The Contest Ch. 14

It was like a small parade, some of the finest women, mostly Zenthian, walking around the Royal Palace in finery, lead by the Empress. They were admired and whispered about. Sometimes they looked at falling leaves. Sometimes they fed colorful fish in ponds. Other times they attended shows at the theatre. Whenever the Emperor was near them, the Empress would ask Princess Chohni to play an instrument or dance.

But ... even someone as slow as Rellenora understood that the Emperor only cared for his wife.

When the sun set, Antonai tugged on her sleeve and walked with her to her bedchamber. There, Rellenora undressed and took his body into herself. It was another pleasant experience, which was frustrating. He even whispered a few naughty things to her.

"I love it when you cum."

"I loved when you made Yban cum."

"Your body's splendid, Dearheart!"

Rellenora didn't want to believe that his words made her beg him to fuck her as hard as physically possible. She believed it anyway, and she hated herself for it. When she had finished serving her Emperor, sitting on the edge of her bed, her lips stuck out in a guilty pout as she cleaned herself up. Even her innocent fingers stimulated her, putting lingering pulses in her womanhood. She wanted to curse.

Antonai was freshly washed, but he didn't leave her just then. He surprised Rellenora by kneeling before her and taking her wash cloth away. Then he sunk two fingers into her channel, fierce and without any warning. For her, it was unexpected, and the casual way he did this, as if it was his most normal duty, had her body lubricating the way for him. Her hands pressed back into the mattress. She threw her head back and wiggled her hips to add more friction.

He whispered a phrase to her, a phrase that sizzled and popped. His thumb pressed onto her clitoris.

It didn't take much then. Rellenora was had a fit.

When she was calm again, she realized he had said, "Our Empress should never need anything for more than a moment."

Why?

Why couldn't he be cold to her?

***

Another day. Another stupid waste of a day.

Yban wanted to read with her. He actually wanted to read with her! When Rellenora took a seat inside Oana's library, Yban suddenly appeared and asked to sit in a chair beside her. After she gave permission, he picked out a random book and silently read.

Concentrating was difficult. Even though he was a reasonable distance away, she thought she could feel his body's heat. The name "Relle" was being chanted inside her head.

His hands ... they were so large. They nearly swallowed his book whole.

His legs were so long.

He smelled like horses and grass. It was enchanting.

When her eyes started hurting, Rellenora closed her book and put it away. Yban insisted on taking a private walk with her in the gardens. Rellenora shook her head, patted his arm, and left him alone in the library. She didn't want to be seen with him too much and start any rumors. As far as she knew, this thing she had been doing with her husband's consent was basically a secret. She didn't want to embarrass her husband.

But she imagined that if she were put in danger over this, her husband would protect her the best he could, since it would all be his damn fault.

At lunchtime, Princess Chohni ate perhaps half of her lunch before she wrote on the large blackboard that was often kept nearby, "Your Majesty, your honorable brother has been making several requests to visit you, yet you've always refused."

After forcing down a lump of food, Rellenora quickly put her chalk to her writing slate. "This is true."

"May I ask, if another member of your family was at this fine complex, would you accept that person as a guest?"

Rellenora shrugged and popped a cube of meat into her mouth. As she chewed, she wiped her slate and wrote another reply. "I'm not certain."

She heard Princess Chohni sigh and tap the blackboard with the tip of her chalk. Then she heard that tip scrape out words. Rellenora looked up to read them. "If I were fortunate enough to be in Her Majesty's position, I would certainly allow any member of my family to be my guest. Regrettably, as I am now, I can not bring myself to face my family."

Rellenora's eyebrows lowered. Her nose wrinkled. Her head tilted to one side. Some of her hair ornaments jingled. "I don't understand," she wrote.

Princess Chohni's fingernails made a shrill noise as they dragged against the blackboard for a second. Then she wrote, "I was told that if I couldn't win the contest and marry the Emperor, then I'd have failed my parents and shamed my country. Yet, here Your Majesty sits, the winner, and you're unwilling to see your family. I thought you'd be glad to see your brother, at least, but I suppose it's not my place to question your choices." Chohni's beautiful hand paused for a few seconds before she continued here. "Have I been ill-mannered? Permit me to apologize."

