Lewis was shocked at the surprising turn of events, but Simone was already trying to leave. He jumped up and threw himself into the secret passage as it closed, leaving the two of them in the dimly lit corridor.

“Wait! You can’t just leave like that after being missing for days!” Lewis stated with a stern look. “Look, I know I fucked up. Just…I’m sorry. I’m shit at these kinds of conversations. I barely know how to-”

“And?” Simone asked with her hands on her hips. “So what?”

“I’m sorry…” Lewis replied. “I really am…it was a mean and insensitive thing to say.”

“And?” Simone repeated.

“And…” he looked a little confused, but came up with something else. “I’m sorry for being a cold heartless bastard.”

Simone looked at him for a moment, as if expecting something else. “And?”

At this, Lewis was completely confused. What else could she possibly want? He had apologized and admitted his mistakes. What else was she asking for?

She started to tap her foot impatiently. “I’m waiting…”

At that, Lewis started to panic. “What else is there? Did I do something wrong again? I said I was sorry!? Is there anything else I need to do?”

With his last response, Simone broke into a smile. “No. Not really. I just wanted to see you panic.”

The King stared at her, dumbfounded. “I…you…what? You…did all of that just to see me…panic. That was it?”

“Yes. Pretty much,” she replied as she started walking. “Here…I want to show you something…”

The king stared at her in complete disbelief, “And they say I’m evil.”

“All is fair in love and war. That’s what my father told me~” Simone smirked a bit as she beckoned him to follow her. “Since you ended up in here with me.”

She took him into a long narrow corridor much more narrow than the secret passage they had been in. “I’ll show you how much I trust you.” She held up her hand to him and helped him down the slippery stairs. “Please, be careful.”

Once they got deep underground she showed him a room of crystals. “This is what powers the defense magic for the entire kingdom…”

“Are you sure you want me to know about this?”

“Why not? You don’t know how to use it…” She gave him a face before laughing. “Once I get more strength back I’ll turn it on for you… but I don’t have enough mana to do it just yet.”

–

It had been a few days since she showed back up. Xeik was excited to see her again as it meant she could be Lewis’s adviser again. All Xeik could do when Simone wouldn’t answer him about where she went was to look at Lewis and say, “What did you do?” To which Simone just smirked and went about her business.

They were nearing the end of the day and Simone was spending most of her time at Lewis’s side these days. Most of it was to keep Saoirse away as she had been getting rather saucy lately. She was coming up with unique ways to corner Lewis. Lewis caved a few times just to get rid of the woman so Simone resorted to literally being shoved up Lewis’s ass.

She was absorbed in her book as she flipped the pages. Every once in a while she would let out a lovelorn sigh and her face would flush.

The paperwork that Lewis was working on was particularly annoying. The financial woes of the lords in one of the old kingdoms he had conquered were supposedly important enough that Lewis had to intervene. According to the Lord, the taxes needed to be raised due to the inability to maintain his current lifestyle. When Lewis looked into it, the poor Lord had to cut his daily baths from five down to three.

“This is so stupid,” Lewis groaned as his head fell into the pile of papers. Simone made one of her lovelorn sighs again, and Lewis glanced up. “You’re always reading. What do you even read?” He had barely glanced at the title; some random string of words that meant almost nothing to him. Yet, Simone seemed absolutely enamoured with the plot. It was all she ever did.

“Why do you care?” Simone asked, blushing as she looked up from it. “It’s just a silly book.”

Lewis gave her a look. “I’m bored. Why don’t you read aloud or something?” She gave him an incredulous look. “Just…humor me. I need something to break up this tedium…”

Simone peeked up over her book at him. Her gray eyes were full of life something that Lewis didn’t get to see very often unless she was being entertained. “…I don’t think…”

“Read it,” Lewis said with a dull tone. “How bad could it be.”

Simone opened her mouth and closed it before clearing her throat, “The prince lowered himself down onto the woman who would become his wife. His hunger caused him to rip at her blouse, tearing the buttons off. The garm–”

“Stop!” Lewis was blushing and Simone held a blush on her face as well.

“I told you.”

Simone grinned. There was a devious look in her eyes. Once again, Lewis had that look of panic in his eyes, and that meant she had found a button to press. And that meant she was going to press it. Hard.

She cleared her throat, “The garment fell to the floor, exposing her perf-”

Lewis looked away, plugging his ears. “Nope! I’m NOT LISTENING.” That, of course, did not stop Simone from reading. If anything, she started to read louder.

“…and satisfied her every carnal desire and-”

The door flung open, and a very stunned Vela and Saoirse tumbled in.

“MY KING!” Saoirse yelled, getting up. “SHE’S READING TRASH LITERATURE IN YOUR PRESENCE!” She seemed absolutely appalled, despite the fact that Lewis was fairly certain that most of her ‘seduction’ ideas came from such similar novels. At least, that was what Vela seemed to be insinuating.

“My Lady,” Vela said, stifling laughter. “I had no idea you held such interests…may I pick your brain later for reading opportunities?”

Simone smirked, “Of course, Miss Vela. I would love to help further your education in this…eloquent genre of fiction.”

Lewis closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “All of you….out. I-I have to finish this work.” It was obvious that he was turning bright red from what everyone assumed was embarrassment.

“If I must,” Simone stated with a royal tone, standing up. “I shall continue reading to you later this evening then. After all, I really shouldn’t deny you the pleasure, since you asked.” She smirked, watching the shocked look on Saoirse’s face.

“BUT SHE-”

“OUT, NOW!” Lewis said, pointing.

Simone was laughing down the hallway and Vela was following behind her. “Were you just fucking with him?”

“No, that was what I was reading,” Simone showed Vela the book.

