Chapter 2 (Part 4)

After struggling for a while, Edwin suddenly let go. As Amelia lost her balance and stumbled, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer.

“At this rate, you won’t be able to leave.”

“That’s unfair. Of course, I can’t escape.”

“That’s why I’m holding back. If I used all my strength, your slender waist would have broken.”

His chilling words made her hair stand on end. Edwin wasn’t the type to speak so harshly.

‘Who is this man?’

His gaze and actions were entirely different from what she knew. If he had been uncomfortable before, now he seemed like a stranger.

‘Has he become a completely different person after all this time apart?’

Unconsciously, Amelia took a few steps back, and Edwin followed. She stopped when her back hit a poplar tree.

Now trapped between the tree and Edwin, she felt her heart race, sensing danger despite their friendship.

“Does the Royal Knights Captain have this much free time? I thought you were busy.”

Amelia tried to change the subject, hoping it would help her escape the situation.

“Oh, so you’ve been avoiding me but still heard about me.”

But seeing Edwin’s eyes, she realized her attempt had failed.

“It’s not that I avoided you….”

Amelia couldn’t finish her sentence. Seeing his reddish-brown eyes reminded her of a dream she once had, where he called her name while gripping his p*nis with a languid gaze.

‘This is crazy. Why am I thinking about that now?’

Amelia lowered her head.

“Why? Did you do something wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

Noticing her suspicious behavior, Edwin’s eyes narrowed. Not wanting him to see her inner turmoil, Amelia tried to keep her voice steady.

“I need to go. So let me go.”

Instead of answering, he removed his glove and cupped her cheek. Her chin lifted reflexively. The cold touch sent shivers through her body.

“You really don’t understand what it means to share a bed with a man, do you?”

“I do. I know!”

Meeting his gaze again, she saw a cold smile on Edwin’s lips.

His hand slid down to her thigh and then further down. Her dress lifted, and his hand slipped inside, touching a place no one had ever touched. Shame and shock hit her simultaneously.

“What are you doing….”

She tried to push him away by hitting his chest, but he didn’t let go. Instead, his hand moved deeper, caressing her thigh.

“If you keep struggling, your dress might tear. Are you okay with that?”

At his words, she momentarily froze, and his hand slipped inside her underwear, lightly touching her delicate skin. Amelia was startled. She almost screamed, but his other hand covered her mouth, preventing any sound.

“Mmph!”

“Have you forgotten? This is the royal palace. If you make any noise, the knights will come running. Can you afford to be seen like this as a Crown Princess candidate?”

When Amelia shook her head, he finally removed his hand from her mouth.

“I’ll let you go if you promise not to go to the masquerade ball again.”

“No, I won’t promise. Ah!”

Edwin’s hand invaded a place no one had ever touched. Just the touch of his fingers made her body tremble.

His hand teased her entrance before slipping a finger inside. The sensation of his finger entering the narrow space was foreign and unsettling. She shook her head vigorously, struggling, but it was no use.

“Mmph!”

As her moans grew louder, his hand covered her mouth again. Her terrified eyes blinked incessantly.

He was clearly doing this to make her feel ashamed. That way, she would give him the answer he wanted.

She had already failed twice and was still contemplating whether to attend next time. But Edwin’s coercion made her even more determined not to comply with him.

After all this time, their conversation was just a one-sided command…. She wasn’t his subordinate. How could he treat a friend like this?

Amelia slowly shook her head, showing her resolve not to listen to him.

But even though she knew she was being toyed with, her insides were getting wetter. Feeling humiliated, she tried to push Edwin away again, but it was impossible.

“If you go to a place like that, you could face worse than this. Right now, it’s my hand, but next time, it could be some lowlife’s c*ck penetrating you.”

He pushed his fingers deeper inside, touching her delicate flesh.

“Ah, ugh!”

“Can you feel it? Your p*ssy is swallowing my hand.”

Every time his elegant fingers stimulated her tender insides, w*t sounds echoed from within. The humiliation was overwhelming, but so was the shallow pl*asure. Her breathing grew heavier.

“Please, stop….”

