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Since the fall of the Ga'ran regime, and all the newfound truths that came with it, Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi had sworn not only to restore Khura'in's legal system, but even took it upon himself to guide and protect his little sister, priestess and heir to the throne, Rayfa Padma Khura'in. Despite telling himself that his actions of the past 15 years were fuelled by his determination to protect her, he often wondered if he had caused her more unnecessary pain; regardless, he felt she deserved every bit of brotherly love he could give her, now that he was free to give it.
Now that "Nayna" was gone and Amara was busy tending to royal duties, Rayfa was short a nanny. Despite her often excessive demands, Nahyuta felt obligated to care for her in any way he could. The poor girl had been through so much in the past year—and he knew he was the cause of at least some of that pain.
So in-between court proceedings and paperwork, he decided to relieve her from as many of Nayna's responsibilities as he could on top of his own work. He had 14 years of his sister's life to catch up on, after all.
There was one thing, however, that Rayfa had dared not ask Nayna. It was only natural of course, for a 14 year old to be curious about her body, yet being the royal priestess, she had been largely sheltered from matters regarding sex and sexuality, for fear of "tainting" her holy innocence.
So when she first approached Nahyuta with her new request, he was, to say the least, a little taken aback.
"Braid-head, there's something I wish to discuss. You've been caring for me for some months now, and there is something I'd like you to do." She faltered here, her fists clenching and face turning a cherry red. "Ahem.... As you are no doubt aware, I am nearly a grown woman, and in a few short years I should begin searching for a husband... What I mean is, I would hate to make a fool of myself when the time comes, and seeing as you are a man, I believe you should be adequately qualified to coach me in matters of romance." The words tumbled out of her mouth as if she was trying to get rid of them as fast as possible.
Nahyuta blinked. Despite his desire to care for her, he wasn't sure he was really the best person for teenage girl sleepovers and gossip sessions.
That was what she meant... right?
"Your Benevolence, with all due respect, wouldn't you be better asking someone else? I'm sure any of the female servants would be happy to talk about such things-"
She balled her fists and before he knew it, he was punched in the side. "No, you… you nincompoop! I know about all that, but what I need is practice!"
Practice...?
Before he could wrap his head around what exactly she meant, he felt a sharp tug on his hair and was yanked down, braid first, to Rayfa's eye level.
"You're going to kiss me," she stated, her confident grin returning just as quickly as it left, though her cheeks still betrayed a hint of her blushing.
Oh.
With his sister's face suddenly so close, he was acutely aware of the feelings he had been doing so well at suppressing. Rayfa was indeed becoming a beautiful young woman - it was impossible not to notice the way her dress hugged her budding curves just a little tighter with each passing month, the way her skirt now barely covered her panties when she danced - and now here she was, face inches from his, quite literally asking to be kissed-
She looked at him expectantly and huffed. "Well?"
...One quick kiss couldn't hurt, could it? Indulge himself this one time and then at least, he hoped, they could both forget about it and move on.
He shook his head and sighed.
"Very well. But just this once." He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before hurriedly straightening himself out, preparing to make his excuses to leave.
But Rayfa still had a grip on his braid, and didnt seem to be willing to let go until she got what she wanted. Nahyuta cursed to himself.
"That's not what I meant, stupid Braid-head! You have to kiss me properly, like a real man!" She stomped her foot petulantly and he could see tears well up in her eyes.
Fuck.
He knew this was an awful idea; even if a simple kiss was all it was, he worried that things would never be able to go back to normal between them. If he did, would he always be craving more? But if he didn't, would he forever curse himself for not taking this chance, doomed to only wonder how her lips tasted..?
But he just couldn't refuse Rayfa. Not when she looked at him like that - her indignant expression poorly masking the hurt in her eyes. Not when he too craved her so badly. Not her.
So he kissed her once more, daring to make it last a little longer this time, cupping her face with his hands and allowing himself to indulge in her for just a brief moment - and when he pulled away her lips were plump and shiny, her cheeks flushed while she swayed against him, slightly breathless.
"Better?" He murmured, this time not making any move to pull away.
"Mmnh…- I m-mean, yes, that's much better! T-Then, I will see you tomorrow at my private quarters, 6pm sharp for my next lesson, and you'd better be there or... or I'll tell Queen Amara you bullied me!" And with that, she turned and ran out of the room before he had a chance to protest, fists still balled up by her sides.
Nahyuta gripped his prayer beads in frustration.
Oh, he was so fucked.
------
And so began their little arrangement. Every evening at 6pm Nahyuta would visit Rayfa in her private quarters and teach her what it felt like to be kissed; carefully tilting her head the right way, showing her what to do with her hands.. She was clumsily awkward and had the tendency to clench her hands tight to pummel his chest whenever she felt embarrassed— which was often - but he didn't mind.
Ever since he first kissed her in the palace, he was intoxicated by the scent of her hair, her clumsy kisses, the sweet taste of her lips… and 6pm soon became the highlight of his days.
And then she would fall asleep on his chest watching re-runs of The Plumed Punisher episodes while he stroked her hair, never having the heart to disturb her and excuse himself.
She became extra affectionate towards him in public too - often leaning against him, absent-mindedly playing with his fingers, or swinging their hands while they walked. It made sense though; poor Rayfa had never had much familial love from either of her parents, so he was more than happy to provide that comfort. Her clinginess was endearing, and he had no intention of denying her - the way she clung to him when he kissed her, how eagerly she would kiss back, how she'd bury her face in his chest when saying goodbye, refusing to let go until he rubbed her back and murmured soft reassurances into her hair - he couldn't bring himself to reject even if he had wanted to. He would hold her forever if she asked.
And yet, it was getting increasingly hard to deny the rush he felt when he touched her waist and she shivered - or the way her hot breath felt against his neck, the way her body pressed against him when she hugged him just a little too tightly...
He wanted to keep things just like this; just innocent enough that he could convince himself once again that this was all for her sake, his duty as her older brother. But Holy Mother, she was addictive, and his resolve was quickly weakening.
With each evening meeting, his sense of brotherly duty was being slowly chipped away, replaced by the desire to indulge her in whatever she wanted.
No, that wasn't quite right - the filthy thoughts he struggled to ignore were absolutely more his indulgence than hers.
It was only a matter of time before he snapped, just like the prayer beads he abused when he was stressed.
Not that he'd ever dream of hurting her.
…. Outside of his fantasies, at least.