Chapter 14: The Garden Trap 【Arc 1: I Was Expelled for Seducing the Enemy Princess】

Six Days Ago… (Later That Morning)

I left the courtyard behind me as fast as humanly possible without breaking into a full sprint. Elara’s words kept bouncing around my skull like a bad echo.

“I am going to steal you right out from underneath her.”

Best friends. Of course the crazy princess and my toxic ex were best friends. My life had never been simple, but this was next-level cosmic trolling.

I adjusted the healing satchel on my shoulder and took the quieter side path back toward the guest wing. Fewer servants, fewer eyes, and fewer chances for Gabriel to spot me and start another lecture.

The stone corridor was cool and dim, lined with flowering vines that smelled too sweet for the chaos in my head. I just needed five minutes of peace. Five minutes without someone throwing themselves at me or threatening to steal me was all I asked.

A wooden door to a private terrace garden stood slightly ajar. I should have walked right past it, but I didn’t.

A pale hand shot out from the shadows inside, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me through the doorway. The door clicked shut behind me. Locked.

Princess Diana stood there in her fitted training coat, her silver hair still slightly messy from the morning fight. Her silver eyes glowed with something far too intense.

“Takashi.”

Her voice was soft and almost playful, but the way she said my name made my stomach drop straight through the floor. I backed up until my spine hit the stone railing overlooking the lower gardens.

“Your Highness, I was just heading back to—”

She didn’t let me finish. Diana closed the distance in two quick steps and threw herself at me.

Her arms locked around my neck as her entire body pressed flush against mine. Every soft curve molded perfectly to my chest, and her warmth hit me like a wave, seeping through all three of my ugly anti-princess layers.

Her breasts pushed firmly into me, full and soft and impossible to ignore. Her hips aligned with mine, and one thigh slid between my legs with zero hesitation. Too close. Way too close.

Her winter-flower scent wrapped around me, heady and intoxicating. Her breath brushed hot against my neck, right below my ear.

“Darling…”

The word came out low, breathy, and almost like a purr. Her fingers tangled in my braid, tugging gently so I had to tilt my head down toward hers.

Her lips brushed my jaw. It was light and teasing, but full of a promise that made my pulse spike. My hands hovered uselessly at my sides because I didn’t dare touch her back. This was a diplomatic apocalypse.

“Your Highness, please stop.”

My voice came out rough and strangled.

“This isn’t right. The treaty… your marriage to Prince Foxu… the peace between our kingdoms…”

She nuzzled closer instead. Her nose traced along my neck as a soft sound escaped her throat, almost like a satisfied hum. Her hand slid down my chest, her fingers tracing the lines of muscle through the fabric to explore and claim.

“You feel so warm. So strong. Even under all these ridiculous layers.”

Her body rocked slightly against mine, and the friction sent unwanted heat racing through me. I could feel every inch of her—the softness of her stomach, the strength in her thighs, and the rapid beat of her heart matching mine.

My brain screamed danger, but my body was a traitor. I placed both hands on her shoulders and pushed, not rough, but firm enough to create space.

“Princess Diana, no.”

I stepped sideways along the railing, my breath coming too fast.

“I can’t do this. I’m here as an envoy. My party is counting on me not to cause an international incident. Gabriel will actually throw me out a window this time.”

For a split second, her expression changed. The playful light dimmed, and something sharper took its place. Her silver eyes narrowed. The smile stayed on her lips, but it sharpened at the edges with a hint of darkness. Possessive. Yandere.

She didn’t move back. Instead, she caught the front of my shirt in her fist and gripped it tight.

“You keep mentioning other people.”

Her voice stayed sweet, but the undertone was pure steel.

“Gabriel. The treaty. That useless coward prince.”

Her grip tightened, her knuckles brushing my skin through the fabric.

“I don’t like sharing, Takashi.”

Her eyes bored into mine, unblinking and intense, as if she could see straight through to my soul and had already decided it belonged to her.

“I said no. Please understand.”

I gently pried her fingers off my shirt, one by one.

She let me create space, but her eyes never left my face. The smile returned, bright and beautiful, but the intensity behind it didn’t fade.

“You say that now.”

She tilted her head, her white hair cascading over one shoulder like a waterfall of moonlight.

“You will be mine, Takashi. Whether you realize it today… or tomorrow… or after I remove every single obstacle standing in my way.”

She turned toward the door with graceful steps, paused at the threshold, and looked back over her shoulder. The yandere glint was unmistakable now.

“I always get what I want. And I want you. Completely.”

She slipped out the door, leaving it open behind her.

I slid down the stone wall until I was sitting on the cool floor. My hands were shaking, and my heart still hammered like I’d run another full-city chase.

What the hell just happened?

The princess had cornered me, thrown her entire body against mine, and left me with the echo of her promise. And the worst part? A tiny, traitorous corner of my brain had felt the warmth. Felt the pull.

I shoved that thought down hard. No. The mission. The treaty. My party.

I stood up on shaky legs, grabbed my satchel, and headed for the guest room. I needed to find Gabriel. Now. Before Diana decided the trap needed to be more permanent.

The road ahead felt even longer, weirder, and absolutely cursed than before. And I was still right in the middle of it.