My Liege And I

Retribution

Thanks for the support and comments in the previous chapter. I got motivated and here you go. Enjoy.

Chapter 77

Crown Princess Elora
Huticah

Elora's instincts had her on alert even before the intruder's hand clamped over her lips. Her eyes flew open, and her entire body tensed as she realized that the intruder was on top of her, effectively immobilizing her and silencing any potential outcry. She could discern from the weight and the oppressive presence of qi that it was indeed a man.

The man's hand felt rough and calloused, and his face remained obscured by the hood that concealed his features. Despite the moonlight seeping through the tent's darkness, she couldn't make out his face.

She quickly assessed her options, and it occurred to her that lifting her waist to unbalance him might be her only hope since his knees held down her wrists. However, her attempts were met with surprising resistance; he seemed to anticipate her every move, entwining himself with her body and thwarting her efforts.

A surge of fear coursed through her veins when his other hand wrapped around her throat. His grip was unrelenting, squeezing tighter and tighter, causing her blood to rush to her brain, and making her head spin. Just as she teetered on the brink of losing consciousness, he released his grasp, deciding to have her hair as his next victim.

It was knotted into a tie for sleep but he pulled it apart until it was strewn all over the pillow. She could not deny how afraid she was as quick breaths came through her nose. Panic and anxiety surged through her because she was struggling to regain her composure.

A sinister chuckle emanated from him, a chilling sound that sent shivers down her spine, as he reveled in her distress. Her hair losing his interest, he let it go and outright touched her breast.

Elora's breath caught with a muffled gasp. She felt so helpless pinned beneath him, his hand over her mouth, and without the ability to scream for help and have him stop.

All she wanted to say was that she was a mother. She had a child at home waiting for her return. Tears brimmed in her eyes as images fleeted in her brain of Yun Xiang growing up without his mother. They eventually spilled over, and it did not take a moment for him to notice she was crying.

Removing his hood, she realized he wore a mask that covered his forehead all the way to the tip of his nose, holes in it that showed his eyes.

He cocked his head slightly, releasing her breast and deftly catching the solitary tear on the pad of his thumb. His gaze lingered on the glistening droplet for a moment before he turned his attention to her, locking eyes with her as he brought his thumb to his lips. With a deliberate and unsettling display, he licked the tear off his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers.

Her eyes widened in sheer horror as she watched his disturbing act. The subtle satisfaction that played on his lips sent a chill down her spine, and as he continued to gaze at her, she noticed the glint of his teeth. It made the situation all the more unnerving.

He could hide himself from her all she wanted but she had imprinted him into her brain. Each night they spent together and he had gone on top of her, he looked like this. His smile and teeth, they were as well forever memorized for her to remember.

When he let her go, freeing her mouth as well, he smiled in satisfaction to see her not scream for help. He knew she had figured him out and probably the idea that she did not take long to know who he was all the more pleased him.

In an instant, he moved with such lightning speed that she had no time to draw another breath. He yanked her forcefully against his chest and crushed his mouth against hers with fierce intensity. Her entire world shattered into a million pieces in that electrifying moment.