Please Don’t Let Go Of That Leash - Chapter 4 - Royal Banquet (Part 11)
Chapter 4 – Royal Banquet (Part 11)
“Sit down for now.”
Cherta surprisingly complied and sat beside her. Ria sat up, covered herself with the blanket, and wrapped it around him too. No matter what, being naked was a bit much.
She wiggled her toes for a moment, contemplating, and then, seemingly resolved, placed her left foot on his thigh. The petal markings from the previous oaths were clearly visible on her foot, four in total.
‘Huh…?’
“Why are there four petals?”
She had only taken oaths from three people.
‘Then when did this one…. ‘
Ria, staring blankly at the petals, looked up in surprise. She saw Cherta, looking proud, staring at the petals on her foot.
He was even gently caressing one of the petals with his finger. A newly engraved petal in a previously unmarked spot!
“…….”
Ria gave up thinking for a moment.
Meanwhile, Cherta reminisced with a deep smile about the moment he took the oath.
Returning to his room after a dawn meeting about Omur Peune, he noticed her foot sticking out from the blanket on the bed.
Her white, pretty foot was so small it seemed to fit perfectly in his hand. He carefully held it, admiring it from her ankle to her toes. Though it was just a foot like anyone else’s, it had never seemed so lovely.
And he worried about her slender ankle breaking if he applied too much force.
‘Hmm?’
He noticed three petals on her white foot.
Squinting, he examined the petals more closely and burst into a laugh when he realized what they were.
‘They handed over their leash.’
He didn’t know the exact circumstances of the oath, but he was sure of one thing.
They had taken the oath voluntarily, without a hint of rejection. Perhaps they had been waiting for the chance to swear the oath, just to be tied to her.
He observed the marks with a slightly crooked smile. The fact that they hadn’t mentioned the oath to him bothered him.
But he would have done the same, so he laughed it off.
“I am no different.”
Then, reverently, he knelt at her feet, bending low. The crown prince, who had never bowed before, knelt and kissed her foot without hesitation.
“So hold my leash well, master.”
A faint red glow appeared and faded on the bed where Ria lay.
Cherta still had no regrets. That mark would stay on her body forever. That was the nature of the oath of obedience.
Ria, however, was still very surprised. She found it hard to believe that the crown prince had taken an oath that, once tied, could never be undone.
“Ch-Cherta, did you… do this?”
“You can speak comfortably.”
Ria, realizing she had spoken informally in her shock, added politely. Cherta laughed, gently tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Is it okay…?”
“Yes. Because it’s you, Ria. And I’ve already sworn the Oath of Obedience, so there’s no reason not to.”
“Th-that’s true.”
Ria nodded, conceding. He was the one permitting it, so what could she do?
“But is it okay to swear such an oath so easily?”
“Why?”
“Well, because you’re the Crown Prince…. And when did you do it?”
“While you were sleeping.”
Cherta tilted his head slightly, smiling. His red hair swayed gently with the movement. Ria thought it seemed to be seducing her. She couldn’t help but stare.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Ria spoke firmly.
“You shouldn’t make such oaths to just anyone. What if I were a bad person? I could use it to, oh, demand lots of money or ask you to buy me tons of clothes.”
“Do you want them?”
“Huh?”
“Money, dresses, jewels, what else? This empire? If you want, I can give it to you.”
Trying to caution him, Ria received an unexpected response. Startled, she shook her head quickly. Cherta gently held her cheeks, stopping her, worry in his eyes.
“Are you dizzy?”
How could she be dizzy from just that small shaking of the head?
“No, I’m not dizzy from this.”
“Hmm….”
Despite that, Cherta examined her face with concern. From his behavior, Ria realized he would be as overprotective as the other three men.
“Anyway, I can’t stay here any longer. Rune and the others must be worried. I disappeared from the banquet without a word.”
Mentioning Rune first, Ria’s words made Cherta realize Rune held her most trust. Though he understood intellectually, his petty jealousy flared.
“They know you’re here, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Huh?”
“They all know you’re here.”
“Even that we slept together?”
“Yes.”
Ria immediately buried her face in her hands.
‘What would they think after hearing those words from him?’
Cherta, leaning towards her, gently rubbed the back of her hand as if asking her to show her face and said,
“Both dukes know the myth, so they’ll understand. You don’t need to worry.”
“……”
“Duke Carlisle accepted it that way too……”
“I need to go.”
Ria, cutting off Cherta’s words, suddenly raised her head.
“No matter what it is, we need to talk face to face to feel reassured….”
However, she stopped without finishing her sentence. Right in front of her, at such a close distance that she could feel his breath, was Cherta’s face. Ria, shifting her gaze, tried to slip away discreetly.
Of course, Cherta, unable to simply watch silently, was quicker. He tilted his head and planted a lingering kiss on Ria’s lips.
“Wait, Cherta….”
He seized the moment to smoothly slip his tongue inside her briefly parted lips.
“Mmm….”
He tenaciously held on to her tongue, trying to catch it as it attempted to retreat from the intense heat. From her exhaling breath to saliva, he pressed on relentlessly, as if he wanted to possess everything.
“Haah….”
“Do you understand?”
As his lips parted, he gently brushed her back, helping her catch her breath. His voice was as dangerously low as his touch on her back.
“The oath of obedience can only be sworn once in a lifetime.”
At these unfamiliar words, she looked at him as if asking what he meant.
“Once bound, it cannot be undone. If it’s used too freely, many people would exploit it. It becomes a different kind of slavery. The original meaning gets lost.”
“….”
“That’s why it can only be done once in a lifetime, and only to one person.”
She hadn’t known that. She had only understood that once bound, it couldn’t be undone. That’s how she had heard it.
“I made that vow to you. That’s how precious your existence is to me. So…”
“….”
“Just stay by my side a little longer.”
“Cherta.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll call for them. We haven’t had a proper conversation since we got to know each other. Let me learn more about you.”
She couldn’t bring herself to refuse the voice that seemed so earnest. She didn’t want to refuse.
Perhaps it was for reasons like this that she found herself particularly vulnerable to them.