"Mother, perhaps marriage is not what we should have done.”

Queen Mother instantly whips her head to glare at her son, standing by the closed door of her quarters. She gets on her feet and holds her head high as she clasps her soft hands together. Despite her regal stance, the words she says come out viciously, "What an absolute insult to our family." And another brute insult to my dour evening, she continued in the same intensity in her head.

Adrien pinches the bridge of his nose and softly clicks his tongue. “Mother-”

She holds a hand out, prompting him to immediately shut his mouth. 

“We arranged the marriage at an earlier date because of the inability of your father to continue as King,” Queen Mother continues in a strict manner, “You knew since you were a young boy that the princess of the East would be your Queen.”

“But was marriage the only way to solve the problem that has arisen in our kingdom?” Adrien counters in clear exasperation. “Perhaps if we were given more time, then this would have never-”

“What is this I am hearing from you? Are you doubting the decision I made regarding the Queen and her being here?” Queen Mother takes a few careful steps toward her son and tilts her head a bit to the side, narrowing her eyes at him. It was appalling, the King’s utterance of such blasphemous words. There was once a time when her words brought nothing but a commanding aura and stance from every person in the kingdom. If she still exercised such power, she would even bring her own son to taste the same kind of punishment as that of commoners. That would be absurd now for she is in the presence of a prince turned King. Sadly, he is a regal King with the same needs as a lowly peasant. 

Adrien scoffs in bewilderment, “Do I not have a say in such matters? I am the main leader of our people now. Whatever I say holds a great bearing of what our land depends on.”

Queen Mother squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head out of frustration. She has had enough of petty matters and situations that could have been avoided if only her son merely accepted his obligation at hand. “And frankly,” she shoots at him, “I do not see anything great in our land other than a King who seems to only be good at whining.”

He takes a step back out of instinct, caught off guard by the sudden verbal attack by his mother. “You…” He pauses to lick his dry bottom lip, though such an effort is futile as it feels that his whole throat has gone dry. “You...” he tries again, “Mother, you do not mean that, do you?”

Queen Mother could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces at this very moment. She loves her son and his wife equally, but the feelings they harbor for each other are akin to a dagger of pure betrayal that has found its way to pierce right through her heart. The pain is unfathomable and it is only hers to bear. “I...I am upset, my dear,” she confesses in a soft and shaky voice. Adrien silently watches as his mother then brings her arms around herself in an attempt to shower some kind of comfort, though only temporarily. 

His face falls as he watches her succumb to such an action. “Mother,” he starts out, this time in a softer and less stern manner. 

“Do you love your Queen?” She asks him almost immediately, flashing her eyes open at him with her arms still around herself. Although she may look weak in her current stance, there is nothing feeble with the fire in her eyes. Adrien has seen those eyes before, he has grown up knowing that when she had that look he had no choice but to brace for whatever is about to happen.

He swallows down a thick lump in his throat and murmurs, “Yes, I do.”

She raises an eyebrow, one that questions the integrity of his answer. Queen Mother knows better and Adrien should have not bothered to go against her at all. “Let me rephrase my question,” she articulates slowly, “Do you truly love your Queen? Or are you in love with the way her body works wonders on you?”

For some inexplicable reason, the King’s mind has gone blank. He has suddenly lost the ability to talk and sadly, think any further. 

Queen Mother saw right through it, and her son’s silence has disappointed her so. “You and your father are alike, uncouth at times,” she spits out in a snarky manner. “It took me years to let him see me not merely as a woman, but as his Queen. We had our fair share of acrimonious quarrels, but never to the point that our people in the palace would become aware of it.” She deeply heaves out a sigh and shakes her head in dismay at her son. “I raised you better than this, Adrien,” she whispers tenderly, “but the blood of your father still seeps deeply within you.”

