Too Late for Regret

After years of political promise, Princess Anita of Callithea finally marries Crown Prince Cedric of Laxion.
Having long admired him, Anita crosses the border full of hope, only to be met with scorn, humiliation and cold hatred by the man she once dreamed of loving.

“Go ahead and choose, Princess. Whoever catches your eye tonight will be the one to share your bed.”

Amidst the ruthless intrigues of the Laxion court and the growing unrest in her homeland, Anita struggles to endure.
Her resolve is tested again and again as Cedric’s cruelty intensifies, his hostility cutting deeper than any blade.

“If it’s what you want, I’ll give you everything. I’ll obey any order you give me.”
“What worth could your kneeling possibly hold for me?”

Day by day, her strength wanes.
The suffocating pressure and relentless despair leave her barely able to breathe.
And when she finally lashes out, the truth bursts forth like shattered glass.

“Do you regret it now?”
“Even if it hadn’t been him, anyone would have been kinder than you! No one could have been as cruel as your Majesty!”

Caught between the politics of nations and the confines of a loveless marriage, Anita can neither escape nor surrender.
It is only when she stands on the verge of breaking, her heart dry and crumbling to dust, that Cedric begins to realize.

“D＊mn it… What else could I possibly want from you? What more is there left for me to take?”

· ✦ ·

“Anita. That’s hardly how one begs properly, is it? Not when you’re dressed like that…”
The sheer negligée draped over her body shimmered faintly, revealing just enough of the soft curves beneath.
It wasn’t transparent, but it was too fine and delicate.
The line beneath her lowered stomach was too suggestive and indecent for any man’s eyes but his.
Cedric’s temper plummeted.
The desire burning in his chest turned cold and sharp, like ice driven into flesh.
‘How many men had seen her like this?’
Sensing the twisted shift in his demeanor, Anita flinched as though awaiting judgement.
“Go on then. Lift your skirt yourself. Raise it just enough… to make it worth looking at.”