Just then, Chohni put the chalk down. Her silk clad knees went to the floor. Her ringed fingers straightened, then slid forward. Her head went down to her hands. She said what Rellenora assumed was an apology.

Was this true? Honestly? But, even though Chohni had lost the contest, she was still a perfect little princess, at least in Rellenora's opinion. How could people be so cruel?!

Rellenora gestured at Chohni and said, "Up."

Very slowly, Chohni got to her feet. Rellenora thought she heard a sniff.

Rellenora wanted to write down, "Oh, don't worry. I'll eventually be divorced, leaving room for you to seduce him. Goodness, you could seduce him right now! I'd approve!"

But, for some reason, Rellenora wrote down something else.

"The contest is an irrelevant matter. You are still a nimble and talented princess. You're also very pretty. Please hold your head high in my presence."

Did she sniff again?

Rellenora wondered how many princesses in the world didn't feel secure in their positions.

***

The night was cold.

Rellenora was summoned to the Imperial Palace. She was taken to the Emperor's personal bedchamber. It was a bold, masculine place. She sat on a cozy chair and admired the handsome statues. The firelight almost made them seem alive.

She heard a door slide away. She turned to look at the source. Yban. He closed the door. Then he knelt down to greet her. Rellenora had him get up.

His voice was a grinding thing, stone against stone. His slippers were different, light taps on the reflective, nearly glowing floor. When he stood before her, his hands clasped her shoulders, and he put his lips to her forehead, then her cheek, and then he took up one of her hands and kissed that. Rellenora understood him then. He had said, "Good evening, Your Majesty. Your husband will be here soon. Would you mind if I entertained you until then?"

Rellenora shrugged and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

She was held and lifted up from her seat. They were kissing and undressing each other. A few more kisses, and they went to the alcove bed. They put their nude bodies under the covers, protecting themselves from the cold.

Her husband's bed ... so taboo ... amazingly taboo!

Rellenora held his head to hers; his curly hair was tied up. She wanted to feel it through her fingers, but she didn't want to bother him. He was making her feel very nice.

On his side, holding her close, Yban let his hands sink into her muscles, particularly around her thighs. Then one hand slipped down and tugged one of her legs up, bending it. He put her knee against his torso and grasped her foot. It was a scorching feeling, but Rellenora welcomed it. The way his fingertips rubbed into her arch had her wiggling her toes and nibbling on his lips.

Very gently, very lightly, he was soon chuckling down at her.

The covers were flipped away from them. The cold surprised them.

Antonai ... he was leaning in. His voice was impish. He put his head to Yban's. There was smacking and pecking. Rellenora's face and bosom flushed, and she thought she wanted to hear more of that. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the same reason why Yban had watched her with her husband before, whatever that reason was.

But, Rellenora still turned away.

Those intriguing noises halted.

Her foot was released.

Rellenora saw Antonai put a familiar box on a shelf inside the alcove, right beside an unfamiliar flask.

They had to take a new position. This time, Yban was the one sitting behind her, holding her close, while Antonai knelt before her and kissed her mouth. So many parts of her were stroked, her legs, her spine, her neck, her arms, even her feet. Moaning, hushed and not so hushed, repeated in the alcove.

But that changed too, a new position. Rellenora watched Antonai's legs shift as turned his body at an angle. He let himself fall back onto the mattress, which bounced and made a puffy noise as his spine made contact. His long legs draped over the bed's edge and out of the alcove. The curtains endured the disruption well.

Yban whispered in her ear, and he moved to one side so he could put moderate pushes to her back and hips. Rellenora ended up on top of Antonai, on her hands and knees. If her hair hadn't been combed and pinned up, it would have certainly touched the man's belly and chest.

Quiet and compliant, Rellenora let Antonai stroke one of her arms as she watched Yban take the box and flask. Then the Prince crawled out of the alcove. Why did he need to leave? Wasn't he supposed to be nearby to participate?

She heard his feet swish against a rug on the floor. She felt his heat, along with the heat beneath her. Then there was the curt noise of the curtains being tied back.

The fingers of Yban's right hand danced and zigzagged on one of her legs.

Ah, so he had whispered to her, "If we must stop, then you must say stop. Don't let us hurt you."

Well, Rellenora had read that sometimes lovers might accidentally hurt each other.

Wait. What did these men want to do with her?

