[Mature content warning, read at your own discretion.]
Her entire body went still, caught between fear and the overwhelming heat coursing through her. Before she could pass out, the owner of the hand leaned in and whispered in a velvety voice she knew all too well, "Shhh...calm down, princess."
He paused and then added with a teasing edge, "You wouldn't want to ruin their passionate moment, would you?"
She stopped struggling, when a streak of moonlight fell softly across his handsome face. He raised an elegant brow and murmured, "I really didn't take you for a peeping tom, princess"
Now that she realised it was Ivan, she curled her delicate fingers around his hand and pulled it away, and whispered with a flustered breath, "I am not!"
"I just came out for some fresh air…." She exhaled slowly and continued, "I just don't know why I am so unlucky today.."
"Aaahh…"
[Music Recommendation: Azee - Hold Me]
Suddenly, a moan interrupted their conversation and Eve's eyes widened with embarrassment. She turned red to the roots, if that were even possible. Her already erratic heartbeat took a leap and with Ivan so close, she genuinely wondered if she was losing her sanity little by little. Her hand, which still held his, unconsciously tightened its grip.
Though it was dark, Ivan saw it all with his ever sharp eyes, his whisper sounded like sweet nothing spoken by the devil, "What is it?"
When she continued looking at him with that unfocused, sultry gaze, with her sweet lips trembling, it stirred something dangerous in him. Something that wanted to see her unravel just a little more. Momentarily forgetting all reasons, he brought his free hand up to her close to her crimson cheek and lightly brushed it with the back of his fingers. The touch was barely there yet searing.
Evelyn didn't know what was happening to her. Her skin felt too hot, her breaths came in shallow gasps and her senses were drowning in him, his scent, closeness, the velvet rasp of his voice. So she shut her eyes briefly as if to relish his gentle touch.
Before she even realised what she was doing, her other hand moved on its own, trailing up to rest against his chest. Her fingers brushed slowly over the fine fabric of his coat, as if searching for something deeper beneath.
"Ha.." A soft moan escaped her trembling lips, one she didn't even realise had slipped out. Thankfully, the other couple were too engrossed in their act to notice the sound Evelyn made.
But Ivan heard it, loud and clear. That single sound, so delicate and raw, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. Her uneven breaths, her flustered cheeks, the glassy sheen in her eyes…only added to her allure, making her look like a siren calling him to do forbidden things to her.
As his hand continued to brush her lightly against her cheek, he whispered again, "What is happening to you….princess?"
Evelyn half-opened her eyes, her lashes fluttering like the last defence against whatever was overtaking her "I…I don't know.." she whispered, her voice trembling with confusion and want.
She licked her pump lips that suddenly felt dried and she clutched Ivan's coat, pulling him closer and to his surprise, he let her, "I-I want…" she whispered again, her breath uneven, the heat radiating off her skin like fever.
Her words hovered over his lips, now just a whisper away. "Hot..I feel so…hot.." She struggled to speak more and shifted her legs, tense with something she didn't understand, as she unconsciously pressed her things together, desperate for release from growing ache deep inside her.
Ivan found himself frozen, dazed by the princess before him who had somehow transformed into a temptress out to seduce him like no other woman ever had. The hands that touched him felt like it was branding his skin.
He inhaled sharply to snap out of her spell and instantly regretted it. Her scent. Gods.
Sweet, floral mixed unmistakably with her sweet arousal hit him like a punch to his chest. It was so intoxicating that it made him feel like he might break away from his iron control.
Evelyn, who was too far gone to form any rational thought, didn't realise that the few drops of wine she had were so heavily laced with the potion that even a few drops would have been enough, let alone the fact that Gabe had nearly emptied half a bottle into it.
When she saw Ivan not responding to her, her hands grew bolder. She brought up the hand she had been gripping until now and pressed it to her cheek, only to rub it against his warm palm. She let go of his coat and slowly glided her hand from his chest to his neck and finally settled on his gorgeous face, which looked so inviting under the soft moonlight.
