I'm curious! Which colour/s would you associate with Gigi? (Other than the Leroy green, of course.)

(Italics are for dialogues spoken in Prajan language.)

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

In the following days, Gigi spent a lot of time wallowing in thoughts. The information about Cal's past was honestly a lot to take in, even though he had just started. While she managed to be calm and collected the night he told her about it, instant responses had never been her strongest suit and she needed a few days to process it.

Now that she knew their history, she couldn't help but feel weird each time she met Olivia. No wonder she acted so strangely after seeing her in the Leroy necklace; it had once been hers.

She snapped out of her thoughts as the doctor carefully unwrapped the bandages from her left arm.

"Your Majesty, you could please try moving your arm?"

"Oh, yes!" She slowly moved her arm, wiggling her wrist and fingers. A look of happiness and relief sprang to her face when she didn't feel the stinging sensation she had when she was first injured. "Oh, look! I can move it freely again!"

Finally, after more than a week of patience, plus many months of tireless waiting, she would be able to consummate her marriage to her husband again.

"Does this mean that I am allowed to resume my normal activities, Doctor?"

"Uhm, I would wait for the rest of the week to use it to perform labour, Your Majesty." The doctor inquired, looking slightly worried about the Empress' enthusiasm.

Was squeezing buttocks classified as labour?

"What sort of labour? I am an Empress, you can be sure that my ladies wouldn't allow me to work harder than holding a book or signing a letter. The mental baggage, though, is a different story."

He readjusted his glasses, "I meant to say that you should only perform light activities to make sure that the muscles are properly healed. Are you feeling any numbness or pain?"

The pain of being unable to touch her husband? The numbness from being deprived of her marital rights for so long?

"Not at all," she answered assuredly.

"Very well, then. I shall prescribe you some medicine to help you heal faster."

Later that day, she heard Aravin and Junior squabbling as she returned from work.

"Oh, look! Another princess book!" Aravin gasped loudly as he peered at the drawing on the cover. "Doesn't she look just like you? Fear not, dear Snow White, because your Prince has come."

"I'm sorry, which dwarf are you again?" Junior scowled before scampering out of the room, almost bumping into Gigi at the door. Even though he somehow managed to tolerate Aravin's presence when they teamed up to nurse her on her sickbed, it only lasted so far.

Kicking the nearby chair in frustration, Aravin sulked as Junior had once again, escaped from under his grasp.

"Aravin, no kicking things around," Gigi warned, making her presence known. Now she understood why their mother had to nag so much.

"But I don't know what I did wrong!" He cried. "I always try to be friendly but he keeps pushing me away! I cannot have you send me home this weekend without me ever winning Cal's heart!"

"But why do you have to win his heart now? Can't you just wait till you both grow up? Then maybe you'll be able to see love more as a form of respect and less of a conquest." Gigi sat down, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, adding, "...Gosh, now I sound like Mother."

"Because I told Chandra and Ramlan that I was going to meet a pretty princess in Angletonia, and Cal is prettier than any princesses!"

Gigi sighed. So it was all about showing off? Kids! "You see, maybe you haven't shown your affections in a way that he would appreciate. Cal loves reading fairy tales and with the way you keep teasing him about it, he feels that you continuously ridicule him." She shrugged. "Well, I have got an idea."

***

That night it was raining heavily outside, and Gigi stood near the windowsill with the windows open wide. She could feel the raindrops lightly touching her skin, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling.

When she was in Praja, the rainy season was something she had anticipated most.

Hearing the sound of a door closed, she turned around to see Cal wearing just his bathrobe, having just finished his late-night shower. There were tiny droplets of water dripping down his pale chest. Now, this was the kind of water that could get her wetter than the rain.

"Would you prefer if I close the windows, Sire?"

"Leave them open. I enjoy the smell of rain," Cal said, running a towel through his wet, tousled hair. It was so funny to see it so disarranged when she was used to seeing it slicked and tidy. Its messy state gave him a little side-bang that made him look about five years younger.

"Me too," she grinned.

Cal discarded his robe and put on a set of pyjamas prepared for him by the bedside. Due to their decision of sharing a room, he would sometimes get showered and dressed in her room when he was too lazy to get to his own; which was all the time.

"You know, you can always use my dressing room, right?" chaffed Gigi, arms draped tightly around herself in a futile attempt to brace herself against the temptation of her husband's tight, shapely backside.

