Chapter 217.1: Part 1

Her cheeks flushed with all her efforts to keep her lips from curving into a laughter, and that did not escape Kasser's gaze. He thought to himself that it was unimaginable for his wife to get prettier by day as she was only a human, instead of a lark who could easily transform their appearance.

He reached out his hand to lightly grab on her chin. And over her slightly lifted face, he inclined his face toward her as to lay his lips on hers. They met eyes with each other after an impulsive touch on their lips.

But when he spotted the shyness in her lovely, widened eyes, they seemed to have completely overpowered his senses of self-control. He kissed her again but only this time he was giving her a kiss full in the mouth and seized his opportunity when her lips parted away.

When their lips were deeply pressed against each other, Kassers's hand gave a strong support around the back of her head and neck as her whole body was being pushed down by his weight.

Eugene had managed to take a glimpse of his tilted bridge of the nose over her face when she peeped through down her lowered eyes. Her heart was fluttering madly in her chest by the intense kiss from her husband, who she had never gotten the chance to see in the last few days. She felt like she was being consumed by him as a whole when his warmth entered to meet with hers, moving around smoothly into the depth of her mouth.

"Aah.."

A faint nasal moan had escaped her lips. The fingers she rested on the table twinged every now and then from the sensations she felt from their tangled tongues.

She had tried her hardest not to wrap her arms around his neck despite all the haziness in her mind as she still hasn't lost her final sober judgement without forgetting where she was right now. But she was filled with an apprehensive sense of foreboding that even her slightest response to his movements would make him lose sight of their surroundings altogether.

By the time she felt like they were beginning to cross the line, Kasser had pulled his lips away from her as he backed himself from her a little. Then he softly whispered as he gently licked across her wet lips.

"I'll come to see you tonight."

"...Yes, my king"

The gentle support around her neck was now gone. She blankly stared at her cold cup of tea as she felt like she couldn't get around to see his back walking away from her. When she was calming her flushed cheeks by rubbing them with the back of her hands, there came a voice which startled her greatly.

"Count Oscar, what brings you all the way? Is this something I need to check on with the Chancellor?"

"Your Majesty, I have requested an audience with Her Majesty only to discuss the matters of the journey ahead. It's nothing of the pressing matter for Your Majesty to be concerned about."

"How are preparations thus far?"

"I am trying my hardest to be meticulous with the preparations so as to not be a burden throughout the journey."

Eugene had let out an internal shriek at the sight of the two of them, exchanging words only a few steps away from where she seated. When has she arrived? She must have seen all of it. She had completely forgotten that she was waiting for the count's arrival.

Eugene tried to keep up a straight face as Charlotte came close and lowered her head before her. Pricks were felt behind her head, totally embarrassed.

"Thank you for giving your consent to such a sudden request of mine, Your Majesty."

"Have a seat."

Eugene offered Charlotte a seat while clearing her throat quite unnecessarily.

"I apologize for... all the inappropriateness that might have caused you all the wait."

"I did not mind the wait in the least, Your Majesty. It was rather a pleasure of mine for my king and queen to live in such harmony."

Eugene gave orders to her servant to bring in some refreshments for them in her effort to change the subject of their conversation. But Charlotte has already seen through the queen's restlessness of mind as she had caught a hint of hastiness when she had stolen a look while the queen was giving her commands.

The pretentious display of affections between married couples was quite common in high society. But Charlotte was convinced that it wasn't a pretense what she saw on the terrace just now. As usual, Charlotte wouldn't have looked away from such a show as she thinks a show needs its audiences and those people on the stage wanted more witnesses to their openly shameful act.

But Charlotte had better turn away when she caught them kissing as she eventually realized that they were not on the act at all. Charlotte, who only gives a scoff to the kind of secret love affairs commonly made in the gardens during the night of the balls, felt an unusual thump in her heart by a mere sight of kissing.