No matter how much she begged him to stop, Edwin’s hand didn’t relent. Instead, he added another finger, expanding his reach.

She didn’t like him, so she wanted to deny that she was getting w*t inside, but when he stimulated her weak spots, her body reacted involuntarily.

‘No!’

She felt like dying from embarrassment. She begged him to stop, but instead of stopping, he increased the number of fingers inside her to three.

As his hand roughly explored her soaked v*lva, even her chest began to swell with excitement. She felt like something inside her was about to burst and desperately hoped he would stop before that happened.

‘If this continues, my body will be ruined.’

“Stop… please.”

Her eyes turned red, and tears welled up, making her vision blurry. Only then did Edwin’s hand movements cease. While Amelia was the one being humiliated, it was Edwin who seemed more tormented by his actions.

“Do you understand now? This is what you were getting yourself into. So stop thinking about doing something foolish.”

Edwin spoke as if nothing had happened, offering her support as Amelia staggered.

“Let go of me!”

She couldn’t stand to look at his face anymore. After adjusting her underwear and regaining her balance, she pushed him away and ran toward the carriage. Her heart pounded louder than the sound of her footsteps.

‘Bastard. How could he do this to me?’

Her mind was filled with curses. 

‘Why is he interfering in my affairs?’

Had they been close, she might have understood his actions. But they had kept a distance, and now he suddenly pretended to care!

Amelia bit her lower lip, swallowing the rising bitterness.

At the same time, she realized that she had been too naive, just as Edwin had said. She had been terrified when he touched her body.

Yet, she still felt the lingering warmth on her cheek, wrist, and the intimate places he had touched. Every nerve seemed to focus on the memory of his touch, causing her heart to race.

Thinking about how she had been trapped against his firm body, feeling the pressure inside her, she resented herself for momentarily feeling aroused by Edwin. But she decided to ignore that emotion.

She vowed never to speak to Edwin again as she climbed into the carriage.

* * *

“Are you alright? Do you have a fever or something?”

Even after arriving at the mansion, Amelia’s face was still flushed, causing Mary to approach with a worried expression.

“I’m fine.”

She gestured that there was no problem, but Mary, not convinced, checked her temperature and finally sighed in relief.

Still not completely reassured, Mary helped her to the bedroom, where Amelia sank into the sofa.

As she stared blankly into space, memories of what had happened at the royal palace resurfaced, making her sigh deeply.

‘Why did he do that?’

She had resolved not to think about Edwin, but even after arriving at the mansion, she couldn’t erase him from her mind. In fact, the memories became even clearer.

Strangely, she didn’t feel angry but rather a peculiar sense of excitement. It was an indescribable feeling.

She felt bad and uncomfortable, deciding never to see Edwin again, but oddly, she didn’t feel hatred towards him.

Perhaps it was because she believed he had done such a ridiculous thing to show her how dangerous the masquerade ball was.

Amelia couldn’t quite understand her own feelings.

But she knew one thing for sure: she never wanted to see Edwin’s face again.

He couldn’t possibly think they could remain friends after what he had done. Her resolve to avoid him grew stronger.

Wanting to forget the lingering sensations, Amelia headed towards the hot, steaming bathtub that Mary had prepared in advance.

“It’s been a tiring day.”

Soaking in the hot water, she felt the accumulated fatigue melt away. Her anger also seemed to subside a little.

“Young Lady, did something happen at the royal palace? Was the Crown Princess training very different from your usual lessons?”

Mary, who had come in to attend to her, looked puzzled by Amelia’s unusually exhausted appearance.

“Not very different.”

“Then why do you look so tired? Did something happen with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.”

Though Amelia sighed deeply as she answered, her mind was filled with thoughts of Edwin, not the Crown Prince.

Especially the sensation in her lower body where he had touched her felt even more vivid in the water.

‘This is crazy.’

Amelia curled up, closed her eyes, and lowered her face. Her entire body was soon submerged in the water.

She lifted her head when she was out of breath. She felt much better and even more determined.

‘I will never listen to Edwin’s words!’

Amelia resolved several times not to follow Edwin’s words.