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Lord Zayne Li prided himself on his self-control.
Twenty years of defending his country's northern borders against all sorts of threats certainly instills a sense of strictness with oneself. Time training as a priest under the Church of Astra in his youth would turn even the most aloof man into someone principled. He had known far too much loss to let it slip. Only once, during his young adulthood, had that control ever slipped. He was forty years of age now, far too hardened by life to lose control.
But, as he cast a glance towards you, he felt that control loosen around the edges for the second time in his life.
Nearly a year ago, he had recieved a letter from House Xia in the southern regions. Lord Xia had written to request that Zayne take his daughter, freshly inducted into adulthood, as his wife, in exchange for the financial support that House Li could offer the struggling family. An unusual request, to be certain, further compounded by the fact that Zayne Li was practically notorious for having never taken so much as a lover, let alone a wife. (This was, as most rumors are, untrue, but society did not need to be privy to his personal, long-past failings.)
He had his reservations about forging a connection with House Xia. Lord Xia and Lady Xia were well-known for being serial gamblers, squandering the family fortune ammassed by the former Lord Xia and managing to lose most of the family's trade contracts overseas. To make things worse, the current Lady Xia was a former courtesan, having been a long-term affair of Lord Xia's while his former wife and son were left neglected. Luckily for Lord Xia, his first wife died young, leaving him free to marry his second wife and have another child with her; a daughter, this time. You. Caleb Xia, the heir, had at least made a respectable man out of himself, earning a knighthood and a place for himself among His Majesty's most trusted military advisors. Not bad at all.
Of course, there was very little information available on you, the youngest child that Lord and Lady Xia had seemingly forgotten to introduce to polite society until this moment. How convenient for him.
He left that first letter unanswered.
A second letter arrived some time later, this time with better terms. Lord Xia's daughter, and control of the ports of the city of Skyhaven, a sunny place situated along the coast with easy access to other countries. One of House Xia's only remaining assets.
Snowcrest, House Li's seat, had always had a supply problem. It was situated deep in the Arctic, and the snowy conditions made it difficult to ensure that supplies could get to the remote city. There was a port, of course, but most ports refused to let ships sail there due to the icy nature of the waters of Snowcrest Bay. If Zayne could control Skyhaven's port, then he could, essentially, force supply ships to sail for Snowcrest. That would be, to put it lightly, a lifesaver for the soldiers stationed along the border.
With some hesitation, he accepted. (He couldn't imagine how Sir Xia felt about a random Northern man being handed some of his birthright, but it wasn't his problem, he supposed.)
He realized just how bad House Xia's financial situation was when he recieved Lord Xia's reply. A father should, at the very least, be able to provide his daughter with a suitable dowry—if not money, then clothes, jewels, assets, and so on. However, Lord Xia was asking that Zayne send money for his daughter's wedding dress. Appalling. He sent fabric instead, bolts of warm, cream-colored silk woven in Snowcrest and envied by even the richest Southern nobles. While Snowcrest might not have been the ideal new home for a bride, at least the women who married into House Li would be well provided for. His own mother was when she married his father, at least.
Letters were exchanged, back and forth, over the course of the following months. Zayne requested that the ceremony take place in Snowcrest, as he couldn't afford to leave the border for too long, and Lord Xia accepted, probably too embarrassed at the state of his own estate to let Zayne see. More money was exchanged (House Xia was lucky that House Li had more money through His Majesty's gratitude for Zayne than Zayne could ever spend by himself), and Zayne finally learned something about his soon-to-be bride.
She was young. Barely two years into adulthood. Half his age. Lord Xia had been too busy prattling on about him and his wife's desperate condition to bother mentioning anything about his daughter.
This was concerning. For one thing, Zayne didn't hold much interest in people his own age, let alone someone so young. He was just starting his border defense career by then. He also had no idea what young women liked these days—pretty dresses? Jewels? How was he supposed to keep her happy, entertained, not miserable?
Naturally, he formulated a plan. He wasn't going to lay a finger on his new bride. Of course, he'd do everything he could to keep her comfortable. If she wanted to take a lover her own age, he'd look the other way. There was no way that she'd hold any sort of attraction towards him, and he didn't think he could love another again, so this felt like the rational course of action.
And so, he signed the final contract, getting ready to welcome you into his home.
Your dress was heavy.
