In the kingdom of Aeziris, a rebellion is rising, but its reins are not in the hands of its citizens. With a fine string entwining her heart with that of its chieftain, Esméralda must walk a knife-edge while navigating her way through a palace of ma...
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E s m é r a l d a A l b y
With her lip caught between her teeth, her eyes travelled up and down Aedric's form, lingering like a leech upon his broad shoulders and tight pecs. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips as her gaze journeyed southwards, to the nice ridges over his stomach and to the fine indentations of his V-line.
I was tempted to swing my punch across her face when her perving didn't stop, going lower to his trouser-clad thighs and her mouth parted in a breathless exhale as her attention drew between and I had enough.
Enough.
I stormed up to her and snatched the dry towel from her grip. Through narrowed eyes and tight jaw, I saw red. "You may leave. I'm here to help Prince Aedric."
"Vice-chief herbalist, Maya Hay, sent me," displeased, she was, with the way she pursued her thin lips but if she didn't leave now, I would show her what displeasure looked like.
"Then tell her you're not needed."
"Do not put hindrance in my work. You're not an herbalist."
Glowering, my nostrils flared. "Good for me, no herbs are used in a towel bath."
Her mouth twisted, her peak anger foggy before mine. "Listen—"
"Leave," like the Queen I one day would be, I straightened my back and tilted up my chin, my order kept firm. "Leave right now."
Her head lowered but she snapped it back up as if remembering that even an apprentice herbalist is higher than the handmaiden this stupid uniform portrayed me as.
"You will answer this to vice-chief—"
"If you're not out of this room in less than a minute, you won't have much of an answer of your prudery to offer me."
Alarmed, she immediately bent into a bow to appease the man behind me. "Forgive me, Prince Aedric. I-I... I didn't—"
"Out."
Once she was gone, I turned to him with my hands on my hips. "You could have done that before,"
"And miss your jealous self exercising authority?"
The cheeky rise of his brows colored my cheeks crimson like the rising sun does the sky. I used my hairs to curtain my face, muttering, "stupid," under my breath yet loud enough for him to hear.
Wringing out the soft towel in the fragranced warm water brought by that bimbo apprentice, I carefully began wiping his exposed flesh. My brows drew together in concentration whenever I worked around his newly changed bandages, apologising for the smallest touch I thought would hurt him.
"Breathe. It's not hurting," he chuckled. "I've taken pain relievers, remember?"
"That doesn't mean any harsher action won't make it hurt," it seemed like I blew out a gale, my fingers trailing down his clean skin.
