The Art of the Corset (2017)

Chapter Thirty One- Between Husband and Wife

His nails dug into her hips as she rocked back and forth in his lap. She held her own balance by gripping the large wooden headboard that was positioned against the wall. Gently tossing her torso at a slight angle, she then gained mobility once more by placing her hands on his legs. His hand moved from her waist to her breast, where he gave a sweet kiss onto her skin before being alarmed by a knock upon the door.

"The King requests a meeting with Lady Evelyn." A knight's voice called on the other side of the door.

Marth shook his head and then gained dominance, pinning her hands down and delivering a sinfully pleasurable collection of thrusts. Clenching her jaw to remain quiet as he held her face with one hand as the other held himself up. Letting out a soft groan, she removed herself from the bed before being pulled at by Marth who was now nude as he laid upon his stomach and looked up at her.

"Must I battle for your time with the King?"

"My love, there is no competition to be entered. You have my heart, and you always shall."

"As you will, mine."

Pulling in for a sensual kiss, she pulled her dress onto her body before moving down towards the King's chambers where he had been dressing for his day. Being dressed by several young female maidens, Evelyn watched as his gaze caught onto the exposed cleavage as he requested the women to obtain things for him. When seeing Evelyn, he welcomed her as she gave a curtsy and then was pulled gently by the King, towards the window. From the view, she could see the entire forest and the ocean that seemingly wrapped around an entire three-fourths of the castle. But in the distance, she could see ships docked at the nearby beach. Ships that did not bare the flag of the King's men. Instead, they had been solid black with red X's that could be seen from miles away.

"I am sure you are aware that war is looming towards us." As he began to speak, each servant withdrew something such as dishes he used to eat to the clothes he changed out of, before then withdrawing themselves. "As if the haunting whisper of a well burnt wick, they never seem to fully disperse."

"Your highness?"

"I am withdrawn, I apologize." Removing himself from the window and placing a belt over his stomach so his shirt would remain closed, he then moved to a book that was beside his bed.

"Do you know of Lady Hathaway?" Holding up the book, it was decayed with age, but readable even from the distance in which she stood. The front had been inked in a bold font with "Lady Hathaway" in a dark smudge heavily written.

Shaking her head to answer, he pulled open the book and began flipping through the pages before finding a single rose that bookmarked a specific page. Reading the contents aloud, he moved towards her and then walked in a large circle, before returning in the same path until the passage was finished;

"As wicked as deceit masked as purity, the heart may be tricked by the thieves of the selfish. No deeper sin than that to break a heart, as the remnants are never rejoined by the hands of a healer. Promises are broken and hopes are erased with the hangover of anger. What name does such a thing accompanied by such horrific description entail? It is a simple four letter word, matched perfectly with its seductive allure; Love."

"That is quite intense..."

"I thought the same. As you know, marriage is not usually connecting a couple inseparable, but instead builds alliances to others. I know not of a single marriage in which love has been thought of much less spoken."

"I am quite fortunate."

"Fortunate? Or Greedy?"

"Your majesty?"