"I THINK I should leave you for a moment, General. You might not get yourself a woman for tonight if I'll cling to you too much." Elizabeth sighed and was about to scurry herself away when General Kius stopped her by holding her arm.
"Stay." Elizabeth's eyes widened at his persuasion.
"Oh, the General wants me to stay. Did I, perhaps, entertain you a lot?"
General Kius smirked, " You do. To be honest, Miss Elizabeth, I do quite fancy you even if it was just a short meeting. That is why, at least, for tonight, I beg you to stay and stop these women from trying to approach me."
Elizabeth looked around, giggling at the women who were gawking at them with malicious smirks and murmurs.
"Now that you told me. Women do really swoon over you, General. In that case, you still don't have a wife or even betrothed to a woman. Am I not right?"
General Kius shrugged while trying to hide his smile, "You are right, Miss Elizabeth."
A man handed the two of them a glass of wine which Elizabeth took without any worry. General Kius was intrigued at this woman who seemed to have no boundaries at all. Women around them did not even try to touch the wines yet , in fear, that it might destroy their modesty. But here is Elizabeth who was eager to feel the freedom of the night.
"Slow down, woman." General Kius sighed while watching Elizabeth chugged down the wine in her glass until it was left empty.
"Whoa. That was..." she giggled and asked for another one again.
General Kius can already see how drunk Elizabeth was when the lights became dim and the piano accompanied with the violin echoed throughout the palace hall. It was now time for a slow dance.
"I have never experienced dancing with someone. But I do know how to dance—" General Kius snaked his arm on her waist to prevent her from losing balance, " I don't know why I feel dizzy."
" You're drunk, Elizabeth. " General Kius sighed.
" I know, right? But I do really want to dance." she frowned, trying to convince the stranger she met tonight to take her to the dance floor, " That's why. Dance with me, Aleksander."
WITHOUT A WORD, General Kius felt like he was under her spell. It was so hard for others to get even a small favor or request from him and yet here he is, enslaved by a woman to do her whims. As their heels glided on the shiny floors of the palace, his eyes remained on Elizabeth. He couldn't take it off her.
Their bodies swayed like they just danced the waltz. As the crowd watched whom one is unknown to their eyes and General Kius, they were amazed at how the two managed to glide on the dancefloor. Like gentle lovers they are, they can already feel how passion radiated from them.
ON THE OTHER SIDE of the palace hall, across the glasses of wine and cakes. Penelophe caught a glimpse of the woman in red. For her, she looked familiar and she could already recognize who it was from afar.
"Elizabeth?" she muttered her name and was about to walk into the circle of the crowd when Anaj came to her.
"There you are, Lady Penelophe. Her Majesty, the Queen, asked for your presence," Anaj lied to Penelophe who was getting suspicious.
Penelophe nodded and dismissed the lingering thought in her head. Anaj couldn't help but sigh as Penelophe walked in graceful pace towards the throne. Glad that she managed to lie to the Duchess before things become worse. But watching the Princess with the freedom she had sought for so long, touched the soft heart of Anaj. She had been her caretaker for ever since the princess was young and this is what the princess wanted since then.
ELIZABETH's world felt like it was slowing down every time the General would take the lead to twirl her. Heat was ignited to the both of them. It could be the alcohol or their emotions. But tonight, there's nothing else that Elizabeth wanted than to be rebellious.
"I had no idea that this is how the world looks like even if it's for a short time only."
"Is it because your mother never let you out of your chamber?" General chuckled.
Elizabeth laughed but with no humor. That stopped the General in his tracks.
" Yes." Elizabeth sighed, " She's always antagonizing over every decision I make. Perfect me. Decide for me. For Pete's sake, I am almost two decades old for that matter."
" Hm." The General stared down at her, " My father always scolds me to get a wife. Whenever he comes home, he will always rant about wives and children. That is the reason why I am here."
"Oh, why are you not getting married yet? No offense meant , but most men your age are already betrothed to someone." Elizabeth lifted her skirt up and kicked one of the pebbles.
The General gaped at what she did but dismissed the thought already, " Well, I am not interested in getting married as of the moment. But I am searching for a woman who will eventually become my wife."
