“W- What? Your Majesty, I would never…” I sputtered. “Why… Why would I…” 

“Slap me.” The Queen pulled my hands to her cheeks, but I quickly wriggled away.

“I- I can’t, Your Majesty. That’s not right…”

“Please, Seul-Ki. I insist.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Your Majesty.”

“You will never. I trust you.” She smiled serenely. “I trust you with my life.”

“That’s not the point, Your Majesty…” I sighed as I reached back to her cheeks and caressed them. “Your face is… ethereal, Joo-Hyun. I… I don’t want to scratch it.”

She entwined her fingers through mine and brought them downward. “Not my face then.”

My eyes widened as the Queen pressed my palms onto her silk robes—and against her round, fleshy bum.

“Slap me,” she repeated, staring at me with a pair of bright, eager eyes.

And this time, I could not refuse her. I smoothed my palms over a few times before giving her a light tap.

She raised her brows. “That wasn’t much of a slap. Harder, Seul-Ki, I trust you.”

I complied. A soft thud echoed in the room, and my heart would have shriveled away if not for her widening smile. 

“Yes, just like this,” she encouraged. 

“God, Joo-Hyun…” I let out a shaky breath. “Take your clothes off.”

Chuckling, she stood up and stripped off her robes in less than a second. As if she could not wait to get back to me. As if she could not wait to get another slap. 

Instead of facing me, she turned her back to me and crouched over her zither. Her breasts were inches above the strings, her limbs sprawled on the wooden floors, and her butt—her lovely, rounded butt—was raised towards me.

Heavens, she was beautiful even from behind. A masterpiece from every angle.

My hands trembled as I laid them on her skin. The plumpness of her ass felt so much better when bare. It felt so right.

“Please let me know if I’m hurting you,” I whispered.

She craned her neck to look back at me. The strands of hair that spilled out of her hairpin brushed along her nape. “I will, Seul-Ki. Keep going.”

The silky voice, paired with this breathtaking view, was driving me insane. I wondered if she knew the effect she had on me. I wondered if she knew that all I wanted to do was to pounce on her and kiss her neck, her lips, her shoulders… everywhere. I wanted to kiss everywhere.

But I took in a deep breath and calmed myself.

I would do what she wanted me to do.

I drew a few circles before bringing my hands down. The smack was louder this time—and crisper. Ripples fluttered across her flesh, while tingles shot through my arms. I waited a bit, gave her a few moments of rest, and slapped again. 

Massage, slap, massage, slap. I repeated the pattern until I was addicted. After every slap, I let my hands travel further and further around her body—her smooth thighs, her curved back, her full waist. It was a physique that was carved from perfection, and I relished every moment with it.

And she was enjoying it too. Her body visibly relaxed after every spank, unfurling from within, surrendering with relief. 

Then, she whimpered. 

I pulled my hands away. Her skin was now a blush pink; it was as beautiful as it was frightening. “Your Majesty! Does- Does it hurt?” 

“In a good way.”

So it did hurt. “I’m… I- I should stop.”

“But I’m enjoying this, Seul-Ki, really.”

“But you’re… pink. Any more and my heart will break, Your Majesty…” Bending down, I gently kissed the reddest spot on each cheek. My fingers slid in between them until I found her clit.

She gasped. “Oh…”

I could not help but chuckle. “Do you like the slaps more, or this?”

“You cannot compare appetizers to desserts.”

“Can you not?” My wrist twitched in a rhythm I knew she liked, while my other hand slapped her butt with a ferocity I knew she liked too. 

A single note strung from the zither as the Queen jerked from pleasure.

“Seul-Ki!” She arched her back to get away from the instrument. “Oh, you’re gonna make me lose my mind!”

“Not as much as what you’re doing to my mind.” 

I leaned forward and kissed her, exploring every slight curvature of her spine, while my fingers slowly slid inside her. I had never taken her from the back before. This felt… new. And exciting.

With this new position, I was not as confident about finding her spot, but when I did, she moaned and twisted like she was in heaven.

It was getting difficult to breathe, but I maintained my hold on her. I thrust deeper and deeper into her, occasionally giving her butt a hard smack—one loud enough to compliment her cries of joy. 

Soon, she lost control of her body; dissonant chords strung from the zither as she writhed and squirmed wildly. The out-of-tune notes, her euphoric moans, and the thunderclaps of my palm formed a strangely harmonic cacophony. I had heard the Queen play the zither many times, but this—this—was the most divine piece of music in the world.

When she came, she let out one last trembling cry before she rolled to the side, panting and staring up at me. 

I crawled over to her and held out my hand. As usual, she was eager to taste herself, grabbing my arm and sucking at my fingers. 

“Your Majesty,” I asked warily, “you liked… that? Getting hit?” 

The Queen let out a soft sigh. “Only by you.” 

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me for a kiss—but I yanked away. My mouth still hurt way too much.

“Oh…” Her face fell when she realized. “I’m sorry, Seul-Ki, I…”

“It’s okay. Let’s just cuddle?”

We snuggled close together next to the zither. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, but at least I had her in my arms now.

Whatever happened, at least I had her.

The Queen nuzzled into my neck. “I know I loved it a lot, but… how was that for you?”

“Um, I don’t know,” I admitted. I could still feel the stinging pain on my palm as I caressed her shoulder. “But if you’re happy, I’m happy too.”

“Thank you, Seul-Ki. Thank you for loving me… no matter what.”

“Anything for you, Your Majesty.” I brushed my thumb across her cheeks. “Anything at all.”