Alex.

After the ritual, Sebastian informed me that it was completed and helped me onto the horse. We rode silently back to the castle, and I could feel him pulling away, avoiding looking at me throughout the journey.

Upon arriving in Savoyar, we immediately went to our separate rooms, each with much to think about. I had envisioned my first wedding night and ceremony quite differently. Although I hadn't thought much about marriage before, when such an important moment arrived, I imagined it a bit differently, but certainly not under the threat of death.

The next morning, I decided to have breakfast in my room. It was painful to see Sebastian in such a state; I understood his feelings and motives, but I couldn't say anything more than what had already been said yesterday.

When I finished breakfast and was about to go downstairs, we bumped into each other at the door to my room. He stood there, as if hesitating to knock.

"Sebastian?" I looked at him with some confusion. It was strange to see the usually confident and often cool-headed man standing at my door, hesitating to enter.

"Good morning, darling," Sebastian said. I invited him in and closed the door.

"I think we should discuss many things," the prince said, sitting in a chair.

"I'm ready if you are," I said, sitting opposite him.

Sebastian nodded. "Okay, what happened yesterday... I understand it wasn't how you envisioned the wedding ceremony. Alex, when we sort this out, I promise you'll get everything you dream of: a beautiful dress, a grand hall, millions of white peonies. But in order to provide you with all that, I need to obtain the crown. Only then can we ensure our future and the future of Savoyar," he spoke quietly but confidently.

"Sebastian," I stood up and approached him, kneeling and burying my nose in his neck. He sighed sharply in surprise.

"I know that sometimes I behave like a child. Everything is happening so fast and unexpectedly. You no longer have to hide anything from me or make decisions for both of us," I whispered, looking into his eyes. "But today, I just don't want to think, Sebastian. I'm tired of being strong. I just... need you right now," I had tried so hard to be strong and had often drowned in my fears and doubts that when I saw him pulling away, I realized how tired I was of all the intrigue and unspoken words. I desperately wanted to feel his warmth, his strength and confidence, his love. I rose and kissed Sebastian, as if he were everything that mattered right now.

At first, he responded hesitantly, but I deepened the kiss, and Sebastian pulled me closer with a groan. He kissed me passionately, igniting a wave of desire and excitement throughout my body. I reached for his shirt and began to unbutton it.

He stopped my hands. "You're not ready for more yet, darling," he said hoarsely, breathing heavily.

"You're trying to decide for me again, Sebastian. I need you. Let me decide for myself how far I'm willing to go this time. You're my husband," I got off his lap and took his hand, indicating it was time to stand up. He complied.

I pushed Sebastian onto the bed and removed my dress and lingerie, remaining in a semi-transparent nightgown. Sebastian propped himself up on his elbows, watching me, but didn't move or try to approach. I straddled his hips, spreading my legs apart, and let my hair down, leaning forward and creating a curtain between our faces and the surrounding world.

"Will you let me, Sebastian?" I whispered against his lips.

He gently pushed my hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. "I'm all yours, my wife," Sebastian smiled and leaned in to kiss me, but I stopped him.

"Let me, Sebastian," I insisted with determination.

He chuckled. "Of course, my beautiful queen," he spread his arms to the sides and lay back, indicating that I could do whatever I intended.

I removed his shirt, then went lower and tried to remove his pants. Sebastian laughed and helped me get rid of them.

Now he lay before me in nothing but his underwear, and I carefully studied the sight of my handsome man.

I smirked mischievously and straddled him again, feeling his hips tense beneath me. I trailed my fingertips over his chest, observing his reaction. Sebastian breathed heavily, and a slight tremor ran through his body when I lowered my hand below, where our bodies almost touched. I could distinctly feel something hard pressing against my thigh, and as I continued to gaze into his eyes, I ran my hand along the protruding part. Sebastian tilted his head back, lifting his hips and groaning.

I directed my hand toward the elastic of his underwear, shifting it slightly downward. At that moment, he tensed and stopped my hand, looking into my eyes attentively.

"I want you desperately, my love, but what you're doing... I won't be able to stop. Are you sure?" He looked into my eyes intently, studying my face as if trying to find even the slightest hint of doubt there.

I smiled and leaned in to kiss him, simultaneously freeing my hand from his grasp. "Don't worry, darling, I'll be gentle," I whispered against his lips, and he chuckled softly.

"Well, since you promise to be gentle..." Sebastian whispered, lifting his hips and guiding my hand to help remove his underwear, kissing me.

I kissed him softly, feeling something hard and pulsating under my hand. I trailed my fingers over it, exploring the smooth skin with protruding veins. I broke the kiss. "I want to see," I asked Sebastian and moved away. He didn't say anything, just chuckled softly as if amused by my curiosity, and placed his hands under his head.

"What a curious girl," he nodded with a smile, indicating he was ready for the next stage of my exploration.

