Her Highness's Second Life

“Your Highness.” Raena raised her head, locking eyes with the two guards stationed in front of her husband’s office. They bowed their heads, one palm pressing on the left side of their chests. Over the years, she had learned this gesture represented the highest form of respect. When greeting a superior, they were only required to bow their heads or kneel—the latter usually in the presence of the Emperor in a formal setting. However, to express devotion and deeper respect for the person themselves, they would place their hands over their hearts. Raena smiled. They always greeted Kassian like that, and as they got to know her better and saw how Kassian treated her, their attitude changed. She couldn’t blame them for not doing it before. After all, Kassian had once maintained a whole harem of women and neglected most of them for a long time. It was only natural for his men to ignore them as well. Still, it brought her a weird sense of satisfaction that she had never seen his soldiers greet Lara with a hand on their hearts, even when she used to be his favorite concubine and essentially ruled the harem. “Is he inside?” Raena asked when they assumed their positions by the door. “Yes, Your Highness. May I announce you?” one of them asked readily, his hand already reaching for the handle. “There is no need. This is not official business,” Raena replied, and he opened the door for her. She slipped past them and entered the large oval room that stole most of her husband’s attention these days. With her giving up overseeing the restaurant in favor of raising their daughters and resting, she was slowly going crazy lazing around all day. Now that her daughters were older, and the doctor had deemed her healthy after passing her first trimester, she wanted to go back—which was what she was telling him tonight. “Raena?” She flinched, realizing she had grown distracted by her thoughts and was just standing by the door without moving. Kassian was sitting behind a desk overflowing with scrolls and papers lying around in complete chaos. Blaine’s desk, which was on the other side of the room, was the exact opposite—neat and tidy, just like its diligent owner. “Still working?” she asked, making her way into the room. “We were about to wrap things up,” Blaine replied, while Kassian grimaced. “Another hour maybe, and we’ll be done for the day.” “Hmm, that’s too bad,” Raena sighed, leaning on the edge of Kassian’s desk while her eyes remained on Blaine. The aide raised an eyebrow, glancing toward Kassian. “In an hour, it will probably be too late.” “What would be too late, Your Highness?” Blaine frowned, a few worry lines forming on his forehead as he pushed his glasses up with his forefinger. “Is something amiss?” “Oh, no, everything is fine.” Raena waved her hand, raising her nails to examine them. “By the way, Kara is staying the night since we ended up talking too late, and I couldn’t, in good conscience, let her go home alone at this hour. We just had dinner, and she went for a short stroll in the garden before retiring for the night.” Raena tried to hold back her laughter as the look of worry on the aide’s face turned into one of excitement. For such a reserved person as Blaine, it was hilarious to see his expression light up when her friend’s name was mentioned. “Um, well…” Blaine looked down at his desk. Before he could finish that sentence, Kassian let out a sigh. “I’m too tired to work. We should call it a night.” Blaine’s head snapped in his direction. “You may go.” “Yes, Your Highness,” Blaine replied, already pulling his jacket from the back of his chair. “Please rest well, both of you. Good evening.” He rushed toward the door when Kassian’s voice stopped him. “Remember what I told you, Blaine?” he said, and his aide turned to look at him over his shoulder. “Be aggressive! Stop missing your chances!” “What? No!” Raena exclaimed, glaring at her husband before looking back at Blaine. “Do not be aggressive, you hear me? Force is never the answer!” Blaine hesitated, so she pushed herself off the edge of the desk, preparing to shake him until common sense returned to his brain. A pair of hands wrapped around her from behind, and Kassian pulled her into his lap before she could take another step. “Go,” he urged, and before she could say anything, Blaine was gone. Raena twisted around and pinched her husband’s shoulder. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Being aggressive?” she complained angrily. “This is Kara we’re talking about! And even if it’s not her, that’s still not alright! What if someone decides to get aggressive with your daughters, huh?” Kassian’s face stiffened before he sighed heavily. “It’s not what you think,” he said, tightening his arms around her when she tried to get up. “All I told him is that he should stop waiting for Kara to give him a clear signal to proceed with their courting. He should just make a big move and see her reaction. She’ll either reject him or allow it. Either way, they will be out of this annoying stalemate they have been in for months.” Raena sighed, trying one more time to wiggle out of his grasp. He didn’t let go. “This is