Chapter 23: The Punishment

Dinner time was rather gloomy, without any conversation between the couple. Half of the steak was still lying on the plate, untouched.

Anna fed the meat into her mouth. But the more she tried to eat, the more she lost her appetite. Her mind drifted away, thinking of Kyren's last words before leaving her earlier today.

'The punishment... What could it be?' she wondered nervously.

The word 'punishment' alone had made her breath uneased. Her palms were sweating as she held the cutlery, thinking about the impending discipline she would face.

Unable to run away from the fear, Anna's tension was bottled up. Ayden, her new 'student', did not drop by today, leaving her anxious. If the assistant healer had come, at least, she would have had someone to talk to and let it out.

Nevertheless, that did not happen. The princess's dinner ended without her finishing the meal.

It was the other way around for Kyren, who greatly enjoyed the dish. Being out for duty for several weeks made him miss the delicious meal of the camp. The food served to him was always good as most of his knights who frequently travelled and were away from home had developed good cooking skills.

The commander had yet to reveal the sentence or its exact time. Since returning from his task in the afternoon, he had not talked much.

Noticing the traces of blood splattered on his clothes, Anna could only watch in fear. She kept her mouth shut at the dangerous atmosphere and let Kyren clean himself without disturbing him.

The princess bit her lower lip nervously. This time, she imagined what would happen to her.

In the kingdom of Ardel, it was a custom for the head of the household to beat his wife or family members as corporal punishment. The most common discipline was beating with a stick or flogging with a whip.

Knowing this, she could not help but shudder. She was sure she would soon be punished, as the commander had warned her.

"Why are you so quiet tonight, Anna?"

Kyren, sitting on a chair, cleaning his sword after dinner, broke the silence. The image of his charming angular face was reflected on the shining blade that was being wiped with a clean cloth.

Anna flinched when her name was called. She clutched her fist tightly to the hem of her skirt. Her heart beat loudly as she could not answer the question appropriately.

"I've nothing to say," she replied in a quiet voice, averting her emerald eyes from the commander's face.

"You didn't even finish your dinner. What's troubling you?" Kyren's voice was exceptionally poise, unlike the sound of a man who would punish his wife.

The princess's chest heaved. She was like a fish struggling to breathe after being pulled out of the water. Her husband's expressionless demeanour did not lessen the fear in her heart.

On the contrary, it made her more restless, as she felt he was interrogating her. The commander indeed had the talent to strike fear into anyone with his low, flat voice.

"Nothing," she replied slowly.

Her eyes downcasted as her fingers fidgeted with her skirt.

"If you want to say something, say it," Kyren said as he put the clean sword back into its scabbard and hung it on the rack.

The princess's lips quivered as she was about to reply to him. Then, she remembered her husband's harsh warning not to ask for any reduction in sentence.

Anna sighed in resignation. There was no way she could escape Kyren's whip as she had agreed not to beg him. Right now, she could only surrender herself to him.

Kyren's mesmerising eyes stared at his wife. Since his return after avenging the slave traders, Anna had been exceptionally quiet. Her sudden behaviour change and anxious body language convinced him that something was bothering her.

Did she know about the slave traders?

Kyren pushed that thought aside. There was no way she would have known what had happened as the matter was kept secret from the rest. Perhaps she was scared of the blood smeared on his clothes before. That reason was more likely.

Anna moved slowly towards the bed as the commander's eyes trailed her. She pulled all the strength inside and finally made a decision. This punishment had better be done tonight. Otherwise, she would continue to be haunted by fear.

As she stood before the bed with her back facing Kyren, the princess's little fingers began to work on the straps of her clothes, untying them one by one with shaking hands. The loose end of her top dress began to fall to the side, showing off her fair, small shoulders.

The dress drooped further down as more straps were untied. Then, the princess grabbed her long, cascading, wavy hair and placed it on one side of her shoulder.

"I'm ready. You can do it now," Anna said in a desolate tone.

Her bare, fair back was now fully exposed to her husband's view.

Kyren's blue, dazzling eyes shone like the night ocean sparkling under the moonlight. He swallowed the saliva, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times.

A surge of warmth rushed to his face and then emanated throughout his body at the sight. It had been a while since he last tasted her softness. He never knew Anna could be this daring, seducing him directly without hesitation.

A fire of passion began to burn in Kyren's eyes.

