Adi was once told the power of marriage could be determined by how long it would take the couple to do their duties as man and wife. She could clearly remember the same old questions frequently asked to her by the people in the court.
Even mother would care to ask her whether or not she was with child or if the prince had ever bedded her, and she would look away awkwardly, almost telling her she was barely even a woman. She might be raised in a whorehouse by a whore named Ji-e, but she swore she never knew anything about fucking or making a man all hers until she was sold off to the Nishimura's, aware since then that a price had to be paid to be able to sit in the high seat; and that was the price of surviving.
Although scared, Adi had no other choice but to allow Lady Yang to claw on her neck all the time. After all, she was her daughter. Now the Princess Eru of the Witherhall court, and no one shall treat her like one until they know she would bear a son as soon as they see fit.
"Prince Riki's future reign is already questioned all throughout the regions." Lady Yang once said. "He can't rule without a proper mind. Let alone a tongue to speak. Do you know what that means, Eru?"
"His son should be next in line." Eru answered attentively as she was expected to do so. "But first, the queen mother and the counsellors shall rule and guide the son until he comes of age."
"That is the plan, Eru." Lady Yang said, daring to curve a smile.
"What do you mean,mother?" Eru asked, "is everyone planning something for the prince? For his life?"
"Oh, my love. Aren't you just foolish?" The lady said, stroking the princess' hair. "Everyone is planning something when wars are born in the future. I'm sure there will be. Everyone in every region wants to seize control over everything. But once you and the prince present a son for their eyes to see, Witherhall would be at peace. It will be known that the next king is conceived... That there will be no need for deciding who should be King."
The princess couldn't keep herself off those thoughts that night. Surely, everyone can wait. She would love to think it was possible. She never had the time to be ready. Even the prince. Nights were always spent with him waking up from a recurring nightmare. Sometimes with him trying to kill a shadow haunting him, and sometimes with one of them getting lost in a lot of drinks before falling asleep so deeply.
Tonight, Eru's cheeks were flushed, perhaps thinking too much even her tiny fingers were shaking as she lit the candles in the chamber herself before the prince could arrive from training. She was a princess. That was what she told Lady Yang; everyone should follow what a royalty says. And she was pleading her to stop forcing her to be a wife just yet. That she still wanted to laze under that tree back at the whorehouse and eat possum pies. But all the lady mother ever said was that Adi should even be thankful for her because she had given her the crown. Well that, and sparing her from her fate of being a wench back at Evenfall.
The prince had finally arrived as the night grew darker and colder. Through a faint light of a candle shining across his face, Eru could notice a cut, and a drop of blood streaming from his cheek.
"What happened, my lord?" Eru asked worriedly, leading him to their bed as she started tending to his wounds, insisting that she would do so herself, so the prince could only sit down and obey.
"It's just a cut." Riki gestured plainly in which she was slowly beginning to understand. She took a damp towel from the side of the bed, gently patting it on the open wound.
"A cut that may fester, Riki." Eru replied. "The lord commander did this, didn't he?" And Riki nodded.
"Can't make you feel any better if I tell you to be careful. When you're in the battlefield all of the sudden, you surely can't tell the enemy to have mercy on you." She said, turning her gaze on her husband. She could clearly tell why he was called a fox just by looking at his raven-colored orbs. They were gazing back at her, too. Just as if she was peeking through a door only to see that someone was waiting for her to look closely over there.
She caught herself lost for words as she felt his hand holding onto her nightgown, pulling her closer... Even closer now... Closer that he had finally allowed her to sit below his lap. The moment she had stopped cleaning his wound was the moment he grabbed her hand to keep going.
Riki slowly pulled himself towards her, placing her stray hair right at the back of her ear, then delicately cupping her cheeks, caressing her skin with his finger. Perhaps time has come for Eru now. She couldn't get herself to move. She was only there, frozen, tongue-tied. Time has come for her now.
Riki stopped midway, mayhaps seeing himself and getting ashamed right at the moment. He stopped, releasing his hands on her. He stopped. He wouldn't have noticed he did if Eru didn't wrap her arms around him. "It's alright, Riki."
He would not do it.
