Partner

Richard’s voice wasn’t loud, but it travelled quite far in the quiet corridor. Several disappointed gasps slipped through the throats of the young ladies peering out their rooms, and a huge thud resounded from the staircase as if something heavy had fallen to the ground. Coco’s face remained pale, her little mouth opening and closing but with no words coming out. She stood rooted to the ground for a while, but neither Richard nor the housekeeper hurried her, as if they hadn’t noticed her abnormal behaviour. She finally lowered her head and returned to her room, waiting for Richard to enter.

Before the door closed, the housekeeper reminded Richard to rest and not exert himself too much.

Coco’s room was quite small, a mere ten square metres in size. The small bed, closet, and table were all it took to make it look packed. However, the room was quite neat, with a diary lying on the desk. Beside the diary were a quill pen and a bottle of ink. A vase of orchids sat on the windowsill, occasionally emitting a bout of fragrance.

There were no extra decorations in the tranquil room, making it seem like that of the daughter of a gentleman from a village. This room was like a patch of plain white flowers amidst the floating islands and the volcano, possibly destroyed at any time. The room was obviously themed after Coco’s temperament.

The said girl was stood by the door, her hands clutching the hems of her skirt. Her head was kept low, hiding her expression, but just that showed her absolute nervousness.

Richard looked over the room once more before walking in front of Coco. He reached for her light brown hair, stroking her face before he lifted her bowed head to make her look him in the eye.

The girl trembled violently the moment his hand made contact with her skin. She tried to lower her head again, but Richard’s hand firmly kept it in place, letting her know that this was a request that could not be refused.

Coco lifted her head, her eyes filled with despair and fear. Tears had already welled up, but they did not flow. She suddenly sneezed, wrapping her arms around herself and trembling as if an extreme cold had descended upon the room. She had indeed felt chilly— Richard’s hands were extremely cold, and his gaze all the more so.

“So, apart from those like you, there’s high-ranked slaves, guards, and…” Richard paused, speaking the following words with intent, “… novice knights here.”

Coco shivered once more.

Richard did not let the conversation carry on further, instead taking his hand off her chin and allowing her head to bow down once again. He then proceeded to pry the hands wrapped in front of her chest apart, albeit in an unhurried manner. The shawl fell to the ground, revealing the young lady’s rapidly heaving bosom.

Coco’s skin was snow white, and a trace of cleavage could be seen through the nightgown. Her breasts weren’t proud mountains like Demi’s, but for her body size they were perfect.

Richard’s right hand touched Coco’s neck, causing her to tremble again. However, he paid no heed to her silent refusal, bringing his hand down along her skin all the way to her breasts. His finger hit the collar of her nightgown, but it did not stop. He instead pulled the gown down, revealing the surface of her breasts. Just as a tinge of pink revealed itself he stopped, but his hand remained in that precarious position.

Coco’s heart was beating rapidly, but she mustered all her might to control her breathing. Any big movements and her breasts would spill out of the gown.

At this moment, a devilish voice rang in her ears, “Archeron women must maintain their chastity before a partner is selected for them. Have you abided by the laws?”

Coco’s body froze like a statue, and after some time she nodded her head with great difficulty.

Richard smiled, tracing his fingers along the exposed flesh before speaking, “Really? But I don’t trust you. How about you prove it to me right now?”

After several minutes in this position, Coco relaxed her tensed body, and her hands dropped to her side as she abandoned all form of resistance. There was no use at all to resist in the first place. Her destiny had been set the moment she set foot on this island. If not Richard, someone else would have chosen her. This was a duty she had to perform in exchange for the privileges she received. If she did not want to do such a thing, she would have to leave.

Coco knew that she was unable to leave. Once child of the family gained a certain amount of sensibility, they would realise the duties they had to fulfil and the privileges they could enjoy. They had to accept their fates.

Richard harrumphed at the sight of Coco dropping her resistance, retreating before he cast a detection spell on her body. As expected, there was very little magical response. She was almost like a regular human, and no runes could be attached on her body.

Richard removed his outer garments, tossing his shoes by the door and climbing onto Coco’s little bed.

“Come here!” he patted at the space beside him. Coco bit her lips, accepting her fate as she laid beside Richard.

The bed was extremely narrow, and Richard’s body was already fully grown. With Coco on it now, it was extremely cramped. The moment she laid on bed, Richard embraced her and their bodies stuck close together, each even being able to feel the heartbeat of the other. Coco’s heart throbbed frantically, but Richard’s heart actually slowed down, each thump resolute and strong.

Contrary to her expectations, Richard did not make any other moves towards her. He instead closed his eyes, and after some time a light snore rang out. He had actually fallen asleep!

Coco couldn’t believe her eyes, yet it had happened before her. She did not dare move at all, she was afraid of waking him up. She maintained her awkward position for a while longer, but could no longer withstand it. This had only been ten minutes, but to her it seemed to be a century. Her body softly collapsed on Richard’s body, and exhaustion assailed her, causing her eyes to close. In her dreamy, half-awake state, Coco could feel a strange sense of security leaning into Richard’s embrace.

The magic lamp in the room had consumed its resources, eventually dimming. A seed in the corner of the room projected a hazy drizzle of light, giving a touch of serenity to the place.

Coco wasn’t aware of how long she had slept, but when she woke up the sky was still dark. Richard got off the bed and wore his clothes, just before the door was knocked several times in a certain rhythm before it quieted down again. The loudness and rhythm was a custom, something only the old housekeeper knew.

Coco sat up from her bed, still unable to believe that Richard had let her off. However, there was some worry mixed in with that glee.

Richard picked up the seed after putting on his clothes. Only once he reached the door did he turn to look at Coco, saying, “I don’t plan to change partners.”

“Oh,” Coco replied lightly, the slight trace of hope she’d held out sinking into a valley of despair.

Richard was quite aware of Coco’s attitude and what she wanted, and even more sure of the reasons behind her actions. The problem was that Coco was the best target if he wanted to maintain his distance from the Archerons, at least until he returned from the planar wars. He had no love nor care for her, so he wasn’t going to fulfill her wishes if they inconvenienced him. That was especially true in important affairs.

Coco was like a white flower at the foot of a volcano. Fragile yet beautiful, and easy to overlook. People often plucked such things on a whim.

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