Chapter 26.
Reward Me!
The bathroom adjoining Mik’s bedroom in the Crown Prince’s quarters was filled with steamy warmth.
He was leaning back in a spacious bathtub, submerged in hot water. His damp black hair was slicked back in exhaustion, and his eyes were closed.
His shoulders, broad and taut like sculpted stone, rose above the surface of the water. It made my heart ache, wondering if they bore the weight of too many responsibilities for too long.
Without realizing it, I reached out to him. I wanted to gently ease the tension in his shoulders with my hands. But then—
Splash!!
Just before my hand could touch his shoulder, I was yanked forward by a strong force—and fell headlong into the bathtub.
Flailing, I sputtered under the water, struggling to regain balance. The grip on my wrist was so strong it felt like my bones would snap.
“Pfft… Mik! Cough cough!!”
“Leah?”
Startled, he quickly let go of my wrist.
“Sorry. Are you hurt? Did I scare you?”
“Cough cough!! Of course you scared me! But luckily, I’m not hurt.”
Catching my breath, I massaged my sore wrist and gave him a half-hearted glare.
“Sorry. My battlefield instincts are still too sharp. I truly apologize.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry too, for startling you. Your shoulders looked so tense, I just wanted to help…”
What I didn’t say out loud was that it looked like he was carrying too much on his shoulders, and I wanted to ease some of that burden.
He was a proud man, after all. He might not want to show weakness in front of me.
But my worries were needless.
“You’re right. My shoulders are stiff and sore. So go ahead—do something about it.”
He suddenly slouched his shoulders and leaned them toward me.
“Too late. Thanks to someone, I’m soaking wet, and this dress is so heavy now I can’t even lift my arms.”
I slapped his bare shoulder with a wet smack and pushed him away. The soaked fabric of my dress felt like it weighed a ton.
That’s when a mischievous gleam sparked in his eyes.
“Oh really?”
He reached out and wrapped his arm around my back. I instinctively recoiled in surprise, but Mik’s lips curved into a smirk.
“If your arms are too heavy to do their job, I guess I’ll have to help you out.”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“Oh, nothing complicated.”
He tensed his arms—and with a sudden motion, the back of my dress ripped clean open.
“Mik, are you serious?!”
“Shh, stay still.”
“Stay still?! You ripped my dress!”
Just like when he removed my wedding gown—did he have a weird habit of tearing dresses?
I clutched at the slipping fabric desperately. But Mik grabbed both of my hands in one of his, and with the other, stripped away the remnants of the torn dress.
“It’s soaked, and hard to take off. Tearing it off is just faster.”
The dress was now a pile of wet rags. He tossed the pieces out of the tub.
Oh no… Madame Russo had poured her heart and soul into making that gown! She’d be heartbroken if she saw this…
I didn’t even have time to mourn for the poor dress. Next, his fingers deftly undid the cage-like petticoat.
When he looked ready to take off my undergarments too, I quickly grabbed his hand.
“That’s enough! With the sleeves off, I can move my arms just fine now.”
Though I was left in my underwear, I turned him around and began kneading his shoulders. Mik obediently relaxed into my touch.
I poured some fragrant daffodil oil into my hands and gently rubbed it into his muscles.
His tightly knotted muscles resisted my fingers at first, but I wasn’t going to give up that easily!
After all, I’d been training hard in swordsmanship and building my strength. My grip had gotten stronger, and as I applied more pressure, his tense muscles began to loosen beneath my will.
“If it hurts, let me know. I’ll go easier.”
Feeling satisfied, I leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
Splash!
Once again, a powerful pull yanked me forward.
My upper body toppled onto his shoulder, and his strong arms caught me before I could fall into the water again.
Just seconds ago I was massaging his shoulders from behind—now, I was facing him directly, sitting in his lap.
Staring into those smoldering indigo eyes, my mouth went dry. I swallowed and wet my lips with my tongue—his expression grew even darker and more intense.
“This is clearly an invitation, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking abou—?!”
He cut me off with a kiss. The intensity made my vision blur.
He pressed forward, overwhelming me. He kissed me underwater like a starving man who’d been deprived for days.
I couldn’t breathe. I was about to drink the whole bath if this kept up.
As I struggled, he lifted me from the water, still holding me close. Water cascaded from my hair and skin like a waterfall.
Seeing me gasping for breath, he murmured with a slightly guilty expression,
“It’s strange. Whenever you’re in water… I lose my mind.”
