Chapter 81

When Elara came back after washing up, the two people in the room were gone.

She didn't know if they had gone out to argue, but she didn't really care. She just thought the sleeping quarters should stay quiet.

She glanced toward the back hall and saw Scholar Fu still holding a brush, his eyes lowered as he continued writing.

"Have you finished reviewing the memorials?"

It wasn't until she walked up and asked that Scholar Fu looked up and stood to bow. "Yes, Your Highness."

His face was still calm and gentle, as if he hadn't heard any of what just happened in the front hall.

Elara hummed softly. "Is there anything worth reporting to me?"

Scholar Fu nodded. "Besides two reports stating that the disasters in Bok City and Wei City have worsened, and requesting relief from the court, the other memorials that might interest you have been sorted out separately."

He pointed with his pale hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, at a neatly stacked pile of bamboo slips on the left side of the desk.

In her mind, Elara had System 92 pull up the location of the two cities. They turned out to be not far from her fief, both located in the southern border of Plumera State.

"What about the travel route I asked for?"

Scholar Fu lowered his gaze and answered, "For now, only one route has been outlined."

Elara glanced at the bamboo slip spread open on the desk. A map was drawn on it, and detailed notes were included at regular intervals.

She didn't pick it up to read since the secretary's work wasn't done yet.

Seeing that it was already dark outside, she said, "You may go for today. Come back tomorrow to continue."

Scholar Fu didn't ask or say anything. His face didn't change. Once Elara finished speaking, he bowed obediently.

Then he carefully tidied up the desk, bowed again, and his elegant figure quietly left the sleeping quarters.

The hall became completely quiet. Elara walked back to the bed, held her nose, and forced down the still-warm medicinal soup. Then she climbed into bed, ready to sleep.

But the moment she lay down, something felt wrong.

A pair of slightly cool hands suddenly reached over and pulled her into a firm embrace, followed by a warm chest pressing against her back.

"Princess~"

A low and husky voice with a hint of teasing rang softly by her ear.

Elara held her breath and slowly turned her head, meeting a pair of eyes filled with playful affection.

"Rafael…"

The man who had suddenly appeared in her bed was none other than Rafael.

Rafael wasn't wearing a shirt. His bare chest pressed close to Elara through the thin fabric. His firm chest and abs were clearly defined.

His arms tightened slightly around her waist, pulling her almost completely into his arms. His handsome face buried into the crook of her neck, brushing against her like a clingy cat.

"Princess~ It's been so long since you favored me. Lately you've taken interest in those cold and boring types, even letting that dull Scholar Fu into your sleeping quarters alone. But why haven't you summoned me? I've been waiting in the back garden until my bones itch. I just couldn't take it anymore and had to come beg you myself~"

Elara: "…"

That was probably the most daring and explicit thing she'd heard since arriving here.

She resisted the urge to shudder and dug through the original host's memories of Rafael.

Since she arrived, she had been overwhelmed with work. She only had a vague idea of the people in the back courtyard as a bunch of "strange characters" and didn't investigate their individual relationships with the original host.

Unless it was someone she planned to use, like Mathias, Emory, or Scholar Fu, the rest she barely remembered.

Like this Rafael who had suddenly appeared in her bed. She remembered seeing him playing chess with Scholar Fu in the back garden the day she arrived. She never would have thought he was this kind of person.

But thinking about it, he and Scholar Fu were both among the rare few the original host seemed to like.

Scholar Fu was liked for his obedient and indifferent nature. As for Rafael...

Suddenly, several memories flashed through Elara's mind.

The original host, with the same body as hers, had tied Rafael to the bed, her expression twisted with excitement as she whipped him brutally.

And Rafael, covered in blood, looked even more thrilled than the original host. He was lost in the sound of each lash, moaning and gasping, body trembling with excitement, begging her to hit him harder and harder…

Elara: "...…."

Damn. No wonder the original host favored him and he kept trying to get close to her.

Turns out… he's just as twisted! A hardcore masochist freak! A perfect match for the original host, that lunatic sadist!

Because of Rafael's "special traits," he had always been favored by the former soul in this body. He was the first man allowed to come and go freely from her sleeping quarters, with even more privileges than Scholar Fu. That's why he could suddenly appear on her bed today, something he used to do often.

The attendants were already used to it. Whenever they saw Rafael come into her chambers and she was present, they wouldn't stop him.

But the current Elara was not the same as before. As soon as she sensed something was wrong, her first instinct was to kick him off the bed. Unfortunately, her current body was too tired and weak, and that kind of movement took too much effort.

Still, that didn't mean she was willing to let a strange man take up her bed. Especially not someone she didn't even know.

"Get off."

Elara ignored the man sticking close to her and whining. Her voice was cool as she pushed him away from her neck.

Rafael clearly hadn't expected her to be this cold. His motion stopped as he leaned against her. Then he lifted his handsome face from the crook of her neck and propped himself halfway up, practically draped over her body.

His pretty eyes looked down at her with confusion, like he was trying to understand her, maybe even a little hurt.

"Princess, what's wrong? Why are you being so cold to me?"

He lowered his head slightly as he spoke. His delicate features filled Elara's vision, and his breath nearly touched her skin.

"Princess, have you already moved on in such a short time? That would break my heart. Don't treat me like this. I'll listen to anything you say. I'll play any game you want. You can do anything to me, Princess…"

His voice was low and seductive, almost dizzying. As he spoke, he gently took one of Elara's hands and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss there.

Then he slowly guided her hand down his own body. It slid over his chest and abs, not letting her pull away, like he wouldn't stop until she felt everything.

The way he smiled was clearly flirtatious.

Damn it.

Such a seducer.

The muscles under her hand were warm, soft, and firm. Elara looked at the man lying on top of her and had to admit, the original owner had good taste.

But she didn't have any interest in sadomasochism, and she especially didn't like people she couldn't fully trust getting so close.

When Rafael guided her hand toward a dangerous spot and she couldn't pull away, Elara pinched his side hard. The moment he groaned and curled slightly, sounding like he wasn't sure if it hurt or felt good, she yanked her hand back and shoved him away.

She threw on her robe and got out of bed.

"I'm not in the mood today. Get down and go back to your own room."

The man curled up on the bed shivered slightly. His voice trembled, somewhere between pain and pleasure.

After a while, he finally lifted his head from the covers. His deep, narrow eyes were misty, even more bewitching than before. But the words he spoke while staring at Elara only made her more alert.

"Princess, what's been going on with you lately? You haven't summoned me for almost half a month now. And now you're showing interest in those cold, stubborn stones. I heard you were injured at the memorial ceremony today, so I came especially to comfort you."

"In the past, whenever you got hurt, didn't you always let me help you vent your frustration? Why are you being so distant this time? It really hurts me. Princess… you're not acting like yourself lately."