The silk was pretty, and you were grateful that Lord Li had sent it at all (you were seriously getting worried that Mother and Father wouldn't be able to have a dress made), but holy Astra, it was thick and a little too warm to be comfortable.
You cast yet another glace at your fiancé—well, almost your husband, now. As much as you weren't happy (understatement of the century) about getting married to a man you barely knew, at least he was handsome. Dark hair, rich green eyes and a very nice nose. You could get used to this view.
To your surprise, he looked over at you, your gazes connecting for a split second before you looked away, suddenly nervous again. He let out a soft exhale beside you, barely audible over the droning of the priest in front of you.
Internally, you started to wish that the priest would just hurry up already. All of his talking was reminding of you of when you were a kid, and you and Caleb would sit in church on the rare occasion that Mother and Father would drag you to church. The two of you would whisper back and forth, talking about how the man behind you had fallen asleep or the funny hat the priest was wearing.
You missed Caleb. Your half-brother was your closest friend, protecting you when Father had a little too much to drink or when Mother got a little too angry and started to yell. He'd been gone for a year and a half, off fighting for His Majesty, and he hadn't responded to any of the letters you sent him. It wasn't normal for him to do that, but you guessed that they were getting lost in the mail, or something. (You hoped that was all it was.)
Frankly, you weren't sure if Caleb even knew you were getting married. He would probably throw a fit if he knew, so maybe it was good that he might not know, but a part of you was hurt that he wasn't here on your special day. You might not love the man beside you, but getting married was still an important moment in your life, and you wished he was here to experience it.
The priest finally wrapped up his monologue, and Lord Li turned to face you, holding out his hands. You slipped yours into his, having a bit of a freak-out over how large and calloused they were. Hot.
The two of your said your vows, and a pretty sapphire ring was slipped onto your finger. It was a little loose, but the stone caught the light beautifully. You then had to endure the humiliation of slipping a ring onto his finger, fumbling with it and almost dropping it as your hands shook.
Then, it was time for your first kiss.
Steady, calloused hands lifted the lace of your veil and softly tilted your chin upwards.
The kiss was gentle, barely there, a soft breeze against your lips. His thumb rubbed against your lower lip as he pulled away, and your eyes met for just a moment before he looked at the priest again.
You blinked up at him in awe, warmth flooding your cheeks.
Next thing you knew, your hand had been tucked into the crook of his arm and the two of you were walking back down the aisle. The wooden doors swung open, then closed, and then he paused.
You stopped in your tracks, looking up at him, and he opened his mouth to say—
"My lady!"
One of your mother's maids took your other arm, prying you away from Lord Li. "Come, come. We need to get you changed for the banquet." She then started to practically drag you away, and you looked at your husband once more, a midly confused look on his face as he watched you leave.
Hours later, you sat in the place of honor in Snowcrest Castle's great hall, now clothed in the deep blues and silvers that House Li claimed as their own. The fabric was wool this time, thickly woven but soft and warm—something you appreciated in the chill of the large, drafty room. It even came with little hidden pockets that you could tuck your hands into if they got cold!
You had a sneaking suspicion that Lord Li had paid for this dress, too—there was no way your father could afford such fine wool on his own. As if your husband sending the fabric for your wedding dress wasn't embarassing enough, he'd had to pay for your other clothing too. If you ever got the chance, you'd give Lord Xia a hard, swift kick to the groin.
You did know, though, that the necklace and earrings you now wore were certainly paid for by House Li. The little wooden box they came in was sitting on your vanity when you came back to the room, with a short note explaining that they were a wedding gift written in strangely elegant chicken scratch. The sapphires, made to match your ring, were big enough to be impressive, but not large enough to be overpowering. You liked them.
What you didn't like was being seated here, in full view of everyone, like a pretty dressed-up doll in a store window. You knew everyone was looking at you, gossiping about you, your family, how far apart in age you were, and it made something uncomfortable twist in your gut.
A soft, rich voice called from next to you as you fiddled with your ring.
"My lady."
You looked over to find Lord Li looking at you, expression serious.
"Yes?" you asked, a little concerned about what he was going to say based on his face.
"Are you alright?"
Taken a bit aback, you blinked at him for a moment.
"You looked unwell. Is something wrong?"
You weighed your options in your head. You could be honest and possibly offend him, or you could lie and hope he wouldn't notice.
You chose the second option.
"I'm fine. Just a little cold."
