Lianne, feeling nervous, peeked through the French door to see clearly.
In her mind, she had expected it was the King, who followed her after leaving his chamber, but upon looking closely on the profile of the man who was watching the outside scenery, to her surprise, it was Lord Cain.
The General spun around as if he sensed the princess’ presence, and in that instant, he saw her hide behind the glass door, looking obviously puzzled by his unexpected visit.
“I can see you, you know.” He grinned and cocked his head to the side.
“Lord Cain?” Lianne muttered in a weak voice and then stepped out of the door.
Cain beamed a smile on her way and dutifully bowed, greeting at the same time, “Good morning Princess.”
His welcoming expression quickly turned into one of confusion when he realized that the princess was still wearing her nightclothes. His face shifted away while a blush appeared on his cheeks when he noticed the subtle black color of her brassiere pushing through the gown.
Lianne, seeing where his eyes traveled, hurriedly covered herself with her robe.
“I… I didn’t expect you to visit, My Lord,” she stated hoping to decrease the awkwardness of the moment.
“Yes, I apologize for surprising you this morning.” The General cleared his throat. “But, I honestly expected you to be already awake at this time of day. I think I have mistaken.”
He eyed her again with the same amount of confusion he had a moment ago.
Lianne realized what his words meant and frantically, she reasoned, “Well, I… I think I overslept, My Lord.” Then, she gave out a shy smile.
“Oh, was it the case?” Cain responded, looking unconvinced.
Lianne felt uneasy with the way he inquired. Surely he doesn’t know that she just came from the King’s chamber. Was he just being too suspicious then?
“Why are you here?” Lianne changed the subject, then proceeded to walk outside the balcony into the balustrade and transiently glanced at Ruen’s terrace to see if he was present.
Seeing that there was no one in the area, she felt immediately relieved.
Cain approached her and stood side by side with her against the balustrade.
“I would like to invite you to the Soulisse Mansion, Lianne,” he started, going immediately to his purpose of visiting her. “I will be organizing a three-day hunting competition on my estate with a variety of gatherings the whole day. It would be a great experience for you, I am sure of it, and a breather in this place.”
Lianne was at a loss for words for a moment. She stared at the General, trying to see if he was serious, and realized he was judging by how deeply he looked at her.
She weighed his invitation, all the possible consequences both good and bad. “A three-day hunting competition?” she clarified looking concerned, at the back of her mind, a sudden memory of Ruen’s face flashed.
Cain, oblivious to this, assumed that her concerns originated on the fact that it was her first time in such a gathering.
“Yes, it is for three days, Lianne, that is why I am inviting you. You can stay at the mansion for as long as you like, but the competition will start tomorrow. You can bring someone to assist your personal needs if you want to, but I already have lots of servants to take care of that. You don’t need to be concerned, Princess. I will always be by your side if you need my company.”
Lianne took a deep breath and stared blankly at the east garden below.
She didn’t understand why, but she felt utterly uneasy on his invitation.
Her thoughts were mixing on the possibilities ahead of her, but the one thing that focused it all was her main question, will ‘he’ allow her to go?
Immediately, she already knew the answer.
Ruen definitely will not allow her to go, but who was he to forbid her then? He was not the master of her. He was not her King. He didn’t rule her. And most certainly, he wasn’t her lover even though they just spent the whole night of moans, groans, and mixed breaths.
Lianne quickly shook her head at the thought of it.
If it was for three days, then it would be good, she finally considered. The better she can keep a distance away from the King after all that has happened between them.
What happened last night was a mistake, and what better way for her to forget all about it was to accept Cain’s invitation.
“Yes, I’ll… go,” Lianne replied, but her voice was so low Cain couldn’t clearly hear.
“Lianne?” He tipped his head towards her and stared like a schoolboy waiting to be handed a cotton candy.
The princess turned to face him and this time, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin, now sure of herself and her decision, “Yes, My Lord. I will gladly accept your invitation.”
The General immediately wore a wide grin, happy to know that she accepted.
“I’m glad to hear this, Lianne,” he said, claiming her right hand and then kissing it.
Lianne nodded at him and smiled, but her smile never reached her ears.
