His Little Secret

Sarai, Caspian, and Synora sat around the dining table, eating their evening meal. It had become customary for them to sit in silence, consumed by their dreary thoughts.

"You are getting a lot better in the kitchen, Sarai," Caspian expressed warmly, breaking the silence.

"Hmm... I'm glad you think so. I still crave the dishes that were prepared by the Royal chefs," Sarai replied with a hint of longing in her voice.

"Me too," Synora sighed. "I'd give anything for a freshly baked cherry pie right now."

"No complaining, little wolf," Caspian scolded gently. "Let's try to be grateful for what we do have. For all we know, Vee could be eating scraps off the ground right now."

Sarai immediately dropped her utensils onto her plate, slamming her fist hard against the table and giving both Synora and Caspian a startle. "Must you do that every time, Caspian?!" Sarai shouted.

"Oh, my apologies. It keeps slipping my mind how you'd rather just forget about your own daughter," Caspian retorted.

"That is not true, and you know it!" Sarai exclaimed. "I am just so sick of you reminding me that she's out there suffering, and I can't do anything about it!"

"You can't or you won't?" Caspian challenged. "There's a difference, Sarai!"

"And you think you can do anything to help her, huh?" Sarai scoffed. "Tell me... how did your little visit go? You did so bloody well at persuading the Dragon, didn't you?!"

"I plan on trying again!" Caspian defended.

"Like hell you will!" Sarai snapped. "Goddess only knows the damage you've done just by showing your face over there! You probably got Visenya whipped for all we know!"

"I didn't get her whipped!" Caspian protested.

“You don’t know that! You don’t know a damn thing about the situation!” She shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

“Then explain it to me!” Caspian demanded, his tone laced with impatience.

Sarai took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "The only thing I need to explain to you is to stay the hell out of it! Do you understand me?!"

Caspian could only look at the furious woman, his eyes filled with indignation and confusion. He watched as Sarai stormed off to her bedroom, the sound of the door slamming behind her echoing in the silence.

His gaze shifted to Synora, who sat in silence, her tears silently streaming down her cheeks. She had grown accustomed to her mother and Caspian's heated arguments, but it never made it any easier to witness the pain they caused.

Sarai paced back and forth in her bedroom, her heart heavy with the weight of her emotions. Desperation consumed her as she fought to hold herself together, but it felt like a losing game. The walls of her room seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with the overwhelming sense of defeat.

She leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She may have seemed uncaring or indifferent to Caspian when it came to Visenya, but he just didn't understand. Sarai loved both of her children and would willingly give her own life for their happiness and peace.

She never wanted this fate for Visenya. Many nights, she lay awake pondering what she could have done differently to prevent this tragedy. She believed she had taken every measure and made great sacrifices, but her efforts proved futile. Sarai had recognized Visenya's uniqueness since she was a little girl. If only she had acted then, shielding her sweet girl from the world, ensuring no one could exploit her for their twisted gain.

She remembered a day when she had left Visenya playing with her doll in the common room. At that time, Visenya was about two years old, and Sarai had only stepped away for a moment. However, in that brief absence, a fateful incident occurred. Visenya, with her curious nature, had ventured too close to the fireplace, and her dress caught fire.

As Sarai returned to the room, her heart filled with horror. She screamed in terror and raced towards Visenya, desperately swatting at the flames engulfing her dress. But to Sarai's astonishment, Visenya's delicate skin remained unscathed. Not a single burn marked her body, despite her dress being thoroughly scorched. Sarai examined her daughter repeatedly, unable to comprehend the miraculous turn of events. Meanwhile, Visenya, blissfully unaware of the danger she had narrowly escaped, giggled joyfully, clutching her little doll in her hands.

Sarai knew that such occurrences should be reported to the Dragon Council. However, a part of her wished to deny the incident ever took place. Perhaps, she pondered, it was the protective intervention of the Moon Goddess that shielded her precious child. And so, she allowed herself to believe in this comforting notion, choosing to keep the incident a secret, locked away in the depths of her heart.
———

The past few days had been uneventful for Visenya, much to her relief. Lucian had not touched her or ordered her to touch him, for that matter. It made her wonder if, for once in her life, the Moon Goddess was doing her a favor. However, Lucian's standoffish behavior was rather intriguing, to say the least.

"As I said, maybe he feels guilty about the other night?" Marienne proposed.

