Take Off Your Clothes
“My lady, are you okay?” Lia asked worriedly as they all returned to the mansion's shelter, soaked and tired.
“We had such a good time,” Elora laughed softly, brushing at her soaked dress that clung stubbornly to her skin.
“You might catch a cold, my lady. We must assist you in taking off your clothes now,” the servant urged.
Her dress dripped with a trail of water with each step that she took forward into the mansion and cold began to seep deeper into her flesh. She was aware that she might fall sick if she didn’t change her dress and so she quickened her pace.
“We should do this some other time. I was entertained,” she whispered to the servants behind her with a wide grin.
“My Lady, if you don’t fall sick.”
“I’ll take tea and be fine. Does it snow here often?” She was sure it did. Even though it wasn’t winter yet, she’d experienced snow nearly every day since she arrived.
Hula replied. “Your highness, it rarely snows in Elyria. Maybe in winter, twice or thrice, but never so often. It is why it’s such a miracle that we’re seeing so much snow.”
“It snows a lot in Yvlies…. Goodness, I’m cold. Let’s get there quickly."
She wrapped her hands around herself and increased her strides in an attempt to arrive at her bedchambers quickly. But just as she rounded a corner, her steps faltered.
From the opposite end of the corridor, Rafael walked. And they both halted upon meeting each other halfway.
“Your highness.”
“Your highness,” the servants echoed simultaneously before withdrawing to give them space.
Rafael’s eyes dimmed as they swept over her frame.
“Are you a child who plays in the rain?” He scolded, his voice edged with disapproval.
She cleared her throat and looked to the side. “Fortunately, I do know how to make my life less boring and not as stiff as yours.”
She could swear she saw his lips curl upward for a brief second.
“I see. Well, I’m not the one who’s trembling like a leaf.”
Indeed, the princess’s body quivered like that of a leaf from the cold. Her hands wrapped further around herself and her legs were out of control. But still, she wouldn’t regret playing in the rain and having a bit of fun to lift her sorrowful mood.
“Well, I…I’m not complaining.”
“Maybe you will after you fall sick from catching a cold or find yourself in the afterlife from being careless about what you eat.”
Her eyes snapped toward him. “Didn’t we already settle this yesterday? I…I wasn’t aware.”
“You will be if you were at least careful.”
She scoffed, threw her head backward, and rolled her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head and forced a polite voice.
“If you don’t mind, your highness. I will go with my servants and change.”
With that, she began to brush past him. She’d barely taken more than two steps before she slipped and her body swayed backward. Her mouth fell open and her eyes fell closed as she braced herself for a fall. But before her body could collide with the floor, a strong hand closed around her waist and pulled her upward, her body crashing against a chest.
“This, Princess, is what I am talking about,” he whispered.
“Did you make me slip on purpose?”
He shrugged. “Did I? Or you can’t just admit how careless you are.”
“You…” Her words were cut off when she suddenly let out a sneeze and then another. At the third sneeze, she felt a warm cloak wrap around her entire body, immediately spreading warmth all over her. Instinctively, she drew it closer to her chest.
“Come, I shall get you to our chambers faster.”
Elora gasped as he swept her off her feet without waiting for her to approve. Her hands quickly curled around his neck.
“I can walk,” she stated the obvious.
“I am certain you will slip again and break a few bones this time.”
“Why must you think I can’t always take care of myself? I am not a two-year-old. I…I am a grown woman.
His brows shot upward. “Heavens. I didn’t know that fact. One would think you're two.”
“Goodness.”
Truly, they reached their bedchambers in no time and he stepped inside with her in his arms.
He set her down on her feet and said, “I’ll be right back.”
He turned his back to her and disappeared into the washroom. As soon as he went, he returned with a towel in his hand.
“I…I can do it myself.”
“Let me. Take off the cloak.”
As if the cloak had ears, it fell to the floor on its own without having to be pushed off by her and bunched up on the floor. A wave of cold suddenly brushed over her skin.
As his eyes fell downward and slowly traced her body, Elora suddenly became conscious of her appearance. She followed his gaze as it dropped on her dress-clung skin. His eyes stayed on the soft curve of her breast down to her waist and then they traced the curve of her hips carefully and slowly, like he was trying to memorize every part of her body.
“Heavens,” a low sound escaped him, half groan and perhaps half prayer.
Her breath caught in her throat when he all of a sudden was right before her. Her heart hammered in her chest and she glanced up at him. Before she could take a step back, he placed the towel on her hair and began to dry her hair with it.
“Next time, do not stay under the pouring rain. Do you hear me?”
She shook her head. “I…I will.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “I wonder how stubborn you can get.” He paused and then continued in a low breathy voice. “Or perhaps you fall sick on purpose because you want me to attend to you.”
Her eyes widened and she denied instantly. “That is not…not true at all.”
He began to wipe down her body.
“You got injuries on purpose.”
“That is not true either. I wouldn’t harm myself.”
“Your actions do not seem like it, princess.”
A soft gasp escaped her when his hands lightly brushed against the soft curve of her breast. She bit her under lip and lowered her head.
Why did her heart race so wildly? Was he toying with her? Knowing him, wasn't an impossibility.
But what if he was only drying her up and it was her body…
“Take off your clothes.”