Freesia

*Chapter 49*

"Forty-nine... F-Fifty... Fifty-one..."

My upper lip lifted up into a smirk seeing his bottom already had some red marks of the stick. I made sure that as soon as he adjusted to the pain from the warm-up, I went extreme to beat him roughly.

"Sixty-five... Sixty-six... Six...Sixty-seven..."

Frederick flinched when the back of his upper and lower legs was being hit as well. He hissed while counting.

"Seventy-one..."

"Count properly! You are pathetic if you cannot even endure this freaking pain, darling," I said in my icy tone. "Be grateful that I am not using a paddle because I am certain that you will cry from it." There was a devilish smile smeared on my lips.

"Y-Yes, my goddess!" He shouted and continued to count.

I smiled seeing how he accepted his punishment even though it looked painful already. "Say your safe word if you cannot handle it anymore. Two hundred is still that long, darling," I said as I hit his bottom many times.

"One hundred two... One hundred three... One hundred four... One hundred five..."

I bit my lower lip because he didn't say it. He continued counting although he was panting heavily. He was clenching his hands while I saw the blindfold already bathed with his tears.

This man... He deserved to be treated fairly later. I would make him feel rewarded for accepting this punishment for me.

"One hundred ninety-eight... One hundred ninety-nine... Two hundred!" He shouted as soon as I placed the last beating on his bottom. "M-My goddess... I have done it..." he said as he knelt before me.

I didn't reply. I gestured my hands to the servants who were here and granted each of them a written cheque that had one thousand Sowinski gold currency as soon as I told them that they could have that meal. I need something hot and fresh for it.

They bowed happily and stormed out of the room. Then I turned at Frederick to remove the blindfold. His eyes were red already. He looked so adorable right now. I gently wiped them and kissed his forehead.

"You did a great job, darling," I said softly. "Can you be able to sit?" I helped him pull up his trousers and inserted the belt into them.

"Y-Yes..." He sniffed and hissed softly when he sat in the chair.

It didn't take long for our meal to arrive. I made sure that Frederick ate his meal because he needed to nourish his health from what happened. But he was silent as he was busy munching his food.

"Hey..." I touched his hand. Frederick looked at me, baffled. "You make your goddess proud, darling." I caressed his cheek.

Frederick squirmed and nodded his head. Then he leaned to my touch and purred. I urged him to finish my meal while I didn't manage to finish mine. After that, we returned to the hotel, having Basil rent another carriage to drive it.

As soon as we arrived at the room, I heard something sniffing behind me. When I turned my head, I caught Frederick widen his eyes, touching his cheeks as tears cascaded down from his eyes. Then, he looked at me, bewildered.

I gasped and realized what happened. "Come here," I beckoned my hands to allow him to settle with me when I sat in my bed.

He immediately went to my side to hug me. That was the time he bawled his eyes out. He was sobbing and hugged me tighter than before.

"It's alright, darling. You can cry to your goddess. I do not mind," I uttered softly as I caressed his back when we both laid down on the bed. I gently clutched his hair and rained him with kisses.

"I-Is this pretty normal, my goddess?" Frederick asked through sobbing as he looked at me with tears kept falling.

I nodded. "Yes, darling. It is normal," I said softly as I helped to calm down. "You are just overwhelmed and feeling emotional from our play session earlier," I explained. "Have no fear. I am not angry, darling. Your goddess is here for you."

With his adorable crying face, Frederick smiled a little and buried his face to the crook of my neck. Then I heard his soft sob again and felt my shoulder was getting wet from his tears but I didn't pay heed to it.

I whispered sweet nothings to him and told him how I was so proud of him. And that I told him that I was here for him and that he didn't need to feel alone. He could vent out his emotions to me and I wouldn't mind.

"Such a precious love you are, darling. You are my sweet little boy," I whispered to his ear when he calmed down and was just sniffing. "Let's get your bath now."

Frederick raised his head and nodded. I wiped his eyes using my hands and kissed his forehead. That made him smile before he stood up and helped me to get up.

I have the tub with tepid water and helped Frederick to undress his knight uniform.

"My goddess, are you... not going to join me?" he asked after I sat on the edge of the tub near him. I even scooped some water to wet his hair so I could rub the lye soap on his hair.

I shook my head. "I'll join you next time." There was a saddened expression on his face. I chuckled and compelled him to look at me by grabbing his chin gently. "My, my. Don't sulk, darling. Your goddess' duty, for now, is to pamper you. I'll make it up to you next time. Alright?"

He frowned a little before he nodded. "Y-Yes, my goddess. Your wish is my command."

I washed his hair with rosemary water before I soaped his body and carefully caressed his bottom and his legs. After he bathed, I met Basil who bestowed me the ointment I asked him to purchase from the nearest pharmacy.

"You can sleep on my bed lying on your stomach, darling," I said as I wiped his hair with the bath towel while he was sitting on my bed after I dressed him up in his nightshirt.

"Yes, my goddess." He closed his eyes when I gently wiped his face.

