A King's Seduction ✔️

SIXTEEN

Word Count: 1526

I knock gently on Tai's door, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the hallway is still empty.

The door opens, so I slip through, pressing it closed tightly behind me. It feels sinful sneaking up to his room like this, so late at night, even if my intentions are just to come up here to speak to him.

His room is bathed in moonlight, the milky beams shifting the usual colours of his room to something else entirely. Otherwise, his room is perfectly simple, despite being oddly shaped. This may be his childhood room, yet nothing in here suggests it's ever been lived in.

"I'm sure every possible maid saw me come up here," I breathe, the amusement in my tone fading slightly.

Tai's lips tilt up slightly, eyes glittering as if he enjoys the idea of that quite much. I'm mortified at the thought of it getting back to Kailor, especially when he thinks I was a mistress of Tai before we were engaged.

"Let them gossip," he mutters dismissively, waving his hand. "We were meant to marry, right?"

"That was months ago. So much has changed," I sigh, raking my hand back through my hair as I wander to the middle of the room, until my body and clothing are doused in moonlight.

"Here, put this coat on," Tai says, handing me a grey coat lined with fur. "It's warm outside, but I want to take you somewhere special."

For once, I don't protest, knowing I want a moment alone with Tai to completely relax.

"I'm excited," I murmur, shrugging the coat on before following him out the room.

+

Tai doesn't tell me anything as we stalk across the grounds. He holds my hand, leading me down a dirt path that cuts through the forest. For a moment, I'm convinced he's leading me out here to sit beneath the trees and talk, however eventually the trees clear, revealing the most bizarre sight.

A lake.

It's not a large lake, although perhaps I'm mistaken, as they are so rare in the Jade Province, I've never seen one in person. It's quite ethereal at this time of night, the surface smooth as it reflects the moons magnificent rays, quivering slightly with the slight breeze.

"Wow...This place is stunning," I breathe, hardly able to believe I'm looking at this right now.

"I used to come out here at night to see the moon's reflection on the water," Tai says, his voice sweet like the wind. "It was the perfect escape whenever my father was pressuring me."

Still holding my hand, he leads me out toward a small dock, the lush reeds rearing up through the cracks, brushing against my feet until we come to sit over the edge. The moonlight really is magnificent, so it's not strange to assume Tai would come out here often as a boy. It turns the surface pale white, rippling magically.

"How has it been, being back here?" I ask him, pulling my shoes off so my toes can trace the surface of the water.

Tai braces himself back on his hands. "Strange...You being here makes everything a lot better."

I focus on him, admiring how beautiful he looks tonight, with the backdrop of the forest behind him, the same dark shade of emerald as his eyes. I don't stop enough to realise how lucky I am that I was with him through all of this, whether he is one of the most attractive men I've ever seen.

"I want to thank you for everything that you've done. Bringing me here has saved my life, when you easily could have abandoned me," I tell him earnestly. "You're way too good at saving my life."