CH 11

It turned out to be a very strong drink. She felt the insides of her throat burn the moment she swallowed.

“Wow, this stuff is no joke,” Cecile murmured and stood there, slowly blinking. She felt the world start to spin in an instant. The hotness of the alcohol began to spread throughout her body before she even put her lips to the cup again.

“Mm?” Cecile rubbed at eyes upon seeing the room start to blur. What is this drink? Was there an alcohol that got one drunk straight away like this?

‘Don’t they usually call that drugs, not alcohol? Hang on. Drugs?’

Cecile went over the changes occurring in her body again. Mind growing hazy. Body kindling with heat. Breathing turning into panting. She vaguely remembered having often heard about a drug that induced such symptoms. Where did she hear? Oh, right. It was in the books she had shared reading with her maidservants. The titles of those books flashed through Cecile’s head.

‘A Hot Night’, ‘Forbidden Love Is Always Sweet’, ‘The Lark Cries: Touch of Obscenity’, etc. Every single one of them were Books That Must Not Be Named. The plot device taken from the bible of clichés, which set romantic lovers on the express track to the bedroom, free of any tedious narration…

Cecile flung away the cup in her hand, aghast. “Is this an aphrodisiac?” 

Aphrodisiac. What sort of drug was it? A drug that instantaneously burned away reason with the flames of desire—of the s*xual kind, of course, towards the opposite s*x.

“Those sickos! Why the heck would they put something like this here!” Her tongue cursed them out of its own volition. She put a finger in her mouth and tried to vomit out what she drank, but it was already too late. Cecile felt the strength quickly drain from her body.

‘No. Not like… this…’

She swayed on the spot and dropped flat onto the bed. Cecile wondered as to why that thing was here as her consciousness began to fade.

‘Damned emperor… You were planning on using this tonight?’

She could find no other answer than this. For some reason, though, she felt pity amidst her anger. So what if he’s handsome? He can’t even get it up without using drugs. Thus Cecile’s eyes gently closed amidst her musing thoughts. And when she came to her senses again, she felt as if the world was shaking.

‘What the?’ 

The heck? Why’s my body like this? Hang on where am I again? Why am I like this? Fortunately, she managed to recall what happened before she collapsed even in her dizzy state of mind. And so she burst out in curses again. “Bloody damn emperor!” 

“They do say that about me often, yes, but it’s been a while since someone said it to my face. How novel.” 

“Eh?” Cecile opened her eyes at suddenly hearing a voice. The handsome face of a certain someone she saw earlier in the day was gazing at her. His black hair was like the embodiment of the night sky, and his black eyes held unfathomable darkness, seeming to possess mystery within. She had found him plenty attractive when it was bright out, but she did not think he would look even more stunning in the darkness of an enclosed room. This isn’t fair, she thought.

Cecile continued to ogle him blankly, but as her line of sight slightly shifted downwards, she blurted in bewilderment, “What the. Why are you completely naked?”

“Not completely. I still have my bottoms on.” Estian calmly replied.

With this, Cecile realized why the world was shaking moments ago when she had her eyes closed. Before she knew it, the emperor had climbed aboard the bed and was taking off his clothes. She saw the formerly worn clothes of the emperor lying scattered to the side, which proved her thoughts correct. Meanwhile, the emperor picked up a piece of clothing that had fallen and tossed it out of the bed.

The clothing should have fluttered down nearby, but instead, she saw it fly far and slam into the wall. The emperor swept back his well-groomed hair after displaying a feat that was not possible without a fair amount of strength. Cecile watched it all with a hazy mind.

‘He’s got good looks, and a good body too.’ 

She decided to put off thinking about the situation she was in and enjoy the superb view in front of her. Lean muscles on a moderately tanned body. Cecile had gulped when she witnessed the undulating muscles and raging veins on his arm when he threw the piece of clothing.

‘Ha. How’d you know I like that kind of body?’