Noir

Chapter 10 - Adultery

The next day, paranoia took me at every turn. I was terrified of running into Yimou, or Li Yuen, and so I stayed close to Yixing almost constantly. My husband seemed surprised at my company, as I usually avoided his during the day. He had no idea that Li Yuen had visited me in the garden and threatened me, but Yixing seemed much happier that I had chosen to stay beside him.

"Jikyung-ah," He said gently, snapping me out of my reverie. "You haven't touched your food."

"I'm sorry," I turned back to breakfast and turned to my bowl of rice. "I was distracted." There was silence as I quietly ate, when suddenly, Yixing's fingers delicately stroked the side of my face, brushing back my hair. I turned, looking up at him, and he leaned in, planting a kiss on my lips.

"I want to make love again," He murmured, and I stiffened, thinking of Li Yuen's words. He ran a palm down my arm, beginning to pull off my dress and I started, as my exposed breasts hit the air. I instantly became grateful we were alone.

Yixing sighed in satisfaction and I tried to stay compliant as his hands felt me up, and his lips explored my neck, my collarbone, my chest. "I adore you," He murmured, slowly pulling me down with him to the floor. I felt vulnerable, I felt exposed. Anyone could walk in at any second and see me being taken like this. But I had to pleasure Yixing, the punishment for failing was death. 

And so I let him. I was submissive, I didn't resist him when he took me again. All my thoughts were how much I wanted this to end, or even how much I wished that the one making love to me were my soldier instead. I thought of how he had kissed me, finally kissed me, and that made me smile at the memory. Yixing saw my smile though, and thought it was for him, thought it was permission for him to go further. He slid my dress entirely off my body and ran a trail of kisses down my stomach. I turned to the window, not wanting to look at him, and screamed.

"What is it?" Yixing pulled off of me at once, and I saw he was naked as well. He knew this was not a scream of pleasure, but that of fear, and I watched in abject horror as Li Yuen smirked in the window and dissappeared. "What's wrong?"

"In the window..." I said shakily, frantically covering myself. Li Yuen had seen me naked...He had been spying on me! Suddenly though, I couldn't bring myself to tell Yixing what I had seen, afraid that Li Yuen would tell him the worst.

"What? What was there?" Yixing asked, but I just shook my head, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I need to get dressed," I muttered, pulling on my clothing. Yixing watched me with concern.

"Jikyung, you can tell me," He said gently. "You screamed because you were afraid. What caused this?"

"It's nothing," I replied, getting up quickly. "I-I need to go." Without another word, I left the room, walking determinedly out of the room and fixing my dress as I went. My heart was racing like I'd never felt before. I hadn't felt this violated, this vicitmized since Yixing had first laid with me, and even that had not nearly been as bad as this. I wanted to scream, wanted to cry, and was about to break down and do both when I saw Li Yuen in a private room.

"How dare you?!" I screamed at him, my heart threatening to explode out of my chest. He turned, a smirk on his face. "That was a private moment!"

"I see you took my advice to heart," He sneered, and I slapped him hard across the face, my blood boiling.

"Don't you dare victimize me like that! I am not - " My voice caught in my throat as I saw who was standing behind him, and my heart fell into my stomach.

"Did you see this, My Lord?" Li Yuen turned to Yimou, furious. "Did you see how she struck me? The harlot!"

"I am not a harlot!" I felt a lump beginning to form in my throat, and struggled to hold back my tears.