extinguish the inflamed ardour.
"More!" he demanded as he slipped his hand into her nightwear, heading unnervingly for the two luscious mounds. Driven into ecstasy, his touch became more erotic and elaborate.
When he gripped the flesh, Anna jerked up.
"Gentler, please!" Her voice was in between the aroused panting.
"Sorry!"
He quickly backed away from the touch as if he had sinned. Rafe's warning immediately crossed his mind, interrupting the surging passion.
"No! Don't stop!"
Anna pulled back his hand and landed it on her bosom.
"I don't want to hurt you again."
A crease formed on his forehead. The gush of needs inside him was struggling against the will to keep her unscathed.
"It's fine, Kyren. Just don't rush for it."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. Mould me so that I would be accustomed to your body." Her arm encircled his neck as her other hand began to open his robe.
Anna could feel the jolting passion from the caressing of his hands and kisses. She longed for this physical touch that made her feel loved and appreciated. His insistent f*replay evoked a burning desire from deep inside.
"Take me, please!"
The silky voice that came out begging tore down Kyren's resistance. He could no longer refuse the temptation. A low grunt skipped his lips when her delicate fingers snaked down to his muscular abdomen.
Focusing his attention on her and her attention on him, the two bodies copulated, hearts and souls bound as one, reaching the peak of pleasures.
***
The nature of the wild hummed along with the sound of owls, the breeze rustling through the trunks and chirping summer crickets. He could almost feel the earthy air and smell the rotten barks of the forest.
"So, what do you find about her so far?"
The commander's voice shook the embedding calmness of the night.
"She's a high-ranking noble," Noah replied.
After a few days of observing Anna as her escort, he finally came to a conclusion.
Kyren smirked.
"I thought so."
"But she's different. Very different. She's one of a kind," added the knight.
"Meaning?" the commander raised his fine brow.
"She's not adamant, very polite and selfless. She's also caring and kind," described Noah.
"Then, why would you assume that she's a noble? Based on what you said, she has the opposite characteristics of a noblewoman," asked Kyren.
"It's because of her outstanding skills. I saw how she interacted with Ayden and Rafe. She seems quick to grasp any new lesson, has excellent observation and a good memory," said the knight.
"A fast learner..." Kyren murmured.
"Yes, and she's proficient in four languages, especially the Ro'an old language. From what I heard, she has received a formal education and read numerous books. Most of it is accessible only to high-ranking nobles," Noah added.
"I can see that. I was observing her too, from afar. She has the tendency to attract people and subdue them with her charm. I've seen how she managed your fight with Eric. Nobody had been successfully handling you two like her."
Noah averted his eyes from Kyren, a bit embarrassed about the incident.
"She's an interesting lady. With her docile look, I've never expected her to have such persuasive skills," the knight then commented.
"She is. She has specific knowledge of military law too. When she spat out the statements, it feels like talking to a law book," said Kyren, feeling proud of his wife.
"That's surprising! Not even all high-ranking nobles would know and memorise that!"
The knight was amazed by the new fact shared by his commander.
"For any royal family members, it is compulsory to learn the Ro'an as it was the language of the empire, the foundation of the continent, and several other languages. Also, we were trained to gain knowledge in various fields," he said before continuing, "She's timid, clingy and dependent but knows etiquette, although a bit clumsy. Other than her personality, her knowledge and skills matched the ability a royal family member should have."
Noah's eyes widened at Kyren's statement.
"Could it be that she's a princess?" he asked in disbelief.
"She could be."
"But, there's no princess in Ardel. A regent has ruled the kingdom since two years ago after the demise of the royal family," stated the knight.
It was a piece of information gathered by the mercenaries' guild that he used to serve.
"They must've kept her hidden for some reason," the commander hypothesised.
"Ah... That means the knightess she mentioned must've been her escort!"
Noah snapped his fingers as he merged the puzzles in his mind.
"She told you about a knightess?" asked Kyren inquisitively.
"Yes. The knightess was her friend and has passed away. My lady always talked about her saying that she was the best in the knighthood," said Noah excitedly. "This is a huge clue since only a few knightess are available on the continent."
"If the best knightess escorted her, that means only one thing. She's an essential royal family member." Kyren's eyes sparkled brightly.
Noah added in agreement.
"Did she mention anything about her family?" the commander asked.
The knight shook his head.
"Not even once. She only considered you as her family, and she trusts you very much," he mentioned.
"That's because she has no one else. Something bad must've happened to her in Ardel." Kyren stroked his stubbled chin with a brooding look.
"Yes, I believe so. For a royal family member to be pursued by the Bargesians and end up being caught by slave traders, she surely had been through a lot," said Noah.
Kyren's eyes shot fiercely. Thinking that someone had mistreated her little wife, a rage of anger soared in his heart.
"Go to Ardel now! Find out everything about her and what has happened," he ordered the knight.
"Yes, commander! I shall move immediately." Noah bowed.
The sturdy body of the knight began to disappear amid the darkened night as he traversed into the forest.