TGW Chapter 28 Part 2

 

Patricia had overlooked one crucial detail: Kuhn was not some sheltered noble heir.

Kuhn always paid close attention to his surroundings, constantly observing with a keen eye. As he waited for the Emperor, he meticulously examined the room, his gaze landing on the roaring fireplace.

“They’ve lit a fire here, too.”

The same as in the Red Palace. Two coincidences were suspicious. It was late spring; there was no need for heating. Even the Ivy Estate, which was naturally cooler, didn’t require heating during this season.

It was hot. He had begun to feel a feverish heat spreading through his body. His chest tightened, and he tugged at the collar of his shirt to loosen it.

“I should put that out.”

Kuhn stood up and walked toward the fireplace. The closer he got, the stronger the sweet scent became.

He paused mid-step, glancing between the teacup on the sofa table and the fireplace. His brows furrowed. The smell wasn’t coming from the tea.

“I’ve been tricked.”

He was familiar with certain illicit drugs that were burned to be inhaled. They typically had distinct odors, ones he could easily recognize.

“A tea-scented drug? This must be something new.”

Kuhn adjusted the air vent next to the fireplace, closing it off. As the flames began to die down, his breathing grew heavier.

“Damn it.”

Frustrated, he raked a hand through his hair, attempting to calm himself and assess his condition.

“It’s not poison. There’s no effective poison that works just by inhalation. It must be some kind of drug.”

What a mess. He had been too relaxed lately, getting caught in such a crude trap. The shame stung deeply.

“I can’t let Mason find out about this.”

He’d never hear the end of it if he did.

Now that he was aware of the drug, its effects seemed to intensify, hitting him faster and harder. His body burned, and an itching sensation stirred in his gut. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Kuhn tried to deduce the nature of the drug from his bodily reactions.

“A drug with aphrodisiac effects.”

He was incredulous and annoyed. Of all the types, this was the one he despised most.

“The Red King, huh? Who else would it be?”

This situation wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. In the world of high-stakes deals, there were always those who tried to gain an advantage by offering women or spiking food and drink with drugs. But Kuhn had never fallen for such schemes. From a young age, he had been exposed to various poisons in small doses, building up resistance. The constant stomach pains he endured had been an unrelenting ordeal.

But it paid off. While not entirely immune, he had a high tolerance for deadly poisons that could kill an ordinary person. He barely reacted to most non-lethal drugs. Still, it didn’t make the experience any less unpleasant.

He glared at the closed door. It seemed impossibly far away. His instinct was to bolt, to flee immediately.

“Something feels wrong.”

Moving too much might only speed up the drug’s effects. He should wait for it to wear off. But he knew the person who drugged him wouldn’t be satisfied with just that. A woman would show up soon—without fail.

“Damn it... of course.”

Kuhn sensed someone quietly entering the room behind him. The door hadn’t opened.

“A hidden passage?”

He had fallen into a well-crafted trap. This was a setup from the start.

“I can’t kill anyone here.”

Killing someone in the Emperor’s private retreat would be a massive scandal. He couldn’t resort to that. He’d have to settle for subduing them.

Taking a deep breath, he turned around, only to freeze. His eyes widened, and he scowled in disbelief.

“Is this a hallucination drug?”

Standing before him was someone who had no business being there. Her golden eyes were unmistakable as she removed the hood from her cloak, revealing her silver hair tinged with blue.

“...Sienna?”

As she took a step closer, Kuhn reflexively stepped back. He had been through countless extreme situations. The key to survival was accurately gauging one’s physical condition. His body might have been under the influence of the drug, but his cognitive abilities were still sharp.

Kuhn blinked hard, then opened his eyes again. It was definitely her.

“Are you okay?”

Sienna took another step closer, and Kuhn immediately retreated again.

“Stay back.”

Sweat trickled down his back. He couldn’t tell if it was from the drug or from the awkwardness of the situation. Either way, it was terrible.

