Her Highness's Second Life

Chapter 7 - The Almost Lovers

“f**k, this is driving me insane!” Gerrin groaned while his hands tightened on her hips. “Can you move faster? Ah! Just like that, yeah!”

Elene threw her head back and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the pleasure building inside of her. Her hands were shaking from leaning back on Gerrin’s thighs and her own legs were almost numb from staying in that position for a few minutes, but it felt so good, so f*****g good. She could feel him pulsing inside her, drawing closer and closer to his release, while his c**k rubbed even deeper than usual, sending tingles all the way to the tips of her toes.

She had needed this so badly. It had been over a week since they last f****d, but they were both busy, so it couldn’t be helped. Her heart had surged with excitement when he pulled her into an empty corridor while she was on her way to her room and whispered in her ear that he wanted her. They had barely made it to his room before he tore her clothes off her.

Gerrin’s hand slid over her stomach, gliding up her moist skin until it reached her breasts. He squeezed one of them, pinching her hard n****e, which only spurred her to ride him harder.

“Ah!” Both of them moaned at the same time.

Gerrin sat up, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her. His teeth tightened on her skin just below her collarbone, and Elene hissed, digging her fingers into his shoulders. He made his way up to her neck, licking and sucking, until finally, he claimed her mouth in an urgent kiss.

He sure liked to kiss a lot. Most of the men she had been with focused on the act itself, but even before her clothes fell off, he’d always start and finish with a kiss. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable, but it made things awkwardly intimate, almost as if they were real lovers. She could only hope he wasn’t getting such troublesome ideas.

Gerrin picked her up and laid her on her back, finally breaking the kiss and pulling away. His eyes remained fixed on her face, clouded with lust, while his rough palms caressed the back of her thighs, lifting her hips and parting her legs wider. He drove back into her, his fingers tightening on her legs as he maintained a rapid rhythm, his breath growing more labored with each thrust.

Elene closed her eyes, fisting the sheets as waves of pleasure washed over her. She gritted her teeth to muffle the scream that escaped with her release, just as Gerrin’s loud grunt signaled his.

Once she came down from her daze, Elene watched him pant, his hands still resting next to her shoulders. He was staring at her with a strange look in his eyes, but when she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, he rolled onto the bed next to her with a satisfied sigh.

Elene dragged herself to the edge of the bed, and once her feet stopped shaking, she got up and stepped toward the cupboard. As usual, there was a cloth and a basin with clean water there, so she proceeded to clean herself up before searching for her clothes.

She could feel Gerrin’s intense stare on her back, but she ignored him until he spoke.

“I’m curious. Why are you always in such a hurry to leave? Nothing is going to happen if you rest for a bit.” His voice didn’t sound mocking as usual, so she looked over her shoulder to check his expression. He had turned to lie on his side, his head resting on his hand as the muscles on his chest and shoulders bulged. “You already did that once, and I didn’t eat you. Well, I did, but I mean you didn’t die just because you didn’t leave.”

She just ignored the challenge in his voice, turning away and finishing cleaning his c*m off her body. She could probably warm some water and take a bath, but she felt too tired already.

“I have nothing else to do here, so why linger?” she shrugged, striding to where her clothes lay on the floor. Laying them on the edge of the bed, she started dressing in silence.

“Are you, by any chance, afraid that if you spend some time with me doing something other than having s*x, you might start to have feelings?” Gerrin laughed. Elene grimaced, slipping her shirt on. “What’s with that disgusted look? That’s so rude!”

“There is no way I can have feelings for you,” Elene said while finishing her buttons and tucking the shirt into her pants. “You are loud, arrogant, and downright stupid sometimes. Not to mention, you can’t eat without getting the food all over your face, you fart in your sleep, you sweat like a pig, and your room is a disgusting mess. Who in their right mind would fall for a guy like you? If you ever want to get married, you should start working on yourself.”

“Alright, Miss Perfect. I don’t see men lining up at your door, either,” he murmured, his voice sounding embarrassed. “Maybe you should work on that nasty personality of yours if you want to get married in the future.”

