Tamed or Captured

Karaf said with his head lowered.

“I didn’t mean to doubt you. It’s just… I’m anxious…….”

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Asha’s shoulder, murmuring.

“I was strangely unbearably anxious. It seemed like you were trying to run away from me…… I felt like you were going to leave my side forever…….”

Asha felt a small prick in her conscience.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m not going anywhere. Didn’t I tell you that I made up my mind from the moment I first arrived at the palace?”

Asha smiled bitterly, then Karaf spoke more calmly, whispering in her ear.

“I know…….”

“How did you know I was here?”

“It was my intuition.”

“…….”

Asha looked at him slightly, he returned exactly what she said the other day: “my intuition”.

But Karaf spoke seriously.

“Where else can you go in this imperial palace? I could find you so easily.”

His muscular chest and abs were visible through his rain-soaked pajamas. 

He wore a waistband over his robe, but no underwear, as his thighs peeked out. 

Asha’s face reddened.

“So, can you please let me go……?”

It was then that Karaf realized that he was hugging her so tightly that it felt like it would break her body.

Perhaps he was more embarrassed by his own unexpected behavior, so he quickly let her go. 

Asha said, looking at the umbrella that fell to the ground when he suddenly hugged her.

“Your Majesty has wet my clothes. I was going to take a light walk and go back to sleep…….”

As soon as she finished speaking, Karaf quickly picked up the umbrella from the ground and put it on her head.

“It’s late. I’m already wet.”

Karaf was unsettled by Asha’s somewhat cold tone, and then he took off his robe and threw it over her shoulder. 

Asha put on his large robe and looked at him with a slightly dazed expression on her face. 

She looks beautiful with her white face drenched in rainwater and wet blonde hair.

Karaf’s heart pounded and he turned his head to the side. 

His face turned red, but it seemed to be a fever in Asha’s eyes.

His heart was beating abnormally, and only then did Asha realize that his condition was strange.

“Your Majesty, are you feeling well? Now that I think about it, the pollen in the morning…….”

“No. I’m fine.”

Karaf is headstrong, although his complexion didn’t look good.

This was his second date with her, and he didn’t want to waste another good opportunity just because he wasn’t feeling well.

There was no one interfering, so it was a perfect opportunity to be just the two of them.

Asha immediately placed her hand on his forehead and cried out in surprise.

“You’re not! Your forehead is like a fireball!”

Karaf looked at her with wide eyes as she placed a hand on his forehead.

“I think you’d better hurry up and go inside.”

Karaf closed his eyes for a moment and breathed heavily due to the heat felt in his body.

Raindrops splashed on his face. 

He unintentionally looked weird and sexy.

“Okay……. I’m sure I’ll catch a cold if I stay here. Let’s go to my room.”

“…… What?”

Asha asked because she thought she might have misheard.

“Why should I go to Your Majesty’s room instead of mine……?”

Karaf’s eyes widened.

“I’m not feeling well, so shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

“But Your Majesty is the embodiment of flowers, so isn’t it good that it rains on you regularly?”

Asha’s retort left him speechless.

Because it was true. 

Usually, he liked it when it rained on him. 

It got to the point of deliberately walking without an umbrella on rainy days. 

Karaf said, in embarrassment, and coughing for no reason.

“Then take responsibility for making me feel uneasy when you disappeared tonight. Isn’t this a circle, a flower following a butterfly?”

Karaf continued with a smile full of ulterior motives.

“I can’t sleep at the moment, so have a glass of wine in my room. Can’t we have a drink together before bed?”

Immediately after hearing those words, Asha’s body tensed. 

The phrase “Would you like to have a drink with me?” was the same as “Would you like to spend the night with me?” in his dictionary.

In the past, he always drank alcohol before sexual intercourse.

“…… It’s okay. I don’t feel like drinking right now.”

When Asha stiffly turned her head to the side, Karaf immediately took her hand sadly.

“Then stay by my side until I fall asleep. Please.”

     Why is this man so clingy today…….?

Asha frowned at Karaf again, startled by his serious gaze. 

His hands were trembling slightly. 

His body was boiling and he was breathing heavily, and his condition seemed so bad.

For some reason, it looked like he was going to drink alone all night because he would get upset if she refused.

As a butterfly, she couldn’t let a flower drink with a sick body. 

Asha sighed silently as if she had lost.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

“…….”

Karaf didn’t answer because he was embarrassed. 