Her appearance was far more potent than any aphrodisiac. Without any drugs, his desire for her had been strong enough to last from morning till night, even appearing in his dreams. He hadn’t felt this intense an attraction since his early teens.

Sienna’s arrival was like striking a match against a dry pile of leaves. The mental dam he had painstakingly built burst, and the drug coursed through his veins with frightening speed. His vision swam.

“Kuhn, did you drink the tea?”

Sienna glanced at the teacup on the table. She hadn’t been able to figure out exactly how Patricia planned to drug him.

Kuhn shook his head.

“Thank goodness. You’re still okay.”

“...It’s not the tea.”

“Not the tea?”

Sienna moved closer again, this time without hesitation.

“I said stay back. Sienna.”

Kuhn kept backing away until his back pressed against the wall.

“...This isn’t an ordinary drug.”

Kuhn clenched and unclenched his fists, the tingling in his hands intensifying. This was a far more potent drug than anything he had encountered before. The itch in his stomach grew more intense, and his senses sharpened unnaturally.

If the drug had this strong an effect on him, he could only imagine how it would affect a normal person. They’d lose all control, completely consumed by the drug.

Where had the Red King gotten such a substance? Did that mean Sienna, too...? Panic flared in Kuhn’s mind.

“Get out of this room now!”

He pointed toward the fireplace.

“They burned poison herbs in there. It’s some kind of drug. If you inhale it, you’ll get addicted.”

Sienna looked at the fireplace in surprise. Rather than panic, she took a deeper breath, an amused smile playing on her lips.

“I’m fine. It’s not like it’ll kill me. It doesn’t matter.”

“Sienna.”

Kuhn didn’t want to drag her into this. Her casual response only added to his growing frustration. His usual calm demeanor was gone. Anxiety and fear gnawed at him.

She now stood just a step away from him, her hand reaching out to touch the furrowed lines on his forehead.

Kuhn grabbed her hand instinctively but then quickly flinched, releasing it in shock. She tilted her head, a slight frown of displeasure crossing her face. She looked irresistibly charming, and it was driving him insane.

“Let’s get out of here. You came through a different passage, right?”

“No.”

Sienna cupped his face with both hands.

“We’re not leaving.”

“Right now...”

Kuhn couldn’t finish his sentence, his breath coming in short gasps. Even his voice reverberated through his body, setting off a chain reaction of sensations. It was as if he were standing naked in a mosquito-infested swamp, every part of him itching unbearably.

“It’s a trap...”

Sienna finished his sentence for him, understanding his difficulty in speaking.

“My mother trapped you.”

“How do you know...?”

“I already knew. I was aware of her plan, but I didn’t know the exact time or place. That’s why I couldn’t warn you.”

Sienna had bribed the maid Patricia had assigned to Fatima. More accurately, she had threatened her. She had told the maid in no uncertain terms:

---

“If you’re determined to stay loyal to the Red King, that’s your choice. But do you really think she’ll protect you once you’ve outlived your usefulness? You’ve served her long enough to know what she’s like. You mean nothing to her. Help me this one time, and I’ll make sure you leave the palace wealthy enough to live in comfort for the rest of your life. You know Marquis Rad’s merchant guilds span the empire and beyond. I keep my promises.”

---

If the maid had refused, Sienna wouldn’t have forced her. Loyalty, no matter whom it was directed toward, was something she respected.

But the maid hadn’t hesitated. She had quickly agreed to the deal, even haggling over the exact price. Sienna had been disappointed. Was this the best her mother’s people could offer?

“I didn’t want to just ruin my mother’s scheme. That wouldn’t have been any fun. I wanted to use it, which is why I couldn’t tell you.”

Sienna had puzzled over why Patricia would go to such lengths to drag Kuhn into a dirty scandal. But she realized that Patricia’s ultimate goal wasn’t to tarnish Kuhn’s moral standing.

“My mother is trying to push you away from me. She wants to create a situation that would disgust me so much that I’d leave you.”