Adrien grimaces and balls one hand into a fist. Although it is his mother that is speaking before him, the woman who has raised him and constantly showered unconditional love, he still deserves the respect befitting of a King. He whips his head to the side, looking out the window where the starry night sky greets him. He clenches his jaw and musters to counter, “ The blood of a King seeps deeply within me.” He then turns his back toward her, facing the door. He has had enough of this conversation. “If you are done for the night, then so am I.” He then makes his way to the door.

“Son,” Queen Mother’s voice full of authority rings above the air. Adrien halts in step right before the door. He hears the fabric of her gown shift beneath her as she moves. Perhaps as she walks toward him. “I find it alarming, your current relationship and the way you are conducting yourself as King.” Adrien rolls his eyes and softly groans in frustration. “You leave me no choice,” she continues, “I will find a way to make sure that despite your inner quarrels, the existence of your heir will not be in danger. Mark my words.”

------------

The Queen never liked books. Well to be unambiguous, until recently. Reading them may have perhaps been enjoyable, but it is the dust that has gathered along the creases of the spines of the endless rows of books that causes her nose to itch and send her into a sneezing fit. Growing up, there would be instances when her mother, or as she would like to call Maman, would read for her aside from the typical ladies-in-waiting.

Bedtime reading was always something Marinette looked forward to because of her Maman. Now it's all different. Aside from sneezing because of the books, the way tears start to well up in her eyes due to some painful memories is why she never likes books anymore.

She may seem abstruse at times, but she had her reasons. Always. 

The palace library displays an array of shelves filled with books dating back to a few thousand years. Every nook and cranny is filled with them. Its wooden furniture taking up space gives a certain kind of rustic flair to any visitor who would come in. There are some chesterfields, covered with blue velvet fabric, for those who wish to enjoy a book in comfort. There are also these sturdy desks which one may use for study or research.

Being in the palace library to work, Marinette busies herself with maps of the West and the South. She has been looking at the different terrain nearing the South, the river that runs through the mountain range and opens to the sea at the bottom of the map. The people of the South thrive by the sea, as well as her people of the West. Living conditions there might be similar, but the climate might differ in some way. The people from the South are used to the heat since they experience it more than the cold. Her people of the West currently experience the opposite. 

Well, what about your true people of the East? Would you even think of them at all? Marinette huffs out derisively and shakes her head at herself softly, hoping to erase those unwanted thoughts. People say that the marriage was also a unification of the West and East. She does not feel that. She feels that the East is being obliterated by the people she now serves in the West. Even if she is their Queen, it is not a guarantee that they truly revere her as such. After all, she has to go through each passing day knowing that they call her a name that makes her feel rotten inside. 

The Delicate Queen.

How weak. To be considered decrepit is disappointing as much as it is insulting. 

She is much more than that. She will show them. With her creation of new battle and defense strategies, she will show that the teachings of the East are worthy of attention and acceptance from all over. 

Marinette huffs out another sigh, this time a bit louder and longer than the other one that catches the attention of the King who is seated behind the large desk he uses when he spends time at the library. He too is working on a few papers, though these are more academic in nature. 

Queen Mother forced the two of them to spend their days together. The King knows all the hidden intentions of his mother with such an arrangement, but he does not know that his Queen is aware of it. Marinette is intelligent. She does not need matters spelled out for her. 

“Problem?” The King’s voice utters above the air, right as he hands another closed book to Sir Luka, causing the Queen to turn and look at him from the other side of the library. 

“My King?”

As Sir Luka disappears within the rows of shelves to return the book, the King asks, “What seems to be troubling you, My Queen? I heard a sigh escape your lips from here.”

Marinette quirks an eyebrow at him, puzzled by his sudden...concern? How odd. Is the King concerned over me? “There is nothing wrong, my King. Perhaps I should be asking you regarding that look of concern etched on your face. When have you ever cared for me outside our amorous activities?”

