Names

She had been purposefully put in a revealing dress for this occasion. Although the gown was in the style of an Eversun traditional robe, no reputable woman would have ever thought of putting her body into this design. If anything, the tight dress would have only been found on the most brisque of prostitutes.

And as the Northern King's hands roamed over her body, Daphne could only consider herself as one. After all, she was just selling her body for a different price.

His eyes hungrily ate through the curvatures of her body. Behind the thin see-through piece of white, every bit of her was easily visible. Her frame was slightly larger than most women of Eversun, but it didn't seem like too much at all.

Involuntarily, he gulped.

"Princess, that dress suits you."

She didn't reply. If it weren't for him, she would have wedded in a dreamlike white gown.

He buried his face into her hair, smelling the faint smell of lilacs while his hands restlessly wandered around her back.

She must admit that he wasn't as good at this as she had imagined. She didn't know if inexperienced was the right word, but his hesitant actions were nothing like the brutal ways he had seized cities and acted in war.

He moved forward as if to kiss her, instead stopping centimeters away from her face.

"Princess, are you going to stay silent for this entire night? I would say that this makes for an awkward occasion if it seems like I'm trying to court a wooden puppet."

She only scoffed at the sound of the word "court."

He drew even closer, waiting.

Her heartbeat barely even jumped as she was almost numb to these unsolicited advances. The entire time, she thought only of the future ways she could try to kill him.

"This is the kiss you owed me from earlier," he muttered, taking in a deep breath before wrapping her into his arms.

His lips were colder than usual, and they lightly nubbed against Daphne's as she stood still.

A vial of poison might do. Even if he could heal a single wound, he might not be able to contain the poison that coursed through the entirety of his veins.

Closing his eyes, he invited her into an even deeper kiss.

Or perhaps a way to strangle him?

His mouth moved against hers, and Daphne only stared at the face looming in front of her.

Or snap his neck?

Although she had not engaged at all in this kiss, she was running out of breath. She tried to breathe with her nose, but he was so close to her that with every breath she took, she could smell his scent. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was fresh, almost crisp, nothing like the musky colognes that she hated so much.

Sensing her struggle, he paused for a few moments, looking at her with his amber eyes. For a second, they were almost doe-like, as if he could not do as much as lay a pinky on the world.

But as always, that moment was short-lived.

He pushed her to the bed.

"My Princess, if you don't respond, I won't know how to proceed."

"Then don't." For the first time in a seeming eternity, Daphne responded. "But when did you, the proud Northern King, ever listen to me?"

There was a split moment of hesitation, but it lasted as long as Daphne's insane thought that this man wasn't that insane.

"You should call my name."

She realized that she did not know it.

"Let's keep it formal for now, shall we?"

"You don't know it, do you?"

Looking away, Daphne tried not to betray herself.

"Daphne." He propped his arms against her sides, keeping his entire body hovering over hers.

The sudden call prompted her to look at him.

"Daphne. Daphne. Daphne." With every iteration of her name, his body dropped a bit lower until it rested flush against hers. "So you don't even know your husband's name."

His weight pressed against her, and much to her horror, she felt something hard nudge against her lower body.

"Let's play another little game." He lightly bit the corner of her lips. "You have three chances to get it right, and if you do, maybe I'll spare you for another night."

He rocked slightly back and forth, and Daphne could no longer ignore the hard mass pressed against her.

"One?"

She had absolutely no clue what names he could have held. She thought of the name that meant the devil itself. It was a pretty popular name in the North, right?

"Drasin?"

He aligned the lower half of his body with hers, and Daphne involuntarily tensed.

"Micala?"

He pushed his body even closer, drawing shudders that ran down Daphne's back.

There was absolutely no probability of Daphne ever guessing right. The possibilities were endless, and she had a single chance. The Northern Barbarian must have known this too, and his eyes betrayed his pleasure in toying with her.

He must have known that never in a million years would Daphne ever guess the right name.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself both mentally and physically for the oncoming assault.

"Aurin."