"I see." Lord Li raised his hand and beckoned a servant over, and after exchanging a few quiet words, a wonderfully soft blanket of fur was draped over your lap. "Better?"
You nodded, but he didn't seem convinced.
"Are you sure? If something is wrong, please tell me. I'd like it if you were comfortable here."
He continued to look at you, and eventually, you gave in.
"I don't really like being the center of attention like this," you admitted, voice small. "I know everyone is talking about us, and I—I just don't like it."
You immediately regretted what you said as soon as you said it, and you let your gaze drop to the floor.
"I understand."
His hand covered yours, and you looked back at him to see a bit of kindness reflected in his eyes.
"I don't feel comfortable right now, either. Perhaps we could lean on each other for support?"
You smiled at him, then, feeling a sense of kinship. "That would be nice."
"If it's any comfort, my cook is quite skilled. I'm sure you will enjoy the feast, if nothing else."
As if on cue, servants began carrying in trays laden with food, and a heaping plate was placed in front of you, followed by a cup of steaming, translucent liquid.
Your husband leaned a little closer. "I don't drink alcohol, so I requested cider instead. It looks like the kitchen decided to give you some, as well."
He sat back up and took his cup as you reached for yours, lifting it to your lips. The cider was wonderfully flavorful, spiced to perfection and so warm that you felt that warmth spread through you with just one sip. Letting out a happy sigh, you relaxed into the cushions as you reached for your fork and knife.
Next to you, though, Zayne made a face into his cup. The cider tasted…off, somehow, to him. A little sweeter than normal, if he had to put a finger on it. However, the scent and color of it seemed normal, so he dismissed his thoughts with a shake of his head. It must be his misgivings about this marriage—nothing more.
"So good…" he heard you murmur to yourself as you lifted another forkful to your lips.
"Has my chef gained your approval?"
You jumped at the sound of his voice, looking over to find a mirthful smile on his lips.
"My lord!" you exclaimed a little too loudly. "You scared me!"
This earned you a laugh, a hand coming up to cover his mouth.
Lord Li had been correct—House Li's chef was incredibly good at their job. You didn't think you'd tasted a single thing that hadn't been good, at the very least. The cake was the best part, though, decadent and perfectly sweet. (You'd even gotten your revenge, startling Lord Li when you noticed how enthusiastically he was shoveling his cake into his mouth.)
Now, you were sat on perhaps the most luxurious bed you'd ever seen, clothed in just a thin nightgown. A fire roared in the fireplace, but you still shivered atop the coverlet. You'd tried to look around to distract yourself, but you'd only seen enough to determine that this was probably the lord's personal bedchamber before you got too cold to function.
Well, make it too cold and too nervous to function.
You knew, mechanically, how a wedding night was supposed to work. It was a fairly simple process—all you'd need to do was lay back and spread you legs. That didn't stop the nerves, though; you'd heard enough stories of how painful your first time could be to last a lifetime. Despite all of this, your father insisted that the marriage needed to be consumated as soon as possible, even going so far as to threaten you if you didn't let the lord bed you.
In an attempt to settle your nerves, you'd tried to prepare yourself by sticking your fingers inside yourself, thinking that maybe you could get it to hurt less that way. All you'd achieved in the end was finding a particular spot inside you that felt good when you pressed on it, and a spot on the outside that felt even better. Hopefully, your husband would know that those spots existed; you weren't sure you could work up the courage to tell him.
To make things even worse, there was a strange cramping taking root deep in your belly. You'd panicked at first, rushing to the necessary to make sure that your period hadn't come early, but there had been no blood when you'd checked. It wasn't too bad, just enough to be uncomfortable.
The door opened and closed, and you looked over to find Lord Li walking towards the bed, dressed in only a loose shirt and trousers.
"You're shivering. Is there a reason you didn't get in bed?" he asked lightly, gesturing to the head of the bed, where the covers had been turned up, beckoning you to climb in.
"I thought it would be better to wait."
"For?"
"You." He looked confused, so your elaborated, "so we could…you know, consumate…."
"Ah, I see." He placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry. That won't be necessary."
"What?" you blurted out in disbelief. "You—you don't want to—?"
His hand left your shoulder in favor of cupping your cheek. "It can wait. We have the rest of our lives, do we not?"
"But—"
"You are still young, my dear. I have no desire to risk giving you a child just yet."
