TPOP 47

Chapter 47

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Diana held her breath. Felix watched the determination slowly rise in her eyes. It was always fascinating to see a young, fragile creature desperately trying to soar. Wondering how to capture this expression on canvas, Felix let his hand slide down her back.

"For now, focus on pleasing me."

There was a sharp crack as he lowered his hand, and Diana gasped, her breath catching in her throat. The sting awakened her dulled senses and brought a new rush of awareness.

Only moments ago, Felix had been coaching her through the motions, teaching her how to move. Taking a shaky breath, Diana hesitantly began to move her body.

The movements weren't precise and the rhythm was uncertain, but there was something fascinating about watching her try. As Diana fumbled, Felix placed his hands on her torso and supported her waist, helping her find a more steady pace.

"Ah... Ha... Mmm......"

She gasped, instinctively trying to find the sensations writhing inside her. Tousled hair clung to her flushed cheeks, and a faint forest scent permeated the air around her. Her delicate body shuddered with every movement, an unsteady rise and fall that reflected her hesitation.

Felix reached out and traced her soft curves, then gave in to temptation. The sensation under his fingertips was ecstatic. It was supple yet firm, like a ripe fruit yielding to his gentle touch.

"Ahhh...!"

Her body tensed at the slightest pressure; she bit her lip and shuddered, her movements becoming more and more fluid, but at the same time more and more defenseless. The corners of Felix's lips twitched with satisfaction; soon she would get used to this sensation and accept it without hesitation.

He placed his palm firmly on her stomach, feeling the tension swirling inside.

"Where did you learn to do this, did Eisen teach you?"

Diana flinched, wincing.

"Oh, no, you... you taught me, master..."

"Before me? Did anyone ever touch you, even those who had the intention of doing so?"

"No one... really, no one."

Diana quickened her pace in response to his sharp voice, her green eyes sparkling in the dim light, her slightly swollen pink lips irresistibly seductive.

Suddenly, a thought occurred. Could it really be that no one had touched her all this time? She was blind, she came from nothing...

Felix stopped her movement and grabbed her around the waist, bringing her to a complete stop.

"You ran away from Dortes at the age of ten and began working for the Depierre at fifteen, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And what happened to the five years in between?"

"... I traveled from place to place across Karman."

"And you always hid your face?"

Diana nodded. Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden cessation of movement, and a nagging pain washed over her. The tension that had once been carefully built up now spiked to the edge of frustration, her body convulsing involuntarily, craving what it had been denied.

If she hadn't started, she might not have felt its absence so keenly. But now, she was restless, her breathing uneven.

Felix watched her carefully, then muttered softly.

"...Well, you're definitely not normal."

Suddenly, he gripped her tightly and lifted her lightly, but just as quickly set her back down.

Diana choked on a wave of sensations that took her breath away. She gasped at the intensity of it, her body reacting instinctively to his touch, the pressure and heat almost overwhelming.

"Ah..."

A choked moan escaped her lips as her head threw back. Felix tightened his grip on her wrists, holding her tightly to keep her from falling away, his movements increasing in intensity. The difference in power disoriented Diana, unable to focus on anything but the ecstatic pleasure surging through her senses.

"I... Ah, master... You said you'd trust me...!"

Her words came out between ragged breaths, as if shattered and scattered. Logic and emotion tangled, struggling to form one complete thought.

She knew. When this was all over, the familiar shame would crush her. Ever since she'd given herself to him, a bitter sense of self-reproach had steadily taken root. The deeper she fell under his control, the more painfully aware she became of her own helplessness.

It was humiliating. It was intolerable, and yet...

Diana forced herself to move in time with his rhythm, instinct overpowering reason, her thoughts fading into a haze of sensation, the world narrowing to this moment, to him alone.

Her lips parted in a soundless scream as pleasure surged into something sharp and fierce.

"Ah...!"

Felix groaned low, burying his face in her shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath. His grip on her tightened, his hands pressing into her flesh, his control slipping away.

An overwhelming intensity pulled them together, and the moment stretched into something endless.

Even as the last tremors passed through them, the heat lingered, and the space between them was filled with nothing but their unsteady breathing.

***

"Then may I go to the forest after visiting the prince?"

Diana asked, leaning against the man's chest and snuggling into his arms. The robe that covered her bare body slipped off her shoulders. Felix's robe was nearly twice as large as hers, so it was no wonder.

"I'll send for you as soon as you return."

Diana breathed a sigh of relief. The shirtless man radiated a body heat far hotter than hers.

A promise made in the name of the Crown Prince could not be broken. She listened to the steady, comforting rhythm of his heartbeat against his bare chest.

Felix glanced at Diana, who blinked sleepily, and reached toward the nightstand. On the saucer the servant had quietly placed there was a small pill. It was small, the size of his pinky nail.

It was a pill taken by both men and women, and was said to be very potent. A single pill was more than her frail body could handle.

Felix crushed the pill between his thumb and forefinger and swallowed half of it, then popped the other half into his mouth and kissed her. The pill quickly dissolved in Diana's mouth and disappeared into her saliva.

She coughed softly, not realizing what she had just swallowed. Waking up with a bitter sensation, she blinked dazedly and reached up his arm to find his pinky finger.

Felix smirked as he watched Diana awkwardly hook her pinky around his.

"Yeah, you know how to be cute."

Of course, Diana wasn't going there alone. Just as Eisen had planted numerous spies in the secluded palace, Felix was no different. It would be good if she could extract valuable information. Even if she failed, Eisen would not execute her.

He just wanted to watch, to see his blind maid realize who her true master was and struggle for him. This was his final test for her.

Still, seeing her acting like such a docile puppy, he wondered if the test was necessary.

Felix stroked her hair with satisfaction as he watched Diana drift off to sleep.

It didn't hurt to be thorough.

***

It had been a long time since she rode in a carriage. Whether or not it was Felix’s consideration, but on the day she was due to submit her regular report to Prince Eisen, the carriage was waiting outside the hunting grounds.

Diana kept looking back, even though she couldn't see, because only a few days ago she had been sobbing over the cords that bound her ankles, but now she didn't want to leave. The ropes that bound her were gone, but she still felt like she was being dragged.

"What are you doing, get in there."

The coachman urged her impatiently, his gruff tone suggesting that the master had already left.

Diana took a deep breath and climbed into the carriage. Before she could take a seat, the coachman slammed the door. He had been polite while Felix was watching, but now that he was gone, it was stark.

The same treatment awaited her at Prince Eisen’s place.

‘It's okay. If it's something I'll have to face one day, I'll just have to brace myself.’

Felix's words were cold and merciless, but he never made empty promises. Besides, for the past five days, he had taken her almost every night, and during that time he had become so absorbed in her that, despite his obsession, he had not painted a single picture. Even though she couldn't see his face, Diana knew that Felix was enjoying their time together.

He would not abandon her.

Diana steeled herself once more.

The die had been cast.

All she could do now was make the best of what was in front of her.

***

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