Adrien then scowls at her and rolls his eyes. He should have known that this was bound to happen. “I was simply asking. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“With the way you were treating me at supper a few nights ago, I have the prerogative to think that there is something wrong,” The Queen coolly replies. Her nose then crinkles as she feels a tingle at its tip. She clears her throat and hovers a hand over her nose and mouth, still keeping herself refined. All these books around her are causing such a reaction. She wishes that she does not have to stay any longer. Though, her schedule depends on the King’s schedule and never the other way around. “I do not wish to continue with our subject matter. Rather, I am growing uncomfortable in this dreadful and filthy room.”

“This room is neither of those. Perhaps it seems dreadful and filthy since you are here,” The King retaliates nonchalantly, but with a hidden intention to annoy his Queen. 

Marinette saw right through it and kept her composure, as she was taught throughout most of her life by her royal tutors and her parents. “The only reply I would say to such is that perhaps any person is entitled to different opinions, whether they are commoners or nobles. What are you even doing, my King? For the past hours, I have been drafting battle and defense strategies for the sake of our land and especially our warriors, but I’ve been watching you and noticing the books on your desk.” She cranes her neck and tries to read the titles printed over the books, but she could see some of the illustrations of peculiar sea creatures on the pages found in the open books. 

“I go through archives to seek answers to my questions.”

The Queen frowns at the King with his generic and guarded answer. “That does not seem genuine work to me,” she comments quietly, but it was heard by the King from the other side of the room. 

Adrien grunts. “It is a way for me to relieve the stresses of life.”

“What is bothering you, my King?”

“Perhaps you should ask who is bothering me,” he grumbles under his breath, facing back down on his desk where his unfinished work sits idly. 

Thankfully, Marinette does not hear his utterance and instead, takes his supposed silence as a response. 

The doors of the library suddenly open as Lady Alya saunters in, carrying a small, dark glass bottle with her. She passes by the King first, making sure that she curtsies before him while softly greeting, “Good day, Your Majesty. I have an urgent matter regarding Her Majesty.”

“You may proceed,” The King replies and she heads straight to the desk where the Queen stands waiting. 

“My Queen,” Alya utters as she stops before Marinette. “I was instructed to give you this.” She holds out the glass bottle. “Queen Mother specifically stated that the contents of this bottle must be finished by dawn.”

Marinette reaches out a hand and takes the bottle with her before gingerly twisting the cork for her to pull it out of the bottle easily. Slowly, she raises the bottle to her nose to take a whiff of it. The liquid inside it smells like a certain flower and judging by the color of the liquid, the scent of the flower is mixed with oil. She hums then whispers, “Lavender oil.” This type of oil is not only used for healing, but for wedded couples as well.  This is a message from the Queen Mother, an important one. If Marinette is to receive this bottle with the specific instruction to use it all up by dawn, then Queen Mother expects the consummation of the marriage. 

Marinette knew that this was bound to happen. It is high time that she accepts the main duty as Queen even if she is not fond of it. 

She quietly sucks in a breath, while closing the bottle, and releases it through her mouth before turning to her lady-in-waiting. “Prepare my room for the King's visit, Alya,” she commands in a murmur.

“As you wish, my Queen.”

“And lay my sheer silk night robe on the bed.”

“Of course, my Queen.” Alya then tilts her head as she closely looks at her. “You do not look pleased, my Queen,” she points out.

“I could find it within me to share a bed with her son, but there shall be no promise of an heir. I simply wish to be pleased without any consequences tonight." Marinette purses her lips as she takes a step forward to go to the King. But she stops as another thought passes through her mind. “Ah, one more thing, Alya. Please prepare a bottle of brandy.”

“...and must I prepare two glasses as well?”

The Queen shakes her head. “Just a bottle, please. I don’t think pouring the liquid in a glass will be sufficient with my predicament.” She then holds her chin high and ambles toward the desk where the King is currently working, hiding her displeasure.  

Upon reaching the side of the King’s desk, she clears her throat and he looks up at her from writing new notes on his book. 

