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Cesare did not lie to Eileen.
He would rather be silent than say a lie, and with Eileen he always was extremely honest.
And this time Cesare, must have been, spoke sincerely.
If Eileen had promised him, he would have told her all that she wanted to know.
But Eileen couldn't give such a promise.
This would have meant crossing out all on which her life was based.
Mother taught her that their lives with daughter belong to His Highness the Prince.
Even the last words which she left to Eileen were dedicated to the Prince.
*‘My favorite Lily.’*
*‘Live for the sake of His Highness.’*
Her lips, parched and cracked, moved.
The eyes, despite the painful paleness of face, burned with a strange light.
The gaze, saturated with a mixture of jealousy, anger and love, forever was cut into the memory of Eileen, having let roots in the very depths of her soul.
This was as-if a curse.
And all thus same Eileen with joy accepted the maternal curse.
Even if not her words, she would and thus have lived life for the sake of His Highness.
Therefore Eileen couldn't lie to Cesare, having promised not to die for him.
In the drawn-out silence Cesare quietly smiled.
On his lips froze a distorted smile.
As-if he and thus knew that Eileen wouldn't be able to answer.
Having seen this smile, she, not having managed to realize her own thoughts, suddenly pronounced:
"Cesare-nim too..."
This was an instinctive insight.
The same same feeling which she experienced when, looking at his ideally smooth palms without a single scar, asked from where he learned about the wedding ring in the diary.
And now that same same intuition again possessed her.
"If You promise not to die for me..." Eileen slowly pronounced: "Then and I will promise."
Even in the moment when this thought flashed in her head, she seemed to her funny.
But, voiced out loud, the idea about that Cesare can give for her life at all sounded ridiculous.
He, probably, too was in shock from her words.
Even the fall of the heavens seemed more likely, and all thus same Eileen couldn't stop.
She and herself didn't understand from what so furiously wants to hear his answer, but in this moment to her desperately was necessary to receive a promise.
Not of death, but of life.
Having finished talking, Eileen lowered the gaze with which until this she looked at Cesare.
To her was scary to hear his answer to her foolish request.
All of what she could dream—so that he simply didn't burst out laughing in her face.
She nervously waited for his reaction, but instead of answer heard laughter.
Cautiously having lifted head, Eileen saw that Cesare was laughing.
It seemed he laughed from fun, but in the corners of his smile was hidden coldness.
Eileen involuntarily shrank.
"Here is a trouble," pronounced he, looking at her with eyes rounded from laughter.
Then whispered something incomprehensible: "I have already broken this promise."
Eileen didn't understand his words.
Was it a mistake of hearing?
She wanted to ask again, but didn't decide.
Cesare pulled the chair yet closer.
Eileen turned out almost jammed between his legs.
Without permission he took her hand.
His touch seemed non-obligatory, but, having squeezed her palm, he tenderly stroked her.
As if a simple touch was not sufficient, Cesare took off the leather glove.
Skin to skin.
Even from such a simple touch in the bottom of the stomach ran a hot tingling.
Firm thighs, squeezing her legs, attracted to themselves a strange attention.
Eileen's gaze lost focus.
From the moment of their wedding in them had been only two intimacies. after this Cesare so much was submerged in affairs that they rarely even slept in one bed.
Most often Eileen fell asleep first, and he only for a short time entered into the bedroom to vanish in the morning before her awakening.
Eileen swallowed, even not realizing this.
In distinction from she, already trembling from tension, he silently lowered eyes and set about to sort through her fingers.
He lead along the long fingers, rubbed the tips of nails, and then slowly intertwined them with his.
Palms joined firmly.
Because of the sharpened feelings even such a simple touch evoked a strange excitement.
For some time Cesare played with her hand as he wanted, and then suddenly pulled her to himself.
"A-a!"
Eileen cried out from unexpectedness, her upper part of body tilted forward, and in the following moment their lips met.
As-if thus and was intended, he naturally kissed her.