Antonai mumbled something gritty as his hand slipped down his belly. With a frank expression, Rellenora bent her neck a bit and watched him take his own cock and stroke it, dry and apparently not caring much about it. His own tail slithered between his thighs, probably to touch his testicles.

She heard Yban doing something, opening and closing things. Whatever. There was a penis to look at. It helped her to remember the stretching, delicious feeling of being sweetly impaled. Her breath grew louder as she observed the movements, the head looking like a curious animal popping up and down from a hole in the earth.

Yban's right hand kneaded her buttock. She nearly purred at that. Then his fingernails gently scraped down to her thigh, then up her inner thigh.

Suddenly ... a tracing, pulling touch, he was running his fingertips from just under her clitoris to the end of the opening, back and forth, his voice giving her throaty tones.

Rellenora's tongue put a quick coat of saliva on her lower lip. Her arms shifted a bit, her wrists digging into Antonai's shoulders.

Inside!

Rellenora closed her eyes, sucked her lip behind her teeth, and whined.

A bit at a time, Yban was reaching in with his fingers, touching her favorite spot and making her toes bend. Luring her natural juices out of her.

So nice ... sooooo nice ...

But soon, too soon for her liking, Yban took his fingers back. Rellenora spat out a rude word. She wasn't even embarrassed about it.

And he guided her hips down ...

Her labia spread over the tip of Antonai's erection. Then, as Antonai gradually removed his fingers, Rellenora was concealing the cock, holding it, her pubic hair meeting his. Antonai rolled his hips up, which rammed his cock deeper inside.

Ah!

Something ... gooey ... oil! It was at ... her anus.

Yban's fingers were ...

Rellenora nearly bit her tongue, but she thought she should tolerate the oddness.

He ... was ... putting a finger inside!

Her anus shuddered, but it didn't exactly hurt. His finger was unhurried and calm. And for some reason, it made the cock in her feel tighter ... so much tighter!!

She cried out. She propelled her body up and wriggled back down. Both holes were wet and joyous, blissfully occupied.

Yet the Prince's digit retreated. Rellenora's protest was to stop fucking her husband. She held still with that searing erection inside, making a miffed huff with her breath.

Yban said a raspy thing. Then he returned with more oil, massaging her in a way that had her cunt flexing on Antonai's erection. Antonai hissed out something. Rellenora felt his breath all the way in her cunt.

She continued with her bouncing, her thighs and backside slapping against her husband, her breathing turning into rough pants. Antonai's palms moved anywhere they could reach as long as it was a part of her. His chest was heaving. His voice was faint.

It was like that for a good bit of time, slippery and intoxicating, but it soon changed again. Yban took his fingers back.

He clasped her buttocks, his thumbs going to the cleft, spreading her. Some oil was wiped onto her. Yban's body hair rustled against her skin. He said something.

She gasped so loudly, so deeply, that it hurt. She gave a cough. Her body seized up.

As stupid as it was, the first thoughts she had after she calmed down were, "At least he has another condom on, I think. That way, his semen can't drip down. None of that should touch me there."

Wait, wait, Yban had said ... what did he say?

Oh, right! He said, "Try to relax." He should have given her a minute, really!

But ... she was so full!

She was so ... full!!

Nearly vibrating, all the walls of her tunnels were helpless but eager. She put her hands on Antonai's chest, feeling his hard nipples. She felt the hands on her backside squeezing and plying. It was so unexpectedly delicious!

More please, please?

Yes! Yes! Both at once, tight and thrumming!

The noises were funny. A squeaking mattress. Flesh smacking. Mucus, oil, and sweat blending.

Her spine was on fire. Her lower body was melting.

The men were talking ... more like barking ... but what ...?

Forget it. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered, nothing except for the great pounding.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing!!

Perhaps five seconds of bliss so concentrated that she couldn't breathe, let alone make a sound.

It was gone, thoroughly enjoyed, incredibly satisfying, but it was temporary, as it should have been.

She put her cheek on Antonai's chest, waiting, very patiently waiting. It wasn't difficult. Her cunt and ass still savored the tautness. But she was waiting for the men to finish.

Yban finished first. She knew because of the way his cock stilled and how erratic his breathing was. His biting fingernails were another clue. When he exhaled and pulled his penis out, Rellenora silently wished it would stay, but it couldn't. It was getting limp. So, she centered her attention on her husband. And when Antonai finally roared and shot into her, Rellenora felt something she couldn't ever remember feeling before.

