Bonus Story: A Punishment Must Inspire Fear

Bonus Story:
A Punishment Must Inspire Fear

“SO, WHAT DO YOU have to say for yourself?”

“I make no excuses for myself, Prince Arnold,” Rishe mumbled, hanging her head.

Arnold was seated on the couch across from her, his elbow on the armrest and his legs crossed. Rishe had her fists clenched atop her lap. They found themselves in this situation because of a secret that Raul-disguised-as-Curtis had disclosed after dinner earlier that day.

“You know, I fought your wife in an alley while she was guarding Harriet.”

“Ack! Wait, Raul…!”

“…”

Her protest hadn’t come fast enough. Raul had smirked and then followed Harriet out of the dining room. Left to clean up the mess, Rishe had turned around with much trepidation.

Standing from his seat with a coldness emanating from his face, Arnold had said, “How about you give me the details in our room? Right now?”

“Yes, sir…”

Thus, Rishe found herself face-to-face with Arnold in their shared room. They’d made up after their fight just this evening, but right now, Arnold looked harsher than he had at any point in their fight.

“Well, I’m glad you understand that you’ve done something wrong, but I think this situation calls for a more severe response. I know that a simple reprimand is unlikely to be effective.” Arnold’s stern expression softened as he cupped his chin and asked, “So, how would you like to be punished?”

“Huh?” Rishe blinked, thinking she’d misheard. “I-I’m picking?!”

“That’s right. I want you to tell me what punishment I can serve that would affect you the most.”

Finally, Rishe understood that Arnold wanted her to decide her own fate. She had some doubts about this method, but since he’d asked her, she felt she should consider the question carefully and give him a genuine answer. Rishe gave it some thought, then voiced the thing that made her suffer most of all.

“When you…”

“When I…?”

Rishe hung her head but peered hesitantly through her lashes at Arnold. “When you come close to me and touch me, I get so embarrassed, I feel like I’m going to die…”

“…”

Her heart had been acting up for some time now. If Arnold was near her for too long, she felt agonized, like she was going to cry. As soon as she said the words, Rishe wished she could take them back—but yet again, it was too late.

Arnold frowned and sighed, then stood from the couch. When he sat back down, it was on the other couch, next to Rishe. He peered at her with a somewhat sullen look in his eyes. That look was all it took for Rishe’s cheeks to burn up.

“Erm, I’m sorry! Forget that! I’ll think of something else! I’ll come up with something else, okay?!”

“I don’t think so. You’re proving right now that this method will be very effective.”

“Ugh!”

She tried to pull back, but Arnold wouldn’t let her. In fact, he took her chin and made her face him, gentle but assertive. His cold expression made his face look like it belonged on a statue, unreal in its beauty.

“How did you draw him out?” he asked. So, he’d guessed that Rishe had lured Raul out in the open rather than Raul initiating the conflict.

“I sensed his presence, so…” Knowing she wouldn’t be able to hide what had happened, Rishe came clean. “I observed all the places an archer was likely to hide, then I went into an alley by myself.”

“I see.”

Rishe’s heart drummed even harder at the sound of his low, rumbling voice. She tried to avert her gaze, but he had her head fixed in place. Rishe’s eyes met Arnold’s blue ones, and she ­became hopelessly flustered.

“Y-your anger is justified, Your Highness! An attack during my guarding duties has a direct relation to the safety of our international guests. It was something that could have escalated into an international incident—yet I decided not to report it to you, for which I apolo—”

“Rishe.”

She flinched when Arnold gently thumbed her lips, parting them somewhat.

“Your Highness…”

Panic rose in her as she remembered the night their lips had sought each other. He won’t kiss me again. I know he won’t, but still!

His dry finger traced her lips. “This is embarrassing for you?”

Rishe nodded hastily, which provoked a satisfied smile from Arnold.

“Then the punishment is working.”

“Y-you’re so mean!”

Rishe was already holding on by a thread when Arnold took her hand and laced their fingers together.

“You brought this on yourself. I believe I told you that you’re under my protection.” His touch was tender and oddly ticklish, but even that must have been calculated. “So why are you going out of your way to start fights with professional mercenaries?”

“Huh?” Rishe’s eyes all but bugged out. Was I wrong about why he’s mad…?

He must have guessed what she was thinking. “I knew it,” Arnold muttered with a sigh. “You seem determined to abandon any thought of your own safety.”

Well, I knew it was Raul! she thought, but she couldn’t say that.

“You don’t listen when I tell you not to do dangerous things. On top of that, you tried to conclude international matters without consulting me, and you suggested I cut ties with you as a potential solution if your actions incurred any consequences for us.”

