I carried on walking through the shop, stopping to inspect the rows and rows of vases as I passed. It was funny, because in any other store, the most logical item to expect in the next section would be some other type of decorative homeware, but no. It was clothes. Well, on closer inspection, it was lingerie, to be exact. There was a table display with several sets laid out on top. A torso mannequin wearing a seductive black bodysuit stood to the left, while a wooden clothing rail was positioned to the right. I drifted closer, reaching out to trail my fingers over the different fabrics. There were webs of lace, drapes of satin, and strips of latex. I picked up the piece at the end—a corset of red leather, embellished with buckles, and accompanied by a collar of the same material. The diamond lettering on the front read KITTEN.

My face grew warm.

“Wow, this place really does have everything and anything,” I mumbled, putting the corset down. It was a beautiful piece, and well-crafted, but leather was definitely a step too far out of my comfort zone.

“That color would look absolutely stunning on you.”

I whirled around, caught completely off guard by the shopkeeper—a super tall, red-headed naga—who stood three feet behind me. She cringed in embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Your Highness,” she said, her voice a soothing purr. “It was only that I saw you looking, and couldn’t help but offer my compliments.”

My heart hammered in my throat, but sensing I wasn’t in any immediate danger, I cleared my throat and tried to play it off. “Oh… I, um… I don’t think it’s really my thing.”

“Nonsense! Everyone deserves to wear sexy underthings at least once in their lifetime.” She sashayed closer, her tail coiling behind her, and I had no option but to crane my neck to meet her eyes. She winked. “I’d wager that prince of yours would agree.”

“I don’t know…” I combed my fingers through the hair on my nape. Would Cair be into that kind of thing? I’d never asked him or even given it much thought, to be honest. I had no complaints in the sex department, so spicing things up with toys or lingerie rarely occurred to me. Alex had brought it up before and I’d balked at the idea. Mostly because he’d suggested it as a way to get Cair to throw caution to the wind and finally admit he wanted me, and I hadn’t wanted to look utterly desperate, but maybe it wouldn’t be so terrifying now that we were actually together?

I needed convincing.

“You think so?” I asked, and the shopkeeper grinned.

“Absolutely! The way he looks at you… Gah, he’d be foaming at the mouth seeing you in something like that.”

I hummed, considering. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a little too… bold? I’ve never bought anything like this before.”