Chapter 353: 353. Don’t play with fire! - 1

William sat upright on the edge of the bed; his breathing was uneven from the activity he was involved in.

It had been Tamasya who knocked on his door.

At first, he had expected an ordinary conversation, perhaps a discussion about the palace or the ceremony earlier in the day. Instead, the moment she entered the room, the atmosphere instantly switched.

She had arrived with intentions.

Right now, she sat on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him with an intensity that completely shattered the exhaustion weighing down his body.

There was nothing hesitant about her movements right now. She devoured his lips like a starving lioness finally claiming what she desired, and William found himself unable, perhaps unwilling, to stop her.

The fatigue from the endless ceremony vanished almost instantly.

The moment he had seen the strange look in her eyes and the deliberate sway of her hips as she slowly approached him earlier, something inside him had ignited.

William genuinely did not understand what had happened to her so suddenly.

Only a day ago, Tamasya had still been resisting his intimate touch, pretending to be composed whenever he suggested something that way.

Yet now she was sitting on his lap, pressing herself against him while looking at him with eyes overflowing with mischief and dangerous temptation.

For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted aimlessly. His mind felt strangely light, almost blissful.

Slowly, he began convincing himself that perhaps tonight would finally be the night their relationship crossed that final boundary.

His arms tightened around her instinctively as his hands moved across her back with growing hunger. He could feel the warmth of her body through the fabric separating them, and every teasing movement from her only worsened the fire rising inside him.

A deep and primal desire slowly surfaced within his mind, threatening to drown out the last traces of restraint he still possessed.

He was just about to surrender to it completely and pull that dress apart when...

BANG!

The door suddenly slammed open with furious force. The violent sound shattered the atmosphere instantly.

Tamasya remained draped over him, her hands still looped around his neck as she supported herself against his chest. Instead of panicking, however, a soft chuckle escaped her lips.

Then she slowly turned toward William.

Only now did he notice the amusement hidden inside her eyes.

"I’m sorry, Will," she said softly, still smiling. "But that’s all for now; your mom confronted me, so I wanted to show her that you are as invested in me as I am in you."

Before William could properly process her words, she gently unwrapped her arms from around his neck and separated their intertwined bodies.

Meanwhile, William’s gaze shifted toward the doorway.

Anastasia stood there glaring at Tamasya with gritted teeth and obvious fury burning in her eyes.

"Get off my boy!!" she shouted as Tamasya finally stood up from the bed and approached her, passing her a cold expression.

Then, to William’s complete confusion, both women turned around as if preparing to leave.

He stared at them in absolute disbelief.

At the same moment, Orion’s voice echoed inside his mind.

[Your mother already knows about you and Tamasya.]

[She confronted Tamasya earlier today. Things became heated between them very quickly. Their confrontation eventually turned into a full argument, and the only reason it stopped was that your grandpa Elion intervened.]

[Interestingly enough, Elion defended Tamasya as she claimed that you loved her back.]

[After hours of arguing, they decided to test you.]

William’s expression slowly darkened.

[Tamasya claimed that your feelings for her were genuine and mutual.]

[Meanwhile, Anastasia believed that you would resist Tamasya if she deliberately tempted you and that you were just swayed by your young age or maybe innocence.]

[That’s why Tamasya was acting unusually bold tonight.]

The moment William heard that explanation, anger surged violently inside his chest. A cold fury spread across his face.

Was he some kind of joke to them?

He had never expected something like this from Tamasya of all people.

For the first time in a very long while, William genuinely felt played with and betrayed.

[Tbh, I talked to her; she feels alright about this reasoning with herself that even you kissed Sera before her and all that overthinking stuff that I don’t want to bother repeating. Basically, she feels alright, as there is no harm done in her opinion.]

"Tamasya!"

William’s voice thundered through the room.

Both women froze instantly.

Tamasya slowly turned around first, while Anastasia followed a second later. The anger on Anastasia’s face weakened the moment she saw William’s expression. It became immediately obvious to both women that they had crossed a line they should not have crossed.

Tamasya stood still under his gaze.

The next instant, William disappeared from the bed and appeared directly in front of her.

During their earlier kiss, the upper portion of his vest had loosened and fallen open, leaving his bare chest exposed. His toned body stood only inches away from hers now, radiating an overwhelming pressure that instantly made Tamasya nervous.

Only now did she begin sweating slightly.

For the first time that night, she truly realized how angry he was.

She did not fully understand what part had upset him this deeply, but she knew with certainty that she had genuinely crossed one of his boundaries.

William turned toward Anastasia first, and his expression eased a bit as he spoke coldly.

"Mom," his voice carried frightening certainty. "I truly love Tamasya romantically. I fully intend to make her my woman someday. If not for my age, I would have already married her by now. I chose to wait only because I wanted to respect our customs."

Neither woman interrupted him.

"After I returned from death, Aunt Yue told me that it was Tamasya who removed the seal from my heart."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"Think about that for a moment, Mom. Imagine what she must have gone through while cutting open the heart of the person she loved, knowing there was a chance she could lose him forever."

Tamasya’s breathing trembled faintly.