Pride.

But the emotion faded into exhaustion very soon. The men had to help her wash up.

And she forgot she had ever felt proud.

***

"I've heard that you refused a walk with Yban," Antonai had told his wife later. He kept his voice polite and soft. He didn't want her to assume he was angry.

The couple was on the edge of the bed.

As she uncomfortably shifted her weight on his bare lap, Rellenora folded her arms over her breasts. Her pretty bare feet dangled. As Yban passed by to pick up some clothing, he bent own to peck his lips on the woman's cheek. She sighed and wiped that cheek with the back of her hand. Then she gave a tiny, "Yes."

"Were you worried about gossip? Don't be. I won't let you suffer, at least not because of my actions."

They watched Yban fold clothing into neat stacks. He didn't need to do that, but he was nearly as skilled as a cleaning maid. That was rather funny. They'd put their clothes on anyway. Was Yban looking for something to do?

Rellenora put her hand to her mouth and yawned. She then tugged on an askew bun of hair on her head and examined the fingernails of her free hand. A moment later, and she nodded her head and said, "Yes." It was a fluffy, cloud-like yes.

Noticing more of the cold, Antonai told Yban to hand them their clothes. As everyone dressed themselves, he chattered with the Prince about little things. When it was time to have Rellenora's heavy sash around her waist, Yban helped Antonai put it into a fashionable state. It looked like a neat, square loop when they were done.

Patting and smoothing out any remaining wrinkles in the Empress' clothing, Antonai asked his friend, "I've been considering my Royal Adviser for a long time now. He's truly high in his years, and he's asked for permission to retire."

Yban was trying to put some order in Rellenora's curls. "Hm? Is that so?"

"Would you like to have the position? You'll have more respect if you do."

Yban's eye rose. He looked up at the dark ceiling. Then he shrugged. "I don't think I could perform well enough for you. A Royal Adviser must be wise and virtuous."

Antonai put his arms around Rellenora's shoulders from behind. She made a little sigh and leaned into him. He still spoke to Yban. "A wise man almost never believes he is wise."

"How's this, then? I'm not old enough."

"There's no minimum age requirement," Antonai countered.

With a shrug, Yban said, "Ah, well, I suppose I'll have something else to do with my time, won't I?"

And within two days, Prince Yban was hired as the new Royal Adviser to the Emperor of Zenthia. He got a special little hat with a silver pin and dangling strings of black glass beads. He didn't really like it. He grumbled about how it was an old man's hat. Apparently, Yban wanted to hold on to his youth as much as possible. Antonai wondered if that was a bad sign.

He didn't regret giving him the position, though.

Besides, this would give Rellenora more of a reason to be seen alone with Yban more often. She'd need his "advice" just as much as her husband would. Antonai knew he'd be much more "active" with his role than the previous adviser. It wouldn't have been particularly scandalous if Royal Adviser visited the White Jade Palace by himself every damn morning. This was an excellent decision.

No regrets at all.

***

"You've pleased the Emperor so amazingly well," Naeva told the Empress one morning as she helped a maid comb her blonde curls.

Pouting at the expensive combs the women used, Rellenora pulled at the handle of a nearby drawer and picked up the wooden comb from her homeland. She stole a small lock from the women's fingers and used the plain teeth of her favorite comb to pull at it. The action was pointless. That lock was untangled. She still wanted to use that comb.

Lightly scolding her, Naeva snatched the wooden comb from Rellenora's grasp and put it back in the drawer. Rellenora imagined that if she hadn't expressed a fondness for the thing, then Naeva would have burned it.

She wasn't worried about the comb issue, though. She was worried because she had been married to the Emperor for a good while now ... and she had done every sexual thing he demanded ... even when it involved Yban. And so ... weeks had passed ... and her menstruation cycle was supposed to be here.

And she felt off in general.

***

Oana didn't think much about the Empress asking for some herbs. She probably had some cramps, or headaches, or some other irritating thing. That's what she thought to herself.

But ... a few minutes later, she heard one of her apprentices gush about how beautiful the Empress' maids were. He said he had been infatuated ever since he saw one of them pick juniper berries for her mistress.