"Lucian? Feel guilty?" Visenya scoffed at the idea. "The only emotions he seems to know are anger and hatred. Perhaps, he just didn’t like doing that with me... he always tells me how unappealing I am."

"And you believe him?" Marienne asked, an amused smile on her face.

Visenya shrugged. "Why would he lie about that?"

"To keep you from knowing the truth, of course," Marienne said, her tone implying a hidden knowledge.

"What truth?" Visenya retorted, her curiosity piqued.

"That you are all he wants and yearns for," Marienne replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Visenya couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head at the ludicrous statement. "Enough of your nonsense, Marienne. Please... just help me change his bedding so that I can finish my other duties before he comes back."

"Suit yourself," Marienne complied.

They began stripping Lucian's bed, their movements synchronized in silent unanimity. As Visenya moved the pillow aside, her eyes caught a glimpse of something hidden underneath. With a mix of surprise and apprehension, she reached down and plucked up a piece of fabric. To her astonishment, it was her missing underwear—the same pair she had searched for from that unmentionable night.

"Are those your panties?" Marienne asked, a raised eyebrow and an amused look on her face.

"Yes, but... I don't know how they ended up there," Visenya replied, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Ugh..." Marienne gruffed with annoyance, her frustration evident. "You're going to give me a migraine, you know that? How on earth do you think they got there?"

Visenya, innocent and naive, could only offer a helpless shrug, emphasizing her lack of knowledge.

"You're killing me, Visenya," Marienne sighed. "Isn't it painfully obvious that your Dragon put them there?"

"Why would he put my underwear under his pillow?" Visenya questioned, a perplexed expression on her face.

"So he can indulge in your scent, and... you know," Marienne explained, trailing off with a suggestive tone.

Visenya stared blankly at Marienne, completely oblivious to her insinuation.

Marienne rolled her eyes, a mix of impatience and exasperation. "Pleasure himself, you dumb-dumb."

Visenya smacked her lips, contemplating the situation. "No way... they probably got stuck on the linen when I made his bed the other day," she mused.

Marienne interjected, her tone filled with certainty. "Nope, he's definitely milking himself to the scent of your panties."

Visenya walked over to the trash bin by his desk, intending to discard the garment. However, Marienne had a different idea. She insisted that Visenya toss them in the kitchen bin to eliminate her scent from them. Fed up with the argument, Visenya reluctantly agreed, simply to appease Marienne and bring an end to the discussion.

Afterwards, Visenya retreated to her room, awaiting the time to prepare Lucian's next meal. He had returned and showered, indicating that he would be napping for the next few hours. Fatigue weighed heavily on Visenya, and all she desired was a moment of rest herself.

Unfortunately, Marienne lay on the floor nearby, rambling incessantly. As her eyelids grew heavier, Visenya surrendered to sleep, only to be abruptly startled as her door swung open with a loud crash against the wall.

"Did you change my bedding?" Lucian asked, his tone noticeably aggravated.

"I did, Master," Visenya replied, quickly rising to her feet along with Marienne.

Lucian ran his hand through his hair, a sign of frustration. "Where is the bedding that was on my bed this morning?"

"I washed them and hung them out to dry," Visenya explained. "Is something the matter?"

Lucian hesitated, nervously scanning the room. "I think there was something I left on my bed... something that is missing now."

If Visenya hadn't maintained her composure, her jaw might have dropped to the floor. Bloody hell... Marienne was right, she thought to herself. Lucian had indeed stashed her underwear under his pillow and appeared quite flustered by their absence.

"What did you lose, Master? Perhaps, I can help you find it," Visenya offered in the most innocent tone, toying with him without his knowledge. Deep down, she reveled in the mischief she was causing. He locked eyes with her, his breath quickening, and she wondered if he was on the verge of hyperventilating or exploding.

"Nothing... I'll look for it myself," he muttered through gritted teeth.

With a huff, he stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind him. Marienne couldn't contain her laughter, prompting Visenya to quickly raise a finger to her lips, trying to stifle her own amusement.

"Are you finally going to start listening to me?" Marienne inquired, a touch of triumph in her voice.

Visenya couldn't help but smirk at Marienne, her initial dismissal fading away as she realized that the woman might actually know what she was talking about after all.

"Yes," Visenya replied, her voice tinged with a newfound respect. "I suppose I'll pay your words a bit more attention from now on."