Please Don’t Let Go Of That Leash - Chapter 4 - Royal Banquet (Part 9)
Chapter 4 – Royal Banquet (Part 9)
Since the moment he accidentally saw the first emperor’s letter on his coming-of-age day seven years ago.
That letter, covered in dust, had been sitting conspicuously on his desk as if it were meant for him to find. Out of curiosity, he dusted it off and opened it, only to be astonished by its contents.
The letter, filled from start to finish with affection for the first Duchess Astina, seemed to prove the myth as truth. Even when he suspected forgery, the signature at the end matched that on the last page of the records commemorating the first emperor’s achievements.
In the end, he had no choice but to believe it. Until he read the letter, he hadn’t believed in the myth, but with such evidence, he couldn’t help but accept it.
Since then, he had been waiting for the woman from the myth. Maybe it was because he wanted to create a warm and happy family like his parents who had a love marriage. He was certain that happiness would come when that woman appeared.
But as the seven years passed, she did not appear. He also didn’t know how to find her from his side.
His hopes scattered more and more over time. Some days he felt so betrayed by the letter that he almost tore it up, and other days he felt pathetic for believing it.
From the fifth year on, he started meeting noblewomen. Perhaps out of betrayal from the letter. But in the end, no one caught his eye. Even after sleeping with some, he never felt satisfied.
Leaving the crown princess position vacant until now was partly because of that. When he could no longer delay, he wanted to leave the position empty and wait for the most suitable person to be his wife. In hindsight, it was probably because he couldn’t let go of the woman from the myth.
In any case, his wait wasn’t in vain, as Ria eventually appeared. She gave him a sense of fulfillment and stability he had never felt before.
“Ng.”
Cherta, holding her close as she sought warmth in his arms, softly stroked her hair, convinced. He loved her. Deeply, from long ago.
“How could I not love you who appeared to me? I love you. I love you, Ria.”
Cherta endlessly whispered his love, holding Ria in his arms, making his earlier doubts about whether his feelings for her were love seem laughable.
After a long while, without moving so as not to wake her—actually, because he didn’t want to let go of her in his arms—he reluctantly got up to soak a towel in warm water and carefully cleaned her body.
Though he wanted to take her to the bathroom to wash her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back if she woke up, so he didn’t. His still erect m*mber proved that thought.
No matter how much he suppressed it, Ria’s scent alone made him aroused…, there was nothing he could do.
With a sigh, he settled between her legs to remove his s*men. The sight of her v*lva and the s*men mixed with her juice leaking from her entrance met his eyes.
‘I couldn’t control myself, after all.’
He felt a little sorry seeing the amount he scraped out with his fingers, realizing he had been too aggressive. But he also felt satisfied seeing his marks covering her.
Cherta paused and gazed intently at her flat stomach.
He wondered what if she bore his child there. Then she would only stay by his side. Never able to leave.
The thought alone was satisfying. Her being confined to him alone. The dark desire for possession filled his eyes with a dangerous light.
But he soon dismissed the thought and continued removing the s*men.
On the day he heard about Ria from Rune and Eden, they had emphasized contraception to him. When he said he hadn’t taken the shot, they immediately summoned the royal physician to administer it in front of him.
At first, he found it absurd, but he couldn’t argue upon hearing that her body wasn’t fully healthy and, more importantly, that she cared about contraception.
Finishing the cleanup, he meticulously covered Ria up to her neck with the blanket, then went to the bathroom to calm his still erect m*mber with his hand.
After lightly washing up, he came out of the bathroom, gathered the clothes scattered on the floor, and entered the small dressing room attached to the bedroom to put on a light shirt and pants.
Though he wanted to sleep holding Ria in his arms, he had work to do.
Leaving the bedroom, his eyes were cold and sharp, unlike the warmth he had shown Ria.
***
While Cherta was pressing Ria, the three men who returned to the banquet hall first looked for Ria. However, even after checking all the terraces, they couldn’t find her.