Blaine we’re talking about. You know him! The worst he can do is hug her and then apologize for half an hour for taking the liberty. Please don’t be mad. I’m just trying to help him win over the woman she loves like I have.” “So cheesy.” Raena grimaced, but despite her words, she felt her anger drain away. Kassian chuckled, his hold loosening so she could turn around. Dark circles had formed under his beautiful eyes, and his face seemed slimmer than she remembered. With the new continent’s delegation’s delayed arrival and his work piling up, he spent most of his time cooped up in his office. She didn’t want to interfere with his work, so she had been desperately trying to find stuff to do around the house, but the truth was, she missed him. She couldn’t wait for this craziness to be over so they could spend some time alone before she was too pregnant for anything. As if sensing the shift in her mood, Kassian raised an eyebrow. Raena got up from his lap only to stride his legs and wrap her arms around his neck. She almost laughed at the stiff, tortured expression that appeared on his face as her body pressed against his. His hands tightened on her waist, but he did nothing despite the hungry look on his face. “Raena, we can’t…” he said, closing his eyes. “The doctor said that doing anything in the first three months might be risky for the baby.” He leaned his head on her shoulder, groaning as if he was in pain. She could tell how aroused he was already, but his restraint for the past few months had been ironclad. Judging by his reaction, he probably didn’t know the doctor had examined her today. “My poor husband, it must be hard…” Kassian snorted, digging his fingers into her sides. That only made her chuckle. “You’re not as funny as you think,” he mumbled, hugging her tightly. “What? I’m hilarious!” Raena grinned, leaning down and kissing his neck. His skin bristled, and his shoulders tensed as he let out a muffled groan. “Anyway, I have two pieces of news for you. One you’ll like and one you won’t. Which one do you want to hear first?” He straightened up, giving her an apprehensive look. Raena smiled to put him at ease before placing another kiss on his cheek. “Start with the one I won’t like,” he said, his tone careful. Raena swallowed the lump in her throat, picking her words carefully. They had agreed long ago that he wouldn’t stop her from going back to work as long as she did what he asked to ensure her safety, but a lot of time had passed since that conversation, and she was afraid his overprotectiveness might cause him to break his word. She didn’t want to fight him while their relationship was in such a good place, but she didn’t want to be the only one making compromises, either. “I’m going to the restaurant tomorrow, and I plan to start managing it along with Kara,” she announced, holding his gaze. The fire in his eyes dimmed, and his expression turned displeased. Finally, he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I figured that was coming. You’ve been like a hungry rat in a cage for the last few weeks. I’m surprised you lasted this long,” he said, scratching his neck. “Our agreement stands, though. You can’t go anywhere without an escort, and you must not come home too late or stay out overnight without me knowing where you are and whom you are with. You are not Madam Lydia anymore. You are part of the royal family. Your head alone is worth more than you can imagine, and there will be people who will want to harm you anywhere you go. Understood?” “U-Understood.” She nodded, staring at him with bewilderment. She had expected more opposition from his side, but it seemed like all her worries had been for naught. Raena leaned down and pressed her mouth to his. He returned her kiss reluctantly, but once she ran her tongue over his lips, he faltered. His hands traveled down to her behind, and he squeezed it tightly before getting up with her still in his arms and placing her on his desk. She thought he’d push her down and continue what they were doing, but instead, he took a step back and grabbed her shoulders as if to stop her from moving any closer. His tortured expression was so hilarious that she couldn’t help but tease him some more. “My, my. Is my husband growing a sense of restraint after all these years, or are you already tired of this body now that it has given birth twice?” she grinned, and Kassian glared at her. “It’s a no, then?” “Enough already, you evil woman!” he sighed. “Let me remain a gentle and considerate husband. I don’t want to be called a ‘feral animal in heat’ again.” He ran his hand through his hair, peeking at her while she tried to hold back her laughter. “Anyway, what is the good news?” “Ah, it doesn’t matter to you, it seems.” Raena shrugged, sliding off the desk. Kassian gave her a suspicious look, catching her hand when she tried to move past him. “Raena…” he said with a warning voice. “You know that I don’t like it when you hide things from me. What is the good news?” “I saw the doctor today,” she said with a smile, gently pulling her hand away. Kassian tensed. “He said I was in perfect health and great physical condition. So good, in fact, I am