"I do. What I don't know is whether you actually want me to," quipped Cal, putting on his trousers. Throwing a playful smile at her, he let out a delightful chuckle as she flung her arms around him tightly from behind.

"I love you," she gushed as he came face to face with her, eyes wide with happiness. Standing on the tip of her toes, she arched herself to be as tall as she could be, feeling his arm supporting her back bringing his lips upon hers. She ran her hand over his bare chest and up along his broad shoulders while he had his warm hand tangled in her hair, frenzied.

"Goodness, Gi," he growled. "If not for the fact that you're not fully healed right now..."

Why did he have to be so prideful? He could've thrown her into bed and had his way with her, she wouldn't care.

"Only a few days to go, Sire, then you can do whatever you want with me," Gigi smirked, grabbing a handful of his ass before parting herself from him most unwillingly, strolling across the room to brush her hair in front of the dresser.

Sharing a room over the week had made them more aware of each other's daily routines. By now, Cal had noticed how she would pray in the morning three times a week and she was relieved that the smell of incense did not bother him that much.

At last, they finally got the chance to feel what it was like to be married, to share one's life with another person. It was unbelievable how she would get so excited to wake up in the morning only to find herself in his arms once more. There were also the little things she treasured, like how he looked in the morning. How he'd carefully style his hair after getting dressed. The smell of his aftershave on the pillows, and the warmth of his arms enclosing her at night.

"Are we getting new furniture?" He asked when he found a catalogue she had left by their nightstand earlier.

"I ordered a bed for our new bedroom. They suggested mahogany at first, but seeing as you're a big Praja fan I chose Prajan teak wood." Even though the room would be styled in Angletonian architecture, she would like a Prajan touch to it.

"Use teak wood then. I'm sure that whatever you picked, it'll be best." He tossed the papers to the side before grabbing an ornate case from the top of the nightstand. Another habit she'd noticed from him was that he was keen on using her beauty products on himself. Normally, she would be angered by people touching her make-up, but she allowed him to; because he was so beautiful!

"Allow me," Gigi laughed and snatched it out of his hand, smudging a pea-sized amount of cream under his eyes. It felt so good to be able to use both hands once more. "This gets rid of the eye bags," she trailed her fingers over the defined lines of his cheekbones. "...and rejuvenates your skin."

"I have a similar one in my room, but yours smells better," he whispered with closed eyes.

"Since you're up to sleep I'll be reading, Sire," She put away her make-up case before picking up a book from her drawer; a book she had borrowed specifically from one of the noble ladies.

The big night was coming nearer, and while she had picked up plenty of interesting things from her steamy novels, she needed to do extra research to make sure she had everything covered. She wouldn't want to seem inexperienced like the first time, and the whole society was too happy to help her with such an intimate matter. It was among the list of things she didn't think she would enjoy as an Empress, but it felt good to have people aching to please you; which explained the way her mother acted sometimes.

Cal opened an eye, peering at her suspiciously. "What is that you're reading?" He reached around and Gigi scooted away, trying to preserve her dignity.

Swiftly, Cal hovered over her, quickly catching onto her reading materials. His expression morphed into a smug smile. "Interesting... very interesting."

Gigi huffed. "You know I need to be prepared."

Cal chuckled, settling back against his pillows. "You see, Gi, this is a subject where you'll find experiences to be the best teacher."

"And I think you'll find it surprising how much you could learn from reading," she insisted, speaking from her own experience. "Not everyone could afford such experiences, especially with a widow who could bend."

"Nevertheless, it is only real when you can feel it."

"Then why don't you show me rather than tell me?" She rolled onto her side, starting unbuttoning his pyjama top to reveal a glimpse of his pale chest. "Why don't we try on some scenarios? See if you're okay with it."

Expecting a rejection, she was taken by surprise as his hands quickly moved to undo the rest of the buttons before slipping it off completely. Contented by the spectacular view she gladly drank it in, eagerly roaming her palms across his toned upper body, tracing the hard lines of his abs.

Cal held her chin between two fingers before trailing them down her chest, squeezing her breasts gently as he seized her lips. Gigi sucked on his bottom lip, swirling her tongue against his as he rubbed her nipples in circles and pinched them through the sheer material of her nightgown.

As his hand went below her waist, her legs spread of their own accord, allowing Cal to caress her inner thighs. But as she wanted to give him more access, he suddenly withdrew his hand.

"Are you alright?" she breathed.