***
Their conversation went on casually with the princess talking to the General about her tour in the village, how she met new friends and how she rode Arrina freely on the fields. She had an enjoyable time talking with him that unfortunately, this made her forget about her impending meeting with the King.
A few minutes later, they went back inside the receiving room. However, just as they exited the balcony, the main door opened without even a knock, and to Lianne’s surprise, the King entered with a displeased expression on his face.
He looked directly at her, his eyes thinning for a moment, and then they shifted to Cain’s way, a brief clench of his jaw was visible.
To Lianne, the temperature of the room, despite the heat of the fireplace, just turned arctic.
“General,” Ruen sternly spoke.
Cain met the King’s gaze and then, due to obligation and protocol, lowered his head briefly in acknowledgment of his presence. “Your Majesty.”
There was an increasing tension inside the princess’ receiving room and Lord Jared sensed it even though he was waiting outside the hallway. He opted to be silent the whole course of the exchange.
“I didn’t order any present meeting today with the generals. Why are you here?” Ruen queried as he began to pace inside the receiving room to the fireplace.
Lianne gulped in reaction. Her heart raced with the knowledge that the King was present once again in her chamber. And to make matters worse, Cain was present too.
She still couldn’t pinpoint why, but she knew there was some simmering tension between the two men. This had been visible since Ruen came back from Versailles.
“Yes, there is no present meeting to attend to, Your Majesty. I just had some matter to talk to with the princess today,” Cain replied in a cool voice.
Ruen then turned his attention to the anxious princess on Cain’s side and said, “Oh? Is that true?”
Lianne’s brows furrowed in displeasure. If she was right on her intuition, he was sending some telepathic message on her of his disbelief. He was looking suspicious even. It made her feel that she was his wife, just caught in the act with another man.
“I think there’s no reason for us to explain anything, Your Ma-jes-ty,” Lianne answered, putting up her protective wall again. “General Cain’s visit here is just brief. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
Cain glanced at her in effect, finding it unusual for her to talk like that.
Ruen sneered and then walked towards the main door, gesturing at the same time with his hands high on the air. “Then surely, General Cain, you are ready to leave now.”
Cain was wide-eyed in surprise, looking at the open door and then to the majordomo who was outside.
Lianne gasped as she watched the General, anxious of his reply.
Cain clenched his fists and exhaled long and hard.
“I regret to inform you, Your Majesty. Princess Lianne here has agreed to have lunch with me today. I’m sure it would be rude of me if I will leave now.”
Stunned by Cain’s statement, Lianne butted in to deny his claim, but she was left unable to say anything when Ruen interjected in a stern voice:
“As you can see, the princess is impolitely dressed. I am sure you are sensible enough to recognize she needed her personal time.”
Ruen’s eyes moved to her as he criticized frankly.
She blushed in reaction.
Cain hissed silently as a result.
“And oh, the matter of her lunch has also been addressed. Unfortunately, she was not informed that Lady Faye was to accompany her on a lunch date today with the Duchess of Equinnoel by the river.”
Upon hearing it, Lianne’s eyes brightened. Truly, she wasn’t informed of her scheduled lunch date. To spend time with the Duchess of Equinnoel again would be a great pleasure for her, and surely, Ruen knows of that fact.
“Yes, regrettably I wasn’t informed of that Lord Cain,” Lianne politely said, noting a flinch of disappointment on the General’s eyes.
“Is that so,” he murmured, his eyes resting on the princess. “I shall take my leave then. However, I expect your arrival on the mansion as soon as possible, Princess?”
Lianne was alarmed to hear the General mention it, realizing that the King was there to listen. She curtly bowed low in acknowledgment of his leave and then said goodbye to him as he exited the main door.
Lord Jared, thoughtful enough, followed the General, accompanying him to the hallway leaving the princess and the King alone.
Without delay, Ruen closed the main door of her room, locking it at the same time. Lianne was shocked to see it and was alarmed to find that he was already intently observing her. She immediately felt vulnerable under his scrutiny but willed herself to be brave and face him head-on and whatever rude words he had in mind for her.
“Do you know I was worried to find you were not in my chamber when I woke up?” Ruen said gently, completely in contrast to his menacing personality a while ago.
Lianne, taken aback, fluttered her eyelids. She did not expect him to be this gentle at all.
