CHAPTER 351: SATISFYING

She lost again. Not that she had expected anything different, but that didn’t make it sting less. The Crown Prince captured her king dramatically, kicking it off the board with a promoted pawn—a new queen.

She had captured his Queen halfway through the game. She should have known it was bait, and this was his real goal. She knew the moment she wouldn’t be able to make a comeback, no matter what she did.

Rose took a deep breath. It wasn’t just losing and the kiss she was worried about; rather, it was how long she would last. Why had she agreed to any of this, especially the latter part?

Rose lifted her head to see Caius eagerly waiting. His body gave off a nonchalant air, but she could see his eyes; they hardly lied. It was just difficult to interpret their meaning most times, but this look was a familiar one, so Rose knew.

Rose stood to her feet, no hesitancy in her movements as she walked towards the Crown Prince. She kept her face as calm as possible, making sure not to let her thoughts slip through the cracks.

She knew this was simply a game to him; everything she stood for was entertainment. He was different, she could see, but at the core, he was really just the same. Her biggest mistake would be falling for his tricks.

She had agreed in the moment, annoyed that he had insinuated that she would lose, but she didn’t care whether she won or lost. At the end of the day, she wanted to be free of him, and that was all that really mattered. He himself had made the promise, and Rose planned to make sure he kept it.

As she walked towards him, his smirk appeared and he leaned further into the seat. His eyes danced with excitement while his face tried to keep a blank stare and failed.

She stepped up to him, standing between his legs. She didn’t sit on his lap as she had done before; rather, she bent at the knees and shoulders, kissed him lightly on the lips, and immediately pulled away.

Caius’s disappointment was palpable. His eyes dimmed and his jaw tightened. His right hand rose and fell by his side, but Rose had already turned away this time and was walking towards the chessboard.

She couldn’t look at him; she feared she would burst out laughing. He had really expected her to try her hardest to seduce him. Why would she do that? To prove that he couldn’t resist her? She very well would prefer that he could.

She arranged the board quickly. She felt very satisfied, and that aching feeling in her stomach had faded. She no longer feared the kiss, as it would only go as she wanted.

She half-expected him to say something, but he was surprisingly quiet. Rose finished placing the pieces and made her move, but the Crown Prince didn’t stir. She lifted her head to see him looking at her, but he seemed absent-minded.

"Your move, Your Majesty," Rose called, reminding herself to keep her mood neutral.

Caius glanced at the board. "I suppose it is," he replied.

Rose couldn’t help but wonder if her actions had really caught him that off guard, or if he was just disappointed she didn’t rub herself all over him in an attempt to make him lose control.

However, whatever it was, she found that his reaction was very satisfying. This was the only way she could probably ever win; giving him exactly what he wouldn’t expect.

"A stalemate!" Rose announced with glee after they had played for some time.

It was her second one ever, and this time she was certain her last action had utterly confused Caius and had resulted in this. However, she couldn’t help but commend him; even in his distracted state, she couldn’t beat him.

"I suppose it is," he repeated. It was the first thing he had said since the game started.

"We didn’t set what it would be if there was a stalemate," Rose whispered.

"No, I suppose we didn’t," he said with a small smile.

Rose felt slightly uncomfortable; his smile was back on. "W-would Your Majesty like to?"

"No, Rose. Carry on. Let’s start the next game," he said with a sneer.

Rose winced; he recovered too quickly. She nodded and rearranged the pieces, and the game soon began. Caius never let up; from his first move she could tell she was at a disadvantage, and no matter what she tried, he had her trapped.

"Checkmate," he said, clearly gloating. His tone was filled with nothing but conceit.

Rose had foreseen this; her only disappointment was that she had not been able to drag the game out as long as the last one. But the outcome didn’t make much difference to her.

Rose stood up once again, and Caius watched her curiously. She noticed the excitement wasn’t in his eyes; rather, he was gauging her. He didn’t seem quite sure what she would do, and that satisfied her to no end.

Rose didn’t rush to him as she had done before; she slowly approached him, swaying her hips. The cream dress had just enough flair to swing from side to side. She saw his eyes light up, and she thought about how satisfying it would be to see his disappointment.

She stopped between his wide legs as she had done before and looked down at him. Caius had an interested look on his face. Rose placed her palms on the armrests and leaned forward, deliberately showing an ample amount of cleavage.

Caius’s eyes moved to her breasts immediately, and Rose fought the urge to scoff. This was who she was supposed to seduce? A flash of her bosom and he almost drooled out the corner of his lips. Rose couldn’t hide her disappointment; it would be a waste of her time.

She leaned further, and Caius lifted his head to her face. She kissed him a little longer this time, and just as he was about to deepen the kiss, Rose pulled away, breaking the kiss and standing to her full height.

His eyes twitched. It was the only indication that he was not pleased. Rose stepped back and noticed his tightly clenched palms that rested at his sides. Was the Crown Prince furious? It was utterly satisfying.

She wasn’t winning, but somehow she was beating him at his own game, and she loved every moment of it. It was satisfying that he couldn’t do anything about it. Usually, he would have shown her how he preferred it, but that would be against the rules he had set, wouldn’t it?