“Is something the matter, now-”

“Queen Mother expects me to offer you a massage later at night, my King,” she interrupts him harshly. 

The King widens his eyes at her, but when his gaze lands on the bottle his Queen is clutching tightly to, realization dawns on him. This is what his mother has warned him about. He sighs under his breath then mutters, “Then it shall be done.”

------------

The idea of his mother meddling with his and the Queen’s task of producing an heir was beyond imagination. Adrien always thought that it would never reach this point. It is shameful to have this done for it shows that he is bringing his kingdom down. If they do not produce an heir at all, and he ultimately is the last in line, the whole kingdom will fall. 

Tightening the cloth belt of his dark violet robe, the only piece of cloth hiding his naked form, he stops before the door of the small hallway separating his quarters from the Queen’s. All he needs is to open the door and finish his duty, then he may leave. He merely wishes for this night to be over and done with. 

How disappointing it is for him to be in an unconventional marriage where his wife is one who does not want an heir, but only the temporary pleasure brought by the sensual dance their bodies do together. Adrien hates to admit it, but he desires something more worthwhile than what he currently shares with his Queen. Is he that repulsive to her? Why does she antagonize him so much? Those are questions he will never know the answers to if their union does not change through time. And if it is still not yet clear enough, time is not on their side. 

He rests a hand on the golden door handle and uses it to pull the door open where the light illuminating from a standing lamp shines through its opening. A certain floral scent greets him as he takes a step inside and shuts the door close behind. Taking a few more steps forward, he notices the Queen, with her hair cascading down her shoulders, seated on her armchair facing her vanity table. Her back is toward him, but Adrien can see her face through the mirror. Their gazes meet through the mirror. 

“It smells divine here,” he comments quietly, not turning away from their locked gaze. 

“It's the incense, my King.” Marinette points a finger to a jar of burning incense sitting on a small stool at the left side of the vanity table. 

“Is it lavender?”

“Yes,” she breathes out her answer and pushes herself off the seat. As she stands and turns her body to fully face him, the King chokes on his own breath to see that her robe is made of solely sheer silk. He could see everything of her body and her taut breasts seem more engorged than usual, ready to be fondled and shown the attention they deserve. He takes a few steps forward and a low moan rumbles in his chest when he clearly sees the outline of her hardened nipples poking through the fabric. The lascivious way she moves toward him ignites a fire within his core and it quickly spreads throughout his body. 

Their gazes stay locked together, but Adrien feels weakened as Marinette brings a hand to the nape of his neck. “My Queen…”

She temptingly presses her body close to his then brings out her tongue to swipe it on the skin beneath his jaw. “Let me taste you, all of you,” she murmurs before roughly slamming her lips on his, shoving her tongue in his mouth. It creates a battle for dominance between the two, a battle which Adrien willingly loses as a number of thoughts run through his mind, distracting him. 

The words she uttered could make one subtly squirm with growing need, but Adrien clearly heard the aloofness of it. And he knows that she is on the verge of intoxication since he can taste it as their mouths move together, the strong taste of brandy. 

He takes a hold of her head and pulls away from her lips, panting softly he whispers, "You are forcing yourself. There is no need for you to do this."

"I want to," she replies breathlessly, "I need to."

Adrien shakes his head. "My Queen-" he begins but is interrupted by a sudden tug by the arm as Marinette powerfully drags him with her to the left side of her bed, near the headboard, and then pushes him to roughly land sitting on the soft mattress.

She shushes him, climbing over his lap and attacking his skin with wet kisses from the neck down to his chest. Adrien sits frozen while Marinette melts within the heat of their touch. Running her hands down and smoothing out the robe off his skin, she starts to pepper his skin with her kisses down to his chest, even flicking her tongue on his now hardened nipples. 

