“What gives you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do?”  Elise said as her smile widen. The smile no longer looked right and Sabine felt that Elise’s smile had a hint of danger to it.  “Before you tell me what I can and cannot do, you better recognize what kind of a status you hold in this country, especially when it involves nobility.  I come from 50 generations of Doctors who has contributed to the development of this country. Each and everyone of my family served this country selflessly and with that selflessness came recognition.  I am also the adopted daughter to Duke Derek Devereux, and have been engaged to the General since birth. So what makes you think you can tell me what to do or not to do?”

Sabine’s mouth was opened as if she wanted to say something, however nothing came out.  

“What gave such courage to tell me to leave the General?”  Elise asked. “Love? Did you fall in love with him? Did you think that if I left, he would fall in love with you?  What about you is so lovable that it would make him change his mind? From status, to looks, to skills, to accomplishments, what is it about you that makes you think that you’re better than me?”  

“You…”  Sabine whispered as her eyes beings to water.  Elise tore her insecurities apart and bared it out for all of them to see.  She quickly looked at Axel for help, but Axel’s eyes remained on Elise. “Axel…”  

“Since you have such courage to confront me to leave the General’s side, you also have enough courage to confess to the General of your feelings.”  Elise told the silent girl who’s tears fell down slowly. “Go on then. Confess your love to him. I’m giving you a chance to change his heart over to you.”  

Sabine swallowed her saliva and looked over to Axel again.  Never once did Axel look at Sabine since they arrived. Never once did he even talk to her or defend her.  Her heart slowly shattered, but she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life, if she didn’t confess what was in her heart.   

“Axel, I---”

“Save it.”  Axel finally said as he cut her off.  “You’re wasting my time, my love’s time and your breath.  I don’t feel anything for you. I will never feel anything for you.  For saving my mother, I thank you, but you’re no longer welcome in our home, I want you to leave before sunrise.”  

“Axel, please---” Sabine called out.  

“The moment you disrespected Elise, it the moment you’re no longer welcome on Devereux’s land.  Elise is the next Duchess of Devereux, she is the only woman my family will recognize as their daughter-in-law and she is the only woman that my heart recognizes as my wife.  Continue your journey of adulthood, take this experience and learn from it. Do not covet something that doesn’t belong to you and will never belong to you.”

Sabine bowed her head down as silent tears fell.  She tried. At least she tried. Even though she knew within her heart, that this was wrong, there was nothing she could do.  Her opponent was someone she could not overcome. By the time she gathered her thoughts and look up, both Axel and Elise was gone.  It was time for her to leave, she would continue her journey just like Axel told her to. She had outstayed her welcome.

“Elise.”  Axel said once the silence between them became a heavy blanket of worries.  “There was nothing between me and Sabine. I had only met her once at the beginning of the week and been alone with her only once, and that was because my family ordered me to.  I don’t have feelings for her nor have I encouraged her fantasy or her feelings towards me.”

When Elise didn’t say anything to Axel, he panicked even more.  They had just spent a beautiful afternoon together and yet it was ruined in a single moment.  He had finally felt that he had taken a step forward, but because of Sabine, he took two steps back.  

“Elise, please believe me.”  Axel pleaded again. “I love you.  All I want to do is make you happy.  I---”

“When did I ever say that I was going to leave you or that I didn’t believe you?”  Elise said as she put him out of his misery. “I didn’t, so stop jumping to your own conclusions.”  

Elise saw Axel ride up next to her.  His arm reaches out to her and wraps it around her waist.  He then proceed to pull her from her horse and on to his horse, in front of him.  

“What are you doing?”  Elise asked as she quickly hugged Axel around his neck.  

His warm embrace caused her to lean into him as his bends down to capture her lips.  Their kiss was heated with unsaid words that he wanted to tell her. His tongue explored her mouth as if he was searching for treasure.  Their wet tongues entangled themselves together and darted back and forth between the two.

Axel’s breath came hard once Elise began to moan softly.  His hands felt her back, her hair, her round buttcheeks, squeezing them and rubbing them as if he could not get enough of her.  Her breast pressed up against his chest, rubbing up and down as the horse walked them towards Devereux’s Castle.

Axel broke away from the kiss, only because their breaths were getting shorter and shorter and he knew if he didn’t stop now, he would take her on the horse, or against the tree.  He didn’t want their first time to be out in the open, where others could see. He wanted her all to himself when he buried himself deep within her wetness.

“You’re absolutely amazing, Elise.”  Axel said as he looked at her sparkling eyes.  “The moment I saw you, I knew you were the one who would complete me.”  

Raine buried her head in his chest as she breathed in his scent and tried to catch her own breath.  She knew that those words he said did not come from Axel, but from Lui Wei. That slag of a lover became more slick with his words in each transmigration.  She hugs him tighter and without a word, she bit his chest. His shirt saved him from the bite hurting him, but she bit him anyway.

Axel chuckled and held the back of her head to his chest, encouraging her to mark him as hers.  

“You haven’t said my name yet, Elise. Say my name.”  Axel asked.

Elise shook her head no and bit him on the same spot.  

“Fine, you want to be stubborn, then be stubborn.”  Axel gave in to her. “But I will make you say my name, one way or another.  Just you wait.”

[Poor Lui Wei.  He fell into Host’s sexual trap.  Now he’s really going to give it to you, in your sex marathon…. vacation here I come!]  

When they got home, Sabine had already arrived to the castle first.  Their dinner was cordial as usual, however the announcement of Sabine’s departure caused the elder Devereux’s a surprise, but they let her go without an invitation to stay longer.  

That night when they returned to bed, Axel pushed Elise against her door and couldn’t keep his hands off of her.  The moment he lost himself in their activity, Elise escaped and close the door in his face, causing him to frown then smile.  

His prickly woman still didn’t trust him fully yet.  To give herself to him,  he would keep on wooing her until she couldn’t deny him anymore. The morning that Sabine left, no one woke up early to see her leave.  She left by foot and stopped every couple of yards to look back at the castle, hoping that Axel would come out. Her hopes became less and less the further she walked away.  She promised herself that she would never come back to the place where she left her heart.