The Duchess of Estelle
"Did you see how the Duchess treated the Crown Princess? How could she be so shameless!"
"It's a good thing that the Crown Princess is so graceful and forgiving. If someone poured tea on me on purpose - I would've yanked the person's hair no matter who she was."
"Lady Millicent really is the worst. I heard she forced all the major jewelry businesses in Estelle to shut down. How could she do that to people within her territory, even if they were also nobles?"
"I heard she kept slaves. Isn't that against the law? How could Lord Bramford just let her do as she pleases?"
_
Words from people I don't care about didn't bother me.
Maybe that's a flaw for someone like me who has to keep a good public image.
Anyway - most of what they say is true. Those silly things did happen. They only see my reaction, and they'll never understand the reason behind my actions. I don't feel bad, since it's really not anyone's obligation to understand. As long as Percy is by my side, that's enough for me.
In the past, I put so much effort into making people like me. I always wore a mask of perfection; each word that came out of my mouth was planned and critically calculated. But the world isn't kind to everyone who just goes with the flow, and on that note, I was particularly unlucky. The Crown Princess, Your Highness Annette Fajardi, wasn't very fond of me.
Because I got in the way of their love. Hers and Percival.
I soon realized that no matter how hard I tried, I'd never get her favor. So, I simply stopped trying. The same goes for everyone else who thinks of me as the villain who destroyed the fated love of the Duke of Estelle and the Crown Princess.
When I spilled tea on her, it was truly an accident. Percival and the King were both there, and they saw what had happened. That's why I'm still alive. I mean, if I truly did that on purpose, that would be a good excuse for treason, which means execution. But since the Crown Princess never spoke of it, her silence encouraged everyone's imagination.
As for the news about the jewelry businesses and slavery, well, that's a whole different story.
"Stop reading the newspapers, Millie. You'll find nothing worth your time," my husband said, pulling me from my thoughts. He had just entered my office, and a maid followed close behind him with a trolley of tea and snacks. It was time for a short break.
I stared at Percy's beautiful face. He was indeed the most handsome man in the empire - a little too beautiful for my taste. Coincidentally, he and I shared the same jet black hair - but his eyes were blue like the ocean while mine were emerald green. If it wasn't well known that we were married, I'm sure people would have no trouble thinking we were siblings.
"What are you staring at?"
"Your beautiful face. It's slightly annoying."
He smiled at me and turned to check the maid as she finished setting up the table. He waited for her to leave and close the door behind her before he walked towards me.
Percival Bramford, the Duke of Estelle, and my husband of seven years. Yes, it's been seven years and people still can't get over his past relationship with the Crown Princess. Ugh, I can't believe I thought of it again. I internally rolled my eyes.
He didn't even say anything - he just kept getting closer and closer until I could feel his breath on my face. He gave me a sly smile and angled his head a little until his lips reached mine. It was soft and warm. Gently, he devoured my lips, and I followed his lead. I folded my arms around his neck, and he pulled me up from my seat. His touch was electric against my skin, and his hands traced circles around my hips, pulling me closer. Heat surged through my body as his fingers lingered, sending shivers down her spine.
I felt the weight of his desire. It was a good thing I was wearing a simple dress without a hoop skirt.
His tongue found its way into my mouth, and mine excitedly responded. The more I gave in to his kiss - the more intense he came on to me. I could feel his urgency, and my leg naturally moved to stroke his manhood. It made me happy that I made him hard down there. Just imagining his erection pushing my insides was enough to throw me off the edge.
With steady hands, he untied my dress. As soon as it lost its hold, my dress glided down my skin towards the floor. Without letting go of my tongue, he pulled my chemise off, and my breasts bounced out, my n*****s all hard and ready. My arousal was dripping down the insides of my legs.
It was the middle of the day, and the sun that shone through the large window of my office reflected on my skin. The inappropriateness just added to the intensity I felt.
He kissed and licked my neck - his tongue tracing down my breasts. He sucked my hard n*****s, he looked at me straight in the eyes from below his tongue flipped my n*****s up and down. He smiled as he did so, which made him look like a handsome devil I would offer myself to.
Percy was almost two feet taller than me, he was bent down halfway. His one hand grabbed my other breast while his mouth sucked the other - and to my relief, his other hand found its way to my honeypot. With his four fingers, he vigorously rubbed my c**t until I shivered and moaned loudly. My back arched on its own, and my legs were starting to lose strength.
With no warning, he aggressively pushed his middle finger inside of me. I held my voice with all my strength, I had to bite down my lips to hold my moans. There were servants standing outside the door. In my head, I wondered if they could hear the squelching sounds of Percy's hand slapping on my damp flesh.
My knees lost strength but Percy quickly caught me. He held me by the shoulders and pulled me up, turned me around and bent me down the table. My upper body ultimately found a stable place. I was out of breath.
He suddenly stopped. I could only hear his uneven breathing. Was he watching me from behind? Was he looking at the place where I yearned his touch the most? It was throbbing, practically calling out to be invaded.
A clink, and clothes rustling.
Oh my god! I think my eyes rolled up as he thrust inside me. His thing was thick and long, and I felt it full. His hands dug into my hips as he went in and out with full force. The lustful sounds our bodies made and the smell of desire filled the room. He then moved with so much more urgency, and my insides felt like it was fire. With one strong push, he went still, his breath stopped, and I bit my lips as his warm liquid poured inside of me, and my pleasure spilled out with pressure from where our bodies connected and became one.
__
Percy helped me tie the back of my dress, and I tried to refresh myself with the small towels I had available in my office. I could still smell the desire off my body - but I've done my best to look proper again. We were on it for twenty minutes, the tea went cold, but I'm too conscious to call the made back in so this will have to do. We quietly sat down at the opposite ends of the tea table and ate our fill.
We didn't talk about it after. If I were being honest, there's a lot of things I want to tell Percy, but he's a man of very few words - and I'm the type of person who mirrors behavior. If I'm with someone talkative, I could talk all day - but my husband is the quiet type. That's the same reason I couldn't let out my moans so freely, because since the first time we've done the deed, he's always held in, and I only hear him breathe heavily.
He never took off his clothes. He doesn't express his pleasure out loud. He doesn't call my name. He never told me he loved me. We never talk about feelings - just random things.
It's been seven years like that. But I was satisfied with our relationship, we always made love so I was under the impression that was the same as expressing his feelings.
Looking back, I should have thought about it more. Obviously, I was wrong.