Divergence: The Vampire Queen

Afterglow

As the afterglow finally ebbed, she spoke with a slight laugh. "So... getting back to our room is going to be... fun..." she glanced over at the half-shredded dress discarded in the ground. "Also, you are incredibly strong."

She had never seen a man rip off clothes with the force he had, or leave them in such a state. However, to be fair, she'd never seen anyone rip off clothes at all. The only people who had ever dressed or undressed her were handmaidens and lady's maids.

He laughed. "A determined man becomes a strong one. I just really wanted the dress to come off." He winked before his eyes settled on the fabric heap, and all at once he realised he'd left the dress in an almost unwearable state. "In future I will aspire to untie them properly. Otherwise, you'll end up with no dresses to wear. What a pity." He said it as a joke, but realised with the way their relationship was going, there might actually be some truth to it.

"I can bring another dress back here if you would like, so long as your promise not to burn down my work in my absence. Unless you want to take the risk of traversing the palace?" She'd surprised him thus far with what she was willing to do as a lady, but he doubted she'd traipse around nude. "I mean, I can't promise I'll pick a particularly fashionable dress. It's not my strongest suit," he was saying it all in jest. It felt good to joke with her, to bring a smile to those rosy lips.

Marcello kissed her softly, no longer lustful or hungry, but slow and romantic. Her life had changed so much in the past few days: from a prim and proper girl to be married off to lying with him in a post sex glow contemplating how to get more clothes. Her green eyes glowed as she looked at him, smiling, and he hoped she maintained this happiness even when her life became more turbulent.

"Well... I'll try not to spur you on in rooms where I can't easily get to spare clothes..." she laughed, kissing him back for a moment. It felt so natural. She didn't think it went like this for most. Her friends' letters didn't go like this at all.

"And even a flour sack is better than no clothing at all..." she joked. "But I don't have any dresses that aren't fashionable. So you shouldn't have an issue there..." she winked with a laugh. "And I suppose if you rip them all off me, you'll just have to buy me more, and that wouldn't be so terrible." She nipped at his lips for a moment, teasingly. "And yes, I solemnly swear not to light anything on fire while you go, or you could just send someone. Or we could just lay here happily until one of us is forced to actually move..." Her eyes flashed playfully in the candlelight.

He started stroking her cheek delicately, as if she were made of flower petals that would bruise or fall with too much force. He tilted his head, smiling, confused. Had her joke about lying here until one had to move indeed been a joke? Or did she suspect? "Mmm, I like the sound of that. I assure you, though, I would win. You would most certainly have to move first. Also, I can't have my lady running around in a flour sack! If anything, our actions deserve a little market trip or a royal tailor to be called in post haste to have the finest new dresses made for my love." They would have to do a royal visit into the city at some point during their newlywed stage. Show their faces to the townsfolk and be received as the happy couple they were turning out to be. Moreover, once she was pregnant, she would need new dresses. She would need them much more quickly than she might assume.

"Now would you like me to send someone or go myself? Not now, of course. No, we're far too comfortable to move right now," he said with a grin, tucking some more loose hairs away from her face. His fingers traced patterns over her body, testing how ticklish she was. Each giggle she attempted to stifle brought him glee.

He loved hearing her laugh. It had a musical quality and was a sign that even though she might try to be polite and reserved, she just couldn't help but let her joy out. "But if I go, you must also promise not to further tempt me when I return, because another dress will inevitably be ruined."