He’s not a child. He was ashamed of himself for waking up screaming every time he had nightmares.

However, in Asha’s eyes, for some reason, he looked like a pitiful rain-soaked dog.

Asha said, looking away.

“….. I can sing you to sleep.”

Karaf’s face lit up.

“That’s great! There’s nothing like falling asleep with you by my side.”

When Asha narrowed her eyes at him, Karaf had a cheeky expression on his face as if he had never been sick, and he smiled. 

He walked forward with a smile on his face. 

It was as if a puppy had persuaded his owner to go for a walk on a rainy day.

* * * * *

At that time, Jackal was alone in the room looking out the rainy window.

He needs to inform Sosa of what happened at the Imperial Palace quickly and review the plan, but in this weather, even if a hawk flies by, the note will get wet, so he won’t be able to deliver it. 

Hoping that the rain would stop as soon as possible, Jackal returned to his human form and wrote a long note to Sosa. 

He wrote in the note that due to another spy belonging to an ethnic minority, the palace’s security became tighter, making it difficult to save Asha, and the Emperor’s anger against the minority also grew stronger.

     What the hell are they doing…….

Jackal’s forehead tightened.

For some reason, he felt that the minorities kept dragging their feet.

He had to find out why they were targeting Asha.

Jackal belatedly sensed someone’s presence and looked somewhere.

A servant, who was hiding behind the door and looking at him was surprised when he made eye contact with him.

Jackal’s eyes widened as well. 

He was a stout adult man now naked.

It was a perfect situation to be misunderstood as a spy who infiltrated the palace.

“The… the horse turned into a human… … ! I must inform His Majesty immediately!”

The servant hurriedly turned around and ran.

     Damn it.

Jackal frowned and turned back into a horse. 

He left the room, ran at full speed, and followed the servant. 

After all, humans can’t keep up with the speed of horses.

“Oh, don’t come……!”

The servant looked at the wild horse with wide eyes as he fell.

Jackal jumped high above him, vigorously kicking his hind feet.

The servant trembled as he squeezed his eyes shut and ducked at the terrifying sight of a great horse reaching for him like a shadow in the dark. 

But at that moment, Jackal returned to his human form in midair, landed softly on his body, and hit him on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. 

Jackal’s eyes widened and he looked at the stunned man with a confused expression.

     What do I do now……?

Killing the enemy who discovered his identity was the right thing for him to do. 

However, even if he kills this man here, it was impossible to completely dispose of the body without anyone knowing, and above all, he didn’t want to recklessly kill an innocent person. 

It wasn’t his style. 

He looked around, and fortunately, there seemed to be no witnesses other than this man. 

Cold sweat formed on his forehead and neck. 

He would soon be discovered by other servants. 

His heart was pounding amid the chaos.

Jackal’s eyes widened as an idea occurred to him. 

* * * * *

Asha returned to the palace with Karaf, washed, and changed into a new nightgown. 

The maids who received instructions from Karaf were more excited about the unexpected preparation. 

She was going to go back after drinking, but somehow everything seemed to be going well, with the ‘lovemaking confirmed’, so Asha was very upset. 

Especially the venomous head maid has been excessively loyal to Asha since the day she covered for her. 

She arbitrarily judged that Asha’s anxious appearance had been strained by her affair with the emperor, so she massaged her with lavender essential oil to ease the tension. 

They were more concerned after clearly hearing from Karaf that Vanessa liked purple flowers.

The luxurious emperor’s bedroom had a terrace overlooking the night view of the empire. 

Asha was dressed in a light but elegant silk nightgown and was lost in thought as she looked at the night view, but then the door slowly opened.

Asha turned around as the strong scent of roses wafting through the door startled her.

Karaf was at the doorway, lavishly dressed like a peacock.

“……?”

A question mark appeared above Asha’s head. 

She wondered what kind of monstrous attire he was wearing to sleep. 

Dressed in a robe delicately embroidered with golden thread, he stood by the door smiling triumphantly. 

He wanted to look good for her, so he chose the most glamorous attire he had. 

Perhaps because of the rain, Karaf’s face looks smoother and brighter than usual. 

She thought that he was a real flower that came to life right after it rained. 

The servants entered with expensive wines. 

Karaf walked over to the table, and calmly popped the cork. 

Asha asked cautiously, looking at him anxiously.

“Do you tend to drink before going to bed…..always dressed like this?”