If that was the case, it became clear what Patricia feared most. She was terrified of Sienna’s growing closeness to Kuhn. So what would happen if the plan backfired and resulted in exactly what her mother feared most?

Sienna now fully understood the depth of betrayal and loss Patricia had caused her. She wanted to return that pain, to declare to her mother that she wasn’t her puppet.

The protagonists of the scandal wouldn’t be Marquis Rad and Princess Fatima. It would be Marquis Rad and the Silver King.

Kuhn stared at Sienna, his eyes wide with confusion. Was it the drug making him feel this way? He could hear her words, but his mind was struggling to make sense of them.

Sienna wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough that their chests touched.

“Kuhn, it’s okay. You don’t have to hold back. Do what you feel.”

Her words snapped the last thread of restraint he had been clinging to. His arms urgently wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. He held her so tightly that Sienna could feel the pressure of his strong body pressing against her chest.

They had spent countless nights together, and by now, there was nothing left for her to hide. She had given herself to him completely. While the act of love between a man and a woman was primal, their time together was often raw and intense, devoid of delicacy.

She knew the sharp sensation of his hardened body thrusting deep inside her. She could still remember the low groans he made as he climaxed. Her body responded to the thought, tightening in anticipation of the pleasure to come.

But soon, they would have an audience. As much as she had steeled herself, the idea of being watched was far from pleasant.

Kuhn didn’t move, holding her tightly in his arms. He was desperately trying to think of something else, anything to distract him from the situation.

“What about the steward? Was he working for the Red King? Did he dare impersonate the Emperor’s orders? What was his plan for the aftermath...?” Kuhn wondered. “No, wait. He never explicitly mentioned the Emperor.”

In the world of commerce, many con artists worked in the legal grey area, crafting their schemes so that no outright crime could be proven. Checking for clear references to authority figures was a basic skill.

“I’ve forgotten the basics. Where’s my mind right now?”

As Kuhn chastised himself, his thoughts seemed to clear slightly.

Sienna noticed he had been holding her tightly but hadn’t moved since. She ran her hands down his chest, tracing his form before lowering them to his abdomen.

Her hand brushed against the front of his trousers, where his hardened length pressed firmly. It was so thick that it barely fit in her grasp.

“Kuhn.”

He let out a shaky breath. His arms relaxed slightly, and he pulled back just enough to press his forehead against hers.

“My queen.”

His breathing was labored.

“I won’t touch you any further. Not like this, not in this condition.”

“...But you look like you’re suffering.”

His forehead was hot against hers, and his heart was racing unnaturally fast.

“I can handle it. I trained to build resistance to poison since I was young. I’m grateful now for all those agonizing years.”

“I was going to bring you an antidote. But without knowing exactly what the drug is, I was afraid it might do more harm than good...”

“You’re right.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Just stay here.”

Kuhn pulled her close once more, holding her tightly.

“My body will neutralize it eventually. But it’ll take some time. So, please...”

“No. I’m not leaving you alone here.”

Sienna wrapped her arms around his back, holding him just as tightly. They stood like that, locked in each other’s embrace, neither speaking for a long time.

“He must be struggling.”

Sienna felt a deep sense of empathy for him. His back was damp with sweat, and his breathing was labored as if he were trying to suppress the effects of the drug.

She had researched aphrodisiacs in the past few days. Most commercially available ones were mild stimulants meant to enhance the mood. Truly potent and uncontrollable drugs were rare and difficult to cure. The only reliable remedy was through sexual release.

Aphrodisiacs weren’t like poisons. They would eventually wear off on their own, but the process required painful endurance.

Sienna understood why he was holding back. He was trying to protect her, not wanting their love to be tainted by the effects of a drug.

Her heart ached. She had never fully understood the pangs of love until now.

“So, this is love... It hurts like this.”

It was painful, but not in a bad way. She was happy. She loved him. She truly loved this man.