allowed to have fun with my husband. That was until my husband asked me not to touch him. So I’ll—” The ground beneath her feet disappeared as Kassian pulled her back, wrapping an arm around her waist. His other hand pushed her hair away, exposing her neck. He ran his tongue over the tender skin, chuckling as she shuddered. “This is entirely your doing,” he whispered in her ear before pulling back. He swept a hand over his desk, pushing off the piles of papers before seating her back on top of it. He slid his palm over the inside of her thigh and she arched her neck in a silent plea for more of those delicious kisses that made her tremble with delight. His finger rubbed over her clit teasingly, drawing a gasp out of her as his finger slowly slipped under her undergarments. “You’re so wet from just one kiss?” Kassian chuckled, brushing his lips against her ear and sending a shiver down her spine. “Or did you come here intending to get into this exact position? Is this why you sent Blaine away? What a lewd woman I have…” Raena opened her mouth to retort when his finger slipped inside of her, making her gasp. She bit her lip to stop back another moan when Kassian’s tongue invaded her mouth. His free hand slid behind her neck, stopping her from pulling away when he added another finger inside of her. “Kassian…” she whimpered, sensing his lips curving into a smile. Why did it feel like she had lost when she had started this whole thing? They hadn’t had s*x ever since they found out she was pregnant and she had been pent up, but why was he so patient? “Please, no more teasing!” He broke the kiss, catching her eyes. Contrary to her expectations, they were not calm at all. Hooded with lust and that affectionate spark she loved so much, they were almost scary in their intensity. “Well, if my wife begs so sweetly…” he muttered, letting go of her to unbuckle his pants. He pulled her to the edge of the desk, adjusting between her legs while keeping her skirts out of the way. He gave her a taunting smirk just before thrusting into her, but then his expression turned into one of a struggle. “f**k, I almost came from just this. See what you’re doing to me?” Raena didn’t reply, but a weird sense of satisfaction filled her chest. Her self-consciousness had been nagging her for a while with all the changes her body had been through over the past few years, but the loving, lustful look in his eyes had never changed. That alone had made her love him even more than before, but lately, this anxiousness had settled into her stomach, and refused to leave. “Hey, pay attention here, wife, or I’ll make you regret it,” Kassian growled in her ear. He pushed her onto her back, raising her legs to his shoulder and wrapping an arm around her thighs. Their eyes met for a second, the smirk that appeared on his face making her heart skip a beat. When he thrust into her again, Raena cried out. His movements became quicker, rougher, setting her insides on fire. A tingling sensation formed in the pit of her stomach, and she focused on it as her hands gripped the edge of the desk above her head. Kassian was close too, pulsating inside of her, almost like he was going to explode any second. They climaxed together a couple of minutes later, her body shuddering with pleasure as she cried out again. Panting heavily, Raena covered her face, suddenly feeling ashamed. She had gone there intending to seduce him—she had been thinking about s*x more and more often lately, and it was driving her crazy that he seemed completely fine—but now that she had done it in his office, the place where he and Blaine worked… Kassian’s lips brushed against hers before he peeled her hands off her face. Their eyes met, and the gentle look in his made her feel even more horrible. He helped her sit up and hugged her tightly, nudging his face against her hair. “Is something wrong? That’s not the look of a happy woman,” he whispered, still patting her head. She hesitated, then hugged him back. “It’s nothing. I’m just feeling anxious at odd times. Like something bad is going to happen.” She laughed awkwardly. “And you felt that while we were making love?” he scoffed, but when she didn’t reply, he sighed. “Nothing bad is going to happen. I’ll make sure of it. So don’t worry so much.” “Yeah.” Raena nodded, forcing a smile on her face as he hugged her tightly. She closed her eyes and inhaled his comforting scent, telling herself that he was right and she was just being swayed by her hormones again. Just a few minutes ago, she was riding high on pleasure, and now she was down in the slumps, worrying about nothing. If that was not proof, she didn’t know what was. “Yeah,” she repeated, more confidently this time. “Shall we go to bed?” Instead of answering, Kassian picked her up in his arms, heading toward the back door where a corridor connected his office to their living quarters. “How can I say no when my wife is so impatient to get me into bed?” Kassian chuckled, and Raena smacked his shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. And put me down. I can walk by myself.” “I’m sorry, my love,” he smiled, stealing a kiss. “You’re not leaving my arms tonight.”