Crowned Prince | hendery

23: The Tonic of Desire

Taeha wasn't an innocent child. She has had desires and has expressed them to someone else before. She wasn't all too innocent as well, she knew how things happened inside a bedroom. She knew how babies were made, it is one of married womens' favorite topics among themselves.

To be frank she was nervous but much more than that, she was scared that he would not act on it tonight. Even if things weren't particularly clear between them, she was human in search of physical touch.

Maybe that was why her mood was sour the moment that they began their locked session.

Hendery was flushed, she wasn't blind, but he was trying his best not to make things obvious with her. However, the longer she sat on that couch waiting for things to begin the more she could feel the weight of the jewelry and dress that she wore.

The room was small, it was extremely small. All it had was a love seat, a table for two, a bathroom and their bed. The room barely had any windows on it, except for one, that only gave them a glimpse of what time it was outside. There was nothing to entertain themselves with-- except each other.

Yet no word has been uttered since they entered the room an hour ago.

Taking a deep breath in, she begins to remove her earrings, which were beginning to feel like they weighed much more than when she wore them this morning. Her back was aching because of the corset that she wore beneath this dress.

She knew that the tonic was probably playing tricks with her head, but she was sure that whatever desire she had to remove all that she had on her was because of that drink.

Soon, all she could hear was the rustle of her dress and the pins on her hair falling down onto the table and ringing against each other. She turns her head to look at Hendery, but instead takes notice of the fireplace with a lit fire in it making the room feel a lot hotter than before.

They did this on purpose.

"The fire and the tonic they must be kidding me." It was meant to be something that she whispered to herself, but it caught the attention of Hendery standing at the corner.

The prince lifts his head up, his face flushed pink and licks his lips as soon as he catches a glimpse of the princess with her hair down. Her black hair in ringlets from the way her hair was styled, he was sure that styling products should make hair stiff, but the only thing stiff between them was him.

"You," Taeha's head snapped at Hendery's voice sounding much lower than it usually did, "knew about the tonic?"

Taeha fails to respond as looking at him her mind was simply going crazy. The loose tie, the white suit and the images from yesterday.

"I am not a child or innocent enough not to study and inquire about matrimonial celebrations in Hwei." She turns around scared that the moment she stared too long, drool would come out of her mouth.

"Then you understand..." His voice trails off to what felt like shivers down her spine. She couldn't help but hear the lower cracks in his voice sing along the tune of the burning wood.

Taeha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in hoping that she does not break from keeping her conscience.

"We are married," she wasn't sure where she wanted this conversation to go, "I understand."

That was all it took for Hendery's single thread that was holding onto the rest of his sanity to break. He doesn't want to consume her as if she was just any lady, she was a princess perfect to be a queen, but right now he was a man and she was a woman and they were alone with a growing need for each other. One that he has not felt since he was a teenager.