It was crazy to say that he was now in a rut, like an animal lusting for his mate. Whenever he saw her flesh, he strongly desired to possess her. Even when she was thin and frail before, he still had the same urge.

His wife was the only woman who made him like this.

Anna closed her eyes and clenched her fist tightly. In the darkness, she could hear the commander's steps approaching her.

'Don't cry! Don't cry!' she said inwardly.

The princess was about to lose her breath when a warm touch suddenly landed on her shoulder blade. She winced, thinking that it was a whip. But strangely, the 'hit' was not painful at all.

Why?

Then, she felt it again. The touch was warm and wet; this time, it was sucking her skin. Wait... This was not a flogging... This was... a kiss!

Anna's eyes opened wide at the realisation. She covered her br*asts with her hands and turned around quickly.

"What're you doing?" she asked, giving him a perplexed look.

The commander stared at her with a bewildered expression.

"Reciprocating to my wife's seduction, of course," he replied confidently.

"Seduction? I'm not seducing you. Aren't you going to hit me?" Anna asked confusedly.

"Hit you? Why should I?"

Kyren's brows knitted when he heard the word 'hit' coming from his wife's rosy lips.

"The punishment. You said you're going to punish me," she replied bluntly.

Her eyes shook at the confusion.

"What the h*ll are you talking about? You thought I would hit you? So this is what it's all about."

Kyren wiped his face to control the surging, startled emotion. Now he understood why Anna was behaving strangely.

"Aren't you?" she asked again to reconfirm.

"Of course not! Which Cassian man would be crazy to hit his woman?" Kyren raised his voice.

"But… from where I come from, the husband would punish his wife with beating or lashing if she misbehaved," she continued.

"That doesn't happen here! That bastard would've lost his limbs if he dared to do that," he told her with a firm voice mixed with a hint of anger.

Kyren sighed and shook his head regretfully.

His wife seemed to understand differently when he told her she would be punished. He pulled confused Anna into his arms and said, "I would never hurt a single hair on your head. You're my woman. You keep forgetting that. So, I need to remind you again."

His hand immediately wrapped around the back of her neck as he leaned down and sealed her lips with his.

His kiss was warm, luscious, and full of lust. His tongue pried open her mouth and slid through, entangling with hers. The dominant kiss sent shock waves throughout her as their bodies pressed together heatedly.

Anna was nearly out of breath when he finally let her lips go. She couldn't believe that she had just been kissed. That was her very first kiss!

Her heart pounded hard, and she was panting heavily. Her cheeks blushed red, and she was trembling nervously from his blazing gaze solely trailed upon her.

"Ky… Kyren…," she called his name in a quivered voice as she was surprised by the sudden steamy kiss.

"I want you, Anna."

It was a firm request.

A demand from a husband to his wife.

An obligation she must fulfil as his woman.

This was just too sudden for the princess. It was far from her previous expectancies. She knew her husband had every right to touch her, and she was in no place to refuse. She also knew that this wasn't their first time.

However, the consummation had happened beyond her consciousness, so she couldn't help getting anxious now.

"I won't force you if you don't want to do it. You just have to tell me." Kyren's breath was heavy as he spoke.

From his words, it seemed he was giving her a chance to decline. However, his bodily actions didn't show it that way. Anna's body was embraced passionately in his arms.

"But, I… I…" Anna stuttered.

She couldn't find the right words to say.

"I know you're scared and don't remember our first time. I promise I'll make it up to you," he said in his masculine voice.

Another fiery kiss locked her lips, ravishing her mouth and sucking her tongue greedily.

Now, their position was switched. The one who was said to be seducing was being seduced by the one who said so.

Kyren was determined to have Anna tonight. From the moment he saw the beautiful glowing emerald eyes welcoming his return in tears, he couldn't deny the attraction. The closer she was to him, the stronger he felt.

No words came out of Anna's lips. However, her body gestures defined everything. She wrapped her arms around Kyren's waist and let him hold her without resistance. The scent of musk and leather emanating from his skin finally calmed her.

"Anna, may I?" His blue eyes were full of persuasion.

"Yes..."

The curt reply stretched a smile on Kyren's lips. Gently, he hoisted Anna's body and laid her on the bed.

The commander tenderly kissed his wife's forehead and whispered gently, "Let this be our proper first night together. The one that you'll remember and get 'punished' with."

Their gazes met, and the world around them seemed to fade as they got lost in each other's eyes.