His long fingers brushed away the droplets on my face.
“How is that my fault? I was just trying to help with your shoulders!”
Still catching my breath, I protested.
“This won’t do. Come here.”
He pulled me into his arms. As we faced each other, I naturally ended up straddling his thighs.
When he pulled my hips in closer, I had no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist.
“Much better.”
Satisfied, Mik buried his face in my neck.
“Mik, this really isn’t the place…”
“Then you shouldn’t have gotten in here in the first place.”
His lips trailed from my neck to my collarbone, setting my nerves on fire.
My hands gripped his shoulders harder, and my body arched instinctively.
His fingers traced slowly down my spine, sending electric jolts through my entire body.
Shuddering at the strange, tingling sensation, I clung tightly to his head.
“Mik…”
“Be honest. You were bored at the banquet, weren’t you? That’s why you came looking for me.”
Wait. The banquet?
Suddenly, I snapped back to my senses. I braced my hands against his shoulders and pulled back slightly.
Mik looked up at me with questioning eyes.
“Mik, why did you come up so early?”
“What?”
“The main course hasn’t even been served yet! I put so much effort into it. It’s meaningless if you don’t eat it!”
He stared at me, speechless.
“So… you came to scold me?”
“Of course! This banquet was for all the knights who joined the campaign—but it means nothing to me if you’re not there.”
I pouted.
“Think about Head Chef Modavi! He fainted twice from working so hard. And now Prince Mikrok won’t even touch the main dish?”
“Hm… now I get it.”
He nodded in understanding, and I brightened.
“So you’ll come down and finish dinner?”
But instead of answering, he stripped off my underwear. I yelped and covered myself with both arms.
“Mik! What are you doing?!”
“Now I understand why the banquet dishes didn’t satisfy me.”
His large, hot hands easily overpowered my resistance and gently stroked my face. A soft sigh escaped me.
“What I truly crave is right here. No banquet dish could compare.”
“Mik, you must be exhausted. You need to bathe, eat, sleep—rest!”
“Shh…”
He cradled my face in his hands, gently biting my lower lip before kissing the upper one.
“I fought so hard, just to come back to you. I really gave it my all.”
He pressed soft kisses on my forehead, the bridge of my nose, and my eyelids. I gazed at him, spellbound.
“I tried so hard not to get a single scratch on my face, just like you asked. Go on, see for yourself. Not a single injury, right?”
He guided my hands to his face.
I gently caressed it—forehead, thick brows, along the nose, then to his lips and cheeks.
“You’re right. Amazing.”
“So… give me a reward.”
His faint smile, and the look in his indigo eyes—like a big dog waiting for praise—was too much.
Good looks and cuteness? That’s just cheating!
“You’re impossible.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck in surrender. Our lips met, and we shared a passionate, breathless kiss.
Even when we parted briefly for air, his lips never stopped—trailing along my jaw, my chin, my throat.
As if he couldn’t bear even a second of separation.
“Leah, you’re so sweet and soft.”
The feeling of being completely, deeply loved sent shivers down my spine. My soul was utterly consumed by him.
Our wild, tangled movements made the bathwater slosh violently, spilling over the edge.
*****
The banquet hall, once full of laughter, chatter, and clinking glasses, had fallen silent.
As night came, the nobles returned to their mansions, and most of the commoner knights and their families had moved to the royal guest lodgings in the West Palace, thoughtfully arranged by Leah.
They would enjoy a happy night and take part in a palace tour the next day.
Millie, hearing countless people praise Leah’s welcome banquet as perfectly planned, beamed as if she’d received the compliments herself.
That’s when Chief Attendant Colin approached.
“Millie, you should rest now too. You worked hard organizing all this.”
Millie nodded happily at his words. She stretched her arms high with a yawn—these last four days had been a whirlwind for her as well.
“Millie!”
At the sound of someone calling her name, she quickly dropped her arms and turned.
There stood Ralph, looking dashing in his uniform.
Despite looking identical to Freddie, his aura was completely different. Millie still found it fascinating.
If Freddie resembled a rugged hunter, Ralph was more of a cold scholar.
“Sir Ralph, the other knights and their families have all gone to their lodgings.”
“So it seems.”
Ralph looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. Instead, he handed her a box.
“Thanks to the scarf you gave me for luck, I returned safely. I wanted to repay you.”
“Wow, this is…?”
Millie’s eyes sparkled as she opened the gift.