Ivan's eyes widened slightly at Eve's bold action, and as if under her spell, he couldn't move. Her subtle touches were so incredibly enticing that he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him, straight to his dead heart, which skipped a beat.
Then, as her gentle, soft and trembling fingers tenderly brushed against his cheek, a place no one had ever been allowed to touch before, he heard her whisper for the very first time, "I-Ivan."
His name had never sounded so tender, so intimate, as it did on her lips and as if compelled, he finally responded, "Hm?"
Evelyn, as if pleased to finally hear a response from him, moved her delicate bold fingers to touch his sinful lips. He didn't stop her and continued to stare at her as if in trance. As she panted softly, her warm breath fell on his lips, and her other hand, which held his against her cheek, slowly guided it down to her neck.
"Touch me.." she breathed, and just before she could drag his hand any further.
In that instant, he was jolted out of his trance. Snapped back to reality, he realised this wasn't the Evelyn he knew. Then all at once, it finally clicked, that she was under the influence of something. He immediately pulled back, gripping both her shoulders to put some distance between them and said in a cold, firm voice, "Evelyn, snap out of it!"
He saw her eyes widen momentarily, as if stunned by his rejection. Then, she brought both her hands up to his, which were still gripping her shoulders, and asked softly "Do…do you not want..me?"
As she uttered those words, Ivan's eyes widened in realisation, just how badly she was under the influence that she didn't even realise what she was saying anymore. Quickly regaining his composure, he said, "Evelyn, you're not yourself right now. Let's get back to your room, okay?" He tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.
But Evelyn was too far gone to register anything and all she felt was the sting of rejection. Suddenly, something caught in her throat and her eyes filled with unshed tears and she spoke in a trembling voice, "Do..do you re-reject me then?"
Her gaze dropped and a single tear escaped as she continued, her voice nearly breaking, "Do you...also think I am worthless?" More tears slipped down her cheeks as she added, "That, I am not…good enough."
Ivan was so stunned by the sudden shift in her mood that it left him speechless. He quickly blurted out, "No! That's not what I meant.."
She looked up at him with her beautiful, glazed, teary eyes and asked, "R-really?..Then.."
She gently removed his hands from her shoulder and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Touch me, then…" she whispered, her fingers weaving through his hair. "I feel… so hot.." she breathed, moving closer to his lips and whispered his name in a breathless moan, "Ivan."
For the first time in his life, Ivan felt utterly helpless. He wondered how did this little princess had managed to bring him to such a state. Perhaps the gods had finally decided to punish him for his ruthlessness.
Before Evelyn could lose further control and do something she might regret the next day, he firmly took hold of her hands, gently untangling them from his hair and neck. In the softest voice he could manage, he said, "How about a cold bath first? Don't you want to get out of that heavy gown? It must feel incredibly uncomfortable, doesn't it?"
He didn't want to push her away or be harsh to her. He didn't want to break the fragile trust she had placed in him, no matter how clouded her mind was right now. So he tried to take a different approach, hoping she would listen. Because if this didn't work, he'd have no choice but to force her back into her room to sleep off the influence, which he knew won't be easy.
As his red eyes looked at hers, he saw her go quiet and braced himself for resistance. But to his surprise, she blinked up at him with childlike innocence, her voice barely a whisper as she finally said, "Yes, it's….very hot."
And then she spoke, in the most seductive voice he had ever heard, "Will you..take me…"
Gods. He never thought he'd hear the innocent princess to say something so bold, let alone to have such an effect on him. It was a true test of his willpower, one he had never expected any woman to challenge the way Evelyn did. He never imagined his self-control would be tested like this, especially not by a lumen princess. At this point, she was truly something to be feared.
Still staring at him with those innocent, sultry blue eyes, she awaited his answer.
And he gave her a simple, "Yes." I'll take you back, he added silently.