Yui decided to not sleep and keep watch throughout the night. She intended to stay alert so the moment Koul's grips on her loosened, she'd run away.
Minutes went by and turned into an hour. Yet, Yui was still awake. Although drowsy, she was determined to not sleep.
How dare she even think to sleep peacefully on the same bed as her husband, the king?
However, sleep was something quite defiant. When it came most times, it came heavy.
Koul was still deep in his slumber. At intervals, he'd stop suckling on Yui's nipple only to resume again, like a baby asleep but unwilling to let go of their candy.
His grip, although a little lighter, didn't loosen enough for Yui to escape. He had her securely trapped.
Am I his body pillow?
Even though Yui wasn't exactly comfortable with the situation, she was glad Koul wasn't doing more than this.
As seconds slipped by, Yui's eyelids grew heavier, threatening to close. She struggled to peer her eyes open, trying to fight the sleep.
But… she couldn't. She succumbed to it and soon drifted into the land of dreams.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Early the next day, vastly different from the late mornings Koul usually woke up, he stirred.
He groaned slowly, eyes squeezing as a wave of headache slapped his head. The moment he fully regained consciousness, the smell of wine that had turned foul quickly penetrated his nostrils.
This made him squeeze his face in disgust as he recalled the banquet and everything that transpired.
But as his body revived from its numb state, and he moved to rise, he felt weight on him.
Along with that was the flowery scent that differed vastly from the foul stench of the wine.
His eyes tore open instantly as realization settled in. He snapped his head to the figure laying beside him, meeting the shock of his life.
Y-yu-yu-yui?!!!
Koul's mouth fell open, decorating the room with more foul stench. He was static for moments, staring with stun.
I-is she really the one here?
Even though he could feel her weight on him, and her sweet scent mixing in with his stench, the situation was just too unexpected for him to believe.
She was laying defenseless in seductive clothes. And her breasts were almost fully hanging out of her clothes.
If Koul wasn't still cursed with his illness, his manhood would've long since sprung awake.
If I can just… touch…
He held his breath, extending his hand to grab one of her large breasts.
Just as his hand was an inch away from reaching, Yui's eyes fluttered open.
THUMP!
His heart skipped, breath caught in his throat and his body froze up.
Yui was already surprised to see Koul awake and staring at her. But seeing his palm an inch away from landing on her breast, the shock was overwhelming.
Koul broke out of his shock, instantly withdrawing his hand and drawing back.
"T-this.. this isn't…it—"
He tried to explain but couldn't even form his words.
Yui snapped up and quickly rose from the bed. She took a place beside the bed and started crouching up and down repeatedly in haste.
"I'm so sorry! So sorry!" She cried, bowing and apologizing over and over.
She was panicking.
Not only did she come into his room while he was asleep, she even dared lay beside him. To her who was from a low background, it was a big crime.
"I came in last night and stayed even while you were asleep. I dared watch you sleep and even dared to get on the same bed as you. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
She continued bowing relentlessly.
But in the midst of all this, despite knowing Yui was panicking and scared, Koul couldn't see this.
Although he wanted to. He really did.
But her breasts jiggling and bouncing with the repeated bows sealed away his attention.
Breasts…
Koul was lost for moments, making Yui sweat from her relentless gesture of asking for mercy.
Her pants were starting to sound loud in between her words. Only then did Koul break away from his reveries.
And seeing how tired and stressed Yui was, pain tugged at the corner of his heart.
He launched forward quickly, grabbing Yui by the arms and bringing her to a stop.
"That's enough now!" He yelled.
Not that he wanted to scold her or anything. He was just upset at himself for letting her overdo and stress herself.
However, his tone was sharp, sounding the way he didn't intend it to.
Yui froze up, ceasing even her breath.
"Y-yes," she barely whispered, quivering.
Seeing this, Koul knew he had once again, fucked up. He cursed himself inwardly, telling himself he deserved a slap.
But because of the system and judges, he couldn't directly apologize or begin to properly convey his genuine intentions.
Instead, he loosened his grip around her, softening his hold. He hoped this would at least get it to her that he didn't mean to yell at her.
"I'm not angry. You don't have to apologize. Wasn't I the one who asked you to come see me?" He questioned calmly.
He was being mindful not to let his tone be overly soft or gentle. Just calm and steady.
"After requesting that of you, I went to bed without even a word to you. So don't apologize. It's all okay."
The system had granted me a bit of freedom to converse smoothly with Yui in order to complete my task. So this much should be accepted…. right?
Yui kept silent, surprised by Koul's response and reaction. But despite this, her face showed she wasn't convinced.
Koul's brows furrowed softly, blamng himself for her doubts. How could she believe him when he had let her apologize continuously till she was out of breath?
Yui averted her gaze, her delicate hand folding into a fist. She drew it up to her chest, withdrawing her body into a coil.
Koul saw this as a sign to let her go because she was still uncomfortable with him. As he withdrew his hands, his eyes darted to her nipple that was hard and perky.
It was poking through her fabric.
This sight sparked a fragment of his memory.
His hand slowly went up his lips and touched gently.
I had something in my mouth, didn't I?
His eyes flickered to the nipple once again, realization finally dawning on him.
Compared to her other nipple, the one he'd been sucking on stood firm.
Koul couldn't help but worry he had made her sore.
"This.. did I do this?" He absent mindedly reached out his hand to touch the nipple, but Yui flinched, drawing back in a hurry.
This ceased Koul in place with his hand hanging mid-air.
His gaze rested on Yui for a moment, surprise etched clearly on his face. He couldn't help the little pain that tugged at his heart as Yui's reaction made him feel like he was some kind of vermin or disease.
Koul retracted his hand, tilting his gaze away
"I'm sorry."
He heard Yui say and immediately lifted his gaze again.
"I know what everyone thinks of me. I shouldn't have come so close to you," she said, eyes unwilling to even look at Koul.
Meanwhile, Koul couldn't understand where she was getting.
"I shouldn't have come near you or slept in the same bed as you. You must be disgusted."
Only when she said this did Koul finally understand what she was getting at. And this quite infuriated him as he thought back to how everyone gazed at her like she was a disgrace.
But he kept his calm. He couldn't afford to lash out in her presence again.
"What are you even saying?" He asked sternly. His voice was cold, different from the calm one he'd been using.
His face had also turned rigid, not the calm one he puts on in her presence. It finally felt like a king speaking to a mere subject.
This caused Yui to finally tilt her gaze to look at Koul, surprised.
"When have I ever told you what I think of you?" He asked, pausing to stare briefly at her.
"I don't recall ever telling you anything about my opinion of you. So why add me among the people who blatantly disrespect you?"
"Disgusted you said? If I was then I'd be out there forcing my guts out, wouldn't I?"
Koul drew near, coming face to face with Yui who stood her ground. More like she was frozen and couldn't even move.
"If anything, I am very pleased to have you by my side," Koul breathed. "Are you not my wife and am I not your husband? This much intimacy should be normal."
"B-but, I'm too old. There's no way you'd want anything to do with me," Yui managed to let out.
"Hmm?" Koul tilted his head slightly. "You're wrong though. My lower half throb every time I see you."
Yui exploded with heat. Her face turned red and cold sweat started to bead her forehead. With this was her heart that was pounding loud and heavy.
Before even another breath could escape Koul, she turned and dashed off, sprinting from the room.