I moved back and looked where my hand had been just moments ago. It was... impressive. I examined the vegetation around and his staff with protruding veins and a head lighter than the rest.

I looked at him, my eyes widened in surprise or shock, and I couldn't find what to say or do next.

He sighed, smiled, and sat up, covering himself with the blanket folded to the side. "I think you've had enough impressions for today, my joy. What do you say?"

He stroked my cheek, and I sat there, still trying to make sense of what I had seen and figure out what to do with it.

"No, it's just... it's a bit different than in the books. And how it... It's painful!" I continued sitting on Sebastian, bombarding him with questions and not intending to get up.

Seeing my reaction, Sebastian laughed. "It's not as scary as it may seem at first glance, darling."

I was confused, my determination evaporated somewhere.

"If you're not going to get up, we can try again, I'll guide you," Sebastian tilted his head and asked.

I nodded, and he pushed the blanket aside and removed my nightgown.

Our bodies were now fully pressed against each other, my nipples rubbing against his slightly hairy chest, and it was exciting. He pulled me closer, seated me higher on his hips, and my stomach pressed directly against his pulsating organ. He kissed me gently at first, waiting for me to relax again, gradually deepening the kisses.

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I felt the excitement building up again, and my lower abdomen was heavy with desire. I rubbed against Sebastian, moving my hips, and he groaned.

"You drive me crazy, darling," he whispered and started kissing my neck gently. I felt his hand slide from my hip, where he was holding me, down to the crotch, and he lifted me slightly.

"Try not to tense up and trust me. It will be a little uncomfortable at first," Sebastian said, resting his head against my groin. He held his pulsating organ and gently guided my hips as if pushing me from above.

I screamed from the sharp pain in my lower abdomen and buried my forehead in Sebastian's shoulder, breathing heavily.

"It's normal, my girl, it will be easier now, just try to relax," he gently stroked my back, and I practically dug my nails into his back.

"It's alright, it stings a bit," I whispered into Sebastian's shoulder.

"It will pass, look at me," Sebastian requested, but I shook my head without lifting it, "Alex, darling, look at me," he asked again, still stroking my back.

I lifted my head and looked into his eyes. I don't know what he wanted to see there, but he lifted one hand to the back of my head and kissed me. As usual, his gentle kisses helped me relax.

I melted into his tender kisses, and instinctively rocked my hips, causing his head to go deeper inside me. I took a sharp breath and moaned, "Sebastian."

Then I made another movement, and once again, unfamiliar sensations overwhelmed me, spreading excitement through my abdomen. Sebastian kissed my neck and descended to my chest. I leaned back slightly and rocked on him again. In this position, the sensations were slightly different, and this time we both moaned.

With his hands gripping my hips, Sebastian guided my movements as if showing me how to make it more pleasurable. With each movement, pleasure spread through my abdomen, and while my muscles tensed, it no longer caused pain.

As my movements became more confident and my hands gripped Sebastian's shoulders more firmly, he flipped me onto my back without leaving me, leaning over me with his elbows.

For a moment, he paused, looked into my eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll go deeper, just feel it inside you, we're one, move with me." I nodded and felt him fill me completely, the feeling of fullness mixing with a heaviness in my lower abdomen.

I moved in sync with Sebastian, trying to mimic his movements as if we were merging in a strange dance. With each passing second, pleasure engulfed me, much stronger than what I had felt before when he caressed me. The tension seized me, and I felt Sebastian either entering fully or almost completely leaving me, only the tip remaining inside and making light movements as if caressing me from within. This elicited pleasure moans from me and fueled desire. I moved towards him, trying to feel him deeper inside me again, holding him tighter.

We moved in the same rhythm, Sebastian's movements speeding up, and I wrapped my legs around him. He placed one hand under my hip, seemingly lifting it, and it seemed like he was entering even deeper into me. I moaned and arched my back with each new thrust. I no longer tried to match his rhythm; my body seemed to move on its own, following an invisible beat.

I felt Sebastian shudder, and he groaned, "I'm sorry," and he tensed even more inside me, trembling. Then something warm filled me, spreading inside. A few more thrusts and Sebastian's tremor subsided; he lowered his head and rested his forehead against me.

"I'm sorry, my love, I couldn't hold back," he kissed my shoulder and pulled out of me. I sat up on my elbows and looked at his organ; it was relaxed and seemed even smaller in its calm state. Sebastian saw where I was looking and smiled.

"We need to get you a book on medicine, darling. It seems you're more interested in the structure of my body and its features than just what happened," he looked at me with a smile.

"Are you mocking me, Sebastian?" I leveled my breath, and the meaning of his words finally dawned on me. While I may study his body and all its visible parts, he's still my husband, and I have the right to do so. I tried to get out of bed, but he picked me up and carried me to the bath without ceremony.

