Take Me for a Walk

The leaves and branches of the tall trees covered the palace garden like a curtain. Only a few rays of sunlight penetrated through, but they did not disturb the pleasant coolness or dazzle the eyes. Maylis remembered that Yufina always complained about the sun: in Marlon, there was almost none of it. Even now, walking arm in arm with her, Yufina squinted a little. Maylis giggled and looked away.

She had much wanted to take a walk today and show herself to Yufina in her new dress, and for this she even solved the sun problem: they only walked in the part of the garden covered in shade.

During the walk, they chatted about everything except Maylis' new dress. She tried to hint at it a couple of times, but Yufina seemed not to understand... Or was shy. Maylis was also shy. More precisely, she was ashamed to openly impose herself on her sister-in-law, even if she showed signs of attention and was not against it, even despite her northern, unfriendly disposition.

"Do you like my new dress, Yufina?" Maylis couldn't help asking as they passed by an apple tree.

"I like it," Yufina replied, casting a glance over Maylis. "But it's a bit big on you. You are beautiful, after all; you have no reason to hide your figure."

"Oh, you're saying that!" Maylis waved her hand. "I'm like a stick. Nothing beautiful."

Her denial was more playful: Maylis had come to terms with her figure, and she liked that even such a skinny ugly duckling as herself was attractive to Yufina. This thought pleasantly tickled her inside. And Maylis knew that she had charisma, a cute face, even if not as soft and round as her sisters'.

"Not true. I don't know who told you that, but personally, I like thin girls and boys." Yufina slid her hand lower and intertwined her fingers with Maylis'.

Something warm tickled in her chest, more apparent now. Maylis smiled and, responding to the play, stroked Yufina's hand.

"As a teenager, I kept trying to gain weight, but I never succeeded. At least there's something good in it," Maylis smiled. She felt as if her ears and cheeks were burning, and that Yufina could clearly see it.

"Mhm..." Yufina put her arm around Maylis waist.

"This is wrong, I should stop," Maylis thought for just a second. The thoughts immediately shifted to how good and pleasant she felt, how lucky she was to receive reciprocation from someone at all. With Tae, she had no chance (like Yufina, he was married, but at least he was a man), but here she was loved, even if for a moment, even if for this walk, even if just a little.

When they reached a large, ancient tree, Yufina looked around, as if they might be pursued, and turned to Maylis. They were so close that Maylis felt she could sense Yufina's heartbeat—or perhaps it was her own heart pounding in her temples, overflowing with excitement.

"Should we stop? You are my brother's wife," Maylis breathed into Yufina's lips.

She lied to herself, thinking she cared at all. At that moment, Yufina's lips were more tempting than anything in the world.

"So what?" A shadow crossed Yufina's face. "Do you think that idiot will notice? Just between us, but in Marlon, I also have a lover."

Yufina whispered the last words, but they still sounded too loud. Maylis felt as if she had been scalded. She wanted to believe it was because her brother was being cheated on. Yes, dynastic marriages were a complicated thing, and Maylis understood Yufina, woman to woman: it's hard being bartered, hard living with someone you don't like at all, when your heart yearns for another. But deception... Maylis didn't care. Tears flowed from her eyes because Yufina had someone else.

Maylis closed her eyes and allowed Yufina to draw her into a brief, desired kiss.

Yufina trembled with excitement: she was kissing her beautiful sister-in-law in the garden of her idiot husband's family, where they could be caught.

Maylis was not angry.

At least for a short while, at least for today, at least for these seconds, she got what she wanted.