I had kept in contact with Martia by correspondence, and I've also asked her a couple of times about the Ethiro army.

I hadn't heard anything about the people that appeared in the palace that day. I informed my Queen about that.

I've lived in Ethiro for more than a quarter of a century; I was familiar with the people at the top of the command chain.

Just by asking a couple of questions to the delegation, I confirmed that they weren't who they pretended to be.

As a result, my Queen chased them out with a furious expression I haven't seen before. There wasn't a throne for the royal consort, so I just stood next to her, amazed by how she immediately made the decision.

She trusted my judgement without a second thought, the realisations of someone without a single achievement in their whole life.

And here I thought there wasn't a place for me.

After dealing with the swindler delegation, we finally retreated to our chambers. We stopped using separate bedrooms after a few weeks. It was just a loss of time to decide where we would sleep.

In the end, even in Kyre, married couples don't sleep separately. Sometimes, it's just about cuddling in the dark. Some other times, it's nice to talk without the need to touch each other.

That night, Theodora sat closer to me.

«Thanks to you, we saved time on checking the identities of those pirates,» she sighed.

Oh, damn it! Pirates?

«They were trying to get in with a trick, but thanks to you we're saved...»

It wouldn't have been so much of a problem for her to figure it out on her own. Yet, I was glad to have her gratefulness.

«As a reward, this Queen will let you do whatever you want,» she finished and smiled, wily. After her words, she sat at my side in silence, waiting.

«Whatever I want?» I repeated dumbfounded.

She nodded, and I couldn't stop my arms from circling her. We fell backwards on the mattress, and she smiled wider.

«Can you even imagine the bad things I could try to do if you say something like this?» I asked while rubbing my nose on hers.

«I don't think it will be too horrible,» she chuckled.

«I don't want to hurt you,» I started, somehow uncertain.

Yet, I managed to make my decision. It was the only chance I could have to convince my Queen to play at my games.

«Then what do you want to do?» she inquired, this time curious.

«Tie you up,» I breathed.

Theodora lifted her brows and stared at me for a few seconds. I could notice the uncomfortable grimace on her lips, but I still waited for her answer.

Just a moment before I could say that it wasn't that important, or that I was joking, she unexpectedly accepted.

«Fine,» she murmured. «Why not?»

Just like that, I got permission to tie a Queen to a bed.

«You can use some of my shawls,» she proposed.

Her serious expression was cute. She was seeing it like a task she had to solve, and she was rationally getting rid of the issues along the way. Starting from what we were going to use as ropes.

A part of me stared at her, amazed. The other was slightly annoyed by all that rationality.

I didn't like that she felt like I was just yet another task to finish before continuing with the next one.

«Let me solve that problem,» I whispered.

Her eyes blinked, and she moved them on me with the purest look I've ever seen. She was so relaxed, not even nervous about my intentions.

«You can just focus on me,» I continued.

Her lips split in an innocent smile, and I couldn't hold my arms back anymore. I dragged her back on the bed, and she hugged me with her slim arms.

«All right,» she nodded. «I'll just think about you.»

She leaned over for a kiss, but I stepped back just enough to flee from her intention.

«First, the ropes,» I whispered.

I wondered how it would feel to actually do something that crossed my mind a few times. Would my Queen be angered by my actions?

She offered me her hand, and I encircled her wrist with one of the scarves. I then tied the other end on the headrest. It wasn't tight, she could still move her arm if she wanted.

However, my Queen just sat calm and composed, waiting with her other wrist in the air.

I fixed it on the headrest as well, and then I surrounded her waist and pulled her down. She let out a low scream, and then she stared at me with surprise. Her hair framed her face, and her eyes moved from me to the knots with something that resembled curiosity.

«Do I untie you?» I whispered, in a low tone and hoping she didn't hear.

My Queen grinned and pecked my lips. Her expression was so delightful that I barely backed away from kissing her savagely. I was still waiting for a reply.

«Later,» she answered, with that same, unfaltering smile.

My hand reached her thigh while my tongue stuck in her mouth, every rationality long lost. All I could see was her, all I could think of was her.

When I tugged the nightgown up, I realised my first mistake. I should have got rid of it before tying her. At that moment, it was impossible.

Also, untying her just for this and then restraining her again was out of the question.

I stopped trying to move it aside and settled with coping with the bulky presence of the clothes.

I could have tied my Queen's legs as well, but I liked them more around my hips.

«Alexander,» I heard, soft like a whisper.

«What?» I murmured, moving my mouth on her neck. «Is something the matter?»

She bent her head to the side, and I followed the line of her neck down to the cleavage. I tugged the nightgown until hearing the sound of ripping clothes.

At the same time, my Queen moaned and arched her back in search of a closer contact. It wasn't the first time she responded like that, but it had never been easy to provoke such a reaction.

I wasn't doing anything special, just kissing and touching. Yet, my Queen seemed to quite enjoy it.

«Do you want me to stop?» I asked, even though the answer was as clear as day.

Regardless, I wanted to hear it.

«Don't stop,» she said. «It's not bad, like this.»

«Not bad?»

«This Queen can accept such a treatment, but only with enough incentives,» she smirked. «It won't be good if you spend so much time just looking at me.»

«But looking at you is one of the most entertaining tasks of my life. I don't want to stop.»

«Just looking isn't enough,» she whispered.

I leaned over and bit her lower lip. She groaned, surprised, but she didn't back away.

«This is better,» she revealed before offering her lips again. «Now kiss your Queen.»

Instead of following her order, I pecked her chin and moved down on her stomach. I licked around her belly button, and a heavy sigh welcomed my attention.

Curious and surprised, I did the same thing again, following my wife's reaction closely.

After confirming that she indeed liked it, I grinned, happy to have just found a sensitive spot on her skin.

Forgetting my initial purpose for a while, I started teasing and kissing her, looking for other parts with interesting effects. Every time I heard a moan or a gasp, I bit that same spot to check if it was just a coincidence.

«Please,» she whispered.

I pricked my ears up and looked at her flushed face. It was a new sight, her eyes were closed, her lips split.

My mouth relaxed in a wily smile at hearing my Queen's plea. My brain stopped processing the events rationally as I kissed her deeply. I squeezed her buttocks and pushed her against me, taking what was mine without regard for the uncomfortable position my wife was in.

While sinking in her hot, tight core, I barely registered her moans and low screams.

«Alexander,» she breathed, and another part of me awakened at that moment.

I simply decided to make her call my name in ecstasy time and time again. I would have requested it, from that point on.

«Say it again, my love,» I muttered. «Call my name again.»

I kissed her neck and waited patiently, while my Queen caught her breath and fulfilled my naughty request.

Her moans grew in intensity as she approached climax. The sight was such a heavenly temptation. So much that I slowed down my thrusts to enjoy the view a bit longer. This way, her every reaction became more evident.

She arched her back every time, and she clenched the headrest with her pale fingers. Her voice filled the room, and her eyes moved on me.

Just that small movement broke every wall, and I released. I didn't cease moving, tossing aside all the waves of pleasure that crossed my body. I wanted to see my Queen's orgasm before resting, so much that I forgot about everything else, even myself.

Only after her loud, ecstatic screams lowered in volume, I decided to slow down and finally stop.