It was impossible for them, who remembered every breath, step, and gesture of Ria, to not find her. This meant Ria wasn’t anywhere on the terraces.
Still, just in case, they looked around the banquet hall again, but Ria was nowhere to be seen, as if she had vanished.
The atmosphere among the three men turned hostile.
The music in the banquet hall abruptly stopped, and the noblemen and women who were happily chatting and drinking champagne fell silent. The one who broke the tense silence was Diharn.
“Duke Astina, Duke Carlisle, Count Fernon.”
Diharn approached them with a knight’s courtesy.
“The Crown Prince calls for you.”
“I cannot go right n…”
“It is regarding Lady Leviar, with orders to convey the situation.”
Rune, who was about to refuse, stopped. Confirming this, Diharn straightened up and gestured around.
“I will escort you to the palace.”
“…Understood.”
Following Diharn out of the banquet hall, they were briefed on the situation.
“Young Master Peune used a dirty trick. The lady ingested an aphr*disiac. Fortunately, His Highness intervened before anything happened and took the lady to the palace.”
The three men’s expressions hardened. The mere use of an aphr*disiac was infuriating enough, but imagining what could have happened next made them grind their teeth even more. They already disliked the eyes coveting Ria.
If only they hadn’t acted out of unnecessary jealousy. Ria’s meeting with the Crown Prince at the banquet was inevitable, so they tried to delay it a bit by diverting Ria’s attention and blocking Cherta’s approach.
That was also why the Emperor and Empress had called them. When they asked a few questions about Ria, they were sure it was to pair her with Cherta.
If only they had introduced Cherta to Ria earlier. Then strange men wouldn’t have approached her. Or rather, they shouldn’t have left her side in the first place.
Their anger at themselves turned towards Omur Peune, who had tried to do something dirty.
“Where is that bastard now?”
“By the Prince’s order, he is confined in the dungeon. Currently, he is unconscious from the beating and being treated.”
“Treated?”
“Yes. The Prince said he wouldn’t let him die easily.”
It meant he would beat him to the brink of death, then heal him repeatedly, causing so much pain that he would beg for death. Just as the three men had done to the thugs who had grabbed Ria in the alleyways of the bustling streets.
When they arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace, Diharn led them to the parlor room. They waited with stern expressions, and soon, the Crown Prince entered.
As soon as they smelled the familiar scent from Cherta, their faces hardened even more. A faint scent of Ria lingered on Cherta.
Eden, clenching his fists so tightly they turned white, barely managed to control his expression and asked Cherta.
“Your Highness, may I ask one thing first… Did Ria accept you?”
“Yes.”
Eden finally closed his eyes tightly. He already felt his position was precarious, and now another person had joined. He had expected it and prepared himself mentally, but hearing it directly was indescribably devastating.
“How is the lady’s condition? Is she alright?”
Kahin asked, leaving Eden, who couldn’t speak anymore, behind. Cherta answered, sinking deeply into the sofa.
“The antidote is working, and she’s sleeping. By the time she wakes up, the effects of the aphr*disiac will be completely gone. You can rest assured. More than that, Diharn.”
At Cherta’s call, Diharn began the report he had been waiting to give.
In a short amount of time, he had found out everything that happened at the banquet, from the conversations Ria had with the noble ladies to Omur Peune’s approach and how Ria ended up drinking the aphr*disiac-laced glass he offered.
“We tried to find the glass the lady drank from, but it seems the attendants cleared it away.”
“Is there a chance Katrina Peune took it?”
“There’s a slim chance, but it’s safer to assume the attendants took it, so I don’t think they would have taken such a risk.”
Agreeing silently, they moved on to discuss Omur’s punishment.
“Using an aphr*disiac at the royal banquet alone is a serious crime. Even if he denies it without evidence, as the Crown Prince, who would side with him over my word?”
“Then, how will you handle it publicly?”
Cherta smirked coldly, as if he had already thought about it. Diharn felt a chill down his spine.
The person he served usually dealt with others with a sly smile, but once angered, he showed no mercy, making the punishment as painful as possible.