Sebastian sat in the tub and put me on his lap, leaning me against his chest. "An unsatisfied woman is an angry woman," he continued teasing me with a playful tone. I just snorted and started trying to get out of the tub.

He pressed his lips to my temple and said, "If you squirm, darling, I'll decide you're ready to repeat everything," he turned the tap and scooped up some fragrant orange-flower soap in his hands. With smooth movements, Sebastian began rubbing me with the fragrant foam, gradually lowering his hand. He massaged my chest, moved down to my stomach, and covered my crotch with his hand. He began to gently stroke my folds, and I felt a new wave of excitement rush through my body. I arched and moaned.

With one hand holding me by the waist, Sebastian continued to stroke me as if teasing. He started to shallowly insert the tips of his fingers into me, then began to caress my sensitive spot. The resurging desire overwhelmed me; everything below throbbed as if unsatisfied tension merged with the new, and my whole body begged for release. I felt Sebastian's excitement under me, and it only fueled me more. Sebastian lifted me and leaned my arms on the tub edge; he descended with kisses on my skin, then grabbed my hips with his hands, and I felt him entering me from behind, filling me. I arched my back and moaned. Sebastian moved inside me, giving waves of pleasure.

The tension almost reached its peak, and he growled, "I want us to do this together." A few more deep thrusts, and with the impending wave, my vision darkened, countless sweet spasms ran through my stomach, bringing relief, and at the same time, I felt Sebastian's organ pulsating inside me, amplifying and multiplying my sensations. We moaned and merged in sweet ecstasy.

"Oh, gods, Sebastian," I moaned and fell into his arms.

"You were magnificent, my beautiful queen," Sebastian repeated, embracing me and refreshing the water in the bath.

After everything that had happened, I felt like I wouldn't be able to move at all. However, this time, after some time, we still managed to bathe. After an hour, when we refreshed ourselves and regained our composure, we finally managed to tidy ourselves up and headed downstairs. It seemed we missed lunch. And we were starving.

Sebastian went to Peter, and I ordered food to be served in the study. While I tried to gather my scattered thoughts and focus on the reports, Sam entered the study, followed by a hesitant Samantha. They stared at me with stern looks. As it turned out, Sebastian and I forgot to put up the dome in the morning, and the indiscreet sounds from the duchess's bedroom were heard by half of the castle, if not more. Just when Samantha was reading me a brief summary of the rules of propriety for unmarried girls, Sebastian entered the study without knocking.

The old folks glared at him disapprovingly, so we had to put up the dome and confess that we performed the ritual at the Ancient, hence the prince rightfully made advances on my maiden honor. We wisely omitted who bit whom. Samantha looked stunned, but then they bowed to me and left, promising to keep everything secret until the official announcement.

Sebastian and I decided to keep our marriage a secret until the duke's plans were revealed. Hold onto that ace up our sleeve, so to speak.

After lunch, Sebastian left again for the village affairs, then promised to stop by the study to address the issues with the Drow artifacts.

"My wife," he leaned over me, kissing my neck, "Your focused look makes me want to repeat what happened this morning," he kissed my neck, skillfully distracting me from the papers.

"Are we going to repeat it here or are we going to dinner after all?" leaning back in the chair, I tilted my head, feeling a shiver run through my body from the memories.

"I think for today, the servants have had enough gossip," Sebastian chuckled, and nevertheless, we showed up for dinner in the dining hall.

In the evening, a messenger from de Forest visited us with a letter from the king.

Sebastian,

I, King Frederick de Forest, address you expressing extreme disappointment and concern over your absence at your own betrothal, which was planned with great care and significance. Your absence has caused serious inconvenience and damage not only to your reputation but also to the reputation of the royal de Forest family.

I demand that you immediately appear at de Forest Castle and provide explanations for your absence. Otherwise, I must warn you of serious consequences that will affect both you and the borderlands, especially Savoyar Castle and its subjects.

Be warned that if you do not come to de Forest Castle, I will be forced to take decisive action. Several squads of battle mages have already been summoned, and they are ready to go to Savoyar for forced escort. Even if it means causing a massacre in Savoyar, I will not hesitate to protect the honor and dignity of our kingdom and the de Savoyar lineage.

Sebastian, I hope you realize the seriousness of the situation and understand that my words are not an empty threat. It is time to take responsibility for your actions and be where you are expected.

Awaiting your immediate arrival,

King Frederick de Forest.

Sebastian and I exchanged glances, feeling the tension that enveloped us.

"What to do next?" I asked Sebastian, seeing that his expression had become serious.

"We'll stick to the plan. Obtaining the Drow artifacts remains our goal. Submitting and going to de Forest Castle makes no sense," Sebastian replied, thoughtfully furrowing his brow. "I assumed that the duke would need a few days to gather the troops. But I underestimated his interest. In such a situation, I can't leave Savoyar and leave you alone," he folded the letter and tossed it into the burning fireplace.