Chapter 1. Hunger Alley

—Shit, shit, shit! My luck is truly terrible.

Lisel murmured with a heavy sigh as her footsteps echoed through the shadowy cobblestone streets. All around them unfolded a labyrinth of passion and desire.

The Hunger Alley, famous for its darkness, sank into the lowest, most marginal part of Castelar. It was a refuge for male and female prostitutes who offered their services for a few coins.

Some clients chose to take their companions to a nearby hostel, although most were unwilling to pay for a room. Consequently, the streets were filled with couples, trios, and groups engaging in sexual activities under the cover of night.

With a firm hand, Lisel clutched the bag of coins that rested in the inner pocket of her cloak, meant to pay for a man and a room in that hostel. Anonymous couples intertwined in lustful embraces, often bumping into her accidentally.

Lisel, though surprised and embarrassed, could not tear her eyes away from the spectacle, so different from anything she had known before. With each step she took, Lisel ventured deeper into a world that felt foreign, dangerous, and yet, necessary.

The silhouettes entwined in their passions seemed to forget everything else, a sight that made her question the very nature of desire and passion.

"Could something like this make you forget even where you're standing?" she wondered, barely dodging the bodies invading her personal space.

In her attempt to advance, Lisel felt the oppression of her cloak, a barrier of thick fabric that protected her from direct contact with the naked flesh of others. But even that protection seemed insufficient when a thick, hot, and sticky liquid splashed onto her hand, unleashing a mixture of alarm, shame, and confusion within her. She looked up to find the responsible party, but no one seemed to notice her presence.

"How did I get to this point?" she reflected, feeling humiliated and lost.

Lisel's mind returned to the days when her life turned upside down. Her father, Marquis Octavio Luton, had been in a coma for a year, leaving the family under the command of his wife, Margaret Luton.

That woman, who had infiltrated Lisel Luton's life after her mother's death, brought torment in the form of a young man named Carlier, proclaimed the Marquis' son and heir to Luton.

The story of her father and his acceptance of Carlier as a son and heir mingled in her mind with Margaret's abuses. Lisel remembered the humiliations, the deprivations, the beatings. And now, the culmination of it all: her forced engagement.

She recalled how Margaret had announced it, not as an option, but as a mandate, an order wrapped in false benevolence.

—It’s disgusting, outrageous—Lisel told herself, recalling Margaret's master plan.

A forced marriage to the crown prince of the Kingdom of Castella, a ploy under the guise of "honor" that concealed certain death. But Lisel Luton was not willing to surrender.

"I will do anything to avoid this fate" she promised, feeling a glimmer of courage rise within her.

Even if it meant giving up her innocence to a stranger in the Hunger Alley, the lowest area of the entire capital of Castella, Castelar. The idea filled her with dismay, but her resolve was firm.

She walked in disguise, with a dark hood covering her identity. Her head itched under the lush dark wig. She was looking for a man, any man, preferably handsome and kind, who could save her from her doom by being with her that night.

It was then that a hooded figure, watching her from a distance, decided to approach.

—Your face is too red. What are you doing in this place?—asked the man with a deep voice that snapped Lisel out of her reverie.

She approached, trying to discern his face under his hood.

"He must want to keep his anonymity" she thought, not realizing she sought the same.

In the darkness, she could only make out his bright gray eyes and a noble air that surrounded him.

—Maybe I’m just hot—she tried to respond coquettishly, though her trembling voice betrayed her nerves.

"If this man walks away, my plan falls apart" she thought, forcing herself to be bolder.

—Can you help me with that?

The man looked at her incredulously but smiled and, to her surprise, lifted her in his arms, carrying her away from the chaos of the alley.

—Where are you taking me?—Lisel shouted, startled by the unexpected closeness.

—Do you really want to do it in that dirty street full of people?—he replied with a tone mixing arrogance and a touch of superiority.

In an instant, they found themselves inside a nearby inn, away from the commotion of Hunger Alley.

Gently but firmly, the man placed her on the bed. Without a word, he began to kiss her, plunging her into a whirlwind of unknown sensations.

Lisel felt overwhelmed, her face burning with shame and her body tensing under the intensity of his caresses. The man, with his strong hands, removed Lisel’s cloak, revealing her shoulders and a gray dress, modest but chosen carefully to pass as a commoner without seeming vulgar.

As he caressed her hair, he suddenly stopped with a look of surprise.

—I knew something felt strange.

With a quick gesture, he removed her wig, revealing Lisel’s light brown hair, meticulously gathered.

The man’s hands moved skillfully, undoing the braid that held her hair. With each strand he released, her wavy, rebellious, golden hair fell softly around her face and over her chest in a shiny cascade. Though the man did not smile, his eyes showed clear satisfaction, as if unveiling Lisel’s true appearance had unraveled a mystery.

Their gazes met intensely. The man’s gray eyes clashed with her green ones. Lisel, feeling embarrassed, lowered her gaze.

—Relax—he whispered, noticing her tension.

—I... I... I’m trying—Lisel stammered, her words broken by nervousness.

—Try harder—he insisted, his voice low but imposing.

As the man’s hand slid boldly up Lisel’s leg, lifting her skirt with a slowness that exacerbated the tension, he whispered with a voice laden with promise.

—I’m going to make you feel good.

Lisel, with a surprised moan, responded in a trembling whisper.

—I... I’m not sure if...

Then the man’s fingers, firm and skilled, explored her inner thigh, sending waves of unknown pleasure through her body. He, with a passionate hunger, kissed her neck intensely and provocatively, drawing gasps that filled the room.

—Wait!—Lisel shouted.

—I’m being very patient—he murmured, his hot breath against the skin of her neck.

Lisel, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment, could barely formulate words.

—This is... new for me.

The expression on the attractive man’s face became complex at Lisel’s words. However, it quickly changed to one of satisfaction at her innocence, increasing the intensity of his caresses, immersing her even more in the whirlwind of new sensations.

—Let yourself go with me, I promise you won’t regret it—he murmured with a voice tinged with captivating confidence that resonated in the intimacy of the room.

The night turned into a dance of discovery and passion, with Lisel surrendering to the sensations that overwhelmed her. Among whispers and touches, Lisel’s initial tension transformed into passionate curiosity.

—Do you like it?—he asked, his words brushing her ear as he continued exploring her breasts.

Lisel, overcoming her initial nervousness, allowed herself to respond with all the honesty she could muster.

—I think so.

—You think so? You’re very demanding. I’ll have to try my best.

Then, with a fluid movement and without losing contact, the man slid his hand along Lisel’s body. His fingers traced her skin, from her chest to her inner thigh, drawing a burning path that erased any trace of shyness. Skillfully, he stripped Lisel of the last garment covering her, paving the way for a more intimate encounter.

Pain mingled with pleasure under the deft caresses of that mysterious man. For the first time in a long while, Lisel’s worries about the Luton house, her family, and her risks in Castelar seemed to fade, relegated to the background. Only he concerned her at that moment. He and his sharp gray eyes that looked at her as if they would devour her.

After kisses and caresses, Lisel relaxed her body and, unconsciously, placed her hand on his arm. The smallness of her hand contrasted with the muscle she touched, evidencing his strength. He, noticing the contact, said with a playful tone:

—Do you want more?

As he removed his shirt, he revealed a strong, muscular torso that stood out against his pale skin. Lisel, for a moment, forgot how to breathe at the sight of him.

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