She quickly paced towards the door to her bedroom, wanting to be as far away from him as possible and of course to change her present clothes which were obvious remnants of their passion last night.
She planned to close her bedroom door as fast as she can, but the King was quick to block it with his arm.
“Lianne, answer me.” There was no hint of demand on his voice, but there was definitely a tinge of alarm there.
She paused from walking and answered with her head lowered to the floor, unable to face him, “I… I do not see any reason to stay.”
She heard footsteps behind her and then felt the King’s hand on her shoulder.
Ruen forcefully turned her around to face him, wanting to see her face, but he was surprised to see, instead of loving eyes, she awarded him a scornful look. With that, he instantly sensed her hostility.
Was this because of that man then? He couldn’t help but think it was the case.
“Why? Because Cain was already waiting here?” he asked, his tone icy. He lifted her chin up with his fingers, wanting to see the fire in her eyes.
Lianne quickly turned her head to the side and furiously said, “Cain has nothing to do with it!”
The King’s brow arched, paused for a moment, and then released a deep breath. “Oh, I see. I wonder then what he meant by that statement of his awhile ago, that you’ll go to his mansion as soon as possible?”
She yanked herself out of his hold and then sauntered away from him, entering her walk-in closet. Ruen was already following quickly, still waiting for her response.
“Can’t you just leave! It doesn’t concern you at all,” Lianne demanded with irritation. There was a sense of feeling that she couldn’t hide. Just by looking at his enraged face, she could clearly see how he didn’t like the matter she was hiding.
“Damn it! It does concern me greatly Lianne!” Ruen clarified and then grabbed her arm to stop her from walking. He gazed at her with untainted desire on his eyes and without malice. “I am sure I have made that clear last night.”
“Last night was a mistake!” Lianne declared, shaking the sudden heat that had surfaced at the pit of her belly.
Ruen paused, straightened his stand, and went silent. He looked at her with intensity, wanting to hear every word from her mouth.
Lianne’s breathing rose and her hands shook as she cried out, “It was all a mistake! And I deeply… regretted every moment of it.”
The last words were weak, almost without conviction, but Ruen didn’t notice it.
“Is that how you feel of it?” he bluntly asked, a chill quickly running up his spine.
He moved closer to her as he began to ask once again, “Is that how you feel of it, Lianne?”
He then tenderly stroke the warm cheeks of the princess, bringing her head up to face him, but she averted her eyes to the side, clenching her jaw at the same time.
It was disappointing to her that she couldn’t straightforwardly answer his question. If she hated what happened last night, then why can’t she frankly say it, just so to fend him off away for good?
“The feel of my hands…” He began to delicately brush her shoulders. Lianne shivered in response.
“To the touch of my lips…” He moved to stroke her lips with his fingers to her apparent dismay. Why can’t she do anything to block off his advances?!
“The warmth of our skin touching…”
“STOP IT!”
He abruptly stopped as the princess shouted in anger.
“Stop it!”
Lianne reached up and pushed his chest away. However, it didn’t have any effect. He grinned in pleasure at the response he was getting and decided to continue.
“Your reserved but satisfied cries.”
“I said stop it!” Lianne cried out once again. “STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT”
She shook her head as she demanded incessantly, tears began to well up in her eyes.
She felt the rising heat of her body as he enumerated their memories. It was truly pure bliss, but she couldn’t in her life accept the fact that she had just yielded herself to him.
The son of the man she hated!
It was a betrayal on her conviction! A complete betrayal of her family! And she felt disgusted with herself because of it.
“How could you deny yourself of the reality, Lianne?! Haven’t your hatred already been sated?” Ruen asked in a loud voice. “Why do you keep on tormenting yourself with this?”
Lianne braved to look at him despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“As I said, everything was just a mistake. If anything, it was because of my guilt that I gave in to such madness!”
‘Madness…’
The word lingered in Ruen’s mind.
Though he was trained to be insensitive, the word truly dug deep into his heart.
He gave her a pained look, to which the princess clearly noticed, and then he left the room without any word said.
A surge of relief came flowing inside her as she saw him leave. However, there was a pang of ache in her heart as she remembered the way he looked at her. Her choice of words really was harsh, but it was the only way to hide what she truly felt.