Is it the work of the brandy in her system that is driving her to act more indecent than she usually does during their amorous activities? Adrien did not know, but what he is aware of is that he is falling for this spell of hers again. His hands are itching to touch her and feel the warmth radiating from her body. Will she be warmer if he reaches further down? Such a thought is tempting...and he’s now willing to take a bite off the forbidden fruit. He moans as Marinette curls her tongue around his right nipple. He then proceeds to run his hands through the silk covering her skin, but he could still feel her curves in all the right places. 

He groaned throatily as Marinette nipped his earlobe then demanded him in a coarse manner, “Lean back on the headboard, my King.”

Without waiting any further, Adrien slides further up the bed until his back hits the wooden headboard of the bed. Slowly, the cloth of his robe fell through his arms, exposing his smooth skin and his chest began heaving up and down slowly with ragged breaths. Marinette salaciously climbs on top of him, crawling ever so slowly that she makes sure to make her hips sway from left to right. Adrien was nothing but hypnotized, his legs stretched in front of him and waiting for the exact moment his Queen would easily undress him fully.

"To be frank," Marinette starts, tracing her fingertip over the crease of Adrien's robe by his pelvis, "you gave me the impression that you did not want to be here...and that you did not want to engage in this back and forth titillating dance for two." 

Her ribald words cause a stir in him. “Your impression of me is correct…” Of course, he has a million thoughts regarding this, but when she suddenly pulls the flap of his robe away and exposes his shaft that looks almost painfully hard for him to handle and hold in, his head couldn’t form another thought for it was clouded with raw need. His Adam’s apple bobs as he thickly swallows the saliva building in his mouth and does nothing to cover himself. 

Though...he will not be the only one swallowing something tonight. 

“Oh, God,” he cries out as he feels his Queen start to caress the length of his shaft, growing fully hard. Adrien is incredibly turned on and Marinette could only find it in her to give out a smirk of pure satisfaction. The way her fingers trace the vein lining his shaft and its underside is done in such a manner that he has never felt before. He has never been touched before this way. He likes it. No, he boldly loves it. 

“Ah!” He mewls when Marinette wraps her fingers around the girth of his shaft and gives an idle pump upwards, causing his hips to jerk in shock. His eyes flutter shut and lolls his head back, accidentally hitting it against the wood of the headrest.

“Be careful, my King,” Marinette murmurs before producing a moan from deep within the base of her throat as a few drops of his arousal start peeking from his slit. It took an immense strength from within to not take him in her body. Instead, to keep her head straight, she teases his thighs, drawing circles on the inner skin. He fades into another gasp.

“Y-You should be careful,” Adrien groans, gritting his teeth and feeling his legs start to tremble from the vast stimulation brought by his Queen’s fingers alone. “You...you vixen, you are completely entrancing me.”

She twirls her finger around the crown of the head, biting her bottom lip as she does so. “That is not a complaint, my King.” 

He wants to undress as well and taste the sweet nectar dripping down her legs, but he is helpless under her spell. He tries to fight it, but when Adrien feels her lick him from base to tip, it draws out a long, dark groan from him. His face has flushed a deep shade of red and his chin would jut upwards. “My Queen,” he pants, “oh, God, what are you doing to me?” Again, his hips rose a few inches off the bed in a desperate attempt to have her lips wrapped around him. 

Darting out her tongue to capture the drops of his arousal from the tip of his shaft, Marinette does not prolong his agony and licks back down to the base. The sweet sounds she drew out of him were making her more turned on than usual. She aches to be dirtily touched. 

“Take me now, I beg of you. Take me now. Allow me to feel the warmth of your mouth.” The air is now pungent with Adrien’s need continuously dripping from the tip of his shaft. 

The Queen follows through, wrapping her lips around his shaft as a hand continues to hold by the base for her to pump it upwards. The King growls and with shaking hands, grabs the back of her head, through her hair, to control the manner she is ravaging him. He moans and gasps, shivering as her head bobs up and down. The ministrations of her tongue are doing nothing in his favor to last any longer. He hisses out a curse as he feels her soft tongue rub his shaft as it starts to swell and pulse. 

