Chapter 21 #2
A deep, chilling shiver ran down my spine when he muttered that word, scaring and arousing me simultaneously.
The memory of him watching me the other day, sitting on the couch, filled my mind, and I couldn’t help but bite my lower lip, looking away.
“Change? In front of you? And you’ll just watch me?” I asked, convinced I had misheard something.
He briefly lowered his gaze to my feet before looking back into my eyes.
“Yes, take off your blouse and skirt and slip into those.” His words were simple, yet they caused a slight throbbing in my core, and I shook my head slowly.
“It’s embarrassing,” I mumbled, and he furrowed his brows.
“Well, you complained I watched you change, so this time, grant me the pleasure of watching you with your knowledge. And it couldn’t be more intimidating than anything else.”
As my palms went cold, I balled them tightly.
“Um, but Kunwar-sa, I’m shy,” I pleaded, and he gritted his teeth slightly.
I didn’t know, but he looked cute even when angry.
“Then you can turn your face away from me,” he said, and I sighed in frustration.
“So, you will not listen?” I asked.
He scratched his jaw with his index finger for a moment and then shook his head.
“Um… you have already accused me of not listening to you. So, I’m standing up to the allegations.”
I gritted my teeth at his stubbornness.
“Why are you even upset?” I asked, finally letting the bag drop to the floor and covering my face.
“I’m not angry. Do I look angry?” he said, and I sighed in distress.
“Fine, fine, fine, how can I make it up to you?” I said, feeling like I was already losing in front of him. His brothers had raised a spoiled prince who neither listened nor understood.
“I’m not angry. So, you don’t have to do anything to make it up to me. After all, I go out to meet girls at night, flirt with Rashmika, watch you undress without your knowledge, and so on. So, you don’t—”
“You watching me naked without my knowledge was true,” I cut him off, and he exhaled deeply.
“I lay naked in your lap. You had no problems that day. Why is your body a body and mine not?” he said in a slightly frustrated tone, and my mouth hung open.
“But you knew I was watching you,” I exclaimed, and he lowered his gaze.
“I’m not talking to you. Just change,” he said, and I bit my lips, shaking my head.
“Sorry, I don’t feel like going out. You can go,” I said, swallowing hard as I noticed him watching me.
He remained silent for a moment and nodded. “Okay, as you wish,” he said, then opened the door and left.
I felt bad. A painful ache erupted in my heart, watching him leave.
I didn’t know what had suddenly happened between us.
Kneeling, I looked at the bag he had brought me.
Maybe I was being too stubborn. Perhaps we both didn’t need to stretch it further. We could’ve talked without bringing up the past.
I mean, his seeing me change didn’t offend me that day. I didn’t know why I brought it up.
To have something to say, maybe.
But it did nothing but hurt him. It didn’t bring us closer. Sometimes, in a relationship, one has to overlook certain things. One of them was the past. It is called the past for a reason.
I sighed deeply and walked toward the door, but my steps froze when I heard a soft knock.
I gulped silently and looked at myself, wondering if I looked presentable.
However, the moment I opened the door, my heart skipped a beat, and a slight smile appeared on my lips.
He lifted his gaze from the floor and looked at me.
“I came back to find out why you’re angry?” he questioned slowly, and I heard the distant sound of anklet bells.
“Someone’s coming here,” I said, pulling him inside the room.
His eyes widened in shock as I asked, “What are you doing here again?” My voice came out in a whisper, and he pouted at me.
“I didn’t want to hurt you,”
Inhaling deeply, I stared at him blankly.
After a brief pause, I replied, “I know,”
He gulped and closed his eyes, holding my arm and pulling me closer to him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His words made me shut my eyes.
“I just want you to respect yourself. Because if you don’t respect yourself, people won’t respect you.
Respect your boundaries, your timing, and everything.
There’s no need to overburden yourself. You’re already doing more than enough for us.
Why do you always think that the chores won’t get done if you don’t do something? Trust me, they will be done.”
I sighed, nodding.
“This isn’t overburdening, Kunwar-sa. I care for Nandani, Ranaji, Prince Ranvijay, Princess Aishwarya, and the people living in this palace. I don’t mind staying up late or getting up early to take care of them,” I spoke slowly, trying to present my perception.
He remained silent and kissed my forehead before saying, “Alright, as you see fit.”
I smiled before releasing the hug, and he said. “Alright, change.”
My brows thinned in a line with confusion and disbelief. “Still?”
