The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 164: A Towel’s Betrayal

Rafael must have died and gone to heaven. There was no other plausible explanation for the divine sight that greeted him the moment he opened his bedroom door. But then again, he highly doubted he had done enough good deeds to warrant an entry to the pearly gates, which meant that this was reality.

He slapped himself to be sure. But that tiny action jostled his already loosening towel, causing it to fall.

"Oh shit!" Rafael hurriedly grabbed at it, but it was too late. Soleia had gotten an eyeful of his family jewels, and she let out a screech that sent birds flying from their trees. He hoped it was because of the sudden nudity, and not because she found his manhood displeasing. It would be awfully difficult to enact any cosmetic changes without possibly losing it altogether.

Meanwhile, Soleia had barely recovered from seeing Sir Ralph’s half-naked body, the ridges of his muscles on full display as his bronze skin shone wetly with water before the image of Rafael’s manhood was seared into the back of her eyelids, like an undeniable brand on her person.

She closed her eyes, trying to forget it, but her mind clung to that memory with the desperation of a beggar with his last coin, wordlessly taunting and tempting her. She gulped as a tiny part of her mind raised a relevant worry― that brief glance already showed that Sir Ralph was... not tiny.

How was she supposed to take him in? Her face colored further when she realized what direction her thoughts were taking. She had never even slept with Orion, never even felt much urge to consummate her marital duties with him, but she was already thinking of sleeping with Sir Ralph?

Dear gods, Soleia despaired. She was already becoming a harlot. Her knees weakened.

"Princess, are you alright?" Sir Ralph immediately dashed forward to steady her, grabbing her wrist.

Soleia stared at his fingers. Sir Ralph had very nice hands, she noted faintly. Such strong, firm hands.

Each finger joint was well-proportioned. His fingertips were calloused, most likely from his rough childhood and his time in the army. This close under the sunlight, she could also spot several old scars along his fingers and one at the side of his wrist.

His touch sent a frisson of want coursing through her, as her mind helpfully imagined how Sir Ralph’s hands might feel on other, less innocent parts of her body. Instinctively, she felt her womanhood stir with interest. She pressed her legs closely together and was surprised at the tingle of pleasure that coursed through her.

"Princess? You seem a tad bit overheated," Sir Ralph continued to speak. "Do you wish to sit down?"

"I’m fine, let go, I’m fine," Soleia cleared her throat. She felt as though she had drunk an entire pint of ale. This close, every breath she took caused Sir Ralph’s scent to flood her nostrils, reminding her of pine trees, causing her head to spin further. Her face was so red she could have stood in a field of roses and blended right in.

She finally tore her eyes away from his hand, only for her eyes to linger on his arm muscles, then his chest, before finally resting on his face.

Sir Ralph continued to stare at her with concern in his eyes. Soleia could detect faint traces of guilt, and she guessed he was probably blaming himself for not knocking.

Soleia mentally scolded herself. How could she behave no better than an animal? Leering at him as though he was a piece of meat for sale? She was disappointed in herself.

True enough, Sir Ralph began to apologize.

"My apologies, Princess Soleia! I thought you were still inside," Rafael apologized to resolve the awkwardness, despite not feeling very sorry at all. "I... I brought you a change of clothes..."

He was sorry that it was only his towel that fell, and not Soleia’s too. But that could simply be the gods above deciding to spare him; if he saw Soleia’s nude form without warning or preparation, his heart might simply give out and he’d perish right on the floorboards of their shared home.

That would be terrible because then his men would see his naked body the moment they burst into his home to protect Soleia from any unforeseen threats. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were already on their way, after Soleia’s loud scream. He refused to have his image ruined after his death.

More importantly, Soleia would be traumatized.

"It’s alright. The fault is mine too, for not bringing a dress to change into," Soleia said hastily, as she stared at the floorboards, desperately trying to get her racing heart under control.

’Decorum, decorum,’ she chanted to herself internally. She was a princess, and princesses did not leer at their knights. Sir Ralph deserved more respect than that.

Rafael hid a smile as he watched Soleia refuse to look him in the eye. There were still beads of bathwater dripping from her hair, gathering her collarbones and rolling down to the valley between the two bountiful hills that his hands longed to caress.

He breathed in her scent and gladly used her moment of distraction to feast his greedy eyes all over her exposed skin, starting with the creamy swell of her breasts, peeking out from that tightly wrapped little towel that was barely hanging on for dear life. There was a rapidly growing flush that spread from the smalls of her cheeks, down her neck, and even lower.

Rafael swallowed, his eyes darkening as he wondered how low the flush went.

As though she detected his lascivious thoughts, Soleia shifted her legs more closely together. Rafael stifled a groan and used every bit of self-control he possessed to get his lower soldier to remain low. He quickly thought of King Godwin in the nude, Florian having orgies with elderly women... all sorts of disgusting thoughts. He didn’t want to scare Soleia off before they even began!

There would be plenty of time once they were lawfully married for him to thoroughly explore every inch of her body, and he had already planned to spend at least half of the day between the juncture of her thighs.

"I should leave you to change then," Rafael said, his voice hoarse. "I’ll... take a bath now." An icy cold one. "Please, get dressed, and don’t forget to dry your hair. I’ll see you later."

Soleia could only nod dumbly, as she watched Sir Ralph enter the same bathroom she exited.

Why did he need another bath?