“I don’t plan on ever getting married, so don’t you worry about me,” Elene murmured to herself. Married life, having a husband and a family—that wasn’t something she ever wanted. Not after seeing what a family can do to each other.

She couldn’t remember her mother—she had died when Elene and her brother were still infants—but she could remember everything about her stepmother and what she put them through. And their father… he knew about all the things Zen’s mother did, and he just turned a blind eye to it all. Family was too complicated and not all as praiseworthy as many claimed it to be.

Raena and Kassian were some weird exceptions to the rule, but most families were not as happy as them. Even the Emperor and Empress, who were married of their own volition and obviously cared for each other, had such a twisted and complicated relationship.

“Hey, Gerrin, can I ask you a question?”

“Hmm? Sure,” he replied, his voice sounding surprised.

“If you had the chance, would you have a harem of your own?” she asked, turning around to face him while buckling her belt. The look on his face made her regret asking the question, but before she could say ‘Forget it!’ and head for the door, he spoke.

“Hmm, a harem of my own?” he scratched his temple, seemingly lost in thought, but his eyes never left hers. “Nah, I don’t think so. Normal men and women are not suited for that sort of thing. Being in a relationship with more than one person, having to deal with their moods and demands, taking care of them, and even using them to gain things—I don’t think I can do that. Besides, didn’t you say no woman will take me? Where would I find several of them to make a harem?”

“Right,” Elene murmured, turning her back on him and stepping toward the wall where she had dropped her sword. Picking it up, she contemplated whether to secure it on her belt but decided against it—they were in the heart of the residence, and she was going straight to her room anyway. She didn’t really need it here; she carried it more out of habit than actual need.

“Why do you ask?” Gerrin said just as she took a step toward the door.

“No reason,” she replied as she turned the door handle. “See you.”

She stepped outside, looking up and down the corridor, before he could reply. Gerrin’s room was located in the west part of the residence, close to the soldiers’ barracks, so there weren’t that many servants coming this way, especially at this time of night. There weren’t that many residents either, so there was little chance anyone could hear them if they got too loud. Unlike her room, which was very close to Raena and Kassian’s quarters so she could take care of her mistress if anything happened. Not that it was likely with Kassian there, but when he was not, he felt better knowing his wife was protected, and he wasn’t that keen on the idea of another man sleeping so close to his precious woman.

Elene sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was still tingling from the workout Gerrin put her through and that powerful orgasm at the end, so she just wanted to get back to her room and pass out from exhaustion. Unlike him, she didn’t spend her days training for hours at a time. For all the perks she got for being Raena’s acting guard, her job was pretty quiet and boring these days. Not that she was complaining.

The sound of quiet steps made her tense, and she looked over her shoulder instinctively, expecting to see one of the palace maids dragging her feet to finish some late-night chore before retiring. Examining the corridor behind her, she was surprised to find it empty.

Did she imagine it? Was she that tired? But if that was the case, what was that feeling of being watched that persisted even now that she was sure she was completely alone?

Her fingers tightened around the sheath of her sword, her eyes narrowing at the shadows creeping into the dark corners. Along the corridor, there were several doors and a couple of other hallways connected to this one, so could it be that someone had disappeared into them?

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Elene called out, taking a step back in the direction she had come from. No answer came. She couldn’t hear any more steps or clothes rustling, just the quiet noises of the night outside.

A shadow moved in the corner of her eyes and her head snapped in the direction of the movement, her gaze stopping on one of the adjacent corridors that, if she remembered correctly, led outside, toward the stables.

Without thinking, Elene sprinted toward it, her eyes darting left and right. She halted in the middle of the short corridor, looking around tensely. There were no torches there, so the shadows were thicker, but it was still light enough for her to determine that there was no one but her there.

Elene sighed, tightening her grip on her sword. Giving the corridor one more annoyed look, she headed back to her room, trying to ignore the needles that kept prickling her neck.