“I had no idea our library here had these!” Vela was surprised.

“Back corner, bottom shelf. Those ones aren’t that great but I have a private collection I found at the market place. I would be more than happy to share with you. I just like messing with the king when I find buttons I can press on him.”

“I’m sure he would like your buttons pressed on him,” Vela said and she watched as Simone got bright red.

“I doubt he would,” Simone went to her room and curled up on her sofa so she could continue to read her very nice trash.

Saoirse, on the other hand, was looking for any opportunity to get them out of Auclair or to get rid of Simone. She was rummaging through all of Felix’s paperwork in his old office. Vela was keeping an eye on her secretly. She wasn’t dumb enough to think Saoirse would give up Lewis without a fight so she had been watching her for Simone.

At night, Simone changed into her nightgown and braided her hair before sitting back down to read a new book now that the other one was finished. When Lewis came in Simone smirked a bit, “I’m shocked you showed up. I thought I scared you off.”

Lewis blushed when she made the comment about scaring him away. “Not likely. I still have a ‘kingly duty’ to perform every night, so I should at least uphold it.” He glanced back over to her, and noticed that she was still reading the same book. “Are those books anything like the real thing to you?”

Simone shrugged, “I wouldn’t know. I’m a virgin…”

“Oh…” Lewis looked away, turning a little red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He cleared his throat. “Well…if you want to experience it sometime…I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult to have someone brought in.” He blinked. “Even though we’re to be wed…I doubt you want anything to do with me. I know it was all political…but it’s…”

“I did dare you…” She said with a meek voice, hiding her face behind her book.

“What?”

“When we spent our first night together as fiances…I dared you.”

Lewis thought back, and realized what she was talking about. “Oh…you did.” He had thought that was a joke. “I figured you hadn’t meant it…”

Simone shyly looked to the side, still hiding her face. “Well…I wouldn’t have…said no…but you..” She hid farther behind the book. “You said you didn’t get anything from it…”

He looked at her. “That’s..not what I meant…It’s just been my experience. It could be different if I…”

“If you?”

Now he was acting sheepish. “If I tried it…with someone I actually liked….”

Simone looked at him as she lowered the book. “And? Do you like me?”

“I don’t dislike you…”

“I don’t have a body like Saoirse,” Lewis could swear as Simone spoke he saw an eye twitch.

“…I don’t mind your scars.”

“That is not what I was talking about.”

“Then… explain to me?” Lewis sat by her as he studied her curiously.

“I don’t have a lot of curves like Saoirse~”

“Yeah, but I can stomach you.”

Simone narrowed her eyes at him, “It’s okay you probably don’t know what to do with breasts anyways.”

Lewis got a bit upset, “Well, if you don’t think I know what to do… Maybe you should just tell me what to do.”

“I’m a virgin. I don’t know what t–” She paused and flipped through the book. “Do this.” She held up the book to his face.

Lewis looked at her, and then at the book, and then back to her. His face was beet red, but he nodded. “Fine…okay. We’ll do that.” He looked back, and read the page. “And the next thing…too. Cause I want to. It’s not all about you…” He wasn’t even sure if either of them could perform such an act with the way Simone was, but he was damned sure going to try.

“Just…please don’t make me say these dumb lines…”

—

Lewis and Simone were laying side by side, staring at the ceiling. Both of them were naked and covered with sweat, but neither of of them could look each other in the eye. The book had gone into great detail several other, bolder acts, and Lewis and Simone had tried and succeeded in most of them. But…now that the passion was finished…

Well, now came the awkwardness.

“That was…” Lewis looked away from her. “Something.”

Simone looked the other way. “Itwasreallynice.” Her eyes were wide, shocked that she had just uttered those words.

“Yeah. Really nice. I had…a lot of fun.” His face was turning the brightest red it had been all night. “Can’t wait to do it again.” The fact that he had said those words aloud had him mentally bashing himself. There was no way she’d agree to it.

“Yeahcan’twaittodoitagain!” Simone blurted out. She was practically kicking herself too.

Lewis and Simone slowly took their time, and their eyes finally met, each of them staring at each other.

“So…now what?” Lewis asked. He was still flushed.

“I…need a bath,” Simone replied. “That was…messier than I expected.”

“Right…”

—-

The next morning, both of them were oddly quiet at breakfast. Vela hadn’t touched her food, and was instead giving them her full attention, a devious smirk across her face.

“So…how wasss it?” Vela asked, not caring that the entire harem, Saoirse, Xeik, Drake, and half of Lewis’ trusted knights were present.

“What do you mean, Vela?” Lewis asked, gripping his fork hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Oh…nothing,” she said. “I just heard a REALLY weird ghost last night. I really loud one…place must be really haunted.”

Simone went rigid as Vela spoke, “IDON’TKNOWWHATYOUARETALKINGABOUT!” She yelled as she slammed her hands on the table. Her face was bright red. She was unnerved and not as elegant as she tended to be around the others. She was still unsure about what happened. She liked it. She liked Lewis.

“…You forgot to put some of your makeup on the hickey,” Vela pointed out the bruise on her neck. “And looks like the king gripped your wrists too–”

“AND I HAVE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY,” Simone slammed her hands on the table. “See you for lunch.” She left the room.

“Awww, she’s so cute when you get her flustered,” Vela giggled.

Saoirse made a face, "It's unladylike to talk about what happens in the lord's bedroom in public. My lord! Having sex with someone who isn't in your harem before you are wed is a breac–"

"Didn't you just say it was unladylike… Also, he makes the room so shut your whore mouth up. If you were half the woman the princess is then you would have had the king like she did last night." Vela said in a serious tone as she shut Saoirse down. "So, when's the wedding?"