CHAPTER 352: I SUPPOSE IT IS

Caius raised a brow as Rose stared at him, and she realized she had let a small smile slip. She turned away immediately and walked to the chessboard to rearrange the pieces.

Caius didn’t wait for her call this time. As soon as she made her move, he followed suit. The game was just as swift. Caius didn’t hold back; his moves were quick and clearly calculated. It was pretty clear he had been holding back—that was the only reason she had been able to drag out the former games.

Her loss left her feeling like she had climbed a mountain on her knees. It wasn’t a long game, but somehow it left her feeling exhausted. Rose thought it was cruel that he had been taking it easy on her. She had known she couldn’t win against him easily, but she had vastly underestimated the difference in their skills.

However, her loss didn’t take away the satisfaction she felt at Caius’s disappointment when he saw he was not going to get what he wanted.

"Surely, you haven’t forgotten your end of the bargain?" Caius asked when she took too long to move.

Rose shook her head. She knew what she had to do, but she was also exhausted. Besides, they had been playing for hours now; it would soon be time for dinner. She would at least need to rest her head before then. It felt as though it might explode any moment. This was her last game, but the Crown Prince didn’t need to know that just yet.

"I haven’t forgotten, Your Majesty," Rose whispered.

"Are you that shaken by your loss?" Caius asked with a smirk.

Rose lifted her head and nodded. "I am," she said and slowly rose to her feet. "Your Majesty is very skilled. I already knew this, and I particularly knew I stood no chance; however, somehow I may have vastly underestimated just how very skilled you are."

Caius sat back, looking lost for words. Rose blinked, a little shocked at his reaction. She hadn’t planned to say all that and had simply wanted to prove that she had no problems admitting defeat, unlike him, but his reaction was quite unexpected.

Did the Crown Prince not know how to respond to teasing compliments? She had never tried it before. Hell, she had never tried anything with him, and Rose was starting to see that was a huge mistake.

"Your Majesty, you are very skilled," she repeated as she was standing before him again, her gaze deliberately dropping lower and stopping right on his crotch.

Rose was by no means shy; she was bold, daring, adventurous, and was particularly aware of all the things that made her appealing.

She slowly sat on his leg this time, moving a leg close enough to rub against him. Rose felt Caius stiffen; it was subtle, and if she wasn’t sitting on his leg, she wouldn’t have noticed.

His eyes watched her closely; his expression appeared neutral, but Rose could hear how sharp his breathing had become, and she smiled internally. If she had given it her all, she knew she would have won, but winning was certainly not as satisfying as this.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t weird sitting on his leg and being this close to him. Perhaps it was because she knew everything was up to her. It was exhilarating. No matter what she did, the Crown Prince couldn’t do anything about it.

She leaned forward, her hands on his chest. Rose made herself keep to the script. The goal was not to win. She palmed his chest and gently caressed him through his clothes while her leg moved ever so slightly, pressing against him.

She leaned forward towards his neck, her lips slightly parted as though she might kiss it, but Rose didn’t do that. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she could smell lavender and Caius’s unique scent; it was particularly strong.

She hadn’t even kissed him yet, and she could feel tingles all over her body; she knew he did too. He was stiff, almost like he wasn’t breathing.

It was gratifying, though, to see that no matter how many times the Crown Prince took her, he still had this visceral reaction towards her. He couldn’t resist her. Rose thought this was a very silly game for him to try to play when he was this affected by her.

She watched his eyes as she slowly moved in to kiss him, and Caius watched her eagerly. His expression had changed; she doubted he was even aware of it. He was slowly getting aroused, or perhaps he already was.

She kissed him hard, her hands moving from his chest to the back of his head. She entangled her fingers in his hair as she deepened the kiss. He tasted familiar; sweet with a little salty tang.

Rose lifted her rear from his thigh and straddled him without breaking the kiss, her knees resting on the sides of the chair as she sat on him. Rose could feel he was completely hard; she didn’t even need to straddle him.

She rubbed against his groin, and Caius’s hand moved, but he didn’t grab her. Rose smiled against his lips, breaking the kiss and stopping her movements. This was enough.

She opened her eyes to see Caius glaring at her. She tried not to look triumphant as she got off his legs. She adjusted her dress and turned to glance at him.

"I’d like to rest up, Your Majesty. I don’t think I can win today," she said, a hint of a smile on her face.

Caius’s eyes widened; he was clearly disappointed. Rose reveled in this.

"One more game," Caius said.

"I apologize, Your Majesty, but it will be dinner time soon, and I would like to rest up before then," she replied.

Rose knew better than to agree. This was exactly why she didn’t want him to know this would be the last time. This was the only way she could escape unscathed.

"Very well then, I suppose it is my win in both wagers."

Rose didn’t even hide her smirk. "I suppose it is."