She knew this dress was too much.
Luelle reached across the table and lifted his chin for him, and he quickly cleared his throat. “Seda, please sit here again.” He gestured to the seat next to him on the right.
She briefly considered walking to the other side of the table to spite him, a form of defiance against his command, but decided against it and walked to the chair he suggested. She sat down and fiddled with the silk of her dress, her ears burning with embarrassment as everyone silently watched her take her seat, their faces bathed in the candlelight’s glow.
“What are we having tonight, Sire?” Praxis broke the silence. He kept gazing at Seda, then back at Cahir. She tried to shift lower in her seat, attempting to hide herself as much as possible under the table.
“I know whatKing Aelwants,” Luelle joked, and Praxis laughed in agreement. Luelle wiggled her eyebrows suggestively between Seda and Cahir.
“Show some respect!” Meir scolded Luelle with an angry, red face that resembled a tomato, and his thick eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
Luelle exaggeratedly mimicked his expression, silently moving her lips and furrowing her brows, while Seda fought back a smile at her brazenness.
“Duck and roasted potatoes and some other things,” Cahir replied to Praxis, ignoring the argument and not denying the insinuations.
“Seda, would you like to go for a walk tomorrow morning?” Neoma asked politely. Her dress was low-cut, nearly revealing her breasts. Seda felt a bit more comfortable with her own outfit after noticing hers.
Seda saw Praxis’s eyes lingering on Neoma and let out a sigh of relief that his attention wasn’t solely on her.
“How did your potion work for you, Neoma?” Luelle asked asshe took a sip of wine, her blood-red lipstick leaving a mark on the crystal.
“Umm…” Neoma started.
“What potion?” Meir interrupted, sharply looking at Neoma.
“Oh, we saw Neoma leaving the witch earlier today. Did you have a nice conversation with her?” Luelle took another sip of her wine and exhaled loudly. “Something about... What was it again?”
“Just a beauty tincture,” Neoma replied quickly, readjusting her top. Praxis noticed the movement and watched her breasts rise and fall.
Luelle rolled her eyes and took a deep drink. She roughly set the glass back on the table, the crystal clinking loudly against the wood and spilling scarlet liquid.
“Is there something you want to say, Luelle?” Cahir asked.
“No,Sire. Nothing.” She smiled sweetly between him and Neoma. “Nothing at all.” She let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes once more.
The doors opened, and servants entered carrying trays of food. Roast duck and potatoes, garlic green beans, fresh buns, and other delicious dishes that Seda couldn’t name.
Her mouth watered.
Cahir placed his hand on Seda’s exposed knee again and gently brushed his thumb back and forth. She wanted to pull away, but that effort was futile last time. Her cheeks burned with irritation as she casually reached over to fill her plate with food.
She took a bite of the warm, buttery bread and licked her lips. It was so soft and lightly sweetened,perfect. She slightly lifted herself from her seat to reach the potatoes, and as she did, his hand shifted higher on her thigh.
Seda glared at him, but a warm heat spread low through her. She sighed to herself and went back to her plate. She didn’t move his hand away when she sat back down. Instead, she placed her palm over his and encouraged him to keep rubbing his thumb back and forth.
Fine, she thought. She could play this game, too.
She heard a faint growl coming from him, too soft for anyone else to notice, and she smiled. She was feeling gleefully spiteful.
She took a bite of the roasted duck and purposely moaned as she chewed. His hand subtly tightened on her thigh.
“This is delicious,” she said as she looked at him with hooded eyes and slowly licked her lips. He watched her mouth with a starved expression. “You look hungry. Do you want to try the duck?”
“You mean does he want tofuck—” A hiccup. “You?” Luelle slurred, inebriated from the wine. She held up her glass in the air, and a servant walked over and poured more for her.
“Unacceptable!” Meir shouted at Luelle. “You will show respect for your king, or you can leave this room!”
“Meir, I can handle this, thank you,” Cahir interjected. “Luelle, that was impolite. You may leave now.” He smiled at her and inclined his head toward the door.