You opened your mouth to argue, knowing that your father would be furious if he found out, but he shushed you, patting your head. "You just got here, my dear. No need to rush."
Blushing at the pet name, you nodded.
"What a good girl you are."
His words send a new wave of cramping through your belly and ignited a strange heat between your legs. Your thighs pressed together unconciously as he gave you one last pat before going to pull the sheets further down. Understanding what he wanted, you crawled into bed, and he pulled the blankets up to your shoulder.
"See? Much better." He settled into the chair beside the bed, picking up a book from the nearest table.
"Are you going to read me a story?" you asked jokingly.
He smiled at you, seemingly not picking up on the joke. "If that's what you like—although I believe this might bore you to sleep rather than lull you."
With that, he began to read, voice filling the space between you as you settled in.
As he read, you started to feel weirder and weirder. The bed was warmer, sure, but you were starting to feel unnaturally, feverishly warm. There was also this intense ache between your legs that pressing your thighs did nothing to quell. Strangely, you felt….empty.
At some point, you couldn't take it anymore.
"My lord?" you asked softly.
Lord Li immediately stopped reading, focusing his gaze on you. "Is everything alright?"
"I feel weird…" It was an inadequate explanation for interrupting him, you knew, but you didn't know how to explain it otherwise. Another round of cramping ran through your belly, and you whimpered, legs coming closer to your stomach.
Little did you know, Zayne was having the same symptoms.
The cramping had started not long after dinner had ended, but he tried to ignore it, believing his stomach just wasn't agreeing with him because of something he'd eaten. He knew something was off, though, when he saw you in your thin little nightgown and instantly got hard. There was a warmth spreading through his body, too, and he wanted nothing more than to shuck his shirt off. It was like he'd been hit with an insanely strong bolt of arousal.
But you….you were so innocent, so young. So cute, cuddled up in his bed. His desires were sinful; he should not defile your purity with his lust.
"Weird how?" He shut his book, leaning forward so he could examine you.
"I feel really hot….and my belly feels weird. It keeps cramping up."
He pressed a hand to your forehead, before almost recoiling in shock at how warm you felt.
"And, um….it aches between my legs."
An idea entered his head with startling clarity.
The cider. It had to have been laced with some sort of drug—no, some sort of aphrodisiac. That's why it had tasted off at dinner. And, if his memory was serving him correctly, you'd had at least three glasses of cider throughout the meal. And he'd had two…Holy Astra, you'd both been drugged.
"Can you help?"
Your voice shocked him out of his realization as you gazed at him, a sense of fear present in your eyes. With horror, he realized that your eyes visibly dialated as you looked at him, darkening with arousal. The way his cock twitched at the sight of you, so helpless and trusting, was even more horrifying.
He shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't. You had just moved here. You needed time to adjust. You didn't need him to force himself onto you. You didn't need a child. You were barely more than a child yourself. You were half his age. You didn't need to shoulder his lust, shoulder his sin.
His traitorous body didn't care, getting harder by the second as he felt a cloud of lust filter into his brain. It would feel so good to just pin her down and fuck her, wouldn't it? Pound her into the mattress until she screamed and cried. Take that virgin cunt for himself and let his seed plant itself inside her womb.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to just look, right? Just to make sure she's fine.
"Show me where it aches," he commanded gently, voice raspy as he got up to sit on the bed.
Complying immediately—what a good girl, so obedient—you kicked the blankets off and spread your legs. Before he could stop himself, he reached over and pushed the hem of your nightgown to your hips, and sucked in a breath at what was revealed.
Your poor pussy was so soaked that it shined in the dim light, sensitive flesh swollen and clit visible through your folds.
"Here," you urged, reaching between your legs to spread your folds for his gaze.
"You poor thing," he breathed, hands landing on your knees and spreading them further as you whined. Zayne was nearly overcome by the urge to fuck you then and there, barely holding himself back from shucking his pants off and shoving his cock deep inside.
"Make it better, please!" Your voice sounded so pretty as you begged for him to touch you, didn't it? It wouldn't hurt to touch you just a little bit. Just enough to make you feel better.
One hand left your knee to trace your folds with one finger, and you let out a shuddering breath as your hips jerked. Even just the slightest contact felt incredible. He sunk a finger inside you, then another, and you let out a whine as they slid inside.
Gods, you were so hot inside, so deliciously wet. His cock twitched again as you squirmed, seeking more friction, and his instincts were screaming at him to stop holding back.