Having spread her lips, he penetrated with tongue inside, squeezing her hand so strongly that the fingers slightly ached.
Eileen started from pain and the current having run along the body.
With one hand Cesare held her fingers, and with the other stroked her lower back.
Each time when his long fingers slid along the vertebrae, Eileen quietly moaned.
"M-mkh..."
As soon as the moan burst from her partially opened lips, Cesare again pressed to them, swallowing and this sound.
When his tongue touched the sensitive palate, along the back ran a shiver.
Eileen, whose mouth was completely captured, was dizzy from lack of air.
She screwed up eyes, then again opened eyes.
For a moment their lips were parted, but, scarcely she managed to inhale, he again kissed her.
Her consciousness floated away from these kisses.
In the brain clouded from heat flashed a thought: *‘Means, he all the same nothing to me will tell.’* Is it really and on this time all will end just like this?
Of course, Eileen too couldn't answer to his request, didn't fulfill his condition...
Eileen, helplessly yielding to the kisses, with free hand slightly pushed Cesare by the chest.
She tried to free and the joined fingers.
She wanted to stop the kiss and continue the conversation.
But, apparently, he understood her gesture otherwise.
Cesare didn't permit her to refuse.
Not letting go her hand, Eileen with trembling lips whispered his name:
"Cesare-nim..."
He didn't answer.
To her was not even a chance something to say.
Cesare kissed her so furiously that she couldn't catch breath.
When the kiss finally ended, Eileen stared at Cesare with a gaze full of unexpressed words.
He lead with a finger along her wet lips and said:
"Is it really impossible simply to remain in ignorance?"
If the speech was about the past when she was his "toy," this would have been possible.
But now she thus didn't want.
Eileen shook head, and Cesare intently looked she in the eyes.
His gaze, it seemed, looked for something which he didn't understand.
"What do you so want to learn, if even a promise to give cannot?"
From annoyance Eileen here same parried:
"C-Cesare-nim too couldn't promise!"
"And therefore you cannot?"
"Yes..."
He shortly smiked.
Then the expression of his face vanished.
Eileen froze before his impassive gaze, with delay having realized that she passed the borders.
"Pardon..."
But even after her apologies Cesare was silent.
He looked at she.
Time went not so already and long, but for Eileen it stretched by an eternity.
Not having withstood the tense silence, she set in motion lips.
"I simply..."
Her timid muttering was interrupted when Cesare covered her eyes with a hand.
For a short time having hidden her red eyes from self, he rose from the chair and turned away.
Having approached to the window, he looked at the forest behind the glass, then again turned around to Eileen.
All this time Eileen sat, not moving.
She so was nervous that even the body became cold.
Cesare looked at her from above down and opened embraces.
His gaze, yet recently sharp as a blade, now softened.
Eileen here same rose and pressed to him.
Cesare quietly justified himself:
"I didn't want to scare you."
His hands, affectionately calming her trembling body, were tender.
Such a Cesare she knew.
How many they thus stood?
He muttered, as-if talking with himself:
"Difficult.
In childhood you were much more obedient."
Of course, now she is an adult, otherwise and to be couldn't.
But Eileen restrained the desire to answer.
Instead of this she said another:
"I didn't get scared."
She indeed didn't turn to stone from fear before him.
Her for a moment was gripped by horror that Cesare ceased to love her.
Their relations were not based on confidence in the constancy of feelings.
This was an infinitely one-sided hierarchy where all was decided by him.
All that she received—hidden truths, his love—depended only on his will.
In Eileen herself there was nothing.
A sudden surge of emotions forced her to stand on tiptoes.
Then she pressed lips to the corner of his mouth.
She wanted to kiss him, but because of the shiver fell not there.
Cesare slightly narrowed eyes.
Eileen, following behind his reaction, on this time accurately touched his lips.
All this time Cesare permitted her to do what she wants.
Let she and couldn't possess his love, but at least to express it—could.
Of course, only in those frames that he to her permitted. and Eileen thirsted for this permitted love.
"Embrace me..."