3. Contempt

As the next few weeks pass by, you are dismayed when your memory doesn't appear to be returning. Though you can recall a fair amount about the land and some of its history, you seem unable to remember anything from your past. Alexius continues to remain distant, apart from the few times you are **** out in public with him. While he first had you fooled, you can now easily see through his facade. Any emotion he displays beyond anger or discontent seem to all be for show. He knows what the people expect of him and expertly presents himself as it. Regardless, you are increasingly aware of how unstable things truly are. In the confinements of his residence his temper is not so easily managed. It's these moments that are gossiped about throughout the land and taint his image. You only know this because you've been recently allowed to visit some parts of the city, so long as you are accompanied by escorts. The first time you visited the city without Alexius the people seemed slightly hesitant to approach you. However, once you began talking to them in their more casual dialect, their adoration of you only increased. You've grown to look forward to these rare outings as it's the few times you feel you can actually relax.

While Alexius seems somewhat pleased with how the people have taken to you, he still appears slightly doubtful about you. Escaping has crossed your mind a few times, though, you're not even sure where you would go. It's unlikely you could even get far, considering how many men the Emperor has posted around the property. Eventually, you're **** to resign yourself to your fate, despite your aversion. That evening when you're brought to the great hall you notice Alexius is another foul mood. While his plate goes untouched, you see the goblet before him is refilled several times as the night progresses. After a while, you're allowed to leave and brusquely make your way back to your chambers. Sitting on your bed, you think of the stark contrast between the concerned man you first met and the malcontent person that has replaced him. It seems he had been convinced you were going to reveal some magnificent revelation or grand plan from the gods. Now that he's realized that isn't the case his mood has only declined. Loud footsteps in the hallway quickly draws your attention and you stiffen when they approach your door. A moment later it loudly opens and you see Alexius's broad figure in the doorway. His face is dark and sullen as he stares down at you. "I heard you went to visit the city again today." Though his words aren't slurred, it's apparent he's had more to drink since you last saw him. "Tell me, what are the people saying about me this time?"

Shrinking back slightly, you watch anxiously as he steps forward and closes the door behind him. When you fail to reply, he goes on to answer his own question, "I heard, they're saying, perhaps if someone as lovely as you could care for me. Then maybe, I'm not as terrible as they think." His voice sounds slightly bitter despite the seemingly favorable news. He stops in front of you and pauses for a moment as his blue eyes pierce into you. Apprehensively, you stare back at him and wonder what he's thinking. "Are they wrong?" You're surprised to find yourself asking. Alexius' eyes narrow slightly at your question before he leans down and whispers, "Yes, I am far worse than they know." Before you can respond, he reaches out and pushes you back onto the bed. Your breath is **** out of your lungs as his weight presses down on top of you. Struggling to breathe, you thrash around in a vain attempt to get free. One of his hands wraps around your arm while the other one moves down to your thigh. You're unable to stop him from pulling up the skirt of your stola and exposing your bare lower half. His hand runs up the length of your thigh before stopping at the top. "I told myself I should wait." His deep voice rumbles in your ear as he leans down further. "Yet, I find myself compelled to discover what deems you worthy of being chosen by the gods."

His hand slides in between your legs and roughly pulls them apart. He uses his knee to keep them spread while he reaches down below his waist. Closing your eyes, you turn your head away and wait anxiously. A moment later you feel pressure against your small opening. Gasping, you start struggling again as something begins forcing its way inside of you. The hand around your bicep releases, and he places his arm over your chest, pinning you down. You whimper while a sharp pain shoots across you, as your tight walls are stretched open. Alexius groans slightly and you hear him mutter, "At least the gods sent me a virgin." You hardly take note of his words as you notice a strange sensation building inside of you. To your surprise the initial pain is slowly giving way to an odd feeling of pleasure. You slowly stop fighting back and frown when you feel liquid running down your inner thighs. Alexius shifts up slightly and the arm pinning you down moves lower. His fingers grip the fabric covering your chest and roughly pulls it down. Cold air brushes across your nipples and you turn flush when they begin to stiffen. His fingers brush across one of them, and you can't stifle the moan that escapes your lips. He scoffs arrogantly before cupping his hand around your breast and pulling out of you slightly. Tears quickly spring into your eyes when he rams his full length deep inside you.

Despite the initial discomfort, you find your body quickly responding to his movements again. It seems as if tension is steadily growing between your legs and is marginally relieved by each thrust. Eventually, you hear yourself moaning when a large current of ecstasy courses through you. While you revel in the new sensation washing over, Alexius' hand brushes against your nipple again. The sense of pleasure only increases when he begins roughly twisting it between his finger and thumb. Gasping lightly, you begin squirming against his touch. However, this time you find yourself leaning into him instead of trying to pulling away. When your eyes roll towards the back of your head, you catch a glimpse of a smug smirk across his face. The image remains burned in your mind as you're brought to another climax. To your vexation, you're slightly disappointed when he sits up a moment later and pulls out of you. A strange sensation of emptiness lingers between your legs as you hesitantly look at him. Biting your lip, you stare up at his marginally relaxed face. His eyes trail down and seem somewhat satisfied when they land on the puddle of liquid that seeped into the blanket beneath you. Nonetheless, you get the sense he's not done with you yet.

Your suspicion is confirmed when his hands return to your waist and you are brutishly flipped over. Wrapping his fingers into your hair, he roughly pulls you up onto your knees. Once you're up, he moves behind you and the familiar pressure between your legs returns. Groaning faintly, your eyes roll back again as his large member reenters you. Alexius maintains his grip on your hair and pulls your head back slightly as he thrusts deeper into you. Strangely, the pain only seems to add to your pleasure and you feel more liquid running down your legs. "Harder." You mumble softly as you become lost in a haze of bliss. Alexius seems slightly caught off guard by your requests and pauses briefly. His fingers slip out of your hair and you feel them curl around the back of your neck. A sharp exhale escapes your lips when he shoves you forward onto the mattress and your upper half roughly connects with the coarse blanket below you. Alexius' arm presses against your back, keeping you down, while his other one wraps around your torso. The material of his tunic rubs against your bare back as he begins forcibly slamming into you. A deep feeling of content begins building up while he continues his savage ****. His fingers dig into the sides of your neck, making you gasp slightly.

You find yourself involuntarily arching into him in a **** attempt to receive more of him. Alexius appears to take note of this and uses the arm around your abdomen to roughly pull you back into him. More air rushes out of your lungs, making you even more lightheaded. Moaning louder this time, your inner walls seem to clench around him when another immense climax courses through you. Alexius tenses after a moment and his grip around your neck and waist tightens. A strange rush of warmth envelopes your insides as he groans deeply. He pauses for a moment before finally loosening his grip and standing up. Viscous liquid slowly drips out of your now sore opening after he pulls out. Exhaling shakily, you sluggishly sit up and turn to face Alexius. "Perhaps, there is more to you than meets the eye." He remarks casually after taking a moment to obverse you. A light blush creeps across your cheeks as you quickly pull your skirt down. You're not sure what came over you earlier, however, you're slightly abashed now. A smug look spreads across Alexius' face before he turns and walks towards the door. "The end of June is approaching, I think it's best we commence with our ceremony this week." Before you're able to reply, he closes the door behind him, leaving you alone in the aftermath of your deed.