His fingers started to thrust in and out of you, curling up to rub at that spot inside of you, and you gasped, the cramping starting to subsde a bit as pleasure started to seep into you. Leaving your knee, his other hand went between your legs, and you soon felt calloused fingertips against your clit, rubbing in maddening circles. Your back arched as bliss flooded your belly, and you tried to press your thighs together, only to have the touch on your clit be yanked away.
"Hold your legs open," he ordered, voice low. You complied, hands coming up to grasp at the back of your knees.
The pressure against your clit resumed as his fingertips pressed even further into that spot, and you cried out, feeling something intense started to creep up on you. Your body started to move without your input, writhing against the mattress as he continued to carress your flesh.
"M-My lord—something's wrong—"
He didn't reply, only continued to rub you until something snapped within your belly. Suddenly, intense pleasure raced through you, lightning shooting up your spine as your body spasmed. The cramping was gone, suddenly, replaced by incredible bliss.
Zayne breathed heavily as you came, gaze fixed on your cunt as it squeezed his fingers. Slick seeped out of you, somehow even more than before, and he could almost smell it in the air. The urge to taste you bloomed, suddenly, and before he knew it, he was lifting your hips and bending down. Surely a little taste wouldn't be a bad thing.
You had just barely come down from the high of your orgasm, the cramps returning with a vengeance, when your hips moved, and you jerked when you felt something warm and wet stroke your entrance. Looking down, you gasped—he'd pressed his face between your legs, your shoulders sliding down the mattress as he pulled you further towards him.
"Wait!" You tried to squirm out of his grip, but he only held you tighter as his mouth latched onto your clit. "My lord, that's—that's dirty, don't—"
You were swiftly cut off as he sucked, the pleasure dizzying as you let out a loud moan. You'd never felt anything this good before. His tongue rolled against your clit, caressing it, before sucking it again, creating an unrelenting, almost cruel pattern. You could feel him moan against you, the vibrations adding another layer of bliss.
The feeling from earlier was building again, out of control, and you found that you didn't want to fight it now that you knew how good it felt. Instead, you tried to press your hips further against him, moving and rocking as he pleasured you with his tongue. Your second orgasm slammed into you, and you moaned again, shivering as his tongue lapped up the new wave of slick.
It was getting harder and harder for Zayne to have a coherent thought, let alone a sane thought. He eased your hips back down to the mattress, watching as you stilled, panting. His hands pulled off his shirt before moving to work at his trousers. The reasonable part of his brain grasped at straws in an attempt to wrestle back control, reminding him of your age, your virginity, that you hadn't agreed to this, that this was sinful—
You let out a soft, pained noise, hands going to clutch at your belly as the cramps returned again, even stronger than before. You could barely make sense of what was happening, now, only that you needed relief.
That was the final straw.
Zayne's composure shattered.
You felt your husband's hands on your hips before something started to press into you. There was a wave of pain, and you tensed, but a voice above you cooed softly.
"Shhhh. Relax, my dear. It'll fade in a moment."
You felt yourself relax at his words, feeling oddly reassured, as whatever it was continued to enter you, pressing gently yet insistently at your deepest spots. Looking down, you saw hips press against yours, a thin trail of dark hair trailing down between your legs.
Oh. Your husband was inside of you.
You didn't have much time to process this fact before he started to move, his thick cock dragging against your flesh, the feeling addictive. The pain was entirely blocked out by pleasure as he thrust deep inside of you, your thighs pressing together. Zayne grabbed your legs, letting them rest together on his shoulder as he rutted into you, eyes closed and head thrown back as he moaned.
It felt amazing, having something so hot, so hard, and so big nestled inside of you. His pace was unrelenting, your tits bouncing with each thrust as you writhed beneath him. You could barely think anymore, so wholly consumed by pleasure that your brain had simply shut off. At some point, you came, then came again, squeezing him so tightly that he cursed. Something warm and thick shot into you before he pulled out, rolling you onto your stomach and pressing back into you before you could even whine at the loss.
The pleasure was getting unbearable as the minutes ticked by, your body growing limp with each orgasm as your mind grew even more hazy. He was relentless, grunting and moaning as he pressed you further into the mattress and filled you with come. Weirdly enough, you felt….happy, like you were floating in your own floaty, soft little world where nothing mattered but the sensation between your legs.
You felt him come inside of you one last time before your vision went blank.