Come to think of it, Arnold had said he would comment on that later. This must have just been the warm-up. Rishe was certain Arnold was about to give her a dressing-down like she was a fresh recruit. She had heard from his Imperial Guards how frightening Arnold’s reprimands could be.

I brought this on myself, though. I must endure an equivalent scolding for all the trouble I’ve caused him!

Rishe steeled herself, but the next words out of Arnold’s mouth weren’t the ones she’d been expecting.

“If orders and lectures are meaningless to you, then I suppose I must take a different approach, mustn’t I?”

“Huh?”

Arnold narrowed his blue eyes and, with a goading grin, whispered, “You said you’d grant me anything I desired, didn’t you?”

It was like the floor had given out from under her. Arnold kept his firm but gentle hold on her chin. Given their closeness, Rishe was getting worried once again that he was going to kiss her.

“It’s simple, then. I won’t order you to stay safe—I’ll beg you to, for my sake.” Arnold gazed at her, eyes half-lidded. “You’ll grant me all my desires, won’t you?”

Rishe shuddered at the odd sensuality of his words. “That’s not fair!”

“It’s very, very fair.”

To her, it was the definition of unfair. The way he spoke so seductively and then came back with that petulant response left Rishe at a loss for how to respond.

If my heart pounds any harder, His Highness is going to hear it!

And that would be more embarrassment than she could stand. Practically beside herself at this point, Rishe tried to shove Arnold’s shoulder away, but that just made him cling tighter.

“Your Highness! Normally you don’t beg for things as punishment!”

“…I’ll take that into consideration.”

I wish you’d do more than that! She was too flustered to verbalize her protest as Arnold started stroking the ring on her finger.

“Ngh!” The sensation of his finger brushing against the skin near the ring was so ticklish, she could cry. “Stop… Wait, Your Highness!”

“No. Sit still for a minute.”

“I’ll sit still! I will! Please, have mercy… Ah!”

She did her best to retreat, but she lost her balance and almost fell. But something more terrible than falling and hitting the floor happened instead. In catching her, Arnold’s body loomed over hers.

His voice was like a throaty purr. “You don’t listen, do you?”

“Ngh!” Rishe clung to Arnold, his low voice reverberating against her eardrum. It was a reflexive reaction on her part, but Arnold took advantage of it to pull her closer.

“I’m never going to choose to cut ties with you.” His lips were almost close enough to kiss Rishe’s ear. Did Arnold even know how bad this was for her heart? Laying Rishe down on the couch, he intoned huskily, “I believe I told you I wouldn’t let you go no matter how much you might hate me for it.”

Something bent and turned dizzily in the back of her head. “Hrk…”

“Rishe.”

Rishe covered her mouth so that she couldn’t say anything she shouldn’t.

“Will you grant me my desire?”

“Mmmh!”

This really was unfair. Rishe had her own objectives. She had to stop Arnold’s war no matter how much danger it might put her in, even if Arnold pushed her away.

But I promised I would become his wife…

There were some promises she couldn’t make precisely because she wanted Arnold to be happy.

Perhaps having grown impatient due to Rishe’s stubbornness, Arnold pulled away from her and grabbed her wrists. He tugged her hands away from her mouth, pinned them beside her head, and immobilized her.

Rishe’s chest ached, and she felt she’d cry at any moment. Surely she was suffering from a lack of oxygen. Her eyes, when they met Arnold’s, were wet with tears. He frowned before ­lowering his lips to hers.

He really was just moments away from kissing her.

Rishe almost squeezed her eyes shut, but she endured the impulse at the last moment. Instead, she locked gazes with Arnold’s blue eyes. He was surprised—though there was no telling if it was because Rishe’s eyes held a strong will or because he’d noticed her tears.

“Argh!”

Their foreheads collided with a clunk. Rishe blinked rapidly, and her eyelashes brushed against Arnold’s. His eyes were closed.

Rishe tilted her head to the side. “Your Highness…?”

“I’ll let you off the hook with that for now.” Arnold sounded fatigued, though Rishe wasn’t sure why. He added, “I can’t have my wife dying of embarrassment, after all.”

Rishe’s heart rate had slowed, but that final line made it spike once again.

“Ugh! That was close!”

“It was close, eh?”

Arnold released her wrists and reluctantly sat up, and thus Rishe was free. She didn’t think the thundering of her heart would slow anytime soon, though.

You really are the most dangerous thing to me, Your Highness!

Arnold didn’t know that, though.

Rishe managed to pull herself upright and looked up at the prince. Even if I do dangerous things, I’ll do my best not to die. Not this time. Arnold would never know about that vow, though.

She hardened her resolve, but when her eyes met Arnold’s a moment later, her chest went right back to aching.