Chapter 4. Whispers

He looked at her for a brief second, but then, he leaned on the seat and closed his eyes to rest without answering her. 

Emma thought he was pondering deeply, but many minutes passed, and he hadn't made any sound. She began to grow anxious, her hands were sweating, and she couldn't stop clasping her hands. 

'Did he agree?' She didn't know if she should wake him up or not to get his answer. 'This damn man, he dared to fall asleep without responding to me?'

She was starting to move her hands in restlessness when she finally decided to wake him up, not minding the consequences.

"Do… do you agree?" She muttered, barely audible to the ear. Then again a bit louder, "Do you have an answer?!" However, she didn't get any reaction from the sleeping man in front of her. "Hey, don't leave me without response!"

Her hands were itchy to send a slap to that handsome face of his and make him open his eyes. But she better not, as she knew that man will kill her if she dared offend him twice the same day.

"Hey!" She clapped and waited for a moment. However, the man didn't make a single move. "Are you sleeping for real?"

She inspected his face, examining carefully his calm expression and looking for any sign of awareness. Her thoughts had been so occupied by her little plans before, that she forgot to pay attention to the man's looks. Suddenly she became mesmerized. 

"You..." she whispered while she inspected his face bit by bit. "You are way too attractive even with that nasty personality of yours, it is not fair."

It was well known that the Duke of Kobach was an attractive man, even the prideful luriems acknowledged him. Some even said that the Crown Prince of Luriem was not a match for him. Even if the Crown Prince was beautiful, he lacked the manly and strong aura of the Duke. The perfect body filled with smooth muscles, the handsome face, a bit fierce but enchanting, those eyes, red and powerful, it was said that the number of ladies who will die to become his wife could round the earth. However, Emma was not someone who let herself be taken by some rumors or looks. 

Still, looking at him in person, she could only agree that her new husband was truly pleasing to the eye. With a face elegant and masculine at the same time. A beautiful chiseled jaw and marvelous skin, almost asking to be touched. Even those lips... the same ones she had tasted before. When he grabbed her by the waist and swept away her breath, she could feel the warmth and strength of his body. It came to her mind how mindblowing would be to be touched by him. 

She hadn't noticed, but her body moved closer to him, almost touching his robes. 

"He sure is handsome," she voiced her thoughts again without noticing her tone filled with fascination.

Her eyes hadn't stopped traveling his long eyelashes till the tip of his jaw. It was as if she was looking at a beautiful sculpture. His skin was so smooth, and his lips were red and thin. He had a truly spellbinding face. 

"Sigh..." she bit her lips when she remembered the touch of his lips. She had never felt the touch of a man before, and she knew that she made a bold move back then, but she didn't care. It was his fault, and he was truly gorgeous. Somehow she felt lucky. 

In Luriem, she grew up accustomed to see beauty, fine beauty at that, but for her to be truly attracted to someone, it had proven to be a difficult task, and the long line of suitors could attest to that. They were too narcissistic and arrogant for her taste.

She didn't know, though, that for the luriems, she became the personification of their desires. For beauty, for power, for lust. Many men wanted her; some, to get her smile and love; some, to make her their trophy; and, some, to suppress her beauty as they envied her.

For the luriems, to let her go as a wife to another country, created a wave of harsh criticism towards the King but also a relief, since the fight for her hand was making the King go crazy. Even the Crown Prince was one of her long time obsessed admirers.

Emma was, of course, too dense to understand the ripples she had created. After all, she had lived in shelter her whole life, and she became completely ignorant of the rumors about her. 

It is not that she was oblivious to the interest of some harbored for her, however, she thought it was because of her title and the wealth of his father. She had always underestimated her beauty and accomplishments, and her family never did anything to change that.

Her father cared more about his riches and numerous businesses than her, and her grandpa lived so far away that the few times they saw each other could be counted in one hand.

Also, she had little to no friends, and the only people who talked to her were her master and tutors. Though, they were only a few hours with her, teaching the basics, and nothing more. 

Therefore, now that she was married, she didn't know how to behave with her recently acquired husband. The boundaries within the relationship were hard to understand, but she didn't want to find them out, as she wasn't the least interested in staying chained to a forced marriage. And, of course, she knew that the man thought the same.

However, the awful Duke broke the respectful and always dignified temper of hers within just a few minutes of knowing each other. She was now remembering his tight grip on her hand. 

"Bastard," she cursed him, but then her eyes slowly traveled to his lips that, not many moments ago, invaded her mouth in a forceful kiss. Even if they tasted marvelous in the beginning, he took her breath the next second, and she felt weak. 

"Shameless," she whispered, but she couldn't help tracing her lips with her fingers. The strange sensation came to her memory and she was curious about it. "You are so shameless... handsome Duke."

That man was so daring at that moment. When he held her in his embrace, she could still remember her fingers touching the hard muscles of his arms. 

"What am I thinking?!" she blushed, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to touch them again. "It would be fine, right? He won't notice." She muttered while moving her body closer to his side.

It was just curiosity, as she had never seen such a handsome man in her life. Even within the luriems, there was none with that kind of masculine features as the Duke. 

His arms and muscles could be seen even through the many layers of clothes. Then she remembered his red eyes that looked at her a while ago. Somehow they made her want to immerse herself more in them, and she didn't know why. Even if he had a cold and indifferent personality, she wondered how he would look if he were to show gentleness or passion in those terrifying eyes.

Emma was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the smirk drawing on the man's fair face. He had been awake from the beginning, but he was testing her, or more like being curious of her naughty nature, so he pretended to sleep when he was trying to calm the raving heat growing inside.

However, her gaze was so intense that he could feel it, and wanted to know if she would dare to go any further with her little antics. Unbeknownst to him, he was eager for her to touch him, he wanted her to start it.

"His skin seems so smooth, how unfair." She muttered, but her face was only one inch apart from him. "Husband, you should be more aware of your surroundings, you could be attacked because of that handsome face, and you will never know."

Her soft whispers near his skin made him feel warm. However, he didn't make a move, he was waiting, just a bit more, that fragrance, that softness from before to come closer to him.

He was considering her proposal, but he didn't want to answer her, not yet. The blood contract wasn't something simple. And if someone broke it, it could mean death.

Moreover, he was so bothered by how casual she said it, that it made him question her intentions. If she had the map to the pearl, why give it to him. She could just take it for herself.

'What are you scheming, little woman?'