Stealing The Pleasures

Chapter 1: Cheng Huan

Late at night, the vast city of Kyoto was pressed under heavy, dark clouds. The air was stiflingly hot, making it hard to breathe, and there wasn't a hint of wind anywhere. Most households in Kyoto had extinguished their lights and fallen into deep sleep. Yet, within the Yi Xiang Pavilion of the Ning Prince's Estate, peace was far from present.

"Don't... don't leave..."

The room was unlit, with only the faint glow from the lantern hanging under the eaves outside providing illumination. But that light, once inside, was further diluted by the tall cabinets, wide screen, and swaying pearl curtains, leaving precious little. On the carved bed with its intricate patterns, bed curtains hung low, and the pitch-black environment made it impossible to discern each other's appearances.

At this moment, a pair of figures were intimately entwined on the bed. Jade-like arms, white as the bright moon, wrapped around the man's robust waist. Her willow-like neck pressed close to the man's side, unconsciously rubbing lightly, her burning breath unobstructed against his ear.

The man was initially unmoved, his expression cold and stern. His hands rested on the woman's shoulders, intending to push her away from his embrace. Yet, feeling the overly delicate skin beneath his palms, like fine silk, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of tenderness, reluctant to spoil it.

It was this momentary lapse that allowed the woman to cling even tighter.

"My Lord, please don't leave..."

The woman's soft sobs were light and shallow, yet like a cooing cat, they fell upon the man's ear like fire, causing an inexplicable surge of impatience in his heart. However, a refreshing apricot fragrance emanating from her body miraculously soothed that trace of agitation.

His gaze darkened. His hands, which had been in a pushing motion, now shifted into an embrace. The hands that had long wielded sabers, swords, and long spears were covered with slight calluses. They grazed the woman's meticulously protected skin, causing her to shiver, and an involuntary cat-like whimper escaped her lips.

"Boom!"

Torrential rain washed over the red walls and tiled roofs of Kyoto's houses. The Star-Gazing Lake outside Yi Xiang Pavilion opened its arms to receive the heavens' water. Two red carp floated on the lake surface, intimately circling each other, their tails entwined.

The occasional thunder that ripped through the night sky momentarily illuminated the dark Yi Xiang Pavilion, only for it to plunge into deeper darkness afterward. The thunder masked the constant, heart-pounding sounds from the bed. The scene within that confined space behind the bed curtains was utterly stimulating. The neat bed was now a mess, as if it too had been ravaged by the sudden heavy rain outside.

This thunderstorm didn't last long, gradually ceasing after a short while. The oppressive heat was washed away by the rain, and a faint scent of grass and trees permeated the air, refreshing the spirit.

As the downpour subsided, the sounds within the room gradually ceased. Several servants, standing guard outside the room, held hot water, clean towels, and clothes. They waited, eyes lowered, for a summons from within.

However, in less than a moment, the sounds that made one's ears flush began again, interspersed with the woman's unbearable sobs.

"My Lord... please, please let me go..."

But these cries brought no pity from the other party; instead, the intensity grew. From cries to soft, shallow gasps, it was merely a fleeting moment, yet it became increasingly evocative. The sounds were intermittent, entangled, and only truly ceased in the latter half of the night.