Unmasking Souls

Through The Layers of Your Mask

"Jeongmal shiro (You really don't want to)?" he asked quietly.

She opened her eyes and answered firmly, "Shiro (I don't want to)!"

"..........Ahrasseo," Min Ho finally said, sitting up and pulling her with him.

"I am not used to deny myself from taking the women I want, Lady Go Eun. However, I'll tolerate this time."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"Temporarily. Do you understand? It's your duty as a wife to satisfy me. So I will wait for one month. You better arrange your thoughts and behavior properly, because I will take you when the month pass, whether you are ready or not."

She felt so relieved. Utterly, completely relieved, exhaling loudly and Min Ho almost smiled in amusement.

"Come here, I'll help you undress."

She froze, "didn't you say—"

"Yes. But you don't expect to sleep in that wedding dress, right? It's completely uncomfortable. Nawa (come here), I'll take off that heavy dress and hair coiffeur."

"I....m—my maid can help me."

"In the eyes of the world, we still need to maintain the image that we have our wedding night tonight. Or else I'm afraid Jo Yeong won't stop in killing you. He treats every insults to me severely."

He pulled her close again, moving behind her to take off hair pins and jewels from her hair.

"Stay still. Don't move. I don't want to accidentally prick you with the pins."

Her hair was styled in an intricate, elegant knot, decorated with jewels of precious stones and jade. It was complicated, but experience made him able to lose it all in no time, leaving her hair in a long braid. He actually didn't need to lose it too, but well, he wanted to. So he took off the tie at the end of the braid and spread her hair, making it fell on her back.

She had long, black hair with a sheen of brown, reaching past her waist like silk. Her hair smelled so good he wanted to bury his head in it, inhaling and kissing the length from the top of her head to the tips below his waist.

What's the point of scaring her more, though?

"Turn around, Lady Go Eun."

Hesitantly, she turned around and faced him.

She was gripping a handful of her dress, eyes staring down at the sheets.

He caught her chin again to make her look at him.

"This will be so much easier if you're standing."

"Wh.....what?"

Min Ho got up and stood beside the bed, signaling her to follow him.

Naturally, she didn't move at all. So he had to pull her again to obey him.

Standing in front of him, not knowing where to look at and almost not breathing at all, she felt helpless. Powerless. As if she was entirely living under his mercy.

His fingers took off her wedding robe, untying her belt so he could pull down the next robe off. She was busy stepping back, avoiding his touch in reflex, but he held her back steady so she didn't move anywhere out of reach.

At the back of her mind, she acknowledged that he was good at this. He was undressing her faster than Sung Kyung ever could.

For a while, the only sound in the room was of clothes falling to the floor. As a rich noblewoman, she wore many layers, even more so on her wedding day. He reached her long sleeved blouse and untied the sash, taking it off pass her shoulders. Next, he concentrated on taking off her gown. The beautiful red gown fell to the floor, and he took the gown underneath off too, one after the other, until she finally stood with her white silk dress.