"I'm fine, but won't this spoil your appetite before the feast has even started?"

"Oh, Sire, I've not been touched for months," she turned her head side to side, arching her neck in her impassioned state. "Spoil away."

Cal gave her an amused chuckle. "With pleasure," he grinned, slipping his hands under her nightgown. "Forgive me if I'm a little rusty, cause I'm out of practice."

"Our wedding night proves that you're not."

As his fingers tugged on her underwear, Gigi let out a stifled moan, raising her hips to help him slip it down her legs. The cool air hit her skin only to be replaced by his warm fingers, making her bite her lip in anticipation.

For the love of mankind, did his fingers feel better than her own.

It was beyond any doubt that Cal knew how to properly cherish a woman's body. As one finger continuously brushed against that bundle of nerves inside her, another was hitting her in deep but swift plunges. It wasn't long before her hips started bucking of their own accord.

Whimpering between her heated sighs, her right hand wandered below his abdomen, sensing his own urge straining beneath his trousers. "May I touch you?"

"If you can manage it without your bad arm, then yes," he gave her earlobe a gentle nip.

"Decidedly, I only need one hand to carry the task." Heat was creeping into her palms as she slowly lowered his waistband, feeling herself being greeted by a strong arousal.

The books made it sound so easy, just to run her hand up and down his length like that. But when it came to performing the job, she thought herself rather clumsy.

Cal seemed to sense her hesitation, as he sank his teeth into her collarbone, whispering words of encouragement.

As the night went on, Gigi was reduced into a moaning mess as his hands kept fondling her folds and her breasts. One hand gripped the bed sheets tightly while the other was pumping his length. She could even hear the sounds of his soaked fingers moving in and out of her.

"Oh, my darling, you're enjoying this so much, don't you?" teased Cal, which she replied with a lustful whine.

The moment she finally succumbed to ecstasy, moving her hand faster on his manhood as her inner walls clamped around his fingers; her fingers were soon coated in his release as well.

She blinked up at him lazily, seeing her own lust and pleasure mirrored in his vivid brown eyes. His smooth baritone voice was the one to send her dozing off to sleep.

"Good night, sweet darling."

***

The sky continued to pour water and thunder as Aravin was prepared to leave the palace a few days later as if setting a perfect scene for a dramatic farewell.

Junior had joined them in the car, per Gigi's special request. Though she doubted that the boys would develop any real romantic involvements for now—due to obvious reasons, their age—she still wanted them to part on good terms.

They soon reached the port with a number of extra footmen to carry their umbrellas for them, especially with Gigi's arm still in a 'delicate' condition.

Holding his breath, Aravin stood in front of Junior with his mind swimming with the words his sister had him memorize and practised.

"Thank you for coming, Cal. To have you here to send me off means so much to me," Aravin thanked Junior in such articulate phrases that didn't sound at all like him. Junior opened his mouth to protest but Aravin continued, "I know that I may not have had the best manners while I stay here, but I only did so because I was desperate to get your attention."

"But not all of it was untrue, Cal. I really do think that you are Snow White. I mean, why wouldn't you be? With your skin white as snow, lips red as a rose and hair black as ebony, you really are the fairest of them all."

Slowly, Aravin took his hand from behind his back, producing a single red rose that Gigi had fetched from their gardener earlier, with a small envelope attached to it. If Junior felt the urge to retaliate before, he didn't now, stunned as he was.

"Here," he nudged the flower to Junior, who was left with no choice other than to gracefully accept it. "Keep it as a reminder of my admiration for you."

Not far away behind them, Gigi pressed her gloved fingers against her lips to hold back a giggle.

Junior held the flower steadily in hand before turning his blue gaze back to Aravin. "Oh, thank you. I guess I... I wish you a safe trip," he finished civilly.

A smile bloomed on Aravin's face, his cheeks redder than the rose.

"Bye, Cal," he waved at him one last time, holding Gigi's hand as she helped him board his ship. Junior slowly waved back.

As Gigi returned to the car, Junior was already inside, having Aravin's handwritten letter opened in his lap. He quickly slipped it back into the envelope as she climbed back in, a futile attempt to hide it, as she had helped Aravin write it anyway.

"Are you alright?" she smiled kindly, petting the back of his head.

"Yes," he assured her. "I'm alright, Mother."

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

What do you think about Gigi being the real person behind Aravin's poetic speeches? How do you think it'll affect Junior and Aravin's relationship in the future?