Chapter 144: Secrets and Schemes
"I don’t think that’ll work. Those contain formulas we’ve already studied," Ivan replied in his smooth, velvety voice, the same voice that always reminded Eve of his every touch. She swallowed hard and stepped forward, letting her fingers trace the spines of the books along the rack.
She stopped a couple of steps later and asked, "I think it’s this one?"
Eve and Ivan had been studying in the library when she got stuck on one of the equations from their course. Ivan had offered to help, but after all his teasing, she decided to find the reference book on her own...though, of course, Ivan trailed behind her, unable to sit idly by.
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"Hm," he murmured as he spotted the book. A small smile curved his sinful lips as he stepped closer until her back brushed against his chest. His voice dropped to a low baritone. "I think... we have our answer."
His lips brushed against her ear, sending heat rushing to her cheeks. Then he raised his hands, caging her between his arms as he dipped his head, letting his hot breath fan over her ear. His voice came out in a husky murmur, "Should we...practice some practicals?"
Eve trembled, knowing all too well how successful this sly devil had been at luring her into scandalous situations all around campus. It was a miracle they hadn’t been caught yet. But right now, they were in the library, and it was brimming with students during the busy noon hours.
Eve mustered what little willpower she had left and turned around to face him. Narrowing her eyes, she whispered, "Aren’t you getting a bit too mischievous, Your Highness?"
His devilish smirk widened as he took another step closer. "Whatever do you mean, princess?"
"I only thought of helping you...practice," he said, his voice dripping with seductive intent.
Eve’s breath hitched as she felt his words ghost over her lips. The corner of his mouth lifted further and a wicked glint flashed in his molten eyes that made her heartbeat quicken.
"Ivan," she whispered warningly, though her voice came out softer than she intended, almost pleading.
"Yes, my Eve?" he murmured, leaning in just a little more, his gaze dipping to her lips.
Her mind screamed at her to push him away before someone saw them, but her body betrayed her. She could feel his warmth seeping through the thin fabric of her uniform, his scent, a mix of something rich and something darker, completely undoing her resolve.
"This is a library," she whispered, her words trembling between warning and surrender.
"And?" he breathed, his lips barely an inch from hers.
"And..." she tried to think, tried to remember what she was supposed to say, but it was getting harder with every second he stood so close. "Someone might see us..."
Ivan’s smirk deepened. "Then we’ll just have to be quiet, won’t we?"
Eve opened her mouth to protest, but the devious devil seized the opportunity to seal her lips with his by plunging his tongue into her mouth. Pushed against the rack, Eve quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing him close to hers as her mouth moved against his in tandem. They were at each other like two starved beings, with the way they grabbed on to each other. Ivan cupped her round ass, giving it a tight squeeze before letting his hand travel to her thigh, grabbing it to wrap it around his waist.
A breathless gasp escaped her lips before his naughty hands moved from her delicate ankle, under her dress, tracing her smooth leg, traveling all the way up to her inner thigh. Eve’s eyes snapped open, knowing what was going to happen next. She knew Ivan wouldn’t relent, so she had learnt a new way to make him listen.
Moving her mouth more aggressively against his successfully made him stop in his tracks. Ivan felt himself being consumed by this seductress again. He let out a low groan when he felt Eve tug at his hair. She stepped forward, forcing him to step back, utterly lost in her ministrations. Her warm hands trailed down his chest over his shirt, then moved lower and lower. A shiver ran down his spine as her fingers traced the lines of his abs, stopping just before his belt. By now, Ivan felt completely at her mercy. She pulled away, one hand hooking on his belt while the other rose to caress his cheek.
Leaning in close, she whispered in a sultry tone, "If you behave now, I’ll give you a reward tonight."
Ivan’s eyes darkened with desire, and it was bloody hard to control himself when she was being like this. She leaned in, brushed her lips lightly against his, and before he could react, she quickly darted off towards a more crowded area.
Ivan stared after her in disbelief, realising she was getting far too good at having her way with him. Running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair, he let out a low chuckle at the thought of being played by his supposedly innocent yet fiery girlfriend. Either way, he had to admit, she was driving him absolutely crazy, making it harder and harder to control his carnal desires around her.
Straightening his clothes back to their impeccable state, he bit his lip before following after her.
Later that day, Ivan was in his room with Damien, listening to Alex’s report on Prince Valen Kaine. They learned that there had indeed been an exchange of messengers between the Kingdom of Luminear and Dartmouth to finalize the arrangements for receiving the princess as Valen’s betrothed.
However, Alex had discovered something peculiar: the Queen of Dartmouth, a human woman in her sixties, did not appear to age. Rumours claimed she had been blessed with eternal beauty by the gods. Humans who lacked divine powers were often known to practice sorcery to maintain their standing among other supernatural beings. Yet, such pursuits came with danger. Those who delved too deep into forbidden magic, consumed by greed for greater power, eventually transformed into darkrots.
The Kingdom of Dartmouth, though human-ruled, was renowned for its agricultural abundance and export of medicinal herbs to other realms. Despite their human nature, they maintained a formidable military of highly skilled sorcerers, ever ready to defend their land.
Ivan knew that even though the Dartmouth royals were human, they were still dangerous if provoked or if one played the wrong cards. Not to mention, the Vault of Ages was under their strictest security. Had it been a normal archive, Ivan would have simply teleported inside and finished the job. But the problem lay in the fact that this vault was far from ordinary. It was protected by powerful ancient spells; one wrong move, and not only would he be trapped inside, but the entire royal guard would be alerted.
So, they sat together and devised a rough plan, the first one involving Evelyn speaking to the royals while he and the others were present. If things went according to plan, Ivan would excuse himself at the right moment, complete his task swiftly, and escape unnoticed. However, they also prepared a second plan, far riskier, which involved Ivan stealing the key directly from the royals.
Both plans could go either way, but Ivan believed these two were their only options for now. Of course, the one involving Eve being near the Prince of Dartmouth grated on his nerves, but he had only relented after she’d used her charms to make him agree a couple of nights ago.
He let out a soft sigh, thinking, ’She’s really getting good at making me do things I would never normally agree to.’ Yet, that only made her all the more amazing in his eyes.
He sat lost in his thoughts before he heard Damien ask, "And what of Ivan’s father-in-law?"
This grabbed Ivan’s attention; he turned his molten red eyes toward Damien in question, while Alex was suddenly taken aback at King Solan being referred to as his prince’s father-in-law. He pressed his lips together to suppress a smile before clearing his throat.
"King Solan has been unusually quiet since the last messenger returned from the kingdom of Dartmouth. We believe he’s already working on a plan to solidify Princess Evelyn’s ties with the Prince of Dartmouth. However..." He paused and turned his gaze to his prince. "Queen Elara seems to be hosting more social gatherings at the palace, where she repeatedly tells other nobles about the princess’s betrothal as a done deal. She has also been pushing King Solan to involve Prince Ryan in royal affairs as a form of training."
Damien clicked his tongue. "She’s moving fast. Trying to get rid of our Evelyn before anyone can stop her."
"She’s desperate," Ivan murmured quietly, his expression unreadable.
"And I wonder what’s got her so...restless," Damien added, trailing off.
The room went silent before Ivan stated firmly, "Evelyn’s recent power awakening...that’s what must have been driving her desperation."