I licked my lips as I got to see the full details of his handsome features. I suddenly felt envy seeing how flawless his skin was. I wanted to prick his face, wanting to express that it was so unfair. I also wanted to know his secret of having this skin.

Then I remembered something from earlier.

"Why freesia?"

"Huh?" Frederick opened his eyes and looked at me, bewildered.

I took the comb and combed his hair. "Why is freesia your safe word? What could have been the reason behind it?" As soon as I was combing his hair, Frederick took my hand to kiss my wrist while looking at me.

"Because that is how I distinguished your scent, my goddess." He smiled and looked at me dreamily. "I am not sure if you still remember what I said on my first night staying with you but you have a very addictive scent. The scent of sweet-smelling flowers and summer fruits... You have the same scent of freesia which is why that is my safe word."

I felt my heart leap out of my ribcage at his explanation. I knew that could have been the reason but hearing those words from Frederick made my wolf feel skittish and delighted.

For some reason, I felt like I was flushing but I exhaled sharply and compelled a smile on my face. "Alright... That's very interesting to hear..."

Or more likely, I was feeling ill at ease because of this reasoning. I wasn't used to it.

"Lay on your stomach. I'll put you some ointment," I said, diverting now to the topic.

Frederick caught my behavior as he smiled sweetly. "You're blushing, my goddess," he said in a teasing tone before he followed what I said.

I glared at him, frowning. "I am not," I said defensively.

However, why did I feel my cheeks in heat right now?

Was I seriously blushing right now as Frederick proclaimed?

"You are very captivating when you get flustered, my goddess."

I gritted my teeth as I felt my wolf jumping joy. She was feeling fidgety with his words. But I couldn't allow this man to keep on doing this to me.

"One more teasing from you and I swear, I shall kick you out of my room, darling," I threatened while smearing some ointment in his bottom.

"Fine..." I could almost see him frowning while I smirked and shook my head. "My goddess, are you certain that I am not going with you to the auction? Do you not want me to be with you?" he asked when I told him that he could lay on his back if he wanted.

I tucked him with the blanket as I sat and sunk the bed beside him. "Yes. I can handle everything there." I shrugged.

"What if there is a royalty invited there?"

I caressed his cheek with my knuckles. "Well, I am expecting the relatives from the royal lycan family to attend there. It is not alarming as long as the main branch of the royal family is not attending," I explained. "Also, when I attended here last year, I didn't see any presence of the royal family so I think it shall be the same this year."

"I see." He drew out a smile. "That's a relief then."

"It is." I winked. I combed his hair one more time before I stood up. "Take a rest first. I need to go somewhere later."

"W-Where are you going, my goddess?" he asked, panicking. It was as if he didn't want me to leave.

"Hush..." I placed my finger to his lips. "I'll just go to the mail depot. I'll be right back and join you in your rest. Stay here and be a good boy for me, alright?" Frederick nodded. I smiled at his response. I lowered my head to plant a soft kiss on his forehead before I went to my luggage to take out the telegram.

I went to the window after putting my mask on. But before I could jump, I glanced at Frederick who was watching my movement. I winked at him causing him to fluster. I chuckled. He must have didn't expected that I would wink at him.

"Be a good boy," I said one more time before I went to the roof and used my powerful legs to jump from one roof to another. The mail depot here in Argenta wasn't that far away so I would just use the shortcut of leaping here on the roof to another.

I need this letter to be delivered to the addressee because they were important pawns to my plans. I was hoping that they would cooperate with me this time around.

"I hope," I murmured and landed on the ground which surprised the people here on the pavements. I asked the mail depot to deliver it to the addressee. He looked surprised when he saw it.

"We will separate it from the ordinary letters we usually receive," the clerk said before he bowed his head before me.

I nodded. "I am expecting that letter shall be delivered to *that* person."

Upon receiving a nod from him, I returned to the hotel where I went inside from the window. I saw Frederick who was already sleeping soundly based on the snore I was hearing from my standpoint after I closed the curtains.

I removed my mask, untied my hair from the ponytail, and undressed the clothes I was wearing so I could take a quick bath. As soon as I was done and wore a sheer fabric dress, I went to brush my hair before I decided to go to the bed so I could join with Frederick just as I promised to him.

I gasped when his hands suddenly wrapped around my waist. "My goddess? You're here..." Frederick said, half-awake.

"Yes, darling. Your goddess is here," I said softly as I sniffed his hair. "Go to sleep. I'll be here." I caressed his sleepy eyes.

He smiled and closed his eyes before he used my chest as his pillow. "I felt like I'm dreaming..." he murmured.

I chuckled softly and gently patted his back. "You're not dreaming, darling."

"I know, my goddess. If ever I am dreaming, I wish I can't wake up anymore because I don't want to wake up without having you around..." he uttered before he fell asleep.

I bit my lower lip as I exhaled. This man... He would never fail to utter such flowery words again.

"This is not healthy for me though," I muttered under my breath upon the realization that having him around was making me feel at ease.

I felt like the more I relied on him, I would get hurt in the end. And I don’t want that to happen...

I mustn’t let Frederick ruin me just as how I was hurt by the people I loved the most.