He nodded shamelessly. “Yes, you didn’t want to change in front of me because we were fighting. Now it’s resolved. Change,” he said.
I blinked silently, trying to find something to say, but nothing came to me except, “And you’ll watch me?”
He leaned back against the door and nodded. “Of course. I’m your husband, and I’ve already seen most of you, and now I want to see you naked. I see no problem in that except if you don’t want me to,”
I nodded, appreciating that my consent did matter to him.
So, as a reward, I nodded. “Alright,”
Inhaling quietly, I picked up the bag.
I pulled out the clothes, staring into his green, shameless eyes, which bore into mine.
A tint of shame climbed up my cheeks, and I lowered my gaze to hide it amid the candlelight falling over me.
In the small, confined space, I stood before him and detached my dupatta from my skirt. I let it fall off my shoulder onto the floor. There was a slight tightness in my lower abdomen as I saw him watching me silently, taking my hands toward my back.
I lowered my gaze, trying to find the end of the blouse’s strings, and pulled it low. At that moment, I couldn’t meet his eyes, especially since I knew he was watching me, not from afar but just across the room.
The strings of my blouse loosened, and I felt my nipples erect in the heat of the moment, and just when I was about to pull the shoulder of my blouse down, I heard the slight movement of his turning to the other side.
A timid smile crossed my face at how he noticed my discomfort.
“Only because we still have to make it official,” his typical ‘Agastya-coded’ justification made me smile. But he had already seen me enough.
“That’s okay, you can watch me,” I whispered, and the last thing I expected was for him to turn back.
But he did—he shamelessly turned back and smirked at me.
“Since you said that I don’t listen to you, I am listening to you,” he teased, and I pulled the blouse off my body.
I felt timid with his gaze on me, and couldn’t help but shake my head.
“You’re impossible,”
He chuckled softly. “And you are beautiful. That tattoo on your skin is the most stunning thing I’ve ever seen.”
He muttered. There was something so hot in his voice that it made me gulp. His gaze became intense, his breathing slowed slightly, and I bit my lower lip, slipping my arms into the sleeves of my top.
I tied the strings at the front to secure it, then looked at him. He moved from his place and walked toward me.
“Let me help,” he said as I looked into his eyes, focusing on the knots at the top.
“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have said that,” I admitted, and he lifted his gaze, shaking his head.
“You don’t have to apologise. I should,” he said, his fingers moving to the following string. “But I’m not sorry for the other day, watching you change without your awareness,” he continued.
I blinked nervously, feeling his fingers gliding toward the side of my waist, and tucked into the knot of my skirt.
“I think—” But before I could finish, he unfastened it.
My heart raced as my skirt pooled at my feet, revealing my legs. Thankfully, the top ended at my thighs, covering my main part.
I gazed into his green oceans, his presence engulfing me in its warmth against the midnight chill. His fingers brushed over my thigh, causing me to inhale sharply, and I concealed my lips with my palm to prevent letting out any sound.
“May I?” His words made my lashes flutter rapidly, and a wave of sparks crawled over my skin as his fingers crept up my thighs.
I nodded, unable to shake my head in a ‘No’; there was no reason, either.
He leaned closer to my lips, just an inch away, brushing softly while his fingers moved up to the part between my legs.
My lashes forced closed at the feel of the manly touch.
A few moments passed, absorbing the feeling of his finger gently brushing against my sensitive skin.
“Does my touch feel good?” he asked, his breath fanning my face. I nodded slowly.
Pecking my lips, he muttered, “Then my tongue would do wonders.”
A strong, icy shiver ran down my spine when he said this. And before I could even react, he knelt before me.
I clenched my fist at the sight and looked away timidly. He slowly leaned closer to my thighs, brushing his lips just above my knees.
“What’re you doing?” I whispered, my breathing uneven, unable to understand why he was kneeling before me.
“I’m going to suck your crown,” he murmured, causing me to gulp nervously.
“No, no, you can’t,” I said, but paying no heed, he inched closer and kissed my thighs, deeper this time. I stumbled to my feet and placed my hand on his head, trying to push him away.
“Why?” he asked.
I shook my head dizzily and tried to speak. “You’re a prince. I’m just…” his lips travelled up my thighs, causing me to huff in desperation. “…I am just a commoner…” but he was too busy, lifting my shirt with his mouth and slowly moving towards the darker part of me. “A maid,” I breathed out.
My words felt futile as he pressed his lips to my centre.