He is starting to come undone fast. It is his first time to experience such a phenomenal feeling and it is even considered a miracle that he has lasted a bit longer than usual. 

"M-My...my Queen,” he pants strenuously, sweat dripping all over his body. The intensity of how she is taking his whole shaft in her mouth is turning torrid and sloppy for she could also tell that he is nearing. 

Suddenly, he cries out loud at the intense feeling that rushes through his body, voice cracking despite the usual husky sound it produces, finally losing himself in such a rapid manner. Adrien’s eyes fly open, and panting heavily he looks down at Marinette who still has her mouth around him. With lips softly parted and legs still twitching from the intense release, he breathes out, “D-Don’t swallow-” Though, he never gets to finish as Marinette pulls away and audibly gulps down his release. With a lecherous gaze, she draws back and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before muttering a soft, “Too late.”

“You vixen.” That release brought a sense of irony as it has led Adrien to gain his ability to think again. This repeatedly happens, she always finds a way to make him go weak to the knees. Imagine if such an ability is not used behind closed doors. His Queen has the power to make him succumb to her every will and such could get abused. “I’m starting to not like what you do to me.”

"You were clearly showing something else when you were tugging at my hair," Marinette points out almost playfully, sitting on her heels to fully remove her sheer night robe and let it drop on the ground by the bed. Slowly, she brings her hands to her hardened nipples and pinches them, drawing out a wanton moan from her. “The way I touched you clearly displayed how you are simply a flower...one that has never been plucked or trampled on. I love the way you react to my touch.”

Adrien knits his eyebrows together just as he gazes away from her, not wanting to be fully tempted than he already is. "Love?” He breathes out then scoffs, “When was that word ever allowed to be thrown away in such a meaningless manner?"

Marinette finds herself caught off guard by the King’s impassive question that she halts a bit in her actions. Her mouth almost drops out of shock, but she keeps her composure. Though, it does not last long when she softly cries out as Adrien suddenly takes a hold of her and flips them for her to lie straight down on the bed and for him to tower over her. She gazes at him with wide eyes and tries to fight her way out of it, but he tightly holds her wrists and the rest of her body down. 

He presses down on her body, grinding his semi-hard shaft along the outline of her slick slit, eliciting a loud wanton whine from the Queen who is now wishing she could dig her nails in the skin of the King's back. 

Adrien did this to stop her advances, yet he still admires the aura of her soft, beautiful skin and the short, sharp rise and fall of her swollen breasts. He brings his face close to hers, hovering his lips dangerously close to hers. As she breathes softly, he could smell not only his release but the lingering scent of brandy - a reminder of why he must stop this.

Sighing sharply, he turns his face away. He will not be tempted again. He has had enough of the forbidden fruit. It is time to set it away. But Marinette begs to differ. 

“Are we not filled with lust, my King?” She mutters breathlessly, trying to squeeze her thighs harder together to give the certain kind of friction her nether regions are begging for. “Please continue. I utterly ache for you.”

“...Frankly enough, I would like to relish this moment. The way you squirm for me to offer your anticipating release is something that never happens when we are not sharing a bed.” He grinds his hips on hers again, eliciting a long moan from Marinette. “But it saddens me that my own Queen would have to depend on spirits or frustration in order for her to satisfy me,” he continues in a growl, “What a loveless marriage we have.”

And just as Marinette opens her mouth to reply, a loud scream of sheer terror pierces throughout the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You all know what I'm going to place here:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if it took some time for it to be finished. I've started working on my main thesis and I'm hoping that the topic my groupmates and I formed will be accepted.

Shoutout to leishatrehanxoxo for a cover they personally made for the book! Thank you so much! ♡ I'm going to present it here :3

If ever you have anything that you would like to make for this story, you may always send it to me ♡♡

The next book I will update will be 'Think Again' (Adrienette AU).

Vote?
Comment?
Thank you!