The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 1.2

His dissatisfied tone made her want to bow her head again, but his fingers prevented her from doing so. Elfreda blushed as she thought about it.

It was only right. She was no longer the half-blood princess of Makaeri but the legitimate queen of Machi. Yet, she had spent seventeen years living in constant awareness of others’ opinions. The power of those years wasn’t something that could be overcome just by changing her status.

“But why are you here…”

As his fingers lingered on her chin in silence, Elfreda, feeling embarrassed, blurted out anything. She clearly didn’t realize that her words echoed Marchioness Magnum’s earlier question.

Ejnar smirked silently before murmuring,

“Is it so strange for a groom to seek out his bride’s chamber on their wedding day?”

“No, but…”

Elfreda, who had been hesitating, gathered her courage and confessed,

“I didn’t think you would come.”

“Why?”

“Because you hated me.”

“Me?”

A glimmer of hope stirred within Elfreda at his reaction. With her pupils slightly widening, she asked cautiously,

“Is that… not the case?”

“At least you have a good sense of the situation.”

Before her feelings could fully take shape, they were smothered. Her eyes withdrew at his cold gaze.

“I cannot like you.”

“…That’s right.”

Elfreda tried to accept it calmly. She couldn’t afford to show hurt in front of him. Her lips trembled as she managed to say one more thing,

“Then… could you leave now?”

He stared at her.

Feeling whether her words were too casual, she decided to elaborate.

“If it’s for diplomatic reasons, you’ve been here for a while now… Ah!”

At that moment, Ejnar strode forward and captured her lips in a kiss. Elfreda’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden kiss. Her surprise caused her to instinctively part her lips, and Ejnar seized the opportunity to invade her mouth.

The heat, wetness, and large size stormed through Elfreda’s mouth. As he explored the sensitive areas inside, touching her tongue, he moved with the roughness of a parched beast finding a spring.

“Ah, ha…”

For Elfreda, who had never even experienced a light kiss, this was too much.

When Ejnar finally released her, her face was flushed with heat. Whether it was just a matter of breath or excitement was unclear. Seeing her like a naive fool unfamiliar with such matters, he chuckled and murmured.

“If you react like this to something so trivial, what will you do next?”

“Your Majesty…”

“It’s not that difficult for me to sleep with you.”

He then began to remove the numerous hair ornaments from her head in a smooth movement. Her tightly bound hair gradually fell loose in graceful waves, but the beautiful woman remained frozen. Despite his tender touch, his eyes were as cold as ever.

The sharp edges of the ornaments he removed looked like they were piercing into her neck.

“It’s not necessary to deceive others.”

As his gentle touch withdrew, his cold gaze became even more pronounced.

“But if you truly hate it, just say so. I have no interest in violating my wife.”

Elfreda was unable to move under his intense gaze as he demanded answers. There was a brief silence between them. Ejnar took this as hesitation or indecision.

As he was about to turn away from her as promised…

“Your Majesty.”

Her urgent hand grasped his sleeve. She had barely enough courage to touch his sleeve as she didn’t want to touch his wrist. Ejnar glanced at her hand on his wrist before meeting her eyes. Somehow, there was a desperate look in her gaze.

“Don’t go.”

“….”

“Don’t go… Ah!”

In an instant, he turned back and swallowed her lips once again. Though she might have been expected to grow accustomed to his beastly movements, she didn’t have room for distraction as he relentlessly pressed her that she had to step back.

Breathing heavily and stumbling backward, she soon felt the edge of the bed against her calves.

As Elfreda naturally fell back, he supported her waist to ensure she was comfortably lying down. Ejnar, positioning himself above her, greedily bit into her pale neck.

Elfreda trembled with the heat radiating from his lips, clutching his hair unconsciously. It was then

“….!”

He suddenly stopped all movement and slowly lifted his head to look at her.

As he met her gaze, Elfreda felt the warmth she had been experiencing drain away, replaced by a chilling sensation. Was this the gaze one should show before they hold someone? Was this the look fitting for a man who had just passionately kissed her neck?

Elfreda’s heart plummeted as she saw his cold gaze. All of a sudden, the abrupt notice she received four months ago echoed painfully in her ears.

“Elfreda, you must go to Machi and become the queen.”

She finally grasped the reason for her presence here.

It was a punishment to be with the man who hated her for the rest of her life, never forgetting her place until her death.