“I-I am here to check your condition, Y-Your Highness,” she replied as she nervously licked her lips.

“Then why sneak in like this and not visit me during the day?” he cross-questioned.

“I was busy the entire day with my chores and only during this time I got freedom to—”

“A young woman entering a man’s room on her own in the middle of the night. So bold and forward, aren’t we?” he asked, interrupting her. He knew she didn’t have any bad intentions, but he could not help but be like this. It was fun to tease Esther, because Esther herself knew she was in the wrong.

“I-I was just worried.” She nervously licked her lips again. “I didn’t mean to offend you…”

“But you already have.” A devilishly handsome smirk painted itself on his thin lips. “What punishment shall I give you for offending this prince?”

Though Prince Theron had many questions for her, at this moment, he decided to let them pass. He could always satisfy his curiosity at a later time. For now, he wanted to simply live in the moment.

To have this elusive little lass in his arms, having her for himself without worrying about the eyes around them, when would he ever have a chance like this again in the future? Prince Theron had waited for Esther for an entire week, but she never showed up. Now she was finally here, he wanted to cherish each and every second he had with her.

Esther didn’t know what to do. She was uncomfortable being held by a man this close, but she wasn’t sure how to react. She vividly remembered how she pushed him away back in the underground cabin, and although he didn’t say anything, she was sure she had hurt his chest back then.

‘How much of my strength should I use to push him away? Even if I shared a part of my soul with him, he’s still a weak human at his core. What if it hurts him? Then he will be surprised because his injury will disappear in a blink of an eye. He will know for sure that I caused such a mutation to his body.’ She sighed helplessly.

“Please punish this servant as you deem fit, Your Highness.”

“I am yet to punish you for what you did with me in the forest,” he said in a tone like he’s telling her a story, “and now again, you committed another wrongdoing. Seems like you love to overstep your boundaries with me. Tell me how I should punish you.”

“My punishment?” she mumbled.

“See, I am being generous, allowing you to atone on your own,” the young man said in a teasing voice. “Would you rather I call my knights and hand you over to the palace officials, letting everyone know about your night visit to my chamber? Would you like to answer questions like how you entered my residence, and explain to them why you sneaked inside the Crown Prince’s bedchamber? You must know that regardless of your reason, you will be deemed an immoral lady. I wonder how Mother will react…”

On the mention of Queen Theodora, Esther felt she was in deep trouble. “No, please don’t tell Her Majesty.”

The smirk on his lips widened. “Then, how would you like to get punished?”

“I…don’t know…”

“Do you want me to decide it for you?” he asked nonchalantly, as if he was doing favor to her.

She didn’t know what he had in mind, but in the end, she nodded hesitantly. She didn’t have a good feeling about it but it was too late to go back now.

“Very well,” he said. His eyes that seemed as dark as the night sky peered into her mesmerizing eyes, and those irises the color of melted caramel showed exactly how flustered she was to hear her punishment. “Don’t worry. Your offenses are not heavy enough for you to be put in prison.”

She gulped and asked softly, “Then?”

“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” he replied. “This is a famous saying from a small nation in the western region of the continent.”

Esther didn’t understand what he meant and blinked a few times trying to process it. “I do not get it, Your Highness.”

This time Prince Theron didn’t answer her with words. He held her tightly at the waist and rolled her over in the bed as his body hovered over hers, pinning her under him.

“Y-Your Highness!” she exclaimed, only to feel his rough finger tenderly touch her soft lips.

“Shh! I haven’t done anything yet.”

“B-but…”

“If someone does something wrong, that person should be punished by having the same thing done to them, that’s what the saying meant. Don’t you think it is fair and just?” he said with a warning gaze. “The one receiving punishment has no right to protest against the very thing she herself did to another.”

Esther gulped and Prince Theron continued to speak slowly, taking his time to appreciate her beautiful face.

“You are guilty of taking advantage of the Crown Prince of this kingdom while he was unconscious. You undressed the Crown Prince without consent and saw his naked body. You dared share the same bed and sleep next to him. You also did something that you should not do with these lips of yours…” He slowly, ever-so-slowly caressed her lips with his thumb.

“Tonight, it should be my turn.”

Each of his words caused Esther’s face to feel hot with embarrassment, but the last line scared her and she moved her hands towards the collar of her dress, clutching the opening of her work clothes in alarm.

The Crown Prince wanted to laugh loudly as he didn’t have such a plan—he was not the type of rogue to remove a lady’s clothes—but her panicked reaction amused him. Those eyes the color of melted caramel made him realize that this frustratingly elusive lass was nothing more than an innocent young girl.

He lifted his hand to gently move some loose hair strands away from her face. “Hmm, let us not rush things. Tonight, let us settle with one punishment—the punishment for what you did to me with your lips.”

His hot breath fanned against his lips, causing her body to heat up even more. When she saw him leaning closer, Esther shut her eyes immediately and pressed her lips in a thin line.

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