She silently thanked the gods for giving her this moment, for allowing her to love him. She felt grateful for all the connections that had brought them together. To realize such an ecstatic feeling—how blessed she was.

“There has to be something I can do to help.”

If he were his usual self, he would have been talking by now, sharing stories about everything that had happened. But now he seemed unable to even speak.

Suddenly, an idea came to her.

“Kuhn. Wait a moment.”

Sienna gently pushed away from him. His grip loosened, allowing her to step back. She walked over to the sofa, picked up the teacup, and threw it to the floor. It shattered into pieces with a sharp sound.

She picked up a shard with a sharp edge and approached him, standing with his back against the wall.

“Kuhn.”

He lifted his head, his eyes clouded.

Sienna pricked the tip of her finger with the shard, a bead of red blood forming before it began to drip down.

Kuhn’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“None of the past Emperors of the Empire died from poisoning. You once mentioned that royalty has a natural resistance to alcohol. I think the royal bloodline has an innate resistance to poison.”

“So?”

“This might help.”

Kuhn stared at her, slowly lowering his gaze to her bleeding finger. Drops of red blood continued to fall from her pale hand.

Even though it seemed impossible, Kuhn felt intoxicated by the scent of the blood. It was as if those drops of crimson would quench the fire burning in his throat.

Slowly, he reached out and took her hand. He lowered his head, bringing her finger to his lips. Sienna watched as her finger disappeared into his mouth, his tongue carefully licking the wound. The first two joints of her finger were now inside his mouth.

His warm tongue gently caressed her finger, wrapping around it. His tongue and the roof of his mouth pressed against her finger as he sucked softly.

“Mm.”

Sienna winced slightly. The pressure from his sucking irritated the wound, causing a sharp sting. At the same time, a tingling sensation shot up her arm.

This wasn’t the first time he had sucked on her fingers. He enjoyed kissing and sucking on various parts of her body during their lovemaking. Watching the top of his head now made her face flush with heat.

Kuhn kissed the tip of her finger as he lifted his head. When their eyes met, Sienna flinched. Was the blood not working? His gaze was more intense than before.

“Even your blood is sweet.”

“There’s no way blood tastes sweet.”

“It really does.”

“Maybe I’ve been drinking too much sweet tea.”

Sienna pulled her hand away from his grasp. Was it really sweet? She slipped the same finger into her mouth but quickly made a face. It tasted like iron, just like any other blood.

“There’s nothing sweet about this...”

Suddenly, she was pulled forward, and his lips were on hers. His tongue pushed deep into her mouth, exploring and tasting. He sucked on her small tongue as if he would swallow it whole before quickly releasing her. The kiss was short but intense.

Kuhn rested his forehead on her shoulder, his breathing shallow and rapid.

Was it her imagination? The overwhelming feeling had subsided slightly. Kuhn flexed his hand. He felt better, stronger. Being close to her had made him feel as though his blood was boiling, but now, even after kissing her, he felt in control.

It was baffling. Could her blood really be...?

“Your treatment... seems to be working.”

“Really? That’s an incredible discovery. So royal blood has detoxifying properties?”

Kuhn lifted his head to look at her.

“Sienna. Let’s keep this a secret. Imagine if everyone tried to get their hands on your blood.”

Sienna giggled. If he was joking, he must be feeling better. Her expression brightened noticeably as she smiled at him.

“Are you sure it’s working?”

“Why?”

“Your eyes...”

“My eyes?”

“They look... even hungrier than before. Like someone completely under the influence of the drug.”

“Then that means it’s working. I’m back to normal.”

He grinned and kissed her lightly. Then again. And again, each kiss lingered a little longer.

The two became lost in their passionate embrace. Every sense was focused on the other. They could hear nothing but each other’s breathing, and see nothing but each other’s faces.

Neither noticed when a group of noblewomen entered the room, having come to tour the Emperor’s retreat, and discovered the two lovers deep in their illicit affair.

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