" Oh, any potential wife in your mind?"
"Hm..." he stared down at her lips, seduced by this strange woman's aphrodisiac lips.
Elizabeth shrugged and looked up at him, " You should get yourself a wife if you don't want these women to stare at you lewdly."
"Lewdly?" The General roamed his eyes around before erupting into laughter. "Woman, you're vulgar."
"I tried hard not to be." She giggled and paused when something dropped on her cheek. "Rain?"
"There!"
Without any warning, the sky poured showers over them. Elizabeth panicked and ran towards a shade from a roof. The General did the same. But as they stared at each other, wet from the rain and shivering from cold, their gazes couldn't avert away from each other's eyes. Her gazes ignited the fire that the General had been trying hard to keep down.
General Kius groaned as he pulled Elizabeth closer to him. To Elizabeth, she never expected for her first kiss to be this passionate. The way the General sucked her lips felt like she was being possessed by him.
General Kius pulled away from their kiss and groaned, "Damn it."
Elizabeth looked at him with her eyes covered with stars, "Just kiss me."
"Not here," General Kius groaned again while pulling her towards his horse.
ELIZABETH was no longer drunk from the wine. She was drunk from his kisses to the point that it hungry her even more.
"Shit," General Kius groaned deeply as he pushed Elizabeth to the closed door of his chamber.
Elizabeth, despite how her heart raced from both the panic and excitement, was aroused at the hands of the General travelling all over her body. She had never felt this excited. Elizabeth was taught about prudence and modesty. But after what is happening right now, she is even braver to rebel if it meant to have this kind of pleasure.
"Aleksander..." she moaned when his lips found its way to her neck.
Elizabeth's eyes closed when Aleksander slowly stripped her gown, revealing the fairness of her femininity . She had never done this before but based on her mentors' stories about love and romance, she already had a few ideas on how to arouse a man. Brave as she could ever be, Elizabeth pushed Aleksander away from her. And let her gown slip on her legs, leaving her bare womanhood to the General's eyes.
She approached him and took his mask off his face. Her lips parted when she recognized the face but dismissed the thought of it. The General followed what she did and took the mask off of Elizabeth's face. His face darkened when he saw how graces came to bless him with a woman this beautiful.
"Please me, General," Elizabeth bit her lower lip, seducing Aleksander to surrender to his manly needs.
LURED to her whims, the General devoured her lips as his hands roamed around her body. He laid her on his bed. The white sheets made her look like a goddess laid for him to worship. The General has never felt like this to a woman before. The idea of serving her in the bed and pleasing her with his lips aroused him even more.
With the two of them naked, he towered on top of her. Elizabeth's eyes were heavy, pleading for more. Groaning, he inserted himself into her. When he saw how Elizabeth grimaced and the sound of something ripping from her made him conclude that she was a virgin.
He looked down to check and saw blood. Aleksander did not expect this!
"S-Shit. Y-You're a virgin?" He asked Elizabeth who was biting her lips from the pain.
"W-Why didn't you tell me? You shouldn't—" he got a hold of her waist when she tried to move.
"Shit. Don't move, woman," he groaned and kissed her deeply.
It was a night that Elizabeth did not expect to happen. One rebellious night was something she needed for her eyes to open to the world. Moans and the sound of their intertwining, humping to each other's desires have echoed all over the room.
When his hands laid on her bare breasts and small waist that fit his palm perfectly, the fire in him boiled even more. Oh, to be under her majestic legs, savoring every juice from her flesh. If praying to her body will make him a saint, he will be holier than thou.
The face of this strange woman crying for pleasure under him made Aleksander groan. He has never been a slave to his libido not until this night happened. He was like a fuse ready to be kindled. And now that it is kindled, it's really hard to stop this wildfire.
No woman had ever made him lose his sanity over the passion for flesh. More and more, deeper and deeper, until she finally lost a grip on herself and screamed. The heavier rain outside muffled their moans as they reached the climax that they have longed for. The night ended with their bodies under each other's warmth.
For Elizabeth, it was the first. For Aleksander, it's like he found home in the arms of this strange woman.
